Page 6 of Jaded Alpha
Maybe I needed to talk to someone because peace of mind lurked just out of reach.
Most of the mail was either business related or junk, but at the very bottom of the stack lay a blue envelope addressed to my non-star name. I almost tossed it, but it was hand addressed in calligraphy and sealed with wax, and no advertiser could afford that, or if they did, they’d earned two seconds of my time to open it up.
Dear Eddie,
Please accept this invitation to visit the Bearclaw Inn this weekend. There will be no cost, and I believe you will enjoy your time at our inn.
Sincerely,
Franklin
Chapter Six
Jamie
“Are you sure you have everything?” Seth asked, handing me my bag. He’d been acting like my big brother instead of the younger one he was, since I got the invitation.
He’d researched the hell out of Bearclaw Inn. I was surprised the place even existed.
“I have everything. It’s only two nights and two days. And I saw you sneak that expensive cologne into my bag.”
He chuckled. “What? It’s known that it enhances your pheromones. If nothing else, you get laid.”
This brother of mine, I swore. “Well, if all your research is correct, then I already have a mate lined up. No need for special cologne or flirting, which I am terrible at.”
“You aren’t terrible. Just a little nerdy.”
Scoffing, I slipped on my shoes. “Says the man who spent the week eyeballs-deep in Bearclaw Inn lore and myths. You could write a damned book about that place.”
“When you get back, you have to tell me everything.”
I blew out a breath. “What if I find my alpha, and he sweeps me away. Maybe I end up on a worldwide trip.”
“Bullshit. You’d never do that without telling me. And when you call to tell me, you can spill the beans about Franklin. I have to know. There’s a whole Reddit thread.”
“Stop. I’ll be back. Mated, if all your stories are correct.”
I wished a small goodbye to Sylvia who wanted to know if there was a Bearclaw Inn for older females as well. I promised to ask Franklin.
Gods, we spoke of Franklin as though he were someone we knew. We did, but only from the tales of others.
As I got into my Jeep, the nervous jitters punched me in the gut. I was sure they’d been buzzing there through the last few days, but I’d ignored them in favor of packing and shopping for a few new clothes. Wouldn’t want to meet my alpha in one of the outfits I wore to the coffee shop.
I set up my GPS and let it calculate before pulling out of the parking garage underneath our apartment complex and onto the road. It would take me at least an hour to break free of the city. In the meantime, I enjoyed the views. I rarely got to the other sides of the city except when I went to the big museum or caught one of the concerts.
And, of course, I couldn’t really get on the road until there were snacks.
Gas station snacks were imperative.
Loaded with food that nature never touched, I got on the road and heard the GPS call out my arrival time. Two and a half hours. Two and a half hours, I’ve been living away from an inn that promised without words to find me a mate. Seth said that people from all walks of life and ages went there, expecting a weekend to themselves and by Sunday, or earlier for some, they’d found their mate or mates.
Some of the omegas were even pregnant by the time they got on a plane to go home.
I didn’t know if I wanted that, but I longed for an alpha, a mate, a partner to go through this life with.
While I drove, determined to enjoy the trip, I listened to the cheesiest romantic songs I could find. Or, rather, that Seth could find. He’d insisted on making the playlist. Seth was more invested in this whole thing than I was, and that was saying something.
I’d bounced back and forth on my feelings about this trip. Most of me and my wolf wanted to believe we were only hours from a weekend away from it all where romance would blossom.Then there was a smaller but louder part, one that rolled its eyes at the very idea, tearing all the stories up in the name of logic and common sense.