Code of the Alpha: Shifter Romance Collection

by Lola Gabriel

  “I won’t.”

  “Okay, let’s go, then. I’ll keep the old guy occupied.”

  “The old guy?” Liya asked.

  “Yeah, he looked like a much older version of Hunter,” Shea said nonchalantly.

  “Shea, wait. That’s Hunter’s grandfather,” Liya said. “He’s the Crescent Alpha.”

  Shea’s eyebrows shot up and she pouted slightly. “Now that sounds like fun.”

  Before Liya could call her back, Shea disappeared into the darkness and Liya bit her bottom lip. She crept along the side of the house and found an open window. She quietly climbed through it and looked around her, trying to find anything that could possibly help her to incapacitate Hunter, but strangely enough, there was nothing in the room. She slowly opened the door and peeked out into the hallway. The room with the light on was at the other end, and she quietly made her way to the door. As she reached for the doorknob, she heard muffled voices in another room, and quickly opened the door. She stepped inside the room and closed the door quietly. Catching her breath and trying to calm herself down, as her heart was literally sitting in her throat, she turned around and saw a crib standing in the corner of the room. Her heart melted as she walked closer and saw Illa fast asleep and completely unaware of the entire situation she had been a part of. Illa probably still recognized her father's scent and thought she’d be safe with him.

  Maybe she was. Maybe Liya was blowing this whole thing out of proportion. Maybe he just wanted to see his daughter and had to resort to drastic measures to do so when Liya burnt their house down and ran away with Illa in the middle of the night.

  Liya knew exactly what was happening. She turned around and saw Hunter standing in the doorway. Not only was Hunter a tracker—a damn good one, as well—he was a master manipulator and had a way of making Liya look like the villain.

  “Hunter,” she said with an angry edge to her voice.

  “I thought you were dead, love,” he said and his old nickname for her—which she despised—made her cringe.

  “I don’t die that easily, Hunter,” she gritted her teeth.

  “Unlike our little Alpha boyfriend,” Hunter chuckled. “Now that guy was easy to kill. You’re better off, love. He was too weak for you.”

  “I didn't come here to talk, Hunter. I came to get Illa.”

  “You’re not going to take her away from me again,” Hunter said and crossed his arms. “Because if you try it again, you won’t see the sun rise ever again.”

  “You’re awfully cocky for someone who’s about to get their ass kicked,” Liya said.

  Hunter laughed and shook his head. “You can’t kick my ass even if you tried,” he said, “but you’re welcome to try.”

  Liya narrowed her eyes at him, watching him taunt her, raising his hands in the air and motioning to her to do her worst. “What are you waiting for, love? Come at me.”

  Hunter’s words weren't even cold yet when Liya leapt forwards and kicked him in the chest. He flew through the air, down the hallway, and landed on the wooden floor with a loud crash. He immediately leapt to his feet and rolled his shoulders.

  “Wow, what the hell was that?” he asked as he dusted himself off.

  “Don’t worry. There’s a whole lot more where that came from,” Liya said and came at him again, throwing him down onto the ground. Her eyes glowed a fierce and relentless blue as she pressed the heel of her boot against his neck and growled. “I should just kill you right here and now.”

  “Do it,” Hunter spat at her.

  “For once in my life, I am not afraid of you anymore, Hunter. You might have thought that you had me under your thumb, but you don't. I am done with being your little doormat,” she gritted her teeth.

  As she pressed her heel harder against his throat, a sharp pain suddenly erupted in her shoulder and as she glanced back, she saw the older man, Hunter’s equally psychotic and abusive grandfather, holding a crossbow. Liya exhaled slowly and looked at her shoulder, where one of the arrows of the crossbow was wedged into her skin.

  Liya wasn't quite sure what exactly happened after that, but as soon as she fell to the ground gasping for air, the world started to spin around her. At one point, Shea entered the room, along with Sutton, Luca and Wren. There was a lot of fighting and through the blur of noise and color, she saw blood on the ground beside her. Wren kneeled at her side, yelling at Luca, or someone, but Liya couldn't hear anything. There was a loud ringing in her ears that blocked out all other sounds, and it was enough to make her want to rip her ears out. The pain from the arrow in her shoulder didn't ease, not even when the entire world faded away.

