Being Alpha
Olde Town Pack
Katie Salidas
Table of Contents
Title Page
Being Alpha
The Olde Town Pack
Acknowledgements
Being Alpha
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Other Books By Katie Salidas
Copyright © 2017 by Katie Salidas
Ebook Edition
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
Editing: Sharazade
Formatting: Rising Sign Books
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The Olde Town Pack
Characters in this book series also belong to the Immortalis Series and Little Werewolf series by Katie Salidas.
Moonlight
Good girls don’t wear fur, or fight over men, and they certainly don’t run around naked, howling at the moon. But then, no-one ever called Fallon a good girl. As a human unofficially mated to an Alpha werewolf, Fallon is being pressured to “become”...or be gone. Her mate Aiden, the interim leader of the Olde Town Pack, is in a position that demands he either choose a wolf mate...or leave the pack forever. No matter how hot the sex with Fallon is, he can’t ignore centuries of tradition. Become a wolf or not. If only the choice were that simple. Fallon’s options are further clouded by the overt presence of other females desperate to be the Alpha’s mate. And when these bitches get serious, it’s not just claws that come out. If Fallon wants to keep her man and take the title she’ll have to exert a little dominance of her own.
Mated
Brady Whelan, Second Son of the Olde Town pack, is a confirmed bachelor and self-proclaimed sex god. He loves all women. One night at a time.
Which has earned him a few names from the ladies in his pack: One-night-wonder, Serial womanizer. Man whore.
To him, each one is a badge of honor.
There are only two names he’ll never let them call him; “boyfriend”, and the even more soul-crushing “mate”. He’d never let himself be tied him down like that.
But when he finds a beautiful blonde she-wolf beaten and left for dead on his pack’s land, deeply-rooted instincts to protect are awakened. Despite not knowing where she came from, Brady vows to destroy the bastards who hurt her. Even if it means igniting a war between two rival packs.
Acknowledgements
This book was a product of tough love, and I want to thank the team of medical experts and beta readers who really put me through my paces. Thank you for going over multiple drafts, giving me all of your honest feedback, and really paying attention to the small details. You’re honesty and critical eye have shaped this story into something special.
My Medical Experts:
Dr. Adam Flood, Amy Flood RN, John Provost MSN, & Anne Loshuk RN, RM and NP.
From daring me to drill a hole in someone’s head (and then showing me how it is actually done) to pulling out the big book of poisons (and helping me figure out the best one to use), you all have made Doctor Emma MacBride a special character. Thank you for answering countless emails and reviewing chapters for their accuracy. Your time and expertise were beyond valuable.
My Beta Readers:
Chris Knesek, Sherry Christenson, & Michelle Gong.
Thank you for your enthusiasm for this book. You three jumped on this project the moment I announced it and devoured each section faster than I could produce them. The feedback you gave was spot on, and your reactions to the plot twists and romance were the encouragement I needed to keep this project moving at lightning speed.
And last but not least, thank you to my editor for making sure this book looks its best!!! (Extra exclamation points for you.)
I can’t thank you all enough!!
Being Alpha
Katie Salidas
1
Emma MacBride
“What is the purpose of me examining him if he’s going to be executed?” Emma asked the question rhetorically as she walked side by side with Brady. Down the worn stone steps into the lower prison cells they descended into a part of the compound that time had forgotten. In all the years she’d been part of the Olde Town pack, Emma had never seen these dungeons used. Modern detainment rooms had been built on the upper levels to house those of her kind who required it. They were as secure as anything she’d seen in a real prison. Unlike their sleek, high-tech sterility, the lower basement facility harkened back to a time of medieval torture chambers and oubliettes where prisoners were left to rot and be forgotten.
Hardly a place for a high-ranking Alpha to be locked up. But then, Leif Chevalier had taken part in a plot to destroy her pack. A quick death was too good for him. He could rot for centuries if they chose to keep him long enough. Even that might be too short. So many wolves’ lives had ended in a war he started. Anger boiled in her blood just below the surface, but she kept that emotion, along with all her others, in check. The mask of indifference always had to be worn when one was in a position of power among the packs.
Brady took the lead at the bottom of the steps, his large body filling the narrow hall. He punched a code into a very modern keypad next to an archaic metal door that looked as if it hadn’t been opened in ages. “I’d rather just throw away the key with this one. He’s more trouble than he’s worth.” The lock clicked softly, and Brady pulled on the door. “Just make it quick.”
Ancient hinges protested the movement as the door opened with a shrill scraping of metal on metal. Emma nearly dropped her bag as she covered her ears to buffer the offending noise. Brady held the door open, a small gesture, meaningless chivalry; but because it was him, it made her smile.
