Ruling Alphas: Shifter Romance Collection

by Lola Gabriel

  “Maybe that’s not such a bad thing,” Joy smiled. “I know it’s just an old wives’ tale, but people say it’s unlucky to announce these things before the official ceremony, don’t they?”

  “Yes,” Morgan said, pleased that Joy had heard that story too. “And I know it’s superstitious nonsense really, but we’ve decided not to tempt fate, haven’t we, Draven?”

  Draven nodded.

  “Yeah. We think it’s for the best. Besides, it wouldn’t do to have people become offended if they thought other people knew before them,” Draven said.

  “Well, personally, I think that the story is just that—a story,” Miller said. “But you’re right about offending people. It should be announced officially to the pack as a whole at the mating ceremony. But seriously, Morgan, if you do decide to tell your parents before then, that won’t be a problem.”

  “Thank you,” Morgan smiled, sipping her tea.

  “So, have you decided on a date for the ceremony?” Joy asked. “I mean, you won’t need to wait as long as most new couples, will you? It’s not like you two need to get to know each other, is it?”

  “We haven’t really thought that far ahead, to be honest,” Draven said. “But it won’t be too far away.”

  “Good. I can hardly wait for it to be official. It’s like something out of a movie, isn’t it? Falling in love with your best friend,” Joy said.

  Draven nodded, looking down at his cup. Morgan didn’t relish the idea of him being uncomfortable, but at the same time, she was glad she wasn’t the only one who felt bad about deceiving Draven’s parents like this. They were so excited about the news, and their excitement only made Morgan feel worse about this whole thing.

  “Oh, you know what?” Joy said. “Your father and I are going away this weekend, Draven. We’re spending a few days at Creely Cottage. You and Morgan should join us. It’ll be nice for you to get away into the middle of nowhere and be able to act like a couple away from prying eyes.”

  “Why do we need to get away to act like a couple?” Draven asked.

  “Because you don’t want anyone to work out you two are a thing before the official ceremony,” Joy said. “Morgan has just said that.”

  “Oh right, yeah,” Draven said, laughing a little self-consciously. “What do you think, Morgan?”

  “I’d love to be able to come with you all, but unfortunately, I have pack duties to perform on Saturday,” Morgan said, glad she had a legitimate reason not to go.

  “Oh, don’t worry about that,” Miller said, waving away her concerns with a swipe of his hand. “I’ll arrange someone to take over them for you. So it’s settled, then? We’ll all go up to the cottage together?”

  Morgan desperately tried to think of a reason to refuse, but she couldn’t think of anything that wouldn’t seem suspicious, like it was obvious she didn’t want to go, and so she nodded her head.

  It was going to be even harder to keep up the couple act for a full weekend. She tried to tell herself it would be fine; it was only a few days, after all. But already, feeling like she had been accepted by Draven’s family, she felt a mixture of guilt at the lies and longing for it not to be lies.

  She found herself getting caught up in the discussion about the plans for the weekend and she let go of her misgivings, telling herself to just enjoy a few days away with her best friend.

  4

  “How come I’ve never been here before?” Draven asked as he got out of the car in front of the cottage.

  He followed his father around to the trunk of the car and they began unloading the luggage as his mom and Morgan stood beside the car, enjoying the sun for a moment.

  “It’s not one of ours,” his father said. “Your mom wanted a change and we rented this place for the weekend.”

  “It’s beautiful,” Draven said.

  It was beautiful. The outside was painted white, the windows leaded with wooden shutters on them. The roof was thatched and the gardens were immaculate. But Draven wasn’t looking at the cottage when he said it. He was looking at Morgan.

  She was wearing a yellow sundress and a straw hat. The hat flapped slightly in the breeze and her hair shifted around her face, looking like gold in the sunlight. Her eyes were closed, one hand holding her hat in place as she put her head back to feel the sun on her face. Draven had never noticed her slender neck before or the almost sensual curve of her collar bone. He caught himself staring and looked away quickly, but not before his father caught him watching Morgan and grinned at him.

  “Extremely beautiful,” Draven’s father said with a wink, making it clear he knew Draven wasn’t talking about the cottage.

  Draven blushed, but he told himself it was a good thing his father had caught him watching Morgan. It all helped with the act they were putting on. And it was going to have to be a damned good act now that they were all going to be in such close quarters for the full weekend.

  When all of the luggage was out of the trunk, Draven and his father loaded themselves up and the four of them all made their way toward the cottage.

  “Why on earth did you need so much stuff?” Draven’s dad asked his mom. “We’re only here for two days.”

  “And three nights,” Draven’s mom replied with a smile. “I haven’t brought that much.”

  They entered the cottage and found themselves in a well-lit little hallway. A staircase headed upwards in front of them and a door opened off the hallway. They went through the door to the living room where Draven put his bags down.

  “We’ll take that bedroom,” Draven’s mom said, pointing to a door that opened off the living room. “We’ll let you two take the master bedroom and have some privacy.”

  Draven saw Morgan blush at her suggestion, but he figured it was a good thing his parents would be down here. It meant he and Morgan could have separate rooms without his parents thinking it was strange.

  Draven’s dad checked his watch.

