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Chapter 4 : A Job To Do
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Mated to the Alpha Kings Chapter 5 : They Share Everything
An hour later, the view of the palace gardens as the sun dips below the horizon is a balm to my senses. A frosty lemonade in my hand, I stretch out on a chaise lounge on my private balcony and read the file on Rollo Seabrook. He’s fifty-five years old. Alpha of the once-great Olympic Howlers. Twenty years ago, when Rollo lost his family and went bananas, his shifters abandoned their kingdom. It got absorbed into the Ruby Nightclaws’ biggest rivals, the Stealth Furs Pack. It’s common knowledge that the Stealth Furs Alpha, Reed Bainbridge, could give mean lessons to the Leavenworths, so that’s probably why the Olympic Howlers have chosen to go after the Ruby Nightclaws. The rogues aren’t completely off the leash, so to speak. Rollo Seabrook still looks deranged, from the old photo of him. With crooked teeth from gnawing on bones and a face that looks like he’s spent one too many sleepless nights, he might have been handsome once. His muscles ripple and he could break bricks with his
Mated to the Alpha Kings Chapter 6 : Royal Dinner Date
No.It’s far too risky, and the idea horrifies me. It’s bad enough I'm plotting to murder the kings of the Ruby Nightclaws. To lead them on and pretend to be their fated mate to lure them to their deaths is beyond the pale. I do have my limits, even for tyrants.It seems dishonorable to trick them any more than I already am. Plus, my wolf is filled with rage at the idea.I’ll find another way. It doesn’t help my resolve or my guilt that the slinky black sheath dress feels finer than anything I own. It comes just down to my knee and has puffed sleeves. The high-heeled shoes–my size–are so shiny it’s blinding. With my hair pulled back in a ponytail and cascading over my shoulder, I look elegant. At a quarter to six, I step outside my room and find Lucas waiting for me. He gives me the once-over and nods approvingly. “Allow me to escort you.”In the cool of the evening, the palace is full of light from torches and lamps. I wonder what it would be like to live here, to enjoy the be
Mated to the Alpha Kings Chapter 7 : Tour of the Capital
“We’ll show you some of the wonders of our kingdom, starting with our city tonight after dinner,” Jordan says as I sit there in silence, thrown by the offer.“After that, you can get down to the business of hunting the Olympic Howlers,” Kent adds. “But it sounds like you need a break.”“And we’re here to serve. We have quite an evening planned,” Wiley finishes. I think over their proposal. Are they just putting on another show for me? Their masks of kindness and flattery have to fall eventually and they can’t hide hungry, abused people from me. So maybe it’s a good idea to take a stroll around town with them. “It sounds amazing,” I say. “Yes, count me in.”I’ve been so absorbed in the conversation that I’ve eaten half of the delicious venison on my blue-and-white china plate. The meat is broiled, lightly spiced, with sides of wild rice and mashed potatoes. It seems incredibly simple for a royal dinner, but I’m not complaining.It’s the kind of thing my parents and I normally ea
Mated to the Alpha Kings Chapter 8 : Brotherly Competition
Our lips are inches from each other and his mouth is full and sensual. How will it feel on mine? Can I kiss him?It would be wrong. But I feel drawn to him. I can’t stop staring at his lips.Before Jordan can make a move, someone interrupts us.Wiley taps me on the shoulder. “Can I cut in?”Jordan mutters a curse under his breath, but Wiley grabs me and starts a passionate dance. As we move together, I catch Kent and Jordan watching us with fire in their eyes. I’m not sure if it’s the fire of jealousy, given what Lucas told me. But they’re not interested in me as a prospective mate, are they? I’m not royalty, and they’ve turned down so many princesses. I’m a commoner, here on business.It should be eerie, seeing them watch us dance, but for some strange reason, it’s not. Maybe it’s the seductive looks in their eyes. I throw myself into the part. I’ve never done this style of dance before, but I bend back over his arm and he dips me, gazing into my eyes. We’re the only two peop
Mated to the Alpha Kings Chapter 9 : Restless Night
