Alpha Returned
Feral Mates Book Three
Eden Beck
Sabrina Thatcher
Alpha Returned by Eden Beck and Sabrina Thatcher
© 2021 Eden Beck and Sabrina Thatcher
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All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of including brief passages for use in a review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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For permissions contact:
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Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Epilogue
A Note From The Authors
Also by Eden Beck
Also by Sabrina Thatcher
Chapter One
It’s funny how sometimes in the most stressful moments of our lives, it feels like time slows to a crawl. It freezes, turns into a snapshot in time. We focus so intently that every single detail drifts past us like it’s on the lazy river of our minds. Everything could be pure chaos around us, we could be in mortal danger, and yet it’s in these moments that we can find the purest clarity.
This moment, for example, is one of those moments.
Here I am staring at the three loves of my life—Roman, Teague, Elon—and I’ve just pledged to marry someone else.
Not just anyone else, either. An enemy.
The enemy.
Rylan.
There are a myriad of thoughts settling in the center of my head simultaneously, and I am fully concentrating on each and every one of them. I wonder if it’s a wolf-shifter thing, because I don’t remember ever thinking so clearly before. There’s no way to know, I suppose, because as a human I was never in true mortal danger.
Like I am now.
It’s not like I have anything to base what’s “normal” off of in these kinds of situations.
What I do know is that I was a human with a miserable life; an orphan who was launched straight out of cold, loveless foster homes and into a toxic relationship with a shallow, selfish, control-freak of a boyfriend. I thought my dead-end life was all I’d ever have.
I couldn’t have ever guessed it, but I was so lucky when I was mistaken for someone else; a female demon, a succubus, and bitten by an alpha wolf shifter on a full moon. The chances of that happening, I’ve since learned, are slim to none.
Everything about my life changed in that moment.
The wolf shifter who ripped my skin open with his poisonous bite took me in to care for me along with his small pack of two other men—all of them gorgeous, kind, thoughtful, protective, and intensely loyal.
Those three have taken better care of me than I’ve ever been cared for in my life.
They didn’t expect me to survive the bite, but I did. Not only am I alive, but I’ve transformed into a wolf shifter myself; a fated mate of all three of the guys; Roman, Elon, and Teague, and I am becoming more powerful every day.
If only they were the only mates I’d been fated to.
If only Rylan didn’t bear the mark that binds me to him as well, giving him as equal a right to me as the others.
The others—Roman, Teague, and Elon—are gaping at me in utter disbelief right now. They and the entire Nashville pack look on in varying degrees of horror.
Everyone, that is, but me.
Because I know I’m doing the right thing.
Roman made a big mess by turning me into a wolf shifter. He broke strict rules doing that, but that’s all he’s been doing—breaking rules. He’s on par with a prince, but when he inherited his kingdom and was expected to take his place as alpha, he took off instead, abandoning the obligation he had to his pack and his realm.
Now we’re staring into the face of that mess, and this time, there’s nowhere for Roman to run.
His sister Isla is at my side. She had to pick up the pieces and try to run it all when Roman left, but it’s been overwhelming for her because she’s not an alpha. Everything about their pack and their way of life is crumbling around them because Roman wouldn’t take the lead.
And now it’s too late.
We never should have come back here. I know Roman came back home to Nashville expecting to find security and support from his old pack and his sister—the very family he’d deserted. We needed protection from Rylan.
The very same Rylan who is their greatest enemy, their cousin, and now as he stands beside me—my fiancée.
Rylan gloats at my side, looking as if he’s just eaten the golden goose, and my boys, my beautiful, sweet, strong, sexy as hell, precious boys, are staring at me as if they cannot understand the words I’ve spoken.
Until, suddenly, the meaning of them finally settles in.
“NO!” They all shout together, chorused by the rest of the pack. Everyone is horrified, and with good reason. Rylan is a notorious monster; a mob boss, a chauvinist, a heartless, cruel beast in a man’s form.
There’s just no other way. My insides twist sharply as I see the pain and confusion on Elon, Teague, and Roman’s faces.
I see them start to step forward, and out of the corner of my eye, I see the members of Rylan’s pack do the same.
“Stop!” I yell, shifting on my feet to stand closer to Rylan. “Don’t come any closer. I’ve made my decision.”
They stop suddenly, blinking at me in confusion.
“You can’t!” Roman roars, eyes fixed on me. “I won’t allow it!”
Fire flares up inside of me. It’s going to take some doing, but I have to make him see reason.
“This is my choice!” I state adamantly. I turn then to Rylan and look him dead in the eye. “I will marry you on the condition that not one wolf of Roman’s pack is harmed in the slightest. All of them must go free right now, and I will come with you.”
