The alpha's human mate

I jump at the sound of a knock on the door. I swiftly turn around to find my mom sweetly smiling at me. “Are you sure this is a good idea?’’ mom asks as I fold a T-shirt and pile it in my suitcase. “You’ve never even been out of Washington, Sophie, aren’t you going to be homesick? And driving at might is never safe, especially with a bus!’’ “I’ll be fine mom,’’ I laugh. “Besides, Nick and Alice will be there with me.’’ I bite my cheek as I zip up the last of my luggage. Mom smiles at me again and I can see in her eyes that she knows how nervous I am. She pulls me in for a hug and I hold my breath, trying to avoid the humiliation of crying for so little. What 18 year old girl would cry at the thought of leaving on a beach vacation with her bestfriend and her boyfriend for two weeks? “Alright then,’’ she grabs one of my bags, “I’ll leave this at the door and you can come down when you’re ready.’’ I can see she’s also getting emotional, so I than

I suddenly wake up, startled by the chatter around me. I stretch out my sore arms and legs and yawn, looking around for Alice or Nick. I notice we are at some sort of bus stop or resting area. I look at my phone, surprised to see it is past eight. I walk out of the bus, and look at the old beat up restaurant in front of me: Wild Coyote Saloon. “Hey, sleepy head!’’ Nick yells from the door of the restaurant. I smile and jog up to him. “Finally awake, I see. I can’t believe you didn’t wake up once! This is like, our third stop.’’ “I’m a heavy sleeper, what can I say?’’ I chuckle as he pulls me in for a kiss. I quickly pull away, a weird feeling in my stomach. “Do they have a bathroom in there?’’ Nick gives me a strange look, but nods and points to a door inside the restaurant. I clutch my bag and walk into the bathroom, locking myself up in a stale. My chest feels tight and I feel a pull in my stomach. What is wrong with me? I try to slow down my breath

I smile as I fold back the letter. I can’t hold in an excited giggle at the thought to see my aunt in less than two months. I grab my phone, dialing my mom to tell her the good news about her sister. After a couple of rings, she picks up. “Hey, Sophie! Is everything okay?’’ Dad asks on the other end of the line. I’m a little surprised that he picked up mom’s phone. “I’m okay. Is mom there?’’ “Oh, yeah, she’s driving. Let me put you on speaker phone.’’ “Sophie! I’m so happy you called!’’ I laugh at how desperate she sounds. Mom and I were always close, and we hardly ever fought. “I’m fine mom, though we did get into some kind of situation...’’ “Do you want us to come get you?’’ Dad asks, cutting me off. “Don’t be ridiculous, Marc. I’m sure she doesn’t want us meddling in her affairs.’’ My mom chimes in with a smile in her voice. “Though, if you do need us to come, we will be there.’’ She adds seriously, making me chuckle.

A light knock on the door breaks my fixation on the cardboard box I was staring down. It had gotten here almost an hour ago, but I hadn’t built up the will to eat it yet. Hell, I didn’t even know what it was. I turn my gaze back to my untouched meal, deciding I didn’t feel like answering the door twice in the same hour. I felt drained. The person behind the door knocks again. “Sophie?’’ I hear Alice say from the other side of the door. “If you need to talk, I’m here for you.’’ She sounds worried and sincere. I sigh as I get up, dragging the pile of blankets behind me. I really don’t want Alice to feel bad over something that has nothing to do with her. And I especially don’t want her hearing only Nick’s side of the story. I unlock the door and open it a crack before heading back to the bed. I hear the lock click back into place as Alice closes the door behind her, following me silently. She looks at me with pity in her eyes and I already regret letting her in

“You are the one destined for me.’’ He says, staring into my eyes. My heart skips a beat. “I’m sorry, what? That’s crazy! We’re total strangers, how can you be so sure.’’ I know the answer before he responds. I could feel it deep within me. The tug that had been motivating my action in the last week had led me to him. “Don’t you feel a sort of pull inside, telling you this is right?’’ He confirms my thoughts. “I know this is all kind of odd to you, right now. I’ll start over: my name is Simon, nice to meet you.’’ He puts out his hand and everything in me screams to take it and never let go. He shakes my hand slowly, never breaking eye contact, and I know he feels the same. “I’m Sophie,’’ I end up responding. Then I think of Nick. And Alice. “Listen, I do believe you when you say this is... normal for your culture. But I am supposed to leave in a couple of hours. I’m here with my boyfriend.’’ I half-lie, feeling bad already. I w