Falling for an Alpha (2 page)

She
grabbed the magazine and began paging through it.
 
Maybe it would help to take her mind off of the
now-morbid thoughts that were racking her brain, tormenting her about all the things
she’d never see, and all the things she should have done.

She
spotted an ad for Perfect Pairing Matchmaking Services.
 
Photos of couples who had found love through
Perfect
Pairing stared back at her. They all looked so happy
and content—which is what she could have been had she listened to her mother.

She
turned the page and sipped her tea before biting into the muffin. Strangely, the
page had turned back to the Perfect Pairing ad. Amber looked around, no open
windows or doors, no air conditioning vents anywhere near her. Maybe it was the
drops in her eyes wearing off, making her imagine things.

She
flipped back to the article about upcoming fall fashions, wondering if she’d begin
to dress in non-matching, hideous color-combos once her sight failed. She took
another bite of the muffin and the magazine turned back to the Perfect Pairing
ad. Maybe it was low blood sugar and she was imagining that the magazine had a
mind all its own. Either
that,
or someone was trying
to tell her something about Perfect Pairing.

Perhaps
that was what she needed to do. Sign up for a matchmaking service and hopefully
find someone special so at least she’d know what he looked like before…
 
Not that she was shallow in any way, but if
she didn’t, she’d always wonder what her chosen mate looked like.

Sliding
the magazine into her purse, she finished her tea and muffin and headed out to
the parking lot. She got in her car and pulled out both the magazine and her
phone, but hesitated.

She
heard a woman’s voice and she had no idea where it had come from.

“Just
do
it, or you never will.”

Chapter Two

Sadie
knew she only had herself to blame for her current predicament. Things could be
worse. She could have been banished from the Other Realm and been stripped of her
powers over the incident involving Presley.

She
opened her notebook with the name “Gabriel Miller” underlined on its first page.
He was the poor, unfortunate man that Mavis White had turned into a
wolf-shifter. As punishment for not following protocol, the Board had told her she
was to find true love for Gabriel.

That
was if she could even find Gabriel. When she did, she intended to introduce
herself and break the news gently to him about his new shape-shifting abilities
before he changed from man to beast for
the first time. She knew where he lived, but as of last evening he’d simply
vanished.

Sadie
feared the worst. He’d probably shifted already, was confused, and no doubt
lost somewhere. She had to find him and soon, before he ended up shot and
killed.

Opening
her book on wolves, she looked at the pages, and noted that wolves usually
traveled with a pack. Hopefully, he’d find one soon. But then what would happen
to him when he changed back into a man? Would the wolves see him as a threat?
She tapped her fingers on the desk and wondered if he was already able to
change back and forth on his own free will.
 
Most newly cursed shifters had to learn the
technique for that.

She
slammed the book shut, making more noise than she’d intended to. Several people
in the library glanced over at her. One man put his finger to his lips and
shook his head.

“Sorry,”
Sadie mouthed back.

This
wasn’t getting her very far. The Board had told her she had to rely on her own
intuition and not her witchcraft skills for this assignment, but as Sadie
Sutton, “breaker of the rules,” she was going to have to disobey them again. She
needed
witchcraft
 
to
locate Gabriel before the poor man found himself in danger. She was sure the
Board would understand just this once.

She
stood and headed outside. She had been in that stuffy library longer than she’d
thought. The sun had been shining when she went in, but now it was overcast and
raining. Sadie placed her bag above her head and made a dash for her car.
 
She put the key in the lock and slid inside
just as a crack of thunder fired overhead.

She
was close to where some of her favorite clients lived. Gen and Jake in Idaho
Falls, and Luc and
Katey
had recently moved from
Boise to Twin Falls. She smiled, remembering the last photo they’d e-mailed her
of their son, Alex, who had just turned two. They’d invited her to stop by for
a meal and to see their new home, which she was dying to do. And on Friday,
she’d call on Lucy and Brad and continue with Presley’s formal training in
witchcraft. She had a lot to look forward to, so she didn’t know why she felt
so down in the dumps. Gabriel
Miller, that
was why, and
until she got his problem sorted out, she wouldn’t be able to relax.

Still,
she knew she wouldn’t find Gabriel sitting in her car like this. She’d go back
to her office and put together a little potion that would help her locate the
missing man. She grinned
,
 
remembering
her motto, “What the Board and Department of Love Doesn’t
Know, Can’t Hurt Sadie.”

She
was about to back out of the parking space when she heard her cell phone
rang
. Hopefully, it wasn’t the Department or Board checking
up on her. She really did hate having to lie. Glancing at the caller identification,
she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw a woman’s name.

“Hello,
Perfect Pairing, Sadie Sutton speaking.”

There
was silence.

“Hello,”
said Sadie.

“Hi,
my name’s Amber Maxwell and I’d like to sign up for your matchmaking services.”

“I’m
very glad to hear that. If we could set up an appointment to meet
,
 
you
can tell me all
about your dream man, and we can get started on the paperwork.”

Sadie
heard crying at the other end of the line.

“Amber,
what’s wrong, sweetie?”

“Nothing.”

“Now
I know better than that.”

Sadie
needed to find Gabriel, but she sensed Amber needed to talk as soon as possible.

“Where
are you, Amber?”

“I’m
sitting in my car outside the Medical Arts Building on Fifth Street.”

Medical Arts Building.
Her instinct
told her Amber had been given bad news, hence the reason for the tears.