The shifters all around us move anxiously on their feet. I can sense the tension in the air, smell the bloodlust and anger. I have to stop this now. Now, before one fateful move sends the two packs into chaos.
Rylan narrows his eyes at me. “You presume to give me orders, do you?”
He moves closer to me, his voice lowering. I know the shifters around us can still hear him, but somehow that only makes his words send more shivers down my spine.
“You’ll learn soon enough that I do not take orders from anyone; I give them. You will come with me because you are my fated mate, and you will be my wife.”
He straightens up then, his head lifting with his voice as he calls out above the packs. “My pack will not harm a single one of your shifters before our wedding, and to be sure that Sydney here does indeed hold to her word a
nd marry me … I will be taking Isla with us as insurance.”
He jerks his head at Anuba, and before anyone can even blink, Anuba has Isla firmly in her grasp at Rylan’s other side. Isla’s husband Conan makes a run for her, but three of Rylan’s shifters shove him back as he strains to get to her.
Isla’s eyes wet with tears and she shakes her head at him. I can smell the fear and anxiety coming off of her, and I worry for the twin babies she’s carrying deep in her belly. Twins that I know Rylan can sense.
It only makes his choice all the more cruel.
“NO!” Isla shakes her head fiercely. “Conan, stop. I couldn’t bear to lose you … not now. Not when I need you most. Please stop!”
Conan, afraid for her and for the babies she carries in her fifth month, steps back reluctantly. But there’s no reluctance in him when he whirls on Rylan.
“You can’t take her!” he shouts at Rylan. His eyes are a burning flame, his gaze set so intensely on the alpha of the rival pack that I’m surprised even Rylan doesn’t wither under the weight of it.
Instead, Rylan only laughs coldly for a moment. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll take her now, and you can all leave safely, or she can stay with you and I’ll kill every single one of you and take Sydney as my wife, anyway. It’s your choice.”
“I’ll go!” Isla growls hatefully.
Everyone is silent. There really is no choice. Rylan scoffs at them.
“Do not worry, pup, she’ll be safe, and she’ll be returned to you when my fated mate Sydney honors her vow.”
Rylan faces me and I see the corners of his thin mouth turn up slightly. It’s not a smile. It’s a sneer. He leans closer to me, gripping my chin tightly with one hand, and suddenly his mouth is hard on mine; his lips crushing as they pry mine open.
My eyes are shut tight in horror and disgust, but it’s nothing compared to what I feel coming off of my boys. Their rage is volcanic. I know that Rylan, hovering over me, can sense it as well—or perhaps even better. His free hand slides down my body slowly, over my breast to my waist to sculpt around to the curve of my hip, drawing me up against him.
Roman, Teague, and Elon explode; their hatred finding unimaginable volume and words.
I don’t move. There’s too much at stake. Rylan’s lips are burning on mine, and it takes my breath away. I’m stunned. Frozen to the spot. This has got to be a weird mate thing. I can’t stand this man, but there’s no denying what I felt.
What I feel.
Rylan finally lets me go ever so gradually, staring into my eyes. It’s shocking to me, but I can see that I’ve taken his breath away as well. He’s felt something as unexpected in that moment as I did, though most of me wants nothing more than to vomit on the spot.
With a few blinks, he turns and chuckles softly in the direction of the boys who are barely being held back by the biggest members of the pack. Even still, they’re just able to restrain them.
I consider for a moment that all three of my boys are enormous. Roman at 6’5” with his dark brown hair and brown eyes, his solid frame, and lumberjack look. Teague, who is the quintessence of exquisite style, standing at 6’2”, a wall of a man with eyes so blue they’d be striking even if they weren’t set into the most beautiful ebony skin I’ve ever seen. And then there’s sweet Elon, just over six feet tall, with his dark brown hair, warm honey brown eyes, and golden skin perpetually summer-tanned. They really are so beautiful, and so big—it’s a wonder that the other members of the pack are able to hold them back at all.
Even Rylan sees this, knowing it’s better not to tarry. The longer he waits to sweep me and Isla away, the more likely Roman or the others will break free and rip his head off before even his own pack has the chance to stop him.
So, Rylan takes a step back, gives me one last admiring once over, and then turns back to address the remainder of the Nashville pack.
“We’re staying at a hotel. Conan, Roman, Teague, and Elon—you may come by for a brief visit to say goodbye. If any of the rest of you come, or if anyone tries to take either woman from me, I will kill Isla. It would serve her right for not marrying me when she was told to.”
Isla refuses to look at him, and for the first time, I remember that it was Isla who was his born mate.
Taking her with me is no matter of convenience. It’s payback.
Chapter Two
As unlikely as it seemed for a minute, we somehow manage to leave the Pantheon without bloodshed.
