Alpha’s Prey: A BBW Bear Shifter Romance

by Rose, Renee

  It doesn’t matter. I’m only here for one vampire, and one alone. Lucius Frangelico. I need to capture his interest.

  I drop my gaze to the stage and try to look meek. What will entice a vampire king to bid on me? I lick my red lips, but can’t bring myself to take a sultry pose. Not when I want to punch someone for subjecting shifters to this disgusting event.

  My fists itch to clench. I force my shoulders to relax.

  This will be over soon.

  * * *

  Lucius

  She’s not submissive. That’s my first impression of the beautiful she-wolf. She glares at the floor in front of her bare feet. Whenever the auctioneer mentions her virginal status, the corner of her mouth twitches. They dressed her in a soft bit of nothing, a garment closer to a negligee than evening wear. Something silky that begs to be ripped off. She has bruises on her arms—a sign she’s been manhandled—but nothing about her is fragile. She’s tall, tempting, an amazon with a crown of white gold hair.

  Something about her is familiar. She raises her head and shoots a glare into every corner of the theater, and the memory is lost. My body responds, blood rushing to my groin. What would it be like to own such a creature? To tame and master her?

  I school my expression into one of boredom. The she-wolf tempts me, that’s all. Something new and amusing to divert my attention for a time. Immortality reduces everything—pleasure and pain—into a temporary diversion. But this she-wolf might make me forget that for a little while.

  On top of that, she looks like someone I once knew...

  On stage, she licks her painted lips. My slacks grow tighter and my hands knot into fists. My bidding number rests on the floor next to my shoe. Dante must have left it there.

  I won’t bid tonight. But it is so tempting.

  In the row in front of me, Theophilus clears his throat. “See what I mean, Sire?”

  “Yes,” I say, leaning forward to study the she-wolf again. “I do.”

  * * *

  Selene

  “Five hunret, five hunret, can I get five hunret—” the auctioneer bleats as the auction runs out of steam. He pauses and scratches his chin. “No? Perhaps you need more incentive.”

  He waves to someone offstage and three beefy stagehands march straight towards me.

  “What?” I mouth to the auctioneer, but he just looks smug. The first man reaches me and tugs at my dresses’ strap.

  “Time to get naked, sweetheart.”

  My hand flies up before I can stop it. I push Mouthbreather Number One away from me just as his two buddies arrive and clamp down on my arms, right on top of the bruises Xavier left.

  “Bitch,” Number One mutters. His beefy hand grabs the straps crossing over my back and tears them away. The garment sags, baring my breasts right as I get one arm free. My training kicks in. I lean left and kick the man on my right in the crotch. He goes down and I jerk, bringing the man on my left off balance. I smash my fist into his face and flip him over my back. He crashes into Number One. I crouch in a fighter’s stance in the center of three downed thugs.

  The auctioneer is laughing.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, can I get a round of applause for lot nine?” A smattering of golf claps fills the theater. My cheeks heat. I didn’t defend myself as part of some fucking act.

  Except it was. Around me, the thugs stir and get to their feet. The auctioneer waves them off and they slouch away.

  “Show’s over, folks,” the auctioneer announces. “Who wants to go home with her tonight? Bidding starts at five hundred thousand.”

  My dress is tangled around my hips. I shove it off and kick it away.

  “We’ve got a live one! Feisty. Will you be enough to master her? Five hundred and you’ll find out.”

  * * *

  Lucius

  The she-wolf stands naked on stage, her chest heaving. Gone is any semblance of meek servitude. A lock of hair falls out of her braid and she tucks it impatiently away, glaring at everything and nothing.

  She is magnificent. If I owned her, the fun I would have while we fought each other for dominance every night.

  Unfortunately, I’m not the only one who thinks this.

  “Damn,” Theophilus breathes. The next time the auctioneer calls for a bid, he raises his paddle.

  I see red.

