Alpha’s Unwilling Mate (James Pack Book 1) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Book Description

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Dear Readers...

  Gems of Romantic Fiction

  ResplendencePublishing.com

  Alpha’s Unwilling Mate

  A James Pack Story

  By Lacey Thorn

  Resplendence Publishing

  R·>♦<·P

  www.resplendencepublishing.com

  Gems of Romantic Fiction

  Alpha’s Unwilling Mate

  Copyright © 2017, Lacey Thorn

  Edited by Michele Paulin

  Cover Art by Chel Hickerty

  Published by Resplendence Publishing, LLC

  1093 A1A Beach Blvd, #146

  St. Augustine, FL 32080

  Electronic Format ISBN: 978-1-62344-111-1

  Warning: All rights reserved. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  Electronic Release: December 2017

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and occurrences are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places or occurrences, is purely coincidental.

  Raina

  I refuse to mate a man I don’t know. My father’s dictate has me ready to run and never look back. I won’t be the virgin sacrifice used to entice Bastion James to accept my community as part of his pack. Nothing will change my mind. Especially not the man himself. Not the way he looks at me, the way he touches me, or the heat of his kiss.

  Bastion

  From the moment I saw her, I knew she was mine. Raina Byrd belonged in my arms. More importantly, she belonged in my bed. One glimpse at the fire in her eyes and I knew we’d burn the world around us until nothing else existed. One touch of her skin and I was lost to anyone else. One taste of her lips and I knew I’d kill to possess her.

  I warned her what would happen if she tried to run. Now, I won’t be satisfied until I’m buried inside her and she’s screaming my name.

  For those who love insta-love stories

  filled with smoking hot sex and arrogant alphas.

  Dive in and let the heat of Bastion and Raina singe you!

  Chapter One

  Raina

  Anger seethed inside me. “What did you say?”

  “There’s nothing wrong with your hearing,” my father countered. “You heard me just fine.”

  I shook my head. “I couldn’t have because I swear you said something about agreeing to a mating for me, which would be archaic and wrong on so many levels.”

  He sighed as if the weight of dealing with me took a lot out of him. Maybe it did, but this wasn’t happening.

  “Now, Raina,” he began, but I cut him off quickly.

  “No. Not happening. We don’t submit to forced matings anymore.”

  “It’s not a forced mating. Stop being melodramatic.”

  “You’ve yet to see melodramatic,” I warned as I paced back and forth across the kitchen floor. “We don’t adhere to old law, which means you don’t get to agree to a mating request. I get to choose who I want to spend my life with.”

  “Our alpha—”

  “We don’t have an alpha!” The words ripped from my throat so harshly that pain shot through my vocal chords.

  My father cast his eyes down, unable to look at me. “The James clan has agreed to accept us. The decision’s been made. Only one thing remains. We need a mating to connect us.”

  “Not me,” I snarled.

  “Your place in the pack makes you the perfect choice to unite us.” His chest puffed out, and I knew what was coming. “My blood runs in your veins. The blood of not just one but two alphas. Our people respect and admire you. The younger wolves look to you for what to do. I know you’ll do the right thing.”

  I snorted. My place in our pack. Anytime my father wanted me to toe his line, this was his go-to argument. I wanted to lash out. God knew I’d been doing nothing but that since I’d rushed home from college two years ago, frantic from the call I’d received from my best friend. Our alpha had been killed in a bizarre accident. He’d been checking on some of our elder members when the back tires had blown on his truck. According to witnesses, the vehicle had rolled five times before coming to rest on its crumpled top. Still, he might have lived if it hadn’t caught fire. No one had been able to get to him or his best friend. My father was riddled with scars over his arms and chest from trying. It’d taken six wolves to pull him away from the wreckage and hold him down. Our alpha had been his only son and my older brother, Rowan.

  Since then, we’d struggled to come to terms with the loss. The aftermath had left us splintered. The majority of males my brother’s age had left. One large group had taken off together, and though the elders had said they’d left to deal with their grief over losing a friend, I often wondered if there was more to it. With most of them gone, there was no one left to take Rowan’s place. At least, no one the elders would agree to back, and none strong enough to buck against them. I’d known the elders had been courting another avenue, but this scenario had never come to mind.

  “I’m not mating one of them,” I reiterated.

  “Raina, I know this isn’t what you wanted.”

  I opened my mouth to snap a pithy reply, but he held up his hand, and I bit back the words at the visual reminder of what we’d survived.

  “This isn’t up for discussion. We’re joining with James. Things are going to change. Starting with your mating.”

  I didn’t want to hurt my father. I knew better than most what he’d suffered in the aftermath of the accident, and the last thing I wanted was to make him feel disrespected. Still, I wasn’t agreeing to this. I was a virgin, but I didn’t plan to be a sacrificial one for the sake of our pack. I didn’t know much about James and his group except they were mostly younger wolves, which was why our elders had approached them. While we had a bit of prestige because of our lineage, the James pack was newly formed. They were mostly wolves who’d struck out on their own. Most of them were said to be the bastard sons of rogue wolves, and Bastion James just happened to be the bastard who’d united them.

