Page 2 of Alpha’s One-Night Stand (Shifters of Clarion #3)

U gh. I can’t believe I’m doing this. Here I am on a flying tin can, surrounded by humans. I feel like a caged animal.

“Good morning, Mr. Robertson. Can I get you anything for the trip?” Out of nowhere, a flight attendant appears and starts talking to me. It takes me a second to process what she’s saying. I wonder if my mother told these people I was going to be on the plane today. I swear, she’s always going overboard.

“Uh, no,” I reply, clearing my throat.

“Are you sure, sir?” she asks, smiling down at me almost mechanically. She’s wearing a uniform like all the other attendants, a blue form-fitting dress over a slender figure. Her tag, which reads Sophie , is almost entirely obscured by her long dark hair. I don’t know how my mother did it, but this is definitely a setup. I can sense it. She’s beautiful, this woman. The dress fits her like a glove, clinging to her shape like it’s made from cellophane. She’s not exactly my type, but she definitely fits the profile of a woman I might bring home . . . and Mother’s been obsessing over finding my mate since I turned twenty-five.

You’d think that she, of all people, would understand that it never works that way. Never mind the fact that I’m not ready for a relationship.

“I’m good, Sophie,” I tell her, returning her fake smile. “Thank you.”

“Just let me know if you need anything.” She winks at me before sashaying down the aisle. Honestly, I don’t know what Mother thought was going to happen here.

This whole trip, in fact, is at Mother’s insistence. She wants me to attend Moonhelm’s Awakening Fest, so I’m here, begrudgingly flying in first class and avoiding the lustful gaze of some oversexed plane waitress. The upside of going to Moonhelm was that I’d at least get to see Mother after all this time. Being that she dedicated her life and career to teaching there, it’s really the only way I get to see her in person these days.

Personally, I feel like the whole thing is a pointless tradition, the Awakening affair. Mother was adamant that I participate, though.

It doesn’t take long before the flight attendants start in on their safety demonstration. The plane begins to taxi out onto the runway, so I shut my eyes to tune it all out. The sooner this whole thing is over, the happier I’ll be.

I drift off into my own thoughts as the plane takes off. It’s all so frustrating.

The pressures of being an Alpha wolf these days are infuriating. As I understand it, throughout history, packs have always had young Alphas trying to figure their shit out before being “made,” as I like to put it. Learning the history of Alphas in Clarion has taught me that, at the very least, I’m not alone in my struggles. At least I’m not an Alpha King. The Moon Goddess gives them not just one form to deal with, but three . I have enough trouble keeping my wolf in check most days. I can’t imagine trying to reign in a bear and a lion on top of that.

Still, it’s embarrassing not knowing how to control the raging urges that come with being an Alpha to my pack. I wish I had a better handle on it. Mother keeps telling me it comes with time, but . . . Well, living in the world outside of Clarion, where no one knows anything about my people, makes it even tougher to manage.

I do what I can. Meditation. Special herbs Mother sends me. When I was younger, I even tried human drugs. Nothing has helped entirely. In fact, I had an outburst a couple of days ago. Even now, I don’t even really remember what triggered it. All I remember is waking up from a fugue state, ready to rip two policemen’s throats out. The thought of it sends angry shudders through my body.

Stand down, I think to my wolf as he stirs inside me. I take deep breaths. Stand down.

It’s getting worse, this loss of control. I hate to admit that. I’m going to have to talk to Mother about it. There has to be something that can be done about my self-control.

I don’t want to think about what might happen if I changed right now, with no way to escape. Stand down, dammit.

I hear someone gasp, and a sudden jolt shakes me out of my thoughts.

“What’s happening?” The woman sitting next to me clutches at the seat in front of her, knuckles pale and eyes wide. The plane has begun to sway uncontrollably.

I can sense her fear and discomfort, and it’s annoying me. I never fancied dealing with the problems of humans. One tiny anomaly and they just go all to pieces. I don’t know how they’ve managed to survive the world for so many generations. The light to fasten our seatbelts flashes on, and the captain’s voice chimes in over the intercom. “Ladies and gentlemen. We’ve hit a little turbulence. Please remain seated while the fasten seatbelt light is on. We should be clearing it any time now.”

I sigh and close my eyes. The troubles of my wolf are threatening to come to the surface. I can feel it pacing like the caged beast that he is. Stand down…stand down, dammit…

I’m so focused that I don’t notice Sophie touching my shoulder. “Mr. Robertson? Mr. Robertson, are you—”

My wolf leaps out, forcing me to look up at her. She cringes as she pulls away, her eyes filled with terror. She looks one way, then the other, and kneels down to my seat.

“Keep your eyes closed, sir,” she whispers. Hearing her voice makes me grab hold of my wolf. When we change, our eyes glow gold. The last thing I need is for someone to see that.

I shut my eyes and keep focusing as the plane levels off. The rumbling around us ceases. I hold on until I can feel the passing of the clouds whittle away.

I sink back into my seat, as my racing heart starts to calm. Sophie walks by with the drink cart, and she smiles at me and squeezes my shoulder knowingly. Plant or not, I have to thank her for stepping in.

I lean my head back in my seat and take some more deep breaths. My wolf is pulling away. Thank goodness.

There’s that scent again . . .

I catch it floating around my head, and I open my eyes. I smelled it first in the airport, tracking it to a beautiful woman with shoulder-length electric purple hair sitting by herself. I’ve never smelled anything like that before. Surely, it’s the same woman. It’s strong, though. Much stronger than when I picked it up before.

My wolf is back up again, pacing inside me and threatening to come to the surface. I squeeze my eyes tight and force it down, trying to stop the primal rush going through me, pulsating in my veins.

Stand. The Fuck. Down. I grit my teeth, struggling hard as the wolf fights me to come out.

No, no, this is not the time to be going full-on wolf mode. I grip the seats and push hard, my breath coming in a gasping, shuddery rhythm.

Stand down, dammit . . . please . . . not here . . .

It takes a long few seconds before my wolf finally concedes. Once it dies down, I open my eyes to see the woman sitting next to me looking back, her eyes filled with worry.

“Are you all right?”

I nod. I touch my forehead, and it’s covered in sweat. Shit, that was close.

Whoever the woman is, I can still smell her. I don’t know who she is or why she’s on this plane, but I need to find her again. Maybe this trip isn’t going to be so boring after all.