Page 2 of The Alpha Option
Jace opened it quickly then lifted the page so Blue could read it by his side.
Jace,
After Jim passed, I struggled to know what to do. Now inspiration has hit, and I know exactly what’s needed. For me, for you, and your generation and more. Jim always wanted to make an impact in our community with Timberwolf Lodge. And now it will.
While I’m not dead, I don’t expect to be back. Timberwolf needs to go on, and with no kids of my own, you won the lucky toss.
Congratulations. You’ll thank me someday.
There are one or two small details to add. You own the property. You’re the caretaker, so to speak. But the main house itself needs a woman’s touch.
So I set up an online lottery and gave it away.
Jace pulled the letter a little closer and reread the last line. What?
She gavewhataway?
“She—” Was he confused and misunderstanding? “Did I read that right?” He stabbed a finger at the line where he’d stopped reading, because it had to be impossible.
“If you read that she gave you the property but gave the house to some random woman she found on the internet?” Blue made a quickhuhnoise. “Yeah, you read it right.”
It was probably illegal on a dozen levels, but it was also the kind of family-jerking-family-around behaviour that, in most wolf packs, got cut a lot of slack.
They both leaned in closer to finish reading.
That’s when the screams rang out. First a woman, followed by a deep, almost growling cry that echoed off the nearby mountains.
Jace ran, Blue hard on his heels. Down the path toward the weatherworn Timberwolf Lodge.
Cassidy Rundle helda long broom in her hand, waving it as menacingly as possible at the Sasquatch-like figure standing three feet away. The man loomed over her, stark naked, in the middle of her new kitchen. He had an overabundance of hair covering him and a serious lack of anything else.
She poked the broom forward as if trying to brush him out the kitchen door. “Get out.”
He folded his arms over his chest and raised a brow. The way he stared down the line of his nose clearly said he didn’t consider her a threat. “No.”
Drat. There were times she wished she were a whole lot bigger or at least a whole lot more armed. What was she supposed to do with a trespasser when all she had was a broom? Reason with him?
“I’ve called the cops.” The warning rang out from behind Cassidy. “You should get out before they come.”
After they’d innocently marched into the lodge and discovered the intruder, Stephanie Nix—Cassidy’s best friend, had retreated from the kitchen to the living room—and now stood in the huge front foyer. Stephanie had the over-sized front door wide open, which was good on all sorts of levels, Cassidy decided. It meant if they had to sprint for safety, there was a clear path to the great outdoors.
Mr. Hairy snorted. A big and totally amused sound. “Bullshit on that. There’s no reception here.”
Drat again. From the soft curses Stephanie mumbled at her back, Cassidy figured he wasn’t pulling a fast one.
Cassidy tried again. “You need to not be here. You should probably put some clothes on as well. This is our house, but if you need help finding somewhere to relocate to, we would be happy to assist you with that.”
“Once you have clothes on,” Stephanie added.
The man yawned, stretching. Cassidy deliberately looked away from all things below his neckline, but it wasn’t easy. He was a…big man…so to speak.
He opened his mouth, but whatever he was about to share morphed into a grunt of pain as something blue flashed past Cassidy and slammed into her trespasser.
The next second, a smear of fluorescent colours joined the pile, and then there were three burly men on the floor of her kitchen. The naked one cursed creatively, his voice a deep rumble.
Stephanie caught Cassidy by the arm and tugged her back. “Maybe now is when we step outside and double-check the paperwork. Because I don’t remember this being part of the deal. The naked man and the wrestling.”
Cassidy stood her ground, broom still firmly held toward the now non-squirming pile. Their naked trespasser was on the floor—facedown, thank goodness. One arm was pinned behind his back by a dark-haired man dressed in crisp new jeans. Mr. Nudie’s legs were held down by a blond with surfer curls dressed in gaudy beach attire.
