Guard the Crown: The Royal Alphas

by H Q Kingsley

  “Silence,” my father snapped. “I can’t be expected to pay attention to every rising threat that comes up. There will always be worms unhappy with their place in the dirt. It has never been an issue until now.”

  “And yet,” Dimon interjected, “you have a growing rebellion on your hands.” He waved his delicate hand, each finger glistening with a lush, ringed stone. “Rather sloppy, if you ask me,” he finished with a naive shrug.

  It was as though he’d forgotten who he was meeting with. He’d forgotten that each king in the conference was prideful and cruel in their own right, with my father possibly the cruelest of them all.

  A snarl ripped through the room, and I sat up straighter, watching my father more intently. His inner beast was close, shifting under his skin, and it was only his self-control that kept it back.

  Well, probably that and the fact that Dimon was far away and not actually in the room. There would be nothing for his lion to sink his teeth into…except me.

  I took a deep breath, holding it, and hoping he calmed himself. It wouldn’t be entirely unlike him to take out his frustrations on whomever was in reach.

  “Dimon!” Dimon’s father snapped, finally taking control of his son’s wayward tongue. “You will be silent.” He sighed and looked at my father. “I apologize for my son’s lack of respect. He doesn’t know delicacy.”

  I let my breath out as the bristling hairs growing out of my father’s arms seemed to settle mid-shift.

  “But,” King Heydar chimed in, his thick accent weighing down the word.

  I leaned in as he spoke. He was a gorgeous king. And not like the others. He wasn’t shiny and pampered, but a king to the East, where things were harder. The air was drier, the heat was more intense. It took a warrior to rule Eastola and King Heydar was fiercely a soldier. He was chiseled and masculine. He was the only king I found more intimidating than my father.

  His sons sat alongside him from oldest to youngest. They were all as brutal and striking as their father. Each had a reputation for cruelty that was fitting to their station…well, except for the youngest, Prince Zyke. He was the forgettable one. The quiet, awkward mouse that didn’t quite fit in with the others. Even as they all sat side-by-side, he looked meek and small like he might quite possibly piss himself. He was nearly nineteen, a fully grown man, and yet he clung to a teddy bear for comfort, even in the presence of other kings. He was an embarrassment to both his kingdom and his family, and King Heydar had, on more than one occasion, proclaimed him as such.

  “He has a point,” King Heydar continued. “The longer you let this continue, the harder it will be to stamp out. Fires that burn unchecked are the hardest to contain, you know.”

  His sons nodded in agreement, and the motion was so stoic and sexy, I regretted not taking more trips East. Fucking any one of them would be a glamorous fucking notch in my bedpost.

  My eyes shifted to the youngest who still looked terrified and squeezed the neck of his bear with bony arms. Well, any one of them except that one.

  “Milo.” My father’s voice snapped me back into focus. “Come, my son,” he said, waving me toward him.

  I moved quickly to him, meeting his gaze head-on with the confidence he taught me to carry when others were watching. We were Abfantus. We had an image to uphold.

  “Yes, Father?” I asked him.

  He turned to the table of projected faces. “As always, your council has been appreciated,” he said with a nod. “We’ll take care of this issue as a family before it escalates,” he continued, placing a heavy hand on my shoulder.

  “Long live your reign,” the council echoed.

  “And to you,” my father responded as their images began to dissipate.

  He turned his gaze back to me. “I have something I need you to do, Son. I only trust this to you.”

  I nodded, trying to hide my shock. My father’s trust was not easy to gain. “Anything, Father.”

  “The rebel leader,” he said. “We have to find him before he incites more riots. King Heydar wasn’t wrong. If we cut the head off of this beast, then the rest shall crumble into dust.”

  “You want me to find him.” It wasn’t a question.

  He nodded. “Yes. Find him and bring him here to face justice.”

  It was like music to my ears, and a slow, savage grin spread over my face.

