by Emma Knox
Convincing The Alpha’s Omega
The Alpha Omega Lodge - Book 2
Emma Knox
Edited by
Elizabeth A Lance
Illustrated by
Cosmic Letterz
Copyright © 2018 by Emma Knox
All rights reserved.
Edited by Elizabeth A. Lance
Cover design by Cosmic Letterz
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locations is purely coincidental. The characters are all productions of the authors’ imagination.
Please note that this work is intended only for adults over the age of 18 and all characters represented as 18 or over.
Contents
Mailing List
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Epilogue
Thank You
Also by Emma Knox
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Chapter 1
Ethan
I ran my fingers over the pristinely white keys, a smile playing on my lips at the perfect cleanliness of it. I loved it when things were orderly. It always put my mind at ease. Plus, the lazy Tuesday afternoon was starting to make my eyelids heavy. Even in our bustling city, there wasn’t much going on in mid-January. The holidays had passed and with the seventy-degree weather, no one wanted to extend the festive sweaters and boots any longer.
I sighed, watching the hotels security cameras absentmindedly. If Steven, my boss, who also happened to be the Alpha’s mate, heard me call the lodge a hotel, he would flip. Especially given how on edge he’d been recently. Though he swore there was nothing going on, I wasn’t blind. He just wanted everything to be perfect for the town’s first unity festival.
The camera flashed to the front door where a large, black, four door truck, had just pulled up. It caught my attention at once. Most of our guests leaned more toward sports cars, the expensive and rare kind. The pickup looked expensive, but also familiar, though I couldn’t place it. A large man jumped out of the front, flanked by two more. They were dressed casually, but looked none the less foreboding. When the back door opened and the man obviously in charge stepped out, my heart leapt.
“Oh my god,” I stammered. My fingers, once frozen on the keyboard jumped into action. I quickly called up to the owner’s suit. It was Drake, my Alpha and pack leader who answered. “Sir, Trevor Reluson just pulled up.”
“You don’t say.” He chuckled, almost amused. “I was wondering when he would be coming around. I imagine he’s not thrilled about coming here.”
“Sir? What should I do with the angry Alpha in that case?” I asked, my throat drying as Trevor disappeared from my screen.
He had to be walking down the long corridor now, heading in my direction. I tried to keep myself steady. After all, I worked for the second strongest Alpha in the shifter world. I had no reason to be afraid. I wasn’t the type to fight, my trim body was made for loving, not war. I closed my eyes and shook my head, letting my shaggy blond hair fall down over my eyes a little.
“Don’t worry, Ethan,” my Alpha said, the subtle undertone of his voice soothing me at once. “He is here as a show of good will, not to restart the war.”
“I don’t know, sir,” I whispered.
“I do though,” Drake reassured me. “We will be down in just a minute, okay?”
“Okay,” I told him, feeling far more terrified than I sounded.
The other end hung up and I carefully set the phone down. For a second, I thought about calling Aiden, our head of security to come keep me company. I wasn’t just the part-time receptionist, I was just filling in for Michael. My regular job was running the entire lodge, it was a position I took great pride in. I swallowed and stood up, brushing the hair from my eyes as I did. Straightening my tie and taking in the approaching scent, I grabbed the desk to keep myself from stumbling backwards.
It was enticing and warm, smelling of the wild Cyprus trees that only bloomed in our area. They were as rare as our very home where thousands of shifters, supernaturals, and other creatures that hid from humans by day visited on their vacations. Our real location within the states was a well-kept secret, like the ones we all kept during the day. Still, when night fell, that was when the real fun started.
When the figure came around the corner, my heart started to race. He looked nothing like what I had expected. His reputation was one of bloodshed and ruled his pack with an iron fist. Though his stern hand and its reputation went only as far as his charity. No man, woman, or child within his city was homeless or poverty stricken. He cared for all of those under his wing and for that generosity, they were loyal to him.
One look into his penetrating, sea green eyes had me weak at the knees. Even if I wanted to yell for help, I couldn’t get my body back under my control. He wore a black shirt, the top button showing a tuft of black hair matching that on his thick arms. The tree trunks stuck out from his rolled-up sleeves. The formfitting top left little about his massive muscles to the imagination. I wondered what his skin would feel like under my nails.
“Hello,” he said, his gruff voice like a warm aphrodisiac. “Would you mind letting your Alpha know he has a visitor?”
“He already knows, sir,” I blurted out.
The heat instantly rushed to my cheeks. I hadn’t intended to sound so loud. Something about the Alpha was intimidating and arousing at the same time. I swallowed hard, my eyes flickering to the cameras. Drake and Steven were getting into the private elevator on their top floor penthouse. Not that I begrudged them, mine was just a few floors down. I didn’t have a problem with the long hours and intense schedule. Finding my mate was the Alpha’s job. I just had to sit back and enjoy the ride.
