Charming The Alpha (7 page)

"Did he ever find out?"

She nodded and held up the box before wiping away a tear. "There's so many letters. And I had no idea. In his last letter he said he heard from someone that I was pregnant. I guess someone he knew saw me in town. He was sure he was the father, but said if he didn't hear back from me he would respect my wishes and leave me alone. It had been months since he heard from me, months that he had been away, yet he never thought there was someone else. And there wasn't. There never has been since."

I felt bad. I had no idea any of this had happened. Knowing Pea was strong willed, it only surprised me a little, but I was very disappointed that she did such a terrible thing. What Pea did not only affected my mother, but me too. And I was hurt.

"Why do you think she'd do that? Why is she so against werewolves?" I asked.

Eliza sighed. "Pea believes in some curse going back to the seventeenth century. There's some folklore going back to those days that links the werewolves with our family. That's why she's obsessed with your hair. She says our hair is full of our DNA. The longer our hair is, the stronger the scent it creates." She shrugged. "I think its bullshit, but you know Pea."

Hannah remembered what Caleb said about the witches being persecuted as wolf charmers. Wondering if that's what happened to their ancestor centuries before, she needed to push her mother even though she could tell her mom wanted to stop talking about it.

"Have you ever heard of Rebekah Crane? Did Pea ever mention her?"

"No, Pea never did, but I know her name. Come with me," Eliza said as she got up.

Hannah followed Eliza into the backyard and through the vegetable and flower gardens Pea used to spend so much time tending. Behind the gardens was an old wrought iron gate hidden by an overgrowth of ivy. Eliza wrapped her fingers around a thick section of vines and yanked hard, opening the gate.

The section inside the gate was small, around ten feet by ten feet, bordered by the rusted fence. There was an old lawn chair to the side of the entrance and flowers growing wildly. Towards the back, Hannah noticed a slim, tilted gravestone that was darkened with age.

"I started coming here when I was little," Eliza said. "It was a good place to hide and pretend we weren't the strange witch family on the block. As you know, the cottage is very old and has been in our family for hundreds of years. Back then families would bury their dead either in the church graveyard or in a small graveyard on their property. There's only one gravestone here though and I always wondered why that was, but I knew better than to ask Pea."

Hannah walked over to the gravestone and read it aloud. "'Here lies Rebekah Crane, Mother Leeds and unfaithful wife to Jacob.' Well that's just rude."

"I bet that's why she's back here. They considered her a disgrace. I'm sure you know Mother Leeds gave birth to the Jersey Devil, and I suspect that the curse Pea told me about has something to do with that. I'm sure if you wanted to find out more about her you could go down to City Hall on Monday and look her up, see what you can find. And if that doesn't work just call her. You've always been much more powerful in calling than me."

"You never asked Pea about her?"

"No, I wanted my private place to stay my own. Plus, I know Pea. She always felt we should just listen to her and we didn't need to know anything else. I was stupid and never questioned her," Eliza said. "I had a different relationship with her than you did. I always felt she was resentful towards me. To me, she wasn't the warm comforting woman you know."

Nodding, Hannah knew her mother was right. The Pea she knew and the Pea Eliza grew up with were two different women. Hannah hoped if Pea was alive she wouldn't do anything to prevent Caleb and her from being together, but she suspected Pea wouldn't do anything differently.

"Let's go back inside, Hannah. I'm tired and I'm sure you are too.
 
Plus, you have that date tonight. I'm sorry for how I reacted earlier. I just...I guess I'm still hurt about your dad."

"Have you tried looking for him? With the internet and everything, maybe you can find him."

"I've been talking to other shifters, showing them an old picture of us, to see if anyone recognizes him. I don't even know if he came back after his deployment. For all I know, he's dead," she paused for a minute before continuing, "but I honestly don't think so. I've always felt he was close, I can't explain it, its just a feeling. Recently though, something has happened. I feel like he's in danger and that's why I started going to Night Shift. I needed to speak to more people. I have to find him."

Eliza pulled an old photograph out of her pocket and handed it to Hannah. It was the first time she ever saw her father before. Knox had sandy colored hair and a warm smile. His body was built similar to Caleb's, strong and muscular like most grey wolves. Looking at her mother beside him, so young and cheerful, Hannah's eyes misted over when she realized she had never seen her mother so happy before.

"You can ask Caleb tonight," Hannah said. "Maybe he can help. He's the Alpha for Rowan so I'm sure he knows a lot of wolves."

"Thank you, hon, I will. Now go get some sleep. You've never been on a date until a wolf takes you on one," Eliza said grinning.

Hannah could tell her mother was lost in a memory about her love from long ago, Hannah's father. She kissed her cheek and left her alone with the picture and her memories.

Chapter Ten

Dressed in a black, hip hugging pencil skirt and a dark purple wool v-neck sweater, Hannah was early for the first time in her life. She looked out the small oval window that faced the street and wondered where Caleb was.
 

He wasn't late, she just wanted to make sure he didn't have any time alone with her mother. The last thing she wanted was for them to bond over naked baby photos of her.

Eliza was busy in the kitchen baking chocolate chip cookies, her usual treat for guests. With her mom in a pair of worn jeans and a sweatshirt, Hannah was glad to not have one of those mothers who competed with her for a man's attention. She'd heard horror stories about that from other friends at school.

