2. Earth Pack Rules: Her Alpha Lovers Part Two Read online

  Earth Pack Rules:

  Her Alpha Lovers

  Part Two

  By Michele Bardsley

  Jack Harrison and Grantham Wells are co-alphas of the Earth Pack, and they're on the hunt for a suitable female mate. In the Earth Pack, the triad relationship between two alphas and their mate is sacred. It not only ensures the next generation of leadership, but also facilitates continuous harmony within the pack.

  Curvaceous Roxi Calabrese is werewolf without a pack. On purpose. As the only daughter of the Blood Pack alpha, she's expected to be the prize in the Suitor's Brawl. All eligible males battle each other until only one remains standing--and takes the prize, literally, right in front of the pack. Roxi's response to that bout of idiocy is to ditch her pack and take a job at the Drift Resort. Unfortunately, the heinous Sara, her mother's right-hand bitch, finds her and tries to convince Roxi to return—by blunt force.

  Then the very hot alpha werewolves Jack and Grant rescue her.

  The threesome's attraction is darn near combustible. But after the bed sheets are shredded and the furniture broken, one question remains: Can two Earth Pack alphas convince a feisty Blood Pack female to be their mate, in both body and soul?

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  ABOUT THIS BOOK

  PART TWO.

  MORE SHIFTER ROMANCES

  MICHELE BARDSLEY

  ABOUT THIS BOOK

  You are about to embark on Part Two of the four-part serialized paranormal romance titled Earth Pack Rules: Her Alpha Lovers.

  If you're new to the serial concept, it's a lot like watching your favorite TV show. You get an episode every 2 weeks, and each episode has a cliffhanger ending, until the story concludes.

  Serials offer a unique way to tell stories filled with romantic scenarios, supernatural adventures, sexy thrills, heart-pounding heroes, and empowered heroines.

  I hope you enjoy Earth Pack Rules: Her Alpha Lovers.

  Copyright 2014 by Michele Bardsley

  Cover Art by Renee George

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the copyright holder.

  Any trademarks, service marks, product names or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement from the author of this work.

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatever to anyone bearing the same name or names. All incidents are pure invention. This story is meant for mature audiences who are eighteen years and older.

  PART TWO.

  “I SHOULD’VE NEVER gotten you and Grant involved,” said Roxie. “This sucks.”

  “Don’t worry,” reassured Jack as they hurried down the hotel hallway. “We’ll figure out a way to get Grant back.”

  “We already have a way,” said Roxie. Luckily, they didn’t have to wait for an elevator. The sleek metal doors slid open immediately. They hustled inside and Jack punched the Lobby button. The elevator began to descend.

  “I’m not handing over you,” said Jack. “You’re our mate.”

  “Not yet,” said Roxie. “Look, the Blood Pack doesn’t mess around. My mom’s a little nutballs, especially after Cody bailed. The only way to make sure Grant stays safe is if I go home and take my medicine.”

  “No.”

  The doors opened and they strode into the lobby. Like most Las Vegas resorts, the lobby was pure luxury, from the marble floors, to the skyscraper ceilings to the over-the-top décor. The only difference between the Drift Resort and other hotel-casinos was that most of the staff and the guests were shifters.

  “Where do we meet them?” asked Roxie.

  “The parking lot.” The lot was attached to the hotel on the side, and like most Vegas parking lots, it was a huge tower of concrete and blacktop.

  Her stomach felt like she’d swallowed stones. Dread clutched at her. She would never forgive herself if Grant got hurt because of her. She knew better than to bring in outsiders, even if they were wolf shifters, to Blood Pack business.

  “Grant!” Jack’s surprised voice jolted Roxie out of her thoughts. She looked around the crowded lobby and within seconds saw Grant striding toward them—without Sara or any Blood Pack members in tow. He had cuts and bruises on his face, but they were fading fast, thanks to the healing prowess of shifters. Still, it looked like he’d taken quite the beating.

  He joined them, his expression pure pissed-off.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “Fuckers caught me, that’s what.”