  “Get Illa,” were the last words she muttered before everything went black around her and she was pulled into the dark hole filled with regrets, pain and the empty feeling she had inside her where Hunter had ripped out her soul by taking her daughter away from her, and almost killing Wren.

  Her shoulder was on fire, but it was a slow burn, and it felt good. At least she could still feel something. She spun out from her unconscious state and instantly felt nauseated by the feeling of riding on a rollercoaster.

  “She’s awake,” she heard a voice say and there was a scurry all around her.

  Liya opened her eyes and sat up abruptly. She was on the couch in Wren’s house, surrounded by Wren, Sutton, Shea, Luca and Krew, who was standing in the back with Illa.

  “Illa,” Liya gasped and held her arms out.

  “Careful,” Wren said, but she didn't listen to him. She stood from the couch and walked over to Krew.

  Illa smiled happily and held her little arms out to her mother. Liya scooped her up in her arms and held her close to her. She breathed in the scent of her daughter and the ache in her heart subsided completely.

  “I am so glad to have you back, baby girl,” she whispered.

  Liya felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned around. Wren stood in front of her, with a concerned but relieved look on his face. She smiled at him and he put his arms around her and Illa.

  “What happened?” Liya asked.

  “You don't remember?” Wren asked.

  “Not really. I remember getting shot with a crossbow by Hunter’s grandfather, but...” Her voice trailed off and her eyes widened. “What happened to Hunter, and his dad?”

  “Well, Shea took care of his dad,” Sutton said with a grin.

  “Real good,” Shea said with a grin. “I’ve got a thing for older men.”

  Liya cringed slightly and shook her head. “And Hunter?”

  “We took care of him, Sutton and I,” Wren said. “He won’t be bothering you anymore, Liya.”

  “And he’s all torn up about it, too,” Luca said with a smirk.

  Liya looked at him with a frown and asked, “You didn't, did you?”

  Luca just shrugged and his nonchalance for performing such a vicious and violent deed gave her chills.

  “You guys are...” Liya looked at Krew, then at Wren, and then the others, and smiled slightly.

  “Wonderful?” Sutton asked.

  “Invincible,” Shea corrected him.

  “Exceptional,” Luca said with a confident smile.

  “Irreplaceable,” Wren said and placed his hand on Illa’s head.

  “Actually, I was going to say that you’re my heroes,” Liya said, “but all those apply as well.”

  Illa held her arms out to Krew and he took her from Liya.

  “Looks like you’ve got a new job description, Krew,” Wren said.

  “With pleasure, Wren. With absolute pleasure,” Krew smiled.

  Shea stepped forward and turned to Wren. “Your new girlfriend is a total badass,” she said with a smile.

  “Thanks, you were pretty badass yourself,” Liya said. “I still wanted to ask you, could you show me how to transform with such style?”

  “A skill like that can’t be taught, you know,” Shea said as she put her hands in her pockets. “Besides, there’s nothing wrong with your transformation process, although
you could try not making such a racket.”

  “Old habits die hard. What can I say?” Liya replied and smiled at Wren. “Speaking of badass, there’s something that I need you to help me with.”

  “And what’s that?” Wren asked.

  “You’ll see,” she said with a smile.

  12

  One Month Later

  Wren paced around the small waiting room in a store he had never been to, not having any idea why he was there in the first place. Liya had dragged him there, but she didn't tell him anything at all. Wren didn't like it when he didn't know what was going on, especially not when it came to Liya.

  After the whole thing with Hunter hunting her and Illa down, taking Wren back to his family home and the trauma he had suffered there, and almost dying, along with Liya almost dying as well, Wren had had enough action to last him an entire lifetime. Luckily, everything had returned to normal, and in a little twist, Liya and Shea became best friends. It didn't bother Wren as much, not even when the two girls started talking about him. He felt secure enough in his relationship with Liya to not give a damn what they were discussing.

