Taming the Alpha
Page 1
Table of Contents
Taming the Alpha
Copyright
About Taming the Alpha
The Dragon’s Appraiser
by Viola Rivard
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Epilogue
About the Author
Taking on Tory
by S. E. Smith
Acknowledgments
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
About the Author
Broken Communication
by Mandy M. Roth
Dedication
Note from the Author
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Epilogue
About the Author
Determined Prince
by Michelle M. Pillow
Note from Author
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
About the Author
Bound and Tamed
by Sidney Bristol
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
About the Author
No Gentleman
by V. M. Black
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
About the Author
Falling for the Firefighter
by Shelli Stevens
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
About the Author
Cougar’s First Christmas
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
About the Author
Coming Home
by N.J. Walters
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
About the Author
River Arrow
by Ella Drake
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
About the Author
Theirs
by Eve Vaughn
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
About the Author
Reconnected
by Jaycee Clark
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
About the Author
Mistaken Identity
by Lauren Hawkeye
Mistaken Identity
About the Author
Valan Playboys
by Scarlett Dawn
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Epilogue
About the Author
Under His Spell
by Natasha Logan
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
About the Author
Renegade
by Jaide Fox
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
About the Author
Once Upon a Full Moon
by Tracey H. Kitts
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Epilogue
About the Author
Performance Criteria
by Reagan Hawk
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
About the Author
His Velvet Touch
by Candice Gilmer
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
About the Author
Foxheart
by J.S. Hope
Foxheart
About the Author
Hail Mary Honeymoon
by Inez Kelley
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
About the Author
One Night of Passion
by Eryn Blackwell
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
About the Author
Legendary Choice
by Sherri L. King
Acknowledgements
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Epilogue
About the Author
The Bet
by Kennedy Kovit
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
About the Author
Rite of Passion
by Madelyn Porter
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
About the Author
Thank you, Readers!
Taming the Alpha
Over 20 Alpha Male Tales of Contemporary, Military, Werewolves, Shifters, Vampires, Billionaires, Witches, Dragons, Demons & More
Featuring Tales from New York Times, USA Today and National Bestselling Authors
Limited Time Boxed Set
Copyright
Taming the Alpha Box Set
Copyright © 2014
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Box Set ISBN-10: 1625010958
Box Set ISBN-13: 9781625010957
Individual Stories Copyrighted to the Author. All Rights Reserved.
The Dragon’s Appraiser Copyright © 2014 Viola Rivard
Taking on Tory Copyright © 2014 S. E. Smith
Broken Communication Copyright © 2014 Mandy M. Roth
Determined Prince Copyright © 2014 Michelle M. Pillow
Bound and Tamed Copyright © 2014 Sidney Bristol
No Gentleman Copyright © 2014 V. M. Black
Falling for the Firefighter Copyright © 2014 Shelli Stevens
Cougar’s First Christmas Copyright © 2014 Jessie Donovan
Coming Home Copyright © 2014 N.J. Walters
River Arrow Copyright © 2014 Ella Drake
Theirs Copyright © 2014 Eve Vaughn
Reconnected Copyright © 2014 Jaycee Clark
Mistaken Identity Copyright © 2014 Lauren Hawkeye
Valan Playboys Copyright © 2014 Scarlett Dawn
Under His Spell Copyright © 2014 Natasha Logan
Renegade Copyright © 2014 Jaide Fox
Once Upon a Full Moon Copyright © 2014 Tracey H. Kitts
Performance Criteria Copyright © 2006-2014 Reagan Hawk
His Velvet Touch Copyright © 2014 Candice Gilmer
Foxheart Copyright © 2014 J.S. Hope
Hail Mary Honeymoon Copyright © 2014 Inez Kelley
One Night of Passion Copyright © 2014 Eryn Blackwell
Legendary Choice Copyright © 2014 Sherri L. King
The Bet Copyright © 2014 Kennedy Kovit
Rite of Passion Copyright © 2004-2014 Madelyn Porter
All books copyrighted to the author and may not be resold or given away without written permission from the author.
This novel is a work of fiction. Any and all characters, events, and places are of the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or events or places is merely coincidence. Novel intended for adults only. Must be 18 years or older to read.
About Taming the Alpha
Featuring Tales from New York Times, USA Today and National Bestselling Authors
Limited Time Boxed Set
When an alpha is too hot to handle, what’s a girl to do? Simple...Tame the Alpha and make him purr.
From deliciously sizzling contemporary bad boys, to pulse-tingling paranormal hotties, you’re sure to fall in love and in lust with any or all of these alphas. Over twenty fabulous authors bring their A-game to tempt your every desire.
Anthology Includes: Werewolves & Shifters, Demons & Devils, Paranormal & Urban, Military, Vampires, Genetic Engineering, Witches & Wizards, Contemporary, Special Forces, Dystopia, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Suspense, Dragons, Demons, Billionaires, Magic, Fantasy, Futuristic and so much more!
The Dragon’s Appraiser
by Viola Rivard
A savvy young woman uses her encyclopedic knowledge of rare artifacts to enchant a world-weary dragon god.
Chapter One
By the time she’d managed to free herself from the shackles, Madja was certain that there was no dragon.
She’d never been one to believe in gods—least of all the gods that seemed to always favor the rich and privileged—but a small, fanciful part of her had always held out hope for Sevrrn’s existence.