I toss and turn in the bed that’s softer than anything I’ve ever slept in. The kings can’t be my fated mates…can they? How can that be?It seems cruel. I’m the one thing they’ve been searching for and the one thing that’s the most dangerous to them.Yet they’re different than I thought they’d be. Jordan is so caring. Kent is quiet yet full of surprises–like being a better dancer than his more talkative brothers. He’s commanding in his own way.Wiley is the wild child in King’s clothing, full of smiles.Any female would be lucky to have one of them, let alone all three, which is what they want.I’m trying to summon up hatred, remembering what they did to my father, until I remember that he left key details out of his story. Maybe it was the heat of the moment. Maybe he just didn’t want to admit all of it where Mom might overhear. There could be a perfectly innocent explanation for the conflicting stories. Maybe he genuinely believed they messed with him. My dad is nothing if no
Mated to the Alpha Kings Chapter 10 : A Brush With Danger
I don’t have time to think before I act. I shift and hurl myself at the she-wolf, crashing into her, and knocking her off balance. She’s quick, though and she manages not to fall as she snaps at me with long, sharp teeth.Jordan’s beautiful, black wolf form knocks her to the side with his paw. She lands hard on her head, blood surfacing from beneath her fur. I shove her and she falls into the plumerias. A softer, nicer landing than she deserves. She lies there, out cold, eyes closed.We shift back to human form and smile at each other.“Nice work,” I say.“You, too. It was a team effort,” he replies. “Thank you for not tearing her throat out.”“It would’ve been an unnecessary killing, and we won’t learn anything that way.”Lucas rushes up to us. “Moon Goddess! You two shouldn’t be wandering around at night.”“Yes, Mom,” I say, and Jordan chuckles. Lucas stares down at our prisoner. “That’s Jena Aldenwood. Rumor has it she’s Rollo Seabrook’s favorite, at least for the momen
Mated to the Alpha Kings Chapter 11 : Alpha's Interrogation
I try not to grin coyly at Jordan at breakfast the next morning. Fortunately, we’re joined by members of the court. Stewart Sloan, the Beta, Phaedra Cascadia, the pack healer and royal physician, and the Alphas’ assistant and personal secretary, Natasha Lynnwood. They’ve all heard about us nabbing the rogue. The whole palace and the city are buzzing with it.Phaedra is quiet, like Stewart and Kent, and dresses in a long blue-and-white healer’s robe with a simple amethyst pendant around her neck. She doesn’t look tired, despite being rudely awakened last night.Could I find out the kings’ medical weaknesses from her?Natasha has a fiercely intelligent look, as though she knows where all the bodies are buried. There’s nothing romantic between her and the kings. I could tell in an instant if there were. They’re not sleeping with their assistant. Sensible on their part and hers.And a relief for me.She probably wouldn’t give me any dirt on the kings, even so. Stewart is still the
Mated to the Alpha Kings Chapter 12 : Private Audience
I swallow, my mouth dry, and moisten my lips with my tongue. His burning gaze is fixed on mine. “You’re charming too, and sexy,” I admit. “Especially those eyes and that voice.”And you’re my mate, just like your brothers.“Still waters run deep,” I add. “I find you enticing, too.” I watch his eyes shimmer with color and heat before they turn wolf gold like Jordan’s.With a low, sensual growl, Kent sheds his tight control and his mouth lands on mine with the same precision with which he does everything else. Maybe a little less neat and masterful, because he kisses me in a way that says he means business.I stay perfectly still in his arms except for kissing him back. His lips are even warmer than Jordan’s, and no less eager. His hand presses against my back and bends me over his arm, just like when we danced. This kiss started with that dance.He breaks the kiss and mutters, “Come with me.”Is that a double entendre? His hand sears me beneath the fabric of my shirt as he dir
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Mated to the Alpha Kings Chapter 50 : Mistress of My Mates' Pleasure
