Alpha Betrayed: A Dark Shifter Romance

Ford

I wake to the sound of raised female voices from the living room and glance over at the clock beside the bed.

It's barely six a.m. The sun shines faintly through the curtains beside my twin bed, but I know I would have slept longer if I hadn't been woken up. My body is still heavy beneath the sheets, desperate for more time to rest and heal.

But seeing as Juliet clearly hasn't taken my advice to woo Natalie with honey instead of vinegar, I'd better get up and run interference before she f***s this up for us. I roll out of bed with a soft groan and force my stiff muscles to pull on my jeans and t-shirt, my exhausted cells protesting every step of the way.

I swear if my caustic stepsister weren't vital to taking back Zion, I'd be happy to leave her here and continue on with someone who doesn't give me attitude twenty-four seven.

But even as the thought passes through my head, I know it's a lie.

I don't want to leave Juliet behind. I want to see her embrace that part of her I catch a glimpse of every now and then, the kind, clever part that's capable of recovering from the hell she's been through. I don't want to see her harden like scar tissue and lose the chance to become who she was destined to be before Hammer and that f****d up circus did their best to destroy her.

Juliet isn't a bad person. She was actually a very good person, back in the day. A little spoiled and used to getting her way, but curious, smart, and always willing to stand up for the underdog. That person is still inside her. She proved that when she helped me teach Mr. Loomis a lesson without a second thought.

Speaking of Mr. Loomis...

We should call the police today. Alert them that there's a man tied up in his home, just in case no one's found him yet.

Deciding that's a great excuse to break up the fight in the living room, I stride in, pretending I don't realize I'm interrupting as I say, "Hey, Natalie, would be safe to make a call to the Winnipeg police from here? Juliet and I have a little loose end we need to tie up." Natalie's eyes cut my way, burning with a mixture of irritation and...fear.

I glance at Juliet, noting the righteous indignation on her features and instantly rethink my position. Juliet's a pain in the a*s, but she's also smart. And savvy. And apparently pretty good at getting information from the dark web. That has to be what happened.

Juliet found something on Natalie, and now Natalie is stressed and pissed off.

And that's just fine with me. She can stay pissed until she explains herself.

I circle around to Juliet's side of the room, coming to stand behind her before I ask, "Is she really bad news? Or semi-bad news?"

"If she were really bad news, I would have woken you up last night and we'd be a hundred miles away by now," she says, her words warming my chest.

I'm tempted to make a joke about being touched that she cares, but this isn't the time. "What did you find?"

"Nothing," Natalie cuts in. "At least not what she thinks. I'm not here to hurt you, either of you. And I would have told you the truth from the beginning, but I was afraid you wouldn't believe that I was here to help if I did."

"She was f*****g Dad," Juliet says, summoning a guttural sound from the back of my throat. "Yeah," she continues, "that's what I said. Disgusting."

"It was part of my mission," Natalie says, lifting her chin higher in the air.

"Your college recruitment mission?" I ask, sensing I'm missing something.

"Recruiting for Lost Moon is my cover," Natalie says. "It gives me an excuse to travel widely, spend time in various pack communities, and gather information."

"So, you're a spy," I say, brow furrowing. "For who?"

"An organization trying to bring about positive change," Natalie says, making Juliet snort and roll her eyes. "It's true. That's why I seduced your father. He's at the top of our Needs to be Replaced list, but he's guarded and secretive. The fastest way to gain access to his inner circle was to sleep with him. And I don't regret it. I now have information that should help prepare our forces and both of you to take power with as little violence and bloodshed as possible."

"That doesn't sound like democracy or a fair trial," Juliet says. "That sounds like something Hammer would do."

Natalie shrugs a cool shoulder. "Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire."

"But how can we trust you?" I ask. "When lying is your job and you lied to us from the second we met?"

"I didn't lie," Natalie says, her eyes pleading with me to come over to her side. But I'm staying right where I am. My loyalty is to Juliet, not this woman who's still a stranger. "I just omitted a few things in the interest of—"

"You lied to me last night," Juliet cuts in. "You said you had no idea what was going on with the Zion pack, but you were there all spring. You absolutely know what's going on."

Natalie sighs. "I do, but I thought it would be better to wait to share that with you at a later time. You have a lot on your plate right now. I wasn't lying when I said not everyone gets into Lost Moon, but I was bending the truth when I said I'm sure you'll pass the trials, Juliet. You're small, weak, terrible at working with others, and you don't have a shifter form you can control. Even if we get the implant removed as soon as we reach campus, the chances that you'll be able to gain any level of control over your phoenix form in two weeks are slim to none. You're going to need focus, dedication, and frankly, a miracle, to make it through. And I didn't think hearing about all the drama going on in Zion would make that any easier."

"What drama?" I ask, pushing on when Natalie's lips press together, "You might as well tell us now. We already know something's up, and we aren't going anywhere with you until we're sure you're on our side."

