The Sweetest Alpha | H.S.

Chapter 5

Headlights lit up her front windows. Raina dried her hands and hung up the dish towel. She was already at the door when the doorbell rang.

"Raina." She was quickly enveloped in a perfumed hug by her cousin—Maisie. It wasn't that they hadn't seen each other recently. Maisie was simply a hugger.

Raina pulled back to look at her cousin. Maisie's hair was arranged in big glossy curls. She wore deep blue eye shadow on pale eyelids. Her lips were a dark plum. "Have a date?"

"No. Some of the girls and I are going to a club. I would have asked you to come, but I thought you'd be working."

Raina nodded, but she knew her cousin was merely being kind. She wasn't a club kind of girl. She found clubs boring. She didn't drink and she couldn't dance. She was a horrible flirt—as in she didn't know how to flirt. At all. She always ended up saying something awkward to attractive guys. "So, what's up?"

"I came to check on you. Grandma Annie's been bugging me all week to stop by."

Maisie lived with their grandmother—Annie. Maisie's mother—Rhonda—had been a handful. She'd had Maisie when she was barely eighteen. They weren't sure who Maisie's father was, but given her café au lait skin tone and naturally golden hair, he was probably white. Rhonda hadn't put his name on the birth certificate. When Maisie was only ten, Rhonda had been murdered by an abusive boyfriend. Grandma Annie had taken Maisie in and raised her.

"I just talked to Grandma a couple of days ago."

"And she said that you acted like you were fine."

"That's because I am."

Maisie rolled her large, expressive eyes. "You know she's heard right? Everybody has." When Raina remained silent, Maisie made a sucking sound. "The werewolf. Grandma says you can come stay with us."

Raina didn't want her family frightened so she didn't bother to mention how pointless that would be. Harry would just sniff her out if she stayed in town. "Harry isn't dangerous."

"Harry?" Maisie crossed thin arms over her chest. "You're on a first name basis."

"Well, that is his name."

"Not dangerous? And he's a werewolf? Raina, that's just... crazy. You're..." She threw her arms up in the air and expelled a huff of air. "You're the last person I'd think I'd have to have this discussion with." She laughed. "This is so new, I don't even know what to say. You're usually the one telling me to dump some loser."

"I'm not dating him. I haven't even seen him since that night."

Maisie's eyebrows lifted and a wicked grin curved her lips. "Oh, really? So, it was a one-night sort of thing? How was he? I've never—"

"Oh, my God! I've never either! I didn't sleep with him." Raina flopped down on her couch.

Sometimes living in a small town could really be a pain. She reminded herself that Maisie was here out of love. Still, it was pretty annoying to have everyone poking their noses in her personal business.

Maisie planted her hands on her narrow hips. She'd modeled a little during high school and for a short while after. All the women in their family were taller than average, but Maisie was one of the few who was also blessed with skinny genes. The money was good but Maisie had hated the way she was treated. As thin as she was naturally, there were always demands for her to be thinner. Now Maisie worked as receptionist in at the local dentist's office and she seemed to enjoy her job.

"I heard from James, who heard from Whitney—"

Raina sighed. "Could we skip the gossip origins story and get to the point?"