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Chapter 42
Holly S RobertsThank you for reading part 1 of Alpha Promise. Part 2 will release in approximately 3 months. I know (insert groan) please don't beat me up too badly. Writing is my fulltime career and I always have writing obligations to keep food on the table. This book was a side project but I love the characters and I can't wait for you to see what I do with the wolves. If you have extra gems laying around, they help others find my work and also let me know how much you enjoyed the story. I promise Talon still has a place in Tara's world and it's a doozy. Happy reading!
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Alpha Promise Part One: Chapter 1
“You have been given a free ride thus far,” said General Edwards. “It’s time to test your duty to this country. I need to know, are you up for it, Ms. Layton?”The confusing question did little to settle my nerves. Edwards was an uptight, yes-man, who now expected others to yes-man him. Somewhere in his sixties, his shortly cropped hair and shaved face, all the way to his shiny black boots, proved he had no business commanding a fighting force. He didn’t get dirty, nor go without meals or a place to urinate or shit in privacy. This was his third appearance during the past year at an outpost he commanded. It was the first time I’d been ordered to his barely used office which was a tent larger than my sleeping quarters.Who exactly was I to be called in front of a general?Tara Layton, at your service. I was the only civilian at the outpost and I desperately needed to stay under the radar. My shoulder-length, thick brown hair, uninteresting features that no one would call beautiful, and
Alpha Promise Chapter 2
Unfortunately, the general’s head stayed on his neck.“If you want a place to live in comfort and continue to skate through life, you don’t have a choice.”That pissed me off. I worked from sunup until long after it went down. Some days my fingers were raw from scrubbing and my back ached so bad standing straight was nearly impossible. My sleeping cot barely stayed upright and my tent had holes in it. He should try a few weeks getting off his fat ass and working kitchen detail before going home to a substandard tent.I reined in my anger because it wouldn’t get me anywhere.“You want me to find the rangers?” I clarified.“No, just information on their whereabouts,” he said. “We’ll give you something to take into the city and sell on the black market. That’s where their last transmission came from. People are more likely to speak with you. Someone knows what happened to the rangers. Gather as much intelligence as possible. That’s all we need you to do.”It was a big ALL. When I’d left
Alpha Promise Chapter 3
The problem with sleep, even after drinking enough alcohol to down a ship, was the dreams I’d had since my eighteenth birthday. This night was no exception. I opened my eyes in a bedroom I’d visited many times. The walls were covered in red brocade with gold embroidery. The huge bed took up the majority of space. The bed’s cover had the opposite pattern from the walls with red on gold. I wouldn’t have decorated any room this way, but I hadn’t lived in the eighteen century or earlier. The bedroom reminded me of one of the historical novels I’d read years before.Naked, I sat down on the bed. Sometimes I wore sexy lingerie but not tonight. My mystery man wanted me without clothing and I never argued in my dreams. Not that I knew it was a dream while I was in that strange room. I lay down and positioned my body seductively.The man stepped toward me. He was dressed in tight formfitting black pants and a white shirt with long sleeves that flared at the wrists. On some men the shirt might
Alpha Promise Chapter 4
My headache worsened the more I thought about returning to the city. I was not ready and I knew it.I left my tent, upset that I couldn’t say goodbye to my friends. I didn’t think I would return. I wasn’t sad about it; I was angry. They would quickly forget about me.A gunship waited. There were five men on board. All were oversized Neanderthals with too many muscles said no girl ever. I was handed a headset. I rested it on my knees while I adjusted the flight straps. I put the headset over my ears and positioned the mic in case I was asked a question. Two men manned M61 Vulcan six-barrel rotary cannons, each facing an opposite doorway. I may not be able to shoot, but I hung out with the rangers and listened when they talked guns and ammo. A third soldier stood in the middle to keep the ammunition rolling if it were needed. A pilot and copilot sat up front. I chose one of three empty seats directly behind them.I wondered why they thought all this firepower necessary but didn’t ask. T
Alpha Promise Chapter 5
Walking forward, I heard them a minute later and then saw three motorbikes. I walked over the hill and they were driving straight for me. They didn’t stop at first and I held my ground. Within minutes, they were circling about twenty feet around me. I waited while the dust spun up. It made breathing hard.Assholes.Finally, one drove closer and the others stopped.“Fancy finding a piece of tail out here?” the biggest and ugliest said from a few feet away.He was dressed in dirty jeans and a leather vest. No shirt to cover his overly hairy body. He had several thick gold chains around his neck and I wondered if they got caught up in his chest hair. His shaggy brown hair was oily and rivulets of sweat rolled down his dirty face into his scraggily unkempt beard. All I could smell were the bike exhaust fumes but I had a feeling they covered the group’s body odor. I should be thankful. My eyes quickly scanned the other two. Triplets came to mind. They matched all the way to their bushy bea
Alpha Promise Chapter 6
I found the hotel. It was run-down but no more so than the last time I’d seen it. This was where I’d gone after my father died.I opened the thick wooden door and entered. It was cooler inside with the Spanish tiled floor exactly as I remembered. A familiar woman stood behind the counter. She hadn’t aged.“We’re booked,” she said without looking up. “Try the rooms down the street.”She told everyone this.“Mira?” I asked.She looked up and examined me.“Who are you?” she asked.“Tara.”It took her a moment to accept that I was who I said I was. She walked from behind the counter and drew closer. The biggest smile broke across her face and I was wrapped in her ample arms and pulled against her wide body and bulging breasts. I couldn’t breathe for a moment; her hug was so tight.She released me and held me at arm’s length.“We thought you were dead.”“Why would you think that?” I asked quizzically.“It’s been six years,” she replied sternly.Mira and her husband Kenner—I didn’t know his
Alpha Promise Chapter 7
The wooden sword was perfectly balanced, though lighter than a metal sword. Kenner had his own metal forge and carved the wooden ones himself. I’d left my sword in my room. Kenner made it for me when my father commissioned it. Kenner said it was his best work. I looked at the swords on the wall and had trouble believing it. They were all beautifully detailed and made with love.We went straight to the courtyard to the area where I’d watched him and my father practice. There were rises of different heights on all sides with sand traps between. I would listen to the clash of their swords for hours as they dodged, jumped, and charged.My father never told Kenner he took it easy on him but I knew. We faced each other but neither of us bowed. Respect to your opponent was given after a fight. Kenner came at me with a solid mid strike which he pulled and reversed the blade so it came upward, looking for an opening.My fingers tingled and I dodged the move, knowing his intent.“You have been
Alpha Promise Chapter 8
After they walked inside, I stood where I was for a few minutes, wondering if talking to them about the gift was something I should have done. I hated being skeptical of people who obviously loved me, but my father’s training was hard to put aside.I had to trust my intuition and it told me Mira and Kenner would never betray me. I went upstairs to my room. My father’s sword remained in my hand. I placed it on the chest of drawers before I sat on the bed. I held the package for several minutes, simply savoring it. When I was ready, I attacked the string first. It was knotted and had to be cut. I slowly removed the paper. Inside was a square wooden box about an inch thick. It had no seam to open and I wondered if it was simply a piece of cut, polished wood. My fingers tingled as I held it. The energy grew until it lit up the entire room. I allowed it to expand. The box recognized my magic.Blue, purple, and green swirled around the room. I watched the wood change into something else ent
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