CLAIMING HIS ALPHA
Scent of a Mate 7
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Reece Marshall isn't happy about being pulled away from his
undercover assignment for the Feline Council, but one doesn't argue with a
summons from an elder. Discovering he's been brought before the elder as a
potential guardian to a new alpha makes him wish he was back on his mission.
Šílené Bolond never wanted to be an alpha, but forces greater than
him seem to think he should lead the Blackthorn Pride. When five enforcers are
presented to him as possible guardians, one stands out. Šílené's heart breaks
when his offer of submission is rejected, and he realizes his dream of having a
mate will never be realized.
But the forces that made an omega an alpha have other plans. When
Reece's undercover assignment becomes too dangerous, the only safe place to go
is to the pride of the one man Reece craves, but can't have. With danger and
betrayal around every corner, Reece and Šílené have to turn to each other if
they want to survive, and they just might find love if they can survive that
long.
STORY EXCERPT
“I am sure you have heard of the challenge against Randal
Cresson by now.”
Again, Elder Hamilton received five nods.
“From what we have been able to gather, Alpha Cresson was
involved in some rather archaic practices where his pride was concerned. Word
has reached us that he has been systematically executing those he felt weren’t
feline enough, and abusing others. Those he went after were given no choice but
to comply with his orders or offer reparations for whatever offense he felt they
had perpetrated.”
“That’s against pride law,” Boston Elliot said with a curl
of his upper lip that was pure disgust at Alpha Cresson’s actions. “How was this
discovered?”
Hamilton paused to consider his words and their effects on
the men he had brought to his office. “It would seem that he chose to pick on
the wrong pride member, and he paid for it with his life.”
Alarm settled on more than one face.
“At first, we thought it was a fluke.” Hamilton tugged on
his goatee, rubbing the dark, bristled hairs between his fingers. It was a
nervous gesture he’d tried to quit more times than he could count. “But then,
the new alpha was challenged by two separate competitors within minutes of
winning the challenge against Cresson. He fought them both, back to back,
killing his opponents without a break or even time in between
challenges.”
Hamilton could see that the five men were impressed by the
lifting of their eyebrows and the widening of their eyes. He had to admit he was
as well. The law required at least three days between challenges because it was
nearly impossible for a combatant to fight two fights to the death without some
time to recuperate in between.
For someone to fight two challenges back-to-back without
even a few minutes’ break between fights was unheard of. For those two fights to
come within minutes of another was not only unheard of, it was nearly impossible
to imagine.
It took unnatural strength.
“Those that witnessed the fight said they had never seen
anything like it. I’ve been told that Šílené Bolond fought with such skill and
determination that it was like the hand of Bastet herself guided his
movements.”
In mythology, Bastet was reported to be the goddess of cats,
protection, joy, dance, music, family, and love. If people were saying Šílené
fought like the goddess Bastet seemed to be guiding his movements, then not only
had he fought like a true enforcer, but Alpha Cresson deserved to lose. The gods
only favored those with true hearts, and everyone knew it.
“If this man truly won the challenge…” Tre Marshall said, a
bit of indignation in his voice, but only a bit. He was speaking to an elder
after all. Respect must be shown. “Then why have you called us here? I’m not
going to fight a challenge rightfully won.”
A couple of the other men nodded their agreement.
Reece flicked his toothpick.
“No, no.” Hamilton waved his hand to dismiss that thought
from their minds. “I would not ask that of you. The challenge was won fairly and
has been acknowledged by the Feline Council. That is not why you have been
called here.”
Hamilton stood and walked over to his liquor cabinet. This
might require just a bit more than liquid courage. He pulled out six small
crystal glasses and his best scotch, pouring some in each glass.
Grabbing his own glass, he turned and gestured to the others
to grab a glass as he took his seat again. “Gentlemen.”
The five powerful enforcers stood and walked over to each
get a glass. Hamilton could easily admit to himself that he was a little
intimidated by the large men. They all stood inches above him. He just wouldn’t
admit it to them and he had enough control to be able to hide it from
everyone.
“I find myself in an unusual position, gentlemen,” Hamilton
said once everyone had a drink in their hands. He stared down at the
amber-colored liquid for a moment, choosing his words carefully. “This new alpha
is obviously a very powerful one. He has proven that. He’s
just—”
The office door opened with a bang and everyone turned to
toward their visitor. Hamilton watched as each enforcer stared at the newcomer
with complete and utter shock. Hamilton pressed his lips together to keep from
laughing as the man danced around to music only he could hear. It was quite a
spectacle. He hummed an off-key tune, his hips swaying back and forth as he
waltzed across the room toward Hamilton.
A smiled curved Hamilton’s lips when a flower was tucked
into the pocket of his dress shirt and an affectionate kiss was pressed to the
top of his head. He couldn’t think of a single person in the world that would
dare kiss him on the top of his head, not even his mother. Yet, this man did it
like it was something he did every day, and it was. Hamilton had received such a
kiss every day since the young man arrived at the manor house.
When the unusual man danced out from behind the desk and
began heading in the direction of the five powerful enforcers, Hamilton saw
something he never thought he would see in the eyes of such powerful and
legendary enforcers.
Fear.
Pure unadulterated fear.
They were terrified of a slip of a man with platinum blond
hair that was spiked and frosted at the tips, fingernails painted every color
under the sun, and a pink tutu over his black skinny jeans. Hamilton doubted
they had even noticed the eyebrow piercings yet. He wondered how scared they
would be if they knew about the piercings under the man’s
clothing.
The young man danced up to Boston and slid a pink flower
into the pocket of his black dress shirt. He skipped past Clint Harper, but
placed a yellow flower in the pocket of Tre’s shirt and a red flower in Boone
Marshall’s pocket.
When he stopped in front of Reece, he stared up at him for
the longest time. The air itself seemed to be holding its breath as the two men
stared at each other.
Even Hamilton’s eyebrows shot up when the colorful man stuck
his tongue out at Reece and then danced right out the patio doors as if he had
never been there, leaving five very confused enforcers in his
wake.
Hamilton stood and walked over to the double doors that led
from his office to the stone patio on the side of the house and pulled them
closed. Amusement flickered through Hamilton when he saw the young man dancing
around on the green grass just beyond the edge of the patio. Laughter bubble out
of him when he turned and found the bravest enforcers in the territory staring
past him as if they weren’t certain what they had just seen, but they were
afraid to see it again.
He clasped his hands together in front of him as he met the
confused—and shocked—eyes of the enforcers he hoped were brave enough to take on
the task he was about to set before them. “And that, gentlemen, is the new alpha
of the Blackthorn Pride.”