Jordan thrusts out his chest. “We dare you to take control of us.”“If you can,” Wiley says with an impish grin.Kent gives me the understated bedroom eyes that always make my knees wobble. “Do your worst.”Relishing my role, I point to him. “I think we have a volunteer–get on the bed. Wiley. Jordan, your seats are ready.”With both his brothers in their chairs, Kent stretches out on the bed, smoothing it around him. I lick my lips and approach him, taking a moment to survey all that manliness displayed before me, his arms extended, his legs open. He looks, oddly, like a medieval painting. Or maybe an ancient Greek sculpture.“Kent, I’m going to drive you out of your mind until you beg for release.”He doesn’t repeat his prompt to do my worst, but his eyes speak volumes. “But first, I need something–and it doesn’t have lavender in it. It’s from Phaedra. Don’t go anywhere.”I dart into the bathroom and return with a bottle of pure sandalwood oil. I pour a generous amount of san
Mated to the Alpha Kings Chapter 49 : Standing Together
Kent breaks the stunned silence. “We want it said that Alpha Arnold had no knowledge of this wicked plot, and was appalled when he found out. He did what any responsible Alpha would do and exiled Haydon Blessing on the spot. The traitor is not welcome in the Nightstalkers’ kingdom or ours.”The guests’ eyes turn to red and gold. Growls of righteous fury fill the room.Alpha Arnold raises a hand and Kent nods at him, beckoning him. When he approaches us, we move to make room for him. In a solemn voice, he says, “On behalf of our entire pack, I apologize for this betrayal. Haydon Blessing was my friend, but the man I saw tonight was not him. I’m certain that his mate, well-loved in our pack, knows nothing of this. I know this news will break her heart. She will be protected, make no mistake–if the traitor tries to get to her, the entire pack will come after him tooth and claw.”Jordan says in a strong voice, “Make that BOTH our packs.”Every Ruby Nightclaw shifter in the room howls t
Mated to the Alpha Kings Chapter 48 : Aftermath
Their hands are in my hair, and their arms are around me, comforting me. Alpha Arnold murmurs something I don’t catch. It sounds sympathetic. Jordan answers him in a low voice, and I hear Alpha Arnold’s footsteps as he leaves us alone. “He doesn’t blame you,” Jordan whispers.“I should have told him.”It should never have gotten this far with my father. I wish I had said no to him. But who else would he have sent? At least this way I came here and found out the truth. In case he tries to recruit anyone else for this gruesome task, my mates and I will spread the word. The idea makes me quake, but I think we have a duty to warn people about the vile things my father has been saying about the Leavenworths. He might attempt to smear my name, too, although his influence disappeared with him. I didn’t even get to ask him about why he thought a stolen Alpha’s daughter would help him in his warped ambitions. Just as well. He’d just lie and twist everything around and play the victim. Thr
Mated to the Alpha Kings Chapter 47 : The Quality of Mercy
“Do it, if you have the courage,” Haydon taunts my mates. “Kill me in front of her. You’d break her heart and you know it.” My heart is already broken by his actions and words now. “I should be running this pack,” he continues. “I’d be a much stronger leader.”“We’ll just see what your Alpha thinks of that,” Kent shoots back.“Right now, if I were you, I’d be more worried about Aurora.” Haydon looks sorrowful. “You claim to be her mates. You’ve moved her into your suite and been seen joined at the tail with her. Do you know what harming me is going to do to her?”He’s still the man who raised me, unfortunately, and I can hear the tenderness in his voice as he says my name.“Let him go.”I have to force the words out and feel sick when he looks at me. I wish I could say I was surprised.Wiley growls in disbelief–the wolf equivalent of “What the hell?”Jordan and Kent look at me pleadingly. “Aurora, are you sure?” Kent asks, always the one to think through things.My tears bu
Mated to the Alpha Kings Chapter 46 : Never Let Them Go
I can just feel my father’s glee at the thought of me beheading the kings. The anticipation is almost more than he can bear. A little anti-silver medicine goes a long way as I throw it on the kings while my knife lowers to their necks.My father bellows, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” He’s noticed that something seems off. But then, this plan isn’t perfect. Almost perfect, and good enough to trap my father. He should have remembered that by the time the prey sees the snare, it’s too late to escape.The sizzling silver wounds heal instantly and my mates leap up. Fully alive, covered in blood, smiling with defiance. Magnificent. “You’re alive?” Even shouting, my father doesn’t sound so confident now.In fact, the veins are popping out on his forehead, a sure sign he’s panicking. His mouth is opening and closing as he fights for breath. “We’re alive and triumphant,” Kent says. “Clearly.”“Your fault for raising your daughter to be the world’s best hunter,” Jordan taunts my father, clea