  “Right. We have half an hour before the cab is coming to take us out for dinner. Your mom has booked us all a table. So why don’t we get unpacked and freshen up a bit and meet back here?”

  Draven’s mom nodded her head and moved toward the bedroom door. Draven turned and picked his suitcase and Morgan’s up and headed back out for the stairs, Morgan following him. They reached the top of the stairs and saw three doors. Draven put down his bags and opened the first door.

  “One of the bedrooms,” he said. “Do you want this one or the other one?”

  “I don’t mind,” Morgan said.

  Draven shrugged and set his suitcase down in the first room. He opened the next door.

  “That’s the bathroom,” he said.

  He opened the final door and his heart sank.

  “And that’s a linen closet,” he said.

  “You mean…?” Morgan said.

  “Yup. It’s only got two bedrooms,” Draven finished for her. “Don’t worry. You can take the bed. There’s a couch in there. I’ll sleep on that.”

  Morgan nodded her head.

  “Okay,” she said.

  She stepped into the bedroom and, after lifting her suitcase onto the bed, she began to unpack her clothes. Draven watched her for a moment and then he started on his own suitcase.

  “I’m really sorry about this, Morgan,” he said. “I had no idea my parents would invite us away for the weekend. And I certainly would never have guessed my mom would book somewhere this small for us to stay in.”

  “It’s fine,” Morgan said, smiling at him over her shoulder. “We’re here now. Let’s just make the best of it and try to enjoy the weekend, huh?”

  “I guess that’s all we can do,” Draven said.

  Morgan nodded.

  “Do you want to use the bathroom before I go to get changed?” she asked.

  Draven shook his head.

  “No, it’s okay. You go ahead. I can wait,” he said.

  He watched as Morgan left the room, her hands full with her toiletries bag and a garment bag she ha
d pulled out of her suitcase. He finished unpacking, not having brought much. He changed into a pair of clean black jeans and a pale blue shirt, then went to the mirror and ran his hands through his hair. He sprayed a bit of cologne and sat down on the couch to wait for Morgan.

  He knew just by looking at the couch that he wasn’t going to have a comfortable night’s sleep. It was barely long enough to be classed as more than a large armchair, and when he sat down, he felt how lumpy it was. He sighed and reminded himself Morgan was only doing this for him. The least he could do was take the uncomfortable couch.

  Draven looked up as the bedroom door opened. His jaw dropped and he felt a tug on the inside of his jeans as he looked at Morgan. His dragon stirred inside of him. She was wearing a short, red halter-neck dress and matching heels.

  “You’re beautiful,” he said, before he could stop himself.

  Morgan smiled and shook her head.

  “You don’t have to keep up the act when we’re alone, Draven,” she said.

  “I’m not acting. You look…just…wow,” Draven said.

  Morgan rolled her eyes, but she looked pleased with Draven’s reaction. He could barely keep his eyes off her as she moved around the room, grabbing a handbag and putting her cell phone and her wallet into it.

  “Ready?” she asked when she was done.

  Draven nodded. He opened the door and let Morgan step through first. He couldn’t help checking out her ass and her tanned legs beneath the dress. Wow, he thought again. He caught himself and told himself to stop it. Morgan was his best friend, not a piece of meat to be stared at. He forced his eyes away from her and pulled the door shut. They went downstairs and found Draven’s parents waiting on the doorstep.

  “Another drink?” Draven asked Morgan when he saw her glass was almost empty.

  She smiled and nodded her head.

  “Yes, please,” she said.

  Draven flagged down their server and ordered another gin and tonic for Morgan and another vodka and Coke for himself. Dinner had been better than he had expected it to be. Not the food—he had known that would be good because his mom wouldn’t have booked the place if the food wasn’t good—but the atmosphere had been a lot better than he had expected. Everyone had been relaxed, chatting and laughing, and several times through the course of the meal, he had had to remind himself that what he and Morgan had wasn’t real, that they were just acting.

  It felt real, though. The lingering stares. The casual hand touches. The way their knees had touched beneath the table. None of that had felt at all like an act.

  Once dinner was over, Draven’s parents had excused themselves, telling Draven and Morgan they wanted an early night, but encouraging them to stay on and enjoy their evening. They had stayed, moving into the bar. And even out from under the watchful eyes of his parents, that closeness had remained. They still kept touching, flirting with each other. Draven knew it was a dangerous road, but he was tipsy enough not to care. He was enjoying himself and if Morgan wasn’t, then she was a far better actress than he had expected her to be when he had asked her to do this.

  Draven and Morgan had always had this kind of relationship, their conversations flowing easily, filled with laughter, gentle teasing, and yes, even a little flirting. But this felt different to Draven. It felt real, like the very air around them was charged with the sexual tension he felt inside of himself. Every time he looked at Morgan, he had to remind himself not to reach out and tuck her hair behind her ears. Not to push his hands into her hair and move her face closer to his. Not to kiss her deeply on her sensuous lips.

  “What are you thinking about?” Morgan asked after the server brought their drinks.

  How much I want to take you back to the cottage and make love to you, Draven thought.

  “Nothing much,” he said.

