Alpha Games Boxed Set (Paranormal Shifter Romance BBW): Volumes 1-4 Read online

  Alpha Games Boxed Set

  Terry Bolryder

  Contents

  Copyright

  Alpha Games 1

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Alpha Games 2

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Alpha Games 3

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Alpha Games 4

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Epilogue

  Preview of Alpha Rogue, Hawe’s story

  More From Terry Bolryder

  Copyright © 2015 by Terry Bolryder

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover Design by Melody Simmons of eBookindiecovers

  Created with Vellum

  Alpha Games 1

  Hi! This book was released as a serial in multiple parts with cliffhangers, and thanks to requests from fans, it’s all now here in one easy set for those who just want to go through the whole thing at once.

  Hope you enjoy!

  Sincerely,

  Terry

  Chapter 1

  My nerves start up almost the second I step off the bus. The air, the temperature, it’s all too familiar, and it sets me on edge.

  It’s raining, but I barely notice it as I take my luggage and move on down the sidewalk. The bags aren’t heavy, and I drag them a little ways and then sit down on the largest. I don’t see any familiar cars in front of the pick up zone, so I might be here a while. The rain starts to soak through my jeans and I sigh and look up to the clouds, as if to ask them, why tonight? But then I just look forward, reminding myself that I should be grateful for the distraction.

  A few people are picked up and I’m the last one here out in the dark. I pull out my phone and shield it from the rain as the bus pulls away. I wipe dripping hair out of my face so that I’m not getting my phone wet, then press the dial button and hold the phone up to my ear using a dry part of my jacket sleeve.

  After a couple of rings, it picks up. “Hello?” The voice is low and male, Lindon’s. It’s soothing, like he is.

  “Hey, I’m here.”

  “What?” I hear rustling in the background. “I thought it wasn’t coming for another half hour. Sorry, Aspen.”

  “It’s okay.” I check the clock. “I guess maybe we made good time.”

  “I’ll be over in ten,” he says. “Leaving now.”

  “Sure.”

  “Stay safe,” he says.

  “I will,” I assure him. We hang up and I tuck my phone into my jacket where the rain can’t get it if I hunch over. It’s in a water resistant case but I’m not taking any chances. I’m not even mad that Lindon is late. A part of me wants to delay the inevitable.

  Seeing Rafe again.

  I watch the occasional car pass and at first, my stomach flip flops thinking maybe Fang has found me. But then I realize that he couldn’t possibly have tracked my bus route yet, let alone taken the same route. And if he gets close enough to scent me, I’ll scent him. I try to relax, but that just brings more focus to what’s ahead. It’s almost easier to obsess about what I ran from, scary as that is.

  But I always knew I’d be back here. When I left two years ago it was never meant to be permanent leaving, just a short escape from the life I’m doomed to. I rest my cheek on my palm, knowing that that’s a very dramatic way of putting it, given that a lot of women would kill to be me.

  Most people wouldn’t have even understood my reasons for running from the pack. After, all, what’s so wrong about being expected to mate with the super hot, powerful son of the current alpha male?

  Nothing, as long as you aren’t in unrequited love with him. I sigh again, glad no one is around to hear me being melodramatic.

  Yes, I was planning to come home, but I didn’t really have a date set. When things finally went bad enough with Fang. That was the date. That date came today. I pull out a snack bar and eat it slowly, not really hungry despite not having eaten much today.

  It’s going to be odd seeing the guys again. And when I come back, am I just going straight back into the situation I left? I’ve kept in touch with the pack just enough to know that a new alpha hasn’t ascended, so I know that Rafe hasn’t picked a mate yet. The news is bittersweet. Bitter because I’m afraid that he’s still waiting for me to come back and do my duty, sweet because there’s still a chance to be with him in a real way.

  But I won’t do it for duty or expectation.

  It’ll be nice to see Lindon and Hawthorne, both gorgeous males in their own rights. Living with the three of them will be good, as long as we can set some ground rules at the start that let me settle in before we start talking the future. I crack my knuckles. I’m not heartless, I know I’ll need to pick a mate at some point, and I want to, but I want it to be on my terms. Not for anyone else. After all, the pack considers me the alpha female, and the alpha female mates for life.

  Finally a car pulls up, and I can see the streetlights reflecting off blond hair as the driver steps out, a bright smile on his face as he comes around the car to envelop me in a hug. He’s warm and dry and I let him bring me in and press me to his chest. Was Lindon always this muscular?

  He pulls back to look me over, eyes twinkling. “It’s good to see you.” He pushes wet hair off my forehead. “But maybe we should get you out of this rain.”

  “I guess so,” I mumble.

  He grabs my bags and puts them in the trunk and I stand stupidly by the car until he opens the door. It’s not that I wanted him to open it, it’s just that my brain is still trying to delay the inevitable. He gently ushers me into the car.

  I feel bad sitting in his car like this, but there’s nothing for it. I remove my jacket and place it on the floor so I can start to warm up. He turns up the heat and pulls away from the curb.