Or—without more bloodshed than there already was, anyway.
Now we sit in the back seat of an unfamiliar SUV. Isla is in the middle, Anuba is to her left, and I am to her right. The thought crosses my mind ever-fleetingly that I could open the door and jump; tuck and roll in an attempt to escape … but I know Isla wouldn’t get two inches before Anuba stopped her.
If she even tried. Even Isla might not be so foolish as to risk the lives of the pups inside her.
Rylan was right. Isla is good insurance.
The best kind of insurance.
Rylan sits in the passenger’s seat in front of us while one of his other shifters is driving. No one speaks, and the silence is heavy. It’s all I can do to try to slow my heart down. I was cool as a cucumber when we were vis-à-vis on the steps of the Parthenon, our very lives hinging on each passing second, but now that we’re tucked into the car and speeding toward some hotel, a rush of emotion is about to hemorrhage inside me.
The last thing I want is for Rylan to sense it.
I don’t want him to discover any weakness in me.
I know that if he does, he’ll exploit it. He’ll use it, twist it, find a way to turn it against me. I must do everything I can to maintain an upper hand.
Maintain an upper hand. It’s almost laughable.
There’s a lot riding on me, and I need him to at least respect me, if I can get there. Besides, I tell myself, I have to stay strong for Isla. I can feel her going to pieces beside me. Wolf senses are extreme, and every single emotion carries a scent, every hormone, everything. I’m beginning to think that even thoughts are connected between wolves in some kind of small way. I wish we could communicate telepathically like a phone call with a blocking option, but it just doesn’t work like that. We have the next best thing.
Supernaturally intuitive senses.
Senses that are currently telling me that Isla, strong, self-assured Isla, has never been so afraid for her life as she is now.
I turn to her and give her an encouraging smile, taking her hand in mine firmly.
“We’re going to get through this. We are,” I assure her. I know everyone in the car can hear me. Wolf and hunter hearing. I don’t care. The message isn’t for them, it’s for her.
Isla nods at me, though I can feel the utter fear coming off of her still. “I trust you,” she says, quietly. “Whatever it is that you’re doing.”
“We’re jumping off the ledge of faith into the unknown, but we have each other, and that’s all we really need.” I speak warmly. My message is clear to her—I’m there for her, and the pack, and I’m going to do anything it takes to make sure that we are all okay.
Even if it means marrying Rylan.
I’d like to believe there’s another option, that fate will swoop in and offer me some kind of escape—but at the moment, I’m not very confident.
It’s a short while later that we pull up to the front door of a swanky hotel. I’ve only ever stayed in a nice hotel one time, right before I turned into a wolf shifter. The boys and I had a penthouse, and even that wasn’t as elite as this place.
We’re escorted from the vehicle like we’re fine china and ushered up to the penthouse. It takes up the entire top floor. Three bedrooms en suite, a sitting room, a full kitchen, a bar, and an office. There’s also a large outdoor balcony that holds a swimming pool, a jacuzzi, and a small bar, with a generous seating area and a stunning view. I’m sure there’s more, but we aren’t exactly getting the grand tour.
In fact, aside from a brief
glimpse at the opulence of the place, we’re not even allowed to admire it. We’re shown straight to the only room without windows in the middle of the floor and shuffled to a couple chairs placed in the otherwise empty room.
There’s a strange, sterile scent hanging in the air that makes the hair on my arms stand on end. My wolf senses are going crazy as I struggle to keep my mind from wandering to the previous unfortunate occupants of this very room.
Isla and I are still holding hands, we haven’t let go. We’re seated all of three minutes when the front door opens and the boys, along with Conan, are shown in. They come straight for us as two hunters stand watch a few feet away. Isla and I only break our own grip to launch ourselves into their arms.
“How are you? Are you hurt?” Conan studies her closely. She shakes her head.
“I’m all right.”
“And you? You’re okay?” Roman asks, only barely breathing, staring hard into my eyes as if he’s afraid it’s the last time he’ll see them.
A fear that, I realize with a crippling wave of nausea, might be true.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I reply, sensing a riot of emotion within him, Teague, and Elon.
I wonder what they’re sensing from me.
All three of them take a turn holding me tightly, and then embrace Isla as Conan gives me a hug, too.
The moment Conan lets go of me, Roman grabs me by the shoulders and glares at me so intensely I can feel it in my bones.
“How could you do this? Just sacrificing yourself to him like that? We could have done anything else. Something else!”
I lift my hands to his arms and draw them off of me, sliding my hands down into his to hold them firmly.
Alpha Returned: A Rejected Mates Reverse Harem Shifter Series (Feral Mates Book 3) Page 1