  Gossip was they were a group of alphas, and I’d heard them referred to more than once as the alpha pack. Considering Bastion James had somehow gathered all of them to follow him, I wondered what type of man he was. When already dominant men fell into line behind one bearing alpha qualities, it said a lot about the man. To be honest, it scared me a little, though I’d never admit that to anyone. It definitely didn’t sound like something I wanted to be mated into. I didn’t know any of them, and they sure as hell didn’t know me. How could this alpha of alphas have chosen a mate for me without even meeting me? That told me everything I needed to know about what kind of man he was—one I didn’t want to be around.

  I stepped forward, took my father’s hand with mine and gripped it tightly. “I can’t. I won’t. This pack has taken too much from me already.”

  “We’ve made a pact. Our new alpha has spoken, and his dictates will be followed.”

  “He’s not my alpha,” I snarled.

  “He will be,” my father warned.

  “
I have no alpha!”

  “Hold your tongue,” my father snapped, losing his temper for the first time since I’d walked in the door. “You’ll obey me and the command of your alpha. Am I clear?” His emphasis wasn’t missed.

  I held his stare for a long moment before dropping his hand and moving away. I grabbed my purse off the counter and headed toward the door.

  “Forcing me won’t blend us together. You know that.”

  “Raina—”

  “I have to go,” I said, shaking my head. There was no getting through to him right now. I needed distance and air so I could figure out what I’d do to get out of this mess.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Out,” I said.

  “Don’t leave,” my father coaxed, and we both knew he was talking about more than the moment. He knew me well, and I loved him with every fiber of my being. Still, I wouldn’t give on this. “Give it a chance. You can’t fight this.”

  That was the problem with my family. They liked to think they controlled everything. My brother had learned there was no controlling me. Then again he’d also loved me and spoiled me rotten. It was obvious Bastion James saw me as no more than a pawn, a means to an end. I was a lot of things, but that wasn’t one of them.

  “I need to head out. I have plans tonight,” I muttered, but my mind was spinning. What the fuck was I going to do?

  “We need to discuss this.”

  “There’s really nothing to discuss, is there?” I challenged, knowing my dad would choose to see it as my acceptance of the inevitable. He always thought the best of me. This time it was misplaced.

  “Raina.” My name was part reprimand, part exasperation.

  “I’m meeting Ivy,” I told him, which was true. My best friend and I had made plans earlier in the day to meet at the local werewolf watering hole. A few laughs, a few drinks, and maybe some dancing. That had been the plan. Now…my gut was churning. It might be a night of plotting and planning. If anyone could help me, it was Ivy.

  He stared at me for a long moment, and I did my best not to appear as if I were up to something.

  “Go have your fun, but don’t do anything stupid,” my father warned. “Bastion and several of his group will be here tomorrow to meet with the elders. He’s requested you make yourself available to meet them.”

  My fingers clenched. Make myself available. My temper seethed. Had he already chosen who he planned to mate me with, or was I to be paraded before his pack so one of them could pick me? The mere thought had a growl vibrating in my chest. I’d rip their fucking throats out.

  “Raina.”

  “Ivy’s waiting. I don’t want to be late.” I headed toward the door. “Don’t wait up.”

  “This doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Bastion James is a good alpha. He has a strong pack. Something we really need.”

  I nodded. I knew they were strong. James’ character was still up in the air as far as I was concerned. A true leader wouldn’t dictate a woman’s future on a whim. My mate. My choice. At the moment, I waffled between reminding my dad of that or running. Both seemed like viable ideas. Honestly, I was keeping my options open. All I knew for sure was it would be a cold day in hell before I made myself available for James and whoever tagged along with him to meet the elders.

  I texted Ivy before getting behind the wheel, so she could have her devious-plot hat on by the time I got there. I figured between the two of us my future would be fine. Bastion James might have his pack of alphas, but I’d take Ivy and her crafty mind over them any day.

  I barely remembered the drive, lost in a haze of anger and what ifs. I was still struggling to collect my thoughts when I pulled into the parking lot at the bar. Ivy was at my door before I even shut the engine off, and her first words brought a grin to my lips.

  “So are we thinking death or just dismemberment?”

  I could tell by the gleam in her eyes she was dead serious. That was why I loved her. Most people wanted that friend who would calm them down. Ivy didn’t fit that bill. She was the one who would be up for hiding a body at three a.m. with no questions asked. Even better, she’d face an angry mob for me without batting an eyelash.

  “Right now, I’m thinking booze and plenty of it. James had the audacity to order me to be ready to present myself when he and his entourage show up tomorrow.” I was still fuming over that.

