Table of Contents
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
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
About the Author
Also by Annabelle Jacobs
Bitten By The Alpha
By
Annabelle Jacobs
Copyright
Cover artist: Natasha Snow
Editor: Labyrinth Bound Edits
Bitten By The Alpha © 2018 Annabelle Jacobs
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED:
This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or business establishments, events or locales is coincidental.
The Licensed Art Material is being used for illustrative purposes only.
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
WARNING
This book contains material that maybe offensive to some and is intended for a mature, adult audience. It contains graphic language, graphic violence, explicit sexual content and adult situations.
Acknowledgements
Huge thanks to my beta readers Elin and Nic, your feedback helped make this book so much better. And also thank you to my awesome proofers, Jay, Garrett and Kirsty, for catching all those niggly errors.
You all rock.
Table of Contents
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
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
About the Author
Also by Annabelle Jacobs
CHAPTER ONE
Cam stood at his window overlooking the street below. To the left lay the start of Regent’s Park, and he yearned to be down there. To shift and run, feel the damp grass under his paws. He could put it down to recent events; the past few weeks had been trying, but that wasn’t the only reason. The October sun warmed his face through the glass and Cam smiled, the feeling bittersweet.
He’d met his wife in early October, fifteen years ago, and Cam remembered it with a clarity that he both treasured and hated.
Autumn was her favourite time of year, all those colours captivating her as the leaves changed from a lush green to a mix of orange, yellow, and brown. Even though he missed her every single day, the sight of the trees turning always made him smile. Now it was Cam’s favourite time of year too.
His phone rang, startling him, and the number on the screen made his heart stop for a beat. The alpha council were the last people he wanted to hear from. “Cameron Harley,” he answered, brows drawn together. What could they possibly want?
A dozen scenarios filled his head—none of them good—but Cam pushed them aside. Speculating wouldn’t help.
“Good morning, Alpha Harley.” Alpha Karin Wallace’s smooth commanding voice had him standing a little straighter. “I imagine you’re curious as to why I’m calling?”
Relaxing a little, Cam smiled, wryly. “That’s one word for it.”
Laughter sounded in his ear. “I’ll get straight to the point then. Alpha Tregarrak of the Penwith Pack has a request which I am duty bound to relay to you.”
The Penwith pack territory was down near Penzance, Cornwall, where the council had sent Felix Martyn. Cam bristled, not liking where this was headed. “Oh?”
“Since the Penwith pack took in a member of your pack, Alpha Tregarrak is requesting that you return the favour.”
“Felix wasn’t a member of my pack. He was a rogue shifter who we took prisoner.” Alpha Wallace sighed, and Cam got the feeling she’d expected him to say that but was still disappointed in him.
“I’m aware he wasn’t strictly a member of your pack, but you did take him in and asked for leniency on his behalf, so in this instance, I’m inclined to say Alpha Tregarrak has a point.”
Fuck.
Cam had known deep down that particular decision would come back to haunt him. Probably some troublemaker that Tregarrak wanted shot of, and that was all Cam needed at the moment. He had plenty of his own to deal with. The transition from two packs to one wasn’t all smooth sailing—not that he’d expected it to be easy—and he had enough to sort out without adding to it. “He wants me to take a member of his pack in return for Felix?”
“Yes.” She paused, and Cam waited, knowing she wasn’t done. “This would be a courtesy between alphas; I can’t order you to do it.”
Cam rolled his eyes. Not directly maybe, but he doubted a refusal would go down well.
Fine. If they were a troublemaker he’d stick them in Alec’s unit. They’d soon behave. “Of course. Please tell Alpha Tregarrak I’d be only too happy to return the favour.”
Alpha Wallace laughed again, like she knew exactly what he was thinking. “I thought you’d say that. A good decision, Alpha Harley.”
“Can I ask who he wants us to take?” Might as well get a name.
“His daughter, Rachel.”
“SO, LET me get this straight,” Alec took the cup of coffee Cam handed to him, nodding his thanks. “The Penwith Pack Alpha wants his daughter to join our pack?”
Cam nodded. “Yes.” He gave the last cup to Gareth and sat down on the arm of the sofa. “It’s not permanent,” he added quickly. “But probably for at least a couple of months, as far as I understand.”
His four betas watched him with varying expressions, and guilt reared its ugly head. Jason and Paul should be at this meeting too. These four aren’t my only betas now.
The transition from two packs to one large one was proving as hard for Cam as it was for everyone else, a fact he was none too proud of. He was the alpha. The example should be set by him, and excluding his newest betas from meetings was not the way to go about it.
He would never admit this out loud, not even to the four people sat in front of him, but the fact was, he didn’t know either Jason or Paul well enough to trust them. Not completely.