  “You lie,” Morgan said. “You were a million miles away there.”

  “I was just thinking that if I have many more of these, I’m going to snore tonight,” he smiled.

  Morgan laughed and shook her head.

  “You’d better not. If you do, it’ll be the downstairs couch for you,” she teased him.

  “Good luck with that,” Draven smiled. “Once I’m out, I’m dead to the world.”

  “I’m sure I can find a way to wake you up,” Morgan said with a smile that made Draven’s cock start to stiffen.

  He shifted in his chair and smiled back at Morgan.

  “If you wake me up the way you seem to be implying, I don’t think it’ll be to throw me out of the room,” he said.

  “Either way, it would stop you snoring,” Morgan said with a laugh.

  “True,” Draven conceded, laughing with her.

  A server approached their table.

  “Mr. Montgomery?” he said. Draven nodded his head. “Your cab is here.”

  “What? It can’t be,” Draven said. He checked his watch and his eyes widened in surprise when he saw it was one a.m. The night had flown by. “Yes, my apologies. We lost track of the time. Would you be so kind as to tell the driver we’ll be out in one minute?”

  The waiter nodded and moved away. Morgan was already downing the last of her drink and Draven did the same.

  “I can’t believe how quickly this night has flown by,” Morgan said as she stood up.

  “We were having so much fun, that’s why,” Draven said. “You go on ahead while I pay the bill.”

  He went up to the bar and paid the tab and then he stepped outside and found Morgan waiting on the front porch of the restaurant. The air was a little nippy now and when Morgan slipped her arm through his, he felt how cold her hand was.

  “You’re cold,” he commented.

  “I can’t feel a thing,” Morgan giggled.

  Draven led her to the waiting cab and opened the door for her. Once she was inside, he shut it and went around to the other side and got in beside her. He gave the cab driver the address of the cottage and they pulled away. He could feel Morgan’s eyes on him as they drove away and he glanced at her, but as soon as he did, she looked away from him quickly, turning her head to look out of the window.

  Whatever this weird chemistry Draven suddenly felt between the two of them was, he knew for sure then that Morgan felt it too.

  5

  Morgan finished brushing her teeth. She spat into the sink and rinsed it out, then stood looking at herself for a moment in the mirror above it. Her cheeks were flushed, partly from the alcohol and partly from having Draven’s attention on her all night.

  Even when his parents called it a night and they were alone together in the bar, he hadn’t stopped paying attention to her and she began to think that maybe it was possible that he felt the same way about her as she did about him. She had tried to tell herself she was setting herself up for a fall, but as the night went on and Draven’s attention continued, she decided to stop worrying about getting hurt and just go with the flow.

  She moved from the mirror and gathered up her clothes, folding her dress in a way that kept her underwear hidden. She was wearing a long t-shirt, something she often slept in. She wondered if she should put underwear on and then told herself she was overthinking things again. It wasn’t like Draven was about to lift her makeshift nightie up and check what she wearing beneath it.

  She went back to the bedroom. Draven smiled when she came into the room.

  “I’ll go and brush my teeth,” he said.

  Morgan smiled and nodded her head. She waited for Draven to leave the room and then she turned off the big light and put on a lamp beside the bed. It cast a nice glow over the room and she nodded to herself. She pulled the duvet back and slipped into the bed, sighing contentedly. It was lovely and soft and comfortable. She lay back against the pillows.

  Her gaze went to the couch that Draven would be sleeping on, and she knew instantly he would never be able to get comfortable on that thing. It was far too small. She had offered to take the couch when they were talking in the bar, but Draven wouldn’t hear of it. />
  She was pulled from her thoughts when Draven came back into the room. Morgan felt herself getting wet as she looked at Draven, wearing nothing but a pair of black boxer shorts. His body was toned and he had a six-pack that Morgan ached to touch. She cleared her throat and smiled at Draven, hoping her expression hadn’t given away where her mind had gone when she had looked at his almost naked body. She watched as Draven moved to the couch and lay down, his legs hanging over the edge.

  “Well, good night, then,” he said.

  “Draven, this is ridiculous,” Morgan said with a sigh.

  He lifted his head and frowned at her.

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “This,” she said, gesturing to him lying on the couch. “That couch is far too little for you. Come and get into the bed. We can share a bed, surely?”

  She pulled the duvet back beside her, a clear invitation. But to do what? Morgan wasn’t sure. In that moment, she didn’t know if she wanted Draven to make a move on her or not. She wanted him so badly, but unless he wanted her for more than just this weekend, she didn’t want anything to happen between them. She didn’t want to get even more attached to Draven. As if that was even possible. She already ached for him in every part of her body.

  Draven sat up and then he was on his feet and walking over to the bed. He slipped in beside Morgan and she clicked the lamp off and then turned to face Draven. She smiled at him.

  “See, that’s better, right?” she said.

  “Much better,” Draven said.

  Even as she said it, he was reaching for her and she found herself matching his outstretched arms, moving closer to him. Their lips touched and Morgan felt the tingling sensation moving through her skin and down her body, waking her up, making her want more. In that moment, she didn’t care what came next after tonight. She had to have Draven. Even if it could only be this once.