by Ripley, Meg
“How long have you known?”
“About three hours.”
He laughed and kissed me.
“I couldn’t focus on anything until I told you,” I said. “I wouldn’t have heard a word of the ceremony if I hadn’t told you first.”
“I’m glad you did.”
I nodded and flashed him a teary smile. “Ready to go do this?”
“I’ve been ready to marry you for my entire life.” Jace stuck his arm out and I wound mine through it.
We walked away from the fountain together, our tiny, hidden secret nestled safely in our hearts, ready to embark on our new, wild journey together.
* * *
Preview Of Alpha’s Secret Baby
Werebears Of Glacier Bay
1
Cooper
I spread my paws, running as fast as I could for a time to stretch my muscles and feel every inch of my ursine body. Running on the rocky, hard ground of Glacier Bay National Park would be painful on human feet, but on tough bear paws, it was no concern; my animal form was made for that climate. As I ran, the sun peeked over the Fairweather Range. The golden rays of light did nothing to outshine the blinding whites and vivid glacier blues surrounding me. With so much snow and ice nearby, the landscape itself took on a chilly demeanor. But I knew the warmth of the park firsthand; the heart of its ecosystem, the way in which all wildlife worked together in harmony—or at least, mostly.
As the head Ranger of the park, my job was to maintain that harmony. If something got out of whack—too many mountain goats and not enough wolves, for instance—it could throw the whole ecosystem off. I wasn’t so prideful as to think I played a role in Mother Nature’s grand design, but it was still my job to do my part there in Glacier Bay, making sure that harmony remained intact to the best of my ability.
My goal for that morning, however, was to keep things harmonious within my clan. I didn’t make a habit of being gone for extended periods of time; I hadn’t even vacationed for more than a long weekend in years. So, my leaving the park for a week was somewhat of a rare event, and I needed to make sure they were ready.
As I neared the cabin we often met at, I reached out with my mind to see if the others had shifted yet.
Anyone there? I signaled to them.
On my way, Boss. That was Max, my third in command.
Right behind him. Carson, my second.
Once I’d arrived, I shifted back to my human form. Most of us were so used to each other by then that being naked around one another didn’t much phase us. Even still, most of us planned to bring clothes when we knew we’d be shifting. I kept clothing everywhere—in my car’s trunk, my office, and even there at the cabin. Many of us did, so I dressed and waited for their arrival, looking over the cabin to make sure everything was well.
It wasn’t a big place, but the log house had a great room, perfect for gatherings with a large fireplace at one end. It was somewhat of a clan hangout or clubhouse, if we had such a thing. Meetings were held there, events, and whatever else we thought of that required a shelter in the woods, deep in Glacier Bay.
Carson walked through the door first.
“You caught up,” I observed.
He harrumphed. “Like it’s hard to catch slow-poke McGee.” He jerked his thumb in the direction Max would be running from.
Max wasn’t far behind him, though, and rushed in, breathless and naked. “Did you take a shortcut or something?” he demanded.
Carson shook his head.
Max growled and yanked a shirt over his head. “Whatever.”
“So.” I rubbed my hands together. “That brings us to why we’re here. I’m going to need the two of you to get along for just this week. Can you handle that?”
“We always get along,” Carson said.
“Yeah, as long as I’m losing.” Max flung his arm around Carson’s neck and tried to playfully choke him, but Carson easily broke free of the hold.
“Why do you even bother?” Carson mocked.
Max rolled his eyes, but got in a cheap shot to Carson’s gut when he wasn’t looking. Carson acted like he didn’t notice, but as I opened my mouth to continue speaking, Carson smacked Max on the back of the head.
“Do I need to separate you two?” I asked.
Max laughed and took a seat. “Just having a little fun.”
“I’ll only be gone for a week, but that’s starting to feel like too long,” I said.
I knew when I chose the two of them for their positions, they didn’t quite get along. I had stupidly assumed that making them both leaders in the clan would force them to work together. Instead, I’d created a lifelong hassle of keeping the two of them from killing each other.
“I need to know you’ll work together,” I demanded. “And that I’ll be coming back to find everything just as it should be.”
“Cooper,” Carson said sternly. “You have nothing to worry about with me in charge.”
“Hey, I’m in charge, too, dildo,” Max added.
“But I’m the second and you’re the third.”
With that, Max rushed at Carson, putting his head at his chest, trying to tackle him to the ground.
I decided to ignore their antics and just keep talking. “As I was saying, I’ll need to know you won’t be tearing each other apart. I’ve even gone as far as to put Jace on duty as backup. If he reports there were issues, I will reconsider my promotion of you both.”
That stopped them in their tracks.
Max stood up and shoved Carson aside, who shook his head and straightened his shirt.
“That’s not necessary,” Carson said. “You know it’s just for fun.”
“Yeah, we actually do love each other.” Max threw his arm around Carson’s neck again to bring him into a rough hug and Carson rubbed his knuckles on Max’s head until he broke free.
“I am going to be training a whole crop of new Rangers,” I went on. “I just may start recruiting. Wouldn’t be bad to have some fresh blood in the clan.”