  The truth was, I’d do anything for the Kingdom, not only for the glory but more so for the appreciation from my father. The crown would be mine one day and fuck all if any fucking rebellion was going to get in the way of that. We were the crown. We were the power, and the sooner the people learned that, the better.

  I would bring justice to my father, and I would enjoy every moment doing it.

  I laughed to myself. Justice was a funny word, and so conveniently decided by those who would be handing it out. For his crimes against the seat of power, this rebel leader would have a lot to answer for. And he probably wouldn’t come quietly, either.

  Not if he was a leader worth his salt.

  Good. I wanted him to struggle. I wanted him to fight back. I wanted to make it all the worse for him as I dragged him back to the palace to face his punishment. Maybe my father would even be kind enough to leave that in my hands as well.

  I could only hope. There were plenty of things I could do to him to show the rest of his little band of troublemakers that fucking with the royal family and what we stood for was not a good idea. With any luck, I’d up my reputation to rival that of King Heydar’s sons.

  “Consider it done, Father,” I said, still smiling. “I’ll find him and bring him back.”

  I dipped my head in a small gesture of respect and moved to head for the door. I needed intelligence reports and scouts to point me in the right direction.

  “Milo,” he said, calling me back, and I turned.

  “Bring him back here. I know you are inclined to get carried away, but mauling him in the streets will not send the message I want to convey.”

  I snorted. Mauling him in the street would send a message, certainly, but I understood my father’s reasoning. It had to be public. It had to be a spectacle. A piece of history for everyone to remember you don’t fuck with the royals. It wasn’t some back-alley grudge being carried out. It was politics.

  “I understand,” I said.

  It would be difficult for me. Part of the reason my father never trusted me was that I had the tendency to lose my head. I did things without thinking. But I’d get it right this time. I’d show him that I wasn’t the disappointment he thought me to be.

  “I’ll show restraint,” I promised.

  “Good. I am trusting this to you.”

  The look in his eyes said that it was resting on me to see this through, and I nodded again.

  I would not fail him. Not this time.

  Get it Now!

  Excerpt of Reluctant Mate

  Elspeth Callum

  “What will we do next, Alpha Callum? There isn’t a clan left we can subjugate and take from.”

  My council of four—led by my Beta, Dimitri—was gathered in my study as we deliberated over our next line of attack. We had a reputation throughout the territories. We were the warriors, the pillagers, the fighters. And anyone foolish enough to stand against us… well, they didn’t live to tell the tale.

  But we were running out of land to cover. We were running out of clans to pillage, and my wolves were counting on me to keep them busy. They were ruthless savages, and savages didn’t do well if kept idle. I knew because I was the most savage of them all.

  “We’ve covered a lot of ground across the southern expanse of the continent,” Dimitri noted, his thick Russian accent dripping over every word. He dragged his fingers along the map, his nails scratching along the wood of the table beneath it before he paused. “There were four clans total in that area,” he said, reaching up to push his dark brown hair behind his ear.

  “And they didn’t put up much of a fight, either,” Alfred added with a
grin. He was the aged member of my council, but he still had a hell of a lot of fight left in him. Salt-and-pepper hair spiraled across his head in sporadic patterns, falling into his eyes with every movement of his head. He pushed it to the side with a sweep of his hand as he turned to look at me with a wide, smug grin.

  “And what if any of them plan to retaliate?” Jonah asked, his tiny button nose scrunching in thought.

  I smirked. I’d specially selected Jonah for the council. He was a gentle soul born into the wrong clan, and despite my every effort to harden him, he remained stubbornly docile. At some point, I’d accepted him, even grown to appreciate his delicate nature. He was the little angel on my shoulder… the one I never listened to, of course, but it was nice to get an angelic perspective from time-to-time.

  The council roared with laughter. They had less tolerance for Jonah’s caution. A cup went flying through the air aimed for Jonah’s head, and he quickly ducked with a frown.

  “Let them try,” Mark shouted as he shot to his feet. “The Shadow Moon Clan would love the fucking challenge!” He bared his teeth and beat against his bare chest. It was his trademark. I wasn’t even sure Mark owned a shirt.

