by Grey, T. A.
"You dare to interrupt our bonding ceremony. You are truly without honor, King."
The king snarled in return and stepped into Vane's face, uncaring that the Alpha was more than ready to let his beast out and that he was a good foot taller.
"She is my daughter. I own her, and I'm taking her back, mutt."
Vane moved so quickly, it was blur of movement. He shoved the king back hard then followed the move with a brutal right hook that would have sent him on his ass if his guardsman hadn't caught him. Vane moved to finish the job but was stopped by a wall of muscle as a guardsman slammed into him.
Vane let the action take him to the ground, but he latched onto the guard’s chest taking him with him. They rolled and Vane came out on top, the sounds of screams and shouts rang in his ears as he pounded his fist hard into the man's lean face, stopping only when blood coated his fist like a glove. Rage. There was only rage now.
Standing in a rush he turned to find the prince dragging Sarina by the arm towards his limo as a dozen guardsmen ambushed his pack members. His brothers swooped in and cut through the bastards with hard fists and sharp elbows.
"Sarina!" he shouted and lunged through the growing crowd, knocking people out of his way in his haste to get to her. Vane froze when he saw the glint of silver at her throat. The prince had easily just signed his death warrant.
"No more, Alpha Kategan," the prince sneered. "She's coming with me. Come any closer and I'll start taking nicks out of her pretty skin."
Vane stayed frozen to the ground, an unnatural, threatening growl escaped him. The prince eyed him wearily, but continued to back up step by careful step. Vane looked at Sarina's scared eyes and gave her a reassuring look. There was no way she was leaving here, he didn't care who he had to kill to keep that promise.
"Why looky here, isn't it the little dick, Prince Conlin." Alison sauntered up to the prince with a confident stride. She stopped with laughter in her eyes and a grin on her lips. "Did you know that the prince's dick is so little that even at his hardest he's no bigger than a tube of lipstick?" She threw her head back and laughed.
The prince turned to her, his face molten with rage. "Why you fucking bitch, I'll kill you!" Vane acted quickly taking the prince's distraction to his advantage and lunged, grabbing the prince's wrist in his hand and bending it backwards until he heard the pop of his wrist snapping. The prince howled in pain and fell to one knee. Sarina darted away and ran to her friend.
Vane twisted the wrist even further and slammed a bruising kick into the prince's chest, knocking him to the ground. The prince heaved in breaths and rolled around on the ground, holding his wrist. Vane looked around for the king and saw that his brothers were holding him. He checked to make sure Sarina was safe before confronting the king.
"If you ever come near her again I will kill you. No one will be able to protect you from the hurt I'll shove up your ass. Come near my pack and I’ll rip your fucking heart out." A soft hand touched his shoulder.
Three tall, lean men came forward then wearing white shirts with a crescent moon symbol on the sleeve.
“Alpha Kategan, we shall take over from here. Thank you for calling the Justicars. Now we have proof of your claim and your bonding will be upheld by the court. King Brunes you however will be seeing us in court. As for you, Prince Conlin, any contract you made without Sarina’s consent is invalid and given the recent ceremony your contract is also void.”
Sarina wanted to cry, but she didn’t know whether it was from happiness or because her relationship with her father would never be the same.
"I need to say something." Vane nodded at his mate and stepped to the side. He reached for her hand and clasped it.
Sarina hesitated before her father, the most imposing man she'd ever known. Darien restrained him with his arms behind his back, but still he struggled.
"I am finishing the mating ceremony with Vane tonight. I never want to see you again. I never want to hear from you again. Keep the hell away from me, this pack, and my mate or I swear what I do to you will be far worse than what he will." He looked at her, his mouth open, but then began to laugh a deep, belly cackle.
Sarina growled, and it wasn't human. Pulling back her fist she let it fly with all the rage, all the hate, and all the pain he'd caused her, not just during the past few weeks, but her whole life. Fist connected with nose and bone crunched and gave way to a spray of red blood. Sarina pulled back, panting.
"You bitch. I should have sold you long ago. I should have—
His words were cut off by Vane’s hard fist. The king slumped against Darien, unconscious. "Pile the trash back into their cars and get them the fuck out of here." Darien nodded and the others came to help.
The prince was the hardest to get rid of, his eyes seething with anger as he glared at Alison. Sarina went up to her friend whose face had gone pale as the prince was shoved into his limo.
"What? Did he say something?" Her friend nodded absently. Her eyes getting a faraway look to them.
"Whatever the bastard said, it's fine. Our pack will protect you, Alison. I promise." She hugged her friend and could feel the waves of tension riding her. "Thank you, Ali. I might be dead if it wasn't for you. You were so brave; it was like an entirely different woman. No, not true. It was just nice to see the claws come out. They are sharper than I thought."
Alison laughed and hugged her friend back. When she pulled back her face was still stark.
"Anything for you, Sarina. Now, go finish the ceremony."
Sarina smiled brilliantly and jumped into Vane's waiting arms. They finished the ceremony and used both of their not-bloodied hands to tie the ribbon around. After the ribbon was tied, they kissed and the pack erupted in howls and cheers.
"Tell me you love me," Vane said against her ear and hugged her close.
