Alpha Mated Box Set (Alpha Billionaire Werewolf Shifter Romance)

by Mac Flynn

  Oliver kicked and squirmed. "Lemme go! Lemme go! This is harassment!"

  "You can take it up with the captain, but after we're through," David replied.

  I followed the indignation parade to the bathroom and watched David drop the young boy into the large tub. Oliver tried to scramble out, but David pushed him back and turned one of the handles. Hot, steaming water poured from the faucet and filled the tub.

  "I'm still wearing my clothes!" Oliver pointed out.

  "They need a cleaning, too," David replied.

  I leaned against the open doorway and folded my arms. "Do I need to separate you boys?"

  David grabbed the collar of Oliver's shirt and pulled it off the young lad. It revealed his pale, skeletal frame, and I cringed when I saw long cut marks down his chest and sides. David dropped the shirt into the water and knelt in front of the tub. His eyes swept over the scarred wounds before they flickered to Oliver.

  The young boy ducked into the rising water and covered himself with his arms. "What are you looking at?"

  "I wish you'd tell us," David returned.

  Oliver turned his face away and pursed his lips. "They're nothing."

  "That's a lot of pain there for nothing," David countered.

  Oliver sank lower into the water. Steam dampened his oily hair. David sighed and stood. He turned to me and jerked his thumb at the young boy. "Mind taking care of him while I go to the captain? His men need to be told to stop their wild goose chase."

  "Yeah, the scrawny turkey's been found," I quipped as I looked past him at the boy. "But what am I supposed to do with him? Put him in front of the TV?"

  David half-turned to Oliver, who watched us with narrowed eyes. "He won't really be recognizable when he's clean, so you two could tour the ship. I'll find you when I'm done with the captain and give you the grand tour."

  "I can show her around," Oliver spoke up.

  David arched an eyebrow. "Aren't you a little young for a cruise director."

  Oliver glared at him. "This ain't the first time I snuck aboard something like this, so I know my way around."

  David turned to me. "It's up to you."

  I shrugged. "Why not? He can't get me any more lost than I could on my own."

  "Hey! Don't I get a say in this?" asked our drowned rat.

  David returned his attention to the waif and smiled. "No." He turned away and strode towards the door, but paused beside me. His tense gaze caught mine. "If there's trouble, call me."

  I arched an eyebrow. "How? I don't have your phone number."

  A sly smile slipped onto his lips and he tapped his ear. "Just give a yell. I'll hear you."

  And with that he left, leaving me with a pre-honeymoon vacation without a pre-groom and a mess of trouble in the skinny wet boy in the tub.

  I glanced at the waif. He glared at me. At least, I think he glared at me. I leaned towards him and squinted. "You need your hair cut. You look like a shaggy dog."

  Oliver parted his hair so I could see his eyes. "I ain't gonna have you cut my hair."

  I shrugged. "Good because then you'd look like a dog with mange, but I think I saw a barber shop listed on one of the brochures."

  He raised his arms. Water dripped off in long waterfalls. "I'm not going nowhere like this. They'll catch me for sure."

  "Let me see what we've got in your size," I told him.

  I stepped back into the bedroom and rummaged through David's suitcase. Splashing noises came from the bathroom, and in a few seconds Oliver appeared in the doorway. The young boy was hunched over and his hair covered his eyes. A white towel was wrapped around his skinny midsection and he dripped all over the floor.

  He pushed the hair out of his way and scowled at me. "I'm clean enough. You got those clothes yet?"

  I held up a small dress shirt and pants. "These will take some tucking and magic with pins, but we should get them to work."

  He wrinkled his nose. "I ain't wearing those."

  "Good, because you are," I quipped. "Now hold still and this torture will be over quickly for both of us."

  3

  The young ragamuffin was duly dressed and presented in front of a mirror. He stuck his tongue out at his appearance.

  "I look stupid."

  I rolled my eyes and turned him away from the distasteful reflection. "We'll get you something else later. You promised to show me the ship, right?"

  He shrugged. "I guess. What do ya wanna see first?"