  “Theophilus,” I growl, putting enough compulsion in my voice to make his head snap around. I hold up my hand, palm up. “Give it to me.”

  He obeys, but all around me, vampires are bidding for the she-wolf. She stands in a pool of light, not even trying to hide her disgust. What made her agree to be auctioned? She doesn’t seem the type.

  I beckon to Theophilus. “These shifters. If someone bids on them, do they get a portion of the money?”

  Understanding lights his eyes. “No. They’ll become your property. They don’t come with anything. But their family might be compensated.”

  That matched the information I was given about the shifter slavers. These men, typically rogue shifters, found hidden shifter clans and offered money for the most submissive in the pack. Threats were also most likely involved. I couldn’t see this she-wolf allowing herself to be a part of that bargain. But perhaps she agreed if the money went to her family.

  I sat back as the bids raged around me. A mystery. I’m becoming more intrigued by the second.

  “One million,” someone calls a bid. I turn and look across the aisle. A large vampire wearing an eyepatch looks back at me. Only a lifetime of controlling my emotions keeps me from showing my surprise.

  Xavier. What’s he doing here? I haven’t seen him for decades. Maybe a century. He inclines his head in mocking acknowledgement. The last time we met, we were enemies.

  There’s quiet as the auctioneer and audience absorb his bid. Onstage, the she-wolf trembles as if she remembers why she’s here.

  And I remember who the wolf reminds me of. Her face becomes another, a waifish imp with a cloud of white gold hair. My first vampire lover. The only woman, perhaps, I ever loved. Georgianna.

  Xavier’s fangs glint at me from across the aisle. He never forgave me for taking Georgianna from him, and now, it seemed, he would snatch this wolf right from under my nose.

  This one’s mine, his gloating face seems to say. Poor she-wolf. Xavier always broke his toys. If not for fun, then to prevent anyone else from enjoying them.

  My fingers clench on the bidding paddle. This whole auction, Xavier’s appearance, the she-wolf who looks like Georgianna’s ghost come to life—it’s a ploy. A set up. It has to be. It’s too convenient.

  Somebody’s up to something. If my sired have thrown their lots in with Xavier, then they have rebelled past the point of forgiveness. Their lives are over.

  But if all of this is Xavier acting alone, then it might be interesting to play the game. Save the she-wolf. Parade her before my court, and draw Xavier into my net.

  What is the human saying? Keep your friends close… and your enemies closer.

  Oh yes. These next few weeks will be very entertaining. I lean back in my seat and raise my paddle.

  * * *

  Selene

  “One million.”

  Blood rushes to my head. That was Xavier’s voice. He’s bidding on me? Why?

  I clench my hands in front of me, controlling my shudder. Have I failed? I can’t fail. There’s nothing left for me but the road ahead. The mission to entice Frangelico.

  The silence stretches on and my nerves are screaming. Xavier doesn’t like failure. That’s a lesson I’ve learned over and over again. Pain is a great teacher. I’m strong enough to withstand it, but if I fail at this, I don’t know—

  A deep voice breaks the stillness. “Ten million.”

  A hush falls over the entire theater, every creature, me included, holding our breath.

  The auctioneer looks like he can’t believe his luck. “T-ten million.” He mops his forehead and glances around the theater, biting his lip. I wait for him to raise the bid,
but it seems jumping so high so quickly is enough to make an auctioneer tongue-tied. At last he raps his gavel and shouts. “Sold! To the gentleman with the deepest pockets. Vampire King Lucius Frangelico.”

  There’s a ringing in my ears. I stoop and gather up the pieces of the ripped dress. It worked. It worked. He bought me.

  In a few minutes I’ll be in the clutches of my new vampire master. Everything is going as planned.

  The curtain sweeps across the stage, and I’m left blinking in the dark.

  The auctioneer announces something about a break and walks off stage. Once he’s in the wings, he beckons me to follow.

