Alpha Shifter Bride Service
(A Paranormal Romance Series)
Serena Meadows
Copyright ©2020 by Serena Meadows - All rights reserved.
In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.
Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.
Contents
Alpha Dragon’s Sold Bride
Alpha Wolf Son’s Claimed Bride
Alpha Panther’s Kidnapped Bride
Alpha Bear’s Bride Secret Baby
Alpha Dragon’s Destined Bride
Also By Serena Meadows
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Alpha Dragon’s Sold Bride
(Alpha Shifter Bride Service)
Book One
Chapter One
“Girl, are you even listening to me?”
“Sorry, Momma,” Jasmine said. “I thought you said that you’d sold me, but that couldn’t be right. What did you say?”
She was sweating, worried that she’d heard her right. Surely not…
“I wouldn’t call it selling you. We’ve just promised you to someone, is all. You will have a good life.”
It sounded like the same thing to Jasmine, just spun a little nicer to make her feel better about it. Honestly, it didn’t make her feel better about it at all. It actually made her feel a little sick to her stomach, the fake smile and spun sugar coming from her mother’s lips.
“What are you talking about?”
Jasmine had just returned home from her waitressing job. She was only sixteen but had been working there for a couple of years. She knew that her parents needed the money, but she hadn’t imagined that they would do something like this.
“You know that we are having a rough time. You kids are a lot, and it’s hard, Jasmine. You’re going to be a woman soon, and this will be a way for you to find a good husband. He will have money, power, everything that you don’t have now.”
Jasmine was the oldest of six kids. More than once, Jasmine had thought that everyone’s lives would have been better if her parents hadn’t had all of them. “But why would I want to marry a man that buys his wife?”
“You are looking at this all wrong, Jasmine. It’s an opportunity. You will never have to worry about finding a decent husband.”
“Or love.”
“Never have to worry about money.”
“Or love.”
Her mother gave her a dirty look.
“Stop it, missy. It’s already done.”
“So, do I have to go with him or something?”
“No, you’re far too young. You will be sent to Astrian’s School for Girls. When you are finished, you will meet your new husband. Until then, all you have to do is ignore all male attention. All of it, Jasmine. If you don’t, we will have to pay it all back, and there will be no bonus after the wedding.”
Nausea was rising; she could feel its sour presence in the back of her throat. Her mother wasn’t joking. Not only had she sold her, but she’d taken away any chance of her ever finding love. Jasmine knew that she would be watched; her mother said as much. As far as Jasmine was concerned, her life was effectively over.
There was no point in crying about it. Jasmine was too tired from her shift anyway. She was just going to have to make the best out of it. There was a moment that she would have liked to have run away from it all, but Jasmine knew that she wouldn’t. She couldn’t, not really. If she did take off, then her younger sister would probably have to take her place.
Jasmine decided then to get the rest of her family out of the poverty that got her sold off. It was the only way she could guarantee the rest of her sisters were not treated in the same way. There were four more after all.
Jasmine tried not to show her emotions over it. She met the man that had bought her, but she was told that he wouldn’t be her husband. Jasmine was relieved. She didn’t want to marry the beady-eyed man with the hawkish nose and lecherous words.
The rest of the night was a blur. Jasmine went to bed knowing that her life had changed forever. She didn’t know what it was going to look like in the morning, but Jasmine knew everything was going to change.
Three years later
Jasmine was leaving her school for the last time. She was never going to see the marbled halls again. She was almost relieved because the walls of the school had quickly become the walls of her own personal prison. Jasmine had been watched all the years that she attended, and now, there was someone waiting for her.
She stopped in front of the dark-haired man, in the dark suit, with the darker shades covering his eyes. She’d seen his type the last three years. Jasmine knew it was one of the men who worked for William Grey. He was the one that had bought her for another client. He was never too far out of her life, and Jasmine would be happy when it was all over.
He opened the door to a limo, and Jasmine tried not to be impressed. The guy that she was going to marry was obviously going to have some money. She didn’t know much about him, or anything really.
The whole ride, she nervously twitched and kept herself from making comments to the driver. She wanted answers, but at the same time, Jasmine knew they wouldn't come from him. The discreet driver probably knew more than she did, but she composed herself as best as she could. Jasmine kept her lips pressed tightly together and watched the scenery change.
At some point, it had been almost an hour and they were going into the big city. She was thousands of miles from her home, but Jasmine had adapted quickly. She had gotten to know her new residence and the area surrounding it.
“Are we going into Copenhagen?”
