Ruling Alphas: Shifter Romance Collection

by Lola Gabriel

  Ellery felt herself soften slightly. Errol looked genuinely mortified about what he had said and she didn’t want him to leave here thinking he had offended her.

  “It’s okay,” she said. “Really. You haven’t ruined anything.”

  Errol looked up at her and gave her a little smile.

  “You’re just saying that to be nice,” he said.

  Yup, Ellery thought.

  “No, honestly,” she said. She smiled and nodded to her wine glass. “I blame the wine. I’ve had some experience at blurting out things I probably shouldn’t have said after a glass or two of vino myself.”

  Errol laughed and he seemed to relax a little bit. Ellery was considering trying to flag down their server and ask for the check when Errol spoke again.

  “Look, I’m not going to ask for another date. I’ve made enough of a fool of myself for one night. But please have one more drink with me. I would hate this to be the conversation we end the night with.”

  Ellery wanted to say no, but Errol was looking at her with a pleading expression on his face, so she relented.

  “Okay. One more glass of wine,” she said. “And then I really must go. I have to work tomorrow. So watch what you say, alright? Because this is the only do-over.”

  They both laughed and Errol flagged down the server and asked for two more drinks. He turned back to Ellery.

  “Did you say you had work tomorrow?” he asked.

  Ellery nodded.

  “Yes. I know it’s not exactly traditional for someone in my position to have a job, but I hate just hanging around feeling useless, so I took on a part-time job as an admin assistant at a local office,” she explained.

  Errol asked her a few more questions about her job and then they moved onto their favorite movies and books. By the time Ellery had finished her drink, she had pretty much let the awkward moment go, but she was still relieved when she announced that she had to call it a night and Errol didn’t object. And she was really relieved when he made no attempt to kiss her goodbye or ask for a second date.

  By the time she got home and fell into bed, the awkward encounter had already become an amusing story to tell Fiona the next time she saw her.

  3

  Max Lewisham was walking along the street heading toward work when his cell phone rang. He almost ignored it, his focus on what would happen once he got to work that morning. Max had spent the last fifteen years away from Bowles, training hard to become a part of the royal guard. He had finally completed the rigorous training, and today, he would be receiving his first active assignment.

  He was excited and nervous in equal measure, wondering what he would be assigned to do. He didn’t mind which role he was given. It had been made clear in his years of training that all of the jobs of the royal guard were equally important and he was just excited to be able to serve the ruling couple. The royal guard was pretty elite, and only the best of the best got through the training at all.

  He knew he was early, though, and so he took his cell phone out of his pocket, deciding to take the call to try to stop himself from being so nervous. He didn’t recognize the number, but he shrugged and took the call anyway.

  “Yeah,” he said into the cell phone.

  “Is that any way to answer a phone call, Maxen?” the caller said.

  It was a male voice, soft and well spoken. It was a voice Max vaguely recognized, but couldn’t quite place.

  “Who is this?” he asked.

  “Faust Flannery,” the caller said.

  Fuck, Max thought, his face falling and his stomach instantly in knots. He had answered a call from the Fae King with the word “yeah” and then not even recognized his voice.

  “My goodness, sir, I am so sorry. What can I do for you?” Max asked, trying to calm his racing heart.

  “Not to worry,” Faust replied. “I appreciate you had no idea who was calling. Listen, I need you to come to my place. Now.”

  “Okay,” Max agreed. “I’m just on my way to receive my first assignment. I’ll let my officer know you need to see me and then I’ll be right along.”

  “I have informed your officer of the change of plans. Please come now,” Faust said.

  He ended the call before Max could say anything else. Max pulled his cell phone away from his ear and stared at it for a moment as if it could somehow give him the answers as to what Faust Flannery wanted with him personally.

  He shoved the cell phone away, turned around, and began hurrying toward Faust’s house. His heart was slamming so hard he was sure the people he passed on the streets as he walked would be able to hear it. From what he knew, Faust wasn’t in the habit of calling new guards personally, and none of them ever got summoned to the house, unless it was for something extremely serious. Max had no idea what he might have done to warrant this, but he knew it had to mean trouble.

  God, what if I’m being kicked out of the royal guard before I even really got started? Max thought to himself. All of those years of training for nothing. And the shame it will bring on my family.

  Max tried to remind himself that he knew he hadn’t done anything to warrant such a fate, but it was hard to think of anything else Faust could want from him. He had met the man once, very briefly. On the first day of training for new recruits, Faust and his wife, the Fae Queen, Freya, visited the camp and introduced themselves. They each said a few words and then went along the line of recruits, shaking hands with them. And that was the end of their contact with the guard. Unless there was a problem.

  Max could see Faust’s house looming in the distance as he walked. He forced himself to speed up as he approached the house, although in truth, he would have much preferred to slow down and not have to face his fate quite so quickly. He figured that taking too long to arrive and making Faust wait would only make him angrier, though, and so he forced himself to hurry.

