Alpha Devotion: Paranormal Romance Collection

by Lola Gabriel

  Now, Adley lay next to him, peaceful and content as he watched over her. Not being much of a sleeper, Oryn spent many nights just watching her for a few hours before he left to fly. He wasn’t sure why, but being with Adley had increased his need to be in his true form, and he wondered whether she had something to do with it. After all, his parents had met in their true forms, but was that really the reason?

  The conversation he’d had with Naomi earlier that day still played in his mind, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that she might be a wolf. The hatred and disdain in her voice gave him reason to believe that she may also have been a part of the alpha’s pack or related to the alpha. There were not a lot of immortals who were aware of the details of that day, and he wondered how she was involved in all of this. He tried to recall the faces and the voices of the pack members, but his memory seemed clouded. He wasn’t sure why, but it made him restless.

  He studied Adley’s sleeping form, memorizing it so that it was perfectly clear in his mind, and quietly climbed out of bed, careful not to disturb her. Ten minutes later, he was soaring through the night sky, his large wings slicing through the air. Even though he felt free, the sudden distance between him and Adley soon became unbearable, and it made him want to head back earlier.

  Oryn wished he could take Adley with him on a flying outing, but he knew that the mere thought of him being a dragon—a real dragon—would scare her off for good. He did not like lying to her about himself or having to omit certain details of the stories he told her about his life and his childhood.

  The story about the scar on her back was the one thing that made him feel incredibly guilty. She had told him that story, a sore and raw part of her life, in confidence, and he could not even tell her the truth about his scar. He couldn’t tell her that a dragon hunter had given it to him with an enchanted weapon while he was in dragon form. He couldn’t tell her that he’d had to walk around with an arrow a few inches from his eye for a whole week until it worked its way out of his scales. He couldn’t tell her that he went out flying while she slept. He couldn’t tell her what he really was.

  Humans couldn’t fathom such things, like dragons, vampires, and wolf shifters existing. It wasn’t something that was talked about freely, or even known, for that matter. Humans feared the unknown, and they didn’t know how to handle it if they were confronted with it.

  This made Oryn wonder what Adley would do if he told her. She’d probably not believe him at first. He’d have to transform into his dragon form, and he wasn’t sure how she would react if she had to see that.

  It was a pretty scary sight to behold. Their bodies contorted, their bones snapped, and it was pretty disgusting when their wings burst through the skin between their shoulders. But as soon as all the scales were in place and their wings unfolded, they became magnificent and majestic. Each dragon looked different: different color of scales, different wings, and even different facial features. Oryn remembered feeling indifferent about the fact that he had three horns on his head instead of two like his brothers, but it was the kind of dragon he was. According to his mother, he was special, although at the time, he hadn’t felt very special. He soon realized that the extra horn was actually where his radar was located, and he was pretty impressed with himself for having something his brothers didn’t.

  Oryn flapped his wings again and flew as high as he possibly could before dropping down at high speeds. His green scales darkened on his command, allowing him to perfectly blend in with the water below him, making him virtually undetectable by anything. He flew close to the water splashing at his feet and then dove down into it, heading back to his house.

  The air was suddenly cold when he stepped into the house and went directly to his bedroom. Adley was still asleep, but she had changed positions. She now lay on her side facing the window, and she was bathed in the early morning glow. Her hair sparkled in the impending light, and Oryn stood by the door, simply watching her.

  He could still not believe that she was his, and he was hers, and right there and then, he vowed to do everything in his power to keep Adley safe, even if that meant telling her the truth about him. She stirred slightly, and he slowly approached the bed. As he sat down on the edge of the bed, she asked in a sleepy voice, “Where’d you go?”

  “I just went downstairs. I heard a noise in the backyard and just wanted to check it out,” he lied, feeling terrible for doing so.

  “What was it?” she asked and opened her eyes.

  “It was the door of the boathouse. I didn’t lock it properly.”

