by Merel Pierce
Niddie covered her gasp with her mouth. “Druku!”
“Mind self, mind your mate, your husband, your friend, your one, my little lamb. I am the alpha of this house now. Who will challenge me?” The words rang with hard authority. They tumbled through her cells, wet her core, and quickened her breath. Her mate was the strongest male in the room, and it ramped up her attraction to him like nothing else.
“Outside. Now. Out,” he commanded. “You will spill your blood under the sky as is right. Niddie, call your mother to you.”
There was movement, confusion, and then a loud crash that made Niddie jerk.
“You can walk out on your feet, or I will toss you out on your backside. Stay away from my mate. Out.”
“Mother, come here. We should talk. I should explain.”
“You have mated?”
Shivering, Niddie kept trying to get control of bodily functions. She’d not been injected with anything, but the overwhelming sound and authority of her lover had her stiffening her legs in order to not chase after the alien beast who had claimed her.
“I don’t think he will talk to you, Mother. His ways are different. Let him sort it out with the men you brought.”
“You have mated?”
It was all Morella needed to know. Druku had not come from a House of Algar-Din. Morella had a data pad full of information of every viable mate candidate on the planet. Druku was a nobody. A stranger. Yet he was a powerful, intimidating male, and a mating was irrevocable. If he were weaker, she might have tried to have him killed. But he was not.
“Leave it to you to find a ruffian, the most beastly, ugly creature I have ever seen. But no matter. He is alpha. You might as well stay here until you are seeded, then. I’ll send tutors to explain the House, I suppose.”
“I can explain the House.”
“You? What do you know of running a profitable business? You are going to make my granddaughters, and perhaps if they are not too ugly, they will find decent husbands where they should.”
“I don’t think there is any reason for you to stay here, mother.” Niddie looked at the other woman’s aging face, the bitter lines around her mouth and eyes. She had never been able to please Morella, and until this moment, she hadn’t understood that her mother’s unhappiness with her own lot in life had made her angry about everything else.
It was the same unhappiness she had worked hard to foist upon her daughter.
Morella Trenneth was smart. She had run the House with delicate hands for years without an alpha, a survivor dancing between would-be lovers and second mates. Though the expectations of society were against her, she had managed to circumvent them. And yet she found no joy, because not only were her brilliant mind and strategic capabilities dismissed every day, but her mate’s early death had left her womb and her heart shriveled things.
“I will leave you to your mate, then, before he kills all my people; ridiculous, posturing beast that he is.”
She left with that insult. Niddie watched her go, exiting as she had come and taking all her people with her.
Looking none the worse for wear, Druku—ex-slave and newly minted alpha of one of the most distinguished houses of Rathsima—returned to the room and found Niddie still sitting in the chair where he’d left her.
“Little lamb. You cry?” He knelt to put himself almost at eye-level with her, palming her chin in the huge paw of his hand. “Did she hurt you? Do I kill her?”
She covered his hand with her own. “No. I think she freed me. But what will you do to me?”
His eyes were on hers, looking deep, speaking silent promises to her heart. Then his scandalous black tongue emerged, swiping over his lips. Her mouth watered and heat pooled between her thighs.
“Oh, little lamb. Everything—I’m going to do everything to you.”
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An Alpha For Dahlia
By
L.P. Dillon
Chapter One
I lay there, ass in the air, face squashed into the pillow. It was uncomfortable, but he’d been trying to be dominant. So, when he grabbed a fistful of hair and shoved my head down, I went with it, hoping it would excite me.
It didn’t.
He pounded into me as hard as he could. He wasn’t lacking in the package department; he just couldn’t satisfy me. No man could. I’d learned over the years how to successfully fake it.
I stared at my bathroom door, thinking, I wish he’d finish already. I've got shit to do.
Then he let out a pathetic growl, and that was my cue. I produced some enthusiastic moans and groans of my own, getting louder with every slap of his hips against my ass. After a few more thrusts, he whimpered into his climax.
Like many Beta men before him, his growls and grunts disgusted me. I was sure most Beta women found him manly and primal, but I never had. I’d made it my mission to find a Beta who would satisfy me sexually, and he was simply the best of a bad bunch.
He collapsed onto my back, making me cringe when droplets of his sweat slid down my hip. While pretending to catch my breath, I wished for once my gasps for air could be real.