  Jonah folded his arms over his chest, his shoulders sagging as he sank into his seat. “I was just saying ‘what if’ you barbaric ape,” he grumbled, and I bit back a smile. Maybe there was a little Shadow Moon in him yet.

  I cleared my throat for their attention and received it instantly. “We’ve attacked nearly every clan in the area—”

  “And all thanks to our dear Alpha,” Dimitri interrupted, grabbing his mug from the table and lifting it. “A true and fearless leader.”

  The others lifted their glasses and roared in agreement.

  I grinned. “If you want to be the best, you need to let everyone know exactly who the fuck you are and what you're bringing to the table.” I shrugged, letting the praise go to my head. I’d had a point to make. I’d gone into the meeting meaning to tell them about the shortage of places left to pillage, but my ego, as always, had gotten the better of me.

  “Here, Here!” Alfred exclaimed before tipping his mug to his lips.

  “Speaking of ‘bringing things to the table,’” Dimitri leaned back in his chair. “Anyone up for a game of poker after this? I want to win back the five hundred dollars I lost last week.” He smiled before pulling a toothpick from his pocket and placing it between his teeth. He was the perfect picture of confidence. Ironic, since he was a shit poker player. I could never tell if he actually had a good poker face or if he simply didn’t understand how the game worked, but he was constantly making bad bets and the man never knew when to fold. Luckily for me, he’d never fold on me, either. He was my right hand. I trusted no one above him, even when he was a pain in my ass.

  “Why? So you can cheat again?” Alfred said, his eyes narrowed in accusation.

  “Alfy...” Dimitri gave an exaggerated gasp and placed a hand on his chest. “I would never cheat with our great Alpha watching. How could you even make such an accusation?”

  Alfred snorted and shook his head. “And that’s why you lost last week, huh?”

  “Let’s just keep Dimi away from any card games,” Jonah said.

  The smile on Dimitri's face faded. It had been a while since I’d heard anyone call Dimitri by his childhood nickname, and by the look on his face, he didn’t seem to appreciate it. Who could blame him? The last person to use it was probably...

  “He still owes me $500 from a month ago,” Jonah finished.

  “And he still owes me from two months ago,” Mark added.

  I chuckled, shaking my head as I watched them gang up on Dimitri.

  “Woah, Woah.” Dimitri held up a hand as he straightened in his chair. “I can’t owe you all something...” He whipped his head around to look at me. “Alpha, help me out here.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t want to get involved.” I reached behind my head, gathering the wild, curly strands of my hair and tied it into a tight bun.

  I brushed away the few long red fly-away hairs from my shoulders and grinned. “But, if I may,” I said, holding up a finger. “You owe the same amount to me.”

  “Damn it!” Dimitri threw his hands up. “That’s just great.” He put his fingers to the bridge of his nose. “Mishel is not going to like this.”

  I swallowed down a laugh knowing just how much trouble Dimitri would be in if his mate found out he was losing bets left and right. Mishel was barely half Dimitri’s size, but boy, did he know how to keep Dimitri in line. It was almost comical to watch Dimitri, built like a tank, get laid into by Mishel, who was all of 150 pounds, at best.

  I let out a long breath. Speaking of keeping people in line, I needed to find a clan to attack for the sake of my people.

  I dropped my gaze back to the map on the table, scouring every inch of it. There had to be someplace that we were overlooking.

  I dragged my finger across the map, passing over the dozens of spots marked with a black X to signify where we had already conquered. Come on, come on, come on.

  I rubbed my jaw while trying to decide on a plan of action, wondering if maybe it was time to consider an early retirement.

  I sucked in a breath when I finally saw it—a small island several miles offshore.

  I furrowed my brow. How the hell had we missed that?

  “Hey, Alpha.” Dimitri climbed to his feet and flanked to my side. “You good?” he asked, clearly aware of the change in my demeanor.