The driver agreed. She waited for more information to come forth, but it never did. Apparently, that's all she needed to know. This was to be her life, but she was to get no inkling of how it was going to be. It didn't matter; she had been bought after all.
The direction took them quickly to the airport that was close to the interstate. Jasmine had imagined that she would be find herself somewhere far more remote and far away than she was now. She was going to go even further away from her home, although there were not too many places left that it would even be possible. She had already come so far, and her life had already changed so much. What was another change?
Instead of trying to guess where the private plane was going to take her, Jasmine put her head back and tried to relax. No amount of worry was going to help.
Chapter Two
Jamie Caldwell was a bit nervous about her next client. He was a prominent member of one of the oldest families in the shifter community. Jamie knew that if things went well with Dustin Rose, there could be a lot more business like his in the future. His business could pay the bills, personally and professionally, for the next year. Jamie needed to not only hook the man, but find the perfect mate for him. That was no easy task.
Jamie believed in doing her due diligence, which meant she had found out everything she could about Dustin Rose. As well as his family’s real estate empire. She had learned about his philanthropy work and the fact that he really didn't have anything beyond that to actually call work. Rose came from a family that had made their money in real estate and then pushed it all into bigger industries. They bought up most of the good properties hundreds of years before, and each year, they got a little richer without having to do much.
Whil
e Jamie tried to find out as much as she could about Dustin, there was a lot that she still didn't know. She knew that he had had a few girlfriends, but by the looks of them, they were varying in shapes and sizes and colors. It didn't even matter what species they were.
That helped Jamie out as far as matching him up with the perfect bride, but at the same time, it didn't give her anywhere to start. At the moment, it was all just a blank slate, and usually from the first encounter, Jamie would know exactly what they were looking for.
She moved into the conference room and found him sitting on one side of the table. He looked like he owned the place, and Jamie knew that he could have bought her out without even thinking twice about it. That kind of money brought power and a sense of entitlement that she was used to.
He didn't get up, but merely nodded his head at her, so she didn't try to go over to his side and shake his hand. Once again, she had to remind herself that he could buy her life a million times over and still have enough to never take a dent out of his family's holdings. She had to remember her place.
Jamie whipped herself right into her professional tone.
“It is good to meet you, Dustin. I have read nothing but good things.”
“That is probably because my family owns controlling stock in most television stations that you watch. We certainly own all of the newspapers that you read as well. If you read anything bad about me or my family, someone would be fired.”
Jamie smiled, but she could feel it faltering. She didn't know what to make of him, and the whole time, she was trying to figure out who would be perfect for him. The man was sure of himself, curt, and had an overwhelming presence that made it hard for her to focus.
“Right, well, why don't you tell me about yourself. The more I know about you and can learn about you personally, the better I will be able to help you find the perfect bride. I will find you a woman that you can love for the rest of your days.”
He snorted and then pulled himself together.
“I am certainly not looking for that. And by the sound of it, what you are describing to me is going to take a lot longer than I have. I need some emergency services if you will.”
Jamie was a little thrown off. She didn't know that there was a deadline coming; usually, it took time to find the right person. Marriage was forever, after all, and men came to her because marriage was compulsory in most clans, especially for leaders.
This felt different, though. Dustin was talking about it, like it was something that needed to be done instantly. She worried that the timetable was being pushed up so fast. How would she find him a bride so quickly? Then again, how quickly?
It was hard to see why he would have a problem finding the bride to begin with. Like most shifters, he was tall and well built, with something about him that drew most women in, and it didn't really matter what species they were. All women found shifters irresistible. Even then, sitting across from the man, Jamie could feel her attraction to him.
He had the square jawline and tanned skin. His eyes were a glittering dark emerald color, and she was sure that they would glow a bright green ring around them when he was excited. From what she had learned, he was a dragon, which meant that he was from an old family and he would turn into a fantastical beast that would take anyone's breath away. Why in the world would he ever need to pay someone to help him look for a mate? Even if he had to get married the next day, Jamie considered that he would have no trouble finding a bride.
“I am used to a deadline. Most of my clients come to me with some sort of deadline. They have to get married so they can become alpha, and a lot of times they're too young to have found a bride themselves. That is where I come in and try to match them up with the perfect mate. Even though you have to find her in this way, it doesn't mean that we can't work together to find you the perfect one. It doesn't have to take that long. A few weeks, maybe a month. As handsome as you are, if you don't mind me saying, I don't think it'll take long at all, Dustin.
“The thing is that I need to get married tomorrow.”
“Oh.”
