Filed To Story: Claimed by the Alpha I Hate Book Read Free
When Nolan had first purchased the property under the alias of a large real-estate corporation, the area had initially been planned to be turned into a series of quaint suburbs thirty miles from the nearest human town. The houses had been nothing more than husks when we snatched them up. With Killian and Claire lending a hand, the process wasn’t nearly as difficult as it could’ve been. They found builders to come in and finish the homes, humans who had little to no clue what this plot of land was being used for.
When it was all said and done, we began moving Vampire’s in. Without Tristan and Giovanni stepping up to transport them, the anonymity of the town would’ve vanished into thin air. Vampire’s who wanted to live here were blind-folded until they passed through the gates deep within the forest.
It wasn’t perfect, but we had yet to have any problems.
“Brandon will be leaving in a few hours. I’m still debating on whether or not I should give him the location and have him stop by on his way home.” Nolan grunted, his eyebrows creasing at the mere mention of his brother’s name.
I made a sound of interest and cocked my head. Days had gone by and not once had I seen a trace of
Brandon. It wasn’t that I missed the guy because I was fairly sure the only one who was actually fond of him was Cassidy, but he’d become such a frequent presence in my life that it was almost abnormal not to hear one of his dry quips or retorts to Nolan inevitably threatening him.
When I finally bothered to ask Nolan where his younger brother was, he told me he’d sent him off on a personal mission of sorts.
“He’s leaving Bran’s pack?” I asked, even more surprised than when Nolan told me he’d sent him there in the first place.
Nolan nodded, curving off the main road and onto the wide path that would take us into the safe haven.
“He’s actually very efficient at weeding out Bran’s loyalists. There were over two dozen warriors who hated the man, which isn’t surprising in the slightest,” He snorted. “But most of them agreed to join the hunt for the witches.”
“What about the rest of the pack? They still need warriors to protect them. There’s no telling if the witches will attack them now that Bran’s d**d.”
“That’s why I sent Brandon. The warriors loyal to their old Alpha will still defend their pack, but that’s as far as their loyalty goes. They won’t provide us any help, which means the best place for them to be is right where they are.” Nolan replied.
The car slowly came to a stop when the headlights hit something deeper in the forest. The glint of old metal sparkled in the night, painted in a coppery tint from rust. He stepped out of the vehicle and waved at Giovanni and Zeke to hang tight as he wrenched open the gate and pinned it in place.
A few more minutes wobbling down the dirt road and the town came into view, stealing away my breath as a jolt of excitement danced down my spine.
I hadn’t seen the place since Nolan had purchased the land and the houses had been fully completed.
Many of the Vampire’s here I’d met only because they encroached on the boundary of our pack’s borders in search of help. The rest had been vetted by Giovanni and Tristan.
What at first had been a grass lot surrounded by oak and elm, littered with the bones of half-finished houses, was now a sprawling town that thrived under the cover of heavy clouds and silvery moonlight.
Homes of various shapes and color lined streets of unblemished asphalt. Some had shutters and wrap-
around porches, while others had little back patios and small gardens nestled off to the side. A few had chain-link fences and driveways, while others were simpler in appearance. It was mismatched in the best way, an amalgamation of different styles and aesthetics from the various Vampire’s making each house their home.
There were four streets that branched off, all of them with houses nestled against one another. Each street met at the center, circling the largest house out of the bunch, which served as a sort of community center. This was where the supplies were dropped off at every month and where we parked when a Vampire flagged us down.
The older gentleman standing off to the side of the community center had been one of the Vampire’s I’d personally met. His salt and pepper hair had been much shaggier almost two months ago but was now cropped close to his ears. On his face was a tentative smile, one that blossomed into something warmer when Nolan and I stepped out of the car.
“Welcome, Queen Daisy. I was wondering when you’d come visit us all.” The older Vampire chuckled, his voice deep and gruff.
I could hear the others getting out of their vehicles, their feet padding against sidewalk and asphalt as they came up behind Nolan and I. The older Vampire whose name I remembered as Emmett, cocked his head, and made a sound of interest.
