by Bella Jewel
ALARICK
BELLA JEWEL 2020
Also by Bella Jewel
Iron Fury MC
Darkest Hour
Sassy Little Thing
Our Final Tale
Whiskey Burning
Hushed Torment
Me, please.
Jokers' Wrath MC
Melancholy
Anguish
Desolation
Precarious
Jokers' Wrath Boxed Set
Bestie
Valiant
MC Sinners
Hell's Knights
MC Sinners Next Generation
Manacle
Drifter
Rumblin' Knights
Knights Rising
Knights Fury
Knights Burden
The MC Sinners Series
Knights' Sinner
Heaven's Sinners
Volume One
We Are One
Standalone
Number Thirteen
Wingman (Woman)
'Til Death
'Til Death Pt 2
'Til Death Boxed Set
Flawed Heart
Flawed Love
How To Fall In Love
Pandemonium
Fleeting Moments
Amore - Boxed Set
Wild Child
Alarick
Table of Contents
Title Page
Also By Bella Jewel
DEDICATION
~*ALARICK*~
ALARICK | Copyright © 2020 Bella Jewel
~*ACKNOWLEDGMENTS*~
PROLOGUE | NOW - BRIELLA
1 | NOW - BRIELLA
2 | THEN – BRIELLA
3 | NOW – BRIELLA
4 | THEN – BRIELLA
5 | NOW - BRIELLA
6 | THEN – BRIELLA
6 | NOW – BRIELLA
7 | THEN – BRIELLA | 16 YEARS OLD
8 | NOW – BRIELLA
9 | THEN – BRIELLA | 18 YEARS OLD
10 | NOW – BRIELLA
11 | THEN – BRIELLA
12 | NOW – BRIELLA
13 | THEN – BRIELLA
14 | NOW – BRIELLA
15 | THEN - BRIELLA
16 | NOW – BRIELLA
17 | THEN- BRIELLA
18 | NOW – BRIELLA
19 | THEN – BRIELLA
20 | NOW – BRIELLA
21 | NOW – BRIELLA
TO BE CONTINUED....
Also By Bella Jewel
DEDICATION
To Lance
For believing in me and kicking my ass to keep writing even when I didn’t want to.
For this awesome title. I suppose it’s pretty good ☺
For always making me laugh, even if I occasionally snort.
For loving me harder than I’ve ever been loved.
For being the best damn thing to ever happen to me.
This is for you.
It’s always for you.
~*ALARICK*~
All rights reserved. This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any form without prior written permission of the publisher, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized distribution, circulation or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly. Thank you for respecting the work of this author.
ALARICK
Copyright © 2020 Bella Jewel
ALARICK is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and events portrayed in this book either are from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, establishments, events, or location is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
~*ACKNOWLEDGMENTS*~
As always, my heartfelt thanks to every single blogger, reader and author that has supported my journey. From reading my books, to sharing them, to raving about them, to being there for me. Thank you. My career would be nothing without any of you.
A huge thanks to the gorgeous ladies from Give Me Books for organizing my reveals and blitzes. You all do such an amazing job. No matter how many times I use you, I am always blown away by how efficient you are. Nothing is ever a drama. Thank you for giving me so much support.
A massive thanks to Ben Ellis from Tall Story Designs for this gorgeous cover. You’re the easiest, most efficient person I’ve ever worked with. You make my covers absolutely gorgeous every single time. I couldn’t do it without you.
To my favorite editor Wendi from Ready, set, edit, for always coming through for me on my edits, whenever I need them. You’re amazing and I’m so thankful to you. You’re super easy to work with and so nice. I’m glad to team up with you for these things.
To Golden from Furious Fotog for snapping this GORGEOUS cover image. You know how much I love it, and I have no words. Your work is amazing, keep it up. You’re incredible.
To Tyler Bland, the cover model. Well, it’s pretty simple isn’t it, keep being you and looking awesome, and I’ll keep buying those covers. You’re such a nice guy, thanks for sharing yourself with the world by being on this cover.
And of course, to my admin, MJ, for ALWAYS keeping my page running beautifully. I couldn’t do it without you, girly. I love your teasers and your passion; thank you for taking the time out of your life to help this poor girl keep everything running.
And, last but certainly not least, to my loyal readers. To each and every one of you that picks up my books and give me a chance. To the reviews you write, good or bad. To the time you take to make me a better person. You make this real for me; never stop giving such love and passion. You make our journey so amazing.
PROLOGUE
NOW - BRIELLA
“How are you feeling, Briella?”
I stare at Dr. Peterson who is looking at me from over the top of his glasses, his head tipped forward, his expression kind. He’s tall, with greying hair and gentle brown eyes. He’s always wearing the same lab coat with the same coffee stain, and yet it makes you feel like you know him just a little better. If you could pick a doctor, it would be him. He makes you feel like you’re going to be okay, like everything in the world isn’t as scary as it seems when you’re sitting in his office receiving bad news.