In ancient times, beggars and kings alike had come from far and wide to pay tribute to the dragon god. Like most children, Madja had often fantasized about infiltrating Sevrrn’s lair, if only to get a glimpse of the treasures it held. Apparently, she had never outgrown this fantasy, because even as the chancellor’s guards spirited her away the night, she’d entertained one, hysterical thought: At least I’ll see the golden cavern before I die.
But to her disappointment and relief, there was no treasure—at least, not where the guards had left her chained up as the sacrificial offering that she was. The small cavern was empty, save for the caged chickens, the half-empty oil lamp, and the cart of goods that she’d been left with.
Standing for the first time in hours, Madja’s legs trembled as she made her way over to the cart. A thin beam of light filtered down from a fissure in the ceiling, highlighting the cart’s contents. Junk—not that she’d expected anything else.
No longer worried about disturbing the dragon, Madja threw the items over her shoulder as she rifled through the cart. Sterling silver rings bounced off the stone walls and rolled onto the floor. Cheap, ceramic dishes shattered into pieces, startling the chickens into a frenzy. Beneath a burlap sack of gilded pyrite, she found what she was looking for.
Madja held the spoon up to examine it in the light. It wasn’t just the only genuine gold in the cart, but also the only genuine anything.
For thousands of years, Sevrrn had protected Erda, the island nation Madja hailed from. Under the dragon god’s watchful eye, the island flourished. The few who tried to attack Erda were said to have died by Sevrrn’s inferno.
But over the years, the attacks stopped coming and the people of Erda became complacent. The tributes became poorer and poorer as the wealthy denizens of Erda hoarded their valuables, unwilling to part with them for a dragon no one had seen for centuries.
Grabbing the oil lamp from the cart, Madja inspected the shadowed areas of the room. On one side, a wide passageway led deeper into the mountainside. Humid air swept up from the tunnel, sticking to her face. On the other side of the room was a smaller passageway, the one she’d been brought down through by the guards.
She had no doubt that they were still up there, waiting from a safe distance to ensure that she didn’t escape. If she went up now, they would catch her and bring her back, perhaps even binding her more thoroughly. It was a risk she couldn’t afford to take, and so she decided to wait until nightfall. No man would be brave enough to stand by a dragon’s lair in the darkness, especially after making such a poor offering.
Madja paced for a while, mumbling her plan over and over to make sure she had it straight. One of the large cargo ships currently docked in the cove was captained by a good friend of her late father. It was setting sail tomorrow, bound for a small Vrynesh trading port. Maybe she would make a home for herself there, or perhaps she would stay on the ship and see the world.
Either way, she was going to need money—and a lot of it. She wasn’t so naïve as to rely solely on charity. Fortunately, there was a simple solution to her problems.
For thousands of years, idiots had been throwing gold and valuables into Sevrrn’s lair. There was no telli
ng what treasures awaited her if she could summon the courage to descend into the belly of the mountain.
With the oil burning quickly, Madja didn’t have the luxury of time. She paced for a few more moments before stepping down into the warm passageway.
***
Madja walked until every muscle in her body ached in protest. It had been a long time since she’d had a drink and even longer since she’d eaten. Her energy was nearly depleted.
She was just about to turn back when she heard the unmistakable sound of water in the distance. The promise of a cool drink reinvigorated her tired limbs and she was soon bounding down the passageway.
The walls were grey, and in some areas, black. When the lamplight hit the black rock, it revealed a sleek sheen—obsidian. It was volcanic glass, formed when lava cooled. As there were several volcanoes to the north, it was commonly seen in Allonan artwork and Dvorian weaponry, but she’d never heard that Sevrrn’s mountain had once been a volcano. Perhaps it had been volcanic explosions that had led the ancient settlers to believe a dragon lurked in the depths of the mountain.
As she moved towards the sound of water, Madja noticed the soft glow of sunlight. Her eyebrows furrowed and she slowed to a more cautious pace. Gradually, a room came into view.
Light flooded the expansive cavern, pouring in from a massive hole in the ceiling. Madja recognized the oblong hole as the crater featured on many paintings and tapestries. It was where only the bravest of men were said to have ventured to pay their tribute. They would stand on the edge and throw their coins into the darkness, begging for Sevrrn’s favor.
Madja had always considered it to be a ridiculous practice, but as she stood in the mouth of the passageway, staring across the cavern, it was clear that her ancestors didn’t share her convictions. There was gold as far as her eyes could see.
She blinked, rubbed her eyes, and then blinked again.
Sunlight reflected off what could only be millions of gold coins. They completely covered the floor, with scattered piles forming a golden landscape of hills and valleys. At the edge of the light, Madja could make out what looked like an underground lake. The surface of the water had a strange iridescence and seemed to glitter like diamonds.
Madja had been expecting to find some gold, maybe even some artifacts, but this was staggering. For a moment, she stood frozen in place as she oscillated between a range of emotions—amazement at her discovery, euphoria at the riches that were hers for the taking, and then…bitterness.
For centuries—no, millennia—humans had been throwing their gold into a hole in hopes that a dragon would grant their wishes. They could have used their gold to better their lives or the lives of those around them. Countless people had been born, lived, and died in poverty while a vast, untouched fortune lay strewn about in a mountain, presided over by nothing but an absurd superstition.