LOGINShare
52
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Alpha Picked 53
*** Halle *** ~*~ Four Hours Earlier ~*~ My phone ringing in the middle of the night wakes me from a deep sleep. I check my alarm clock before answering: it’s 2am, this best be good. Brad mutters in his sleep and Summer is in a travel cot at the bottom of our bed, flat-out. “Hello?” I answer in a sleep-filled voice. “Halle? It’s Lieutenant Slayne Goldrick. I’m sorry to disturb you like this but we have a problem.” I dart up in bed. “Ale, wake up now. ALE!” I give him a sharp kick in the ribs, and he grumbles as he opens his eyes. “Slayne, what has happened?” “Manzitti and Helen are missing. They took a buggy car out at midnight. Don’t ask me why. The tracker alarm sounded, telling us they crashed, but we can’t find them. The tracker is now placing the car in The Moon Stone Territory and if they are there, this is bad, really bad. Manzitti was told we are not welcome on their land and Helen’s human.” My heart sinks as I take all that in. I really didn’t need to be adding furthe
Alpha Picked 54
*** Ivan *** Once we stormed the main hall at the Moon Stone packhouse, I mindlinked Manzitti, but his link was distorted. Helen brought us here, Xavier is her father. My first instincts were defensive. I thought it was a trap. That was until I saw the hurt and confusion in my future Luna’s eyes. She stepped back from the man who said he was her father and the instant she looked at me, Manzitti and Slayne, I knew she was as blindsided as us. I saw myself in her in that moment: the hurt I felt every time Slayne had pushed me away was reflecting in her eyes, but it was too late. She had already drank in our expressions of mistrust, and she ran. I can’t say I blame her. Slayne is naturally protective of her brother, and it doesn’t take a genius to work out that Manzitti is dHelenstated and disordered. As we help him back to his apartment when he refuses to go to the pack hospital, his anguish comes out as he finds Helen’s clothing and trinkets that she has left behind. I stop Slayne
Alpha Picked 55
*** Helen *** The heat of Manzitti’s stare warms me into a wanton frenzy, but I cannot back down too easily. I am sick of feeling hurt and rejected and lacking. I need to know that he accepts me for me and that all I am will be enough for him. I love him, but if loving him means I have to spend the rest of my days feeling inadequate then I will take my chances on spending it alone. He loves us, the gentle voice from within tells me and it finally clicks into place: I am not crazy or hallucinating. It’s my wolf. I have a wolf. “Manzitti, can you have a wolf and not know it? And how do I find out?” He gives me a huge smile which melts me even more. I can try to resist him and his charm but ultimately, I love this stupid man and I do want to be with him. “Can you feel her, Helen? Roman said he could. He said she is buried deep inside you, but she is there. Maybe you could try and talk to her?” I give him an incredulous look since I have no idea how to do that. “How? How do you talk
Alpha Picked 56
*** Manzitti *** I mindlink Ivan and Slayne and tell them Helen and Summer are moving in with me today and ask them for some help. Yeah Alpha, no problem, just give us two minutes, Ivan answers. Make that ten minutes, Alpha, kind of busy here, Slayne interjects and I shake my head. Fine, ten minutes and then get in here and help us. I ask Helen what she wants to take for now and we start with Summer’s bedroom. Summer tells me she needs her ‘babas’ which I now know means her dolls, so I fill a box with her toys and Helen packs up a suitcase with Summer’s clothes. “We can always come back for more stuff, Shortie; we don’t have to pack up the whole house today.” She smiles at me. “This is for a few days, Aidy. We’ll probably need a removal van to take everything.” Shit! I might have to get a second apartment if this is stuff for a few days. Ivan comes in and helps me load Summer’s stuff into the car. “Are you and your mate all sorted then, Alpha?” I nod to him. “Yes, she’s defin
Alpha Picked 57
*** Xavier *** I had banished everyone from my lands in a fit of rage and now my daughter hasn’t returned to speak to me. A yearning in my chest was stopping me from doing anything else. I needed to see her again, I wanted to know her. My little girl. She is a beautiful woman now and from the tiny scraps of information her mother fed me, I know she was married with a child of her own and living in Germany, she was training to be a doctor. So how did she end up in my territory, mated to my enemy? No doubt her mate will keep her away from me now, and I hated that he had something so powerful to use against me. I had enjoyed testing the boundaries of Alpha Manzitti, who was a stark contrast to his own father. I had never liked Alpha John Goldrick and the incident that caused our fallout had always stung me. I had been painted as immoral for what I had done but I had stuck to the laws of our kind. I did not betray any of our customs and yet I was treated as though I had. I have summone
Alpha Picked 58
*** Helen *** I keep my head held high as I enter the meeting room. An older gentleman, whose hair is completely grey and his wrinkled skin is sallow in appearance, stands as we enter. “Alpha Manzitti, thank you for accepting my visit. And this must be your mate, Helenngelina, Xavier’s daughter.” When he turns to look at me, his grey watery eyes make me think of murky waters. “Actually, it’s just Helen.” I say the words without even thinking and I am shocked at my own forwardness. “It’s nice to make your acquaintance, Alpha Martin.” “We understand that you come here with a message from Alpha Xavier, is it for me or Helen?” Manzitti asks. He walks us further into the room and pulls me to sit next to him on a large sofa. Despite there being lots of room, I am squashed between the arm of the seat and my mate. “Actually, it’s for both of you. Helen, your father requests that you return to the Moon Stone. It is your home, and you belong there. Alpha Manzitti, Alpha Xavier respectfull
Alpha Picked 59
