Trapped With the Alpha (Balfour Shifters Book 1) (33 page)

He pulls back and leads me to the front of the pack. Letting out a deep howl, he turns to address his pack. “Today, we begin a new era for the Balfour clan.  No longer do you need to wonder what the future holds.”

His eyes roam the crowd, making sure he has everyone’s attention. “For years, I have been looking for my mate, looking for the one woman who would have the power to make me whole. I struggled with my anger and loneliness as I searched for her. Then, I discovered she has been by my side all along.”

Everyone’s eyes move to mine. Some of the men know me from Luna Rock; others have met me since we arrived in Scotland. The ones who haven’t seen me since my return seemed startled at first. The ones who have never met me are all wearing a smile. All of them seem in awe of what they are about to witness.

They all know that, through me, the Balfour clan will live on. Another Alpha will be born to lead them when Brody’s time comes to an end. I can feel a blush spreading from my face down my neck. A feeling of unworthiness fills my body as I look out at the men who are about to swear their allegiance to me. I want to be worthy. I want to honor the Balfour clan, but most of all, I want to be the mate Brody needs me to be.

“I hold your future in my grasp.” Placing his hand on my rounded stomach, he growls out, “Your Queen, Isabel McKay. Show her your respect.”

A chorus of howls fill the clearing as one man after the other shifts into their wolf. Each one goes to their belly, laying their heads upon their front paws, giving me their total submission. For a moment, everything stands still. Only the sound of my heartbeat fills my head as I take in the sight in front of me. It is the most remarkable thing I have ever witnessed.

Brody slowly grabs my hand, placing it above his heart and thumping his chest twice. Throwing his head back, he roars, “Balfour!”

Another chorus of howls hits the air as Brody releases my hand and shifts. Unlike the other wolves, he does not show his submission. Instead, he stands proud beside me, waiting for me to do my part. As if my body knows what’s expected, my hand moves to his massive frame. I gently run my fingers through his fur, coming to rest on his head. 

Looking out to the pack, I shout, “Balfour!”

Brody slowly prowls to the middle of the clearing, and I follow, while his pack spreads out to make room for us. When we reach the center, he shifts back. Standing completely naked, Brody lifts his chin to the back of the pack. Aiden and Caleb appear from the shadows. Aiden is carrying a small piece of Balfour plaid, and Caleb is carrying a sword. They bring the items to Brody before shifting and joining the pack.

Brody brings the sword to his chest and makes a four-inch gash above his heart. He grabs my hand and places a small cut on my palm, causing a small gasp to slip from my lips. Before I realize what is going on, he takes my bleeding hand and places it above his heart, then says, “Blood of my blood. Bone of my bone.”

He then uses the plaid to bind our hands together before looking into my eyes. “You are blood of my blood and bone of my bone. I give you my body, that we two might be one. I give you my spirit. Now we are one.”

“You are blood of my blood and bone of my bone. I give you my body, that we two might be one. I give you my spirit. Now we are one,” I repeat back to him, tears filling my eyes.

Unwrapping our hands, his eyes are full of fire as he forces me to my knees. “Are you my Queen, Isabel McKay Balfour?”

Looking up at him, I answer back, “Yes, I am, my King.” The words are coming from somewhere deep inside me, as if I were born to say them.

His lips tip up for just a second before he glues the stern Alpha look back on. “Are you Lady Balfour? Will you stand by my side as I lead this clan, this pack?”

“Yes, my King,” I say, feeling stronger than I’ve ever felt in my life.

Kneeling down, he rests his hand on the top of my heart and stares deeply into my eyes.  “Are you my mate, Isabel?” His words echo in the forest, filling the air around us. 

“Yes, my King. I am your mate,” I say with as much force as I can muster. 

He moves to stand behind me and growls out, “Submit to me.”

“Yes, my King,” I respond, my body pulsing with excitement. I then place my hands flat on the grass while leaving my ass in the air. Finally, I place my cheek to the dirt and close my eyes. Complete and utter submission is what I present to him. To my husband. My mate. My future.

Brody moves behind me and pulls my dress from my shoulder, showing my mating mark. “My mark, my mate, I claim you as my Queen, Lady of the Balfour Clan, and my mate.”

A roar unlike anything I’ve ever heard before fills the air, and for once in my life, I feel complete. Raising my head, I stare up at my mate and say, “I love you, Brody Balfour.”

He reaches down, pulling me off the ground, and places his lips against mine before whispering, “I love you, Isabel Balfour. I can’t wait to start this journey with you by my side.”

“I will forever be by your side, Brody. Forever.”

THE END

(Unedited and Subject to Change)

Forced by the Rogue

A Balfour Shifters Novel: Book Two

Coming March 28, 2016

Finn

CLIMBING FROM
the truck, I watch as Aiden grabs his brother and shouts, “We can’t just go in there guns blazing. We have to have a plan.”

Rushing toward them, I hear Brody roar, “The plan is to get my mate back. That is the only thing that matters right now.”

I understand his eagerness. If I were in his position, I would feel the same way. Still, we can go into the witch’s house without a plan. Just as I’m about to agree with Aiden, my brother does it for me. “Aiden is right, Brody. We need a plan. I know that you just want to burst through the door and tear the bitch to shreds, but we need to be smart about this.”

Looking at Brody, I can see the battle he is fighting with himself. He doesn’t want to wait to get Izzy, not even long enough to come up with a plan. His fear for his mate is overcoming the skills he learned as a soldier by his father’s side.

Brody finally comes to a decision and turns to Caleb. “I want you to stay out here. If she comes out, do whatever you have to do to take her ass out.”

