by Riley Storm
Royal Alpha
High House Canis Book 5
Riley Storm
Royal Alpha
Copyright© 2019 Riley Storm
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic means without written permission from the author. The sole exception is for the use of brief quotations in a book review. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real.
All sexual activities depicted occur between consenting characters 18 years or older who are not blood related.
Edited by Annie Jenkinson, Just Copyeditors
Cover Designs by Kasmit Covers
Contents
Royal Alpha
Note from the Author
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
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35
36
37
38
39
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41
Other Books by Riley Storm
About the Author
Note from the Author
Hi there!
Thank you so much for picking up Royal Alpha. While this book and series are self-contained and can be read alone, if you want to get the full experience of the Plymouth Falls world, you would be best off starting with the High House Ursa series and book one, Bearing Secrets which is linked below.
Either way, I hope you enjoy!
-Riley Storm
High House Ursa
Bearing Secrets
Furever Loyal
Mated to the Enemy
Shifting Alliances
Blood Bearon
1
“Oh, won’t it be so nice to be back home now all that silly business is done with?”
It took everything in Heather’s power not to visibly roll her eyes. She’d long ago learned not to correct her mother’s willful ignorance, but that didn’t make it any easier to handle.
Explaining to her that the ‘silly business’ she’s just laughed off is a months-long civil war where dozens—maybe even hundreds—of our friends, family and those we know died, wouldn’t do anything besides earn me a glare and further lecturing anyway.
And the last thing Heather wanted was another lecture. The entire trip back to Moonshadow Manor had been filled with them. In fact, she sensed another coming on.
“Now, when we arrive, make sure to be on your best behavior.”
“Mother,” Heather said, her irritation spilling over. “I am twenty-nine years old. I’m not a child anymore. You can stop treating me like one any day now.”
Miriam Canis just shook her head, reaching up to tuck an imaginary strand of wayward hair back behind her ears. “Enough with the attitude, young lady. You’ll embarrass yourself if you keep that up.”
You mean, I’ll embarrass you.
Biting her tongue, Heather subsided into silence, wishing for the hundredth time that she could find some headphones to help block out her mother.
“Three years.”
Here we go again.
“Three long years we spent in that dreary place,” her mother said, repeating herself, though there were only the two of them in the back of the massive SUV limousine.
Heather often wondered if her mother constantly imagined an audience, or if she couldn’t comprehend the difference between her daughter and some random person she had to impress. It would be a close call in terms of which one was closer to the truth. Or maybe it’s a combination of both.
“I’m not sure I would call Australia dreary,” Heather drawled. “Overheated and full of things that want to kill you? Sure. But I kind of liked it. Though I’m very glad to be home as well,” she added swiftly at a measured glare from her mother.
It was often best not to annoy Miriam Canis. The unfortunate thing about her, that Heather knew all too well, was that Miriam didn’t just imagine her power and importance. If it was a simple case of delusions, Heather would have left her mother’s side and the “protection” of her family ages ago.
But Miriam Canis headed up one of the largest political blocs of power in House Canis. In fact, it was that power that had caused the previous King of the House to exile her family to their Australian embassy under the guise of “needing a steady hand to manage the area.”
Heather hadn’t believed it for a moment, but then, three years ago, she’d been more than happy to get out from Moonshadow Manor and leave her own problems behind.
“Well, whatever it was, I am certainly glad to be back home where we belong,” Miriam said. “Aren’t you?”
“Yes, Mother,” she said, a rote reply if there ever was one.
“Smarten up, Heather,” her mother said sharply, catching her by surprise. What did her mother care about such a response in private?
“You know I’m excited, Mother, but I’m tired and jet lagged. That’s all,” she said, begging apology before things escalated into anything more.
“Well you need to shake it off,” Miriam snapped. “A lot is expected of you. I worked very hard for this, for you, and I will not have you screwing it up, understood? This is a big occasion for our family.”
“Right. For the family. Don’t you mean for you?” Heather shot back, the nearly twenty-four hours of constant travel with her mother finally wearing thin.
“Remember your place, daughter,” Miriam said in a frosty tone that belied her gentle exterior. “Do not forget what this family has done, and continues to do, for you. You will do what’s expected of you.”
“Of course, Mother,” Heather said sweetly. “I wouldn’t dream of doing anything I wanted, or of making my own decisions. Why I—”
Slap!
Heather recoiled, her cheek stinging from the slap she’d barely seen coming. There hadn’t been time to avoid it, only to go with the blow, to help ease the pain and hopefully ensure no lasting mark.
Her mother’s eyes blazed with anger. “That is e-nough. Do I make myself clear?” she hissed.