*** Manzitti *** My mate holds her head high and puts on a serene performance as we walk into the meeting room that holds her father. Although I can feel her trembling and I can feel her fear, yet like the graceful swan she is, she looks in perfect control. I couldn’t be prouder of her. “Welcome Alpha Xavier…” I go to greet him, but he rushes to Helen. “My little girl, my little Helenngelina, after all this time.” Helen takes a wary step back from him. “Xavier, give her some space please. She has only just found out about you, and this has come as a shock to her.” The anger and hurt is evident in his eyes but I don’t really care. My priority is my mate. “Sorry, I’m so sorry, I just never thought I would get to meet you. You are so beautiful, and look, you are mated to an Alpha.” He looks between us both expectantly, and realises this is not the time so he lowers his head before he continues. “I’m sorry, I don’t know how to do this. I have dreamed of this moment your whole life an
Alpha Picked 60
*** Alan *** I am absolutely raging. Rose calls me and tells me she has told Helen all about us and now I’m not getting another penny from her. So, I send the videos straight to Helen and Claude and say if I don’t get the £250k I was promised, I will post them everywhere. Claude tells me to go to hell and he has thrown Rose out so I am free to do what I want with the videos since he isn’t interested anymore. My whore of a wife doesn’t even respond. Not a word, nothing! I am furious that she wasn’t at least upset; why isn’t she shouting and crying and screaming at me? Where the fuck was my money? On top of that, I have several voicemails, none from Helen at all but from Melanie, my mother, and the police. All with the same message. There is a warrant out for my arrest. I am wanted for financial coercion, financial abuse, fraud, theft, blackmail, and assault amongst other things. Why is everyone out to get me? I have a plan anyway, to get everyone to regret they ever slighted me,
Latest chapter
Alpha Picked 79
FANEI grabbed another crate of flowers and put them in the cooler. The door to the shop opened and Thorne walked in carrying two more.“Where do you want these?”“Are those the daffodils or the baby’s breath?” I asked.He glanced inside the crate and made a face. “This one is baby’s breath, and this one looks like curly twigs.”I laughed. “They’re curly willow tips.” I pointed to where Liv stood at another cooler. “Let Liv have them. They go in that one.”He walked her way, and I stared at him, still blown away that he was mine. It had only been two weeks since the night at my apartment when I asked him to stay after everything with Brooks happened, but it felt like we’d always been together. There was an ease with Thorne I had never felt with Brooks.Life was magical with him.Liv took the crates from Thorne, and then I noticed her checking her watch. That had to be the tenth time in the last few minutes. When she chewed the inside of her cheek—her telltale sign she was nervous—I kn
Alpha Picked 78
THORNE Nadine had asked me to stay the night, which was more confirmation she wasn’t freaked out by my wolf. This meant everything. My wolf vibrated with triumph. He’d expected things to go this smoothly, though.After all, he had already known she was his mate.He also had high hopes for what would happen between us tonight, and as I walked up the stairs to her apartment, I growled at him mentally. Nothing would happen tonight. Not unless Fane initiated it. She’d been through a lot and I would push for nothing.When we reached her front door, she glanced at me and smiled. I caught sight of the purple bruise shading her cheek and any sexual thoughts fled my mind and my wolf’s.My vision tunneled, and red rage flared through me instead.My teeth gritted together as I tried my damnedest to force my anger away, reminding myself she was safe, and that there was no way Brooks would ever hurt her again. It didn’t help.“What?” she asked, innocently.“You need ice,” I said. “Let’s head ins
Alpha Picked 77
FANE Either Brooks had passed out or he was being really quiet. Goose bumps prickled across my skin, but not in a good way. I gripped my cell tight and shifted my gaze from window to window. Thankfully, my apartment was above my sister’s garage and not at ground level, which meant there was no way for Brooks to climb through any of the back windows. If he got inside, it would be through either of the two windows alongside the front door or through the door itself.Even knowing this, my anxiety was still through the roof.I’d never seen Brooks like this before. Typically, he was controlled while in the public eye, and he rarely let himself get this drunk unless we were home. My heart beat triple time against my ribs, becoming the only thing I could hear. Until the sound of a motorcycle broke through everything.Thorne.Tension melted from my muscles, and my grip on my cell loosened. I pulled in a deep breath and exhaled it slowly, glad he was here. When it sounded as though he’d pulle
Alpha Picked 76
