fate of the alpha - episode 2 Read Online Free PDF

of the mine they may need help to adjust back to their every day life.”
    She nodded, looking about as sold on the concept as he was.
    After an awkward moment she said, “Well, come on in. We’ll show you the room.”
    Erik followed her into a small but immaculately clean living room. A large, boxy television showed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles .
    LeeAnn led him down a small hallway and up a steep flight of stairs. Oddly enough, the upstairs reminded him of his own house.
    In the first bedroom, a teenaged girl with a blonde ponytail and large glasses sat on a double bed, her nose in a book. Catcher in the Rye . Ha. Erik had loved that when he was about her age. Fifteen going on thirty.
    “Mom, could you knock ?” she cried.
    “Mary, this is Erik Jensen,” she turned suddenly to Erik, who nearly fell down the stairs. “Or is it Dr. Jensen?”
    “Erik is fine.”
    “Dr. Jensen is going to be staying with us a while,” she continued. “He’s here to help with the mine.”
    “Okay,” Mary said with a hint of incredulity as she studied Erik’s outfit.
    “Good book,” Erik said.
    Mary peered at him suspiciously through the glasses, no doubt scanning the comment for sarcasm, then slowly nodded. “Yeah, it’s alright.”
    LeeAnn had already headed through the adjoining door to the second bedroom. Erik followed.
    The room was simple: a bed with a Star Wars comforter, a dresser, a built-in bookshelf over the window covered with action figures in homemade dioramas.
    “Give me half an hour to clean up and bring fresh linens and it’s yours,” LeeAnn said. “Twenty-five dollars a day and I’ll give you breakfast.”
    “I don’t want your little guy to lose his room,” Erik said. “I’ll pay the same to sleep on the couch.”
    “Doc,” LeeAnn smiled sadly. “I wouldn’t share this, except I know in your line of work you’ll understand. Ezekiel feels like he’s the man in the family right now. So even though he’s scared with his daddy gone, he can’t ask to sleep with his sister. You being here to take the room is a godsend, believe me.”
    Erik nodded, not trusting himself to speak. After all, what could he say? He tried to think of a way to deflect the conversation, but his hesitation quickly grew into an awkward silence.
    “I’ll go grab a few things in town - be back in an hour, okay?” he said finally, walking through the door and remembering too late that there was no hallway and he was in Mary’s room again.
    “Sorry, Mary! I forgot to knock,” he said.
    “That’s alright, Erik,” she replied, adjusting her glasses self-consciously to peek at him from behind her book, then looking away quickly with reddening cheeks.
    Perfect. A school girl with a crush.
    Why did the universe seem to be conspiring against him at every turn?

                                   

    CHAPTER 8
    A  insley paced the covered back porch of her childhood home, waiting for Cressida.
    She had always loved the peacefulness of the backyard, with its tall trees and white picket fence, but tonight Ainsley couldn’t relax. The late afternoon air was crisp and cool. Sunset was coming earlier and earlier as the seasons changed. Soon it would be dark. They didn’t have much time.
    Javier was raking leaves. The rhythm of his raking had subconsciously adjusted to match Ainsley’s pacing. His muscles bunched and stretched under the white t-shirt of Erik’s she had given him to wear. With each sweep of the rake, red and yellow leaves swirled and settled into the gigantic pile he was accumulating on a burlap tarp.
    Ainsley tried not to allow herself to pretend it was Erik out there. It was strange to be suddenly sharing space with a new wolf. In some ways she longed for privacy to mourn Erik’s loss. At least Javier was forcing her to focus on the present.
    And he certainly was making himself useful.
    Ainsley knew Javier was grateful to her for taking him in. He had been fixing odds and