by Adrian Blue
Taken by the Alpha Bears
By
Adrian Blue
© Copyright 2016, Adrian Blue, All Rights Reserved
Chapter One
It was that time again. Janet looked down at the golden script that swept across the invitation. It seemed to glow against the midnight blue of the thick, expensive paper. The 43rd Annual Mate Hunt. A chance for unmated women and Alpha pairs to find their other half. Janet snorted.
It sounded terribly romantic on paper, but the reality was hardly sweet. Every year unmated Alpha pairs went borderline feral and attacked each other in the hopes of winning their fated mate’s attention.
Janet looked up from the card to scan her surroundings. Her unmated neighbor, Susan, stood at her own mailbox with a familiar invitation in hand. As Janet watched, she raised her head and looked right at her. The two women exchanged lackluster waves.
Both she and Susan had managed to avoid the hunt invitation the past five years. At twenty-five, they were nearly to the voluntary entrance threshold. One more year and all the craziness could have passed them by. She could have simply chosen not to enter herself in the hunt next year. Janet sighed.
She gave Susan a friendly nod and walked back up the driveway to her house. The single-level home held only one bedroom and a single bathroom. It was the standard size for an unmated woman. All of the houses around her were the same, only separated by variation in paint color.
Two city boroughs were full of houses just like hers. The other four were drastically different. The mated boroughs contained nothing but mansions and sprawling estates. The dens of Alpha pairs. It was not unheard of for Alphas to dedicate the first three decades of their lives to building their wealth. All in the pursuit of providing a comfortable den for their future mate.
Janet went back in the house to get ready for work. On the way to her job, she drove through a mated community. Her little Honda looked severely out of place among the shining Audis, Lexuses, and Porsches sitting in the driveways. The large, manicured lawns were lush and green. It looked like paradise.
She slowed down to watch two, towering Alphas help their smaller mate down the front steps of their house. The woman was all smiles, as she held her swollen belly and laughed at something one of her mates said.
Janet felt a twinge of jealousy at the sight. The woman looked so happy and vibrant, and her Alphas gave her their undivided attention. Janet could only imagine how that would feel.
She sped up and left the neighborhood. Her path to work wound through two of the mated boroughs, but the second was her favorite. It held what she secretly called The Castle. She had never seen the Alphas who lived there, or their doubtlessly happy mate, but she could not help drinking it in every day on the way to work.
The Castle sat back from the road on a small hill. A cobblestone driveway led up to the six car garage to the left of the house. The house itself was pale stone with rounded turrets on the front corners. The front doors were tall and broad and made of thick, dark wood. Janet often wondered if the Alphas who lived there needed such big doors to fit their own tall, broad-shouldered bodies.
A car honked behind her. Janet realized she had stopped in the middle of the road to stare at the house. She mentally shook herself and drove away. By the time she reached her office, she only had ten minutes to make it up to the twenty-third floor. She grabbed her purse and jogged across the lobby to the elevator.
She was still breathing hard by the time she reached her floor. Janet loved her curves, but she was not built for running. Yet, another reason she had to fight the invitation to the hunt. There was no way she could run through the forest for any length of time. Add in the fact that the hunt happened on a full moon and she would be wearing nothing but a thin, ritual shift, and she was definitely not equipped to attend a hunt.
The elevator stopped on her floor and she hustled off. All of the cubicles were filled with unmated women like her. Their cubicle walls were filled with pictures of beloved pets and dream vacation destinations. As Janet looked around, she saw that over a dozen women had the invitation pinned to their cubical wall.
“You get it, too?”
Janet jumped and looked over at the nearest cubicle. The brunette at the desk, Lauren, eyed her with amusement. “From your jumpiness, I’d say you did.”
“Yeah,” Janet muttered. “Looks like the committee is really on their game this year.”
“You can say that again.” Lauren glanced toward their boss’s office. “By the way, Jackson’s on the warpath today. Apparently, Lily was sick over the weekend. No nookie makes Jackson a pissed off boy.”
