Ruling Alphas: Shifter Romance Collection

by Lola Gabriel

  He hoped that would be enough. He had to hope that. And if it wasn’t, then the three of them would have to leave the country and go somewhere where no one knew them and start over again.

  6

  Raven was humming to herself as she crossed the street after leaving the office. She couldn’t wait to get home and get out of her suit and maybe have a nice long soak in the bath. She almost wished she had brought the car to work this morning, but she reminded herself it was hardly a long walk and she wanted to make sure she kept as active as possible now because it would be good for the baby.

  She was almost home when she saw a young man coming toward her. She looked at him in passing and then looked away, and then she looked back quickly when she realized who it was. She smiled a greeting at him and then looked away. The young man was Silver, Jagger’s brother. Raven didn’t expect him to recognize her as they had never been formally introduced, but as a member of the ruling warlock family of the United States, she was expected to know who he was and treat him with respect.

  “Raven, right?” Silver said, stopping beside Raven and surprising her greatly by knowing who she was.

  “Yes. Hi, pleased to meet you,” she said.

  “Raven, I know this is kind of weird, but I was wondering. Do you have a minute? I’d really like to talk to you about something important,” Silver said.

  “Yes, of course,” Raven said, nodding her head. Under no circumstances would she have been able to politely refuse an audience with Silver, but even aside from that, she was curious as to what he might want with her. “I take it it’s not something you want to discuss in the street?”

  Silver shook his head and looked around.

  “No, it isn’t really,” he smiled. “I thought maybe there would be a café or something nearby.”

  “There’s a little coffee shop about fifteen minutes that way,” Raven said, nodding in the opposite direction to her home. She thought for a moment. Surely she was safe enough with Silver. She decided she was fine and she nodded in the direction of home. “Or if it’s not too forward, my house is only a few minutes that way.”

  “It’s not too forward. If you’re comfortable inviting me to your home, then lead the way,” Silver smiled.

  Raven returned his smile and carried on walking toward home. It looked like getting out of the suit and having a bath was going to have to wait. She was so eager to start quizzing Silver about what he might want with her, but he’d told her he didn’t want to discuss it in the street, and she didn’t want him to think she was uncouth. Not now that she was not only dating his brother, but having his baby. Maybe that’s what this is about, Raven thought to herself. Jagger had been saying he was going to tell his family. Maybe he had finally gotten around to doing it. She had kind of hoped for a little warning. Maybe even the chance to be there when he had made the announcement. But she had told him she didn’t mind him telling people now that she was past the three-month stage and she hadn’t told him she might want to be there when he told his family, so she could hardly object.

  Raven and Silver finally reached Raven’s home.

  “Here we are, home sweet home,” Raven smiled as she led Silver up her garden path and unlocked the door. She stepped inside and then stood aside so that Silver could enter. She gestured to a door on her right. “Go on through to the living room.”

  Raven closed the front door and followed Silver to the living room.

  “Take a seat,” she smiled. He nodded to her and sat down in one of her armchairs. “Would you like some tea or coffee? Or maybe something stronger?”

  “No, thank you,” Silver smiled. “But I’m not in a hurry if you want something.”

  Raven shook her head and came fully into the room.

  “No, I can wait,” she said.

  In truth, she really wanted a nice cup of tea, but she was more eager to hear what Silver had to say than anything. She sat down on the end of the couch closest to Silver and smiled at him, a little bit nervous suddenly.

  “So, what can I do for you?” she asked.

  “It’s about the baby,” Silver started.

  He didn’t say anything else and Raven realized he was a little bit uncomfortable about this too.

  “Jagger told you?” she prompted him.

  “Not exactly,” Silver said. “Listen, Raven, this is kind of awkward so I’m just going to come out and say it, okay?”

  Raven nodded, even more curious now.

  “Jagger was talking to our mom about the baby and I overheard him. He doesn’t know I know about this, and he obviously doesn’t know I’m here and I would prefer it if it could stay that way,” Silver said.

  “Okay, sure,” Raven said.

  She couldn’t imagine Silver saying or doing anything that she would feel morally obliged to tell Jagger about, and if he did, well, then she would have to go back on her word and it would be Silver’s own fault for putting her into that sort of position in the first place.

  “There’s no easy way to say this, Raven. If you want to stay with my brother, you can’t have the baby,” Silver said. He spoke slowly at first and then he rushed on. “Don’t worry about money or anything like that. I’ll take care of the doctor bill.”

  For a moment, Raven just sat there in stunned silence, looking at Silver. Had she heard him correctly? Had he really come here to tell her to end her pregnancy?

  “Wait,” Raven said, shaking her head, telling herself she had to have misheard or misunderstood Silver somehow. “Are you implying that I end the pregnancy?”

  “That’s exactly what I said,” Silver said calmly. “Or, I can pay you to leave. I can give you a lump sum to ensure you’re comfortable. All you would have to do is start a new life in a new country. Nobody can ever know the baby is Jagger’s. Of course, I would have to put an enchantment on you and the baby to ensure you stay away from our family and tribe for eternity.”