  Maybe a little, but only sometimes.

  Wren was glad, however, that Liya fit in so well and so easily with the pack, and every single pack member adored her and Illa. Krew gave up his Zeta status and became Liya’s Beta, a position which had not been utilized for nearly five centuries.

  The Crescents seemed to back off after Hunter was killed—ripped apart by Wren and Sutton—along with Hunter’s father. It was a tremendous loss for the Crescents, but they realized that Wren and his pack were not to be messed with. With their best and only tracker killed a few months after they had already lost two other important members of their pack, the Crescents ran back to New Orleans, or so it seemed, until the dust settled.

  They would be back, because that was what they did, but Wren and his pack would be ready. Ready to kill and destroy whatever threatened their peaceful existence.

  The door suddenly opened and Liya stepped out into the waiting room with another woman who had a full arm tattoo, a piercing through her septum and short, bright purple hair.

  “Hey, is everything okay?” Wren asked as he approached them.

  “Oh, yeah. Liya was a superstar,” the young woman said.

  “Thank you, Cass,” Liya said with a smile and hugged the purple-haired woman.

  “You’re welcome,” Cass said with an equally wide smile and stepped away, retreating through the door.

  “Who was that?” Wren asked.

  “That was Cass. She’s a tattoo artist,” Liya answered simply.

  “And why did you bring me to a tattoo artist?” Wren asked.

  “I didn't bring you to a tattoo artist. I brought myself,” she said and held her hand out to him.

  He took it and immediately noticed the new tattoo on her hand. It was no longer scathed with the crescent moon, but now there was a red rose, with a small brown bird sitting on one of its petals and a drop of water on the other petal.

  “The bird is a wren, which represents you, of course,” Liya explained, “and the drop of water is—”

  “Illa, because she’s your calm from the storm,” Wren said.

  Liya smiled and nodded slowly. “Exactly. How did you know that?”

  “You mumbled it while you were unconscious,” Wren said.

  “I did?” she asked, and Wren nodded. “Wow.”

  “Liya, that tattoo didn't make you one of them, you know,” Wren said as he took her hand and ran his finger along the new tattoo.

  “I know, but now it feels like they don’t own me anymore, that I am my own person,” Liya said with a smile as she glanced down at the red flower on her hand where the moon used to be. “Now, I’m free.”

  THE END

  Alpha’s Duty

  Code of the Alpha

  1

  Seattle, Washington

  If there was one place Ferren Daniels hated going, it was to the dentist’s office. Despite being a medical professional herself—a resident at the Victoria Mason Hospital in Seattle—there was something about the thought of having a dental drill inside her mouth that made her cringe. The high-pitched noise of the drill tearing away at a tooth gave her goosebumps. The whole experiences was just too much for her.

  Ferren peered nervously around her in the hopes of finding something that would distract her from the feeling of dread building up inside her. The waiting room at the dental center was empty, thankfully, and she rhythmically tapped her fingers on the armrest of the chair. She stared at the clock on the wall, watching as the seconds ticked away, which didn't help ease the anxiety she was now starting to feel.

  She wasn't sure why she agreed to go there in the first place, but as her last shred of courage started to wither away, her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she retrieved it quickly.

  The message was from one of her colleagues, and she stood from the chair. As she approached the front desk, where a young dental receptionist was furiously typing on the keyboard in front of her, her phone buzzed again.

  The message indicated that there had been a major pile-up on I-405 and they needed all emergency room doctors available to report to the hospital.

  Ferren turned to the receptionist and smiled apologetically at her. “I have to go. I’ll call in later.”

  She didn't give the young receptionist the chance to answer, and rushed out the doors and jumped in her car. When she reached the hospital, she ran as fast as she could, receiving startled and exasperated glances from everyone she passed in the hallways.

  A nurse grabbed her by the arm. “Dr. Daniels, please come with me. You’re needed in triage.”

  She was immediately brought to a woman who looked to be in her mid-sixties. The woman’s eyes were closed. The monitor showed that her heart had stopped. A nurse was desperately trying to resuscitate her.

