The Quarterback Alpha: A Sweet YA Paranormal Romance (The Smoky Hills Academy Book 1)

by Emma Wolfe

  Liam pulled away from me and grumbled, “I’ll see you after school.” Then he stalked off in the opposite direction, with the car seat smacking his thigh as he went.

  I stared after him, confused about what had just happened. When I glanced back at Grayson, he was already gone.

  So many emotions coursed through my veins as I made my way to chemistry. Something was going on. I wasn’t sure if it had to do with Grayson, but something had happened. Liam was fighting with himself and I could feel it.

  I wanted to confront Grayson. To ask him why he’d looked at me and Liam with such disgust.

  I couldn’t imagine Grayson being shallow enough to care that the star quarterback seemed to like the lowly new girl. But maybe that was what had happened. Who was I to say otherwise?

  Feeling frustrated and mad, I made my way into class and plopped down onto my seat. I stared at the board covered with equations and blew out my breath.

  Whatever was going on, I could figure it out later. In school, I needed to focus on my classwork. Grayson, Liam, and the weird way they were treating me was going to have to wait.

  But one thing was for sure—come the last bell, I was going to find out.

  Liam was going to talk to me one way or the other.

  Liam

  I growled as I gripped the baby’s car seat tighter in my hand. Anger. Frustration. Pure agitation was hammering inside of my body.

  I was irritated with Mrs. White for putting Cora and me together. I was frustrated that I’d promised my pack I would stay away from Cora, and I hadn’t even managed a day.

  I was angry that my body couldn’t seem to calm itself when she was around. I could feel her every move. Hear her every breath. I’d tried to negate that with earbuds, but then Mrs. White took those away. Now I was left listening to the glorious sound of her heartbeat. Listening to the way it changed when I approached.

  It was like a hypnotic song that I’d been born to listen to.

  I’d thought, perhaps, that I could contain myself. That I could be her partner and keep my distance. But one look from Grayson told me that he knew the truth. I was weak when it came to Cora.

  Now, I was stuck between keeping my promise to my pack and keeping myself from failing my school assignment.

  I opened the passenger door to my truck and threw the baby and car seat inside. I slammed the door and took a deep breath. I needed to get a grip if I was going to survive the rest of the day.

  My inner wolf was itching to be released. I could feel its power as it neared my skin. If I didn’t get control, I was going to shift. And shifting in the middle of the day, surrounded by witnesses, was the last thing our pack needed.

  I cracked my neck and rolled my shoulders as I took in a deep breath. I could do this. I had the strength. I’d survived worse.

  I was a freaking wolf. I could handle infatuation with a human. It wasn’t like I’d never looked at a woman before. I had eyes.

  My heart pounded in my chest, and I knew I was lying to myself.

  This wasn’t lust. This wasn’t even a crush. There was something about Cora. She was meant for me as I was meant for her.

  She was my person. My fate. And nothing was going to convince me otherwise.

  It felt good to acknowledge that. To admit the truth. But now, I was left with a hemorrhaging heart. Because no matter how much I cared about her, I couldn’t have her. It wasn’t fair.

  To keep her safe, I had to keep her away.

  I’d prove to myself that I didn’t need her, and that she didn’t need me. I’d finish this school assignment with her heart intact.

  I could do this.

  13

  Cora

  I spent the rest of school feeling extremely agitated. I was frustrated that Mrs. White would put us together. I was frustrated that I was frustrated. And I hated the fact that I was secretly excited to spend more time with Liam, even when it seemed like spending time with me was the last thing he wanted.

  I didn’t know why I felt that way. Especially after his reaction to finding out we’d been paired together. It was like he was disappointed. I mean, he’d pretty much spent every moment since I moved to Smoky Hills following me around. For him to suddenly go cold like that was weird.

  I grumbled as I stalked off to my locker and turned the dial. I pulled on the release and my locker opened.

  After grabbing the books I was going to need for homework that night, I slammed my door and found Rose standing next to me. She had a sympathetic smile on her lips.