He rolled off me and fell onto the bed. Reaching behind me, I tugged at my thong, pulling it up my thighs and over my ass, then got off the bed. As I dragged my dress down, he wrapped his arm around my waist and yanked me back onto the bed.
“Jax, what are you doing?” I asked, sounding more pissed off than I’d intended.
He brought me to his chest and swept my hair aside. While he nuzzled my neck, I rolled my eyes and let out a huff.
He overreacted and shoved me.
Lucky for me I have great reflexes and landed on my feet when I flew off the bed.
“What the fuck, Jaxon!”
“I’m sorry. I’m fed up with just screwing you. You know I’m in love with you. For God’s sake, Lia, I don’t understand why you won’t let me show you any affection?” He threw himself back onto the bed, resting his hands over his face.
Most women would have swooned over Jaxon. He had raven hair and piercing blue eyes that were even more stunning against the backdrop of his olive complexion. Covered in tattoos and ripped beyond belief for a Beta, he really was a beautiful man. I should have been elated that he wanted to be with me, but there was something missing.
Like any Beta I’d ever been with, he just wasn’t enough for me. I didn’t understand it myself. I’d concluded that I was a stuck-up brat like my father had always told me—nothing was ever good enough for me. After years of having that drilled into my head, I chose to be who he thought I was.
People formed their own opinions of me, whether because of my looks, money, privileged upbringing, or my family's status. I became Lia, the spoiled rich bitch with a cold heart and a bad attitude.
It wasn’t like I wanted to be Lia; I just found it less painful than when they rejected me as Dahlia. To be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure who Dahlia was anymore. All I knew was that wearing my Lia mask kept me protected.
“You know why, Jaxon. My family would never accept you as my mate.” The lie rolled off my tongue like so many before it.
“No. That's the bullshit reason you give me. I know your mother loves me. I want the fucking truth, Lia.” The gravel in his tone sent a pulse through to my bud for the first time. He’d never sounded so dominant or angry, and I liked it.
Disgust filled me as I watched him get off the bed and pull the semen-filled condom off his flaccid cock. He threw it in the trash can before dragging on his boxers and suit pants.
I turned and headed toward my closet.
Jaxon grabbed my wrist and whirled me around to face him. His other hand shot out, seizing my neck.
My eyes grew wide when he slammed me
up against the wall. The force of it winded me a little. I could have easily fought him off, but I was enjoying the roughness.
“This is the real reason, isn’t it?”
Maybe he’s finally gonna be the dominant man I crave—no, need!
He reached into his pocket and took out my ticket for tonight’s auction. Disappointed, I placed one hand on his chest and the other on the ticket. With one swift shove, he stumbled backward, releasing my neck and the ticket.
“What are you insinuating, exactly?” I questioned while strolling over to the dressing table. I picked up my purse and placed the ticket inside.
“You’re going to buy an Alpha, aren’t you?” he spat, pain and jealousy lacing his every word.
I closed my eyes and sighed, dropping my purse on the table. That was exactly what I was going to do, but I couldn’t tell him that. I couldn’t break his heart. I didn’t enjoy hurting people or being cruel. I was more like my mom in that way. She was a loving and kind Omega, and while I felt like that on the inside, as a Beta I knew I couldn’t possibly be like her, but I sure as hell wasn’t like my father either.
My dad was an Alpha. He was an abusive and cruel asshole, and the day he died was the happiest of my life. He’d never accepted me. He’d expected me to be an Alpha, or at the very least an Omega. When the test result came back that I was a Beta, he was furious. The bastard made mine and my mother’s lives a living hell.
“Well?” Jaxon boomed.
“Yes, I’m going. It’s a slave auction, Jax. If you want us to be together, I’m gonna need a new bodyguard for my mom, aren’t I?”
Yet another lie that easily passed my lips. He won’t like it when he learns the truth.
Jaxon had been my mom's bodyguard since my father died. Being a wealthy Omega and still within her last few years of childbearing age, my mother attracted the attention of bachelor Alphas. She wasn’t interested in a new mate, which infuriated them, and Alphas don’t handle rejection well. So, she hired a large team of Betas to protect her. A Beta alone stood no chance against an Alpha, but a large group of them could hold one off long enough for her to escape.
“Are you serious?” he asked, eyebrows raised. “Please don’t play with me, Lia.”
When I nodded at him, he rushed at me and lifted me into the air.
“We’re finally gonna be a real couple? We have to celebrate. We have to tell your mom, and mine. Oh, our friends...”