Mated to the Alpha Kings Chapter 45 : Silken Death
Halfway through the meal, Elayna gets up and strides to the lectern, then addresses the crowd, regal and poised. “It’s time, in this room full of friends and my dear late husband’s favorite color, to present the Morland Leavenworth Service Award. To give out the award, please welcome his sons and your Alpha Kings, Jordan, Kent, and Wiley.”The guests erupt in applause and cheers. Sneaking a glance at my father, I see something no daughter should have to see on her father’s face. Vicious hatred for my mates.I turn my attention back to the lectern where Jordan, Kent, and Wiley stand proudly in blue, red, and yellow. Jordan begins. “My father loved a good party. Nothing would have made him happier than to see this ballroom crammed with people. He loved to entertain. He was thrilled when his friends enjoyed themselves in his home. Although, as the night wore on, he often had his fill of socializing and would either take a walk in the galleries around the ballroom or in the garden. I
Mated to the Alpha Kings Chapter 44 : Royal Debut
Peeping out into the ballroom, waiting to make our grand entrance, I see a sea of faces all talking, laughing, and bedazzling. Jordan adjusts my moonstone necklace, called the Tears of the Moon Goddess. Made of 24-karat gold, it has layers of moonstones linked together. The matching bracelets set the dress off strikingly, and he checks the clasps on them.“These are just breathtaking,” I say. “Thank you for this gift.”Jordan, radiant in blue and gold silk, kisses my shoulder. “Treasures for our treasure. Are you ready?”“Do I look ready?”“You look blindingly beautiful,” Kent says. He’s chosen to wear red velvet with gold trim. I spot Brynna in the crowd talking to one of the lords at court. “She looks fantastic,” I murmur, with a grumble in my voice.Sharp-eyed Wiley, in a yellow silk suit, follows my gaze. “So, what did she do to you?”I sigh. “Stole the boy I liked when she knew I liked him and never apologized. She could have had any boy in the pack, but she picked him.”
Mated to the Alpha Kings Chapter 43 : Demanding Proof of Death
I spend the rest of the day planning the ball with the kings and Elayna. After much deliberation, we all take a vote on the theme. We vote by secret ballot and Natasha and Stewart get a vote as well. Jordan and Elayna vote for the red with wolf pups.Kent, Wiley, and I vote for the yellow.Natasha votes for the autumn-patterned one.Stewart votes for the green with the hunter’s bow. Elayna doesn't seem crushed that yellow won. “It’s perfect,” she declares.Kent and Wiley hug her. “It’ll look spectacular,” Wiley says. “I love yellow, just like Dad did. Now, about the music–”“We decided to give your friend’s band another chance,” Kent says. “It turns out that the tavern brawl was blown out of proportion.”Wiley howls with glee. “Thank you!”I shake my head, smiling. Elayna looks less than convinced, but she doesn’t make an issue of it. If her sons are happy, she’s happy.Elayna is still looking over the menu. “Well, I just wanted to be sure. I wanted to have those little b
Mated to the Alpha Kings Chapter 42 : Old Friends and Old Lovers
“I’d be honored to be your date,” Brynna says to Jordan, deliberately ignoring the deafening silence and the stony looks.This must be breaking every rule of royal protocol, and considering my assassination attempt, I’m hardly one to throw the first stone. But Jordan didn’t exactly give her any encouragement. Whatever Brynna’s faults, I thought she knew how to read the room. And the room is saying, “Go away.”She’s always been the sophisticated one, even as a fellow hunter. When we were growing up, she’d spend hours doing my makeup and hair and trying on clothes with me. My mother approved of that because it balanced out all the hours hunting in the woods with my father and coming back with mud in my fur. To my mother, you could still be a hunter and be feminine. Shifter women have balanced both for centuries. I was always hungry for a sister. As an only child, I craved that sibling experience. Derric was a wonderful friend and I had other girlfriends in the pack, but there are thi
