Ultimate Alpha Boxed Set: A BBW and Wolf Shifter collection

by Bolryder, Terry

  Though still awake, I can feel myself drifting off as well. I think about how we met. Think about all the steps that led us to this place in time, and realize it’s really just the beginning of forever with the most amazing woman I’ve ever had or will ever have the chance to meet. I don’t know what the future holds, but as long as Rose is in it, it’s a bright, wonderful future that excites me. One where I look forward to holding her in my arms like this over and over. To protecting her. To making her happy for the rest of our lives.

  “I love you, Rose,” I whisper into her ear, knowing she hears me though she’s sound asleep.

  I love you.

  Rose.

  Chapter 11

  Hawes

  Several months later

  “So, what have you been up to the past few months?” Rafe (my older brother) asks me over a cup of coffee. “Lindon has been pretty quiet, so I figured I’d check in with you myself.”

  It’s been two months since I met Rose, and I still haven’t told him about it. As the pack alpha, Rafe does worry about his family, and he has a natural knack for knowing when things are happening. So when he called me asking if I’d like to grab coffee with him, I agreed.

  As the one who manages our family investments and hedge funds, Rafe is the person to talk to about finances.

  But I also figure it’s about time he knew about Rose as well.

  “Not much, just a little bit of this and that,” I reply, dodging for the moment. I like catching Rafe off guard.

  He raises an eyebrow at me. “And what was it you said about needing to transfer money from your investments on the phone?”

  “Ah, that. Yeah, just a little to start a side project I have going.” I hand him write-ups for the withdrawals and transfers, which he looks at, then peers at me suspiciously.

  “A side project to the tune of several million dollars?” he asks, eyeing the paperwork.

  “Just a new place out in the hills that I have picked out. Looking for a little privacy,” I reply, stone-faced, trying to not give anything away.

  “What about the mansion? I thought that would be sufficient,” Rafe says, looking at the papers in front of him, and making a signature here and there.

  “Well, that’s the thing. I found a mate, so I figure a place of our own wouldn’t hurt,” I say, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

  Rafe stops writing mid-signature, and peers up at me slowly, ice blue eyes doing a good job at hiding the shock behind them.

  “And it didn’t occur to you to tell the family until now?” he says, remaining controlled, but noticeably affected. At least, affected by Rafe’s standards. I’ve always loved provoking him, but ever since he’s been mated to Aspen, he’s calmer and harder to get a reaction out of.

  “Well, it happened pretty quickly, I must admit. But hey, did you expect anything different from me?” I say with a shrug.

  Rafe just stares at me. Anyone else would think he was looking at me blankly, but I know this is the Rafe equivalent of staring in wide-eyed shock.

  After a moment, he collects himself and continues his train of thought. “So, when do I get to meet…”

  “Rose,” I reply. “Actually…” I turn to look at the door. “Right now, from the look of it.”

  Just entering the cafe is my Rose, radiant and beautiful and gorgeous. To me, she’s always glowing with happiness, and I intend to keep it that way.

  Rose sees me watching her, waves, and comes over to join us at the booth. We both stand while she sits, then return to our places.

  “Rose, this is my older brother Rafe. Rafe, my mate, Rose,” I introduce them.

  “Ah, so you’re Aspen’s husband? Hawes has told me a lot about you,” she says, offering her hand to Rafe, which he returns with a short, formal handshake.

  “Well, I hope it’s been good things. But knowing Hawes, I’m sure it was a mixed bag,” he says.

  “Just all the embarrassing stories from when we were kids,” I reply, grinning. Rafe sighs at the remark and finishes looking at the paperwork. I find Rose’s hand under the table and give it a little squeeze, which she returns.

  “So, does Rowan know about this yet?” he says officiously.

  “Not yet. Since you’re basically the new pack alpha by now, I figured you’d let everyone know.”

  “How typical,” he scoffs, but still sounding happier than he was when I first met him this morning.

