Wolf in Sheep's Clothing (Alpha Queen Series Book 1)

by Elise St. George

  “Why are my clothes in your drawers?” I ask. “And why were my shoes by your closet door, Ryan?” I look at Ryan while he blushes a little.

  “When I realized that you were both mine and Marcus’s mate, during your date, I brought your suitcases over to our house and unpacked your clothes. I put some clothes and underwear in both our rooms since I knew you were coming over last night after dinner. I hope you don’t mind,” he says.

  “Of course I don’t mind,” I say. “That’s actually very thoughtful of you. I would’ve had to walk around here with your clothes on until I was able to get back to Amelia’s house.” Both men look at each other and Ryan slaps his forehead.

  “Damn,” he mutters. “I should've left the clothes at Amelia’s.”

  “That’s what you get for being so thoughtful,” jokes Marcus. Marcus’s phone starts ringing, he picks up, and his face goes from amused to concerned. “What happened? Is she ok?” He hangs ups the phone and looks at Ryan and me.

  “Ryan, pack up breakfast, we’re heading to mom’s house,” he says. “Jade, go upstairs and get dressed. Someone attacked mom and Carrie at the house last night.”

  I run upstairs quickly and got dressed in jeans in a t-shirt. I decided to keep the boots on since I don’t have time to look for my other shoes. I run back downstairs and help Ryan pack up the food and bring it to the car. We all pile in the car quickly and Ryan drives us to Amelia’s house because Marcus is too nervous.

  “Did she say what happened to them?” I ask.

  “All she said was that someone attacked the house last night, but it was taken care of. She knew the importance of us mating so she decided to wait until morning to call us. She sounded calm, but it doesn’t stop me from freaking out,” he said.

  We pull up to Amelia’s house and Marcus jumps out the car before Ryan can even come to a full stop. Ryan parks quickly and we jump out the car and rush into the house. We come to a stop when we see Amelia and Carrie in the living room, and Carrie is sitting in the lap of some wolf. From the anger I see on Marcus and Ryan’s faces, they must recognize him.

  “Carrie, get the fuck out of his lap,” Marcus snarls yanking Carrie out of the shifter’s arms and into Ryan’s arms. As soon as she enters Ryan’s arms, the guy in the living room starts growling.

  “Stop, Marcus! Ryan! He’s my mate!” yells Carrie.

  “What the fuck?” Marcus yells. “You know who he is, right? You know that's the little brother of the guy I’m fighting this weekend? Hell, they probably sent him over here to take you or mom out so my head wouldn’t be in the challenge.”

  “He’s right, you know,” says the man on the couch. He’s a tall, lanky guy with brown hair and green eyes. He’s not really my type, but I can see how someone else may find him attractive. I look at Carrie and see that she’s looking at me.

  “Help me,” she mouths. She looks so sad and lost that I can’t help but come to her aid. I walk over to Marcus, wrap my arms around his waist, and he instantly relaxes. He looks over at his sister and sees her smiling, then looks down at me. He smirks because he realizes what I did for his sister.

  “At least hear him out, baby,” I say. His eyes widen when I call him baby and he’s automatically in a better mood. He turns to the guy on the couch and clears his throat.

  “Why are you here, Harold?” he asks. Harold? Damn that such an old man’s name, but if he’s Carries’ mate then we should at least hear him out. Harold takes a deep breath, puts his head in his hands, and looks Marcus directly in the eyes.

  “You’re right, I was sent here to try to kill your mom and sister. Your sister’s window was partially open so I was able to get in through the window. Little did I know, she heard me and hit me across the head with a lamp. She didn’t totally knock me out, but I was definitely taken by surprise. While tying me to a chair --,” he says with a chuckle while Ryan straight up laughs and Carrie turns red. I look at Marcus and see his eyes crinkle in amusement, but he’s still maintaining a serious face. “Her fingers brushed mine and we felt the connection.”