THORNE We walked to where we parked by the light of Fane’s flashlight on her phone. I didn’t need it, but I didn’t say so. Thanks to my wolf, I could see just fine in the dark.As soon as we reached her car, she spun around to face me and I knew what words were building on the tip of her tongue.“Nope,” I said with a shake of my head. “I don’t want to hear you say you’re sorry for the things that happened tonight or thank you to me again.”She smiled. Damn, she was pretty when she smiled.“Okay, so what do you want to hear me say, then?” she asked, and I swore she was flirting with me.I liked this side of her. This flirty, confident side that came out from time to time.It was sexy as hell.I took her hand and brought it to my lips, kissing along her knuckles while staring into her eyes. Her pupils dilated and my wolf picked up on a light scent of arousal. He released a howl and urged me to kiss her like before. I didn’t. A kiss on the hand was what she needed right now.Someone to b
Alpha Picked 75
FANE When Thorne pulled into a gas station, I assumed it was because he needed gas for his motorcycle, but when he parked in a space instead of at a pump, I realized that wasn’t the case. I pulled into the parking space beside him, wondering what we were doing here.“I’m heading inside for something. Be right back,” he said, sliding off his bike, looking sexy as hell.I leaned against my seat and exhaled a slow breath while watching him walk inside. This day had been a roller coaster. My teeth sank into my bottom lip as my thoughts drifted from one moment to another. I glanced at my wrist. It was still wrapped like Thorne suggested. While it was tender to the touch, I was glad I’d gone through with covering up Brooks’ name. I wanted nothing to do with him ever again.Thorne came back, his presence pulling me from my thoughts. There was a six-pack in his hand and a lopsided grin on his face. I smiled back, but narrowed my eyes.What did this guy have up his sleeve? He looked like he w
Alpha Picked 74
THORNE I hated Brooks. He was like a pimple that popped up at the most inconvenient time. Fane and I had been having a good time before he’d rudely interrupted us. Our thank-you drink was becoming a celebratory one. It was great she’d worked out a deal with May and was buying May’s Flowers. It was a beautiful thing when someone knew what they wanted to do with their life and made it happen.And then here was this douchebag tripping her up.Fane was moving forward, but he kept pulling her back.“Can we go?” she asked, looking directly at me. There was fear in her eyes. Clearly, she’d seen this side of him before.“Yeah, sure,” I said without hesitation. Bars weren’t really my scene, anyway.I tossed a twenty on the bar to pay for our drinks, even though she said she would buy, and gave Joe a nod before lacing my fingers through Fane’s and steering us toward the exit.“Holy shit!” Brooks shouted from behind us, causing my wolf to go on high alert. He’d picked up on Brooks’ anger escala
Alpha Picked 73
FANE I walked toward the doors of Last Drop, my mind racing. I couldn’t believe I’d asked Thorne Beckett out for a drink. It was a bold move, but after everything with Brooks and my tire, it felt right. Thorne had helped me more than he could ever know today.“Fane,” a familiar voice called from behind me while I walked through the parking lot.I spun around to see Thorne weaving his way toward me.“Hey, you came,” I said, unsure why.“Of course I did. You offered to buy me a drink.”“Right, that I did.” Ugh. I sounded like a complete idiot!“I’m kidding. I would have come even if you hadn’t offered to buy me a drink,” he said, still sauntering toward me. An adorable grin hung from his lips, one that sent butterflies through the pit of my stomach.Thorne was hot—smoking hot.I scolded myself for the thought. This wasn’t a date. It was me buying him a drink because he’d helped me with my shitty Brooks issues more than once today. I shouldn’t feel butterflies while in his presence.“Re
Alpha Picked 72
THORNE Nadine was scared. I could tell. And it was driving my wolf wild. He didn’t like smelling her fear saturating the air around us. All he wanted was for me to fix it. To comfort her and make her feel better.The problem was, I didn’t know how.Talking to her and getting her mind off her asshole ex seemed like the way to do it, but I didn’t know what to say. My mind was drawing a complete blank, and it didn’t help that my wolf was pulling me in multiple directions. While he wanted me to stay here with her, to protect her and make sure she was okay, he also wanted me to track Brooks down and make him bleed for hurting her.I had an internal battle waging inside me, tearing me in two.I outlined the last petal of her lotus and then cleaned her skin. The shop door opened as I covered her tattoo with plastic wrap and secured it. I didn’t have to look over my shoulder to know who had entered. I could tell from the way Fane’s fear intensified in the air and how her body tensed.Brooks
Alpha Picked 71
FANE I found a parking space on Main Street and cut the engine of my car. To say I was excited to get Brooks’ name covered with a lotus flower was an understatement.However, I was also excited to see Thorne.As I thought about the conversation we’d had on the phone the other night when I called to book my appointment, I wondered for the millionth time if he’d cared that I had shortened his name to Cal.I hoped not.I exhaled a slow breath as I slid out of my car and made my way down the sidewalk toward Inked Wolf. When I spotted Ms. Lynette on the bench beneath the clock tower in town square, I smiled and waved at her. She motioned for me to come over, so I headed in her direction. There was still ten or fifteen minutes before my appointment with Thorne. It was enough time to say a quick hello to her and then make my way back across the street.“Hello, Ms. Lynette,” I said when I reached her.She held up her index finger. “I have something for you,” she said, before rummaging throug