“Well then, I guess we have a little time to get to know each other,” he said, his grin so enticing I bit my lip again. His eyes flickered to my lip and he let out a low whistle.
I fought the urge to shudder. “Can I get you something to drink?”
Trevor shook his head. “I wouldn’t mind having a drink with you later though.”
“That wasn’t what I was asking,” I told him defiantly.
He was stunning to look at, but it wasn’t lost on me that he was still a Reluson and no matter what, he couldn’t be trusted. The fear that had been ground into me since birth wasn’t so easily dissipated. Our packs had been feuding for centuries. It was only with Trevor’s rule, after his father passed that the two packs had finally come together in unity. Still, fifteen years ago didn’t seem like all that long of a time where shifters were concerned. We lived to be well over two-hundred as long as wars didn’t claim us first.
“Boy, you are a feisty one. I see why the Alpha keeps you so close,” Trevor whispered.
I raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
“Everyone needs an heir and a spare. Who’s to say that his current mate will work out, right?”
I glared at him, a low growl rising from my throat. “My Alpha is an honorable man, unlike you. He loves Steven with all his heart.”
“Oh?” he purred. “It would seem that I st
ruck a chord. You know, if you were in my pack I’d bend you over my knee for speaking to me like that.”
My body stirred, the bulge in my pants straining against their confines at the idea of his hand smacking my bare ass. I shook the thought away and cleared my throat.
“Well then, I guess it’s a good thing I will never be in your pack.”
“We will see about that,” he told me with a wink.
His stronger, Alpha sense of smell had picked up my leader seconds before the elevator chimed and Drake stepped out, his hand wrapped tightly around Steven’s. It always warmed my heart when I saw the two of them together. Their love story was the kind that dreams were made out of. I wanted to pull Steven aside, his short, cropped red hair always perfectly in place to match his expensive suit. Though he looked the part of a boss, he always treated me and the others in his pack like family.
It was Steven who made his way over to me while the other two men shook hands. The whole situation felt tense. He slipped behind the desk where I finally sat down, taking a deep breath for the first time since seeing Trevor. Calling him intimidating seemed like a huge understatement.
“Isn’t he something?” Steven whispered.
I didn’t need to look at him to know who he was talking about. My eyes hadn’t left the tall stranger. “You aren’t kidding.”
“You know I hear that he’s single,” Steven said with a sly grin. “I guess he’s even been looking for a mate.”
“Great, so the man who tried to burn down the lodge should be contending for my hand now?”
Steven scoffed, rubbing his stomach affectionately. I couldn’t stop a grin from spreading across my face as I watched him. He was a fantastic mate to Drake, proven in the small bump nestled safely between his hips. He caught me watching him and grinned again. Our friendship hadn’t formed until he was already the Alpha’s mate, but now, it flourished.
“How are you feeling?”
“Sick,” he said in a weakly tone. “Most of the time I just want sex and cheese products. How random is that?”
I laughed. “Well, it could always be worse. Any word from the doctor?”
“No, only that I’m pregnant and he doesn’t know how far along,” he told me. “It doesn’t help that Drake won’t let anyone near me, nor even poor old Doc Collins.”
“He’s just being protective. It’s your first child and heir to the pack.”
“It’s more than that,” he whispered secretively as he sat down in the chair next to me. “It’s so rare for a shifter to give birth anymore that our species has actually evolved. Our Alpha is designed to protect me from everyone.”
“Whoa!” I stammered.
It was common knowledge that successful matings among our kind were rare. For a shifter to be born, it had to be created out of pure, untainted love. That was a hard thing for anyone to find, let alone a shifter Alpha. His whirlwind romance with Steven have ruffled a few feathers to say the least. Marrying for love and not to keep the Alpha’s line pure was unheard of. Drake and Steven were always changing things around though.
Like extending a friendly branch to the Reluson pack. I ground my teeth thinking about it. Sure, Trevor was charming, but I was programmed to be attracted to him, that’s what made him an unmated Alpha. Whereas Drake attracted me about as much as a woman did.
“It looks like they are finishing up,” Steven whispered to me.
I peeked over the counter just in time to see the two men make their way over to the desk. Trevor’s eyes again locked onto mine, sending a shiver of pleasure coursing through my spine. From the corner of my eye, I saw it when Steven got up, slipping to Drake’s side and kissing him softly on the cheek. If there was any hope for love out there, I wanted a romance like the two of them had. It was inspiring to see firsthand every day.
“Ethan,” my Alpha said.
I stood at once, bowing my head slightly out of respect. “Yes, sir?”
