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

  The Quarterback Alpha

  The Smoky Hills Academy Book 1

  Emma Wolfe

  To all the Twilight Readers who were Team Jacob

  Contents

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  1. Cora

  2. Cora

  3. Cora

  4. Cora

  5. Liam

  6. Liam

  7. Liam

  8. Cora

  9. Liam

  10. Cora

  11. Liam

  12. Cora

  13. Cora

  14. Cora

  15. Cora

  16. Cora

  17. Cora

  18. Liam

  19. Cora

  20. Liam

  About the Author

  Also by Emma Wolfe

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  1

  Cora

  It amazed me that no matter how much we cleaned Mom’s old yellow VW bug, it always smelled like stale french fries. It was probably because we’d taken one too many trips in this car. We used to pack up and drive across the country every summer.

  Back when Dad was alive. Back when things were simpler.

  The wheels made this strange thumping sound against the asphalt as Mom drove down the highway, pulling me from my thoughts. A piece of the ceiling fabric tickled my face, and I swatted it away.

  So many memories—good and bad—were wrapped up in this car. Even though it was falling apart, I loved this beaten-down, stuck-together-by-duck-tape vehicle.

  It was ours.

  It was home.

  I stuck my hand out the open window and let the cool night air rush over my skin, causing the hair to stand up on my arm. The sweet smell of summer and rain wafted into the car as I stared out at the dark forest that flew by us.

  We were on our way to Smoky Hills, TN.

  A few weeks ago, Mom accepted the veterinary position in the small town of Smoky Hills. The founder was retiring and wanted to hand the keys to a younger, more energetic vet.

  Enter Mom.

  So we packed up our small apartment in Waco, TX and hit the road with everything we loved crammed into the trusty VW bug.

  Mom tried to make it exciting—according to her we were starting over. A fresh start to our lives.

  Ever since Dad died five years ago, we’d been living in the past. And honestly, moving away from all the pitying stares and sympathetic smiles sounded like heaven.

  It was hard to move on when everything around you reminded you of the person you lost.

  “It will be perfect for us,” Mom said as she reached over to turn down Neil Diamond. She was blaring “Sweet Caroline” and humming as she tapped her fingers on the steering wheel.

  I smiled. It was like we were in sync with each other. She knew exactly what I was thinking.

  Pulling my hand back into the car, I wrapped my arms around my chest and turned toward her. “Yeah, I know,” I said, drawing one knee up and hugging it.

  She gave me a quick grin and then returned her gaze to the road. It was dark now, our headlights illuminating the black road ahead of us. “And Smoky Hills Academy sounds amazing. I mean, their football team is first in state,” Mom said.

  I rolled my eyes as I turned my attention back out the window. Mom knew just how to get me to lose my interest—talk about sports. “Yeah. That’s what I’m excited for.”

  Mom chuckled. “Hey, fresh start. Who knows? Maybe cheerleading is in your future.”

  I stared at Mom. Was she serious? I was all legs and no curves. “I think you need boobs to do that,” I said, tightening my arms around my chest. Sure, they were there, but they weren’t, like, there.

  Mom shot me a sympathetic smile. “You’re perfect.”

  Ugh.

  I needed to move the conversation forward. I wiggled in my seat until I was sitting straight. Then I curved my back, stretching my arms out. “I’m just excited to sleep in a bed tonight.” I squinted at the GPS. “How much longer?”

  Mom flicked her gaze to the GPS as well. “Ten minutes.” Then she looked at me. “Think you can last?”

  I nodded. But before I could speak, I was flung forward. My neck cracked as my head whipped down, narrowly missing the dash.

  I groaned as I reached up and rubbed my sore muscles.

  “Geez, Mom,” I said as I turned to study her. She had her gaze fixed on the windshield. Why the heck had she stopped so suddenly?

  I turned to see a wolf standing in the middle of the road, staring at us.

  “Cora, do you see that?” Mom’s voice was low with reverence.

  “Yeah,” I said. The wolf was grey and white. It was tall. Bigger than the wolves I’d seen in local zoos. Its ears were perked up, and its head was tilted.

  I met the wolf’s gaze, and a shiver raced down my back. Its dark eyes fixed on me. Like it was staring into my soul. Like, he knew he was looking at me. Studying me.

  Fear rushed through me as I reached out and quickly rolled up my window. Once it was secure, I pushed my red hair behind my ear as heat flushed my skin. The wolf’s gaze penetrated mine and made me feel raw and embarrassed at the same time. I mean, who has ever felt like that when a wolf stared at them?

  Me, apparently.

  “It’s like, he’s watching us,” Mom whispered.

  The wolf’s ears twitched like he was listening to our conversation.

  “Can he hear us?” I asked.

  The wolf tipped his nose in my direction. Well, that answered that question.

  “Wolves have incredible hearing,” Mom said.

  Feeling like my privacy was being violated, I leaned toward her. “Just drive. I’m sure it’ll move.”

  Mom glanced over at me. “Cora, come on. It’s a wild animal. I’m sure it’s more scared of us then we are of it.”