“I’m
just ten minutes away. You wait for me by the entrance and I’ll be right
there.”

“But
I didn’t mean for you to…”

“I’ll
be there before you know it.”

Someone
needed help and Sadie would need to use a witch’s shortcut. She was more than
ten minutes away—more like twenty
miles
away. She got out of her car, checked to be sure no one was watching, and
willed herself to the building on Fifth Street.

A
pretty, young woman with straight, dark hair and bangs stood by the door.

“Hello,
Amber,” said Sadie.

She
turned. She’d been crying. Her face was puffy and her eyes bloodshot.

“Come,
my dear, let’s go inside and talk.”

Sadie
put her arm around her and walked her into the foyer where she found a couch
for them to sit.

Sadie
pulled out one of her magic tissues and handed it to Amber. That should make
her feel better.
Nothing like inhaling the essence of hope
and joy.

“Was
it very bad news?” she asked.

“I
might be losing my sight.”

“Oh, dear.”

“I’ve
had Type One diabetes since I was eleven and I guess I’ve known this day might
arrive.”

“Do
you have family around to help?”

“Yes,
my parents live in town, as well as two of my three brothers.”

Sadie
patted her hand. “However, I’m guessing you’d like to find someone to love.”

“Is
that selfish of me? I mean, asking a man to have a relationship with a woman
who’s going to be helpless?”

“Helpless,
I very much doubt it. And no, it’s not selfish, I think it’s wonderful, and I’m
positive I can match you with a man who will love you for everything you are.”

Amber
blew her nose. “I’ve left a lot of things too late, I guess, like a husband and
family.”

Sadie
laughed. “I can’t imagine you’re even thirty yet.”

“Thirty-one, actually.”

Sadie
smiled.

“I
have some urgent business to attend to right now, but let’s meet at my office.
Here’s my card,” she said, pulling it out from her pocket. “Would 1:00 p.m.
tomorrow be okay for you?”

“Sure.”

Sadie
stood then and told Amber not to worry because she was going to make it her job
to find her the best match.”

Sadie
walked outside and looked at her watch. The poor girl had needed her, but now
Sadie had to make up for lost time. She hurried around the corner and willed
herself back to her car. She didn’t have time to stop at the office so she would
need to bring her potions to her.

She
closed her eyes and then opened them to find everything she needed on the
passenger seat of her car. Hopefully, the Board wasn’t monitoring her at any
point. She grabbed her potion bowl, took some of the purple liquid, and mixed
in a few drops of the emerald green which was perfect for locating lost people.

“Gabriel
Miller, find me Gabriel Miller.”

An
image of a wooded canyon came into view.
Location, twenty
miles north of town.

“And
give me something to help draw in a wolf.”

A
can of dog food appeared on her lap. Sadie lifted it up. That last spell might
have gone a little haywire, but it was worth a try.

She
waved her hands around, willing herself to the direct location where the spell
had located Gabriel. Sadie pulled the tab on the dog food and walked to the
edge of the woods, with leaves and twigs cracking under her feet.
So far, no sign of him, so she’d have to try and lure him to her.

She
howled. A few wolves howled back, the sound coming from her left. She walked
further down the hill, suddenly lost her footing, and rolled all the way to the
bottom. Sadie slipped onto her butt and two wolves came out from behind the
trees.

“Hi
guys, one of you wouldn’t happen to be named Gabriel, by any chance?”

They
stepped closer, with their noses in the air. Sadie glanced down and saw that
the dog food had spilled onto her blouse and jacket. She guessed what they were
thinking.

A
twig snapped close by.

“Ma’am,”
said a man’s voice.

She
looked around. He was taking cover behind a tree.

“Hello,”
she called back to him.

“Ma’am,
you’re going to think this strange, but I don’t know how I got here or what
happened to my clothes, and I’m hoping you can help me.”

“No
such thing as strange in the world where I come from,” said Sadie, standing up.
“I’m hoping that you’re Gabriel Miller.”

“Yes,
how did you know…did someone put you up to this?”

“No,
but I do have a few things I need to tell you, then hopefully, all will be
revealed. And my name’s Sadie Sutton, so it’s Sadie, not ‘ma’am’.”
 

“I
can’t wait to hear about it, but first I’d like to put on some clothes. You
wouldn’t happen to have an extra coat or something I could wrap around myself,
would you?”

Her pink raincoat.
She’d sensed
she’d need it today and not just because of the rain. It was in the backseat of
her car. She needed to will it to the site, and hopefully no one was around.

“In
fact, I do. If you want to follow me to my car, it’s just up the road.”

“Ma’am,
I’m not sure if you heard what I said, but I haven’t got any clothes on—no
boxers, nothing—so I’d prefer if you got me the coat and threw it over here.”

“There’s
no need to worry. Seeing you naked isn’t going to upset me one little bit.”

“I’m
glad to hear that, but it’s going to upset me.”

Sadie
smiled. She was playing with him to see what sense of humor he had because he
was going to need it when she told him what Mavis had done.

“I’ll
be right back,” she said.

One
of the wolves brushed against her. She patted its head.
So
pretty.
She’d never thought of having a wolf as her familiar. Maybe Gabriel
could… No, she was getting ahead of herself now. The wolf stayed with her until
she got halfway
,
 
then
it sat and watched her head to her car. She threw the now-empty can of dog food
onto the back and reached over for her raincoat.
 
She took a deep breath. Such a handsome young
man, she thought. But once she told him the truth, well, things would never be
the same.