Despite the devilish rogue he often appeared to be, Brady had a noble side. Under that bad boy façade, he was a true gentleman. Something none of the other girls in the pack had ever appreciated.
None apart from her.
Then Rachel, his chosen mate, had entered the picture.
Unrequited love is easily the harshest of tortures a person can endure. Scars, invisible to the naked eye, lay deeply entrenched within the heart, ripping open each time love is freely given to another. Emma had always hoped to be the one, but when the truth finally revealed itself and Brady ch
ose Rachel, she was left with nothing but pain.
She whispered “Thanks” as she passed through the open doorway, inadvertently brushing against his body. A moment of physical contact, innocent and unavoidable. Painful and exhilarating at the same. The last time she’d been alone with him, she had been with him, and their connection had been anything but innocent. Memories flooded back: unending nights of pleasure. The way her body fit so perfectly against his. The taste of his skin. Almost too much to bear; she ground her teeth and tried to set her mind back on task. But more torturous reminders flooded into her memory.
Brady had the kind of muscles that came from constant use, rather than time spent in the gym, and those thick corded arms had felt like home, wrapped around her. He kissed like it would be his last. He did everything with the passion of a man who’d never experience the sensation again. And as her memories of their time together faded into painful spasms of her heart, she wished she had given as much of herself to those moments as he had.
Second son and enforcer, Brady lived in service to the Olde Town pack. Their pack had been the envy of other territories not only for how well they policed their own, but how they kept good relations with other supernatural in the area. Much of that came down to Brady Whelan. He loved and protected everyone who belonged within their borders. But he’d never commit to anyone; at least, that was what he’d always said.
Stop it! Emma mentally slapped herself. He is a mated man!
She tried to refocus her attention on her bag and equipment, locating a table to set them on as Brady closed the door behind them, sealing them in the dungeon.
More intimacy than she was prepared for. Time heals wounds, and her broken heart would heal too, but not if she had to constantly work so close to the man who got away.
Brady had sworn to be a bachelor forever. She’d bought it long enough to jump into bed with him to try to prove that oath false. For a short while, she thought she’d accomplished the impossible. But she hadn’t been the one to tame his heart.
Like all the others, she had been let go, and for a while chalked it up to Brady’s true nature. Emma even believed that she could handle a ‘friends with benefits’ situation with him. He was so worth it. And maybe he’d come around in time and see how right they were for each other.
Then Rachel had come into his life, and something about her flipped the switch. He fell head over heels, risking life and limb for her, his match in every sense of the word.
Emma bit her cheek to avoid letting her mask slip and revealing the depths of her sadness. She had a job to do, and part of that was working elbow to elbow with Brady... alone.
“I’m going to unlock the outer door here.” Brady broke the silence. “He’s behind another set of bars. Just let me know when you’re set up to examine him.”
“Give me a second to...” – she set out her stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, pulse oximeter, and pen light – “get everything out. If he’s as bad as you say, I don’t want to be fumbling through my bag for things.” She couldn’t admit aloud how painful it was to be so close to him. Like all men, he was oblivious to the effects of unrequited love. How could he not be, when his whole life women had thrown themselves at him? No good would come from revealing her pain; she’d be better off replacing it with anger. A few deep breaths helped her to gain control again.
“You okay?” Brady came up behind Emma, closer than she was prepared to deal with.
“Just being thorough,” she lied, putting a sharpness to her words. The same tone that often earned her the label bitch.
“We hadn’t talked much since–”
“I’m ready.” Emma cut him off before he could speak about her. “Go ahead and unlock the door.”
The warmth of his body evaporated before she had a chance to turn around and watch Brady open the outer door to Leif’s prison cell.
She braced herself for the worst, expecting to see a savage worthy of being locked up with such security. When the doors parted, however, she found no monster. At least not in appearance. A man, haggard from lack of care, sat stiffly on his bench of a bed.
This is the man who helped orchestrate the attack on our pack? she mused with anticlimactic disappointment. In this state, Leif reminded Emma of her grandfather before he’d passed on.
Brady’s posture said he was ready for action, a sign not lost on Emma. Appearances might well be deceiving, she reminded herself. Wolves like him were always stronger than they looked. Old or not, underestimating this one would be a mistake.
“I believe I requested breakfast be brought in at eight,” Leif drawled from behind his cell bars. “And while we’re at it, I’ll be needing new reading material.”
“Last time I checked, prisoners didn’t make demands.” Brady’s voice carried a menacing tone that said he’d had poor dealings with the old man.