  While he’s reviewing the last few papers, I steal a quick kiss from Rose. Kissing her now is still as perfect as it was the first time, but with the added benefit of the joy and experiences we’ve had over the past couple of months connected with it. So many good memories, and I intend to only build upon that from here.

  “So what is this all about?” Rose asks.

  Rafe opens his mouth to speak. “Hawes is…”

  “Just planning a surprise,” I interrupt. “Nothing huge, just a little something-something,” I try to play it off, but Rose looks at me suspiciously.

  “A surprise, huh,” she queries. “After all the wonderful surprises you’ve had for me so far, I’m not sure how you’re going to outdo yourself.”

  “I know, right?” I shrug, and catch Rafe’s eyes boring into me, as if they’re saying haha, very funny.

  Rafe was never a huge fan of sarcasm though.

  “So, what about Lindon?” I ask, changing the subject. “Now that two of us are happily mated, to alpha females nonetheless, there’s only one left in the family.”

  “I’m not sure. I think Rowan has something in mind.” He stacks the papers and hands them back to me, which I fold and stick into my coat pocket before Rose can see them. She watches me suspiciously, but doesn’t pry into it.

  A ringing sound starts, and Rafe pulls his cell phone from his suit pocket and looks at the screen.

  “Actually, that’s Rowan. I better take this, if you could excuse me,” he says, standing and walking to a corner of the cafe that’s still empty.

  “So, what kind of surprise would this be?” Rose asks, moving closer to me.

  “Nothing. Nothing whatsoever. Tra la la,” I say, trying to dodge, looking at the ceiling as she gets closer to me, hoping I’ll cave. I can hear Rafe talking animatedly in the background with Rowan. From the sound of it, someone they’ve been looking for has been found and they’re deciding what to do next. Maybe it has to do with the Lindon thing Rafe mentioned…

  “Well, just promise me it’s not another car,” she says.

  “It’s not, I promise,” I reply innocently. It’s a house.

  While Rafe paces in the background, a waiter comes and takes our order. While we wait, I find myself unable to resist the urge to stroke her soft blonde hair and kiss her, fawning over my wonderful mate that I’m so lucky to have.

  “I love you,” I say, rubbing her nose with mine. I can hear Lindon’s voice in the back of my head telling me to “get a room”.

  “I love you, too,” Rose replies, smiling. I swear I’ll never see enough of that smile for the rest of eternity.

  As the waiter comes with our order, my mind wanders to a song I used to listen to a lot when I did MMA. It proclaimed that, through sheer effort and willpower, the listener could be forever immortalized in the hall of fame. I realize now that this is a million times better. Having a woman who I love and that loves me back, and the sheer, immeasurable happiness it gives me. It could never be matched by fame or fortune or recognition or titles of any kind. The only adulation I need is that of my wife. The only titles I need are the ones I already have- husband, lover, companion. This is the legacy I hope to leave behind, a legacy of love, not of violence.

  I love you Rose. Let me always make you happy. This is only the beginning of forever with you.

  I’m enjoying every second of it.

  * * *

  * * *

  * * *

  That’s it for Alpha Rogue! Turn the page to start Lindon’s story with a sexy lady alpha who has to choose between 10 love rivals
vying for her affection! You’ll see familiar characters woven throughout each story, so I hope you continue on!

  Alpha Contender 1

  Misty has few expectations from life. Work, read, sleep. But when she hears from a complete stranger that she's actually a powerful, shape-shifting werewolf, her life changes forever.

  Lindon believes he already had his shot at love long ago. And lost it. The tall, blond, sexy shifter is now only trying to keep his promise to his father by protecting Misty as she learns about her new place in the world and seeks to find a future mate.

  The only problem: she'll be meeting all of her prospective suitors at one time, and in one place. All TEN of them. All hot, single, alpha males competing for her heart.

  This series is dedicated to Cheri: A loyal fan and an awesome friend.

  Chapter 1

  Two weeks ago, my life changed completely. There I was, sitting at one of the empty tables in the bookstore I work at, eating a powdered donut and trying not to get it on the romance novel I was reading on my break, when the most beautiful man I’d ever seen in my life walked in.