  I mimicked his shrug. "I don't know. What's a good place to see?"

  He furrowed his brow and tapped his chin. "Well-" his eyes flickered to me, "there is the stage. That's a big swanky place where all the performances are."

  I smiled at him and swept my hand towards the bedroom door. "Sounds interesting. Lead the way."

  Oliver led me through the maze of halls to one of the upper floors. The stage theater was close to a film theater, and both shared a grand lobby with a concession stand and stairway access to the balconies in the play theater. The stairs were roped off with a sign that read 'No Entrance.' The faint sounds of a rehearsal drifted through the closed theater doors.

  Oliver tugged on my arm and pointed at the flight of stairs. "Let's go up there."

  I frowned. "We're not supposed to."

  He scoffed. "I ain't even supposed to be on this ship, so let's go."

  The lobby was empty so we had no troubles ducking under the rope and climbing the stairs. Oliver opened the door and presented us with a darkened balcony filled with shadows of chairs. We tiptoed down the row of chairs and stopped at the bottom. The balcony was circular and rose some thirty feet off the floor. We were about seventy feet from the stage. Not quite nosebleed, but close enough.

  The colorful group of people from the docks were on the stage. Some practiced magic acts with black hats and cards. Others, like a bearded lady, strutted the stage. A man on stilts that were covered with baggy pants strolled the planks. It was a menagerie of strange.

  I leaned forward and squinted. "I wish I had a pair of those glasses."

  "Like these?"

  Oliver and I spun around. The first row of seats stood behind us, and in one of them sat the smiling man in red and black. A pair of the opera spectacles dangled from two of his fingers. He stood and clasped the glasses in his hand as he studied us.

  "I don't recall anyone being allowed up here during rehearsals," he commented.

  "We ain't done nothing wrong!" Oliver spoke up.

  The man's smile widened. "Of course not. And as a sign that I mean you no ill-will for your intrusion, I offer you this." He reached into his coat and pulled out a slip of paper which he held out to me.

  I didn't reach for it. "What is it?"

  "A ticket to our show." His eyes flickered from Oliver to me. "Unfortunately, I only have one to spare."

  I grabbed Oliver's hand and tugged him towards the path between the seats. "Thanks, but no thanks."

  The man stepped into our path and held out the card again. His smile was strained. "I insist."

  Oliver leaned forward and snatched the ticket. I glared at the boy, but he shrugged. The man's smile widened before he bowed and stepped out of our way.

  We got the hell out of there and didn't stop until we reached a nearby corridor. I leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. "That guy is creepy as hell."

  Oliver stood beside me and shrugged. "I guess he's pretty weird."

  I glanced down at the slip of colorful paper in his hand. "Let me see that."

  He handed it to me and I studied the contents. The small piece of paper had a bunch of colorful balloons and a stage. A few words were written in black across the picture of the stage. I read aloud the title of the show. "Tenor magicae." I wrinkled my nose. "What does that mean?

  "Magnificent magic," Oliver spoke up.

  I glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. "How'd you know that?"

  He looked away and shrugged. "Guess I heard it somewhere."

  "Oh." I returned my at
tention to the card and frowned. The thing reminded me too much of the man in red. I held the card out to Oliver. "I guess this is yours."

  He shook his head. "I don't want it."

  I frowned. "But you took it."

  He glared at me. "I changed my mind, all right? I don't want the stupid thing."

  I sighed and tucked the card into my pocket. "Fine. Now where do we-" I noticed he brushed his hair out of his eyes. "I think the next stop should be the barbershop."

  He snarled at me. "I ain't taking you there."

  I grabbed his hand and dragged him down the hallway. "Good because I know the way from here."

  He squirmed and dug his heels into the floor. "I ain't going! I'd rather die!"

  "Then I'll have the barber cut your hair before you're put into the coffin," I quipped.

  Seeing he couldn't win, Oliver accepted his fate with as much grace and dignity as a mole rat in a tuxedo. The barbershop was located in the shopping mall area of the ship where three floors surrounded a central, open-roofed courtyard. A railing and wide walkway separated the fronts of the shops from an inevitable death into a flower garden and fountain surrounded by a rock-tile floor.

