Ruling Alphas: Shifter Romance Collection Read online

  Ruling Alphas

  Shifter Romance Collection

  Lola Gabriel

  Ruling Alphas: Shifter Romance Collection

  Text Copyright © 2020 by Lola Gabriel

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  First printing, 2020

  Publisher

  Secret Woods Books

  [email protected]

  www.SecretWoodsBooks.com

  Contents

  Secret Woods Books

  Dragon’s Enchantment

  Fae Dreams

  Warlock Prince

  Wolf’s Troubles

  Other Books You Will Love

  Thank You

  About the Author

  Secret Woods Books

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  Dragon’s Enchantment

  1

  Draven Montgomery walked along the street with his head down, careful not to meet the eye of anyone he passed. If he did meet their eyes, he would be expected to make polite conversation with anyone he knew, and he really wasn’t in the mood for conversation. That was one of the things Draven loved about New York. It was a city jam-packed with people, but it was still easy to be anonymous, to blend into a crowd and not be seen. And today, he really didn’t want to be seen at all. If it had been solely up to him, he wouldn’t even have left his apartment.

  Draven knew he should be happy today. It was not only his birthday, but it was his special birthday. His twenty-ninth birthday, the day he would come of age and take the enchantment that would allow him to find his one true mate. But he wasn’t happy at all. In fact, he was determined to convince his parents not to have him take the enchantment.

  As a dragon prince, the son of the ruling dragon couple of the whole of the United States, Draven had certain privileges, including getting the enchantment. For most shifters, finding their mate was a game of chance—maybe they would find true love, maybe they would settle for someone they could tolerate for eternity. For the heir of the ruling couple, nothing was left to chance. The enchantment ensured that Draven, and the heirs of the other ruling couples of the country, would find their one true mate.

  So many of Draven’s friends were jealous that he had this opportunity, the chance to find true love. But for him, it was something he had dreaded for years, and he was determined not to take the enchantment. He knew it would be hard to convince his parents to let him skip the enchantment, but he also knew he had to try. If he could just convince them it wasn’t necessary, he would be happy after all. Even convincing them to hold off for a few years would be a start if all else failed.

  After around half an hour of walking, moving out of the busy streets and into a quieter residential area, Draven finally reached his parents’ house. The word ‘house’ was really an understatement when it came to his parents’ place. Draven thought the word ‘compound’ would be closer to the truth. His parents lived in a huge place set in its own grounds, far enough away from the main touristy areas of the city to be private and close enough to them to be accessible when his parents felt like a night out in the bright lights of the city. When Draven had moved out of his parents’ house, he knew he could have chosen a similar setup, but instead, he opted for an apartment overlooking Central Park. He liked being central, being amongst people. At least for the most part, he did. Just not today.

  He sighed as he reached his parents’ front door. This was it. The moment of truth. He pushed the door open and stepped inside, telling himself everything would be okay, that he would be able to convince them to forgo the enchantment. He wasn’t sure he really believed he could convince them to do that, but he had to keep himself thinking positively about it if he was to stand any chance at all of it working.

  “Mom? Dad?” Draven called out as he closed the front door behind him.

  “In here,” his mom replied.

  He followed her voice to the living room and went in. His parents stood up as he entered, his mom pulling him into a tight hug.

  “Happy birthday, son,” she said, beaming as she released him from his hug.

  His father shook his hand and repeated his mom’s birthday wishes. His parents sat back down, side by side on a large couch, and gestured for Draven to sit down. He took an armchair opposite them. He could feel the excitement bubbling from his parents and he knew then that convincing them not to do this was going to be even more difficult than he had originally feared. It was most likely going to be impossible. He was still going to try, though. This was too important to him to not even try and choose his own future.

  “You don’t seem excited, Draven,” his mom said with a frown.

  “He’s just a bit nervous, Joy. Isn’t that right, son?” Draven’s father said.

  Draven nodded, not sure how to start with his request. He was definitely more than a bit nervous, that much was true. It just wasn’t for the reason his father believed it to be.

  “Don’t be,” his father said with a warm smile. “Honestly, this is meant to be the best day of your life. Just relax and enjoy it. Simeon will be here soon. Do you have any questions before he arrives?”

  Simeon was the warlock who would administer the enchantment. He did it for all of the ruling families of America.

  “Actually,” Draven said, summoning up his courage. He looked at his parents in turn, meeting each of their eyes before he went on. “I was thinking that it might be better if I’m not given the enchantment.”

  “If you’re not given the…” his father started. He stopped and shook his head. “What are you talking about? Why wouldn’t you want to receive the enchantment, Draven?”

  Draven shrugged his shoulders, now unable to meet his father’s eye.