  “Everything okay?” she asked.

  I sighed and shrugged. We walked to the girl’s locker room together. “Mrs. White put Liam and me together for the baby assignment.”

  “Ooh.”

  I rolled my eyes. “No. Not ooh. The very opposite of ooh.”

  I told her what happened in home ec earlier that day. I tried to muscle down the hurt that rose in my chest as I spoke. I hated that I cared that he wasn’t interested in me anymore. It wasn’t like anything had ever really been there to begin with.

  “Come on, Cora. I’ve seen the way that guy looks at you. If he’s acting different, that just means there’s something going on,” Rose said as I followed her into the locker room.

  Mom had been so excited when I finally told her that I’d tried out for cheerleading, I couldn’t tell her I wanted to quit. I was still sore, but I knew some exercise would be good for me. But I think the biggest reason I was going back was to prove Katie wrong about me.

  She was not going to win at this.

  After we changed into our gym clothes, I shoved my belongings into my locker. “I don’t know, Rose. I saw his expression. He did not look pleased to be paired with me.”

  Rose was listening as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail at the top of her head. She nodded a few times like she was working through her thoughts. Then she sighed. “There’s something about that group of guys,” she said, slipping a bobby pin from her pocket and pinning up some loose hairs. “Stuff with Grayson turned out strained as well. We went from being friends to total strangers in a matter of hours.”

  I glanced over at her. “Really? Why? What happened?”

  Rose placed her hands on her hips as she stared off into the distance. “I’m not really sure. He told me he had feelings, I told him I didn’t. And that ended things.” She blew out her breath as she glanced over at me. “Maybe that’s what Liam is doing right now. Did he tell you he liked you? Did you blow him off?”

  I studied the locker in front of me as I thought. I didn’t think so. But I could have been oblivious. “Maybe?” I said.

  Rose clapped her hands. “That’s probably it.” Then she paused. “Do you like him?”

  I blinked a few times. Hearing those words out loud took me aback. I’d thought them on occasion, sure, but speaking them out into the air was different. It made it…real.

  “I don’t know,” I whispered. That pretty much summed up how I felt—I really didn’t know.

  Rose glanced at her watch and then waved for me to follow. “Well, good news is you have a few hours to figure it out before you have to play mom and dad. For now, let’s focus on not dying out on the field today.”

  I nodded as I straightened my ponytail.

  She was right. I needed to focus on not letting Katie kill me instead of how I felt about Liam. There would be plenty of time tonight to obsess over why he was acting weird.

  But I needed to survive cheerleading practice first.

  Liam

  I winced as Evan drove right into me. His shoulder rammed my stomach, pushing me backwards. I clenched my jaw as I attempted to hold my stance, but I was too distracted, and Evan knew it. He was taking advantage of my weakness.

  “Come on, Bronson,” Coach yelled from the sidelines.

  I glanced over at him at the exact wrong time. As soon as I turned my head, Evan shoved me hard enough to land me flat on my back.

  The wind whooshed from my lungs as I stared up at the sky.
<
br />   Well, that hadn’t gone as planned.

  “Sorry,” Evan said, hovering over me.

  I waved away his worried expression. On the field, I wasn’t the alpha, and he knew that. But I could still feel his hesitation, so I shot him a thumbs-up and that seemed to appease him.

  “What is the matter with you?” Coach bellowed as he stood over me.

  I sighed. There was no way a thumbs-up was going to appease him, so I flipped over and stood up. I pulled off my helmet and shoved my sweaty hair to one side. Coach’s face was red as he met my gaze.

  “Do you want to lose on Friday night?” he asked. I could see his fury in the pulsating veins protruding from his face and neck.

  It was amazing that he had that much control over his inner wolf. If I’d been that angry, it would have ripped me open from the inside. I was both in awe of him and a little terrified at what he could do to me if he were in wolf form.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, raising my hands in surrender.