Janet snorted. “Right. I feel sorry for the people downstairs.”
Jackson’s Alpha partner ran the printing department, while Jackson was head of editing. Their mate, Lily, was five months pregnant and the center of their universe. It was possible to gauge her hormone level based on how much her Alphas scowled in a day. The first three months of her pregnancy, they growled at anyone they passed in the hall.
“Besides,” Lauren said, “I put that spicy chapter on your desk. The one you asked about.” She winked.
Janet raised her eyebrows. “With the bear-shifters?”
“You know it.” Lauren smirked. “I’ve always been more of a big cat girl myself, but you know how it goes.”
“The Alphas scent their mate,” they said in unison.
“Exactly,” Janet said. “No telling what shifter species your Alphas will be. It’s all luck of the draw.” But she had never heard anyone complain. It was hard to find fault with two gorgeous guys who wanted nothing in life but to please you. She sighed.
“The hunt’s only two days away,” Lauren said. “You want to carpool?”
Janet shrugged. “I’m still deciding if I should go or not.”
Lauren rolled her eyes. “The next invitation won’t be worded so nicely, Jan. But honestly, aren’t you sick of being single?”
Janet thought of her small house and her lonely bed. She imagined what it would be like to live in the mated communities, picturing herself between two adoring Alphas. Two strong, handsome men who would love her and satisfy her every need. She bit her lip.
“That’s what I thought,” Lauren smirked. “Let Sue know I’m driving.”
Chapter Two
“I’m aiming for wolves,” Susan announced from the backseat.
They had been driving for over four hours, and at some point all of them had gotten used to the idea of ending the night mated.
Janet looked over her shoulder at her. “I’m pretty sure it doesn’t work that way.”
Susan shrugged. “I’ve got good chances. The website said sixty percent of this year’s Alpha pairings are wolf-shifters.”
“Only ten percent are big cats,” Lauren muttered. She tightened her grip on the wheel. “I know it doesn’t matter, but something about the big cat-shifters always appealed to me.”
Janet stayed quiet. She had seen the numbers on the Hunt website. Only three percent of the Alpha pairs were bear-shifters. The likelihood of one of them being her mates was about zero. She looked out the passenger window at the forest, and let her mind wander.
Bear-shifters were tall, usually over 6’5”, with broad shoulders and wide chests. In the secret places in her mind, she often fantasized about what it would be like to be pressed between two massive Alphas, safe and cherished. She imagined four huge hands on her body, stroking and teasing her.
“Hey, Janet! You in there?”
Janet snapped back to reality to see a hand waving in front of her face. She turned her head to see Lauren grinning at her.
“Just thinking,” Janet muttered.
Her friend wiggled her eyebrows. “That must
have been some thinking. Your face is flushed.”
“Look!” Susan interrupted. “There’s the sign.”
Lauren turned her attention back to the road and Janet sighed in relief.
She had been friends with Susan and Lauren for almost six years. She met Susan when she moved to the unmated boroughs at eighteen, and Lauren when she started work at the publishing house. They were as different as it was possible to be.
Lauren had always been more outgoing and vivacious than her, completely unashamed and vocal about her Alpha fantasies. Susan, a professional organizer, was quieter and more matter-of-fact, but Lauren always quoted about still waters whenever Susan said she was boring. Janet had been shy her whole life, usually preferring her reading to putting herself out there.
The hunt was like the ultimate test of her character. On the one hand, she was lonely and she wanted to be loved completely by her very own Alphas. On the other hand, the thought of parading around in front of so many Alphas made her almost break out in hives. Her eyes locked on the sign over the entrance to the hunting field.
The website said there was a brief mixer before the actual hunt. It specifically mentioned a buffet table. She assumed it was to stock up on calories for the hunt. Alphas burned through thousands of calories on a normal day. In their near-feral state during the hunt, it easily reached over ten thousand.
