A Weekend With The Alpha

I stopped by the bookstore to get Zion a few new books since we were all done with the bedtime stories we had at home. Last week, he asked if I was about to read him the ninja turtle where the short, bad guy got caught in the end.

I didn’t need another clue to know he was tired of the always-repeated story already.

I made plans to branch out at the bookstore today before going home. I would get four new storybooks for now and once they get exhausted, I would go for another.

“Good evening, ma'am,” the older lady behind the counter spoke at my entrance into the bookstore, her eyes staying on me.

I flashed a bright smile. “Good evening” I moved over to the counter where she stood behind and placed my hands on it. “What can 1 get you?” the polite lady asked.

“I need at least four intriguing story books for a five-year-old boy."

Her brow rose in interest. “Ah, the ever-curious five-year-old boys, eh?”

I chuckled. “Yeah, he is."

“Does he have a preference for the stories he listens to?”

I shrugged, knowing Zion was a lover of adventure but would settle for any other genre as long as they were interesting. “Not if they are engaging. He's open to it," I answered.

“Just a minute,” she said and went through the door that leads to the inner room of the store, and I waited patiently.

She returned with three books in her hand instead of four and placed them on the counter.

I glanced at the first that caught my curiosity titled The Curse of the Lone Wolf. I picked it up and stared at it closely, only moving my attention when the old woman continued to speak.

“It's different from what he's used to, but he will love it” She assured me, her smile not reducing.

I wanted to ask why she brought out three books when I specifically told her I wanted four, but I calmed my questions aft realising the books she had brought were bulkier than an average children’s book and so would take a while before we finish reading.

I nodded and brought out my credit card to pay it up.

“I'll call the cashier to come and attend to this,” she said, and once again disappeared into the inner room. Not long after, young girl with dirty blonde hair and a less friendly expression compared to the old woman walked in. She saw me and h eyes flickered in surprise, as if she wasn't expecting to see anyone here.

Her brow stayed raised. “How did you get in?” her voice demanded, as if I had done something wrong as she beheld me. My gaze narrowed at her line of questioning and the tone of her voice. She sounded as if I wasn't supposed to be here or had done something wrong by being here. “The door said “open’. When it's opened, people tend to come in"

“We closed twenty minutes ago,” she said, with a still annoyed tone, and something about this girl was pissing me off.

I dragged a sharp breath, “If the sign had said “close’, 1 wouldn't be standing here now, would 1? Besides, her older lady called you here so 1 can pay.’

“What, older lady?” she demanded.

My eyes fluttered, my annoyance surging to a degree I didn't want it to go. “Can I just pay and go?” I wanted to leave and I this infuriating conversation before it got way out of hand.

Her gaze narrowed. “Pay for what?”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “I am pretty sure there are books on the counter before you!’

“These aren't from this store." She pointed as if I had brought them into the store when I came in.

“The old lady went into the inner room and brought them out,” I explained what happened the best and calmest way I could.

“Ma'am, I do not want to sound like I was being a bitch, but there was no old woman at the store. I locked the front door because it was closing hours and I needed to do the calculations for the day's sales. And last, these aren't from this store because we haven't had them in the last three years. Parents didn't like that it was too gory and mature for kids."

She continued rambling, but my mind stayed stuck on how she had kept this job despite her shitty attitude. That was my greatest shock.

Perhaps this was all a huge misunderstanding.

I wasn't crazy. The door was open, and there was an old friendly lady that welcomes me in. These books were from the store, but this rude lady here was twisting them around.

“I do not know if you came to return them and seek a refund, but we can't do that because we don't sell these books. I ar about to leave now, so you have to leave first."

“Can I at least get one book?” Zion was already waiting on me to bring a new book home and read it to him before he fall asleep. Leaving without a book wouldn't seem fair.

“l am sorry, the store has closed. I can't give you any because then I'd have to redo today’s sales, and it is already closing time for me!” she snapped at me, her tone not in any way polite.

My teeth gritted, and I turned to leave when she spoke again. “You haven't taken your books.” She told me and 1 stopped and turned to her.

The books weren't mine, and I wasn't ready to take them, but Miss rude here believed they were and I had to take them, besides I wasn't going home empty-handed anymore. “Yes, can I get a bag for them at least?”

To that, she didn't object. She reached under the counter and pulled out the white shopping bag. She gathers the three books into the bag before giving them to me.

I forced myself to smile. “Thank you," I said and exited the bookstore, vowing to never return.

Diya already had tucked Zion into bed before I came home because I had stayed longer than I expected. I thanked her for her help for the day and though she told me to not thank her, I couldn't help it. She asked about my day, but I didn't wan to think about how it went, especially towards the end.

I showered, changed and got my bag and then I picked the book titled Under the Red moon.

I knocked on Zion's door and entered, despite not hearing any response from his room. He was probably almost asleep af this point. I pulled to the bed and found him asleep. I had promised to read him to bed tonight, and I failed in keeping to that promise. He probably waited for me, but couldn't wait for long.

I sat down on the chair beside his bed and reached my hand out to stroke his face slowly.

I opened the book and on the first page had “continued’ written in italics and my eyes narrowed wondering what the continued meant. I flipped the second page open and began reading.

“After finding his mate and claiming her as his, the alpha moved to make it known under the crimson moon.” Though I ha a foggy mind while reading the first sentence, my mind put the words together to make sense.

This was a werewolf lore book just like the ones I've devoted myself to reading in the last week, but unlike those, this wa: children’s book.

I snapped it shut, got up, and hurried away from Zion's room. I entered mine and went through the three books I had gotten from the store and set them down on the bed.

I folded my arms and read their names. The Claiming Rites, Finding The One, and Under the Red Moon. There was no orde in which anyone should read these books, so I sat and picked up The Claiming Rites. After half an hour, I finished reading The book made zero sense and then I picked up Finding The One and spent another half hour reading through it. While tf first book was incomplete; the second made a little more sense. I picked up the third, which I had gone to Zion's room wi I took my time reading and another thirty minutes went by.

On finishing the third book, I realised I hadn't read them in the right order. It seemed Finding The One was the first book followed by The Claiming Rites and then Under the Red Moon. This was a trilogy series and needed to be read in the righ order. I stared closely at the book and found the numbers on them written on each book from one to three, just like I arranged them. These numbers were written on the drawn-out full moon on the bottle right of the book's front page and, being set beside each other in the formal order, the full moon glowed.

What were the odds I'd find such books at a children’s store?

The rude young lady at the store was right about one thing. These weren't children’s storybooks; they appeared best suit for adults from the first chapter. The only thing that made it seem like a child's book was the sizes and drawings on them Then it hit me. Everything wasn't as it seemed. The older woman had gotten me these books from the inner room only fo the salesgirl to deny the books and the existence of the old woman at the store.

What if the salesgirl wasn't being rude and everything she said was true? What if the old woman wasn't there, even thoug spoke to her? What if I had seen a ghost or something else?

I shivered.

The young lady didn't see any other person at the store but me.

I stared at the books with confused eyes and I picked the first book and despite already reading it before; I read it again. Following it sequentially made more sense and as I read the last line of the third book, I saw that these are the way of breaking the curse of power.

I reached for my phone on the nightstand and dialled Aaron's number, but he didn't answer, and 1 tried a few more times before giving up and setting my phone down.

These books held the answers we'd been looking for in the last few months, and despite them being in a blur, I knew in n heart that this was it.

The thoughts running through my head were wild, but somehow exhaustion took over me and my eyes slowly shut for th next minutes that followed.