The Big Alpha in Town

by Eve Langlais

  “I can’t believe she didn’t call and let me know she was okay,” she yelled.

  “They were busy.” Busy doing things he should be doing with Jade.

  “He’s an arrogant ass.”

  “Who loves her. Just like I love you.”

  “What?”

  Apparently all it took was a few words to calm his raging mate. As for teaching Jade the joy of honey—it only took one lick at a time from her lovely cocoa flesh. And it was totally worth the beating by his grandmother and the lecture by his mother about ruining perfectly fine sheets with his debauchery.

  To ensure no more defiling would occur, the wedding happened late the next day, with Jade wearing a wedding dress she chose off a rack—to his mother’s and aunts’ horror—but it was probably a good thing given the dress didn’t survive the wedding night.

  Grawr!

  EPILOGUE

  Liana Zelda Boudrion was born a few weeks later without a thingie and a shocking amount of platinum-blond hair.

  Ark frowned down at her as they watched the angel sleep in the hospital bassinet while Ruby took a well-earned shower, Xavier keeping a close eye on her.

  Funny how things worked out. All this time, Ruby ran from Xavier out of fear he couldn’t accept another man’s child, and yet it turned out he was the daddy all along.

  As for Xavier’s ex-fiancée, even though he dumped her after that fateful Halloween party, the deluded girl remained convinced they were together. Ruby and Xavier’s big wedding did nothing to sway her either, and when the priest asked, she stood up and objected—loudly and with much f-bombing—which the videographer edited out of the final film. After that incident, the crazy ex-fiancée was taken by her parents on an extended trip to Europe.

  As for Jade, she cried. She cried at her wedding. She cried at her sister’s wedding. She also cried at the birth. What she didn’t do was lament the fact Liana was born without a certain body part.

  “I can’t believe it’s a girl. I was going to teach my nephew so many things.” Ark pouted.

  “So you’ll teach them to her instead. I mean, think of it, she’s your niece, and one day she’ll grow up and boys will notice her.”

  His expression brightened. “She’ll have to know how to defend herself.”

  “Indeed she will, and you’ll need the practice so you’re an expert when it comes to teaching our child.” She placed his hand on her stomach.

  It took a second. First his eyes widened. Then his lips parted. His fingers pressed into her, and he gasped. “You’re pregnant. For real?”

  About five or six weeks, but already the life growing within her made its presence known. “I saw the doctor to be sure.” She leaned close and whispered, “And the doctor heard two heartbeats.”

  He fainted, six feet five inches of flesh hitting the floor like a sack of potatoes.

  “Unbelievable.” Jade shook her head and was still shaking it when his mother entered the room and held out her hand, palm raised.

  “I thought for sure he could handle it,” Jade grumbled as she handed over the twenty she pulled from her bra.

  “He will handle it. Once he gets over the shock.”

  “Are you sure?” She looked down at Ark somewhat dubiously.

  He stirred and opened an eye and growled, “Sure about what? Who hit me?”

  “I’m pregnant with twins.”

  His eyes rolled back, and he slumped again. But it lasted less than a second before he leaped to his feet. Grabbing her around the waist, he lifted her and swung. He set her down just as quickly. “I’m sorry. I probably shouldn’t do that. Or should I?” He spun a panicked look at his mother. “Shouldn’t she be in bed? With her feet up?”

  It was his mother who slapped him. “Did you ever see me with my feet up?”

  He gave her a wicked smile and winked. “All the time. Laziest mother ever.”

  “Ungrateful cub,” his mother grumbled.

  “Love you, Mama.” Heartfelt and sincere. That was what Jade loved about this family. There was so much freaking affection. And she got to bask in that affection as Ark turned to Jade and drew her into his arms. He gazed down at her, affection so clear in his eyes. “I love you.”

  Which is why she threw her arms around his neck, hugged him tight, and bit him, really hard. “Awk.” He might have coughed up a hairball. He certainly made a sound.

  “You bit me. You finally bit me.” He couldn’t contain his exuberance. “You see it, right?” Ark pointed at his neck, and his mother rolled her eyes.