  I dropped my donut on the table when I saw him standing in our doorway. He had one hand casually in his pocket and was tall enough that he had to duck slightly to get through the door frame. His shiny black hair had little wings of white at the temples, and light streaks of gray throughout. But his deep blue eyes and handsome face were sparkling, youthful.

  I averted my eyes, blushing deeply, and furiously started brushing crumbs of powdered sugar off my lap and the table. Stupid, addictive, delicious donuts. Not convenient for meeting hot men.

  Luckily, my boss, Lacy, saw him and came over to greet him. I buried my nose in my book. I’ve never been able to face men like that in person. Only in words on a page.

  I scanned back to where I was reading, eager to see the next development in my novel.

  Oh, Sylvester. You naughty duke.

  “Ahem.” A low voice clearing its throat caused me to freeze, embarrassment washing over me like a bucket of cold water dumped on my head. I bit my lip, hoping that maybe, despite that sound being very close, and a very nice pair of masculine legs being at eye level, maybe he was still talking to Lacy.

  I stayed silent. Maybe he wouldn’t see me if I didn’t move. He cleared his throat.

  Damnit, Misty, he’s a hot guy, not a T-Rex.

  “Miss,” he said. Oh Gosh, that deep voice affected me down to my toes. I squirmed in my chair. This was what came from making it to 28 as a virgin…no good.

  “Miss, would it be alright if I talked with you?”

  I took a few breaths, hoping the redness had gone out of my face. Then I calmly closed my book, bookmarking it with the last piece of donut, and turned to face him.

  He was standing with both hands on the table, leaning forward across from me, and the scent that hit me, wafting off him, nearly made me faint. Sex. He smelled like straight up sex. If sex also smelled like a mountain spring, and a night in the forest, and a wind through the aspens in the fall. I tried not to choke.

  He took a seat across from me, seemingly unaffected by my slack-jawed state. He wore a tailored white shirt and he adjusted the cuffs while he waited. I didn’t know they made business shirts that size. He was huge, easily 6’5”, with refined but masculine features, and a slight grin on a mouth made for sin.

  “Nice to meet you too,” he said. Then he did the weirdest thing ever, and tilted his head back and inhaled deeply. Then he looked back at me. “I’ve been looking for you.”

  I glanced at his hand. A ring. Damn. Well, not like a guy like him would have been interested in a girl like me anyway.

  “Why?” I asked, sending a glance over at Lacy, who was making little humping motions in the background. I waved a hand at her, begging her to stop before I burst out laughing and made this situation more ridiculous.

  “I knew your parents,” he said.

  “My parents are dead.” I wasn’t feeling sorry for myself. I had a good life with them, but they were quite old when they adopted me, and I knew when I was an adult there was the possibility they’d be gone.

  “Not those parents, your birth parents,” he said, pulling out a photo and sliding it across the table.

  I looked down at the photo. A man and a woman standing together, arms around each other. The woman was beautiful, dark skinned with pretty, tight curls. The man, dark haired but white like the man across from me. I squinted at the couple. Could those really be my parents? I mean, it made sense with my coloring, medium brown skin with dark curls and warm brown eyes.

  But these people were gorgeous and I was…well…tragically average. I pushed the photo back. “You’ve got the wrong girl.”

  “No,” he said, taking the photo back and putting it in a pristine, expensive looking wallet. “I’m afraid I have exactly the right girl. And I’ve been looking for you for a very long time.”

  I shrugged. “Well, good for you.” I looked at my watch pointedly. “Look at the time, my break is up.” I grabbed my book and started to stand up.

  “There’s no one here,” Lacy called unhelpfully. Traitor. “Go ahead and talk if you need to.”

  I reluctantly sat back down, slamming the book on the table.

  “There’s no reason to be angry,” he said. “I’m here to help you. I have good news.”