  “I told you not to engage with them,” said Jack. The relief in his voice belied the censure of his words.

  “They cornered me.”

  “Wait a minute. How did they know you were with me?” asked Roxie.

  “They saw Jack with you. Made inquiries. Figured out he was Earth Pack co-alpha, and then it was just a matter of tracking one of us down.” He clenched his jaw. “They held me hostage in some piece of shit car.”

  She reached out and grabbed his arm. “I’m glad you got away. How many of them did you kill?”

  He snorted. “I didn’t. They let me go. That Sara bitch got a call from someone named Rick. The next thing I know, I’m being tossed on my ass, and they take off. Not even a kiss good-bye.”

  “Rick is Sara’s brother,” said Roxie. She frowned. “He’s my mother’s beta—a lawyer here in Las Vegas. He’s a bigger asshole than Sara, trust me.” Something big was happening if Rick was involved. He didn’t like getting his hands dirty—that was Sara’s job. Dragging the alpha’s daughter back for the Suitor’s Brawl had taken a backseat to a bigger priority. Roxie had no clue what that could be—and frankly, she couldn’t care less.

  “They’ll be back for me,” said Roxie. “So, look. Thanks for your help. I appreciate the offer to mate with me, but obviously that’s more trouble than you want.”

  “Don’t tell us what we want,” said Grant. He leaned forward and sniffed. His eyes widened. “You two had sex. Without me.”

  Roxie blushed to the roots of her hair. Oh, hell.

  “We can’t all three have sex unless she mates with us,” said Jack. “You know how the triad works.”

  Grant lifted an eyebrow. “Well, I’d like to test my own compatibility with Roxie.”

  “Did you two miss the part where I’m trying to gracefully exit this situation? My mom isn’t going to let this go, no matter what’s gotten her attention now. Believe me. My best bet is to leave Vegas and stay off the radar.”

  “Until when?” demanded Jack.

  “Until it’s safe,” said Roxie, which, of course, would be never. Mom was stubborn and she no doubt viewed Roxie’s running away as a personal insult. She didn’t like anything, or anyone, who made her look weak, and her own daughter ditching the Suitor’s Brawl was a punch in the face.

  She really should’ve gotten further away than Las Vegas. But she didn’t have friends, and she hadn’t traveled much—only going to California with her brother Derek a handful of times. They had fun going to the beach, but honestly, she would never be a surfer girl. She liked the land far more than she did the ocean. Damn. She wished Derek were here. He always knew what to say, how to make her feel better. She missed him so much.

  “Roxie.” Jack took her hand. “If you don’t want to mate with us, then okay. But don’t think that you going off on your own will somehow protect us. We want you. We’ll be your safety. Your shelter. The Earth Pack chooses peaceful measures whenever possible,
but we’re not weak. We can hold our own—even with the Blood Pack.”

  Grant took her other hand. “You’re gorgeous. Smart. Strong. We know you’re not some delicate flower who can’t take care of herself. Jack’s right. We want you.”

  “Because the very dead Matilda the Matchmaker says so?” she asked.

  “Because our hearts tell us so,” said Jack.

  “And other important body parts,” added Grant. He offered her a wolfish grin.

  Roxie couldn’t help but laugh. How could she not consider the possibility of marrying these two men? She’d gone to college because she loved learning and wanted to make a difference in her pack. But she couldn’t help anyone who didn’t want it. And Mom and the Blood Pack were fine with violent chaos. Right now, Roxie only knew what she didn’t want: life in the Blood Pack. She would be able to contribute something of value to the Earth Pack. With Jack and Grant, she would create connections in a true community and actually experience soul-deep peace. And Roxie wanted that.

  She wanted them.

  Were Jack and Grant truly the solution to her problem? It wasn’t like she could change her mind later. What little she knew about the Earth Pack included that the alphas mated for life, and the triad could only be broken by death.

  “Roxie?” Jack’s gentle tone drew her away from her jumbled thoughts and swirling doubts. She looked at him then at Grant.