  “When were you at the boathouse?”

  Shit.

  “Yesterday before work. I was looking for my special screwdriver.”

  Lie upon lie.

  “You have a special screwdriver?”

  “Of course. Doesn’t every guy?”

  Adley shrugged her shoulders. “Jeremy has a special axe he uses when he chops firewood. So I guess in a way, yes. Are you fixing something?”

  “Are you hungry?” he asked, trying to steer the conversation into another direction.

  “I’m starving, actually.”

  “Good. Why don’t you take a shower, get dressed, and then we can have breakfast together?”

  Adley sat up and kissed him on the lips. “That sounds nice.”

  Oryn kissed her again before standing from the edge of the bed and leaving the room. He felt her eyes on him the whole time, and he scolded himself for being such a fucking idiot. She deserved to know the truth. All of it.

  8

  Adley took a sip from the bottle of vodka and pulled a face as the liquid flowed down her throat. She was feeling a little fragile, but that wasn’t her fault, nor the alcohol’s. She felt betrayed, and this was the only way she knew that would make her feel better, even if it was only temporary.

  For the past month, she had thought that she and Oryn had something special, but for the last few days, things had been different. On more than one occasion, Adley had noticed Oryn leave his bed and be gone for hours. She wasn’t sure where he went, but there was only one explanation. He was cheating on her. He had found someone else, someone better, and he was sneaking out in the middle of the night while she was sleeping, thinking she wouldn’t notice it.

  But she did. She had.

  She swallowed another mouthful of vodka and coughed violently.

  “Oh my god, that is disgusting,” she spewed to herself and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. The cheap vodka didn’t taste anything like the top-shelf drinks she enjoyed with Oryn.

  She glanced over at her car keys on the coffee table for the hundredth time, again contemplating whether she should go to his house to confront him. Clearly, he wasn’t going to tell her what he was doing in the middle of the night—or who he was doing—so the only way was to ask him directly. He surely wouldn’t lie to her face, would he?

  Adley ran her fingers through her hair and groaned, still staring at the keys on the coffee table. She drunkenly pondered for another few minutes while finishing off the rest of the vodka before concluding that she needed to know what was going on. She loved Oryn with every cell in her body and everything she had, but she wouldn’t allow him to disrespect her like that. He had told her himself that she deserved someone who would treat her well, and what was he doing to her?

  “Creeping out in the middle of the night, I mean, who does he think he is, huh?” she muttered out loud to herself. “He may be the CEO of a multibillion-dollar company, but that doesn’t give him the right to lie and cheat, does it?” She paused for a moment and slammed her fist down on the table. “No, it doesn’t.”

  She reached over, grabbing her keys, and scrambled to her feet. She barely made it out the door, but her anger seemed to take over her intoxicated body, and she marched to her car. Adley had never driven while she was drunk, but she didn’t really care. She needed answers, now, though deep down inside her, she hoped she wouldn’t get pulled over by the cops. Maybe a night in jail would calm her
down so she wouldn’t strangle her boyfriend.

  The road blurred in front of her, but she focused really hard to get to Oryn’s house safely, or at least alive. She stopped in front of the gate and pressed the intercom button.

  “Veskovic residence,” she recognized Jayce’s voice over the speaker.

  “It’s Adley. Can you open the gate for me, please?” she asked, trying to sound as sober as she could.

  “Is everything alright, miss?” Jayce asked.

  “Everything is just swell. I just thought I’d drop by to surprise Oryn. Is he in?”

  “Mr. Veskovic is in. I will open the gate for you.”

  “Thank you, Jayce.” Adley tapped her hand on the outside of her door while she waited for the gate to open.

  When it finally did, she pulled her car into the driveway and staggered up to the front door, clearly on a mission. She rang the doorbell and waited. After a short while, Oryn stood in the doorway with a surprised look on his face.