“Crystal,” Heather growled, almost ready to take the woman on then and there.
“Leonen is doing you a big favor here, given the…risk, that you still present to everyone. Don’t you forget that.”
Looking out the window instead of meeting her mother’s gaze, Heather just sank back into the seat as memories of everything that had brought their return to Moonshadow Manor came rushing back. After three years of exile, she’d thought she was mostly free from being used by her mother. There just wasn’t enough of a shifter presence in Australia to matter.
And Mother is too much of a racist bitch to let me mate any of the nice Asian shifter men I met. So that option went out the window immediately. Though she’d never phrase it as such.
Heather had long known she’d never be allowed to mate for love, unless she got extremely lucky. That was simply not how the political factions within House Canis worked. Not hers, at least. There was a group that did things that way, but they weren’t in power just now.
Nor were they in favor.
She idly wondered how her old flame Logan and his little rebellion were doing, but quickly quashed the thought. The last thing she wanted was to think about him while in the same vehicle as her mother. Too many…memories.
The transport turned off the road, and Heather contented herself with watching the beautiful landscape of the property surrounding Moonshadow Manor. The long drive up to the House never ceased to amaze her. The band of trees and forest surrounding the outer perimeter to block the building from casual viewers quickly gave way to long, flowing lawns, perfectly manicured gardens, and small walkways and shelters where shifters could go to enjoy nature and relax in comfort.
“I’ll give you one thing, Mother,” she said softly as the Manor itself hove into view. “Australia has nothing on this view.”
For once, her mother remained silent instead of trying to correct her. For just a fleeting moment, she felt a bit of kinship with the woman who had birthed her.
“Now remember, when Laurien addresses you, I don’t want any of that nonsense coming out of your mouth,” Miriam said as they pulled up to the large roundabout in front of the Manor.
Heather’s jaw clamped shut on instinct. Laurien was the King of House Canis. He was also an asshole, and commonly referred to as the Tyrant King by those who didn’t support him.
This was perhaps the most contentious difference between mother and daughter. Miriam was doing all she could to curry favor with the King, despite the fact it was becoming increasingly clear the man was insane and doing more harm than good to the House.
Heather wasn’t sure she supported the rebels, but she absolutely did not support Laurien. Nor like him. She didn’t even respect him. So being told to suck it up and act like he was a great person was tough, to say the least.
Why did she have to support him? Even our own power bloc is divided on that topic, though of course none of them will cross Mother.
The vehicle came to a stop, and the woman waited for their driver to come out and open the door for them. Heather stepped out second and paused to stretch. Although she wasn’t overly tall, four hours from the nearest major airport to the outskirts of Plymouth Falls was enough to cramp anyone, even in the spacious vehicle.
Behind them came several more vehicles. None of them was a limousine, but the large SUV’s disgorged a number of men and women. Miriam’s power bloc, returning as one to the Tyrant King’s summons for assistance in solidifying his power.
How does nobody realize that means he’s losing control?
Heather kept silent though, having argued this out with her mother a dozen times already. Miriam simply couldn’t accept the rebels would ever win. In fact, she all but refused to even acknowledge them. “Children acting like children, they’ll eventually come back into the fold,” she’d said in a tone so dismissive Heather had begun to wonder if her own mother was all there.
And apparently, Logan is leading these “children”. She snorted. Miriam looked back at her but Heather shook it off, motioning for them to go on.
She wouldn’t understand why thinking of Logan as a child is amusing.
But Heather did. Assuming he was still alive. She’d not heard much about how the rebels were doing, which wasn’t surprising, but she had heard he was leading them, which also didn’t surprise her. Logan always had been the idealistic one.
Following a step behind her mother, the two women and their entourage walked down the Grand Hallway toward the Throne Room where King Laurien would greet them.
As would Leonen.
Wonderful. Just what I wanted.
The guards at the large bronze doors nodded respectfully to the women, and with a flourish pushed the twelve-foot-tall doors inward.
Heather marched in regally, her eyes finding the Throne with ease. Now she needed to—
Wait. What?
“Welcome to Moonshadow Manor,” Logan said from where he sat on the Throne.
2
Even after three years, Heather looked exactly like he remembered her.
He’d known this moment was coming, had prepared himself for it, but even now he still heard his voice hitch as he welcomed Heather and her mother Miriam back to Moonshadow Manor. Back, after they’d left partly because of him.
Watching intently, he saw the surprise blossom on Heather’s face, saw her carefully schooled features lose control. Her forehead wrinkled as she looked at him with those wonderful hazel-esque eyes. The purest brown, but with just enough gold flakes to provide mystery. He could still remember the patterns in them if he tried hard enough.
