by Lynn Hagen
“You bastard!” Dorian shouted as he attacked the stock boy. “What in the fuck did you do to me?” He didn’t wait for an answer. Dorian took Miguel down, pounding the shit out of him with his fists. No one stopped him. As a matter of fact, people began to gather around them, watching. As Dorian’s body tired and his arms became heavy, he realized that Miguel hadn’t fought back. He lay there a mess, his arms slung over his face, trying his best to protect himself.
Dorian didn’t understand what was going on, but he wouldn’t fight anyone who didn’t fight back. “Tell me what you did,” Dorian gritted out between clenched teeth, feeling his anger spiking even higher.
Miguel slowly lowered his arms, looking up at Dorian with those deep blue eyes. He wasn’t falling for it this time. “Our alpha has reached the age of thirty-five and is still unmated. By our pack laws, we must find him a mate.”
Dorian felt like he was in some sort of Tim Burton film. Nothing seemed real, everything seemed out of whack, and none of this made any sense. “So you tossed me up on the chopping block?”
Miguel gave a short nod. “It is an honor to be chosen.”
“Says who?” he snarled.
“If chosen, you will want for nothing. Our alpha will take care of your every need.”
“I’m not looking for a sugar daddy, Miguel. I never asked to be a part of this. For fuck’s sake, I don’t even know the guy.” Talk about a blind date, only this was a blind marriage. Dorian once again felt like he was going to be sick. “Why would you do this to me? I’m not even changeling.”
“That is true, but you don’t have to be. I’ve chosen you, so nothing else matters.”
Dorian narrowed his eyes. “You sure are speaking perfect fucking English, Miguel. Was anything about you real?”
Miguel looked away, but not before Dorian saw the embarrassment in the kid’s deep-blue eyes. “We were told to blend in. Since our discovery, being changeling is even more dangerous now than ever before. I thought posing as an immigrant would be better accepted than a shifter.”
Dorian slid off of Miguel, landing on his ass, stunned at everything that had happened today. He glanced around the backyard, feeling detached as he ran his hands over his knees, wishing, hoping to wake up and realize that this was all a bad dream. “But what if I don’t want to be his mate?”
Miguel looked surprised, his dark-brown eyebrows rising high on his forehead. “Why wouldn’t you want that honor, Dorian? You work so hard and defend our kind, even when you know it could get you into a load of trouble. I’ve heard what you’ve said to Jayson and Cherry, how you tell them to stop talking trash about nonhumans.”
“How in the hell do you know what I talk to them about?” Dorian asked as he glowered at Miguel. “You are never around.”
Miguel looked sheepishly at Dorian. “I have exceptional hearing.”
Fuck. Dorian wasn’t sure what to think, or say for that matter. “Can I get out of this?”
“No. Once a candidate is chosen, there is no way out,” Miguel said. “I am truly sorry, Dorian. I thought you would feel honored to be in line as the alpha’s mate. It was my way of paying you back for being so kind to me.”
If that was paying Dorian back for kindness, he sure as shit would hate to see what the guy did if Dorian was a rank bastard toward him.
“I don’t even know what kind of changeling he is, or his fucking first name.” Did that really matter? Dorian had to find some way out of this. It was insane! There was no way in hell he was competing with anyone to be Mr. Marcelo’s mate. What in the hell was he going to do?
Dorian wasn’t a shifter, so he shouldn’t have to uphold changeling law. There was no way he could be penalized for walking away from this madness. He was human. They weren’t. He wasn’t going to be forced into some bizarre marriage, and mating Mr. Marcelo was exactly that—a forced marriage.
“You can’t refuse,” Miguel said as he pushed to his feet, wiping the grass from his ass. “No one has ever refused a candidacy for alpha mating.”
“Then I guess I’m the first, because you are not making me be a part of this. Hell, I just found out you guys existed a few years ago, and now you are trying to marry me off to one of them?”
Dorian inwardly winced when he heard himself. He had been working around Jayson far too long.