“No way. I’m gonna go in there and help get Izzy back,” Caleb shouts, turning toward the witch’s house. 

My mind wanders back to my own mate as the two of them continue to argue back and forth. When I left the lodge, she was angry with me, angrier than I have ever seen her. I said a lot of things to her that I shouldn’t have. Never before have I been so angry. Blair isn’t like other mates, never has been. She pulls shit that most of the pack wouldn’t even consider letting their women get away with. Still, I never thought she would betray our Alpha.

I realize that she didn’t purposely betray Brody, but her actions were a betrayal, even if she didn’t mean them to be. By giving Izzy the witch’s address, she risked the life of our Alpha’s mate. Hell, she risked the future of our entire pack. How the heck am I supposed to get over that?

Brody looks at me, drawing my attention back to the situation. “I want the two of you to go in through the back. I don’t care if you have to climb through a window, just get inside and secure that end of the house.”

I nod as Knox says, “We’ll get inside. Don’t worry.”

Following my brother to the back of the house, I hear Brody say, “If you see Izzy, you get her the hell out of there. Take her back to the lodge.”

We’ve barely made it to the side of the house when Knox looks at me and says, “You’re first priority is Isabel. I’ll deal with the witch.”

Being seven years older than me, Knox has spent his entire life watching out for me. Considering that we are both over eight-hundred years old, that’s a long time to be protecting someone. I want to argue with him, tell him that he doesn’t need to take care of me, but now is not the time. “I’ll get her out.”

We slowly make our way to the back door. I turn the knob and find it unlocked. As soon as we step into the kitchen, the muffled sound of a woman talking hits my ears. Looking around the room, I see a door in the far corner. “I think it came from there.”

Knox nods his head and steps in front of me. “I’m gonna shift and go after the witch.”

Before I can say anything, he’s in wolf form and heading toward the open door. I follow closely behind him. He’s just reached the steps when his body comes flying at me, knocking me on my ass. For a second, the air is knocked out of my lungs, and I can do nothing but stare at him as he shifts and his body lands near the back door. Every lesson I’ve ever been taught is forgotten as fear for my brother fills me.

Pushing myself up, I rush toward him. “Knox, are you okay?”

I’m just about to kneel at his side, when my body is thrown back and plastered to the floor. The McGregor witch is standing above me, looking nearly identical to Blair. “Sir Finlay, so nice of you to join us.”

Time seems to slow as she walks across the room and drops a bloody hunk of meat into a steaming pot on top of her stove. “I was hoping it would be one of the Alpha’s brothers who would come to me today, but you’ll do.”

I struggle to push myself from the floor, but it’s as if I have invisible shackles holding me in place. Only my eyes can move to follow her through the room. I search the room, hoping that Brody and Aiden will be coming soon. Instead of them, my eyes land on the wall clock. The second hand is ticking but not moving. 

“I stopped time,” the witch says, drawing my attention back to her. “I wouldn’t want anyone to interrupt us now, would I?”

I gulp back my fear and try to concentrate on what she’s doing. Her mouth is moving, and she sprinkles random items into the steaming pot. Her words are so quiet that I can’t make them out. Still, the look on her face tells me that I will be next the victim of her witchcraft. 

Finally, she turns to me with an evil smile on her face and points in my direction. “Let the dark ones hear my call. Place a curse, to befall.”

I try to cry out, beg her to stop, but my lips will not move. I’m forced to remain motionless as she pulls a picture out of her pocket and turns it toward me. Before she turns back to the stove and drops the picture into the pot, I see the rogue Collin’s face.

 “Dark ones, hear my despair. Bind these men, this unfortunate pair. No longer will they stand alone, but share their blood and their bone. Be they of one mind. Let their thoughts bind. Be they of one heart. Let none tear them apart.”

As the words leave her lips, I can feel my soul being ripped from me. Fear spikes through me, but I’m completely helpless to stop her. 

She looks at me, still wearing her evil smile. “Dark ones, bind these two in sight. Protect this curse, as it is my birthright.” 

“By the dark of night, I beg you to hear my pleas.” She fades from my sight as she says, “So mote it be.”

Everything goes dark before an excruciating pain assaults me. A second later, it fades, and I’m finally able to see again. Instead of the kitchen, I’m in dark room, lying in a soft bed, while a warm mouth works my cock. 

Looking down, I see the head of a woman who is obviously not my mate, moving up and down on my dick. Immediately, my stomach starts to turn. Moving quickly, I push her away and jump from the bed. “What the fuck?”

A woman I have never seen before turns to look at me. “What’s wrong, Collin?”

A big shout out to our beta readers. Thanks so much for all of your help.

A special thanks to Syneca Featherstone, Kendra Gaither, Kellie Montgomery, Emmy Hamilton, Miranda Johnson, Lisa Christmas, Jo-Anna Walker, Kate Stewart, and CC Wood.

We also want to let our husbands and children know how much we appreciate their willingness to take this wild ride with us.

Julia Keith

Julia Keith is a UK native based out of Bradford England but she loves to go back to her family roots in Scotland whenever possible.

Although Trapped With the Alpha is her first published novel, Julia has been a part of the Romance community for years through blogging and reviewing.  Her love of Paranormal Romance inspired her to start some of her own stories and after sharing one with her now Co Author Emily Minton, she decided it was time for the world to meet the characters she had grown to love so much.

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Emily Minton

USA Today Best Selling author, Emily Minton is a Kentucky native. She is proud to call the Bluegrass State home. She claims she bleeds blue–Wildcat Blue! She has been married to her husband, David, for over twenty years. They share two wonderful children.