  “So how have you been?” he asks. I take a moment to study his delicate profile. High cheekbones like all Rowan’s offspring has, but Lindon’s mother was particularly beautiful, and Lindon got her large, luminous amber gold eyes and long lashes, her nice lips, her pointed chin. But he got Rowan’s stern brow and straight jaw, and Rowan’s tall body, though he’s nowhere near Rafe’s height and width. Lindon’s wearing a thin black jacket and looks good driving stick.

  Then I remember he asked me a question. “I’m good,” I say. “You know, aside from the obvious.”

  He shrugs. “Maybe it was just time to come home?”

  “Maybe Fang is…never mind.”

  “If you want to talk about it, I’m here.”

  I shake my head. “No, not tonight. I’m tired. Thanks for coming to get me.” I give him a grin when we stop at a light. “It’s good to see you again.”

  “We missed you,” he says sincerely, looking away from me only when the light turns green and we have to pull fo
rward. “You look beautiful.”

  “I missed you too,” I say. Then I go quiet, watching out the window but not really thinking about the scenery passing by. “Do they know I’m coming?”

  He’s quiet for a moment. “No.”

  I flip around. “Why didn’t you tell them?”

  He frowns. “I didn’t know what to tell them. I mean, you only called me earlier today. I haven’t exactly had time to process it either. And I thought you could explain to all of us at once, if you want. Honestly, I think the best thing for you might be the element of surprise. If I told Rafe, he’d already be going nuts on rules and regulations and would badger you the minute you got back.”

  “He’s going to badger me anyway.”

  “Only once he gets over the shock,” Lindon says, sending me an amused face that I share. Rafe is going to definitely be shocked. I was hoping to avoid it, but he’s right. Maybe a caught-off-guard Rafe is a better Rafe. At least for tonight.

  “You know, you don’t have to tell me now, but at some point, I’d like to know what we did that was so difficult. And why you’re back.”

  I shrug. “It’s not some secret. I’m sure we’ll talk about it at some point. I guess I just wanted some semblance of my own life outside the pack before settling down. And then when things with Fang went sour, it was time to come back.”

  Lindon goes quiet, and I know what he’s thinking about. How mean it was of me to just walk out. How it must have hurt them. But it was my life to live. I don’t know if I can make him understand that. But if I know Lindon, he’ll put it aside and move on. He’s the type to forgive easily. Hawthorne can as well, but there’s usually a blow up of some kind first. I grin at the thought of seeing him again.

  We drive up a long hill to a mansion with a huge garage and at least three stories. I sigh. Of course business driven Rafe would have gotten an upgrade on the old place. Especially out here, far from town, where we can have privacy from humans. There are large grounds around the back and hills nearby, and a small forest. It’s a perfect place to change into a wolf and run free with fresh air on your back. I sigh at the thought of doing that again, especially with my old friends and packmates.

  But when we pull up and park, my nerves start up again. I can feel my heart beat in my throat.

  “Aspen, it’ll be okay,” Lindon says, placing a soft, reassuring hand over mine.

  I swallow. “Will it really? Does he hate me?”

  Lindon just laughs. “As if he could hate you, Aspen. As if any of us could.”

  I shake my head. “He has a right to be mad.”

  “Maybe he has grown,” Lindon replies. Then he releases my hand and gets out of the car to unload my luggage. He shuts the garage door and unlocks the door to the house, and goes inside with my stuff, but I hang behind, standing by the car like it can hide me if someone comes out here.

  I take a deep breath, steadying myself, but then a silhouette appears at the door. Tall, with shiny black hair in layers around his face and collar. Intimidating and broad shouldered and corded with muscle all over his tight body.

  But most of all, those ice blue eyes. They can be bright as a blue sky on a sunny day in Alaska, or cold as the tundra. Right now, with his jaw clenched, showing off his perfectly masculine bone structure, they are somewhere in the middle. Just a beautiful, shining blue in the darkness.

  “Aspen,” Rafe says, his tone tense and concealing some unknown emotion. He leans against the door frame with folded arms. “Welcome home.”

  Chapter 2

  I gape for a minute and then close my mouth. I still don’t know what to say to him. He folds his arms a little tighter and I gulp at the play of muscles. Is it possible he’s gotten bigger in the time I’ve been gone? Not taller, he still seems the impossible 6’5” height he was when I left, but broader, or more defined. I’m not sure.

  All I know is that it’s unfair he still has this effect on me after two years away.

  “Are you going to come in?” he asks, somewhat impatient now.

  “Oh,” I say, grabbing my jacket from the floor of the car. “Sure.”

  I walk into the house as if I belong there. After all, if my pack mates are there, it’s home. I just have to get used to it. It’s not the house that makes me nervous, after all. So I might as well come in and be warm and dry if I’m going to have to deal with awkwardness anyway.

  I sit down on a couch in the living room and Lindon drapes a blanket over me. I hear footsteps echoing and a moment later, Hawthorne appears in the doorway.