  “Good girl,” he tells me, rubbing his hands together. Probably imagining holding ten million dollars in his fat grubby hands. I close my eyes, dizzy. What sort of vampire pays ten million for a wolf pet? What will he do with me?

  It doesn’t matter. It will all be over soon. Any bit of unpleasantness in the meantime, well, I’ve been trained to take a lot of pain.

  Four guards march up and surround me. They don’t touch me, so I don’t make a fuss. Beyond them, the thugs who manhandled me lurk in the murky shadows. One has an ice pack to his face. The one who’s crotch I hit is gone. The other two glower at me, but don’t get close. They won’t dare touch me now. I belong to the Vampire King. The thought hits me like a blow and makes me sway on my feet.

  A young, slender man appears at my elbow. I turn and avert my eyes when I catch his scent. Not human. Vampire.

  “His Majesty would like you to put this on.” The young man holds up a suit jacket for me to slip into. I hand off my ripped dress to a guard and let the oversized jacket envelop me. The sleeves hang over my wrists and cover my legs to mid thigh. I’ve worn dresses that are less modest. I wore one tonight.

  “His Majesty will collect you soon. Do you need anything? Food, some water?”

  Shoes would be nice, but I shake my head. I tuck my face into the collar of the jacket and inhale the subtle, expensive cologne clinging to the fabric. The cologne doesn’t hide the familiar cold stone scent. This jacket was recently worn by a vampire.

  “This way,” the auctioneer leads us into the green room. The young-looking vampire wrinkles his nose.

  “Do you expect the king to come back here? It’s a dump.” When the auctioneer grovels and denies that he would ever wish the great Frangelico to sully his shoes by stepping into this room, the young vampire growls, “Then find us a better place to wait. This is the king’s property.” He waves a hand at me. “The respect you show her is the respect you show the king.”

  That’s how we end up in another room, smelling of fresh paint and filled with new furniture. It’s upstairs. The young vampire fusses over me, finding me a bottle of water, and bemoaning my lack of shoes.

  I tune everything out. Nothing matters until I meet Frangelico.

  My new master.

  No. He will never own me. He will think I belong to him. By the time he learns the truth, it will be too late.

  I face the door and wait for the target to enter. Lucius Frangelico, the face that haunts me. The source of all my nightmares. The vampire who killed my pack, made me an orphan. If it wasn’t for Xavier, I’d be dead. I owe him everything. And the debt will never be repaid. Xavier gave me life, but he also gave me a reason to live. Years of training and planning, culminating in a single mission: revenge.

  And now I’ve been sold to the Vampire King. I will infiltrate his private home, let him bring me to his sleeping lair. Earn his trust. Wait until the moment is right.

  All my life I’ve been waiting for this. All my training, all my hard work for one goal.

  I’m going to kill Lucius Frangelico.

  Alpha’s Blood: Coming April 18th

  I bought her. I own her. But she’ll never be mine…

  A Vampire King…

  The moment she stepped on stage, I had to have her in my bed. My submissive, kneeling at my feet.

  But this captive virgin is more than what she seems…

  A spy in my kingdom. A weapon honed by my enemy. She hates me, but hate is a passion perilously close to love...

  A captured queen…

  All my life I’ve trained for one purpose. One ultimate goal: kill the Vampire King.

  I expected a fight. Pain. Torture. I didn’t expect to want him. My body is a weapon he turns against me.

  But I can’t forget my fallen pack. My quest for revenge. My mission is simple:

  Seduce him. Earn his trust. Bring him down.

  Above all: don’t fall in love.

  Add to TBR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43240555-alpha-s-blood

  Preorder on:

  Alpha’s Temptation (Bad Boy Alphas, Book 1)

  Read now

  MINE TO PROTECT. MINE TO PUNISH. MINE.

  I'm a lone wolf, and I like it that way. Banished from my birth pack after a bloodbath, I never wanted a mate.

  Then I meet Kylie. My temptation. We're trapped in an elevator together, and her panic almost makes her pass out in my arms. She's strong, but broken. And she's hiding something.