  Coach didn’t look happy, but his expression softened. “What’s going on?” he asked, his voice a little quieter.

  I glanced over at Cora, who was jumping around the field, trying to keep up with Katie and her gang. She looked both ridiculous and adorable at the same time. My heart quickened its pace, causing me to drop my gaze.

  I knew Coach could hear my reaction, and when I glanced up at him, I knew it wasn’t good.

  “Five-minute water break,” Coach called to the rest of the team.

  I kept my gaze on the grass as he grabbed my arm and hauled me off the field and away from prying ears.

  “I thought we talked about this,” he said as he folded his arms across his chest.

  I grasped my helmet with both hands and stared down at it. I didn’t want any of this. If falling for Cora would hurt her, I wanted to find a way to forget about her. But short of a lobotomy, I didn’t see that happening.

  Coach reached out and patted my shoulder. He took a deep breath as I raised my gaze up to meet his.

  “Why don’t you take the rest of practice off,” he said. His tone said it was more a command than a request.

  I sighed as I scrubbed my face with my hands. I knew no matter what I said, he wasn’t going to budge. So I sighed and nodded. “Okay.”

  Coach clapped me on the back. “It’s for your own good. Get out there. Get some ground under your feet. You’ll feel better, I promise.” He shot me a sympathetic smile. “Sometimes the best way of getting over a girl is getting some distance.”

  My neck pricked with sweat as the lingering summer heat surrounded me. I cleared my throat, and the urge to do exactly what Coach said took over me. So I nodded and headed to the gym. I’d change and then head out.

  Running until my lungs burned and my paws ached sounded amazing. The clean mountain air had a way of cleansing my soul. Of clearing my mind so that I could focus.

  Once I was changed, I left my backpack in my locker and made my way out of the building. Luckily, every team that was out practicing today was too preoccupied with running drills or scrimmaging to notice me slip into the woods. I walked in deeper, letting the fresh smell of rain and bark fill my nose.

  The damp ground gave underneath my feet as I rolled my shoulders. My inner wolf was responding to the environment and itched to be released.

  I let out a low growl and felt fur sprout from my skin. My hands and feet changed into paws. The feeling of the ground intensified as my paws came in contact with the plush, wet dirt.

  I shook and shivered until I had fully morphed. The entire world around me was brighter, clearer. I could see and smell things I hadn’t noticed as a human.

  A twig snapped behind me, and my ear twisted toward the sound. I glanced over my shoulder, my body freezing so that my senses could absorb everything around me.

  And then I heard it. A heartbeat.

  Her heart beat.

  Cora was in the woods, hiding behind a tree.

  She’d seen me.

  14

  Cora

  I crouched there, staring at the spot where Liam had been standing, trying to process what I had just seen. My brain felt as if it were short-circuiting. I blinked once. Twice. Three times.

  Each time, the same thing remained.

  A wolf.

  I had just seen Liam transform into a wolf.

  What the…?

  I swallowed. My entire body was fighting against what I knew I’d seen. Who was Liam? What was Liam? Was he a…? I shook my head. No that was crazy. Like, padded room in a psych ward crazy.

  All I’d wanted to do was talk to Liam. I’d seen him disappear into the woods, and I figured now was my chance. Thankfully, Coach Betty was distracted with Rose, and I was able to slip away.

  I blinked again. Boy, had I been stupid. I should have stayed with the cheerleading team and that stupid Katie. Now what the heck was I supposed to do?

  Two very dark eyes turned and met my gaze.

  Fear gripped my chest as I whipped around and pressed my back against the rough bark of the tree that I’d been crouching behind. It dug into my skin as I tried to become one with the tree. Maybe the wolf—Liam—hadn’t seen me. Maybe I could slip away unnoticed.

  I pinched my eyes closed as I prayed to every god I’d ever learned about. I wasn’t sure what Liam was going to do with me now that I’d discovered his secret.