  “This island right here... do any of you know of it?” I tapped on the small green and brown landmass.

  Dimitri leaned in and shook his head. “Alfred?” He shifted his gaze to the oldest member of the council. If anyone was going to know, it would be Alfred.

  Alfred craned his neck and his face lit up. “Oh, yes.” Alfred nodded. “That’s Maehelio.”

  He looked up at me as if I were instantly supposed to know what he was talking about.

  Alfred rolled his eyes when I didn’t respond. “It’s run by the Oceania Clan. It’s a backwater clan, and that’s putting it kindly. Simple folk.” An evil grin pulled at his lips. “I imagine they’d be pretty easy to take from.”

  “And also pretty illegal,” Jonah interjected. “Maehelio is protected land, as is the Oceania Clan itself.” Jonah met my gaze. “We can’t go there,” he insisted, but just in the act of telling me we couldn’t go, he’d sealed the fate of the Oceania Clan.

  “Protected by whom?” Dimitri asked, obviously a little less stubborn than I was.

  “The Conclave of Clans,” Jonah answered.

  Dimitri cackled. “Is that all? We’re a rogue clan, Jonah. The CoC doesn’t tell us what to do.”

  “They’re growing more powerful,” Jonah insisted. “They’ve looked the other way for a long time because we haven’t attacked anywhere that would affect them. But the Oceania Clan exports goods to the mainland, namely the rare pearls that are only found in their waters. Maehelio is important to them. There will be repercussions if we attack.”

  I met Jonah’s big, brown eyes, pleading with me to make the smart choice instead of the reckless one he already knew I would make.

  I sighed. “Well, this is a council meeting. You’re my advisors, here because I trust you and your opinions.” I nodded to each one of them, even Jonah, though he’d clearly been hiding this island from us. “What do we think?”

  “Fuck the CoC,” Mark roared, pumping a fist to his chest.

  I chuckled. “I second that vote.” I shot Jonah an apologetic look.

  Alfred cleared his throat. “What if there are more than two options?” Alfred offered.

  My brows knitted together. “What do you mean?” In my experience, there were only ever two options—attack or don’t attack. Kill or be killed.

  Alfred stood up, stroking his chin as he circled the table. “What if we just ask for the island?”

  I laughed. “Just ask? And what? They’ll hand it over, just like that?”

>   Alfred shrugged. “Possibly. Once upon a time, in my youth, I visited Maehelio. They’re a peaceful people. Completely ignorant of the way the world really works. They have no army, no combat training. Why waste the resources when we could just ask and receive?”

  I frowned. I rather liked wasting the resources. I liked the fight and so did the clan, but Alfred had a point. There would be another fight another day. And to have an island on which to fortify ourselves would certainly come in handy for that fight when it arrived.

  I turned my gaze to Dimitri. I valued the opinions of my entire council, but his was the one I trusted above all others.

  “What do you think?” I asked him.

  “I think we should take a trip and ask the question. What’s the worst that can happen? If they refuse…” He gave a ruthless smile. “We do what we do best.”

  I nodded. “It’s decided then. We’ll have a word with Oceania’s Alpha at first light tomorrow. Jonah, send a communiqué notifying him of our impending arrival.”

  Jonah nodded, and I looked around at my council.

  “Is there anything else that needs my immediate attention?”

  I scanned the room and was met with silence.

  “Good,” I started. “Then this meeting is adjourned.”

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  Excerpt of Kinkdom

  Antwon

  I brushed back Karlyle’s bangs to place a kiss on his forehead. He was adorable when he slept, his face mushed into the pillow and his bright-pink lips puffy with sleep.

  After seven and a half years, I still thought he was one of the most handsome men I’d ever seen. How many people could say that? How many people could honestly look at their spouse and think, damn, I landed a hottie?

  He groaned and caught my hand as I tried to step away from the bed. “Where are you going so early?” he asked, his voice groggy with sleep.

  “Quinn needs a ride to work this morning. I’m going to drop him off before Greyson.”