  My wolf wants to claim her. But she's human, and her delicate flesh won't survive a wolf's mark.

  I'm too dangerous. I should stay away. But when I discover she's the hacker who nearly took down my company, I demand she submit to my punishment. And she will.

  Kylie belongs to me.

  Alpha’s Danger (Bad Boy Alphas, Book 2)

  “YOU BROKE THE RULES, LITTLE HUMAN. I OWN YOU NOW.”

  I am an alpha wolf, one of the youngest in the States. I can pick any she-wolf in the pack for a mate. So why am I sniffing around the sexy human attorney next door? The minute I catch Amber’s sweet scent, my wolf wants to claim her.

  Hanging around is a bad idea, but I don’t play by the rules. Amber acts all prim and proper, but she has a secret, too. She may not want her psychic abilities, but they’re a gift.

  I should let her go, but the way she fights me only makes me want her more. When she learns what I am, there’s no escape for her. She’s in my world, whether she likes it or not. I need her to use her gifts to help recover my missing sister—and I won’t take no for an answer.

  She’s mine now.

  Alpha’s Prize (Bad Boy Alphas, Book 3)

  My Captive. My Mate. My Prize.

  I didn't order the capture of the beautiful American she-wolf. I didn't buy her from the traffickers. I didn't even plan to claim her. But no male shifter could have withstood the test of a full moon and a locked room with Sedona, naked and shackled to the bed.

  I lost control, not only claiming her but also marking her and leaving her pregnant with my wolf pup. I won't keep her prisoner, as much as I'd like to. I allow her to escape to the safety of her brother's pack.

  But once marked, no she-wolf is ever really free. I will follow her to the ends of the Earth, if I must.

  Sedona belongs to me.

  Alpha’s Challenge (Bad Boy Alphas, Book 4)

  How to Date a Werewolf:

  #1 Never call him ‘Good Doggie.’

  I’ve got a problem. A big, hairy problem. An enforcer from the Werewolves Motorcycle Club broke into my house. He thinks I know the Werewolves’ secret, and the pack sent him to guard me.

  #2 During a full moon, be ready to get freaky

  By the time he decides I’m no threat, it’s too late. His wolf has claimed me for his mate.

  Too bad we can’t stand each other…

  # 3 Bad girls get eaten in the bedroom

  ...until instincts take over. Things get wild. Naked under the full moon, this wolfman has me howling for more.

  # 4 Break ups are hairy

  Not even a visit from the mob, my abusive ex, my crazy mother and a road trip across the state in a hippie VW bus can shake him.

  #5 Beware the mating bite

  Because there’s no running from a wolf when he decides you’re his mate.

  Read Now

  Alpha’s Obsession (Bad Boy Alpha’s B
ook 5)

  A werewolf, an owl shifter, and a scientist walk into a bar…

  Sam

  I was born in a lab, fostered out to humans, then tortured in a cage. Fate allowed me to escape, and I know why.

  To balance the scales of justice. Right the misdeeds of the harvesters.

  Nothing matters but taking down the man who made me what I am: A monster driven by revenge, whatever the cost.

  Then I meet Layne. She thinks I’m a hero.

  But she doesn’t understand—If I don’t follow this darkness to its end, it will consume me.

  Layne

  I’ve spent my life in the lab, researching the cure for the disease that killed my mom. No late nights out, no dates, definitely no boyfriend.

  Then Sam breaks into my lab, steals my research, and kidnaps me. He’s damaged. Crazy. And definitely not human.

  He and his friends are on a mission to stop the company that’s been torturing shifters, and now I’m a part of it.

  Sam promises to protect me. And when he touches me, I feel reborn. But he’s hellbent on revenge. He won’t give it up.

  Not even for me.

  Read Now

  Alpha’s Desire (Bad Boy Alpha’s Book 6)

  She’s the one girl this player can’t have. A human.