  They both squeezed her hands, their expressions mirroring the same hope.

  She nodded. “I’ll be your mate.” She blew out a breath. “What we do now?”

  Grant smiled. “We go on a date.”

  “YOU’RE SAFE,” SAID Lara. “The brawl’s been called off.”

  Roxie clutched at the cell phone and paced Jack’s room. She glanced at the closed doors. She’d asked for privacy to make this call. Lara was the only friend she had left in the Blood Pack. At sixteen, Lara survived the fire that killed her parents and younger sister. Even with the superior genetics of shifters, Lara was unable to completely heal. Her scarred flesh made her undesirable as a mate, but she had other gifts that made her valuable to Pack leadership. She was probably the only female werewolf in Blood Pack history immune from its barbarism.

  “Do you know why?” asked Roxie.

  “No,” said Lara. “I don’t think your mom’s been sober since Cody disappeared.” She inhaled a deep breath. “He’s dead.”

  “What?” Roxie had no love for her stepfather, but his death still came as a shock. She pressed a trembling hand against her belly. “How did he die?”

  “I don’t know. My guess is badly.”

  “How’s Mom?” Roxie asked the question out of rote. She knew well the folly of trying to care about her mother. Karen exploited all weaknesses, including emotional ones, to get what she wanted. She was the most ruthless person Roxie had ever known—second only to Crawl, who learned too well the brutish tactics honed by Mom.

  “Your mother is a complete mess, so Rick is dealing with the situation. Crawl is either drinking or fighting. There will be a change in leadership soon. I don’t know who—that part’s fuzzy.”

  Roxie went cold. Lara’s psychic powers were unparalleled. After the fire, she displayed the first vestiges of what became her major strength. It was as if her brain had increased her mental capacity to make up for her injured body. Lara was never wrong. The only frustrating part for her was that she couldn’t use her gift to find her family’s killer. When it came to Lara—her past, her present, and her future—she could discern nothing.

  Mom probably wasn’t in any state to fight off a takeover. Shit. If Roxie’s brother became the new leader, the Blood Pack would be worse off than it was now. If the beta Rick tried to take the reigns, there would be a blood bath. He was an ambitious asshole, and he’d been eyeing the alpha position for a while. Her Mom knew that, of course, because Karen assumed everyone wanted to be alpha. She’d kept Rick on a leash, mainly because as a lawyer, he could protect pack members in the human court system.

  Roxie was glad she’d left home. And Derek was out of there, too, although not necessarily safer. That left the last Blood Pack member she cared about—Lara.

  “You should take a vacation,” said Roxie.

  “I’m okay,” said Lara. “I’ll be protected because I’m valuable. Even Crawl won’t hurt me.”

  Lara scared Crawl, but only Lara knew why and she wouldn’t say. Crawl wasn’t so thickheaded that he didn’t understand Lara’s usefulness. All the same, he always gave her wide berth. Lara refused to leave the Blood Pack for a number of reasons. The foremost one was that she’d spent the last six years trying to find out who set the fire that killed her family. But though she didn’t exactly have acceptance in the Blood Pack, it was more than she felt she’d get in other Packs or in the human world. Lara’s outside scars were nowhere near as bad as those on her insides.

  “No one will look for you,” said Lara. “They’re too busy. You know how it is around here during a regime change.”

  “What if you could go somewhere safe?” asked Roxie. She was sure Jack and Grant would give Lara protection. “I have connections with the Earth Pack now. You could live on their farm in Oregon.”

  “I can’t leave,” her friend said. “I’m getting closer to answers, Roxie. When I have them, I’ll take you up on that offer.”

  Roxie blew out a breath. She knew how stubborn her friend could be. Lara was smart, and despite her reputation as physically inferior, she was one of the strongest people Roxie knew. No, Lara wasn’t weak, but she let the Blood Pack think so. Werewolves didn’t mess with her so long as she didn’t pose a threat to their own position in the pack.