"I love you." He made a deeply masculine, satisfied sound.
"Good, that's good, because I love you too, lumara." He kissed her again and Sarina lost herself in him.
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Read on for an excerpt of
DARK AWAKENING
The Kategan Alphas 2
Alison Bennson walked through the disaster in her living room with slow, heavy steps. The cushions from her microsuede couch lie in strips among the cotton pieces of stuffing on the floor. Her fists tightened and she fought a wave of hot tears that threatened to spill down her flushed cheeks. It had taken her eight months to save up the money to buy that couch and now it was nothing.
The mess in her apartment made it look like she owned more than she really did. Shards from her plates and glasses were the only things left of them on the kitchen floor. The sight of her expensive collection lying in broken shambles almost brought her to tears. Her mother had bought her that for her birthday two years ago.
With disheartened steps, she walked down the hall to her bedroom. The door was halfway open. The black shadows beyond the door waited like a nightmare wanting to suck her in. She closed her eyes, inhaled an uneven breath, then flicked on the light.
What little courage she had crumbled like a stack of bricks. The glass cabinet with her most precious tokens, snow globes from her mom, gifts from friends over the years, and souvenirs from trips she’d taken were destroyed. Her hand trembled as she reached into the cabinet and picked up a picture of her with her best friend, Sarina. The frame was cracked, the glass shattered into a spider web. At least the picture underneath was still intact.
The first tear slid down her face and it felt cold against her heated cheeks.
She surveyed the rest of her room, trying to keep a wall around her for protection. She froze as her eyes tracked over the bed. At first, she just thought the bed sheets had been messed up, but now she realized the pattern was specific, not random. Besides, she’d made her bed that morning.
Her red down comforter was pulled back as if someone was about to go to sleep. She squinted at the strange color on her bed sheet, and then stopped short of her bed; her heart froze in her chest at the sight of the white matter on her sheets.
“Conlin.” Her hoarse whisper was like a shout in the quiet room. Her heart resumed beating with hard, driving slams in her chest. She dropped to her knees and cried.
* * *
It took her longer than she would have liked to regain her composure. She walked on wooden legs to the phone and called Sarina. Only she would understand, would even care. Her family had stopped speaking to her after the incident with Conlin.
Sarina answered on the second ring. “Hello?” Sarina’s perky voice didn't make her smile as it usually did.
“Sarina, I'm in trouble.” She hated the tremble in her voice, but couldn't help it. “H-he was here. He was in my house.”
“What do you mean? Who was in your house? Tell me what happened.” The soft tone in her voice was replaced by alarm.
“Conlin was here. Please, I need your help. I'm scared.” Tears slid down her face in wet streaks.
“Vane and I are coming right now. Just hold on; we’ll be right there, honey.” Alison didn’t say goodbye, just hung up like a robot going through the motions.
When Sarina and her truemate, Vane, came through the door nearly an hour later, Alison had managed to straighten up most of her living room. She swept shards of glass, wood, and shredded cushions into a corner and righted the knocked over side table and coffee table.
Sarina rushed to her, giving her a hard hug. “Tell me everything. Oh, my God, I can't believe he came into your house.”
“I'm going to check out the rest of the house.” Sarina nodded at her husband and made Alison sit with her on two of the unbroken kitchen chairs.
Alison couldn't meet her friend's gaze. “It was like this when I came home. He must have done it while I was at work. He was in my home. And that's not the worst of it.” Her voice was hard with anger.
Vane came into the room, gave his mate a speaking glance, and nodded at her to come with him. “I'll be right back, okay, honey? Just stay right here.”
“What is it?” Sarina asked him.
Vane waited until they were in Alison's bedroom to speak. “That,” he said, pointing at the bedspread. Sarina couldn't hide the disgusted gasp that left her.
“That son of a bitch. Is that...did he jerk off on her bed?”
“Looks like it. Help her to pack a few of her belongings. I think it's best if she comes and stays with us for a while.”
“Oh, thank you, Vane.” Her mate caught her in a bear hug and kissed her gently.
“Hurry up now.”
Alison packed enough clothes to last her a few days and left everything else. Any items that meant something to her were ruined. At the last minute, she snatched the picture of Sarina and her out of the cabinet.
The car ride to Vane and Sarina's was mostly silent. When they arrived, she thanked Vane for carrying her bag into the house. Sarina and Vane's wedding was the last time she'd been in the cabin. It felt different now, warmer. Sarina must have used her creative touch to brighten up the room since there were now colorful rugs, budding plants, and pictures on the walls.
“How about some tea or coffee?” Sarina wrung her hands together, biting her lips.
“Tea, please.” Sarina looked relieved to be doing something as she left for the kitchen.
“Have a seat. I'm going to make a few phone calls,” Vane announced and went into the study, closing the door partway.
Alone again.
Alison took a few deep breaths and tried to comprehend what happened today. She didn't want to think about it; she wanted to shrink back into a dark corner and never look up again. But then that would mean the bastard had won, and her hatred for him far outweighed her cowardice. She heard the teakettle whistle and Vane hang up the phone, and suddenly she didn't want to see either of them.