“Them?” Miguel asked, a stricken look on his young tanned face. “Now you sound like those hate groups.” The accusation was clear in Miguel’s voice. “Have I misjudged you, Dorian?”
He wanted to say yes. He wanted this nightmare to end. Dorian just wanted to go home to his boring life as a human who had choices. “No.” Fuck, being a nice guy sucked. He couldn’t even lie to the kid.
Miguel grinned. “Then you are one of the chosen.”
Dorian’s gut clenched.
Chapter Three
“A human, huh?” Isabelle laughed as she walked into the living room. “What a surprise.”
“This is so messed up,” Rick Marcelo said to his sister as he glanced out of the living room window, staring right at Dorian. Had Miguel lost his mind? Never before had he heard of a human being chosen as a candidate, let alone becoming an alpha’s mate. He knew the juvenile was naïve in the ways of the world, still being young and all, but a human?
And Rick knew there was nothing he could do about the nominee. It was pack law. He couldn’t refuse Miguel’s choice. Miguel and two others had won the pack vote to choose a mate for Rick.
As if his life wasn’t complicated enough already. What the hell had the changeling elders been thinking when they wrote that law? He didn’t need a mate at his side to rule his pack effectively. Why in the hell did they think that someone warming his bed equaled strong and solid leadership?
Rick ran his hands over his face in frustration. He didn’t even want to pick a mate. He was perfectly happy as a bachelor. Why mess up a good thing?
But Miguel had made his choice, and Rick was willing to give Dorian a shot. He was thirty-five, and his pack was demanding he find a mate.
Sighing, Rick held his hand out and his sister immediately came to him. He enveloped her into his arms as he stared out of the window at his pack mingling in the backyard, seeming to enjoy themselves. Dorian still looked a bit stunned, but at least he was talking with Miguel now instead of trying to beat his ass. As much as Rick wanted to interfere, that would have made Miguel weak in his pack’s eyes. Besides, Rick knew Miguel had held back. The juvenile was changeling strong, able to crush Dorian without much effort. Rick was glad Miguel didn’t unleash his capabilities onto Dorian. The werewolf was learning how to control himself better, which was a good thing. It showed Rick that Miguel was going to make a fine enforcer when he was ready. “It was Miguel’s choice.”
Isabelle smiled as she gave him a tight hug. “He has just reached his maturity stage. I’m guessing he didn’t know any better.”
Changelings were considered juveniles in their pack until they proved themselves and established where they belonged in the hierarchy. The term had nothing to do with age and everything to do with placement. Besides being a pup, juveniles were the lowest ranking. Rick knew that Miguel was going to work his way up the chain with no problems. Even though he was still young in age, Miguel possessed alpha qualities that were still developing. He could see the young werewolf becoming the next alpha when Rick finally stepped down—which wasn’t any time soon.
“Knowing better or not, I’m stuck with the choice. People at my job already suspect I’m changeling. If Dorian says anything, I’m screwed,” Rick said with weariness. He wasn’t sure how much longer it would be before his job insisted everyone’s blood be tested. Rick was dreading that day, but knew it was coming from the way corporate was talking more and more about the changeling issues.
Isabelle pulled from his arms, walking over to the window in a movement filled with nothing but fluidness and grace. Her dark auburn hair spanned out behind her, reaching down to her buttocks with waves of silkiness that gleam
ed in the fading evening light. “I could make him disappear.”
“He’s a candidate, Isabelle. You can’t touch him.” Although that would solve some of his problems. But Rick knew he wasn’t that type of changeling. He didn’t resort to dirty tricks or deceit to get what he wanted. But he wasn’t below mind games. He couldn’t just outright kill someone just because he feared losing his job. That was a coward’s way out.
Isabelle turned, her hazel eyes shining with intelligence beyond her years. “It was just a suggestion. Who else was chosen?”
“Silvia and Omar.”