Jason, yes, to some extent; Newell had ordered his death, so there was no love lost there; and Jason had recovered from his injuries under Cam’s supervision. But both Jason and Paul had been betas to another alpha, one who hated Cam, and he had to wonder if even a trace of that loyalty remained.
“Cam?” Alec nudged his knee, and he glanced up to find everyone staring at him.
Clearly he’d zoned out and missed something. “Sorry, what did you say?” He needed to do better than this.
Alec frowned but thankfully kept his thoughts to himself. “I asked if you’d spoken to the Penwith Alpha.”
Giving himself a mental shake, Ca
m focused on the matter at hand. “Yes, I have, but before I go into details, there are a couple of people missing from this meeting. Give me a moment.”
Going against his gut instinct wasn’t something he made a habit of, but in this instance, Cam was certain it wasn’t working in his favour. For them to come together as one pack, he needed to do this or he’d never establish trust between them. His wolf would come around in time.
Grabbing his phone from the table, he sent a quick text to Jason and Paul requesting their presence at his flat and waited for the messages to be read before setting it back down.
Gareth raised an eyebrow and said what the others were probably all thinking. “Is that wise?”
Possibly not.
Standing, Cam moved to the centre of the room and turned to face them. “I realise this’ll take some getting used to, but we’re one pack now. We need to start acting like it. Jason and Paul—and the new beta when I appoint one—report directly to me, as do the four of you. They have every right to be at this meeting, and carrying on without them is an insult to their position in this pack.” It came out sharper than he’d intended, but he was angry, more at himself than anyone else. Still, a precedent had to be set. “You’re all betas, please treat them with the respect they deserve.”
Shock coloured Gareth’s features for a second before he caught himself. “Of course.”
Cam sighed and rubbed a hand through his hair. Softening his tone, he said, “I know this uncertainty and awkwardness is my fault. I haven’t handled the merging of our two packs as well as I’d hoped to, and for that, I apologise. But there are six betas in this pack, not four, and we all need to remember that.”
A knock on the door broke the silence. Perfect timing in Cam’s opinion.
Swallowing his apprehension, he marched out into the hall to open the front door.
Both Jason and Paul stood on the other side, looking equal parts curious and wary.
Another thing that was his fault. But then they’d been under Newell for so long, they were probably waiting for Cam to show his ‘true colours’. And who knew what crap Newell had fed them for the last ten years? Maybe they were expecting Cam to find an excuse to demote them or something similar any day now.
Regardless, it was his job to reassure them. For fuck’s sake, he really was doing a piss-poor job of bringing the two packs together. It had all seemed so straightforward when he’d discussed it with the alpha council. They used to be part of the same pack. Some of the younger members had even shared school classes before the split. And with Newell gone, the door was wide open to be that way again. The reality, however, was far more complicated, as Cam was quickly finding out. Ten years allowed for a lot of resentment to build.
“Jason, Paul, come in. The others are in the living room.” He stepped back and ushered them inside.
“Others?” Jason glanced back over his shoulder, confused.
This wasn’t the first time Cam had met with them, but it would be the first time he’d met with all of his betas at the same time. He gestured for Jason to keep going. “My other betas.”
Jason didn’t try and hide his shock at that. “Oh.” Paul was still facing forward, so Cam couldn’t read his expression, but he’d bet it was much the same as Jason’s.
They had a long way to go, but hopefully this was a step in the right direction.
He followed them into the room, managing to smother his sigh when Paul and Jason stood together beside the fireplace rather than one of them taking the empty seat next to Daryl.
Baby steps.
“Okay.” He clapped his hands together, focusing everyone’s attention on him. After giving a brief recap of what he’d already said, he added, “The conversation I had with Alpha Tregarrak was brief. Apparently he’d prefer to discuss this in person.” Cam paused, letting that sink in. “I’m going to drive down and collect his daughter.”
“So you’ve already agreed to take her?” Alec didn’t sound all that surprised.
“I have.” They didn’t need to know Alpha Wallace had given him little choice. “We leave tomorrow morning at six.”
“We?” Alec raised an eyebrow. “As in…?”
Cam smiled. “This is why I asked you all here. With the current state of the pack, I thought it prudent to appoint Alec and Jason as temporary pack leaders during my absence. This should appease all members and hopefully avoid any further unrest.” As head of the security unit, Alec would usually accompany him on trips, but the way things were at the moment, he was Cam’s first choice as stand-in pack leader, with the other betas backing him up. The new arrangement might take some adjusting to, but he had to look out for his newest members too, and having Jason alongside Alec would hopefully reassure them. “Gareth and Mike will accompany me, along with two of their unit each.”