  His wavy, chestnut hair is ruffled and wild. His tan skin is set off perfectly by a white sweatshirt. His orangey-brown eyes widen as he takes me in, and a wide grin spreads over his boyishly handsome face. He runs forward and gives me a long hug, then pulls back and ruffles the top of my head for good measure.

  “Aspen,” he says. “It’s been so long.”

  I laugh. “Yeah, so I hear.” I smile up at him and he takes a seat on a couch across from me. He rests his chin on his palm and just stares, like he’s happy to just take in the sight of me for now. “It’s good to see you too, Hawthorne.”

  He grins back.

  Rafe clears his throat and I look up at him. He still looks stern. But it’s clear he’s not sure exactly what to do at this moment and is desperate to change that. Gain some sort of control of the situation. Come up with a plan.

  He studies me for a moment, and it heats me up in a way no one else looking at me can. I can feel his gaze running from the top of my head to my toes. I pull the blanket tighter around me, wincing as my hair makes little dripping noises in the silence of the room. I stare awkwardly at him as my hair drips on the blanket and rain pounds the windows. Trees howl in the wind.

  “You’ve been gone for two years,” Rafe says, breaking the tension in the room. He tilts his head to the side, impatient and expectant. “There has to be a reason you’re back now.”

  I flinch. “I’m sorry I ran.”

  He nods but seems unmoved by my apology. “It wasn’t fair.”

  “I’m back.”

  He considers me a moment more, light eyes flashing with some unknown emotion. “I’m not going to complain about a she-wolf coming to stay with us. But given our ages, you should know what that means.”

  “What?” I blurt out. “I don’t think you get it. I’m not here for a mate. I’m just…back. To figure things out.”

  “That’s kind of your way, isn’t it? To stay with people when you need them and then leave when something better comes along? We took you in the first time and you turned your back on your pack.”

  I let out a huge breath. “Are you going to have a problem with me staying?”

  “I’m still deciding,” Rafe says thoughtfully. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

  I flush, because it sounds like an accusation. “Lindon stayed in touch with me. Well, a little. He was the easiest to contact.”

  “Of course I did,” Lindon says. “We’re her friends. More than friends.” He sends Rafe a defiant glare. “I don’t know about Hawthorne, but I’m with Aspen, regardless of what you say.”

  Hawthorne’s eyes lock on mine. “I’m with Aspen, too.”

  “Oh I’m sorry,” Rafe says coolly. “I forgot that you were Alpha and you make all the decisions.”

  “No one is Alpha yet,” Hawthorne says. “Not till they take a mate.” Lindon nods and Hawthorne grins in approval. “So, let’s vote.”

  “I vote Aspen stays here,” Lindon says, lifting a hand.

  “I second it,” Hawthorne says.

  “Fine,” Rafe says, raising his. “I didn’t say I was against it. Obviously I’m not going to throw her out in the rain.”

  “Oh yes, obviously…” Lindon mutters.

  “What was that?” Rafe turns to him.

  “Nothing,” Lindon says, folding his arms and leaning back again.

  Rafe pushes off the wall and comes toward me. I wince back against the couch, unsure of what he mean
s to do. The very air seems to spark when he’s approaching.

  I pull the blanket tight around my shoulders and try to ignore the drip drip of my hair down my face.

  Rafe stops in front of me and reaches one elegant, long fingered hand down toward me. I blink up at him, wondering at his intention. He freezes, eyes locked on mine, and his hand hovers for a moment.

  He exhales softly, letting the tension leave his face, and reaches for a corner of the blanket hanging over my shoulder. He brings it up, presses it gently against my hair, blotting out the moisture with sure, steady movements.

  My eyes widen in wonder at the gentleness of it. Sometimes Rafe can be so cold and distant. Then sometimes he’s that protective caregiver that so reminds me of his dad.

  He presses one more time and then drops the blanket, turning abruptly away from me to stand beside Hawthorne.

  “We need to get you warm and dry,” Lindon says.

  “I volunteer,” Hawthorne says, much too eagerly, and Rafe responds with a quick whap to the back of Hawthorne’s head. “Ouch, hey…”

  “With blankets, idiot,” Rafe snaps, storming past us into the hall while Hawthorne rubs his head and mutters something about him behind his back.

  Rafe comes back into the room with clothing in his hand, carefully folded, and sets it beside me on the couch. “You can wear these, for now.”

  Rafe’s clothing. Rafe’s human clothing. Silky and soft and, as I raise it to my nose, imbued with that subtle, woodsy scent that is wholly him.

  “Well, go change. You’re dripping all over the couch,” he says coldly. “The bathroom is down the hall, first on the left.”

  I nod and clutch the clothes to my chest as I go. Normally I’d have a snappy comeback for his trademark dourness, but I’ve been away for too long. Once I’m sure I can stay here, maybe the old Aspen will come out.

  I open the bathroom door and turn on the light. Beautiful lamps mounted above mirrors illuminate sparkling granite countertops and chrome fixtures. The floor is beautiful tile in shades of beige and ivory. I step onto a luxuriously embroidered rug and turn to the mirror.