The Alpha’s Weakness (Night Grove Falls: The Alphas #4)

Chapter 1

ONE

Holly

I almost cry with relief when the GPS finally says I’ve arrived at my destination. It’s been a long, stressful drive to my new town, and I’m looking forward to unpacking, relaxing with my best friend, and stretching my legs—not necessarily in that order.

Night Grove Falls is a small town, and I didn’t see much when I drove through it, but it seems like a nice place.

It has to be, or Adeline wouldn’t have moved here and stayed.

She’s the reason I’m here. I was sick of Atlanta, of the heat and traffic, of dealing with my shitty, demanding boss, and of feeling all alone.

So, I decided a change was in order. I quit my job, packed up my tiny apartment, and made the move.

I’ll be staying with Adeline and her shifter mate, Rhodes, until I find my own place.

I glance at the house as I pull up and smile. It looks like it was plucked out of a storybook, and I’m excited I get to live here even for a bit.

My car sputters as I park in the driveway, and I roll my eyes.

“So dramatic,” I grumble as I turn off the ignition.

My car has been threatening to die on me since I bought it four years ago, but luckily for me, it never has.

“You made it!” Adeline screams as she bolts out of the house and down the front porch steps toward me.

I hop out of the car, and we squeal as we wrap our arms around each other in a fierce hug.

“It’s so good to see you,” Addy whispers.

I squeeze her tighter. “You too. It’s so good to finally be here.”

“I bet,” she says. “How was the drive?”

“Long.”

“Did you have to drive through that snowstorm?”

I nod. “Yeah, that sucked. It was slow going and kind of pretty… until it really started coming down.”

“Well, I’m glad you made it here safe and sound.”

Addy links her arm through mine, and we head back to my car to grab the suitcases out of the trunk. We each grab a bag, and I follow Adeline into the house.

“Nice place,” I comment.

“Come on, I’ll give you the tour.” She smiles as we set my bags by the front door. “So this is the living room.”

A comfy-looking sectional that I can imagine curling up on sits in the middle of the space, and a giant TV hangs above the fireplace.

“Very nice.”

“Down here is a bathroom and the kitchen,” she continues as I hurry to catch up with her.

The kitchen looks like Adeline’s dream. She’s a baker, so it’s decked out with two ovens, plenty of counter space, and shiny new appliances.

“Is this your favorite room in the whole house?” I ask with a grin.

She laughs. “Pretty much. I’ve been making my desserts in here, and the process is so much faster and easier.”

“I can see why. It’s gorgeous, and that’s coming from me!”

She grins, and then we’re headed up a flight of stairs to the second floor.

“Bedrooms are up here. That’s Rhodes and my room, and this one is yours.” Addy opens the door to a cozy-looking guest room.

“Looks great,” I say, stepping into the room.

It’s clean with a queen-size bed, a dresser, and a nightstand. A closet and bathroom are off to the left, and I peek in both before turning back to Adeline.

“Want to grab the rest of your things now?” she asks.

“Sure, then I need to shower.”

“Yeah, we’ll bring your things in so you can get cleaned up and settled.”

“Sounds good.”

We head back downstairs and out to my car.

“How did Joe take your quitting?” Adeline asks.

I sigh. “He was pissed. I was his best server, and he knows he’ll lose business with only his daughters working there.”

Addy shakes her head as I pop the trunk and grab my duffel bag.

When Joe demanded I split my tips with his spoiled daughters, it was the last straw. I put up with working weeks in a row without a day off, skipping breaks, shitty hours, and so much more, but I refused to give away the money I earned to his lazy daughters.

“Any luck with the job search here?” Addy asks as we grab a few bags and walk back to the house.

“Yeah, I have an interview in town this afternoon, actually.”

“That was fast!”

“Yeah, and hopefully it goes well.”

“I’m sure it will.”

We drop the bags off in my bedroom and are about to go back down for another load when I hear footsteps in the hall.

“Hey,” Rhodes says as he drops off some boxes on the dresser. “You shouldn’t be carrying anything.”

Adeline smiles sweetly at him, and I can see the connection and love between them so clearly that my heart squeezes.

I want that.

“We were managing just fine,” Addy tells her man.

He frowns. “I’ll get the rest of it.”

“Thanks!” I chirp.

His eyes cut away from Adeline for a moment. “Holly. Welcome.” He nods absently, his eyes already back on Adeline.

“Thank you. And thanks for letting me stay here.”

“Of course. You’re welcome for as long as you’d like.” An answering smile tugs at his lips as Addy grins her approval at him. “I’ll get the rest of your things.” With that, he jogs downstairs.

I turn to Adeline, raising my eyebrows. “Okay, that man is perfect. He loves you. No, worships you. It’s like he can’t see anything besides you!”

“I know,” Adeline says with a dreamy sigh. “He’s perfect.”

I smile even as envy nips at me. I’m so happy for Adeline. She deserves to be treated like a queen, and it’s obvious Rhodes does exactly that.

I wonder if I’ll find a fated mate here, too.

I smother a yawn as I unpack a suitcase.

“Do you want help?” Adeline asks as Rhodes drops the last of my things by the dresser.

“No, you two go hang out. I’m going to unpack and take a shower. Then I have to head into town for my interview.”

“Okay, well, let me know if you need anything.”

“I will,” I promise.

I spend the next two hours unpacking, trying to ignore the moans coming from the room down the hall, and getting ready for my interview.

The moans have stopped by the time I leave my room, and I peek around the stairs to make sure I’m not walking into anything I shouldn’t before I go downstairs.

“All ready?” Adeline asks.

“Yep.”

“Where’s the interview?”

“It’s at the diner. Um, Moonbeams?”

“Yeah, that’s the diner in town. It’s good,” Adeline says, nodding encouragingly. “I deliver desserts there.”

“Well, wish me luck!” I grab my purse and wave as I leave.

Smothering a yawn, I make the short drive into town. I give myself a pep talk as I park and climb out of the car.

The wind picks up, blowing my hair into my face, and I sigh as I push it back.

That’s when I see him.

“Holy shi—” I gasp as I lock eyes with him.

The guy is hot—like, smoking hot. I’ve never seen anyone so handsome in my life. He stares at me, and my heart rate picks up, my palms growing sweaty as we continue to stare at each other.

His dark hair ruffles in the wind, and his eyes seem to grow more intense the longer we watch each other. I’m not close enough to see the color of his eyes, so I step toward him, needing to know. His nostrils flare at the movement, and I freeze, licking my lips.

His hands tighten into fists, and I watch in shock as he turns on his heel and stalks away without a backward glance.

What the heck was that?