  We arrived at the barbershop sans Oliver's dignity and he was placed in the high chair for his execution. That's where David found us a half hour later. He stepped into the shop and swept his eyes over the scene. I sat in a chair against the wall with a forgotten magazine in my lap. My attention was focused on the barber and his victim. Oliver sat as stiff and white as a corpse in the chair, and beneath him on the floor was a pile of hair large enough to make a wig.

  David took a seat beside me and nodded at the boy. "He doesn't look too happy."

  "Like a cat in a bath," I quipped.

  "So how did the rest of the tour go?" he wondered.

  I shrugged. "We haven't been that many places. Just the theater area and here." I studied him. "But how'd the talk with the captain go?"

  David smiled and nodded at Oliver. "It seems we can keep our pet, provided he doesn't break any rules, or at least gets caught breaking them. He can sleep on the couch in our suite."

  I sighed and tossed the magazine back onto the table beside me. "Some honeymoon."

  He chuckled. "Just think of it as future experience."

  I turned and furrowed my brow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

  His eyes sparkled. "Well, I was meaning to tell you-"

  "I ain't taking any more of this!" The rowdy racket came from our ornery orphan. Oliver tore the towel off his chest and hopped off the chair. He leaned forward and ruffled his short hair to give it a frazzled look, and lifted his head to glare at the barber. "I ain't letting you take anymore!"

  The barber glanced at me and pointed his scissors at the boy. "Ma'am?"

  I sighed and nodded. "It's fine. How much do I owe you?"

  The barber smiled and shook his head. "Nothing. The amenities of the ship are added into the bill for the ticket."

  Oliver spun around to glare at me. "You owe me big for this."

  I stood with David and grinned. "Come on. You don't look that bad."

  "You still owe me!" he insisted.

  "How about some lunch?" David suggested.

  Oliver crossed his arms and nodded. "That'll do for a start."

  We stepped out of the shop and took a right towards the stairs and elevators. The food court was on the bottom floor of the courtyard.

  Something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. I paused and looked towards the railing to my right. My eyes widened as I glimpsed the fingers of a small hand as they desperately clung to the bottom of the floor. A head peeked over and revealed the terrified eyes of a boy child. Their face dropped back out of sight and the tips of their fingers slid a little closer to the edge.

  "David!" I yelled as I rushed to the railing. I hit the slim beam and leaned over.

  The child was gone.

  That's when I felt a hard hand push against the center of my back, and I flew over the top of the railing into the abyss.

  4

  I screamed and flailed for some hold. A hand caught mine and stopped my drop. I whipped my head up and found myself staring into David's pale face. He pulled me over the railing. My shaky knees gave out and I collapsed onto the floor.

  David knelt beside me as a small crowd congregated around us. He grasped my trembling hand and caught my eyes. "Are you okay?"

  My head spun and my stomach did a couple of flips. I swallowed the lump in my throat and the pain in my stomach, and nodded.

  "What happened?" he asked me.

  "I-I don't know," I replied.

  "Excuse me. Please let me through," a voice called in the crowd. A female employee in white broke through the front of the crowd and hurried to kneel in front of me. "Are you hurt?"

  I shook my head. "N-no, just a little shaken."

  She looked to David. "Can you tell me what happened?"

  He shook his head. "I'm not sure. She ran to the railing-" I started up and whipped my head to the railing.

  "There was a kid there! He was hanging on the edge!" I tried to get up, but David held me down.

  "There wasn't anybody there," he told me.

  I turned and glared at him. "But I saw him! He was clinging to the floor and slipping!"

  The woman studied me and pursed her lips. "Perhaps it's the shock."

  I turned my fury on her. "I wasn't imagining things! I really saw him!"

  "Is that what made you go over the railing? You tried to reach for the boy?" the woman guessed.

  I shook my head. "No. Somebody pushed me." I whipped my head to David and frowned. "Why'd you push me?"