  I was sure there were rules in the crazy, magical world I seemed to have stepped into. And a human witnessing what I just seen, well, that felt like a violation.

  I tried to calm my erratic heartbeat as I peeked out around the tree. Then I yelped and scrambled to my feet. Liam had moved around the tree and was now standing in front of me. His nose was inches from my face, and his gaze was intense as he stared me down.

  Not sure what to do, I slowly raised my hands, hoping he would realize that I came in peace. He flicked his gaze from one hand to the other and then back at me. He let out a low growl, and my heart picked up speed.

  My whole body felt frozen in place. I wanted to move. I wanted to scream. But I couldn’t seem to make my body do anything. I was paralyzed.

  “Please,” I managed out. I could barely hear my own voice, but Liam tipped his head to the side as if he’d understood me.

  Gathering my courage, I cleared my throat and tried again. “Please don’t hurt me,” I said again, this time stronger.

  He stilled and then, very slowly, inched closer to me. I stiffened as I held my breath. I was pretty sure his giant jaws could break my arm if he wanted to. I winced as I tried to back away, but the tree trunk kept me from moving further.

  My reaction didn’t seem to faze him. Just when I was pretty sure he was going to attack, a warm, wet sensation nuzzled my hand.

  I yelped and jerked my arm back. Liam had pressed his nose into my hand. He shifted his gaze to study me and then returned to my hand. This time, instead of his nose, he rubbed his head under my hand, like he wanted me to pet him.

  Not wanting to offend this giant animal, I scratched behind his ears, feeling the coarse yet soft fur under my skin. He let out a deep, throaty growl as he leaned in, pressing his large chest against me.

  Even though terror still coursed through my veins, I couldn’t help the soft laugh that escaped my lips. He was crushing me against the tree, but it wasn’t because he wanted to hurt me. It was almost like he was playing with me.

  “Liam,” I said as I dropped my other hand to his back and dug my fingers into his fur.

  Just as his name left my lips, he snapped his gaze over to me and stared. There was this intense and confused look to him, and I wasn’t sure if he was happy to hear me say his name or angry.

  Wide-eyed, I waited for him to react.

  A second later, he growled, deep and menacing, before disappearing into the foliage.

  I let out my breath as I collapsed to the ground. I leaned my back against the trunk and brought my knees up, resting my hands on my thighs.

  I blinked, still won
dering if I’d really seen what I thought I saw. Did Liam really transform into a giant wolf? Did he just nuzzle me?

  I opened my hand and studied my palm, remembering the feeling of his fur under my fingers. But the memory was so bizarre that I wasn’t sure if it had been a dream or real.

  I didn’t know how long I sat there, trying to decipher what had happened. My brain spun, and my heart thumped. It took a moment for me to realize someone was saying my name.

  Jumping, I glanced up to see Liam standing over me. He was dressed and human-shaped. He looked the same as when I had followed him into the woods. He didn’t look like he had pointy ears or sharp teeth. And he certainly wasn’t walking on four legs or had fur covering his entire body.

  I blinked a few times. “Liam?”

  He crouched down next to me with his elbows resting on his knees. “Cora, what did you do?”

  I stared at him. “What?”

  He ran his hands through his hair as he glanced down at the ground and took a deep breath. “Why did you follow me?”

  I glanced around, waiting for the wolf to show up and for Liam to declare that this was all a joke. Some very weird and mean trick they played on new students.

  But nothing burst from the woods. The only sounds were the wind through the trees and the soft trill of birds overhead.

  “Was that…did you…?” I couldn’t find it in me to ask the questions that were racing around my mind. They sounded so ridiculous that I wasn’t sure how to even start.

  He stared at me, and before I could process what was happening, he reached down and pulled me to my feet. He grabbed my hand, wrapping his fingers around mine as he started leading me through the forest.

  “Come with me,” he said. “It’s not safe here.”

  I nodded and pinched my lips. There was something about his silence that told me not to be afraid. If I had questions, he was willing to give me answers.