“Can you have the kitchen send up a bottle of brandy? Something from the old stock, it would seem we are celebrating.”
“Absolutely, sir,” I said quickly. “Will there be anything else?”
“No, just have the elevator ready for Trevor. He’s just stepping out to check on his men.”
Trevor nodded and turned away from my Alpha, heading out the door. With him gone, I fought the urge to voice my opinion. My Alpha had not yet turned away yet, a sly grin coming over his face.
“You don’t look pleased, Ethan,” he told me.
I shrugged. “It’s just a little strange to see a man who not even ten years ago was trying to burn this building to the ground. Now we are to believe that he wants us to work together?”
Drake laughed. “I can understand your trepidations when it comes to trusting Trevor, but I assure you, he is willing to do whatever it takes to keep the peace between the packs strong.”
“Yes, sir,” I muttered, still not convinced.
“Have a little faith,” he told me with a grin.
Without saying anything else, he turned with his mate and disappeared into the elevator. I turned my attention back to the cameras and tried to steady my breath. Trevor was nowhere to be seen on the monitor. Not knowing where the seductive man was at made my heart race. I expected him to jump out of thin air and send me to the grave. Drake may have trusted him, but I wasn’t so willing to look the other way.
I heard a scuffled outside and instantly I was on the move. I only briefly thought of calling my security head before skidding to a stop as I ran around the corner. I collided with a firm body, large hands wrapping around my waist and keeping me from falling. I knew his scent in a second, it was warm and familiar now for some reason. He grunted under the abrupt attack.
“Easy there, sweetheart,” he whispered in a gruff voice.
“Don’t call me that,” I shot back at him, pushing him away from me.
He winced when I squeezed his arm, trying to put some distance between the two of us. My senses were kicked into overdrive, everything about him was intoxicating. I wanted to be alone with him forever, but a stickiness on my fingers broke the spell. I glanced down though I didn’t need too. The potent smell of iron and blood filled my nose.
“What is this from?” I stammered. Without thinking, I grabbed his arm and twisted it around. “You’re bleeding! What the hell happened out there?”
“It’s nothing,” he grunted, trying to pull his arm away.
“Don’t be silly,” I hissed. “You are going to get blood all over my lodge. Unless you plan on burning this place down, then I would rather not have to deal with the stains.”
He chuckled, “Are you always so bossy?”
“Do you always drip blood all over the place?” I hissed.
Trevor shrugged. “Most of the time. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows being Alpha, you know. We have a territory to defend.”
“Well you don’t need to defend it here, now sit!” I demanded.
His eyes grew wide, the sly grin playing across his plump lips again. I took a deep breath and reached for my first aid kit. He was going to be the death of me if I wasn’t careful.
Chapter 2
Trevor
He was fiery, like a wild and free young wolf who had no boundaries. It was easy to see the second I met him that he was something more to Drake and Steven. They treated him with far more respect than any Omega I’d ever known. Omegas in my pack, though trusted and well trained, were still just the men that I worked with every day. The life of an Alpha was meant to be lonely, at least that’s what I’d thought.
After seeing Drake interact with the Omega though, I was starting to question some very deeply rooted questions. The delicious blond creature now digging for a bandage wasn’t helping matters any either. His perfectly plump ass shook in front of me, the jeans he wore outlining every bulge. If he had been in my pack, I would have claimed him half a dozen times by now. If he were in my pack. As it was, I groaned and shifted uneasily in the chair.
The O
mega was turning me on. More so than I was used to being aroused by any man, shifter or not. I wanted to reach out and pull his perfect ass back into my lap. When he turned around again and saw my hungry eyes on his body, a beautiful red blush passed across his face. He set down the first aid kit and quickly grabbed my arm, wrapping it with gauze before taping it off.
“Are you going to tell me what happened?” he whispered as he worked.
I shrugged. “I don’t know that I need too. One of my men stepped out of line. I had to remind him who was in control of the pack.”
“Wow,” he said, rolling his eyes. “I bet your guys just love you.”
“Everyone needs to be reminded of their place once in a while,” I told him. “Otherwise there would be chaos. And no one wants that, right?”
“Right,” Ethan said, though halfheartedly.
I didn’t have the heart to tell him that the man stepping out of line was a newer recruit. A wolf brought in from the outside after he decided to stir up some trouble among humans. The council thought he needed a stiff hand, for that reason he was placed in my pack. I didn’t mind the young man, but his lewd comments about Ethan had set me off. I hated that he’d gotten under my skin, especially over an Omega that wasn’t even part of my pack.
“Well, I think that’s as good as it’s going to get. It will stop the blood, not that it matters. Your body will heal itself in a few hours.”
“I’m familiar with how our bodies work,” I told him, my eyes running down the length of him again. “Thanks for the bandage.”