Dark brown hair to match bobbed wildly as she came to an abrupt halt, jaw dropping open as well. She’s let it grow out. It was longer now than it had been, reaching nearly her shoulders. When last she’d left, it had been short, only reaching her chin. Logan decided in an instant he liked it better this way.
He watched as she regained control of herself, the plump lips he remembered oh so well disappearing as she made a flat line of her mouth. Was that disapproval he saw lining the corners of her eyes? Did Heather think he wasn’t cut out to be King?
She wouldn’t be the first, if that was the case.
All the preparation Logan had done was fleeing him now as he stared at her in silence, remembering a time three years in the past, when things had seemed much simpler. I still wish I could understand why she left me. He’d never been able to figure that one out.
He might finally get the chance to ask now. Then again, he might not. Things were different now. Very different. He was the King of House Canis, and had to act like it. That meant putting the needs of the House over his own.
In an effort to pull himself back to the moment, Logan switched his gaze to Miriam. One of the major political figures in House Canis, her exile to Australia hadn’t weakened the woman’s power bloc one bit. If anything, he suspected it had strengthened it, as she was able to operate without the close supervision of the King.
Logan was going to change all that, but first, he basked in the stunned look on Miriam’s face as well. Not many people could pull one over her, but he’d succeeded.
“What are you doing sitting there?” Miriam barked at last. “Laurien will have your head when he gets here.”
Logan sat back. It was funny, he decided, how much less threatening she appeared from up here. Don’t take her lightly. You can’t afford to underestimate her. He wouldn’t.
“I suspect not,” Logan said calmly. “Though if you know where he’s run off to, please send him my greetings and say he’s welcome back to the Manor any time he wishes to challenge me.”
The response was met with muted laughter and chuckles around the Throne Room.
“I’m sorry you were not informed ahead of time,” Logan went on, interrupting Miriam before she could get out her next question. Truthfully, he wasn’t sorry at all, but she was still a powerful figure, and he wanted her to feel respected. “But there simply wasn’t time, nor was I privy to the specifics of your arrival.”
That was the truth, at least. He’d only known that the Tyrant King Laurien had sent out a summons for reinforcements after a series of costly battles against the rebels. Unfortunately for the former King, Logan and those said rebels had stormed Moonshadow Manor and retaken control before they could arrive.
Looking at the numbers Miriam had brought with her, he was glad he’d done so. If the four dozen or so shifters had been added to the Tyrant King’s forces, the battle may very well have gone against the rebels instead.
“How dare you treat Laurien like that!” Miriam snapped after a moment. “You get off his throne, or I will come up there and remove you myself.” She took several steps forward as if ready to act on it.
Two guards snapped forward, swords sliding from their sheaths with practiced ease, blocking her path. Miriam looked back and forth at the guards as if expecting them to wilt under her gaze.
She was going to be a problem. He could sense that now.
“You will address the King with respect,” on
e of the guards growled, loud enough for all the newcomers to hear.
“As he said, I am the King.” Logan raised his voice, addressing everyone. “Laurien is a traitor to the House, and I have assumed the Throne. With the help of those loyal to House Canis,” he said, gesturing to Miriam, giving her an out from asking for her loyalty to him, and then motioning to the rest of the assembled shifters, “I will begin to undo the horrors he imposed on our people.”
Miriam’s gaze was colder than the arctic and fixed solely on him. But behind the frigid exterior, he could see the wheels turning. She was evaluating things at a pace he couldn’t match, making decisions, plotting, and most important of all, trying to decide if supporting him was the right decision.
Sorry, Miriam, no time to wait. I need an answer now.
“Will you support me?” he asked, turning his stare on arguably the third most dangerous woman in House Canis.
A number of shifters in the front rows of the assembled audience stirred. Logan had been well aware Miriam might charge him with being a usurper and attack, so he’d planted some of his men in positions to help stop things before they got too out of hand. Though he would hate to have to use them; House Canis had suffered enough conflict and bloodshed lately.
It didn’t take long for Miriam to come to the same conclusion. She was better off switching her flag to him, instead of continuing to fly it for Laurien. Which is precisely why I detest such political creatures. They have no loyalty, and you cannot trust them. They will do what is best for them in that minute.
“Of course, my King,” Miriam said in a voice so false it rang completely hollow. “You have our support.”
Not, he noticed, their allegiance, though he never expected to be given it. Still, he’d gotten it done without a fight, and—
“Though I assume that as a show of good faith from your end, you will agree to honor an agreement made between us and the previous King,” Miriam added before he could go on.
Logan felt his stomach sink as he saw the sly twinkle on her face. She’d phrased it perfectly, in that Logan knew he would almost certainly have to agree, lest he appear to be uncaring.