  As he says that final sentence, he's staring straight into Carrie’s eyes with so much tenderness that I can’t dispute the fact they’re mates. He’s so caught up in her eyes that he’s stopped telling his story. Marcus clears his throat, causing Harold’s eyes to snap back to Marcus. He blushes a little and continues his story.

  “She kept me tied up until I explained to her that, although I was sent there to kill one of them, that wasn’t my plan. I had decided to warn them before I even entered the house. In hindsight, I probably should’ve just knocked on the front door,” he says with a blush.

  “No shit,” says Ryan from behind. I glare at him a little. He needs to take it easy, especially if this guy really came to warn us. He snorts and turns his gaze back to Harold.

  “Why warn us, Harry? You don’t mind if I call you Harry, do you?” I ask.

  He smiles at me. “Of course not. Nobody’s ever called me Harry before Carrie did last night, and it’s growing on me. My dad and half-brother are so old-fashioned, and the truth is that I’ve always hated my name. As for the reason why I warned you...my mother grew up in this pack.”

  Everybody in the room gasps.

  “Who’s your mother?” Amelia asks.

  “Lily,” he responds. Amelia looks at him thoughtfully for a minute. After a while, she doesn’t say anything, but her eyes start to tear up.

  “Lily was my first friend when I moved back here. She disappeared around the same time as my mate. We assumed she was killed by hunters like him. I should’ve noticed, though, you have the same color eyes and hair like her. She’s been in the Monongahela pack next territory over this entire time?” Amelia asks.

  “Not really,” he says sadly. “She was in a bit of a rebellious stage during that time and was sneaking over to see my dad. When the hunters were coming for your mate and children , he took that opportunity to kidnap her under the guise of a date. I was born about nine months later, and mom died in childbirth. Honestly, I think she was so lonely and depressed, she didn’t fight to stay alive. I was raised in my dad’s pack, but I’ve never really fit in because of my mother. Everybody sees me around Richard, but I’m really just his whipping boy. I hate him and dad, especially when they approached me to murder one two women so Richard could have an advantage in the challenge for alpha of your pack. They said it was a way that I could prove myself as a true member of the pack. I agreed to do it so I could run away from my pack, but they’ll probably be sending someone here to follow up and make sure the job is done. They don’t trust me the way they would trust each other. Now that I’ve met Carrie, there’s no way I’m leaving, but I can help you as much as possible.”

  “I don’t know if we can trust you man. You may be my sister’s mate, but there’s no way I’m leaving her alone in this house with you until you prove yourself to us. That includes mating with my sister. How do I know you aren’t lying and won’t just kill her mid-mating.”

  Carrie looks like she’s about to interrupt, but Harry holds his hand up. She instantly silences while the guys gaze in shock.

  “No, babe, your brother is right. Until I prove myself, I can’t be left alone with any of you women. He wouldn’t be doing his job as enforcer if he didn’t voice his concerns. I need to prove myself in order to be worthy of you.”

  “Well, since that’s all settled,” interrupts Ryan. “We have a fully cooked breakfast packed up in the car if anyone is hungry. We could at least talk about depressing things around breakfast.”

  “He’s right,” Amelia says. All the men walk out to the car and get the food we packed up. Ryan even made sure to put some of the uncooked food on ice so he could continue cooking at Amelia’s house. Ryan heads straight for the stove and begins cooking, while everyone else sits at the kitchen table.

  “So, Harry,” Marcus begins. “You said they’ll probably send another assassin after you to make sure you got the job done? They won’t suspect something if
you don’t return?”

  “No. I told them I was taking a vacation after I sent a message that the job was done. They probably figured I was running, and sending someone behind me to finish the job if I didn’t do it. They don’t care enough about me to try to hunt me down,” Harry responds.

  “Ok. That’s very helpful. In fact, we can make a plan since we know what’s going to happen in the next few days until the challenge. I’m still a little shell shocked that they would stoop so low...I mean, murder?”

  “You have no idea what my dad is like,” Harry responds. “I mean, Richard isn’t usually so bad when dad isn’t around, but he still has a bit of a cruel streak to him. More than anything, he doesn’t like being outdone or upstaged. When you fight him, you need to embarrass him so he’ll get reckless and make mistakes. I’m sorry to say, also, that you need to fight to kill because he’s not going to show you any mercy.”