She ran to the bathroom, collapsing against the wall, trying to catch her breath. The walls were closing in on her. There wasn’t enough air in the room; she gasped, then doubled over as a hard pain jerked in her stomach.
She collapsed before the toilet and gagged roughly, her stomach coiling, rolling. She gagged repeatedly, but nothing came up, just empty chunks of jagged air.
Oh, God, he's going to kill me, she thought. She wanted to burst into tears, but held back the urge. She wouldn't break down in front of her friend. She didn’t want her to know just how scared she was of him. Just a little longer and then she could curl up and cry. A brisk knock at the door had her blinking back tears.
“Just a second.” She flushed the empty toilet out of habit and washed her hands, splashing some of the cold water on her heated face. She took a deep breath and opened the door.
For the second time that day, she felt like the air was ripped from her lungs, except this was for an entirely different reason. A reason that made her heart flutter in her chest and her mouth go dry.
“Rome.”
His grin was masculine and absolutely sinful. He leaned nonchalantly against the doorjamb as if this was always his usual hangout spot.
“Ms. Alison Bennson, it's a pleasure to see you again.” His eyes were bright, the color a mixture between blue and gray. They surveyed her body in open admiration. “I'm sorry that we have to meet again under these serious circumstances. I would have preferred something more intimate.” The way he said the last word was as if he was picturing doing something intimate with her in that moment.
“Rome, it's nice to see you, too. Excuse me.” Ducking her head to hide her blush and red-rimmed eyes, she dashed back to the living room. He followed, his low laughter trailing after her.
She took a seat and thanked Sarina for the tea. The smell was strong, the color black. She was about to take a sip when a large body took the open seat beside her. She didn't need to look to know it was Rome. She could have smelled him anywhere. He smelled like earth and sex. She flinched at the thought and looked away. He probably did just finish having sex.
She began to take a sip of her tea again and was startled when a strong hand touched her shoulder. She jumped, nearly spilling her cup. She turned to glare at him, ignoring his full lips, devastating smile, and dancing eyes.
“Sorry about that,” he said, looking anything but. Sarina glared at him like he was a mischievous child.
Vane took a seat beside his wife and said, “I've alerted the sentries about Conlin. No trespassers will dare cross Kategan land. You'll be safe while you're here. Tomorrow, we'll contact the Justicars.”
Alison set the tea down and crossed her arms. “I don't think that's a good idea.” Everyone turned to look at her with shocked expressions. She cleared her throat and looked away. “It's just that he's very powerful, and if I make him angry then...” She shook her head, unable to finish the words.
Rome leaned forward and grabbed her hand. The touch sent warmth and pleasure pulsing through her. And she was so very cold. His hand was big and warm, slightly callused and so much darker than hers was. Worst of all, her stomach did a cartwheel. Why did she have to act like a fluttery schoolgirl around him?
“We will protect you. I’ll make sure of it, Alison,” Rome said. She tried to pull her hand back, but he held it tighter.
“But we still need to notify the Justicars,” Vane said.
“We can do that later. Let’s give her some time to recover from today.” Sarina smiled encouragingly at her friend. “Besides, you have some evidence at the apartment that he was there.”
Alison tensed and flushed. Rome didn’t miss the movement. “What is it? Did something else happen? Aside from the…sheets.”
/>
She shook her head no, but the movement was too quick.
“Something else did happen. Oh, Alison, tell us. That son of a bitch will pay, I promise.” Sarina knelt in front of her looking like a knight ready to take a quest to save the fair maiden from a tower. Alison almost laughed, and would have, if her throat didn't feel like it was closing in on her.
“I've received letters ever since your wedding and I get strange calls every now and then.” A ferocious, low growl permeated in the room like a live animal. All of them turned to Rome whose cold eyes looked ready to kill.
“Control it,” Vane ordered and gradually the coldness receded from Rome's eyes, until they were warm and soft again.
Sarina grabbed her hand in her warm one. “What did the letters say?”
Alison cringed. Her past with Conlin was not something she wanted to discuss and those letters tread on her pain with big boots. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Then at least let us read them. We’ll show the letters to the Justicars to prove that Conlin is harassing you. It will prove you’re in danger.”
Alison shook her head. “I burned them. I burned every last one the bastard sent me. Besides, it's not like he signed them.”
“How can you be certain they were from him, then?” Vane asked. He looked curiously at her.
She had to swallow over the lump in her throat. “Because it was about when we were together. Only he knows about...that.”
Alison didn’t see the sharp glint of anger flash in Rome's eyes.
“All right, that's enough for tonight. Either you can stay here with us for now or we have a house you can shack up in. It's safe, and you'll have an extra neighbor to keep you safe.” Sarina nodded at Rome who flashed a mischievous grin.
“I don't want to intrude on you here. If you're sure about the extra place then I'll use it, but only for a little while. Only until we can get my apartment cleaned up, then I'll go back.”
“Like hell. Cleaning up your apartment isn't going to stop Conlin from coming back and doing worse, and maybe next time you'll actually be home for it. What then, Alison?” Rome sat back in his seat, but he was anything but relaxed. His eyes narrowed dangerously and his mouth pressed into a thin line.