A steamy werewolf romance from New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Tabitha Conall…
Can fated love triumph over the threat of war?
Aislinn Cavett lives a sheltered life, raised in a human supremacist compound and kept separate from the wild variety of non-humans teeming outside the compound’s fence.
North American Pack Alpha Darius Bishop believes peace with the Humans First group is the only way to protect his wolves from ongoing, senseless violence.
When Darius arrives at the Humans First compound for peace negotiations, he finds something he didn’t expect—his mate. Fate couldn’t have chosen a more inconvenient mate for him in the General’s daughter, but Darius doesn’t care. Aislinn is perfect.
War could be the result of their mating. When her father advances and his own wolves turn against him, Darius has to make an impossible choice—his love and his sanity, or the lives of his pack.
This 40,000+ word long book is the second in the Colliding Worlds series. HEA included.
If you enjoy werewolf romances, check out Tabitha Conall’s other series and stand alone novels:
Her Kilted Wolf (Colliding Worlds)
The Stonewall Pack Alpha Series
The Mad Wolf's Harem Series
Protecting the Pack
Find out more or sign up for her newsletter at TabithaConall.com.
Her Forbidden Alpha
by
Tabitha Conall
The Colliding Worlds Series #2
Chapter 1
Aislinn Cavett wished her boyfriend had dumped her before dinner. Or waited until afterward. Anything but in the middle, where she had to choose between leaving and going hungry or continuing to eat in uncomfortable silence.
At least she wouldn’t cry this time. Gideon and she had broken up so many times it almost seemed normal. But not normal enough to want to share the rest of the meal with him.
“This is for you,” Gideon said. “It’s not fair to you that I spend so much time on my job. You’ll be better off with someone who has more time for you.”
“You’ve said that before.” Aislinn flagged down the waiter. When he arrived, she said, “Could I get a box for this?”
The waiter pulled back a little. “You’ve barely touched it.”
“Get her a box,” Gideon said. “And one for me too.”
The waiter frowned, scooped up their dishes and hurried away.
“You know, we could have stayed and finished eating,” Gideon said.
Did he even think about what he was saying? Of course not, or he wouldn’t have broken up with her in the middle of the meal in the first place. As usual, she didn’t say what she really felt. “I have things to do at home.”
A little crease formed between his eyebrows, and Aislinn just knew he was going to argue with her, to point out the flaws in her logic. He did that. And she was so, so tired of it. Couldn’t she tell a little white lie once in a while? She quickly said, “Let’s just go.”
“You’ll see that this is a good thing. Later, once you’re over me. Then you’ll be glad we broke up.”
“I’m sure you’re right,” she said.
When he’d approached her four months ago and wanted to get back together, he’d promised things would be different this time. He’d missed her. He needed her. He wouldn’t spend so much time working; he’d spend more time on what mattered–her. Even as he’d said it, she’d had her doubts. But when they were broken up, she felt lonely. There weren’t many eligible men at the compound and those who were eligible seemed to see her as Gideon’s property. Or they were afraid of her father, the General. Either way, she’d felt lonely and so she’d ignored her misgivings and let Gideon talk her into getting back together.
She hadn’t been lonely the last four months, despite Gideon working long hours for her father. But she hadn’t recaptured that sweet, innocent love she’d felt for him the first few times they’d dated. Maybe it would never come back. Maybe that time was over.
The waiter returned with their boxes and the check.
Aislinn stood. Gideon always paid; even when she tried to pick up the check he wouldn’t let her. So there was no reason for her to stick around now that she had her food. “I’ll see you later.”
“Where are you going?” He stood, pulling his wallet out of his pocket at the same time. “I’ll drive you home.”
“I’ll take a cab.”
He handed his credit card to the waiter. “The cab will only take you to the gate. It’ll be a long hike back to your place.”
“That’s fine.” It wasn’t that far. He seemed to think she was a dainty flower who couldn’t walk a block without needing a rest. She regularly went on hikes in the mountainous region outside the compound; walking the half mile to her house would be easy. And she had no desire to suffer through a car ride with him, even if it was only ten minutes or so.
“Good night.” Aislinn left before he could say anything else.
Luckily, the restaurant sat in the heart of the tiny downtown, so the few cabs that worked in the area weren’t far away. She hailed one and managed to leave the curb before Gideon emerged from the restaurant.
Aislinn laid her head back against the seat while the cab drove the short distance up the mountain to her home. Not for the first time, she wondered what her life might have been like if she hadn’t been raised and all but sequestered in the Humans First compound. Even coming into the small town of Wooddale was little more than an extension of the life she led at home–no werewolves, no vampires, no shifters or magical creatures of any sort. Just humans, humans and more humans.
Except, of course, for the dryads and sprites she encountered on her walks. If anyone knew–heck, if her father knew–she was friends with the inhabitants of the forest, she’d never be allowed out of the compound again.