  “Be ready to…” She broke off, her gaze narrowing. “The hell you say! As if you have nothing better to do than wait for his beck and call. Should you wear something pretty? Or maybe go naked. That way, they won’t have those pesky clothes in the way of judging you. Nice breeding hips are probably a must. Full tits to nurse the pups you’ll carry. Plus you have an amazing ass.”

  I stared at her, mouth wide in disbelief.

  “Which they can all kiss!” she practically yelled.

  “Exactly,” I agreed.

  Her gaze raked over my face, and I knew I hid nothing from her.

  “Booze,” she said, grabbing my arm and tugging me from behind the wheel. I slammed the door and beeped it locked as she continued to propel us toward the beaconing neon that pointed the way to the door.

  “Booze,” I agreed.

  “Then we’ll figure out how to handle this,” Ivy tacked on.

  I was seriously afraid even Ivy wouldn’t be able to find a way out of this mess. I gripped her arm even tighter, giving it a squeeze as I bumped my hip against hers. Ivy’s gaze met mine, and I saw understanding in her eyes. We both knew there was a real possibility I would be gone by morning.

  Chapter Two

  Raina

  Ivy hit the bar while I grabbed a table. She joined me with two bottles of beer, a bottle of tequila and two shot glasses.

  “This calls for tequila,” she stated as she thumped everything down then filled the cups.

  I grabbed mine and tossed it back, enjoying the burn of alcohol down my throat. Ivy wasted no time topping them off again. After our third shot, I picked up my beer and took a long pull.

  “Seriously, Raina,” Ivy said, reaching for my hand and giving it a squeeze. “I see the wheels spinning. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

  “I don’t know what to think,” I admitted.

  “I’m sure your dad hit you with the ‘it’s your responsibility to do as the elders request’ with a reminder of your place in our society and how all us young impressionable youth look to you for inspiration on how to behave.” Ivy’s tone went from a deep mimic of my father’s to a high-pitched girly sound complete with batting eyelashes.

  I laughed. She’d nailed it.

  “Oh, I know I’m right.” She waved away any comment I might have made. “Sometimes, I’d really love to smack your dad upside his head and make him really see you.”

  “Ivy,” I whispered.

  “I know you love him, Raina. At times, I question it. Especially, when he agrees with something this stupid.” She leaned toward me once more, her hands cupping mine and squeezing again. Ivy was big on touching. It was one of her main forms of communication. “Honey, Rowan wouldn’t want this for you. You know that. Don’t let your dad and the elders manipulate you into something you don’t want.”

  Those words from anyone else wouldn’t have carried the same weight, but Ivy had known my brother as well as I did. At one time, I’d wondered if there had been something between him and Ivy. Neither had ever admitted anything, and despite what some still thought, I believed them. If Ivy had set her sights on Rowan, he’d have been hers. It would have been the same for Rowan if he’d decided Ivy was his. They’d been close, extremely so, but I didn’t think there had been anything romantic between them.

  “God’s truth, I don’t know what I’ll do,” I admitted.

  “You’re planning to run, but I’m not sure you can run fast enough. Bastion James is known for getting what he wants.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Because I make it my business to know everything that will play a role in my sister’
s life. As soon as I heard the elders had approached him and his pack, I began researching. They get what they want. Period. Which means if one of them has decided they want you, there’s no place you can run that will be safe.”

  Ivy’s sister was eight, a late-in-life pup for her parents. Ivy’s mom hadn’t wanted Jasmine and had abandoned the baby shortly after birth. Ivy had stepped in as mom and big sister. The little girl looked like a miniature version of Ivy, and those who weren’t in our community often mistook her as Jasmine’s mother.

  “I seriously doubt any of them decided they want me. Hell, Ivy, they don’t even know me.” So maybe, I needed to run before any of them got the opportunity.

  “I think your best chance is to confront James. Let him know where you stand on this. Tell him you’ll challenge him.”

  “After what you just told me, you think my best chance is to challenge him?”

  “I think it’s something to ponder,” Ivy assured me. “I get the impression he might respect someone who stands up to him.”

  “So meet him, and let him know I’ll choose my own mate when I’m damn good and ready?”

  “Why the hell not? Why is he any different from Rowan? Isn’t that what you told your brother?” Ivy demanded.

  “It’s different because Rowan loved me,” I whispered.

  Ivy reached across the table and took my hands with hers. “No matter what you decide, I’m with you. I’ll stand beside you, or Jasmine and I will run with you.”

  “I can’t ask you to do that.”

  “You’re not. I’m telling you,” Ivy countered.

  “Another beer, ladies?” the waitress interrupted, and I gave a nod.

  “Another bottle of tequila, too,” Ivy added.

  As shifters we burned through alcohol pretty quickly. It took a lot to get us inebriated, but I might make the effort tonight. Ivy had me both ready to run and knowing I had to stay. I wouldn’t be a pawn, but I wouldn’t pull away Ivy and Jasmine either. Which left me no further along in my thinking than I’d been before I’d gotten to the bar.