  “I just don’t want it,” he said.

  “You’ll have to be a little bit more specific,” his mom put in.

  Draven thought for a moment and tried something he thought might just work on his mom.

  “I don’t like the idea of forced love,” he said. “Like, how do you even know what you have is real when it’s all because of the enchantment?”

  “Oh, I see what you’re afraid of,” Draven’s mom said with a smile. He noticed some of the tension had gone out of his father’s shoulders too, and he felt a spark of hope that they understood and wouldn’t make him go through with this after all. “The enchantment isn’t like a love potion, Draven. It doesn’t make you believe you’re in love with someone you’re not. It helps you locate your mate. However, it also makes you more receptive to love, and most importantly, it allows you to connect more deeply with your dragon. Using your dragon’s senses more allows you to be sure your mate is your true love, that’s all.”

  Draven felt his bit of hope fizzle out. His mom understood his fears, but as it turned out, they were unfounded. The truth about Draven’s fear was different, though. Draven had already known how the enchantment worked. He had just used that as an excuse, hoping his parents hadn’t done the research he had done. He still wasn’t ready to
admit the true reason he didn’t want the enchantment, and so he tried a different tactic.

  “Okay, I realize my fear was unfounded,” Draven said. “And I will take the enchantment at some point.” Draven had no intention of doing that. He just wanted to buy himself some time. “But how about we revisit this idea in a decade or two? I mean, we’re immortal. There’s no rush, right?”

  “What’s this really about, Draven? Do you have a girlfriend or something? Someone you’re afraid the enchantment won’t recognize?” his father asked. “Oh God, Draven, tell me you’re not in love with a human.”

  “No, it’s nothing like that, Dad,” Draven said quickly. “I swear.”

  “Then what is it?” his father asked. “You know the tradition, Draven. The enchantment always takes place on an heir’s twenty-ninth birthday. What could possibly be so important that you would try to throw away centuries of tradition for it?”

  “I’m just not ready to find my mate,” Draven said. “I’m happy being single. I am running my little pack well and I don’t want anything to mess that up. I want to keep going, get more experience of being a leader. One day, I’m going to be the alpha of every dragon in this country and I feel like taking a mate now will just distract me from my duties.”

  “Draven, the whole point of taking the enchantment so early is so you can find your one true mate and learn to rule side by side,” his mom explained. “Your mate needs to practice running a pack too, and you need to practice coming to the right decisions together. It’s no good waiting and then finding a mate and having to have all of your teething problems further down the line. And believe me, no matter how long you run a pack for, there will always be decisions to be made. Waiting to find a mate won’t make being an alpha any easier. You just need to learn to balance leadership and family life for it to all work out. I promise you it’s not as hard as you imagine. And having your one true mate at your side for all of this—that’s not a distraction, it’s a weight off your shoulders. You have someone who gets you and who will always stand by your side.”

  “But…” Draven started.

  “No. No buts, Draven,” his father said. His tone sounded like he was just on the verge of getting angry and Draven knew he wasn’t going to be able to convince him this was something they could put off. “This is happening and it is happening today. I’m not going to throw away centuries of tradition because you think the rules don’t apply to you. Am I making myself clear?”

  “Perfectly,” Draven said, his voice cold and emotionless although he was churning inside.

  “Enough of this,” Draven’s mom said, clapping her hands together and smiling at Draven—a smile that looked forced. “You’re just having some last-minute nerves, that’s all, Draven. Let’s remember this is meant to be a happy occasion, a celebration. Once the enchantment is completed, you’ll realize it was nothing to be worried about.”

  Draven gave her a halfhearted smile and nodded his head. He knew now the only way he could get out of taking the enchantment would be to turn his back on all of this. Turn his back on this life, on this pack, on his family. And he knew he couldn’t do it. It wouldn’t just be his own life he ruined. If he walked away and left his parents with no heir, they would be forced to step down as the ruling couple and have their beta and his mate take over. And then they would be banished, exiled from the pack, from the country. And Draven wouldn’t wish that on them. No way.

  “I’m sorry,” Draven said. “I guess I am just nervous. I’m afraid that I’ll make a mistake or something and let you both down.”

  His parents softened at his words, just like he had known that they would.

  “Oh, Draven, you could never let us down,” his mom smiled.

  “And don’t worry about making mistakes,” his father added. “Because you will make mistakes. Every alpha does at first. And you learn from them and you don’t make them again. That’s why we have you running the small pack now, and then a slightly bigger one, and then you’ll move on to a bigger one still. So that when you do take over the whole dragon pack, you’re ready for the challenge.”

  A knock sounded on the door and Draven’s father stood up.

  “That will be Simeon,” he said. “Now, you’re not going to say anything to Simeon about these doubts of yours, are you?”