  Of course. The curse of living with a vet. Every animal was precious, and we were the big, bad humans invading their lands.

  This was a fight I couldn’t win, so I leaned back in my seat as Mom continued to watch the wolf. It didn’t seem like it was in any hurry to move on. Instead, he leaned down and sniffed the road.

  Then, he began walking toward us. He sniffed the car as he made his way around to my door. I pushed away from the window as his nose appeared. He sniffed the window and then rose up on all fours to stare at me.

  I yelped, practically jumping into Mom’s seat. She, of course, thought this was glorious and had her phone out, taking pictures.

  “This is amazing,” she exclaimed.

  “It is not,” I hissed, trying to stare at the animal. Maybe if I looked threatening enough, he’d leave.

  “It’s like he’s not even scared of you,” Mom chuckled.

  “Great.” Mom didn’t think I was threatening enough to scare off an animal.

  His breath shot streams of fog across my window as he stared in at me.

  “How do we get it to go away?” I asked.

  Mom shrugged. “He’ll leave when he wants to. Besides, when will this ever happen again? I mean, it’s a real, live animal. Enjoy this.”

  I shook my head. “Nope. Mom, come on. This isn’t normal.” I raised my hand and tried to shoo it away. It just cocked its head as it continued to stare at me.

  “Well, it’s not like it’s densely populated here. I’m sure it’s not used to humans.” Mom snapped another picture.

  Suddenly, the wolf bared its teeth, and a deep growl sounded in his th
roat. It startled me, and I jumped a few inches in the air.

  The wolf leaned its head back and let out a deep, throaty howl.

  A few seconds later, the same deep howl sounded from the woods. Followed by two, then three.

  “Mom, he’s calling more,” I whispered, reaching out to grab her arm.

  But Mom wasn’t worried. Instead, she was gleefully readying her camera.

  Bright yellow eyes could be seen in the foliage next to us. The wolf in the road had dropped back down to all fours and was facing the creatures that were sheltered by the forest.

  He leaned his head back and howled again. Then he tore off across the road, followed by three more wolves. They were different colors. Some lighter, some darker. There was one large one, and the other two were definitely smaller.

  In a matter of moments, the entire pack was gone.

  I sat there, my heart hammering in my chest.

  Mom was chattering on about how incredible it was and how it was exactly what she’d needed. This move was exactly the fresh start she’d been claiming it would be.

  I stared at her, trying to figure out how almost getting attacked by a wolf pack was exactly what she needed. But if she saw the question in my gaze, she didn’t address it.

  Instead, she pressed on the gas, and we began making our way down the highway again.

  “That was amazing,” Mom said.

  “Yeah. Great.” I turned my gaze out the window to stare at the trees that whipped past. What else lurked in these woods?

  “I mean it, Cora. This is a once in a lifetime experience.”

  I turned to shoot her an annoyed look. “I think I would have been just fine living my whole life and never having a wolf stare me down.”

  Mom shrugged as the sign for Smoky Hills, population 4,000, came into view. “It wasn’t just any wolf.”

  I snorted. “It is a werewolf?” I asked.

  Mom laughed. “No. Werewolves don’t exist.”

  Good. At least Mom hadn’t completely lost her mind.

  Lights shone through the dark as we drove further into Smoky Hills. I could make out a few streetlights and buildings lining each side of the road.

  My stomach growled when I saw the sign for Jordan’s Diner. Mom seemed to have the same thought as she flipped on the turn signal and pulled into the parking lot. She turned the engine off and slipped the keys from the ignition.

  I moved to grab the handle, but Mom’s hand stopped me.

  I turned to see her study me. She had a serious look on her face.

  “I’m excited because I think…” Her voice drifted off as her gaze turned hazy.

  “Mom?” I asked. She was scaring me. Why was she acting like this?

  She blinked a few times and shot me a smile. She cleared her throat. “I’m excited because I think we saw the alpha.”

  2

  Cora

  Not wanting to get Mom started on a lecture about the ranks of wolves in a pack, I just nodded and slipped my fingers past Mom’s hand.

  “Okay,” I told her as I opened the door and climbed out. I needed to acknowledge her before she could pin me inside the car for further conversation. She looked disappointed as she stepped out of the car. Her door slamming sounded in the dark air.

  It was great that Mom was excited about this, but I wasn’t. I liked to remain invisible, but the way the wolf was staring at me…it was like he saw me. I wrapped my arms around my chest as I glanced around.

  The eyes of the wolf still haunted my mind. They had looked so aware. So intelligent. So human.

  I shivered and shook my head.

  I was losing it. It was official.

  “Food,” Mom practically sang as she waved toward the diner’s front door.

  I followed after her, gravel crunching under my feet. Where had the wolf gone? Had he followed us? Was he in the woods, watching me? I contemplated running past her, just to get to the security of the building faster, but I didn’t.

  I wasn’t crazy. And running inside like a madman would make me look insane. It was an animal. There was no way it cared where I was.