Do they teach that in medical school?
How to make people feel like their world isn’t crumbling around them when they receive bad news?
I bet they do.
I bet he aced that class, because without him I never would have handled the news he dealt to me only a week earlier.
“I’m okay,” I tell him. “To be honest, I feel ... normal. I mean, I get headaches but nothing that is any different to my usual ones.”
He nods, writing something down on his laptop before looking back at me. “That’s all normal for this stage, but as your tumor grows, those headaches will get worse. You may also experience numbness, paralysis in one side, vision loss, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting, just to name a few.”
“Wow,” I murmur. “Hit me right with the ugly details, Doc.”
He chuckles. “It’s my job, I’m afraid. Are you getting any sleep?”
I shrug and nod. “Yeah, I am sleeping well. Like I said, right now, I feel normal. Like there is nothing going on inside me, you know? If I didn’t come in here and get all those tests, I’d probably think I just had a virus that was causing more headaches tha
n normal. Is that how this is supposed to feel?”
He nods. “For a while, yes. A lot of people have these things and don’t know, but you found yours early enough that you shouldn’t have any long-term damage from it. Provided you follow my advice and have it removed as soon as possible. The longer you leave it, the worse it’ll get, and you’ll be putting your life at risk.”
Right.
My life.
Nothing major.
Exhale.
“Again with the hitting me with the horrible truth.”
He smiles, warmly. He does that a lot. Like he thinks my sarcastic personality is enjoyable. I cross my arms and lean back in the chair, staring out the window at the blue sky that we haven’t seen for quite a few days now.
Rain always finds a way of showing up when you don’t want it. Like a dark cloud that drags you down.
God.
I’m making myself crazier, I swear.
“Have you spoken to your family about this yet?”
I snort, softly, so it’s still lady like. “No. My mom is dead.”
He blinks, shocked. “She’s dead?”
“Yes, dead. Gone. I lost her five years ago. My father died when I was just a baby.”
“Do you have siblings?”
“A sister, and two step siblings,” I mumble.
“Are you close with any of them?”
I exhale, crossing my arms. “I am with my sister, when she’s not driving me crazy. The other two, once, yeah. We were close. Not so much anymore. When my mom died, I just ... I didn’t deal. I stayed with them and I just felt so broken. Things went bad, I suppose, it’s a long story. I ran one day, it just, got too much and I haven’t spoken to them since. But, you’ll be glad to hear I’m going home. I kind of have to. My sister is ... in some trouble and well, I want to sort that out before I get this surgery.”
“I wouldn’t recommend waiting long, Briella. Your symptoms will only proceed to get worse, and, as I said ...”
“Yeah, my life, I get it. But, if I don’t go and fix this, and something goes wrong in my surgery, she’s going to be left with nobody. I’m all she has left. I’ll go, I won’t be long, and I’ll break the news when I’m there.”
He nods. “I’d like you to keep in contact, find a doctor there so I’m able to keep your blood work and scans up to date. You can’t go without getting checks. If anything, and I mean anything, starts to get worse, you need to come back immediately. Please understand that this is dangerous, and it could change at any moment.”
“I know,” I say softly. “I know that.”
“I’ll be ready for you when you return.”
I sigh. “Doc?” I ask, standing and gathering a bunch of scripts he’s given me, mostly for pain relief.
“Yeah?”
“The surgery, it’s dangerous, right?”
He looks to me, and then stands and slides his glasses off. “It is. The tumor is located on a difficult part of the brain, but not impossible. There are a lot of risks, but it is growing and if we don’t go in and remove it, or at least try, it’ll eventually paralyze you, or worse ...”
I swallow, and my chest aches.
Right.
It’ll kill me.
Eventually.
“And the chances of it being cancer?”
He purses his lips, and then says, “Tumors of this sort are usually benign, but we have found malignant ones. We won’t know until we go in and test it, however your blood work has been exceptional and we aren’t able to find a spread of cancer anywhere else in your body, so that’s a very good sign.”
“Is there a way to make it smaller without surgery?”
He nods. “There are ways, yes, but as I said the location is risky. Even if we make it smaller, which is definitely an option, we’re still going to have to go in and remove it. My advice would be to do it before it grows much more. We can look at radiation to shrink it, if this is something you’d like to consider. Usually, though, we take it out and then follow with radiation to remove the remaining tumor. That would be the option I would suggest, if any.”
I exhale.
“I’ll think about it and we can discuss it more with the surgery team when I get back for my next appointment. I won’t be gone long and then we can discuss the next step. Thanks doc.”
“You’re very welcome.”