  “Yes, I see it. You do know you’ve been married several weeks now.”

  “But she bit me.” He pointed again.

  “If you think that’s cool, then guess what else.” She pulled forth the legal confirmation that she’d changed her last name. “Look. I now bear his name. Get it?” She snickered. “Bearing his name.”

  Her attempt at humor might have been met with groans, but she knew this act of trust meant the world to Ark. Heck, it meant the world to Jade since she’d finally decided to stop hiding from life and take a bite out of love.

  * * *

  The coppery undertone of blood hit him as soon as he exited the bar. The heavy metal door clanged behind him, and Stavros pulled his gun. Off duty didn’t mean he went around unarmed.

  His nose twitched, but his bear didn’t rumble and growl, which he took to mean no danger. Using the blood scent as his guide, he used his nose to lead him, his shifter side stronger than most even in his human shape. It was what made him such a good detective—until he’d gotten suspended.

  Who knew they’d care about the baggie of weed he’d taken to make brownies. The stuff was legal in just about every other state. He didn’t regret it. The brownies were that good. And the suspension wouldn’t last forever. He hoped. Or else the boredom might just kill him.

  Out in the alley, the bass beat of the music still exuded a muted thump. The witching hour had passed and the street out front had only minimal passing traffic. The alley itself was a dead end with a roll-down garage door that was bolted more often than not. A pair of trash bins, tall suckers on wheels, were lined like sentinels along the brick wall. They might have been emptied that morning, but the smell clung, a miasma that did finally make his inner beast grunt in annoyance.

  Smells.

  Yes it did and, above it all, the sharper scent of blood.

  Stavros found her wedged between two trash bins, her head turned away from the alley as if by not seeing she could prevent being seen.

  He crouched down and noted she stopped breathing, her body going still.

  An anticipatory hush fell, and he studied her, studied her hunched frame, the tattered clothes, the scratches on her arms, the fading and fresh bruises.

  Trouble.

  So much trouble. Despite finding her battered and broken, a part of him knew he should walk away, knew if he didn’t run that his life would change.

  He didn’t budge. How could he leave when she turned bright green eyes his way and said, in the softest whisper, “Help me.”

  OWNED BY THE LION

  Milly Taiden

  CHAPTER 1

  Ally collapsed onto her buttery soft leather couch and sighed in weary relief. The apartment was unpacked and things were starting to come together in at least one aspect of her life. Now if she could only get the rest to follow suit, life would be perfect. Her cell phone let out a loud cacophony of sounds so suddenly that Ally jumped and nearly fell off the couch in surprise. “Son of a … who messed with the volume level?” She grumbled as she fumbled for the phone and quickly pressed talk without looking at the caller ID.

  “Hello?”

  “Open your door, woman. We’re not going to stand out here all night knocking.”

  Ally frowned in confusion as she suddenly became aware of the persistent knocking on her apartment door. She quickly raced to the door, opened it, and stared slack-jawed at the two women standing there with pizza, wine, and big smiles.

  “D
on’t just stand there, let us in,” Josie said as she gently hip-checked Ally out of the doorway and sauntered past.

  “Did you forget about us?” Shawna asked curiously as she set the pizza down on the small table in front of the couch.

  Ally shrugged sheepishly. “It’s been a hectic couple of days.”

  “Is this a bad time? Should we do it another night?” Josie asked gently before winking at Shawna. “We can wait for any juicy details later if you’re too tired.”

  “You can stay, but only if you promise not to bring that overgrown manwhore’s name up.” Ally growled low in her throat and flopped back down on her couch. “Pour the wine, I need it more than you can imagine. That man is going to drive me either to become an alcoholic or a nun. And at this point I’m not sure which is better.”

  “So you admit you have the hots for He Who Shall Not Be Named?” Shawna asked with a wink. “I have to admit, the sexual tension at dinner the other night was off the wall.”

  “Sexual tension, are you kidding me?” Ally gaped at the two women, who nodded their heads vigorously in agreement. “That was not sexual, that was mutual disgust and horror at having to be stuck with each other thanks to Julia’s misguided offer of help.”