  “No,” I said, sitting up straighter and folding my arms across my considerable chest. “The good news is I had good parents. They took care of me, and they are all I need. They loved me. Whoever this other dad was, he wasn’t my real dad. My real dad loved me when whoever you knew abandoned me. So he can eff off. And so can you, frankly.”

  My eyes widened and I tried not to look shocked at the crap that just came out of my own mouth. Generally I’m never the one to say anything outrageous, except in my own mind. Something about this stranger’s unmitigated arrogance just pulled it right out of me.

  He laughed gently, a sound that hit me low in my belly. “I’m glad you had good parents.” His blue eyes went serious. “I’ve been so worried for you, you have no idea. Your parents, I loved them…”

  “Well, that’s nice, but I didn’t know them.”

  “Your mom, she gave her life for you. Keeping you safe.” He lowered his voice. “Hiding you in the human world.”

  “Um, you mean the world world, right?” I asked.

  He sent a meaningful glance over at Lacy, then turned back to me. “Can we go for a walk?”

  I sighed. If I didn’t, he would probably be back to keep bothering me anyway. “Sure.” I stood. “Lacy, I’ll be right back,” I called out.

  She nodded, giving me another thumbs up when the handsome stranger wasn’t looking. I shook my head and grabbed my coat off the rack by the register and followed the stranger out. He held the door and I ignored him as I walked past. I just didn’t need someone showing up at random to tell me all about myself.

  He put both hands in his jacket pockets and looked thoughtfully ahead as we walked. “You know, I understand that I’m disrupting you now. I’m too late, and you’re settled here. I get that.”

  Could he read minds?

  “But it’s a matter of survival for our race. Who you are. And we need you.”

  “What do you mean, you need me?” I waved a hand at him. “You’ve done without me for twenty-eight years, I’m sure you can go a little longer.”

  “Don’t you even want to know anything about those who gave their lives for you? Who loved you enough to send you away?”

  I shook my head. “No. It sounds sad. And I’m pretty sure I can’t do anything for your race, anyway.” I shrugged and kept walking. “Sorry, but like I said, you’ve got the wrong girl.”

  “I don’t. And I’m positive.”

  “Yeah, well… whatever.”

  He stopped and eyed me, checking me out from head to toe like I was some kind of exotic statue. “You know, if you come with me, you won’t need to keep hiding.”

  “What do y
ou mean, hiding? I’m not hiding.”

  He tilted his head, that small, irritating smile was back again. “Yes you are. Hiding who you are behind all…” He motioned at me in general. “That.”

  I frowned in offense. “Sorry buddy, but there’s no Cinderella hiding under here.”

  “Hm. I smelled differently.”

  “Excuse me?!” I took a step back.

  He frowned. “Sorry, I’m messing this up. Look, I can’t explain here. We need to go somewhere alone.”

  “Oh no you don’t,” I said. “I’m naive but I wasn’t born yesterday. I’m not going off alone with you to find myself.”

  “Look. You’re awakening. Even as we speak. You’re going to be in trouble if you don’t come with me. Here, I’ll show you. Smell me.”

  “What?”

  He sighed. “Just inhale deeply, and listen to what you smell.”

  I didn’t want to. I knew what he was talking about from just smelling him when he first came in. “No,” I said.

  “Suit yourself. But as good as I smell, you’re going to smell even better. I don’t even know how you’ve stayed hidden this long. I presume it has something to do with the way you conceal yourself. Like that lumpy…”

  “Sweater. It’s called a sweater.”

  His lips curled slightly. “Sweater.”

  “Look, just tell me who you are and what you want. I need to get back to work.”

  He folded his arms and seemed to think deeply for a moment. “What was that book you were reading?”

  I shrugged. “A romance novel, so what?”

  “Ah. There are good looking men in that book, right?”

  “Sure,” I replied, not getting where he was going with this.

  “So, what if I told you that there were men much hotter than the man in that book, men who look like me, but younger, more virile. What if I told you that if you came with me right now, you have men like that fighting over you, and you’d have your pick of them?”