Carson put on his serious face. “What is your goal number of clanmates?”
“I don’t have a goal. Just talking.”
“We could use a few more ladies,” Max said.
“So could all of Alaska,” Carson added.
I nodded. “Then maybe it’s time we reach out a bit and network. A lot of us are single and at the age that we’re starting to look to settle down. We may have to look hard to find that special lady.”
“I may have found her last night,” Carson added with a grin.
“No way, that hottie from the bar?” Max asked.
Carson kept grinning and Max sulked.
“I bought her like three drinks,” Max mumbled.
“I know.” Carson chuckled. “Thanks for that, by the way.”
Max grumbled something under his breath.
“Anyhow,” I continued, “I’ll be gone for a week. It’s my job to entice these Rangers not only to make Alaska their home, but also to join as cruise ship tour guides.”
“Ah, the dream of all park Rangers everywhere,” Max said sarcastically.
I shrugged. “I’ve never been on a cruise. Could be interesting.”
“Yeah, but they don’t even leave the boat!” Max threw up his hands in outrage. “What’s the point?”
“To stay warm, I’m sure,” Carson added.
“Maybe that’s something I’ll learn more about. Maybe it’s just too tricky to have a cruise ship of people come into the park at once. Think about what it would be like to have several thousand people suddenly converge on us for a day at a time.”
Max nodded slowly. “You’re right. Keep them on the boat.”
“Is there anything specific you need me to do this week?” Carson asked.
“You know what needs to be done. Handle anything that comes up as I would, and if you’re not sure, reach out to me if it’s important, or wait until I get back.”
“I’m sure anything that comes up will not be a problem,�
� Carson added.
I checked my watch. “Right. I’m counting on you two.”
Max put his hand on my shoulder. “So, do we get t-shirts that say, ‘My alpha went on a cruise and all I got was this dumb shirt’?”
I rolled my eyes. “I’ll see what I can do.” I checked my watch again, then unhooked it and slid it into my bag as I undressed. “Time for me to get going.”
Carson and Max stripped as well.
“We’ll run you a farewell,” Carson said.
* * *
If you enjoyed this preview of Alpha’s Secret Baby, you can check out the rest of the story HERE. Available with Kindle Unlimited.
Preview Of Damien’s Nanny
Beverly Hills Dragons
1
BEVERLY HILLS, 1984
Damien Van Buren tipped back in his black leather chair to look at his daughter. Stephanie was playing peacefully in the corner of his home office, her toys scattered around her on the beige carpet. He might just get away with making a phone call, and he certainly had plenty to do. He picked up the receiver and dialed.
“Mike, it’s Damien. How are we today?”
“The Damien-meister!” Mike was always a little too casual, no matter what was happening. “I’m fantastic, man!”
“Great.” Damien cast another quick glance at Stephanie, happy to see that his sweet dragonling was still occupied. “I just wanted to check with you and see if you have that demo recorded for me yet. I’m anxious to see what this band can do.” Damien had recently been turned onto a band that he thought might have a great new sound for his label. As director of A&R, it was Damien’s job to find new talent. As thirsty as society seemed to be for music those days, it was a continuous job.
“Dude, they just wrapped up a couple of hours ago, and they’re awesome! I should have the tape ready in a couple of days.”
“Wonderful. I’m glad to hear it.” And he truly was. Even if his personal life was in shambles, at least his professional life was still going strong. He had a good feeling about this band.
“Hey, are you free tonight? Me and a few other guys are heading out to see Red Dawn.”
Damien pressed his lips together and glanced over his shoulder at Stephanie again. At one time, it would have been easy for him to slip out to the theater with his coworkers. But there was no chance of it happening tonight, and he was surprised to find that he actually didn’t mind. The only thing he really wanted was quality time with his daughter. “I really can’t, but thanks. Just make sure you send that tape over as soon as you can. Have the courier bring it to my house, since I’ll be out of the office for a few days.” Damien winced and looked down as he felt something hard smash into his knee. Stephanie was standing next to his chair, holding onto the arm with one hand and putting her toys on his lap with the other. She grinned at him.
“Yeah, I heard. Phew, that’s rough. Divorce is tough on anybody, but I always thought you and Linda were the ultimate power couple.”
Damien swiped a hand down over his face. It seemed that no matter who he talked to or what they were supposed to be talking about, the conversation always turned to his divorce. With both he and Linda being involved in the entertainment industry, it had been somewhat of a high-profile affair. That was only exacerbated by the fact that Linda had been sleeping around with every man—and every coke dealer—in Hollywood. “It’s fine. I’m adjusting to it.”
“Well, my condolences, anyway. I’m never going to get married. I’ll just be single for the rest of my life, and then I’ll always be happy.”
Stephanie was trying to leverage her way into Damien’s lap. “Good luck with that, Mike. I’ll talk to you later.” He hung up the phone and hoisted his daughter up easily, smiling as she patted his cheeks with her little hands. “I guess you’ve decided it’s time for me to call it quits for the day, huh?”