  “Did he end up helping you move in and get settled?” Josie questioned tentatively.

  Ally rolled her eyes. “Yes. Honestly, I’m surprised we got anything done with the way he was constantly answering his phone. At one point he left it on the counter, and I sneaked a peek. He’d turned it to silent mode, and he had fifteen missed calls and twenty text messages. All from women.”

  “Wait, how do you know it was all from women?” Shawna asked in confusion. “I mean, did you actually see their names or messages?”

  “No, I’m not that much of a snoop.” Ally bit her lip as she tried not to laugh, “Okay, I am, but he came back before I could look. The calls he did take were women though, I heard him use words like ‘honey,’ ‘babe,’ and ‘sweetheart.’”

  Josie laughed, “I can guarantee he wasn’t talking to Xander then, I’d have heard about it. Though I would’ve loved to have seen his face if Keir did talk to him that way.”

  “Enough about him, it’s pizza and wine time. I need it desperately,” Ally cried in frustration.

  “Thanks for inviting us, even if you did forget,” Josie joked.

  “I need girlfriends in this town. I love your mate, but it’s not the same as having women friends, you know?”

  Shawna cleared her throat as she searched the cabinets for wineglasses. “I don’t mean to pry, and I know you said to let it go, but can I ask one more question? Then I’ll stop, I promise.”

  Ally huffed good-naturedly, “Guess this is what I get for wanting girlfriends, isn’t it? Sure, hit me.”

  “You bet it is. But seriously, are you annoyed that he was on the phone with these girls instead of helping you move—even though you already said he did help—or because he didn’t flirt with you?”

  “Are you kidding me?” Ally gaped in astonishment. “When he wasn’t on the phone, all we did was argue. He’s such a pig.”

  Josie frowned. “You know, I don’t quite get that impression of him. I know he dates a lot of women, and has a different woman on his arm every time I see him, but he’s never come across as anything other than a guy enjoying the company of women. Xander even said he’s up front with them, saying it’s not going to be long term.”

  “Please, no more, let’s just have some girl time. I have to see him in a few days to begin setting up the new campaign and that will be soon enough. I have enough on my plate without adding him to it,” Ally complained with a pout. She didn’t want to think about Keir and what he made her feel. Her body lit up like a damn Christmas tree every time his smile or those gorgeous eyes came into her mind. Stupid hormones.

  “What’s up? Talk to us. That’s what we’re here for after all,” Shawna asked in concern. “Is there anything we can do to help?”

  “Only if you have a way to get some quick, easy cash. I’m getting desperate and time is running out.”

  Josie and Shawna grinned at each other. “Do you know how Josie met Xander?” Shawna asked with a mischievous twinkle.

  “No … but with that look I’m definitely curious. And it better not have been illegal. Oh, who am I kidding? If it was fun and you met the awesomeness that is my friend then maybe it was worth it.”

  Shawna grinned. “You ever hear of Naughty Goddess, the lingerie company?”

  “Who hasn’t? They make the best lingerie for curvy girls. I love their stuff, hell, I think I shop in their stores at least once a month,” Ally gushed in admiration. “But what does that have to do with anything? I work for an ad agency, I can’t model or anything like that.” Not that she was scared to. She knew she was curvy but she had a body men drooled over.

  “I work for them. The owner, Hawke Kingston, started a side business, and my boss handed it over to me to run. It’s called mateforhire.com. It’s almost like a matchmaking service, but for shifters,” Shawna explained. “Shifters mate for life, but sometimes it can be hard for them to find their mates. So mateforhire.com matches them with a woman to fill the role for various functions, events, and things like that.” Shawna cleared her throat. “Like a fake mate. Or in human terms, a fake girlfriend. Just to have someone they can take to events and nobody will know.”

  “It’s how I met Xander. Shawna entered my name and I got matched with Xander. It turns out I really was his mate. I balked at first when she told me she signed me up, then I saw the pay and I was in complete and total agreement. It was enough to do everything I needed and wanted to do and have a bit left over.”