Hunger could push an Alpha past near-feral and straight into feral, leading to increased fighting between the pairings. There was always a little friction between Alphas at the Hunt. It was impossible to put shifters of so many different species together and not expect some hostility. The only reason unmated Alphas continued to attend each year was because of the potential payoff.
Lauren drove under the welcome banner and followed the signs that pointed to the parking lot. Janet looked out over the packed lot. It was obvious which cars belonged to the Alphas and which were unmated women. It was a mixed bag of luxury cars and sensible, older sedans.
“Look out, girls,” Lauren ordered. “I’d rather not walk ten miles to the building.”
They cruised up and down the rows until Janet caught sight of an empty spot between a Lexus SUV and a Jaguar.
“There. On the right.”
“Nice spotting, slick,” Lauren teased. She pulled into the spot and turned off the car.
The three of them sat there in silence for a moment.
“Everyone ready?” Susan asked.
Janet nervously twisted the strap of her purse. “I guess so.”
Lauren reached over to pat her leg. “There’s no reason to be shy. If your mates are here, they’ll find you. If not…Well, you can volunteer to come back next year if you want.”
“Very true,” Susan piped up from the backseat.
Janet looked back at her. “What about you? Are you hoping to get mated?”
Susan shrugged. She pulled her blonde hair over her shoulder and started to braid it. “What will be, will be.”
Janet nodded. That was a good way to think of it. Maybe, it would help with her nerves.
“Besides, we’re all here for the same reason,” Susan said. She wrapped a band around the end of her braid and tossed it back over her shoulder.
“It’s mandatory?” Janet guessed.
Lauren smacked her arm lightly. “To get mated.”
“Come on then,” Susan urged. She opened her door and climbed out. “We need to check in.”
Janet let her friends pull her out of the car and toward the Hunt lodge. They were the only ones still out in the parking lot. Lauren jerked open one of the heavy wooden doors and gestured for Janet and Susan to proceed her. The smell of cedar immediately wrapped around them.
Janet looked around the high-ceilinged entryway. A few chairs sat to the right of the door and a counter lay across the room. A single Alpha stood behind the counter. He looked up when they entered. From the bored way he scanned them, it was obvious he was already happily mated.
“Names?” he asked.
“Lauren Tally,” Lauren piped up. “And this is Susan Whitecliff and Janet Hicks.”
The Alpha looked down at the book on the counter and marked in three places with his pen. “Go on through.” He gestured to the next set of doors.
Lauren immediately moved forward. “Come on, girls.”
Janet hesitated, as Lauren and Susan disappeared through the doors. She glanced over at the Alpha, and he raised one eyebrow at her. Janet hurried after her friends.
Chapter Three
The banquet hall was packed full of Alphas and women. Janet let the doors fall closed behind her and scanned the crowd for Susan and Lauren. She spotted them heading toward the massive buffet table. Janet hurried after them.
She ducked and dodged through the crowd, twisting to avoid the large Alphas milling around the room. All of them were attractive, but none of them particularly caught her eye. She squeezed between an Alpha pair, muttering an apology.
One of them leaned in to sniff her as she passed. He looked away a moment later, clearly disappointed. Janet continued past and finally reached Susan and Lauren.
“Where have you been?” Lauren demanded. She held out a plate to her. “I’m starving.”
Janet took the offered plate and stepped into line with them. “Got stuck in the crowd.”
Her eyes drifted over the powerful bodies all around her. They were all gorgeous, and somewhere in the mix, might be her Alphas. She looked away when her stomach growled. She had been too nervous to eat during the trip and her stomach was telling her about it. Janet eyed the buffet table.
“You know you could luck out and skip The Hunt,” Lauren remarked.
Janet followed her gaze to where several clusters of three were sneaking out of the banquet hall.
“If you mate before The Hunt, you are cleared from participating,” Susan added, scooping mashed potatoes onto her plate.