  He looked at the house as he approached it. Set in its own grounds, the house was quite spectacular. A modern building, it seemed to be all glass, although the glass was tinted, allowing the people inside to see out, but no passing strangers to see in. Max came to a large, metal gate and pushed it. It didn’t open and he looked around, wondering how he was meant to get in. He saw a small intercom on the fence post beside the gate and he thumbed the button.

  “Hello,” a voice said almost instantly. “Can I help you?”

  “Yes. Hi,” Max said. “My name is Maxen Lewisham. I believe Mr. Flannery is expecting me.”

  “Indeed he is. Come on in,” the voice said.

  Max heard a click and then an electronic buzzing sound as the gate slowly opened. He stepped through it and walked along the long driveway toward the house. The man he had spoken to on the intercom didn’t sound like he was pissed off with Max, but Max reasoned that didn’t mean anything; it was unlikely Faust told his household staff his business with visitors.

  Just as Max reached the front door, it opened and a man stood smiling out at him.

  “Please come in,” the man said, giving Max a half-bow and turning away. “Follow me, please. Mr. Flannery will see you in his office.”

  It was definitely official business, then. Definitely trouble. Max tried to ignore the dread building inside of himself as he followed the man down the hallway. This had to be some sort of mistake, and Max told himself that Faust was a reasonable man. He would surely give him a chance to explain that whatever he was being accused of wasn’t true. The thought made him feel a little bit better, although not by much.

  The man stopped in front of a large, brown door. He knocked and a voice shouted for him to come in. The man pushed the door open and bowed again, a full bow this time.

  “A Mister Lewisham for you, sir,” he said.

  “Ah yes. Send him in, Peter. Thank you,” Faust said from inside the office.

  Peter stepped back and gestured for Max to enter the office. He stepped inside and flinched slightly as Peter closed the door behind him. Faust’s office was huge, more like an office for a full company.
It was all dark wood paneling and mahogany desks. The sort of place that told a story of someone important, someone with understated good taste.

  Max remembered his manners and bowed to Faust.

  “Good morning, sir,” he said.

  “Well, that was a better greeting than the one I got on the phone,” Faust said.

  Max cringed inside and nodded.

  “Yes, sir. I’m so sorry about that,” he stuttered.

  Faust laughed and shook his head.

  “Relax, Maxen, I’m just joking. Now, come and sit down. We have much to discuss.” Max walked toward Faust’s desk and sat down in one the comfortable leather chairs. “Do you have any idea what this is about?”

  “No, sir,” Max replied honestly. “To my knowledge, I have followed all of the rules to the letter.”

  “Oh, indeed you have,” Faust said. He gave a little frown and then he laughed. “You assume you’re here because you’re in some sort of trouble?”

  Max nodded, unable to quite meet Faust’s eyes.

  “Relax, Maxen,” Faust said. “It’s nothing like that, I can assure you.”

  Max finally found he was able to look up and meet Faust’s eyes as relief flooded his body. Faust looked serious, but now that Max thought about it, he didn’t look angry.

  “In fact,” Faust went on, “the reason you’re here is the exact opposite of you being in trouble. I had a meeting with the officers last night about finding a member of the new class of royal guards for a very special assignment and you were the unanimous recommendation. You have done extremely well in your training and we’re all confident you are the right man for this job.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Max said.

  His fear had given way now to excitement. He didn’t know what this job was going to be, but for Faust to be recruiting for it personally, it had to be an important role. And Max knew that whatever it was, he would do it, and he would do it well.

  “As I’m sure you know, my daughter has yet to find her one true mate. And until she meets him and they begin training to take over as the ruling couple of the tribe, she is insisting on leading a normal life. She has a civilian job and she walks the streets like she’s a normal citizen. But in my mind, that puts her in danger. Which is where you come in. I would like to offer you the position of Ellery’s personal bodyguard,” Faust said.

  Max’s jaw dropped open. He had never thought for a second he was going to get an offer like that, especially not for his first assignment. He was flattered by the offer, but if he was honest, he wasn’t entirely happy about it.

  Ellery was Max’s sister’s best friend, and Max remembered her from the time before he had left Bowles for his training. She had been a spoiled little brat, always complaining about something. The thought of being in close quarters with her all day, every day, wasn’t something he would have ever chosen to do. But he knew he couldn’t turn down the offer. It was his chance to make his mark, to really serve the royal couple, and he wasn’t about to let them down. He knew that any of the other new recruits would kill for this opportunity.

  “I would be honored to accept the position, sir,” Max replied.

  “That’s great,” Faust said. “Now, you will obviously be paid handsomely for the post. And you will be given quarters within the house. Your job is simple yet dangerous. You must keep Ellery safe at all costs. That means you must accompany her wherever she goes outside of this house. Is that clear?”

  Max nodded.

  “Good. And I hate to have to ask you this, but I need to know that you’re completely on board with the role. I want an honest answer, and if that answer is no, I will understand. Are you prepared, in an extreme case, to die for this job? To give your life to save Ellery’s if the need arises?”

  “Yes, sir,” Max said without hesitation.

  He knew his duty to the family might lead to his death. He had accepted that in his first few weeks of training, and as annoying as Ellery was, Max was well aware that she was the future of the tribe and he knew that meant she had to be kept safe.