He chuckled for a moment. “Now you can see my dilemma. If I had a month, I'm sure I could find someone to my liking. I'm sure I could find ten, but I hear that you are very good at what you do. So I guess I am just here to make my order. Just make sure that she’s a virgin. That's all that really matters in my clan. They want me to marry someone untouched.”
Jamie was taken aback by his bluntness. She was also a little worried about all that he said he needed. Or really, she was worried about the lack of what he wanted. He had no skin in the game whatsoever. It was the first time Jamie wanted to refuse a client.
While most of them were scared and worried about marriage in general, there was at least hope that they would find who they were looking for. Jamie was afraid that Dustin simply wasn't looking. It was only a means to an end, and Jamie didn't know if she wanted to be part of it.
“I don’t really hire out wives like that, Dustin. I mean, I do, but it’s a bit more personal to me. I am trying to match people up for life. That’s the goal. The way you talk about it makes me think that you are not interested in much more than a placeholder.”
He shrugged and stood up. She was afraid that he was going to leave, but at the same time, she couldn’t imagine going forward. Jamie reminded herself that she needed the client, so she stood up as well.
“My father was killed two nights ago, and an alpha has to be named. If I don’t get married, my brother will get the title, and trust me when I say no one wants that to happen. He is already plotting to turn a local town into fire just because he wants it clear of humans. He wants more privacy on his morning flights. Can you imagine him taking over?”
Jamie didn’t know what to say. She could see that Dustin was in a pickle. He had to get married, that would be the laws that dictate many clans, but there was a part of her that knew it was another life involved in it. That made her pause. She didn’t want to give a woman a life and husband that she would regret.
“That doesn't sound like it would be too good. You have to understand, though, that I don't really do what you want. I make lasting connections.”
“Are you telling me that you will refuse my business and my money?”
Jamie didn't know what to say. She knew that she should tell him no. No, she didn't want his money. She wasn't in business to ruin people's lives, but to make them better.
“I am not saying that I will refuse your business. I just wish that you would have a better response to the question. Are you at least open to love?”
Another bitter snicker from him. “I don't quite believe in love if I'm honest with myself. I had parents that fought all the time. My mom went away and left my father. She was happier than she’d ever been before. It doesn't seem like marriage is all it's cracked up to be. If my father had lived for a while longer, I wouldn't have to go down this route so quickly. But here we are, so I just want to get it done and as clean and quick as possible.”
He seemed like a nice guy. He was just put into a bad situation. Jamie could work with that, even if it was halfway fabricated in her mind.
“How old are you anyway, Dustin, if you don’t mind me asking? You really don't look all that old. I know that sometimes your specific subgenus can look younger than you are, but you seem even younger than that.”
He smiled at that and headed towards the door. “I am old enough. I will be back in the morning. Just remember the criteria and whoever it is will be fine.”
Jamie watched him go and swallowed a little harder. Why did she feel like she was selling her soul to the devil? A handsome devil, but a devil, nonetheless.
Chapter Three
Jasmine made her way into the hotel and was just thankful that she had a little bit more time to herself. It was probably going to be the last night she would spend single and alone, so she wanted to make the best of it. Her mind was still full of a million questions, but she wasn't going to ask any of them. There was no one to
really ask. Instead, she was just going to go with it or do the best that she possibly could.
When she got into the room, she barely noticed all the luxurious trappings it possessed. She had never stayed in a place that was quite so fancy, even though the school she had been at was far above her social status. Now apparently, she needed to get used to an even higher version of it.
After ordering some room service and finding a good movie to rent on the television, Jasmine showered and then tucked herself into bed. She tried not to think about what would happen the next day.
The driver had not given her much information, but he had told her that she had to be ready to be picked up by seven in the morning. It was going to be a big day for her tomorrow. Jasmine was finally going to meet the man she was supposed to marry.
Jasmine couldn't sleep. She wandered the hotel for a little while, swimming a few laps in the pool before getting out and leaning on the exit door, daydreaming of escape. She actually got a few feet out of the building before she saw the driver or her bodyguard, whoever he was, looking at her and walking towards her.
“You're not supposed to be down here. You're supposed to be up in your room sleeping.”
She didn’t want to be downstairs; she didn't even want to be at the hotel. It would have been better if Jasmine could have slept. Then she wouldn't have had to replay the last couple of years of her life and the clues that have been given to her. There weren't many pointing her towards the direction of her new life. All of it was just circumstantial.
Jasmine sighed because none of that mattered to the security. He was there just to keep her there. “I can't sleep,” Jasmine simply said.
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