“I do.”
“And do you vow to protect our kind?”
“I do.”
“And do you vow to abide by our laws and never reveal our true nature to anyone who may harm us?”
“I do.” Her voice was strong and steadfast as she answered each question, like the beating of her heart.
Anastos lifted the blade in his hand and turned the tip toward the ceiling. “To show your commitment to the position, you must make your vow with blood.”
Though he had already been briefed about the next part of the ceremony, Darius’s stomach clenched. However, he stifled the urge to take her hand. This was something she had to do on her own.
Adrianna raised her right hand and then grasped the blade. As her fist squeezed, blood began to flow down the shiny edge of the dagger. The thick, dark liquid dripped down toward the hilt and when a drop hit the jewel, he swore he saw the facets shimmer and change color. Blue. Yellow. Then red. He blinked. Must have been my imagination. The green jewel remained as it was.
He turned his attention back to his mate. She didn’t make a sound nor did her expression change, and Darius felt a surge of pride in him. She was Alpha. His Alpha.
“The vow has been spoken and sealed with your blood.” The serious expression on Anastos’s face changed into a wide smile. “Congratulations.” He bowed his head low. “Alpha.”
The hushed silence in the room was broken by cheers. Adrianna’s shoulders relaxed and before she could say anything, Frankie enveloped her in a hug. “I’m so proud of you, mimma. You’ll be a great Alpha.”
“Thank you, Mama.” She turned to Darius, but before he could say anything, she was surrounded by her exuberant and lively family members, all seemingly in a competition to get to her first.
“Congratulations, Primul!” Gio exclaimed as he lifted her up and spun her around.
“Hey!” she laughed. “I don’t think this is how you’re supposed to treat your Alpha.” When he put her down, she let him kiss her on the cheek.
“I know you’ll do great,” her father said as he embraced her.
“Thank you, Papa.”
“Well, you now outrank me.” Lucas’s face, however, was shining with pride.
“I think I’ve established from the beginning that I’ve always been the boss,” she shot back but wrapped her arms around him when he stepped forward for a hug.
“Bossy,” he corrected, then stood back and ruffled her hair.
Darius backed away as more family came forward to congratulate her. He didn’t mind at all, wanting her to bask in their love and joy. This way, she could feel what he knew all along: that she was going to be an amazing Alpha.
“C’mon, the food’s getting cold.” Gio waved his hands in the air dramatically. “Dom and I worked hard all day making sure everything was perfect.”
“Well, at least we all know where the men in this family belong,” Julianna chuckled. “In the kitchen.”
As everyone laughed and joked and filed out of the living room, Adrianna went against the crushing tide of bodies—and headed straight for him. He bowed his head low, but before he could say anything, she put a hand up to his lips.
“Don’t you dare call me Primul.” But she said the words with mirth in her tone.
“I wouldn’t dare.”
“Good. What would you call me then?”
The words came out with ease. “Mine.”
She reached up and pulled him down for a kiss. The touch of her lips warmed all the cold places inside him, as if she was reaching inside to banish the darkness from his soul. And though he had claimed his Alpha, he knew that she too, now owned his heart, body, and his soul.
Dear Reader,
It’s not THE END
There’s MORE!
I wrote some extra HOT scenes featuring Darius and Adrianna NOT in this book.
Just join my newsletter to get access.
You’ll also get exclusive news about books and SALES and FREEBIES!
Plus, you know you’ll want to read about Lucas and his mysterious lady.
Who is she?
Why does she think Lucas is a murderer?
You’ll have to find out by reading the next book:
Alpha Ascending
Read it now!
Or turn the page for a special sneak peek.
Join my newsletter to get previews for future books and contests where you can win prizes!
And if you’re feeling generous, do LEAVE ME A REVIEW!
It helps me out a lot and ensures I can keep writing more books.
All the best,
Alicia
Sneak Peek: Alpha Ascending
Detective Sofia Selinofoto was not having a good day.
When she came in for her shift that morning in New York’s Midtown Precinct, the first piece of news she got was that the suspect she’d been keeping tabs on skipped town. Then at around lunchtime, the DNA results from a murder case she had been working on for six weeks had come back inconclusive. Finally, at around mid-afternoon, the lawyer of the witness in a robbery case called her and said his client had changed his mind about testifying. Months of work down the fucking drain.