"I am on your side," Natalie insists, glancing between Juliet and me. But when it becomes clear neither of us is budging, she drags a hand through her loose hair and sighs. "Fine. But know that running off to confront Hammer isn't in your best interest. He's ready for war, let alone a couple of traumatized kids with guns. He'll obliterate you before you make it past the outer perimeter."

"War?" Juliet shakes her head. "Why? With who?"

"With everyone," Natalie says bluntly. "Your father hates Maxim Thorn, the newly elected ruler of the unified packs. He blames him for cutting off access to the Parallel."

I frown. "The what?"

"The Parallel," Natalie repeats. "It's a second reality adjacent to this one, where shifters, vampires, and other supernaturals are the majority population. It began as a safe haven, but about fifty years ago was taken over by gangs and career criminals. Your father was the head of the criminal organization ruling Parallel Seattle. That's where the majority of his money came from. Didn't you ever wonder how a man who ran a quaint seaside resort in the summer and a little ski chalet in the winter could afford a private plane?" "I assumed he had shady side businesses," Juliet says. "But I never thought. I never..." She glances over her shoulder at me, an unspoken question in her eyes.

"I don't know," I say. "I don't know if she's telling the truth but...I think she is."

"I am," Natalie insists. "Your father made his fortune exploiting and terrorizing people in the Parallel. And then Maxim Thorn went to war with his brother, Bane, and in the fallout, the bridges between our worlds were destroyed. Hammer's right-hand man was trapped in Parallel Seattle along with most of his assets. He wants revenge on Thorn for it, then he wants to take control of the unified packs and do whatever it takes to reopen the portals. That's why he's amassing an army and why he's promised his daughter in marriage to Abraham, the Alpha of San Diego. He's just as angry as Hammer is and eager to form an alliance and share in the spoils."

I shake my head. "And how was he going to manage that with Juliet imprisoned in the circus? Hell, for all he knew, she was dead. Not many people could survive what she did for so long."

Juliet glances back at me, a hint of gratitude in her eyes that makes me determined to show her I'm on her side more often. Her imprisonment was even worse than mine and she deserves to have that acknowledged-and to be told how badass she is for surviving it -as many times as it takes to help put the ugliness behind her.

"He didn't promise Juliet," Natalie says, regret in her tone. "Hammer had a wife, Gillian, in the Parallel. She was with him here in Human Side when the portals were destroyed. So was their daughter, Ophelia." Juliet snorts. "You're kidding me."

"Your dad has a thing for Shakespeare," Natalie says. "Not really surprising. Shakespeare is beautiful, but brutal, just like your father."

I feel my lip curl. I suppose, objectively, my stepfather is a good-looking man-especially for a guy in his seventies-but all I see is the evil in him. He's been ugly in my eyes for a long, long time.

"When he realized he wouldn't be able to send Gillian and Ophelia home, he had a decision to make," Natalie says, still looking as if the words pain her. "Gillian isn't the type of women to let her daughter play second fiddle to another woman's children, especially one who isn't Hammer's by blood."

"That's when he sold us," Juliet says softly. "Isn't it? Because she told him to, because she wanted her daughter on the throne?"

"F**k," I mutter, sinking down onto the edge of the sofa by Juliet's knees.

"I'm sorry," Natalie says. "If it helps, I don't think Ophelia is a bad egg. I only met her briefly, but she seems like a sweet young girl. She's only seventeen, so wedding plans are on hold until she's of age. Which gives us at least a year to stop Hammer's plans before she's formerly sworn in as Alpha."

"He might not wait that long," Juliet says, pacing toward the empty fireplace and back toward me again. "If he needs the match to happen sooner to solidify his alliance, he'll do it. She might be on the way to the altar right now. Dad has to know that Ford and I are free by now."

"Which is why we arranged for two bodies to be found in a motel outside Winnipeg. Not far from the van," Natalie says, sending a chill down my spine. "The bounty hunters came across them last night. They followed a tracking device designed to mimic the signal from your implant, Juliet, and discovered two corpses burnt beyond recognition."

"Corpses," I echo, my throat tight. "Who were they? Where did they come from?"

"If you're killing innocent people to protect us, I don't want any part of that," Juliet agrees, sounding as horrified as I feel. "Or even not innocent people. If someone isn't directly threatening me, I don't want them dead."

"The two shifters were from an old graveyard outside the city," Natalie says. "Young people who died in a car accident a few years ago. Their packs gave us permission to exhume the corpses and use them to keep you safe." She gives that information a moment to land before she adds, "You have more allies than you know. And you'll have even more once you prove to them that you've got what it takes to study at Lost Moon. We will be changing your last names, however. I trust our student body, but it's better to be safe than sorry. We don't want the world at large to know you're both alive until the time is right."

Juliet sags down on the couch beside me, deflating before my eyes.

She knows now, like I do, that there's no turning back. There's no out clause, there's no electing to skip Lost Moon and the trials waiting for us there. Lost Moon is the only path forward and if she doesn't make it through...

