Lahat ng Kabanata ng Worthless No More • Alpha's Treasure •: Kabanata 61 - Kabanata 70

The rest of the dinner and evening with Edward and Mauricio went smoothly, if not necessarily comfortably. Samantha saw Richard was noticing her now, but the looks he kept casting her way were dark and thoughtful. They were making her nervous, but she tried not to show it as she resumed her practiced smile and commented politely when it seemed appropriate.After what felt like forever, dessert was served and cleared. She helped Mauricio with a quick cleanup in the kitchen, then it was time for Samantha and Richard to leave. Mauricio kissed the air next to her cheek, just like when he greeted her, looking for a promise from her to come back and see the horses, and Edward squeezed her hand, letting her know he would be in touch with her soon.Richard opened the car door for Samantha, and she felt he slammed it with more force than necessary. He didn’t look at her when he got in and started it. The car ride back to the house remained tense, so Samantha stared out the window, letting her t

Paige didn’t have long to wait before she saw the four Clearfork wolves come into view. First was Judd’s brindled colored wolf. He had a striking pattern of tightly woven coffee and caramel colored stripes. His wolf was big and stocky, heavy in the shoulders, much like his human form.And like his human form, he ran silently, but was intimidating with his serious focus. His eyes flicked up to her on the rock, and she crouched lower. She saw that he was aware of her presence and was glad he chose to ignore her.Daniel’s wolf was next. She was surprised his wolf wasn’t dark gray or black. He had the most traditional wolf coloring, with his grays blending from silver to a darker nickel and white markings. Just a few steps behind him was Thomas with his reddish coat.Bringing up the rear was her target. Lucas’s wolf had an odd coloring. The majority of his coat was a dark charcoal, with stark white cutting through it. His hind feet looked like he was wearing two low-cut socks. His right fr

By Tuesday morning, Samantha was able to cover up her eye with minimal effort. She received a text from Daniel yesterday morning, asking if they were still good to meet at 230 today.Absolutely! Let me send you the address of the coffee shop.She looked it up, then sent him the link. After he responded with ‘Looking forward to seeing you’, a knot settled in her stomach. That ball of feelings was complicated. She was excited. She kept telling herself it was because, even after their brief interaction, he was the first person who felt like a friend in a long time. She ignored the little voice that taunted her with how attractive and sexy she found him, because adding butterflies to the growing knot was a terrible mix. On the other hand, especially after her fight with Richard on Saturday night, she felt guilty.She was going behind his back, and she knew it. But he would never approve and never understand, even though this was a professional meeting in a casual setting. She was hiring D

“I.. I..” Samantha licked her lips, unable to look away.Daniel turned down his intensity and laughed.“It’s okay, Samantha, I know I’m intense. But, it’s just who I am,” he said softly, looking down at his own coffee to give her a minute to collect herself. He didn’t know what came over him. He wasn’t the kind to play games or flirtatiously tease like this. She was easy to fluster, but even better, he liked it when she smiled and laughed. It was as if all her troubles melted away.“And who exactly are you?” She asked, peeking up at him with curiosity, but refusing to get caught in his gaze again.Talk about a complicated question. She would never believe, or would run away screaming if she knew the full truth. What would that do to her, knowing she could be trading in one monster for another?“I am a successful business owner who has a lot of people he is responsible for,” he told her simply. “Who goes around rescuing damsels in distress,” she stated with a small smile. “Mr. Sanford,

We can’t help that, he told the wolf. His wolf retreated, but he could feel it unhappily simmering just below the surface. He turned around and saw a nervous look on Samantha’s face.“Sorry,” he apologized. I just had a thought, and I get wrapped up in my work sometimes. She paused before nodding slowly. When she was setting up an event space, she had her own tendency to stop as ideas and visualizations hit her, so she shrugged off her initial concern.“I get that,” she laughed. “I can get pretty wrapped up when I work, too.”Daniel continued making notes and now small talk. “Oh yeah?” He asked. “What do you do?”Samantha sighed. “It seems like nothing at the moment. I went to school for graphic design and marketing, but I’ve been organizing and setting up for events for the past few years. I enjoy it, but work has been slow lately.”“Oh, that seems like it would be a lot of fun,” Daniel said politely with a half smile. Putting on parties for weddings and social events was way out of