  The ominous tone his voice has the whole kitchen silent other than the sizzle of the bacon on the stove. Everyone is deep in thought because this conversation took a turn for the worse rather quickly.

  “I have an idea,” says Carrie. All eyes turn on her and she blushes a little. She’s much more submissive with her mate around, and I’m not sure if Marcus and Ryan know how to take it. “Why don’t we fake momma’s death? Harry can call his dad and brother and tell them he finished the job. The challenge isn’t until this weekend, and it’s only Tuesday so we can have a fake funeral for her and just keep her hidden until the day of the challenge. Then, we show up to the challenge and catch them off guard. Since they’ll expect her to be dead and we’ll be the ones with the upper hand.”

  At this point, Ryan has stopped cooking and staring at Carrie like the rest of us.

  “When did you get so fucking smart?” he blurts out.

  “Hey,” yells Carrie while the rest of us fall into laughter. Ryan finished breakfast, lays it out on the table, and sits next to me. Everybody digs in their food, and once again, it’s amazing. Damn, Ryan should open up a restaurant like Gino.

  Breakfast continues with us making plans to fake Amelia’s death. We need to make it as real as possible, so we decide that the only people who need to know about the plan are the people in this and my mámá . We decide to call James to pick up Amelia tonight and take her to Cooper’s Rock and announce her death to the pack tomorrow. Carrie is making the funeral arrangements since that’s her job as Amelia’s heir, and Marcus plans to call Gino to cater the funeral reception. Apparently, Gino’s is a neutral location between the two packs and the gossip hotspot so Harry’s dad and brother will get the news about her death and funeral arrangements.

  After I call James to come get Amelia, I ask him why he left in the first place and his response had me shocked.

  “You forget that I already know Ryan and Marcus, and I know they’re more than capable of protecting you from any threats so there was no need for me to stay. However, princess, I will be back late tonight to pick up Amelia. Although the circumstances aren’t the best, your mother is glad to have her back in Cooper’s Rock, even if only for a little while. Take care, princess, and I’ll see you tonight.”

  I hang up the phone with James, and turn back to the conversation at the table, listening to the final plans. Once everything is put in place, Marcus and Ryan get up to leave so I stand up as well.

  “No, baby,” Ryan says as he sits me back down. “You stay here with Amelia, Harry, and Carrie.”

  “Why?” I ask.

  “I’m planning on cooking you dinner for our date tonight so I need to set up the house first, and I need Marcus to help me. He’ll come back with the outfit I need you to wear and to say goodnight to you. He’s staying here tonight to say goodbye to Amelia and keep an eye on Harry,” he explains. and then turns his head in apology towards Harry. “No offense, man.”

  “None taken.”

  “Yay!” Carrie squeals. “I get to spend more time with you and Harry today.”

  “Can I least walk with you to the car and say goodbye?” I ask.

  “Of course, baby,” he says. The guys hug Amelia and Carrie before walking with me to the car. Marcus grabs me and gives me a quick kiss before getting on the driver’s side. Ryan pulls me close and squeezes my ass, then pulls me close and kisses me deeply. He pulls back to get in the car, and at that moment, I don’t want either one of them to leave me. I wave goodbye as they start the car and pull off, then I hear someone scream my name and see Ryan hanging out the window.

  “We’ll finish what we started tonight, Jade!” he yells out the window with a laugh and I can hear Amelia, Carrie, and Harry laughing. I can’t believe he yelled that out loud for everyone to hear. I’m super embarrassed, but horny at the same time. I can’t wait for tonight.

  Chapter 6

  Jade’s Diary

  I’ve been able to spend the last two days being loved on by my mates, but it’s time to get serious. Amelia is safe in Cooper’s Rock with mámá and having tons of fun while we prep for her funeral. It’s a little strange planning a funeral for someone you know is alive because pack members keep giving Carrie and Marcus their condolences and bringing food by the house. Hopefully, we’ll be able to pull this off until the challenge this weekend, but we need to play along for the next few days.

  ⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕

  I’m sitting in Amelia’s living room with a hot cup of cocoa, laughing at the stories Carrie and Amelia tell me about Marcus. They even have some really great stories of the trouble Marcus and Ryan used to get in as teenagers.

  “There was this one time in high school,” Carrie says as she begins to laugh. “There was this girl that Ryan used to date, I think her name was Julia. She was coo-coo for cocoa puffs and, to be honest, Ryan stayed with her way longer than he should have. He’s always been the nicer of the two, and he didn’t want to hurt the girl's feelings. When he finally got the courage to break up with her, she flipped her shit. She starts wailing on him, and he is way too nice to hit her back so he was crouched on the floor shouting help.”

  I’m literally imagining the scene in my head, and laugh my ass off.

  “Oh girl,” she says, “It gets way better. So Marcus runs in and tries to pull her off Ryan. Little does he know, her best friend and the girl he just dumped comes in and starts hitting Marcus. Now Marcus is on the ground next to his best friend, and they’re both yelling for help. At this point, everybody in the school is surrounding them and laughing their asses off. Hell, even some of the teachers were laughing. I had to jump in and pull both those whores off my brother and Ryan, and when they turned on me I started yipping and they ran off.”

  “What the hell do you mean by yipping?” Harry asks.

  “I hope you never find out,” I groan. As we’re laughing some more, Marcus walks through the front door and into the living room.

  “What are you guys laughing about?” he asks.

  “We’re laughing about that time you and Ryan got beat up by those two girls in the high school, and I had to come save you two,” Carrie yells.

  “Oh god,” Marcus says. “Don’t tell that story to my mate...it’ll ruin my reputation. Besides, I wouldn’t call that loud ass sound that comes out your mouth ‘saving us’, either. Anyways, you know how vicious female wolf shifters can be.” He thinks about his words for a second and then realizes what he just said. “Of course, I don’t mean mom or Jade, but the single females in this pack are vicious. I’m just glad I’m mated so I don’t have to avoid them anymore.”

  At that point, Carrie launches into more stories about Ryan and Marcus’s encounters with the various women in the pack and quickly gets shushed by her brother. Marcus turns to me and hands me a bag with some clothes in them.

  “Here are the clothes Ryan wants you to wear for dinner,” he says handing me the bag. “Go get dressed and wait upstairs for me to come get you.”

  “I’m coming with you,” Carries exclaims. “In fact, you can get ready in
my room so I can do your makeup and I’ll tell you more stories.” She grabs my hand and pulls me upstairs while narrowly missing Marcus swiping at her., and she sticks out her tongue in victory. I love watching the camaraderie between the siblings and it makes me wish I had them. Our line has only birthed one female child in the past few generations, but I’m hoping to break tradition by having more than one.

  If I’m being honest, I want a child with each one of my mates so I can have a tiny version of each one of them. I’m so lost in thought that I put the outfit on without really looking at it, but when I look in the mirror, I realize he picked out a nice white sundress for me to wear. I didn’t realize I packed it, but maybe it was mámá . She’s always telling me I need to wear dresses more often.

  I walk out the bathroom and realize that Carrie isn’t there, I look around for her until I see a note on the desk from Carrie. Apparently, Ryan didn’t want me wearing any makeup tonight so she went back downstairs to talk to Harry. A few minutes pass by and I’m wondering what’s taking so long until I hear a knock on the door. I open it and see Marcus standing in the doorway.

  “I’m escorting you downstairs like Ry did yesterday. I like the dress he picked out, by the way, you look cute,” Marcus says.

  “I didn’t look cute yesterday?” I ask slightly insulted.

  “You looked sexy as hell last night, and you look cute today,” he says with a wink. “Now let’s go see Ryan.”

  Marcus grabs my arm to escort me downstairs. When we reach the bottom, Ryan stands at the bottom with a picnic basket in hand and my outfit makes total sense.