It might have been a formally requested visit, but he wasn’t about to enter another alpha’s territory without sufficient back-up.
No doubt there would be more discussion between them as soon as they left his flat, but as long as they did as requested, that’s all Cam could ask for. If they needed to complain to each other or let off steam, then so be it.
“Any questions?”
Alec spoke up. “Are you going to tell the rest of the pack?”
Good question; trust Alec to ask it. As alpha, Cam made the decision on who was allowed to join their pack. He didn’t have to ask for permission or get a majority vote, but he liked to keep his pack informed. Relations within the pack were strained in some quarters, though, and Cam wasn’t sure he wanted to advertise the fact he’d be gone for a day or so. He met Alec’s gaze. “I’m sure you have an opinion on the subject. Let’s hear it.”
Alec grinned at him, then his expression sobered. “I think in this instance, you should keep it quiet if you can. No one needs to know that you’ll be away.” He shrugged. “I’m not suggesting you lie—if anyone asks, we’ll tell them the truth—but I see no advantage to announcing it to the whole pack.”
Cam glanced around the room at his other betas. “Anyone else have something to say?”
Mike, Daryl, and Gareth all murmured their agreement with Alec. Jason and Paul were having some form of silent conversation, so Alec waited for them to finish.
Jason glanced at Alec, then Cam. “Newell never told us anything, and normally we’d be all for keeping the pack informed, but in this case we agree with Alec. There are certain members of our old pack who’re taking a little longer to get used to the idea of a joined pack.”
Cam smothered the snort of inappropriate laughter threatening to burst out, because that was putting it mildly. He knew for a fact, despite everything Newell had done, some of his pack still thought he’d been treated unfairly.
Nodding, Cam hummed under his breath. “Fine. I’ll hold a pack meeting when we’re back to introduce our newest member.” He also needed to find a replacement for Wes, but that would have to wait. One thing at a time. “That’s all for now. Mike, Gareth, I’ll see you here first thing tomorrow.” As everyone stood to leave, Cam caught Alec’s eye. “Stay a minute. I’d like to have a quick chat.”
Alec glanced at the others as they filed out of the room, then raised his eyebrows in question.
“It’s more of a personal nature.” He smiled when Alec groaned and sat back down. Alec had mellowed a lot since he’d bonded with Mark, but he still had a rough edge to him. Cam loved that about him. Alec didn’t shy away from the hard decisions, but talking about feelings had never been his favourite thing. Cam would be lying if he said he didn’t take a little delight in watching Alec blush. His cool, fierce beta rarely showed his vulnerable side, but one topic guaranteed to bring it out was Mark. Cam considered himself fortunate that Alec trusted him enough to let his guard down.
When they were alone, Cam took the seat opposite and rested his hands on his thighs. “How’s Mark adjusting?”
Alec frowned. “To being bonded, losing his alpha, or to being part of one big pack again?”
<
br /> Cam’s main concern was the bond, but if Alec was in a sharing mood…. “All of those things.”
With a sigh, Alec leaned back against the sofa. “Newell being gone is the perfect outcome as far as Mark’s concerned, but that’s no great surprise, considering.”
“True.” If anyone from the Primrose Hill pack would be glad to see the back of Newell, it would be Mark. Along with Jason and Will.
“As for the merging of the packs….” He rubbed at the slight stubble covering his jaw. “It’ll take time to get used to. I suspect he’s getting shit from some of his old pack for being with me, but he insists everything’s fine. I think he’s concerned about what I might do to them.”
Cam barked out a laugh. “I can’t imagine why.” Alec was loyal to a fault, especially when it came to his mate. “As much as I understand your need to protect him, maybe this is one problem Mark needs to sort out for himself?”
“Yeah, I know.” It looked as though the words pained him to say. “I’d like to scare the little bastards to death, but I think that would only make things worse, and I don’t want this to escalate into to something requiring you to intervene.”
Cam didn’t either, but he wouldn’t tolerate bullying in his pack. “If Mark ever feels like it’s gone too far, don’t hesitate to tell me. I’m all for letting people handle their own issues, but sometimes the only way is to let the alpha sort it out. I want us all to be comfortable with this new arrangement, but in some cases, that might not be possible.”
Alec hesitated, as though trying to put off answering. Cam knew full well the thought of running to his alpha wouldn’t sit well with Alec, but he’d have to suck it up. “Fine. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Thank you.”
Alec got up to leave, his scowl vanishing in an instant, replaced with a huge smile. “And he’s adjusting to our bond, just fine.”
Wow. Alec all love-struck was a sight Cam thought he’d never get to see. He gripped Alec’s shoulder and met his gaze. “Good. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this happy. It’s a joy to behold.”
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