The little girl grinned again. She was a gorgeous child, with dark, curly locks and brilliant blue eyes. “Daddy!” she squealed.
“What?” He tickled her ribs, getting a kick at the way she thrashed around in response. It was a simple way to play, but it was one of his favorites because it always ended in snuggles. “What’s the matter with you? Why are you acting so crazy?”
Stephanie squealed with delight. “Daddy!”
Damien scooped her up and stood, carrying his daughter under his arm as he headed for the kitchen. He wasn’t the world’s best cook, so fortunately, there were several containers of leftovers from when the cook had been in. Damien had reduced her to part-time to help make up for his alimony payments, and he hoped he wouldn’t regret it. “What do you think?” he asked as he held open the fridge door. “Lasagna?”
“Yucky!” the little girl replied.
“Okay, how about some pork steak?”
“Steak?”
“Um, no. It’s a little bit different than the kind we usually have. But there might be some beef steak in here.” That was one thing he did know how to cook. He set Stephanie down so he could dig through the fridge more easily, but couldn’t find it.
The phone rang, so dinner would have to be put off for a few more minutes. He grabbed the cordless off the kitchen counter. “Hello?”
“Well, I hope you’re happy,” seethed a bitter voice from the other end.
A row of shimmering spikes emerged along the back of Damien’s neck. Rubbing his free hand over his forehead, he paused to collect himself before responding, and the spiny projections slowly melded with his human flesh once again. “What do you want, Linda?”
“What do I want? I thought you already knew that, which was exactly why you took it away from me. You don’t think I know, but I do.”
“It would be nice if you were direct for once. I don’t even know what you’re talking about.” Damien dodged across the kitchen to stop Stephanie from getting into a knife drawer. Instead, he opened a cabinet full of Tupperware and let her have at it.
Linda made a noise of disgust. “Yeah, right. I know the only reason you insisted on taking custody of Stephanie was because you wanted to get your revenge on me. Well, it’s not going to work, Damien. I’m her mother, and she should be with me.”
Damien tipped his eyes up to the ceiling and drew in a deep breath. Linda had only been out of the house for a week. It would have been sooner if he’d had his way, but she refused to leave until the divorce was final. Even so, he had already realized just how peaceful things were around the house without her. The fights they used to have were so intense that it was nearly impossible for them not to shift, and having two dragons thrashing about inside a mansion in Beverly Hills could get a little too expensive, even for them. “We’ve been over this, and I don’t see any point in covering it again. You can say whatever you want, but the judge’s word is final.”
“Only because you paid him off.”
“No, I didn’t!” Stephanie turned her big eyes to him when she heard his raised voice, and Damien paused for a moment to try to calm himself down yet again. Linda was trying to drag him into an argument. It was what she was good at, and it had taken him far too long to figure it out. The knowledge wouldn’t have saved their marriage, but it might have saved him a few years of grief. He couldn’t remember the last time they had actually gotten along. “I’m not arguing with you about this. Be an adult. For once.”
“Oh, trust me, I am. I’m having a blast now that I don’t have your sorry ass dragging me down anymore.” Her voice dripped with venom, even over the phone.
“Good for you, but I’m pretty sure I never stopped you before.” He reached into the fridge for a container of macaroni and cheese, unable to keep the memories from flooding to the forefront of his mind once again. He’d been heartbroken when he discovered Linda’s infidelity and could still feel the surge of anger and jealousy in his chest when he caught her with another man—a human, at that. The saddest part was that he hadn’t been surprised, and at that moment, he’d realized that the two of them hadn’t been in love for a long time.
>
“You’re right. You haven’t. You were always so nice to me, Damien. There are so many awful people here in Hollywood, but I could always count on you to be there for me. It’s what made me fall in love with you in the first place.”
He recognized the cajoling tone in her voice, and he was thankful that he wasn’t that gullible anymore. Linda had realized that she couldn’t get him riled, so now she was trying a different tactic. “I don’t want to hear this.”
“But Damien, you and I were so good together. You had your music and I had my shows. We never even got a chance to collaborate like we always wanted to, with you finding the perfect opening music for my latest series. I think that’s something we could still do. There are so many things we could still do.”
Damien pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at it, trying to decide whether or not he should hang up. He was incredibly tempted; after all, Linda had been calling him almost every day. But he also knew what happened when he hung up on her. The last time he did it, she called back incessantly until he’d had to turn off the ringer for the rest of the night. That wasn’t something he really wanted to put up with, considering he still had a few calls he needed to make for work.
“Linda, just stop. You and I are done. We weren’t good together, and that’s okay, but it’s time for both of us to move on. I just want to do my job, take care of Stephanie, and live my life.”
Another snort of disgust came over the receiver. She was back to her original tactics. “You’re pathetic, Damien. You think I can’t see straight through you? You were so bent out of shape about me sleeping around a little, but you just said you’ve moved on. Who are you fucking?”
It wasn’t any of her business, and the question didn’t even deserve an answer, but it was difficult not to defend himself. “I’m not sleeping with anyone, and I never said I was. I’ve got to go.”