  Raven shook her head again, although this time, it had nothing to do with her thinking she had misunderstood something. It was more sheer disbelief that Silver had the nerve to sit there and say that to her.

  “Look, I know you’re royalty and what you say goes and all that, so excuse me for what I’m about to say. But are you out of your fucking mind?” Raven fumed.

  A few seconds passed. Silver looked at Raven and she felt herself starting to get nervous. She shouldn’t have said that to him. After a few more seconds, Silver smiled and the feeling of dread at what she had said slipped away from Raven.

  “I’m here as Jagger’s brother, not royalty, so say what you like. And second, no, I’m not out of my mind. I…” Silver said.

  “Okay, stop right there,” Raven said. Silver stopped and she was so surprised she was almost stunned into silence, but she found the words she needed after a pause. “You say you’re not here as royalty, but then you have the nerve to ask me to end my pregnancy or disappear from Jagger’s life forever. Is it because you don’t think I’m good enough to be a part of your extended family in some way?”

  “No. I promise you it’s nothing like that. You seem like a nice enough girl and I know Jagger thinks a lot of you, which tells me I’d probably like you myself. I’m not asking you not to be with Jagger. All I am saying is that by staying with Jagger and keeping the baby, you’re putting him at risk with the tribe. Our kind will no longer trust him. We have no idea what a hybrid child will be like or what it will be capable of. I’m just asking you to consider that and not bring an unknown entity into our tribe. That’s all,” Silver explained.

  “I…I don’t know what to say,” Raven said after a moment. “You do realize what you’re asking, right? You’re asking me to give up my child or my child’s father.”

  “Yes,” Silver said. “I do. But don’t tell me you haven’t thought about what this child might grow into yourself. Don’t tell me you haven’t agonized over whether it’s a good idea to have a cross-species child.”

  “Jagger doesn’t seem to share your concerns,” Raven
said.

  “Actually, he does. He was talking to my mom about them when I overheard him. For what it’s worth, my mom reassured him that it’ll all be fine and he accepted that. But no one knows for sure, do they? I’m guessing my mom only said what she said because she knew there was no way Jagger wouldn’t want you to have the child. And obviously, he wants you in his life. Well, for now anyway. What happens when he meets his one true mate and you and the baby are pushed aside? I’m doing what no one else in my family has the balls to do, even though they all know it’s the right thing to do,” Silver said.

  Raven swallowed hard. She didn’t really know what to say at this point, but Silver gave her an out. He stood up and smiled at Raven and then he put his hand in his pocket and pulled out his card. He held it out to her and she took it automatically.

  “I know this is a lot to take in and I don’t expect you to just agree to this without thinking it over. I beg you to really think about it, though, Raven. And when you do, you will see that I am right. When that happens, my number is on my card. Call me and I will arrange everything for you,” Silver said.

  He turned and started for the door. Raven started to get up, but Silver shook his head.

  “No need to get up. I can see myself out. Think about what I said, Raven,” Silver said.

  With that, Silver was gone, the door slamming closed behind him. Raven sat in stunned silence for a moment, clutching Silver’s card in her fist as she wondered what the hell had just happened.

  7

  Raven was still thinking about Silver’s words of warning an hour or two later. She was still sitting in the same place on the couch, she was still clutching Silver’s card, and she still hadn’t had her cup of tea, gotten out of her suit, or taken her bath. It was like hearing what Silver had to say had taken away her motivation to do anything except sit and stare into space and stew.

  It didn’t matter how much Raven tried to think about something else, Silver’s words kept echoing through her head and she kept wondering if he was right. Not about her ending her pregnancy. That would never happen. It wasn’t something she could even consider. Even as she heard Silver’s suggestion echoing through her mind again, her hand went protectively to her stomach.

  “Don’t worry, baby, Mommy isn’t letting you go,” Raven whispered. “Not for Silver and not for anyone.”

  She had to think seriously about the rest of what Silver had said, though. About the baby being an unknown entity, something that might cause fear and unrest in some of the shifters. If Silver, Jagger’s brother, was thinking that way, then surely other people would start thinking about it too once word got out that she was pregnant with Jagger’s baby and she was a vampire rather than a witch.

  She knew she was going to have to be very careful once the baby was born. She was going to have to make damned sure that no strangers got near him or her. And she and Jagger would have to work together to make sure that whatever powers or abilities their baby had, he or she learned to use them for good as soon as they got old enough to start learning about self-control. They had to show everyone around them that there was nothing to fear from their child.

  Finally, Raven forced herself to let go of her worries and she tried once more to push Silver’s visit out of her head. She had to move, had to do something other than sitting here thinking about this. She pushed his card into her purse and stood up, heading for the stairs. She went upstairs and took the bath she had promised herself and then she changed into a short white skirt and an orange halter-neck top. She went back downstairs and finally made herself her cup of tea.