I turn to walk out, and he calls, “Oh, and Briella?”
I look back at him.
“Make sure you do tell your family for their support, it is important.”
I smile, weakly, then nod.
We’ll see about that.
1
NOW - BRIELLA
I lift my sunglasses up and place them on the top of my head as I glance toward the tattoo shop that once I loved hanging out in. King’s Ink. Once, it was run by my mother’s husband, King Jr, who was also the President of local motorcycle club, King’s Descendants. The club that was passed down from his father, King Senior and so on.
I loved this shop when I was about fifteen. Gosh, I used to come in here and sit on the chairs and watch King tattoo people. He would spend hours drawing designs and forever putting those designs on people’s bodies. I loved the way the tattoo gun sounded, the way the shop always smelled clean, and the way it strangely felt like him. Growing up here, it wasn’t so bad.
Until it was bad.
And everything changed.
I swallow the lump in my throat as I approach the door. I know Alarick runs the shop now. I also know he runs the club. When King Jr died, we all knew Alarick would step up. I often wondered growing up if he’d pick a different path. His father could be a dangerous man and that life could be tricky, but Alarick took his place, like his loyalty was stronger than his desire to change the world he lived in.
I wonder, even to this day, why my mother picked King Jr to fall in love with. I remember the first time I met him as vividly as if it were right here, right now. I remember thinking that there was no way this was our new family. There was no way this man, standing in front of me, his body covered in tattoos and piercings, his beard long and thick, was my new step-father.
He was. And I grew to kind of love him.
With him came the entirety of his club.
Plus his two kids, Alarick and Sissy.
They were both older than Magnolia and me. I was only ten when I met them, and Magnolia was nine. Sissy was fifteen and Alarick was seventeen.
“Well, well, the prodigal daughter returns.”
I spin around at the sound of a female voice and see Sissy standing behind me on the footpath. My heart races as I take her in. She never liked me. God, no, she hated me with a passion. She was jealous and angry and a troublemaker. She made my life hell, even when I tried to stay the hell out of her way. I knew coming back here would mean I had to face her, I was just hoping she wouldn’t be the face I saw first.
“Sissy,” I murmur, crossing my arms and narrowing my eyes as I take her in.
Not a great deal has changed in the last five years. She would be nearly thirty now, and she still looks like she’s twenty-five. They got great looks; I can’t take that away from them. Her hair is dark and long, heavy with curls. Her body is tall and lean, her breasts big, no doubt fake, and her eyes the color of pond algae. But don’t let that turn you off, they’re beautiful and they set back perfectly in her olive skin. She’s beautiful, and she knows it.
God, does she know it.
I glance at her perfectly manicured nails as she crosses her arms, making her breasts jut out. Yep, definitely fake.
“What, dare I ask, brings you back to town after all the trouble you caused five years ago? We didn’t even know if you were still alive, if I’m being honest. Not that we cared. Life is better without you here. Why are you back?”
Wow, straight in with the knife. She doesn’t hold back.
“I am here to help Magnolia.”
“Magnolia is fine, she doesn’t need you putting your nose in her business all
the time.”
God. She really hasn’t changed.
“Thank you, really, for the incredible welcome home, but I have things to do. If you’ll excuse me ...”
I turn toward the shop and start walking.
“Alarick isn’t going to want to see you,” she calls out behind me.
Oh.
I have no doubt.
But I have to see him.
Because I need his help.
As much as it pains me to admit.
This isn’t going to go well.
Here goes nothing.
THE BELL ABOVE THE door rings when I push the heavy glass door open. I step inside and, for a moment, I just stop and take in the shop. It’s exactly the same as I remember it, only they’ve touched everything up so it’s like new. The same pictures still line the walls, the chairs are in the same spot, and mostly, it still smells exactly as I remember it. I want to smile, I want to remember the times I’d race through here, laughing, driving Alarick mad as he was learning to tattoo.
I want to smile.
I don’t.
A woman, who is currently tattooing a young male, looks up when I walk in. She’s beautiful, the kind of beauty that takes your breath away. With her honey brown hair and emerald green eyes, she’s utterly breathtaking. Is she Alarick’s girlfriend? I wouldn’t know. I don’t know a damn thing.
“Hi.” She smiles when I walk in. “Can I help you?”
“Oh, sorry to bother you, I’m looking for Alarick. Is he here?”
She nods. “He’s out back, just doing a piercing. He’ll be out soon. Are you looking at getting some work done?”
“Work?” I ask, confused.
She laughs, the sound soft, and kind. “A tattoo?”
“Oh,” I laugh nervously. “Oh no, I don’t ... I don’t do tattoos. I’m his ... step-sister.”
Her brows shoot up. “Step-sister? I didn’t know he had other family outside of Sissy.”
“I’m the nice one,” I say, shrugging.