A finely arched eyebrow rose. “Three? You sure do know how to stir things up, Enrique.”
Isabelle was one of the few who called him by his chosen name. Everyone else called him Rick. He knew why his sister was so surprised, though. Normally only two became candidates for the alpha to choose from. Three was unheard of. It seemed he was breaking all kinds of fucking records today.
Wasn’t he such a lucky bastard? Gee, if any more luck rained down on him, Rick just might drown. Maybe then he wouldn’t have to choose a mate.
Rick began to feel old as he stood in the living room of a pack member’s home. Rachael and Thornton Vargas—Miguel’s parents—had been gracious enough to allow the pack to meet there. Usually, with a number this large, they met in the Great Oak Forest.
But today had been special for his pack.
Their alpha was finally giving in to their demand and allowing candidates to be chosen.
He could smell the steaks and other meats grilling outside and see the pups running around the mature adults, having a good time. It all seemed so normal, yet Rick felt as if his very own choices were being stripped from him.
He didn’t want to find a mate this way. Maybe a part of him believed in what the humans believed in, finding someone to love and settling down. The other changelings could do that, but as alpha, he was ruled by a different set of laws.
“You’ll grow to love whoever you chose, brother.”
Isabelle was always good at reading his facial expressions, and she was usually good at comforting him. But today no one could bring him comfort. He was being forced into obeying this barbaric law, and there was nothing he could do about it.
“It feels like speed dating and whoever I chose, I’m stuck with for the rest of my life. What if I chose wrong and we end up hating each other?”
“I trust you to make the right choice,” Isabelle said as she kissed him on the cheek and then slid her arms around his waist, giving him a light squeeze. His sister was short, only five foot four, but capable of making any man fall to his knees, ready to give her whatever she wanted. Rick had witnessed that firsthand. “You are a pretty good judge of character, brother.”
Now that his future rode on making the right decision, Rick wasn’t so sure he would be able to think straight. He had only been an alpha for four years, winning the fight against the previous alpha. The man hadn’t been the best person to lead the pack, and Rick had tired of watching the changelings suffer for the idiot’s laziness.
An alpha’s job was to protect the weaker pack members. But all Lorenzo had done was throw around his power and abuse those too terrified to either stand up to him or too weak to defend themselves. He had been a bully and a piece of shit.
“Nathaniel is coming,” Isabelle announced as she walked out onto the patio, smiling at Rick’s top enforcer before joining the pack in the backyard. He grinned as he watched his sister work the crowd. She was such a social butterfly. The entire pack loved her. He couldn’t blame them. Isabelle was the sweetest person Rick knew.
“Three,” Nate said teasingly as he walked inside. “No shit.”
“And I saw you snarling at one of them,” Rick said, remembering the way Nate had blocked Dorian from leaving. “You could have been politer.”
Nate laughed, his jade-green eyes sparkling with humor. “I was polite. Normally I would have just tossed him over my shoulder and dropped him onto the patio to stop him from leaving. I even smiled at him.”
Rick shook his head. Dorian being human, he was probably scared shitless. He was glad they hadn’t gone too far with Dorian. The human just might have had a heart attack and died in the backyard. “What is the pack saying?”
“About the human or the fact that you have three people vying for the position of your mate?”
“Both.”
Nate shrugged as he took a seat on the couch. He was a pretty big man and filled up two couch cushions. “They are not happy about the human. If you choose him, watch the pack closely. With shit in an uproar on the political side of things and hate groups popping up everywhere, the wolves are hesitant to let a human into our pack.”
It was understandable. Rick had been receiving reports from other changeling groups that they were losing their shifters to brutal attacks. Humans who thought them abominations were burning down homes they suspected belonged to changelings. Some changelings left for work or school and simply never returned. Others were beaten so badly that some didn’t survive.
Rick was frustrated as hell. He was alpha, but he found out about an incident after it had happened. It seemed the harder he fought to keep his pack safe, the harder the humans fought to destroy them.