  “Stay safe,” said Roxie.

  “You, too,” said Lara. “Congratulations, by the way.”

  “For what?”

  Lara laughed. “Hel-lo. Remember me, the psychic? You’re getting married.”

  “Don’t tell anyone!”

  “Cross my heart. But you better tell Derek, or he’ll come back from Afghanistan just to kick your ass.”

  “I’ll tell him, but it’s not easy to get in touch with him.”

  “He’ll resurface soon,” said Lara. “Take care, Roxie. We’ll see each other again.”

  Roxie said good-bye and ended the call.

  She sat on the bed, and tried to gather her thoughts. The brawl was off. Technically, she no longer needed the protection of the Earth Pack alphas. She still wanted them, though. She still wanted a place to belong and people to love.

  Without the possibility of her mother’s wrath and the potential of the goon squad returning, she was left with a question: Did she want to mate with Jack and Grant?

  Yes.

  Yes, she did.

  WHEN HE AND ROXIE arrived at the supper club called Gaze, Grant studied the nondescript building. It was square, white, and windowless. The only indication that they were at the right place was the blue-neon sign above the double doors. He hoped he’d made a decent first date choice, although calling this a first date bordered on ridiculous. Roxie belong to him and Jack. He knew it the same way Jack knew it.

  Grant realized that Roxie probably thought of the triad as a strange relationship. Most people and shifters outside of the Earth Pack didn’t have a true understanding of the spiritual, mental, and physical strength imbued by the power of three. He’d seen the triad in action many times growing up and he had faith in the sacred power that came with its leadership and unconditional love.

  Roxie offered him a smile, and he felt heat burst low in his belly. She was curvy. Lush. Gorgeous. He wanted her naked and sweaty and growling. Hopefully, tonight. If she kept looking at him like that, it might be now. On the floor. With human witnesses.

  Whoa. He needed to take it down a notch.

  A blonde hostess led them into a foyer with teak walls, marble floor, and low lighting. Several other couples waited there as well. After a few more people arrived, the hostess opened another set of double doors and they all filed inside.
/>
  The room was square and plain. Its only decoration was the soft glow of blue lighting. Long, cushioned benches lined the left and right walls. Every five feet was a large, square table.

  They were escorted to their designated table and sat hip-to-hip on the bench. Inset in the middle of the table was a bucket filled with ice and a bottle of champagne. There were fluted glasses and two folded cloth napkins, but no silverware or plates.

  “No menus?” asked Roxie.

  “According to the website, the chef chooses everything—from the appetizer to the dessert. It’s always different.”

  “Well, this should be an adventure. I hope there’s meat. I’m starving.”

  “Me, too.” Grant let his expression tell her that he was hungry all right. For her.

  She grinned.

  At least forty-feet yawned between them and the other side of the room. In the center of the bare floor was a long, low stage, where he assumed the show would be performed. Gaze offered a sexy dinner show that was renowned in Las Vegas and it was difficult as fuck to get a reservation. Luckily, he knew people who knew people. It helped, too, that he had deep pockets.

  Grant tugged the champagne out of its bucket, noting that its cork was already gone. The staff probably opened all the champagne bottles right before seating everyone.

  He poured the golden liquid into the glasses. Then he returned the bottle and picked up his glass. “To beauty and the beasts.”

  “Which of us are the beasts?”

  “You and I,” Grant said. “Jack’s definitely the beauty.”

  Roxie laughed. “I’ll drink to that.”

  Grant tapped his glass with hers. They both sipped. Huh. Not bad for something that wasn’t beer. The dry taste had a hint of sweet and the bubbles tickled his tongue.

  Doors opened on the far right side of the room. Women scantily clad in what could only be classified as lingerie entered. They carried plates.

  One of the beautiful women leaned over their table. “My name is Monique,” she said in a low voice dripping with a French accent. Between them, she deposited a small bowl of creamy dip was surrounded by baby carrots, slivers of zucchini, grape tomatoes, and crackers.