  “I don’t think even a fake mate could pay what I need to cover,” Ally said with a sigh. “My mom’s been selected for a new regimen of chemo. It’s got a high success rate, but insurance doesn’t pay for it. It’s part of the reason I’m here, the company offered me a raise and a bonus for opening the branch here.”

  “I’m not sure how much you need, but let me put you in the system and see what happens. These shifters pay seriously well, and if it’s not enough to cover the whole thing, maybe it can at least put a dent in it.”

  “Shawna’s right, it can’t hurt. Plus, who knows, maybe you’ll meet someone that will make Keir jealous.”

  Ally gasped. “I don’t want to make that manwhore jealous, he can go fuck a goat for all I care.”

  Josie burst into laughter. “Something tells me you might be protesting just a little too much for me to believe you.”

  CHAPTER 2

  “Dad, calm down. You’re not old enough to be thinking of retiring. I don’t care about your sense of smell. You’ve been running the bank for close to forty years, no one can pull one over on you. The employees have all been there for years, nothing has changed. There’s no way anyone can lie to you; besides, no one knows about your loss of smell. Everyone knows your reputation in the banking world, no one is going to take a chance anymore. You spent years proving no one could lie to you; that’s not going to change.”

  Keir had to rein in the growl that wanted to rise up his throat and the urge to slam his fist on his desk. Instead, he listened halfheartedly as his father continued his tirade, begging and pleading for him to come take over the bank. Keir loved his job at XJ Financial and didn’t want to leave yet. Eventually he’d take his dad’s place, but right now there was no need to.

  “Dad, I love you, but I have to go. I have a meeting I can’t miss.”

  Keir hung up and leaned back in his leather desk chair. He wasn’t sure which was going to kill him first: his father and his demands or Julia and her demands for him to settle down. Which, luckily for him, suddenly didn’t seem such a bad prospect. He’d spent most of his life playing the field, dating women, and then moving on to the next. Each one he treated with respect and courtesy, but they all knew the end game. Nothing past a couple of dates max. No forever; there were too many amazing women out there for him to s
ettle down with just one.

  Then he’d met her. The only female who’d driven him to distraction. The only smile that made him want to fall to his knees and cherish her. The only body he wanted to explore and kiss and do some things he would probably get arrested for. Her. Ally.

  His reputation as a womanizer wasn’t exactly exaggerated; it was true he was with a different woman almost every night. What could he say? He loved women, their smell, their taste, their curves, everything about them enthralled him. Now all he could think of was if her skin was as soft as silk, and if her pussy as sweet as he imagined. Then there was the nightly dreams of licking his way down her body, taking her in every way possible and coming inside her, immediately branding her as his mate.

  He couldn’t fight his body. The desire to rush up to her, rip her clothes off, and give her so many orgasms she wouldn’t be able to use her legs for a week. He wanted to listen to her moan and scream as she came. Every. Single. Night. Of. His. Life.

  Ally Fosey, one of his closest friend’s little sister. It boggled the mind and made his lion purr with the need to mate.

  “Seriously?” Xander exclaimed as he walked in and slammed his hand down on the desk, startling Keir.

  “What?” he snapped.

  “Meeting, remember? We’ve been in the conference room waiting on you for ten minutes. Ally is getting pissed and I don’t blame her.”

  “Fuck!” The word came out a loud growl. Xander raised a brow but shook his head. “I’m sorry. I was on the phone with my father and got sidetracked. He’s driving me nuts.”

  Xander frowned in sympathy. “Still pushing you to come work for him?”

  “It’s getting worse, he swears he’s going to be swindled since he can’t smell their lies anymore. I’m holding out, but I don’t know how much longer I can do it.” Keir sighed. “I just can’t work under him again, he still treats me like a little kid and second-guesses everything I do. It’s so aggravating.”

  “Normally I’d say you’re a damn hard worker and I’d hate to lose you, but I understand you’ll have to go sooner or later though. For now, you better get in there and fix things with Ally before we lose her. You know what she can do for us, it would be a great push for the company.” Xander turned and started out of the office before stopping and glancing back over his shoulder. “And I don’t know who you were just thinking about, but damn, you’ve got it bad.”