  “Adley,” he started, but she didn’t give him a chance to say anything. She pointed her finger at him.

  “I need to talk to you, mister.” Oryn frowned, but he stepped out of the way for her to come inside. She slowly walked in and turned around. “Did you think that I was stupid and that I wouldn’t realize what was going on?” she slurred.

  Oryn narrowed his eyes suspiciously and took a step towards her. “Are you drunk?”

  “No,” she scoffed. “Okay, maybe a little.”

  “And you drove all the way here, in your state?” he asked.

  “I guess,” she shrugged nonchalantly.

  “I can’t believe you,” Oryn scolded her. “Drinking and driving.”

  “Well, technically, I drank at my house and then I drove here, so I was drinking and then driving,” she giggled and then hiccupped.

  “You think this is funny? How much did you have to drink? It looks like well over the legal drinking limit. What if you were pulled over and arrested? What then? What if you were in an accident? What if you got hurt, or died?”

  Adley narrowed her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. “You’re not allowed to do that.”

  “Do what?”

  “I came over here to give you a piece of my mind!” she exclaimed, pointing at him again. “Not for you to lecture me and tell me what I am doing wrong!”

  “What are you talking about?” he demanded.

  “Do you honestly think that I wouldn’t find out? Do I look dumb to you?”

  “Of course you don’t, but I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he defended.

  “I know you leave every time I sleep! I’ve seen you go. I don’t know where you’re going, or who you’re going to see, but I think I deserve your honesty,” she stammered.

  “I absolutely agree,” he answered.

  She blinked a few times and crossed her arms. “So who is she?”

  “There’s no other woman, Adley.”

  “Then where do you go? And why do you go about it in such a sneaky way?”

  Oryn sighed and replied, “I can’t tell you.”

  Adley’s eyes filled with tears, and she looked away. “Why not? I thought you could tell me anything.”

  “There are so many things that I want to tell you, Adley, but I just can’t.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m not sure if you’re going to like what you hear.”

  Adley sighed and looked at him. “I don’t care what you tell me, Oryn. I just want to know the truth!”

  “I can’t tell you!” Oryn yelled, frustrated. Adley nodded bitterly and marched passed him. Just as she reached the door, he called out to her. “Adley, wait!”

  Adley whirled around and looked at him.

  “I can’t tell you, but I can show you, if you let me.”

  She nodded slowly. “Fine. Show me.”

  Adley’s heart pounded in her chest as she followed Oryn down the wooden steps leading down to the dock and the boathouse. She grew nervous with every step she took, and a million things whirled through her mind. Had he stashed something important or illegal in the boathouse? Did he carry guns in his boat?

  She watched him unlock the padlock and open the door, and she followed closely behind. He climbed inside the beautiful white speedboat, with light blue seating and chrome railings around the seating area at the back.

  Oryn held out his hand to her, and she hesitated for a few seconds. He knew how she felt about water, but she was desperate to find out where the hell he had been going. She reluctantly took his hand and climbed inside the boat. She sat down on the side seat and watched as Oryn untied the thick rope from the wooden pole and rolled it up, placing it on the floor of the small cabin. He sat down behind the controls, and with a simple turn of a key, the engine roared to life. Adley grabbed the metal railing on both sides of the seat and held on for dear life as the boat began to move.

  She wasn’t sure how long they had been in the water, or how far they were, but she had to admit that it wasn’t as bad as she imagined it would be. Having Oryn there with her was comforting, though her fear for the water below her was too overwhelming to ignore. She tried to keep her breathing steady, but the cool sea air made her feel dizzy.

  “Where exactly are we going?” she asked.

  “We’re nearly there.”

  “And where is there exactly?” she insisted.

  They were quiet for a short while until Oryn turned off the engine and threw the anchor overboard. Adley glanced around her, but all she could see was water. Panic started to set in, and her chest tightened. Oryn stepped over to the seat beside her and sat down.