  I needed to calm down and get my crap together.

  Mom held the door open for me. The smell of malt powder and grease hit my senses, and my stomach growled.

  Man, I was hungry, and filling my stomach with fatty, artery-clogging food sounded amazing.

  An aged woman approached, her grey hair pulled up into a bun at the top of her head. She had a weathered smile and readers perched on the end of her nose. Menus were tucked against her hip like they were just another appendage.

  “Evening,” she said in a thick southern accent. “Are y’all here to stay or just passing through?”

  Mom extended her hand. “Beatrice Gray. We’re moving here. This is my daughter Cora,” she said, motioning toward me.

  The woman nodded, meeting Mom’s hand and shaking it. “Althea Jordan. Lived here my whole life.”

  Mom leaned in as Althea led us to a table. She asked about the origins of the town and if Althea was the diner’s owner.

  The small black-and-white checkered diner was distracting me. It was quaint and beautiful with peeling red booths and twangy music playing from the jukebox. It felt like it belonged in a movie.

  Althea set down the menus at an empty booth and left to go get us some waters.

  I studied the list of mouthwatering food.

  “Ooh, cheeseburger with fries and a chocolate shake,” I announced and shut my menu.

  Mom was still engrossed in her menu.

  I sighed and glanced around. There were a few people sitting around us. Some in groups. Some alone.

  A petite girl with long blonde hair sat across from us. She looked about my age. She had her legs pulled up onto the booth and was reading a book. Her eyes widened and narrowed as she moved her gaze down the page.

  I almost laughed. Whatever she was reading looked good.

  “Talk to her,” Mom said, nudging me with her foot.

  I whipped my gaze back to Mom. Was she serious? “Mom, no.”

  Mom gave me an exasperated look. “She looks your age. She’s probably in the same school. Won’t it be nice to have someone to talk to on Monday? I mean, the school year has already started. It would be good to have a friend to talk to.”

  True.

  I glanced over at the girl and then back to Mom. It did sound nice to at least look like I knew someone on Monday.

  So I swallowed and moved to slip out of the booth. But Althea returned right then, blocking my escape.

  “Ready to order?” she asked.

  I nodded and rattled off my choice. She wrote it down and then turned to Mom. Mom pointed to the menu as she ordered.

  Once Althea was finished, she tucked her notepad into her apron and turned to me. “How old are you, sweetie?” she asked.

  I glanced up at her. “Seventeen.”

  “Oh, you’re my Rose’s age. Hang on.” She turned and waved to the book-reading girl across from us. “Rose, don’t be rude.”

  Rose didn’t respond.

  Althea sighed and marched over to Rose and pulled the book from Rose’s hands. Rose startled and whipped her gaze up to Althea.

  “Grandma,” she said.

  There must have been a silent grandma-granddaughter exchange between them because Rose’s bright blue eyes suddenly flicked to me.

  “Hey,” she said, her smile widening.

  “Hey,” I said, feeling like a complete idiot now that Althea had interrupted her reading just to introduce us. I mean, was I really that desperate for a friend?

  Maybe.

  Rose slid into the seat next to me. Her smile spread across her lips as she studied me. Althea seemed satisfied with her work as she gave us a nod and moved on to talk to a few other tables.

  “So, why are you moving to Smoky Hills?” Rose asked, moving her gaze to Mom and then back to me.

  “I’m the new vet,” Mom offered.

  Rose’s eyes widened as her gaze roa
med over Mom. “Wow. Really? Dr. Peterson is done, huh?” Her voice was low, like she was keeping something from us.

  I furrowed my brow. “Yeah. He’s old and done. Or, that’s what he told Mom.”

  Rose glanced over at me. There was a hint of secrecy in her eyes, but she blinked and it was gone, making me wonder if I’d even seen anything to begin with. “I bet. Being a vet in a small town can be really taxing.”

  Mom chuckled, and I think she said, “Don’t I know it,” but I wasn’t really listening. I was too busy staring at the six-foot-something, dark-haired, muscles-for-days guy that had just walked in. His hair fell over his forehead when he laughed, and he brought his hand up to brush it to the side. He was followed by three other guys, each equaled him in stature and looks.

  Rose sighed, and when I tore my gaze away, I saw that her nose was scrunched as she rolled her eyes.

  “Do you know those guys?” I asked. I knew I should have been embarrassed by the fact that my voice came out all breathy, but I wasn’t. I mean, I had eyes. I knew a good-looking guy when I saw one. And those were some good-looking guys.

  “That’s Liam Bronson and his crew,” she said as she reached out and fiddled with the napkin dispenser on the table.

  It seemed as if Liam had heard us speaking. Just as the words left Rose’s lips, his gaze landed on us.

  Well, on me. His eyes met mine, and if it hadn’t been for my rib cage, my heart would have taken off running. His eyes were this rich brown color. And there was something about his gaze that made me feel…vulnerable.

  When his lips tipped upward, my whole body flushed. He winked at me as Althea walked over and ushered them to an empty booth across and one down from us.