They said that bad luck often came in threes, and she was really hoping that fate was done screwing her over, because she’d already reached her quota.
It didn’t need repeating that she was not having a good day. But, by the look on her captain’s face as he approached her, it wasn’t going to get better.
“Selinofoto.” Steve Bushnell’s voice was low and gravely, containing all the brusqueness one would expect from a police captain. A former Marine, Bushnell had a reputation as a hard-ass, but he also ran a tight ship.
“Sir,” she greeted, putting away a folder into her file cabinet.
“Are you headed home?”
The clock on her desk said it was already 9:00 p.m. “Yes, sir.” She studied the look on his face, noting the flash of irritation in his clear blue eyes. Not at her, she could tell, but by what he was about to ask her. She liked the captain and that he didn’t tolerate bullshit or the other shit people around her had put her through after The Incident. “What can I do for you, Captain?”
“There’s been a disturbance in Midtown at some club. I need you to go check it out.”
“I’m almost ready to clock out.” Then, glancing around her, she realized there were no other detectives around her. She could have sworn that Rodriguez and James were right behind her just minutes ago. Their shift went until midnight, while hers should have been done three hours ago. Of course. Someone at dispatch probably warned them about the call and they conveniently disappeared. Assholes. But she was used to it, after all these months.
“I really do hate to put you out, but I’m out of options.”
She let out a long, inner sigh. If she wasn’t loyal to this man who had protected her and made sure she was still doing what she loved, she would have told him tough shit and to find someone else. “A disturbance at a club, huh?”
“Yeah. Probably just some kids who couldn’t take their liquor.” Anyone under forty was a “kid” to Bushnell. “Just take some statements and check it out.” He handed her a slip of paper.
Reading it, she let out a loud, “Hmmm.” She placed the paper in her pocket and then picked up her jacket. “All right, I’ll head there. Want me to come back and file the report right away?”
“Do it tomorrow. Head home right after.”
“Will do.” She inclined her head at him and then grabbed her bag. The address the captain had given her wasn’t too far, and it only took her ten minutes to drive to the place. There was already one black and white parked outside. She pulled up next to it and exited the door, then checked to make sure she was at the right place.
The sign outside the sleek black door said “Blood Moon.” A strange sensation ran down the line of her back. There was something about this place … had it always been there? She’d been working in Midtown for years, since she got out of the academy. Tw
o years as a beat cop and then five as a detective. She must have driven down this street at least once a week, yet she never noticed the club nor recalled if she’d ever even seen it until tonight. Maybe it was new or they had renamed it, but for the life of her, she couldn’t remember what stood here before.
Pushing those thoughts aside, she strolled up to the front door. There was no line of people waiting to get in, yet two burly bouncers guarded it, blocking her way. When she came closer, one of them took a step toward her.
“Easy there, boys.” She flashed her detective’s badge. The two men looked at each other, looking unsure. She flashed them a freezing look, not really in the mood to tolerate any chauvinistic bullshit right now. The one man backed away and even gestured to open the door for her, but she beat him to it, pushing the heavy onyx barrier with both hands and then stepped inside the club.
Most people underestimated her because of her size and the fact that she was a woman. In fact, during her first day at the academy, a group of recruits thought they could intimidate her because she had a petite stature, as well as a vagina. When she knocked their ringleader on his ass during self-defense drills, they quickly learned that Sofia Selinofoto was not someone you messed around with.
The inside of the club was much larger than it looked from the outside. It seemed like a typical club, with a large dance floor in the middle, two bars, a DJ booth and stage, plus several VIP booths scattered around. All the lights were on and it was practically empty, but she could tell that this place was probably packed all the time. Glancing around, she saw the two uniformed officers in the corner, talking to a third man.
She strode across the room and stopped short of the group of men. “Excuse me.”
The uniformed officer turned around. “Well, hello, Detective.” His voice was pure disdain.
Great. Just who she needed. Gabriel Martinez. “Officer.” She gave him a nod, keeping her face as neutral as she could. There was no way she was going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her annoyed. So instead, she turned to the lone civilian in the group. “I’m Detective Sofia Selinofoto.” She held up her badge. “And you are?”
“Zac Vrost.” The handsome, blond man offered her a hand. “I’m one of the partners here.”
She eyed his hand, her gaze going up his arm and then crashing into blue eyes. There was something about them that she just couldn’t place, but her gut was telling her something about Zac Vrost wasn’t as it seemed. “So, can you tell me what happened?”