Which was why she rarely mentioned her hikes to Gideon...which was why he persisted in believing she couldn’t handle a fairly tame half-mile from the gate to her little house.
And did it matter? Not at all.
Once upon a time, Earth had belonged to human beings. But then humans did something no other animals had done before—they daydreamed. Those dreams were so strong they spawned whole new dimensions full of the creatures and myths they’d dreamed about.
Humans didn’t even know what they’d done until the first time one of those dimensions “collided” with Earth. Everyone called it colliding, but it was more like overlapping—Earth Prime, the original Earth, was overlaid by the Earth of the other dimension until the two combined into one. This happened periodically because every set of dreams and myths had their own dimension. And that’s how they’d gotten werewolves and werebears and vampires and dragons and sprites and kitsune and all sorts of other wonderful creatures.
It’s also how they’d gotten Humans First.
Some humans hated anything or anyone different from them and wanted to wipe those other creatures out. The Humans First group wanted to reaffirm human supremacy on Earth. How many times growing up had Aislinn heard “We were here first. Those others should do as we say.” And when the other creatures wouldn’t bow down, Humans First used force. They’d been in conflict with the werewolves for decades but were finally having peace talks the next day. She couldn’t wait.
The cab dropped her at the gate but before she’d gotten very far down the path inside the compound, her cell phone rang. She stopped and fished it out of her purse. As she put it to her ear, her father started talking without even a hello.
“Where are you? I need you to finish the preparations for tomorrow,” he said.
She felt a flutter in her stomach. With her mother out of town, Aislinn had been elected as hostess for the peace talks with th
e werewolves. Considering she had trouble talking with people she knew–much less strangers–she thought they should have chosen someone else. At the same time, she was very excited about seeing werewolves for the first time and even more excited by the idea that there might finally be peace.
“Everything’s ready,” Aislinn said. “I sent you an email earlier.”
“The room is set up? The food prepared? What about servers?”
“Everything’s ready,” she said again. “The room’s ready, the food’s ready to be cooked in the morning, and the women of the compound know what they need to do to serve it.” If her mother were in charge, would he be questioning her like this? Or was this just for Aislinn?
“I’ll be by in the morning to check on everything.” He hung up.
What a great way to end the night. Aislinn slipped her phone back into her purse as she continued on her way. She couldn’t wait to get back to her little home, lock everyone else out and curl up with a book. It sure beat being dumped.
***
Coming face to face with the man who killed his parents and not ripping his throat out would be one of the hardest things Darius had ever done. That morning as he and his delegation headed up the mountain to the small town of Wooddale, he tried to calm his thoughts. He was the one who had wanted this meeting. He wanted peace for his people.
“Ready?” Darius’ brother Killion sat next to him in the backseat of the SUV.
No. But as leader, he had to project power and confidence. “Of course.” He paused, then continued, knowing everyone else in the SUV was listening. “We have the best team possible. We’ll project both strength and a calm demeanor. And even if we don’t walk away with a solid peace, we’ll be able to set the building blocks for future talks.”
He should have said that earlier this morning, when all the wolves were together. But the team members who were in the other two SUVs knew they had been hand-picked for this negotiation. They knew they had his confidence and that he expected them to acquit themselves well.
The lives of their families might depend on it.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the town of Wooddale, which sat a few miles from the Humans First compound. The directions they’d been given took them to a white clapboard church.
Darius had lobbied hard for a more neutral location for their talks. The Humans Firsters, on the other hand, had insisted on having the talks at their compound. At length, he’d managed to get them to meet in Wooddale instead but that was as far as he could budge them. He didn’t like it but if he wanted his peace talks it would have to do.
They didn’t see a soul until they reached the front door of the church where men in the Humans First all-black uniform flanked the open door. They held no weapons but Darius didn’t doubt they had knives and small guns concealed in their clothing. That was fine—Darius and his wolves were similarly arrayed. He hoped for peace but he wasn’t stupid enough to walk into Wooddale unarmed.
One of the Humans Firsters held out his hand. “Down the stairs and to the left.”
As soon as Darius got into the church itself, another Humans Firster was there to lead them downstairs. A minute later, the wolves entered a large room with white floors and ceilings low enough to make Darius want to duck. Tables and chairs sat facing each other in the middle of the room, while a set of other tables sat along the wall.
The Humans Firster motioned toward the tables in the center. “Sit. The women’ll be bringing food.”
More Humans Firsters filed into the room from behind them and arrayed themselves around the edges. They acted like guards rather than fellow participants.
It was a little early for lunch. Darius’ people spread out in the room as he eyed the premises. Ten guards, all no doubt with hidden guns carrying silver ammo. Large, open room with minimal cover and no windows. Guards in front of both of the only two doors–the one they came through and the one the scent of beef and spices wafted from.
The wolves had weapons of their own, not just their natural claws and teeth but also guns and knives and other fun implements. If the wolves were ambushed by the humans, it would be bloody but they stood a fair chance of getting all of their people out alive. Wounded, no doubt, but alive.