“Careful, young Alpha. I’m not dead yet. And my position still demands a modicum of respect,” Leif responded, with all the haughty arrogance that came with being Alpha for nearly a century.
He might be an Alpha by title, but at that moment he was little more than a prisoner, and as the doctor in charge, Emma needed to exert her authority immediately and demand his respect. She picked up her stethoscope and waved to Brady to bring him forward. “Let’s get this over with, then.”
Brady nodded and pulled out an old key that looked specially made to fit Leif’s cell door. He hoisted the old wolf up by his arm and walked him through to where Emma stood.
She pulled out a chair from under the table and indicated he sit. “Here’s how this works. You cooperate, we make sure to bring down some new books for you. Don’t cooperate, and I’ll paper this room in Teen Heartthrob magazines.” Emma stared down at her patient, daring him to respond poorly.
Leif turned to look at her as a smile slowly crept across his face. “She’s got some spunk. Another one of yours, young Alpha? You’d be smart to have a den full of strong women to bear your future children.”
Brady growled but did not answer the old wolf’s question.
She’d dealt with jerks her whole life. Leif might have been an Alpha, but at that moment he was no different than any other pigheaded idiot with a little prick. “Diet fads and makeup secrets it is, then.”
Leif bowed his head and held his hands out. “Do with me as you will, nurse.”
That comment curled her lip. “Doctor,” she replied.
“Of course; my mistake.” The smile returned to Leif’s face. “Let’s play doctor.”
If he kept this attitude up, she’d make sure to add a prostate exam to her evaluation list. She began with a quick listen to his chest, noting the sounds as he breathed. Checks like these were purely superficial. Wolves were a hearty breed right up to the end of their lives. But Aiden had requested a full medical workup, so she documented the normal sounds as she listened to his breathing and heart.
Leif stared blankly at her as she worked, not blinking, not taking his eyes from the spot where he’d settled. Was he looking at her or through her? She couldn’t quite tell. He was an Alpha, of that she had no doubt, but rather than the feeling of power others exuded, he sent chills down her spine that threatened to freeze her where she stood. Evil. Mad with power or just plain mad, she wasn’t sure. But his whole aura was rotten, and in such close proximity, it had her feeling she’d be infected by it.
“Left arm, please,” she instructed and wrapped her blood pressure cuff around it. His eyes finally moved as she began to apply pressure. Slowly his vision crawled up her body before he let his hungry gaze stop at her chest.
Emma tried to ignore the lecherous look and the way it made her skin crawl, but the quirk of his lips said without speaking that he knew he was affecting her. Those eyes, calculating and cold, never lifted high enough to reach hers. She could almost feel him undressing her with them.
Taking hold of her pen light she shined it straight at his face, hoping to force him to blink and break his dead stare. No matter where she shined th
e light, he kept them locked on her.
Years of experience with jerks had not come close to the way he made her feel.
A shiver of disgust made her cringe before she could pull it together and hide her revulsion. Finally, when she finished his reflexes, she took a step back and turned to Brady. “He’s physically healthy.”
“Was that ever in question?” Leif shocked her by not only speaking but shifting in his seat and finally lifting his gaze to her face. “If you need more physical proof of my health and virility, I’d be happy to show you.”
The wink he gave her made Emma wish he’d remained still. Her skin erupted into goosebumps at his insinuation.
“His mind, however, is clearly rotten,” she responded with revulsion.
Brady chuckled, clearly oblivious to the way Leif was affecting her. “Is that your official diagnosis?”
Emma packed her things back into her medical bag, doing her best to avoid looking at Leif. Her job was over, and the faster she could get away from him, the better. “Yes. Fit to stand trial.”
She reached for her blood pressure cuff and Leif’s hand grasped it at the same time she did. With a hiss of frustration, she glared up and met his eyes.
Before she could say anything he leaned in and whispered, “You play at being tough. I like that. But deep down, you’re just a scared little girl. I know your kind. I know exactly what you need. A big, bad wolf.”
She jerked away, leaving behind the cuff, and pushed past Brady. Only when he stood between her and the prisoner did she stop and turn around. Heart pounding, she understood the danger a man like Leif presented. Rotten, demented, and highly self-assured were a troublesome combination in any wolf, but Leif was an Alpha. He sat in the highest seat of power and knew how to abuse it.
Brady looked equal parts shocked and confused, his head swiveling as he turned from Emma to Leif and back again, as if trying to figure out what he had missed.
Leif, however, had not moved an inch. He sat calmly, his face the perfect mask of innocence, as if he had never uttered a displeasing word.
Being Alpha_Olde Town Pack Page 1
