Trespassing Into The Alpha's Heart

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I had absolutely no idea where the hell I was or what the hell I was doing. What better way to kick start 'the first day of the rest of your life' than by getting lost in the middle of nowhere, right?

          Sighing at my own stupidity, I began to walk, unsure of where exactly I was heading. I took in my surrounding and a small smile inadvertently etched on the corner of my mouth. This place—wherever it was—was like something straight out of a children's book. It was picturesque and beautiful; one of those cute little towns where everyone was probably friends. I could imagine it; the elderly residents handing out cupcakes and lemonade to kids, telling them not to play too far away in case they got lost, and the teenagers all banding together, promising they'd get out of here one day.

          Well, that was what I imagined it would be like. I could be wrong. Hell, I probably was wrong. But I had to go through a lot of crap to convince my parents to let me come to North Carolina instead of some forest in Michigan, so this had better fulfil my picture book expectations.

          After half an hour I finally decided that my aimless wandering around was extremely tiring, and I could do with a drink. So I dragged my legs forward as I looked for a place to rest.

          It was as if God had been listening to my prayers, because sure enough, about two blocks away I found a coffee shop that sent my stomach into frenzy.

          The mouthwatering smell of fresh cookies and coffee filled my nose as soon as I pushed the door open and eagerly entered La Casa, my own personal heaven. The place was vacated by two other customers; a quiet elderly couple who were tucked away in their own corner. It definitely wasn't happy hour, that was for sure. Another thing that caught my attention was that the couple were staring at me like I was carrying some sort of deadly virus.

          Wonderful.

          I made my way towards the counter, smiling politely at the woman standing behind whose name tag read Eri. She eyed me curiously, a strange expression forming on her attractive face. I watched as her dark eyes darted to the elderly couple as if she was having some sort of mental conversation with them.

          "How can I help you?" Eri finally spoke, her voice hesitant but still melodic as she planted a smile on her face.

          "Can I get a Flat White, please?" I replied, trying my best to ignore the odd vibe I was receiving.

          "Of course. Coming right up."

          I decided to stand and wait for my hot beverage instead of sitting down in a place where I was clearly unwanted. When my coffee was ready I fished out a couple of crisp dollar bills from my back pocket. "How much do I owe you?" I asked.

          "Don't be silly, it's on me," Eri insisted, causing my eyebrows to rise. "It's the least I could do seeing as how you're obviously a tourist and all. Wouldn't want you thinking the people in this town are inhospitable."

          I took the coffee and smiled warily. Was it really that obvious that I wasn't from around here? "Right," I said slowly. "Thank you."

          I took a lengthy sip of my beverage, enjoying the way the hot liquid ran down my throat. I hadn't eaten or drank anything for twenty-four hours—needless to say, this was definitely helping my starving belly. And then I nodded goodbye at Eri before turning on my heel, ready to get out of this place.

          So much for a town filled with friendly people.

          "Wait! Where are you going?" The urgency in the woman's tone made stop and look at her, trying to study her features in case there'd be a clue as to why she suddenly sounded like she cared about me.