Until the human delegation arrived, that is. Fifteen wolves against these ten guards—they’d do okay. If the humans brought another fifteen or twenty to the proceedings, the odds would get much worse for the wolves. He’d have to insist the guards leave. They had agreed to fifteen delegates on each side, not fifteen plus an additional ten guards.
The kitchen door opened, ushering even stronger, more delectable scents into the room…plus something else. Something he’d never smelled before, but couldn’t get enough of. He’d taken three steps toward the door before Killion grabbed his arm and Darius realized the guards were eyeing him.
Then she walked into the room.
She had long dark hair that streamed down her back, fair skin and eyes so blue he could see the color from across the room. Her conservative dress couldn’t hide her curves nor the nicely muscled legs that showed under her skirt. The small braids on either side of her face and her short stature made her look almost otherworldly, like a fairy princess. His fairy princess.
His mate.
And wouldn’t it figure he’d find his mate in the middle of his enemies?
***
Aislinn carried a platter full of meat into the meeting hall, following after several of the older women. She wanted to get her first look at werewolves—real werewolves—but was afraid she’d drop the platter if she didn’t look where she was going. How horrible would it be if she dropped it and everyone stared at her?
After she put the platter down, she turned to take a careful look, only to find one of the wolves staring at her. He wasn’t even trying to hide it. He was standing out in the middle of the floor looking straight at her and another one of them held his arm as though holding him back.
Had she done something wrong?
He stood taller and broader than the others. His hair looked black but it was hard to tell with it so short. His dark gaze was so intense she could almost feel it on her skin.
She headed for the kitchen, eager to hide away from his eyes.
Her father came through the hall door. “Aislinn!” He motioned her to him.
She was supposed to play hostess. The dark wolf had almost made her forget. She wiped her damp palms on her skirt and went to stand by her father.
“Welcome,” her father said. “I’m General Cavett. We’ll get started shortly. In the meantime, I’m sure you’ve had a long journey. My daughter and some of the women from the compound will serve you lunch.”
When she raised her eyes, the dark wolf still stared at her. He took a breath then tore his eyes from her face to look at her father. “I’m Darius Bishop, North American Pack Alpha.” His voice sounded deep and commanding. He walked toward them, reaching his hand toward her father. “We thank you for your hospitality.”
Her father gazed at the wolf’s hand for a moment before gripping it in his. Then he held Darius’ hand so tightly the veins stood out on his skin—her father’s skin. The wolf showed no reaction at all…until her father let go. Then his gaze darted to hers.
“It’s good to meet you,” he said as he held out his hand to her. “I’m Darius.” His voice sounded husky as he said the last few words.
She was going to have to shake hands with him? She wiped her hand on her skirt before placing it in his, hoping he wouldn’t take her father’s rudeness out on her. “Aislinn.”
“Miss Cavett,” her father corrected.
She barely heard him. Darius held her gaze, his hand firm around hers but not too tight. His attention made her feel light inside. For a long moment, there was nothing and no one but this mysterious stranger and her.
“Aislinn.” Her name sounded fresh and warm falling from his lips. “It suits you.”
“Miss Cavett,” her father snapped. He tried to step between th
em, though there wasn’t much room.
Darius growled. He actually growled, like a real wolf.
She pulled her hand out of Darius’. “If you’ll take your seat, we’ll bring the food to the table,” Aislinn said, her voice high. The last thing they needed was for the two leaders to be at each other’s throats before the negotiations even started.
All three of them paused. Finally, Darius moved away, not letting go of eye contact with her father but taking two steps back. “We agreed to fifteen delegates each.”
“Yes, we did,” the General said.
Darius motioned to the guards standing around the room. “I take it these are ten of your delegates?”
“Of course not.”
“Then they’ll leave,” Darius said. “They’ll leave, or we will.”
The General sucked in his breath. She expected him to begin yelling but instead he said, “They’ll leave right before the delegates arrive. For now, enjoy your lunch.”
Darius held the General’s gaze another moment. “That’s acceptable.” He met her gaze then turned and sat down at the table. When he sat, the other werewolves followed suit.
“Stay away from him,” her father whispered. “Mangy dog.”
Darius’ entire body stiffened.
She’d heard wolves had better hearing than humans. That proved it. As far away as he was, he shouldn’t have been able to hear her father—but he clearly had.
Aislinn didn’t answer her father. There was nothing she could say, anyway. If she defended the wolves her father would be livid—particularly if he realized they’d heard her. And if she didn’t, she’d be lying. Instead, she hurried across the room to get the food, waving the other women out of the kitchen doorway to help.
***
As his mate served lunch, Darius took the opportunity to watch her. She seemed nervous, a little timid. Yet she hadn’t shied away from him when they’d met. Having grown up with the General as a father, she’d surely been taught to hate the wolves. But she’d treated him with respect. Interest, even.
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