Alpha Betrayed: A Dark Shifter

FORD

Surprisingly,Natalie doesn’t read us the riot act.

She simply warns Juliet not to run off again—especially not before her implant is removed—and to refrain from mentioning that her mother is the president of Lost Moon.

“Just pretend she’s a complete stranger,” Natalie adds, “and all should be well until you two have a chance to speak more in depth.”

“She is a complete stranger,” Juliet shoots back. “That was literally the first time I’ve met her, Natalie. I thought she was dead. She let me believe she was dead.”

Natalie sighs, seeming conflicted. “I’m sorry, darling. I honestly had no idea. I still have no idea what happened there or why Coralie didn’t say anything about you being her child before sending me to fetch you. But I promise you, your mother is an incredible woman. She’s fair and fierce and an unfailing protector of young shifters in trouble. She’s someone you can be proud of.”

Juliet snorts and rolls her eyes.

“But I know that might be hard to believe from your perspective.” Natalie cuts a glance my way, looking for backup, but I can only shrug.

I don’t know the story behind Juliet’s mom deciding to literally ghost her daughter, either, but I’m inclined to agree that it’s bullshit. I’d sure feel betrayed if my mother had done the same, especially leaving me with a father like Hammer.

“Well, then.” Natalie props her hands on her h**s with a firm nod. “We’ll let that go for now. Gather your things. We leave in fifteen minutes. I’ll call the guard at the gate and let them know we’ll be arriving around nine a.m.” She flashes a strained smile. “You’ll be able to grab second breakfast in the dining hall if you’d like. Kim’s crew cooks on weekdays and they make a fantastic quiche of the day.”

Juliet starts down the hall to her room with a weary sigh.

I move to follow her, but Natalie stops me with a hushed, “Ford, please.”

I turn back, arching a brow. “Please, what?”

“Talk to her,” she says, her forehead furrowing. “Convince her to put this unfortunate meeting aside and enter Lost Moon with a positive attitude. You’ll need to make friends as quickly as you can and that won’t be easy if Juliet’s walking around with a storm cloud over her head.”

“Friends or allies?” I ask, watching her response for any sign that Alexander and Catherine were telling the truth.

“Both,” she says with an easy shrug, giving nothing away. “Even in peace time, we all need friends and allies, Ford. If I could go back and tell my younger self one thing, it would be not to underestimate the power of connections. You can be the most capable, clever person around, but if you don’t have a network, you won’t go nearly as far as those who are half as clever, but better connected.”

I grunt.

Natalie throws up her hands. “Fine. Lump me in with the annoying old people you don’t trust right now, but I know you care about Juliet and putting on a happy face is what’s best for her. I promise you that.” She starts toward the kitchen, tossing over her shoulder, “And put on your blue shirt. The black makes you look too scary. You want to tread the line between friendly and frightening, Ford. That’s your best path forward.”

I head to my room, glancing in the mirror in the hallway on my way. Natalie’s right, the black does make me look scarier. It emphasizes the shadows beneath my eyes and the dark slashes of my eyebrows.

Stopping in front of Juliet’s closed door, I consider knocking but decide against it. If I’d just found out my mother was back from the dead, I’d need a moment alone. But we should talk before we’re trapped in the car with Natalie for an hour and a half without the chance to speak freely.

I change into the blue shirt and shove the rest of my meager belongings in the duffel bag I scored in a Salvation Army donation bin in Washington State, thinking how distant that memory seems. It was barely a week ago, but everything is so different now.

Back then, I wanted to kill Juliet. Now, I want to save her.

Liar. You want to do way more than save her.

I clench my jaw, ignoring the thought. I don’t have time to think about how much I want to f**k and protect and feel things for Juliet right now. We may be heading into a lion’s den disguised as a safe haven and we have to be prepared.

I’m about to cross the hall to her room when she slips through my door and closes it behind her with a soft snick.

“I could have been naked,” I say, in an attempt to lighten the mood. “Was that what you were hoping for?”

“What do you think?” she asks, not bothering with a more cutting comeback, making it obvious she’s as worried as I am. “Do you think they were telling the truth?”

I rub a hand back and forth over the top of my close-shorn hair. “I don’t know. I hope not, but my gut says…probably.”

“Yeah, mine, too.” She begins to pace the small space in front of the door. “It makes sense. Since when do wolf shifters like anyone but the other wolves in their pack? Even the big cats and wolves frolicking on the quad together story Natalie told us felt off, but no wolf is going to be besties with a hedgehog. That’s why I didn’t dare introduce Dad to Chase or do anything to make him think that was more than casual dating. His daughter wanting happily ever after with a badger? He would have locked me in the attic for the rest of my life.”

“Or sold you to the circus,” I say flatly.

Juliet stops in her tracks, turning to face me with a stunned expression. But after only a beat she whispers, “You’re right. The fact that I was ‘dating beneath me’ probably made it easier for him. F*****g wolves. They’re the worst.”