Janet hummed noncommittally. She doubted she was that lucky. Her gaze wandered the room again. She did not see anyone paying any particular interest in her. She turned back to the table to fill her plate.
“Holy crap!” Lauren said under her breath. “Get a load of him.”
Janet paused in reaching for her cutlery to glance around. She immediately saw who Lauren meant.
He was massive, hovering near seven feet, and built like a tank. Janet felt her mouth drop open. Definitely, a bear-shifter. Her eyes roamed over his broad chest, taking in the way his flannel shirt strained to contain the muscles in his biceps. His legs were thick with muscle and encased in faded blue jeans. She swore she could feel the floor shake with every one of his booted steps.
“Wow,” she whispered.
“Kinda looks like your type, Jan,” Lauren teased. She nudged her in the ribs.
Janet tore her eyes away from the gorgeous Alpha. “Yeah, I guess.”
“Let’s find a seat,” Susan said. She walked away from the buffet table and into the crowd.
Janet followed after her. Once she left the table, the crowd closed in around her and Janet lost sight of the huge Alpha. She craned her neck to see if she could catch another glimpse of him. Wrapped up in her search, she tripped over someone’s foot. Her plate flew out of her hands and crashed to the ground, shattering on impact.
The room went quiet. As one, everyone turned to look in her direction. Janet’s eyes widened. Her face burned with embarrassment, as she dropped to her knees to try to clean up the mess. She focused on picking up each individual piece of glass to take her mind off the hundreds of people still staring.
“I got it,” a deep, rumbling voice said, from somewhere above her.
Janet paused and looked up. And up. She had to tip her head all the way back to meet the man’s bright blue eyes. He was nearly as tall as the blond Alpha in the red flannel shirt, but his hair was a rich chestnut. As she stared at him, he unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled up his sleeves.
He dropped down to one knee. Even with both of them kneeling, he was at least a foot an
d a half taller than her. He reached out one massive hand to take the pieces of glass from her limp fingers.
“Trashcan,” another deep voice said from behind her.
She jerked her head around to see the blond Alpha standing behind her. She gaped up at him. From her place on the ground, he looked like a mountain. He set down a plastic trashcan next to the dark-haired Alpha and rolled up his own sleeves. When he knelt beside her, Janet almost choked. His biceps were bigger than her thighs.
“I’m Aidan,” he murmured, getting to work sopping up food with a wad of napkins.
“Janet,” she said, still feeling a little shell-shocked. She watched the two men exchange a glance.
The brunet dropped a handful of broken glass in the trashcan. “My name’s Leopold, but everyone calls me Leo.” He smiled wide enough to show his dimples.
Janet was helpless to resist. “It’s nice to meet you both.”
She suddenly realized the noise level around them had increased. No one was paying any attention to them. Aidan dropped the last sodden napkin into the trashcan and gave her his full attention. His eyes were a light, caramel brown, just a few shades darker than his hair.
“Are you here alone?” he asked quietly. Even at a murmur, his voice vibrated through her.
Janet shook her head.
He frowned and dropped his gaze to her neck. “But you have no marks.”
Janet’s eyes widened. “Oh! Oh, no. I’m here with my friends.” She tore her eyes away from the handsome man in front of her to scan the crowd. “I’m not, um, mated or anything.”
Leo let out a pleased sounding rumble from behind her.
“Would you like to be?” Aidan asked. His eyes shifted to Leo and Janet felt the other man move closer to her back.
Even with a few feet between them, she could feel their heat pressing her from both sides. Warmth seemed to radiate from them. It took a moment for the meaning of his words to register in her mind. She blinked, when she understood what Aidan was telling her.
They were her Alphas. She was their mate. She stared at Aidan, as he stood and held out a hand to her. His wide palm beckoned to her. Her smaller hand would fit so perfectly in his. Janet slowly reached out and took his hand.