And Miguel had nominated Dorian.
But all wasn’t bad. There were the sympathizers. They were humans who believed all life was precious. They lobbied for changelings and vampires to have rights, along with medical and dental, and the right to marry and raise their children in peace like everyone else.
There were also groupies—humans who thought changelings were like rock stars or some shit. They followed changelings around, invading their privacy, going through their trash, and showing up at their jobs if the groupies found out where a changeling worked.
It was all madness.
Two of his pack members had to change which branch of the chain of groceries stores they worked for three times. That hadn’t helped. They were still hounded by the infatuated humans. Rick was running out of stores to transfer them to. Little did the corporation he worked for know that almost all of its employees in four major stores were changelings.
Rick had set it up that way. He had worked hard over the years taking care of his pack, and he would be damned if hate groups and Bible-thumpers ruined that for them.
“There is little I can do about Miguel’s nominee. You know as well as I do that once a person is picked, they are in until I make my decision.”
Nate nodded and then grinned. “You could always choose Omar or Silvia.”
“I won’t base my decision on who is changeling and who isn’t. I’m the damn alpha. I’ll pick the one most suited to be with me.”
“Now you’re talking.” Nate laughed. “I knew you wouldn’t crumble under their scrutiny.”
“Their opinion is important to me, but this is my life we’re talking about, not a dispute or something irrelevant. I have to live with the decision I make. True, they will have to obey whoever I choose, but I’m the one who has to live with this person day in and day out. I won’t be bullied into choosing who the pack likes best.”
Nate stood, coming to stand next to Rick. “You know I’ll stand by any decision you make, human or changeling.”
“Thanks.” Rick turned and headed for the door. He wasn’t even supposed to be here today. This was a day for his pack, not the alpha. He would get to know all three soon enough. Today was their chance to get to know the three that were chosen, to celebrate Rick’s decision to finally settle down, and to test the character of the person who just might become their alpha’s mate.
Rick had been curious, and hadn’t planned on letting them know he had stopped by, but when he saw the pack converging on Dorian—and the terrified look on the human’s face—Rick had felt compelled to step in.
It was a stupid move. It only made Dorian look weak in his pack’s eyes. But Rick couldn’t stand by and watch the human nearly pass out with fear.
Rick just pray
ed Dorian made it through today. If he did, the human stood a chance. If he didn’t, Rick was going to need a new deli clerk. It was harsh, but so was being in a werewolf pack. This was why humans could never find out the inner workings of changeling society. They would boycott any and all decisions an alpha made.
It wasn’t easy living a werewolf changeling life, but it had worked for many centuries. It kept them at the top of the food chain. Their pack was one of the strongest in this territory, rivaled only by the wereleopards to the south. Rick planned on keeping it that way.
Hopefully one day, the humans would butt out of their business and let packs rule their own as it had always been. But Rick, as well as the other alphas and kings of the changeling species, knew that this was just beginning. There was no telling which way the winds would shift.
He just prayed the humans’ decision was in his their favor. If not, they were screwed.
As he walked to his car, Rick thought about the three candidates. If he chose solely by strength, and who would make a good partner, Silvia would be his choice. She was a very social person, strong willed, and was a favorite among the pack.
But Rick refused to choose the pack’s favorite. This was his life they were messing with. If he was being forced into this, then he was going to make the decision based on who—oh hell, he wasn’t sure what he was going to do.
Omar wasn’t a bad choice. The blond male knew how to engage in witty conversation and dressed sharp as a tack. The changeling looked like he belonged on the runway in Milan and was a true intellectual.
Rick wasn’t too sure about Omar, though. The man just might bore him to death. The werewolf tended to go on and on about his political views and, in Rick’s opinion, was a little obsessed sometimes about conspiracy theories. Rick really didn’t consider Omar a crackpot. But the man’s thoughts on the government storing DNA in databanks to use as a weapon in a secretly brewing war against the nonhumans wasn’t one of Rick’s favorite topics.