  He started back and his eyes widened. "I didn't push you. I was a few feet away when you seemed to lurch over the railing."

  "Somebody pushed me!" I persisted.

  "Maybe we should get her to the infirmary," the woman suggested.

  I brushed away their hands and stood on my shaky legs. "I'm fine, really. I just-" I looked over my shoulder at the railing and furrowed my brow. "I guess I just slipped or something."

  David followed my gaze and frowned. "Or something. . ." I heard him whisper.

  The employee grasped my arms and leaned forward to catch my gaze. "Miss, I really think you should-"

  "What's the trouble here?"

  We all turned to see a tall gentleman stride towards us. The man was on the right side of fifty with graying hair temples and a stern but kind face. He wore a dark blue uniform with a name tag on the breast.

  His eyes swept over our little group and the spectators. His gaze fell on David. "What's happened?"

  David nodded at me. "My wife had a slight spill, that's all, Captain Dux."

  "She fell over the railing, captain," the woman spoke up.

  The man frowned. "I see. Is she all right."

  "I'm fine, but I am getting hungry," I told him.

  The corners of his lips twitched up. "Before you eat, would you come with me and make a detailed verbal report?"

  David removed me from the woman's grasp and smiled at the captain. "Of course. Lead the way."

  We left the woman behind and the captain led the three of us to the floor below the top deck. We passed a flight of stairs to the bridge and entered a nearby door. The room was a large suite of some one thousand square feet with all the amenities of home, including a fully stocked fridge and kitchen with pantry.

  The captain offered us the couch and a chair in the living room, and took a seat himself in a chair. He clasped his hands together and sighed. "David, I requested you remain out of sight for the duration of this trip."

  David shook his head. "It wasn't our intention to be noticed."

  "And so quickly," the captain added. His attention fell on me. "Could you tell me what exactly happened?" I shrugged and related the child I saw and the push over the edge. By the time I was done the captain looked disturbed. "It seems my bad luck comes in threes."

  David arched an eyebrow. "Three
s?"

  The captain nodded. "Yes. I heard from Stewart that he related to you an episode some months back, but he wasn't present for the unusual occurrences on a voyage I manned a year ago."

  David straightened and frowned. "What happened?"

  The captain cleared his throat. "There was a couple involved there, a wealthy couple. They had booked passage on the liner as a second honeymoon. The second day of the cruise a message came to me. The woman had fallen over the railing in the central courtyard."

  "Was she pushed by something, too?" I spoke up.

  He turned his face to me and met my gaze. "We didn't have a chance to ask her. The fall killed her."

  I felt the color drain from my face. David squeezed my hand. "Go on."

  The captain leaned back in his chair and shrugged. "That's really all there is to tell. The husband left the ship after the investigation. We chalked it up to an accident and left it at that."

  "Besides the circumstances of the attack, is there anything else the same as the last incident?" David questioned him.

  The captain shook his head. "I can't really recall, but learning what you told me I'll make inquiries into the last ship and see what I can find." His eyes fell on Oliver who sat quietly listening to the conversation. "In the meantime, you might want to stay out of trouble, or I'll be forced to take charge of your young guest."

  David stood and nodded. "We'll make sure to stay out of trouble. Thanks for your help, captain."

  Captain Dux stood and shook David's hand. "Anything for a friend. And good luck with your little friend there. Anybody who can climb balconies like him is bound to be a handful."

  David smiled and bowed his head. "Thanks. We'll keep that in mind."

  David led Oliver and me from the captain's quarters and in the direction of our own suite. I glanced at him. His lips were pursed and he had a hard, faraway look in his eyes.

  I squeezed his hand. "What's wrong? You look like I'm already a ghost."

  David's eyes flickered to Oliver who followed along behind us. He lowered his voice to a whisper only I could hear. "I smelled no one near you."

  I blinked at him. "When?"

  David shook his head and pressed a finger to his lips. We reached our room and walked inside. David turned to Oliver and sniffed the air. "You smell cleaner, but I think you need one last hard scrub behind the ears."