  Draven shook his head. He knew that if he did, the rumors would be flying around the country by the end of the day. He wasn’t about to bring that sort of scandal down on himself and his parents.

  “Good,” his father said.

  He moved toward Draven and squeezed his shoulder and then he left the room to let Simeon in. Draven debated trying to make his mom see reason while they were alone, but he knew it was useless. He had known going in that it was unlikely he would get his parents to change their minds about this. Now that it was confirmed, he was almost ready to just accept his fate. Almost.

  Draven heard the door open and he glanced over his shoulder, smiling at Simeon. Draven’s father brought Simeon closer and Draven stood up and extended his hand.

  “Draven, you remember Simeon?” his father said as Draven shook Simeon’s hand.

  “Of course,” Draven said. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Simeon.”

  “Lovely to see you, Draven,” Simeon smiled, releasing his hand.

  “Would you like a drink or anything before we start, Simeon? Maybe a bit of lunch?” Draven’s mom offered.

  “Actually, if it’s all the same to you, Mrs. Montgomery, I’d rather just get on with the enchantment. I have a meeting scheduled for this afternoon with a young witch who saw fit to use her powers in front of some humans. I have to try and make her see why she can’t just go around doing spells and then wiping memories,” Simeon said in a long-suffering voice.

  “Oh, I feel for you,” Draven’s mom smiled. “I’m so glad young dragons can’t turn. Imagine what it would be like if they could turn before they were eighteen.”

  A shudder went through her as she spoke and for a second, Draven imagined a world where children were running around as dragons. It would make keeping their secret from the humans almost impossible. Especially considering they didn’t have the luxury of a memory-wiping spell like the witches did.

  Simeon nodded his head and grimaced as he dug in his black leather bag and pulled out a glass vial containing a purple liquid. He held the vial out to Draven, who took it a little reluctantly. What would they do if I smashed it on the ground? Draven wondered. He knew he would never find out because he could never bring himself to do that in front of his parents.

  “Someone’s nervous,” Simeon smiled. “Just relax. Everything will be fine.”

  Draven gave him a tight-lipped smile. He wasn’t in the least bit happy about any of this and he doubted very much everything would be fine, but he bit his tongue.

  “Right,” Simeon said. “Whenever you’re ready, just uncap the vial and swallow down the potion.”

  Draven knew if he didn’t do it straight away, he likely never would and so he pulled out the cap and poured the liquid into his mouth. It tasted sweet, like strawberries mixed with cotton candy. There was a slightly bitter aftertaste that Draven couldn’t identify. He swallowed and felt his chest warming as the potion made its way down to his stomach.

  As the potion hit his stomach, the warmth seemed to spread out through his full body and he felt his dragon begin to stir, a rumbling sensation in the bottom of his stomach.

  “How do you feel?” Simeon asked.

  “Fine,” Draven said. “I can feel my dragon stirring, but other than that, I feel exactly the same as I did before I took the potion.”

  “Perfect,” Simeon smiled.

  He took the empty vial from Draven and put it back in his bag, zipping the bag back up.

  “Wait. That’s it?” Draven said, surprised it had been so easy.

  His parents smiled indulgently as Simeon nodded.

  “Yes, that’s it. Let’s just say the rumors of this enchantment are greatly exa
ggerated and with good reason,” he said. “The fear is, if the average shifter knew how easy this was, they’d all want to try it. We’d have rogue shifters stealing potions and taking them. And if someone who isn’t a true heir to a pack takes the potion, it will kill them.”

  “Well, I guess I passed the test, then,” Draven said.

  “It wasn’t a test,” his mom said. “There was never any doubt you were our heir, Draven.”

  “I was joking, Mom,” Draven said.

  Simeon saved Draven from any further disapproval from his mom by standing up.

  “Well, I really must go,” he said.

  Draven stood up and shook his hand, thanking him, although he wasn’t entirely sure why he felt the need to thank him. Simeon had administered a potion he didn’t want. But he knew it wasn’t Simeon’s fault. If he had uttered his doubts to Simeon, he never would have given him the potion in the first place.

  “So, what are your plans for the rest of the day, then, Draven?” his mom asked as his dad saw Simeon out.

  “I’m meeting up with some friends later on,” he said.

  It wasn’t true. Draven didn’t want to celebrate this moment, but he knew that was what his mom would want to hear and he just wanted to get out of there now that the enchantment was completed.

  “You’ve got time for some lunch, though, right?” his mom said.

  Draven really wanted to get away, but he didn’t want to upset her and cause another argument. He was afraid that if he did, she would work out that she hadn’t appeased his worries about the enchantment after all, and so he nodded his head and forced himself to smile at her.