“Don’t suppose you’re here to see Deacon, are you?” He asked. “He said you were the one that sent him here. Figured he was telling the truth when that mate of his jumped into his arms.”
“Did he come with others?” Dina demanded, her voice coming from a few feet behind.
Emmett’s bushy eyebrows sank low on his face. “Erm, yeah he came with others. It’ll probably just be best if I take you to him. Feel free to leave the tractor trailer here, I’ve got guys that can unload it. You can take your car, though. The house isn’t that far up the road.”
We were led to one of the many houses down the street, one with a small porch and a large set of windows overlooking the front yard. After pulling the car and work van up to the curb, Emmett gave us his farewell and headed back to the community center to help unload the truck.
The front door was unlocked when Nolan opened it, and quickly we all saw why.
Seated in the living room were many faces, almost all of them familiar in some way. There was one I homed in on, one that made my blood run cold with recognition even though I knew the man wasn’t my father.
Deacon’s pale eyes latched onto my own, so much like my father’s that I couldn’t help but hold my breath. He tilted his head at me, the corners of his lips curling ever so slightly.
“Hello, niece.”
“Glad to see you survived.” I commented, my attention sliding to the woman that clung to his side.
Bridgette met my stare, her eyes strong and slender nose upturned as she nodded respectfully. She’d once looked at me like I were the enemy, analyzing the way I stood and moved as though she were searching for weak points, but not anymore. She seemed completely at ease in this quaint little house, perched on the arm of the antique sofa with a glass of what I knew to be blood in her hand.
She wasn’t the only one in the room, though. There were a few other Vampire’s, most of which had been here for a few weeks now. Two men around Nolan’s age, one with hair as pale as snow and the other with curls that mirrored Giovanni’s, though they were a tad bit more unruly, were situated on a set of recliners just off to the side.
“Well, when you told me this one here was alive, I had no choice but to get back to her.” Deacon grunted, his ice-cold gaze thawing when he turned it towards Bridgette.
Nolan, who had been quietly observing everyone, gestured to the large map sprawled out on the coffee table.
“What is this for?”
Deacon extracted himself from Bridgette, who frowned at him like she hadn’t gotten her fill of his touch, which she probably hadn’t considering they both almost died recently.
The man I was still coming to terms with as my uncle extended his hand for Nolan to grasp.
“Alpha Nolan, I’d say it’s nice to finally meet you, but I’ve heard all the rumors and know that most who cross your path don’t stay alive for very long.” He grunted, a hint of amusement weaseling its way onto his face, softening the sharp angles that must’ve belonged to my father’s father.
Nolan shrugged but didn’t hesitate to stare Deacon down with his golden-flecked eyes, taking his hand securely in his own.
“That’s typically because they threaten what’s mine. I don’t sense you’ll make that mistake though.” He mused, his lips twitching and eyes darting down to where I stood when I jabbed my elbow into his ribcage.
‘Play nice…’ I said through the mind-link.
“Seems like it’s a common occurrence that smart, powerful women end up saddled with hot-headed men.” Deacon snorted, glancing back at Bridgette.
“Who better to keep us in line?” Giovanni said smoothly, a ghost in the corner of the living room.
“See? He gets it. Though from what I hear, Daisy gets herself into a fair amount of trouble as well.”
Deacon chuckled, quickly rubbing at the stubble on his face before tapping the surface of the map. His finger landed on the forest that surrounded this little town, the border to the safe haven we’d constructed. “We’re setting up a perimeter around the town. I did everything in my power to make sure we weren’t followed, but we don’t have magic on our side. The witches do.”
Dina appeared in the doorway, her eyes wide and voice harsh.
“You said ‘we.’ Does that mean Spence is here too? Where is he, Deacon?” Her words trembled as a note of fear slithered its way into her throat.
I’d seen Deacon in action, and he was just as intimidating as my father, but his range of emotions was far beyond that of the previous Vampire King. Sadness rippled across his face, tainting the blues of his eyes until they grew darker in color.
“He was wounded badly, Dina.” Was all Deacon said before Dina surged forward.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
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