"What happens?" I ask softly. "If both of us don't get in?"

"We'll cross that bridge if we come to it," Natalie says.

"No," Juliet whispers. "I want to know. I do better when I have all the information. Ignorance and uncertainty scare me more than ugly truth."

Natalie sits down in the wing chair facing the couch and leans forward, bracing her elbows on her knees. "If you don't pass the trials, I'll take you to a safe house. Our people will check up on you regularly and do their best to keep you safe, but it won't be easy. You'll be in much greater danger on the outside than you will be inside the university walls. And you'll often be alone, with little human contact. which is dangerous in and of itself. Loneliness is a kind of torture, too. As I'm sure you both know after what you've been through."

I glance over at Juliet, shocked to see her eyes shining.

I reach out, taking her hand, even more shocked when she curls her fingers around mine and holds on tight. "I'll help you," I promise. "Before and during the trials. I swear. I'll do everything I can to make sure you pass."

She looks over at me, the pain and vulnerability in her eyes breaking my heart. "I believe that. Thank you. I'm sorry I've been so cold. Everything normal feels...so hard. Almost impossible. I don't know how to be me anymore."

"I get it," I say. "It's only been a few days since you got out. Cut yourself some slack, okay? It gets easier. It's only been three weeks for me and I'm already on steadier ground than I was that first week. You're going to come out the other side of this. And I'll be there to make gross jokes that piss you off when you do."

Her lips tremble and twitch a little on the sides. It isn't a smile, but her eyes dry and when she speaks again, her voice is steadier. "Okay. Then I guess we know what happens next. Thank you for answering my questions, Natalie. I appreciate your honesty." "You're welcome," Natalie says, looking relieved. "And thank you for helping me realize what you need to feel safe. I'll do my best to share everything I can with you from now on, even if I'm worried it could be too much."

Juliet nods. "That would be good, thanks."

"Of course." Natalie sits back in her chair, spinning the thin gold bracelet on her wrist for a beat before she asks, "In the interest of transparency between us, could I ask how you knew I was with your father's pack all spring? And the nature of our relationship?" Juliet pulls the cell phone out of her flannel pajama pants' pocket and places it on the coffee table in front of the couch. "I did some digging on the dark web. Some woman in the Zion pack was bitching about you on a message board for hired killers, even posted pics of you and Dad together at a restaurant and some party in the city. She took a hit out on you, but you left before any of the interested bounty hunting parties could get the job done and the hit was called off."

Natalie curses softly beneath her breath. "Gillian. Hammer said she didn't mind his affairs as long as he kept them discreet, but I should have known better. She isn't a woman who tolerates infringement on territory she sees as hers."

Juliet shudders. "Sorry. That made me think of you banging my dad and I almost vomited again. We should never speak of that again."

"Agreed." Natalie presses her hands onto her knees, rising smoothly to her feet. "Though I should report this to my supervisor. I'll be back in a bit to make scrambles for everyone, but if you're hungry now, there's instant oatmeal in the pantry. Just heat some water in the kettle."

I bristle. "We're not kids, Natalie. I'm nearly thirty, and we both know how to feed ourselves."

"Right," she says with a slight smile. "Sorry, I tend to think of all my recruits as children in need of my protection, but...you're right. You're both adults and clearly more capable than I assumed." She starts for the hallway, calling over her shoulder, "Please return that phone to wherever you found it and make coffee. A big pot. I'm going to need an extra cup or two this morning. Heavy conversations first thing in the morning make me sleepy."

When she's gone, I turn to Juliet, finding her already staring up at me. "Truce?" she asks.

"I never considered us at war, but sure. Truce. You watch my back and I'll watch yours? No secrets between us?"

She nods. "Agreed. We're going to need someone we can count on. She makes Lost Moon sound like Girl Scout camp, but I read some f****d up stuff about it last night. Rumors of students going missing and some kind of dark magic society that's up to no good. Not to mention the weird animal attacks and some kind of serial-killing ghost in the woods."

"I read all that," I say. "But I'm pretty sure the ghost stuff is just a legend, and no one's disappeared for over a decade." She arches a challenging brow and I amend, "But you're right. None of that sounds good. We should be on guard and look out for each other." I hold out my hand. "Shake on it?"

She slips her hand into mine and sparks crackle to life in the air between us.

I want to kiss her so badly it hurts. Because this time, the urge is coming from more than my sexually frustrated body. It's coming from my chest; from that place she's slowly warming back to life with every half smile and grudging touch.

Thank God she isn't crawling into my lap with affection in her eyes, or I'd be lost for sure.

But deep down, I sense it doesn't matter.

I'm going to fall in love with this complicated, beautiful, wounded woman. I can feel it in the way my heart does a swan dive into my guts as she says, "You and me. Partners. And friends."

"Friends," I confirm, my chest warming a little more.

Yep, I'm f****d, but it's hard to care when her hand feels so right in mine.