  She checked the time. Jagger would be here soon. She knew they needed to talk about their baby’s future safety, and she decided tonight would be as good a night as any to discuss it with him while it was so fresh in her mind. She debated telling Jagger everything, including about Silver’s visit, but in the end, she decided to keep that quiet for a little longer at least.

  She hadn’t sensed any malice in Silver and she thought he was just looking out for his brother. He thought he was doing the right thing and it wasn’t like he had threatened her or anything. She didn’t want to tell Jagger about it and cause family drama for him if she could avoid it.

  She was sure she had made the right decision and so when Jagger arrived at her place, she kept quiet about Silver’s visit, although she knew she couldn’t avoid the more pressing matter forever and she decided to just get it over with now.

  “Can we talk?” she smiled.

  Jagger nodded and turned so he was facing her on the couch.

  “Is everything okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah, it is for now,” Raven replied. “But we need to think seriously about the baby’s safety once it’s born, especially as it gets older.”

  “I agree,” Jagger said. “I actually talked to my mom about it. I hope you don’t mind. I was worried about the idea of a hybrid baby, but my mom seems to think everything will be okay. She said we’ll either have a warlock or witch baby, a vampire baby, or there’s a possibility that we’ll have a warlock or witch that has a bloodlust too. She doesn’t think the baby will cause any harm or be a specific threat to anyone. But, of course, everyone might not see it that way. People are often afraid of change, and any rebellious tribe members might be worried about someone who could potentially be more powerful than they’ve anticipated, getting above them on the pecking order.”

  “Right. That,” Raven smiled. “It’s a much easier conversation when you’ve thought of the same issues. So basically, we’re in agreement that the baby needs to be closely guarded. Maybe we should think about hiring a bodyguard or two, you know, once the baby is old enough for school and stuff.”

  “We will,” Jagger said. He smiled and kissed Raven’s forehead. “But I don’t think we need to worry about school just yet.”

  Raven laughed softly.

  “No, I’m getting way ahead of myself,” she said.

  “Well, at least now we both know where we stand with everything and we know we’re on the same page. It’s better that we can be open with each other like this, especially when it comes to the baby,” Jagger said.

  Raven nodded her head, but she felt a stab of guilt inside of herself. Jagger was so trusting and she was keeping something from him: Silver’s visit.

  Again, she told herself she didn’t want to cause family drama for Silver and Jagger, and that Silver was hardly going to be a threat to the baby, so it was fine to keep that knowledge to herself. At least for now.

  8

  A Month Later

  Raven was heading for Jagger’s place, having just finished work. She felt a stirring of excitement inside of herself as she walked. She was always excited at the thought of seeing Jagger, but this time, it felt different. It was more than just the excitement at the thought of seeing him again. He had told her he had something special planned for her for tonight, a surprise, and he had seemed a little bit nervous when he told her about it. Raven suspected and really hoped that Jagger was going to ask her to move in with him.

  His family had been told officially about the baby and about them being together, despite the fact that she couldn’t be his one true mate. His parents had taken the news well, and Silver seemed happy enough to learn that he would end up leading the tribe one day instead of Jagger. Raven had told her own family and her friends and they were all happy for her, although she had sensed that there was a bit of worry in some of her friends when they found out she had gotten pregnant by a warlock.

  She had pressured them to tell her why they were concerned and eventually, Lucile admitted it was because she was sleeping with a bear shifter and now she was worried she might end up pregnant unless she sorted out some birth control. Raven had been relieved to learn that her friends weren’t worried because they were afraid of what her baby was going to be. It was just concern that they needed to be more careful with birth control even when they were dating across species.

  Raven smiled as she thought of the support
they had from both her friends and family and Jagger’s friends and family too. Thinking about how everyone had rallied around them had really passed the time and Raven had barely noticed the walk to Jagger’s building. She crossed the street now, almost there, and turned the corner, moving onto Jagger’s block.

  “Raven!” she heard a voice shouting from behind her. “Raven. Wait.”

  She turned back and saw a man jogging toward her. She didn’t recognize him, but he clearly knew her. He reached her, panting slightly.

  “I’m so glad I caught you. I couldn’t get parked in the parking lot so I had to park around the back and then I had to run around the block. Jagger asked me to pick you up,” the man said.

  “Huh?” Raven said. “I’m sorry if I sound rude, but who are you?”

  “Oh, of course. You don’t know me. My name is Lee. I’m a friend of Jagger’s. He is visiting my parents, Gerri and Baker. He thought he would get away in time to meet you, but my mom had already cooked dinner and she wanted you both to eat with us,” the man explained.

  Raven thought for a moment. She had heard of Gerri and Baker. They really were friends with Jagger and his family. They were high-ranking tribe members and it made sense that they would want to meet Raven.

  “I realize this seems weird,” Lee said. “I only came instead of Jagger because my car was blocking his in. Call him and check if you’re worried.”

  “No. No, don’t be silly,” Raven smiled. “I was just confused for a second. Of course I’m not worried.”

  Lee smiled and nodded his head.