He rambled while spinning us around, and I was getting sick, though I didn’t know if it was from the spinning or the guilt.
“Slow down, Jax.” He pulled me away from him and set me on the ground, panic washing across his face.
“Why? They know we’ve been screwing each other for over a year. I know we haven’t been exclusive, but you’re all I’ve ever wanted, Lia.”
While he was holding my face, I gazed into his eyes and replied, “Just give me a little time. I need a new bodyguard for mom. Then we can tell everyone, I promise.”
I leaned forward and placed my lips on his. Kissing him was always enjoyable, and I loved him a lot, just not the same way he loved me.
He pulled away from the kiss and asked, “Why don’t I come with you? I can help you find my replacement.”
“There’s no need. I won’t be there long, and then I'm meeting Harper and the girls. But how about I come to your place tomorrow? We can tell your parents then.”
His grin grew wider than I’d ever seen it before, and it crushed me to know how hurt he would be.
But maybe he wouldn’t. Maybe I wouldn’t find an Alpha tonight. Maybe I would change my mind once I saw one of the slave Alphas up close and personal.
I’d wanted an Alpha ever since I was a child, but my mom had explained that Alphas wouldn’t be interested in me. They needed an Omega to carry on their line, and she was right. Any Alpha that I pursued dismissed me. A few had mentioned that I looked like an Omega because of my size and how beautiful I was, but I didn’t have the scent. I also didn’t have heats, nor “Omega” stamped on my ID or birth certificate—all the things an Alpha looked for in a mate.
“Yeah, I’d like that...” He paused when his cell buzzed. He read a text, then said, “Crap, I’ve got to go, babe. Dad’s having trouble with the horgons again. I told him not to buy that herd from Harper’s ranch. There’s something seriously wrong with them.”
He put his shirt on, not bothering to button it, then sat on the edge of the bed to put on his shoes. “Can I take the hovercraft?” he asked while doing up his laces.
“Yeah, of course. I hope your dad’s okay.”
He made his way over and kissed me. The kiss was soft and loving, and I prayed that it would spark something deep inside me. But there was nothing.
He pulled away and stared into my eyes. “I’m sure he'll be fine. Enjoy yourself tonight, and I’ll ring you when I can.” With a kiss to my forehead, he whispered, “I love you, Lia Mountford.”
“I love you too, Jax.” This time, I wasn’t lying; I did love him, in my own way.
As I watched his gorgeous ass walk away, I began to have second thoughts about the auction.
Maybe I can learn to love Jax the way he loves me. I mean, how would it work, anyway? Wouldn’t an Alpha just rip me apart? I wouldn’t be woman enough for him, surely.
Fuck it, I’m not going!
Chapter Two
I decided to have the girl’s night out I’d lied about. I was sure Harper wouldn’t mind me turning up at her place and dragging her out for the night. The girl loved to party.
I hurried over to my floor-length mirror, hoping the dress I had on was good enough to wear. It wasn’t. As of tomorrow, I would be a girlfriend, soon-to-be wife. I wanted to enjoy tonight completely.
I shook my head and pulled off the short black dress, revealing a body most women would kill for. I had golden, sun-kissed skin, legs that went on for days, and curves in all the right places.
I knew I was an attractive woman, the type who didn’t really need the heavy makeup I’d applied earlier. But I regularly wore it to hide the pain and loneliness howling within me.
I kept my long black hair down, letting it float down my back in beautiful waves. My bright amber eyes were unique, a trait I’d inherited from my father.
With the Rathsima Unity Festival this week, the capital was buzzing, and tonight I would definitely live up to my title of Algar-Din's resident rich bitch.
I slipped on another dress and stood in front of the mirror, checking myself out. I wanted to drop jaws, turn heads, excite dicks, and this dress was just right.
“Perfect.”
I put on my red-bottomed black stilettos and combed my fingers through my hair before blowing a kiss at my reflection. I grabbed my phone off the bed, placing it into my purse, then strolled out my bedroom and headed down the stairs.
“Hold up, young lady. Where do you think you’re going dressed like that?” my mother called out.
“There is nothing wrong with my clothes. Besides, I’m a grown-ass woman and can wear what the hell I like.”
“Don’t you sass me, girl. While you still carry the Mountford name, you have a reputation to uphold. How are you going to find a Beta from a decent family when you dress like a cheap hooker?” my mother snapped, getting angrier with every word.