“Not all wolves,” I say, summoning a disgusted sound from low in her throat.

“Don’t start with that crap,” she says. “Of course, it’s not all wolves, but it’s enough of them, that it’s a stereotype for a reason. And it’s a serious problem for those of us who aren’t wolves or cats big enough to defend ourselves when they pull that ‘wolves are the only shifters who matter and should be in charge of everything’ nonsense.”

I perch on the edge of my unmade bed. “You’re right. I wanted to believe Lost Moon was different, like Natalie said, but wolf culture is wolf culture and most of us marinated in it long enough growing up for some bad shit to take hold.” I smooth my hands down the thighs of my jeans. Not so long ago, I would have been repulsed by the thought of dating anyone but another wolf, too. But years of fighting changed me. It made me realize that we’re all b***d and bones underneath, more alike in our mortal vulnerability than we’ll ever be different. “So, what do you want to do? Do our best to fit in and meet up with the resistance after the party tonight to see what that’s all about?”

Juliet chews on her bottom l*p. “I don’t know. I guess so. Like Alexander said, at least we’ll have the chance to scope things out a little on our own by then. I’ll have insight on the Variant dorm, and you’ll know what the wolves are all about.”

“I doubt I’ll know what the entire dorm is about in a day, but yeah, I should have a basic vibe,” I agree, hesitating to ask my next question, but we don’t have much time. “And what do we do if it’s really bad there? Too bad to stay?”

Juliet leans back against the door, her arms crossed and her expression more guarded than it’s been in days. “It doesn’t sound like it will be so bad for you. Just me. And to be clear, I don’t expect you to throw your lot in with mine if that’s a losing game. I get it if you decide it’s time for you to look out for number one.”

I stand and cross the room. When I reach her, I slowly brace one hand on the door above her head and lean down until there are only a few inches between us. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily. We agreed, we’re a team.”

“Did we?” Her breath is warm and sweet on my lips, but her gaze is still fixed on my chin.

“We did. Last night. When we decided on weekly Juliet and Ford friend time, away from the cares of the world. You’re stuck with me, Growly, whatever comes next.”

She drags her gaze higher, sending an electric shock of awareness through my body as her eyes lock with mine. “Even if I never f**k you, let alone agree to marry you?”

With my throat tight, I confess, “Sadly, yes. You’re under my skin. Not sure when it happened, but…”

“I’m serious,” she says, her breath coming faster. “I’m not going to marry you Ford, not ever. No matter how charming or sweet or loyal you are. It’s never going to happen.”

“But f*****g’s still on the table?” I hear myself ask, because I’m hopeless when it comes to the bold, defiant woman my bratty little stepsister has become.

She gives a tiny shake of her head. “You’re impossible.”

“No, I just want you. Badly,” I say, knowing by now that the truth will get me farther with Juliet than a charming line ever will. “And not just because you’re stupidly pretty. That’s not even the main part of it, honestly.”

Her eyes narrow. “So, what is it? My sparkling personality and habit of telling you to go f**k yourself?”

I smile. “Yeah, that’s a big part of it. And the fact that you’re the only one who has any idea what I’ve been through. And because when I touch you…” I trail off, losing my footing now that I’m so close to a truly dangerous confession.

If she mocks this part, it will hurt. A lot.

But I didn’t escape the fight pits to live like a coward, did I?

She lifts her chin, bringing her lips even closer to mine. “What? What happens when you touch me?”

“I feel safe,” I say, my voice breaking in the middle of the last word. “For the first time in so f*****g long.”

Her gaze softens as she breathes, “Me, too.”

Before I can fully grasp the enormity of that, of me being her safe place, too, her arms are around my neck and her lips are on mine.

She k****s me and instantly the universe is reordered.

At least for me.

I’ve kissed her neck and rubbed against her through our clothes. I’ve been close to her enough times that I thought I understood the power of our chemistry. But I had no f*****g clue. I had no idea kissing could feel like this, like opening a door to a new world, a world of beauty and magic and possibilities I didn’t realize existed before.

Herworld. That’s what it is.

It’s Juliet on the other side of this door we’re throwing open as our tongues dance and we cling to each other like the last boat in a raging sea. It’s her brave spirit, her good heart. It’s also her pain and her fear and all the jagged pieces of a soul the world has done its best to shatter.

She’s broken, no doubt—I’d be fool to think otherwise—but she can be mended.

And so can I.

As I gather her close and lose myself in the wonder of her k**s, I realize I’ve found the answer to all the questions I’ve been too stupid to ask until now. And every one is her name.

“Juliet,” I murmur against her lips as we fall back onto the bed, her on top of me and my hands everywhere I’ve been dying to touch her.

“Don’t talk,” she says, kissing me harder. “Just k**s me.”

I squeeze her a*s, groaning as she straddles my h**s and rubs against my engorged c**k through our clothes, sighing her pleasure against my lips. My breath shudders out in kind, but not from pleasure.

