Filed To Story: Claimed by the Alpha I Hate Book Read Free
“What were you saying about monarchs and lack of sleep?” He smirked down at me, the spitting image of Nolan, only with messier hair and crystal blue eyes.
The lights in the hallway were bright, making my eyes ache, but I could still smell the alcohol that wafted off of Brandon in waves. Rich amber and notes of thick honey, definitely some kind of whiskey.
He wasn’t p**s drunk, not by far, but he had consumed more than enough to affect your average male wolf.
“Just mumbling about a dream I had.” I said a bit harsher than I meant, but he was blocking the bathroom door with his frame.
Both Claire and Killian had agreed it was better not to tell Brandon the truth. At least, not until the big announcement. Apparently, the man couldn’t keep a secret to save his life. It was almost impossible to believe.
“Maybe you could tell me about this dream sometime, if my brother dares to let you out of his sight.”
Brandon replied, his smirk a bit messier considering his state.
I couldn’t keep the d***h glare from settling over my face when Brandon felt bold enough to glance down a t the tank top and shorts, I wore. Not at all revealing, but my obvious anger only seemed to amuse him further. I stepped back and to the side when he tried to take a step towards me.
“Why don’t you hold your breath, and I’ll get on that. ” I answered without pause, my voice rightfully harsh. I slipped past him and gave him one last glare. “Go sleep off the alcohol before I knock you out myself.”
“Mm, now I see why you’re my brothers’ mate. ” He chuckled to himself, turning on his heel. With a last drunken grin, he called out over his shoulder. ” Goodnight, Daisy.”
I woke Nolan up ten minutes later, letting him know his brother was a raging dumbass. After spending a total of three minutes convincing Nolan not to go and kick his drunken a*s, we left the house and hopped into the sedan.
Tristan, Holly, Giovanni, Breyona and Mason all stayed in a house two neighborhoods over. The houses were newly built, so many of them were vacant for the time being. It was the perfect place to stash two Vampire’s, and one Witch-Vampire who happened to be my half-sister.
We pulled up to the two story house, wide with large windows that overlooked the porch and front yard. A driveway jutted off to the side, wrapping around the back where a two -car garage sat.
As Nolan and I walked up the porch steps and through the front door, I was hit with the distinct scent of my grandina’s lavender cookiesmixed with the heady perfume that was human blood.
Since becoming the Vampire Queen, human blood was as vital as food and water. Granted, I could go longer without human blood than I could food, but it was blood that often smelled better. A month ago, I had tried to go an entire week without the thick taste of blood in my mouth. The sickness that swept through me was horrible , all but vanishing once I finally gave in.
I could feel my mouth watering, though I wasn’t sure if it was from the blood or the cookies.
As we walked through the foyer and into the kitchen, I was greeted by the scent of both.
Tristan leaned against the wall; his golden hair cropped shorter now, just a few inches below his ears. It made him look a bit younger, less serious even though a scowl currently decorated his face.
Per usual, Holly was nowhere to be found. Over the past month, I had been trying to get to know her.
Never once pushing her to join the outside world or my pack, I tried everything possible to reach her.
Oddly enough, it seemed Tristan was the one to understand her most of the time. He was the only one who could get her to open up, but it didn’t seem to be helping. She continued to shut herself off from the world, refusing to talk about the magic that had to be swirling beneath her skin. The same way I swore it swirled beneath mine.
Giovanni sat at the kitchen table, watching Breyona with dark eyes that shimmered with amusement every so often. Giovanni had always been reserved. Only Tristan and Breyona could evoke the slightest hint of emotion from the man. While Breyona invoked all of the good things, Tristan had the opposite effect.
“Does this taste right to you?” Breyona frowned, shoving a cookie in my face. The delicate scent of lavender mixed with vanilla and brown sugar to create something deliciously unique.
I grabbed the cookie, and took a bite, wrinkling my nose when something salty crossed my tongue.
“Too much salt.” She sighed softly, snatching the oven mitts from off the counter. With her hands on her hips, she glared at the remaining cookies in the oven. “You know, when your grandma gave me this recipe, I thought there would be actual measurements.”
“Grandma never measures anything.” I chuckled, m y eyes straying to where Giovanni sat, a dark glass of blood in his hands.
With a snort, he stood and waltzed over to the fridge, purposefully ignoring Tristan as he stood just a foot away. He grabbed a blood bag from the fridge and poured it into a glass, approaching me with long steps to place it in my hands.
“Thanks.” I mumbled, still not at all used to my new title.
Vampire’s and their monarchs were different than werewolves. While there was no Vampire command forcing their will, they could feel the strength of their ruler and had a sort of sixth sense when it came to certain things. It didn’t go as far as a mind-link, but both Giovanni and Tristan could often tell when I was hungry for something other than food.
Giovanni was a man of few words, but the fact that he often brought me blood when I needed it, that was statement enough for where we stood. He supported me, both because of my friendship with
Breyona, and because of the new future I wished to put into motion.
I tried not to drain the glass entirely within seconds, feeling Nolan’s curious eyes on my face.
“I’m sure you didn’t call us here at four in the morning to chat?” I asked warily, already sure something had gone wrong.
“Just another pesky band of Vampire’s trying to rouse up trouble.” Tristan sighed, brushing back the strands of hair from his face. When Giovanni grunted, Tristan flashed him an icy glare.
“Pesky?” Giovanni repeated, his light accent paired with his deep voice to create something almost musical. “They k****d six werewolves.”
“Six?” I paled, already thinking about the future backlash and the grief the families must be going through. I glanced up at Nolan, whose golden eyes had darkened with rage. “Where are they attacking from? We’ll send forces after the announcement, and give them an opportunity to stand down.”
“They could cause much more damage within the next eight hours.” Breyona pointed out.
“I know, but I don’t think sending warriors there to slaughter them is any better.” I sighed, plopping down in one of the wooden chairs at the dining room table. “I need the other Vampire’s to see that I’m on their side, that I’m not going to k**l them all because I’m mated to an Alpha.”
“Why don’t you send your troops to where they’ve been attacking and simply tell them to hold back.
Don’t engage unless more lives are in danger.” Tristan suggested, leveling his cool gaze with Nolan’s.
I could feel the response in him instantly, but Nolan had much more patience than Giovanni. Where
Tristan and Giovanni often resorted to punches, Nolan hadn’t so much as laid a finger on Tristan.
“It’s not a terrible plan. ” I replied, knowing as well as he did that it was our best option.
Within the next half an hour, assignments had been sent out to a team of warriors, all of which Nolan and I trusted to obey orders. With bleary eyes, we headed for the front door. Tristan followed us outside, eyeing the rising sun warily.
“We need to speak.” His voice was unusually gruff, and I nodded for Nolan to get in the sedan without me.
“Something wrong, Tristan?”
“Your sister is having nightmares again.” Was all he said, and I felt my stomach plummet to the ground.
” Bad ones.”
“Have Breyona’s parents had any luck yet?” I asked, feeling desperation swirl in the pits of my stomach.
“They’ve found a few candidates.” He nodded sharply, eyes staring down at me. “You’ll get the files in a few hours. The sooner you go through them, the sooner we can get her help.”
“I ‘ll get on it.” I assured him, “But Nolan’s going to have a say in it as well.”
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?