  Ferren took over performing CPR. As she looked down at the woman, she had an overwhelming sensation that she needed to try as hard as she could to save her. The woman’s gray curls hung down over her eyes, and her smooth skin that looked like it had been shielded from the sun over the years reminded Ferren of her mother.

  “What is her name?” she asked Nurse Wailer, who was standing next to the patient.

  “Linda Swan,” the nurse answered.

  Linda will make it out of this hospital alive, Ferren thought to herself.

  “Are you calling it, Dr. Daniels?” Nurse Wailer asked.

  “No,” Ferren answered with defiance in her voice.

  The monitor started to beep, and Ferren let out a relieved sigh. Linda’s heart had started beating again.

  After attending to dozens of patients, Ferren was exhausted, physically, emotionally and psychologically. She felt rather traumatized at what had happened this evening, but unfortunately, it was part of her job. The sights, sounds, smells, and pain never got easier, but in the end, she knew she was helping people. That kept her going. She hadn’t saved everybody that day, but she did save Linda.

  Tears trailed down her cheeks, and she made absolutely no effort to wipe them away.

  A knock sounded on the door of her office, and she simply responded with, “Come in,” not even bothering to wipe her face. She was tired.

  The door opened and Ferren saw one of her colleagues, Dr. Mike Reynolds, carefully approach her. She had known Mike for almost five years, and he was a really good friend to her. Actually, he was more than a friend.

  “Hey.” Mike sat down on the low coffee table in front of the couch. “I thought I might find you in here.”

  “Well, it is my office.”

  Mike smiled at her, still lying on the couch. “How are you doing?”

  “It was a rough day. I lost three patients.”

  “I just spoke to Lewis. We both think you need some time off. You have been working too hard lately. Your exhaustion is evident. Everybody can see it.”

  Ferren shook her head and sighed. “I don’t need to
relax.”

  Mike regarded her closely for a moment and then sighed, straightening up. “Right, but correct me if I’m wrong. Those tear stains on your cheeks mean something.”

  “Of course they mean something!” Ferren exclaimed. “I’m human and I have emotions. I know that as an emergency room doctor, I am exposed to death regularly. But, it still affects me every time.”

  “You were off-duty. Why did you come in?”

  “We’re never off-duty, Mike.”

  “Calm down, okay? I’m not the one you should be angry at. Listen to me, Ferren Daniels. You are an amazing doctor, and you did everything that you could to save everyone. That was a major accident. It was inevitable that some wouldn’t make it. Sometimes things are completely out of our hands, and it’s not our fault. We’re not supernatural beings; we’re only human. We can’t save everyone,” Mike said as he stroked her knuckles. “Okay?”

  Ferren nodded wordlessly and Mike flashed her a smile of encouragement.

  “Thank you. I started to think that I didn’t need to hear that anymore,” she mumbled. “I should get going.”

  “Would you like me to come over? We could watch a movie, or something,” Mike suggested.

  “I’m too tired for a movie,” she shrugged, “and that ‘or something’ sounds too strenuous for me right now.”

  “It’ll help you take your mind off things,” Mike murmured, lifting an eyebrow suggestively.

  “Thank you for the offer, but I think I need to go sleep until I wake up. No alarm clocks, no phone calls, and definitely not your snoring.”

  “I have a nasal condition,” Mike defended himself.

  “Then you should find a good doctor to take a look at it for you,” Ferren suggested with a slight smile.

  “Hey,” Mike said, and she turned to him. “Drive safe, okay?”

  “You too.” She leaned in, giving Mike a swift kiss on the cheek before retreating from her office.

  Ferren’s relationship with Mike, if it could even be categorized as one, was somewhat on the unconventional side. They were colleagues and friends, but since they were both single, they often hooked up from time to time. There was an understanding that they were not committed to each other. Ferren wasn't looking for anything serious or substantial, especially not with her crazy work schedule. Sometimes she got the distinct feeling that Mike wanted more from her than she could give him, which was why she often turned down his advances, even when they were alone.