This is crazy hot, no doubt, but bliss isn’t the number one thing throbbing through my veins. It’s…relief. Relief that she’s finally this close, relief that she’s let me in, even a little bit. Relief that maybe we can find our way out of the hell her father cast us into. Together.

Really together, as something more than friends.

“F**k, Jules,” I hiss as she pops the button on my jeans and reaches into my boxer briefs, fisting my c**k in her cool little hand.

“Not right now,” she says, misunderstanding me. “But I do want to see you.” She shoves at the top of my jeans, making it clear what she wants to see, and I happily oblige her.

I shove my jeans and underwear down below my a*s, freeing my e******n. I’m so hard that veins stand out thick against my flushed skin, but Juliet doesn’t seem concerned by the beastly state of my hard-on. She pulls back to sit on my thighs and runs gentle fingers over me, making my c**k twitch and a m**n rumble through my chest.

“It’s beautiful,” she finally says, seconds before she grips my length so tight I see stars. I start to ask her to take it a little easier on me, but her lips are already back on mine. She k****s me hard and deep as she jerks me off and in just a few moments, I forget about the pain. “I want to make you come so bad,” she says against my lips and teeth, the k**s now so bruising, I taste b***d. “I crave your f*****g pleasure like air, Ford. What’s that about?”

“I crave your pleasure, too,” I say, trying to get my hand down the front of her jeans, but she bats my eager fingers away.

“No,” she says. “I’m calling the shots. I’m in control.”

I g***n as her hand returns to my c**k.

“Say it,” she says, nipping at my l*p. “Tell me, I’m in control. Tell me you like it when I take what I want from you.”

“I want you any way I can have you,” I say, too far gone to care about my pride at this point. “If you want to rule me in the bedroom, f*****g rule me, Jules. Rule me like an evil, sexy as f**k queen.”

“I will,” she says, her hand flying now, quickly taking me to the point of no return. “I will rule you, Ford. I’m going to make you come so hard that every time you touch yourself, you’ll think of me.”

Before I can shame myself by confessing that I already do, I’m coming, lifting her off the bed as I arch my h**s and give her everything inside me. All my come and my loyalty and my adoration and probably my dignity, too. But who needs dignity when he could have a beautiful, feral woman on top of him, craving his pleasure?

Juliet catches my release in her free hand, preventing what would have been a giant mess, but I don’t realize it until I catch my breath enough to realize she’s staring down at her palm with a little half smile.

“Something funny?” I ask, far enough away from my o****m that I’m starting to feel embarrassed about how this went down. I’m not only five years older than Juliet, I know for a fact that I’m way more experienced. But she just owned me like a teenage kid getting his first hand job.

She looks up. “This is a lot of come, Ford. I’m concerned for you.”

My lips twitch in spite of myself. “I’m fine. It’s normal.”

She arches a brow. “Is it though? Have you discussed this with your doctor?”

“I’m going to discuss you with a doctor,” I shoot back. “Probably a psychiatrist.”

For some reason this makes a big smile stretch across her face and the sweetest laugh I’ve heard in ages bubble from her throat.

I shake my head, laughing with her. I can’t help it. The joy in the sound is irresistible. “You’re one sick cookie, Growly. But I loved that. Every second of it.”

A hint of shyness creeps into her voice as she says, “Yeah, it was okay. Maybe next time I’ll let you get to second base. If you’re good.”

“Never,” I way without hesitation. “Never going to be good. I’m going to be bad. I’m going to devour your slick little p***y until coming on my face is your favorite hobby.”

She lets out a smug grunt. “We’ll see. It’s not as easy to get me there as it is with…some people.”

My smile widens. “If you’re trying to make me feel bad about coming, you’re going to fail. That was too good.” I exhale a happy sigh. “I feel so much better now. You should let me get you off, and we can both walk onto campus with that freshly orgasmed glow.”

Her expression falls, making it clear I’ve said the wrong thing. “Shit. They’ll smell it, Ford. We have to wash up.” She scrambles off me and hurries to the door, glancing back at me with wide eyes. “Now. Quick, before Natalie realizes what we’ve been up to.”

“I’m sure she already does, Jules. I don’t think I was particularly quiet when you were pleasuring my c**k into submission.”

“Either way, we have to clean the s*x stink off us and my hands are a little full.” She jerks her head sharply toward the door. “Open it and facilitate, please?”

“So bossy,” I mutter as I stand, hitching up my jeans and boxers. “I’m definitely getting you off next time. You could use some chill-inducing chemicals coursing through your bloodstream.”

She rolls her eyes and mutters something insulting beneath her breath, but I’m still too happy to care. I’m making progress with Juliet, and it’s happening faster than I ever imagined it could.

I’m also falling in love with her, but I’ll worry about that later.

Or maybe I won’t.

She feels it, too, this connection between us. She admitted that I was her safe place. She bared that vulnerable truth to me, and I intend to prove that she can trust me with her confessions.

And maybe, one day, her heart.