  “Adley, I am going to show you something, and it’s very important that you keep an open mind about it,” he said calmly. Adley nodded. “I need you to stay calm, breathe, and whatever you do, don’t make any sudden moves. Don’t go in the water, and don’t scream.”

  “Why would I scream?” she demanded, her voice shaking.

  “Also, I don’t want you to be afraid. You don’t have to be afraid. I promise you I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  “I don’t understand,” Adley stuttered.

  “Just remember what I told you, okay? Don’t be afraid.”

  “I’ll try.”

  “Okay.” Oryn nodded and stood from the seat. Much to her amazement, he took off his shirt, looked at her once more over his shoulder, and dove into the water.

  “Oryn!” she called out to him and jumped up. She rushed to the side of the boat and peered down at the water. A string of bubbles spiraled up to the surface, increasing in size, but there was no sign of Oryn. She was all alone on a speedboat in the middle of the ocean. She didn’t know how to start the boat, or in which direction to go to get back to land. All she knew was that she was going to freak out any second now.

  Bubbles began to rise to the surface, and the water turned a strange hue of green. Suddenly, something came out, splashing water everywhere. Adley shielded herself and glanced up at the sky. Her eyes instantly widened as she noticed the beast flying down towards her. Its wings were gigantic, and as it flew closer to her, the scales on its body glimmered in the sunlight.

  “Holy shit!” she gasped.

  It was a dragon. A real live dragon, with green scales and massive wings, and strangely enough, its face and jawline resembled Oryn’s in a way.

  The giant animal lowered itself down into the water, and suddenly, the boat Adley was in seemed tiny in comparison. The dragon’s face came closer to her, and its eyes glowed in a familiar green hue. She knew those eyes too well, and they were as undeniable and alluring as the first time she had seen them.

  “Oryn?” Its head came closer to her, and Adley took a step back. She remembered what he had told her about not having to be afraid, because he would never do anything to hurt her. Bravely, she reached out her hand but didn’t touch it. She waited for it to come to her. Sure enough, it moved its head closer, allowing her hand to touch the smooth scales on its nose. Adley let out a
gasp and looked at it.

  “Oh, my god,” she breathed, lightly stroking his dragon skin. “I should really lay off the vodka,” she muttered to herself.

  The dragon snorted and moved away from her. Adley stepped away, and the dragon slowly rose up out of the water. Its giant wings unfolded, and Adley took multiple strained breaths. She had never seen anything like this; she didn’t know something like this even existed or could exist.

  “Don’t be afraid, Adley. Don’t be afraid,” she repeated to herself as she glanced up, remembering what Oryn had told her.

  No screaming. No sudden moves. She didn’t need to be afraid.

  The dragon lowered its head again, right down beside her, and nudged her softly.

  “What? What do you want me to do?” she asked, feeling stupid that she was expecting an answer. The dragon motioned to the sky and gave her a slight nod.

  Adley’s eyes widened, and she asked breathlessly, “You want me to fly with you?”

  To her surprise, it nodded and inched closer to her.

  “You won’t drop me, right?” she stuttered, but as she looked into the bright green eyes of the giant beast in front of her, reassurance filled up inside her. It was like it was trying to convince her to climb onto its neck, and for some reason unbeknownst to Adley, it managed to do it.

  She carefully placed her hands on the top of its head and felt herself being lifted off the boat. She glanced back and saw the razor-sharp edge of its wing. Three horns protruded from its head and were perfect for holding onto. The last thing she wanted was to slip and fall into the ocean, but she knew he wouldn’t allow that to happen.

  As Adley straddled the dragon’s neck, holding tightly to the horns in front of her, the giant wings lifted up, along with her, through the heights of the sky. Adley screamed at the sudden movement, feeling like she was on a rollercoaster, clenching the horns as tightly as she could. She pressed her face against them and closed her eyes, still feeling the harsh movements of the dragon flying through the air.