He dropped his hand smoothly, unperturbed by her brusqueness. “I’ve already given my statement to the officer.”
She flashed him the same look that she gave the bouncers. “Then you can give it to me again.”
Zac Vrost didn’t seem the least bit intimidated, and his own gaze intensified. He seemed to have a quick inner battle with himself, then began to speak. “Fine. I was inside The Lounge when—shit!”
“Shit?” Was this guy kidding?
Panic flashed for a split-second on Vrost’s face. “That’s not, I mean—excuse me.”
When he sidestepped her like she wasn’t even there, her blood began to boil. Seriously? She could take this shit from fellow police officers, but she was not going let a civilian get away with disrespecting her like that. She marched after him, her mind already filled with the things she wanted to say to him, when she suddenly stopped.
Zac Vrost’s back was turned to her, his arm supporting someone who seemed to have trouble staying on his feet. A half-naked someone, dressed only in dark slacks.
“Zac,” the man grumbled. “I—”
Sofia froze, feeling her heart thud against her ribcage like a jackhammer. A searing gaze bore into her, making her breath catch. Heat waves seemed to emanate from those strange eyes. Beautiful eyes, actually—one green and one blue. The force of his stare made her stagger back. Sensuous male lips parted. “Who are—”
“Mr. Vrost.” She broke the gaze, snapping out of the trance those eerie eyes cast on her. “What’s going on?” There was a door behind him, and from the quick peek she got, it looked like a whole other room. Was there a secret club inside this club? What was going on in there? And why was that man half naked? It took all her strength, but she avoided looking down at his muscled chest.
Vrost mumbled something and then kicked his foot forward to shut the door. “Nothing, Detective,” he said as he swung around to face her. “Just a private party.”
“You’re still having a party in there? After what happened?” she asked.
“Well, business is business. You know how cutthroat rent is in Manhattan. I can’t afford to shut down.”
True. It wasn’t like it was a serious incident, probably just a couple of guys shoving each other. But something about this whole thing wasn’t right. Unable to help herself, her gaze slid back to the half-naked man. Vrost had propped him up, facing away from her. Oh dear Lord, the man was sexy from behind too. That sinewy back was bunching with muscles, and all that tanned golden skin begged for a licking. Get a fucking grip, Selinofoto. “What’s wrong with him?”
“Just a little too much to drink. It’s his, er, bachelor party,” he said. “You know how it is. Last days of freedom.”
For some reason, her chest tightened and her stomach fell. She told herself it wasn’t because of the knowledge that he was taken. Still, it was like having a bucket of ice poured all over her. “Well, then, why don’t you send the groom back to the party and come and make your statement.”
“No,” the man slurred. “You—”
“Will do, Detective.” Vrost gripped his friend tighter. “Come along now, all your friends are waiting.” He grabbed the door, opened it, then stepped inside.
She lunged forward, trying to catch the door before it closed but it was too late. It was one of those secret doors, built into the wall so no one could see it and had no latch or handle. “What the fuck?” Did everyone here think they were above the law? How dare he just walk away from her? There was definitely something going on around her, and she didn’t like it. Vrost was definitely hiding something.
Other books by Alicia Montgomery
Paranormal Series:
The True Mates Series
Fated Mates
Blood Moon
Romancing the Alpha
Witch’s Mate
Taming the Beast
Tempted by the Wolf
The Lone Wolf Defenders Series:
Killian’s Secret
Loving Quinn
All for Connor
The True Mates Standalone Novels
Holly Jolly Lycan Christmas
A Mate for Jackson: Bad Alpha Dads
True Mates Generations
A Twist of Fate
Claiming the Alpha
Alpha Ascending
A Witch in Time
The Blackstone Mountain Series
The Blackstone Dragon Heir
The Blackstone Bad Dragon
The Blackstone Bear
The Blackstone Wolf
The Blackstone Lion
The Blackstone She-Wolf
The Blackstone She-Bear
The Blackstone She-Dragon
Contemporary Series:
The Billionaire Heirs
Seducing the Billionaire’s Daughter
Surrendering to the Billionaire’s Son
The Combustion Series
Take Me There
Hearts on Fire
All of Me
Their Game
Let the Games Begin
The Game is On
End Game
); filter: grayscale(100%); " class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons">share
Claiming the Alpha Page 20