The loud growl of a motorcycle filled the air and Hannah ran over to the mirror to make sure she looked alright, before looking out the window again. Parked in front of the house was a silver Harley Davidson. Caleb got off the bike, removed his helmet, and ran his fingers through his dirty blond hair.

Unable to take her eyes off him, Hannah watched him strut up the sidewalk in a pair of tight black jeans, with his worn motorcycle boots peeking out from underneath, a grey button shirt with buttons that strained against his muscular chest, and a thin black leather jacket.

She didn't realize her mother had come up behind her and was watching too until her mother let out a low whistle.

"Damn, he reminds me of your father. I swear when I close my eyes, its like Knox is right here beside me," Eliza said.

Hannah turned and hugged her mother tightly. "Don't worry, Mom, we'll find him. I'm sure of it."

As Caleb entered the house, Hannah reached up and gave him a kiss before leading him into the kitchen where Eliza removed cookies from the cooling rack and put them on a plate. She set the plate down on the table and extended her hand out to him.

"I'm Eliza, Hannah's mom. Its nice to meet you."

Caleb shook her hand and smiled, then took the seat Eliza motioned for him to sit down on.

"I have to admit, I didn't think you'd want to meet me," he said.

Hannah sat beside him and took a cookie and split it in half. "A lot has changed since you left last night. I have so much to tell you," she said before nibbling on one of the halves.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"My mom told me my father is a wolf shifter named Knox. Long story short, Pea kept them apart and Mom had no idea until after she died. She's been trying to find him ever since."

"So you do have shifter blood. That explains so much," he said.

Eliza put the old photograph of her and Knox on the table in front of Caleb. "We were hoping you could help us. I've been talking to shifters around town and no one seems to know him more than saying they think he's familiar but from a long time ago," she said.

Caleb picked up the picture. With his brow furrowed he examined it, before shaking his head and putting it down. "Unfortunately he's not familiar to me either. If he was in the area since I've been Alpha, I would know him. Could I take the photo with me? I've declared an emergency Council meeting for tomorrow night, its possible one of the other Alphas might recognize him."

"Yes, please take it," Eliza said. "Let me know what you find out."

"I will. You have my word," Caleb said before standing. "Now if we have your blessing, I'd like to take your daughter on a date."

Eliza grinned at his formalness. "Of course you have my blessing. Take care of her for me, she's my baby you know."

Hannah sighed loudly as she got up and kissed her mother on the cheek. "Don't wait up," she whispered into her ear.

"A mother doesn't want to hear that," Eliza replied, laughing.

Caleb helped Hannah put on the extra helmet he brought with him before she hiked her skirt up to get on the bike. Wishing she wore pants, she held onto him as he took off down the street, the cool wind blowing her hair back. She realized she didn't know where they were going, but she really didn't care as long as she was with him.
 

After a short ride, the air began to smell like the ocean and Caleb slowed down as he turned onto an old winding road. The seagulls squawked as they flew overhead and the landscape changed from pine trees to tall grass. Eventually they reached an old pier on the Great Bay with several boats on the dock and a restaurant at the end of the pier.

Caleb parked the bike next to the dock and then held her hand as the walked over to the restaurant on the worn grey boardwalk. The water in the bay was calm and other than the seagulls squawking, it was quiet. As they approached the restaurant, the sound of music and people talking wafted over to them.

At the end of the pier, they were surrounded by the Great Bay with the sun glittering on the gentle waves as it set, large and orange into the sea. Without a word from Caleb, the host took them to a table facing the water, away from the other diners.

After they sat down, Caleb reached across the table and took her hand and softly stroked his thumb over her fingers as he looked into her eyes.

"I know this is technically our first date, but I feel like I've known you forever. I don't know if its because you're my fated mate, or if its just something special about you," he said. "Because you are special, you know."

"Maybe I've just charmed you," Hannah teased.

Caleb laughed heartily then leaned close and kissed her. His lips made currents run through and pulse within her. As his mouth left hers, his deep blue eyes plunged into her soul and her heart beat wildly. Still holding her hand and with his eyes still on hers, he gently kissed each of her fingers before turning her hand over and kissing her palm.

Lowering her hand, his thumb rubbed deep into her palm. He looked ready to devour her. With the pressure of his touch on her hand, such an innocent place, she couldn't help but imagine his hands elsewhere on her body. She crossed her legs as her apex began to throb.

"What can I get you tonight?" the waiter asked, but neither Caleb or Hannah could take their eyes off each other.

"We'll start with the caesar salad for two, then the lobster and filet special," Caleb said. "But bring it over to my place in about an hour."

He got up, dropped a few of hundred dollar bills on the table, and pulled Hannah to her feet. They quickly left the restaurant, practically running as they made their way back up the pier. She didn't know where they were going and didn't care. Her entire body ached for him and if she didn't have him soon, she was afraid she might explode from the throbbing time bomb in her core that pulsed louder and louder.

Reaching his motorcycle, she followed him onto the dock and to a houseboat she didn't notice before. It was at the edge of the dock, on the corner, with wood shingles and an offset contemporary roof. The deck surrounding it had a redwood stain, and there were several ornamental trees in pots lining it.

"I have to have you now," he said.

Caleb walked determinedly to the house. He pushed open the door, pulled her inside and pushed her against the wall as his lips claimed hers.

Pressed between his strong body and the wall, Hannah enjoyed his tongue hungrily exploring her mouth. Sliding her arms around his back, she pulled him closer, crushing her breasts against his muscular torso.