  “Good. I’ll have my people draw up the paperwork and make it all official, but I would really like it if you could start today,” Faust said. “Ellery is leaving for work soon and I would like you to begin accompanying her to the office.”

  “Yes, sir,” Max said again.

  “By the time Ellery is finished work today, your living quarters will be prepared and you can get your things moved in. I want to make it clear that while Ellery will be your duty and the person you see the most, you are not working for her, you are working for me. If her requests go against my orders, then you follow my orders. Are we clear?”

  “Yes, sir,” Max said a third time.

  “Good,” Faust said. “Then I guess it’s time for you to meet her.”

  He stood up and moved around the desk, then opened his office door and stepped out. Max heard him walking a few steps and then opening another door. He heard voices talking and then footsteps heading back, two pairs of feet this time. Max stood up as Faust came back into the room, followed by Ellery.

  Max took a second to get a proper look at the girl he hadn’t seen for fifteen years, since he was eighteen and signed up for the royal guard training and since she was only fifteen. She was no longer a girl. She was most definitely a woman now.

  A beautiful woman with blonde hair that looked so soft it was almost fluffy, and intense blue eyes that sparkled with intelligence. Her mouth was almost sensual to look at, her lips dark pink and full. And her body. Wow, Max thought, that body. Ellery had certainly developed curves in all of the right places.

  4

  Ellery had sat waiting impatiently in the little room beside her father’s office. She had been leafing through a magazine, but she had kept checking her watch. If her father didn’t hurry up and call her, she was going to have to leave and face his wrath later, otherwise she was going to be late for work. She half wondered if he had timed this on purpose to make her late. He had never really approved of her taking a civilian job, although he hadn’t actively forbidden it.

  Finally, her father had come to collect her. He hadn’t said much about the purpose of the summons, just told her to come to his office. She had followed him, hoping that whatever this was about was going to at least be quick.

  She stepped into the office behind Faust and her eyes widened slightly when she saw the office wasn’t empty. It wasn’t so much the surprise of seeing someone else there; it was more the surprise of seeing who it was. Max. Fiona’s older brother. A guy she had had a serious crush on growing up.

  She took him in now. He was different and yet the same. He had certainly grown into his tallness, his chest and arms having expanded during his training with the royal guard. His dark brown hair was cut close to his face, showing off his impressive jawline, a jawline that Ellery imagined herself running her fingers down. His dark brown eyes hadn’t changed a bit. They were still full of warmth, full of life.

  As Ellery looked at Max, she felt like nothing had changed. She could feel her body responding to Max, her center tingling as she looked him up and down. She cleared her throat, aware that she had been looking at Max for a second or two too long.

  “What’s going on, Dad?” she asked, trying to cover for her obvious staring.

  “Ellery, this is Maxen Lewisham. Maxen, this is my daughter, Ellery,” Faust said.

  “I know who he is, Dad. He’s Fiona’s brother. But what’s he doing here?” Ellery said.

  She glanced at her watch and Faust smiled at her.

  “I’m sorry, dear. I didn’t realize your schedule was more important than mine,” he said drily.

  Ellery rolled her eyes.

  “I have to be at work soon. You know that,” she pointed out.

  “I do. So, let’s make this quick. Ellery, Maxen is going to be your bodyguard,” he said.

  “My bodyguard?” Ellery repeated. “What on earth do I need a bodyguard for?”

  “Do I really need to
remind you of your status, Ellery? While you insist on wandering around the village like any normal resident, I must insist on you being kept safe.”

  “I’m nothing special,” Ellery shrugged.

  “We’ll have to disagree on that one, I’m afraid, Ellery. Whenever you go out, Maxen will accompany you,” Faust said.

  “Is that really necessary?” Ellery said.

  Faust nodded and Ellery sighed.

  “Fine. Whatever,” she muttered.

  She knew it was pointless to argue with her father once he had made up his mind about something. And besides, she could think of worse things than having the gorgeous Max accompanying her when she went out.

  “Maxen, could you give us a moment, please?” Faust said. “I need to talk to Ellery about something personal. You can wait in the room next door, if you don’t mind.”

  “No problem, sir,” Max said.

  Ellery couldn’t help but glance at his ass as he left the room. She wasn’t disappointed by it. She turned back to Faust as the office door clicked closed.

  “What’s up?” she asked.

  “Nothing. I just wondered how your date last night went,” Faust said.

  “Ugh, it was awful. Honestly, where do you find these losers?” Ellery griped.

  “That’s no way to talk about Errol,” Faust said. “I take it then that you’ve concluded he isn’t your one true mate?”

  “No. He definitely isn’t,” Ellery said quickly with a shudder. “When did I meet him before?”

  Ellery had just remembered Errol saying that they had met three years ago and she was interested to know in what capacity she had met him. It was still bothering her that she couldn’t place him.

  “You haven’t met him to my knowledge. Why?” Faust said.

  “He said we met three years ago. So, on top of him being a creep, he’s a liar as well,” Ellery said.

  “Or maybe he didn’t mean you two had met personally. Maybe he came to an event or something,” Faust suggested.