ROMANCE: ALIEN ROMANCE: Captured by the Alien Dragon (Alpha Male Alien Abduction BBW Romance) (Bad Boy Shifter Fantasy Romance) (30 page)

“What we need to,” Caleb’s father replied dryly.

He lifted his hand and motioned one of the men standing around them to come forward. Rachel felt her heart racing in her chest. Fear gripped her causing her breathing to become forced and labored. The man charged forward quickly, his heavy steps on the concrete floor the only sound in the room.

When he reached where they were standing, he grabbed hold of Joel by the arm, forcefully pulling him away from her grasp. “No!” she yelled, but it didn’t stop him. He lifted him up and carried him away from her, Joel screaming and kicking wildly.

“Stop!” a voice called from the entrance of the warehouse. “Let him go!”

Everyone turned to watch as Caleb stormed into the room, at least ten other people flanking him.

“Caleb!” his father yelled at him. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Me?” he asked with a mocking laugh. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? He’s your grandson,” Caleb said closing the space between them. He stopped right behind Rachel, the men and women with him scattered around behind him.

“No, he’s not,” his father countered aggressively.

“How can you say that?” Caleb asked. “He’s my son! He’s your grandson!”

“He came from a human. He has no relation to me.”

“Use your head, Caleb,” Elise said from behind them. “Who’s to say that she won’t turn on you one day? That her son won’t end up hunting all of us down once he’s old enough to realize what we are?”

“We just want to be left alone,” Rachel said softly, the tears now flowing freely down her cheeks. “We won’t say anything to anyone; you’ll never see us again, I swear.”

“Father,” Caleb said turning back to face his dad, “I don’t want it to come to this, but if you so much as lay a hand on either one of them, you’ll have to answer to me.”

“What does that mean?” his father asked, stepping forward angrily.

“You’ve been a wonderful alpha for our pack for a very long time but you’re getting older,” Caleb said softly. “The pack has already begun to look to me as a leader. Those you see with me here have agreed to stand by me,” he said motioning to the small crowd around him.

“You’d divide our pack?” his father spit at him.

“If that’s what it takes to protect my family.” He shot a look of warning to the man holding Joel. He released him, and Joel ran as quickly as his legs would allow him to rejoin his mother and father.

Caleb leaned forward and scooped him up. Holding him with one arm, he wrapped the other around Rachel. “We don’t know what will happen with Joel,” he said softly. “But, we can’t let ourselves become what we’re afraid of. Why do we fear the humans so much? Because they hunt and kill us! And we’re going to do the same to them? To a child?”

Caleb’s father looked around the room at the faces staring at him. Elise and her father had clear expressions of anger, but besides them, everyone’s countenance seemed to have softened. “You all agree with my son?”

One of the men stepped forward. “I’m sorry, sir,” he said, “but, we’ve lived in isolation for so long. We’re all ready for that to change. Maybe this is a sign that we don’t need to be afraid of the humans anymore. Or, at least that we don’t have to live in fear of them constantly.”

“What do you propose we do then, Caleb?” his father asked turning his attention back to their small family. He didn’t look pleased, but for the first time in Rachel’s memory, she wasn’t terrified of him.

CHAPTER TEN

It wasn’t easy convincing Caleb’s father to change his ways. But, over time he started to accept that his role as the leader of their pack was coming to an end. He was reluctant to accept Rachel and Joel at first. After some time, however, he did join them for dinner one night at Caleb’s house, where Rachel and Joel were living as well. He softened almost immediately to Joel’s boisterous personality and overwhelming amounts of energy.

Elise and her father were not happy about Caleb breaking off his arrangement with her, but they both knew there was nothing they could do to change his mind. Caleb’s conviction was apparent that day; it seemed to hang in the air.

The men and women who came with Caleb to show their support continued to stand by him. They believed in what he wanted; they were tired of living in fear. They wanted change. Eventually, Caleb inherited not only the title as Alpha but also his father’s business. He ran both the pack and the company with strength and grace. He was a wonderful leader, and everyone loved and respected him.

Their life together was far from perfect, but Rachel never complained. She had what she had always dreamed of—her family. Her son had his father, and she was finally able to be with the man of her dreams.

She knew that their future was still unstable; she knew that there were many hurdles they would need to overcome. That didn’t worry her, though. Because the one thing she knew without a doubt, was that Caleb would always be by her side, and that was all she ever really wanted.

***THE END***

The Billionaire Cowboy’s Baby

CHAPTER ONE

This is animal cruelty, Frankie thought to herself as she watched a cowboy wrestle a calf to the ground.

The audience cheered.

The announcer excitedly proclaimed how impressed he was by the sight—his voice cracking over the dented speakers.

Frankie crossed her arms and pouted. She had been sitting by her boyfriend over an hour ago, but ever since he left to get the two of them water, she hasn’t seen him. Alone, she was inhaling the scent of mud and dung while trying to daydream about her life back in New York. People were so close together—moving so fast—dreaming so big…the scent of rain and metal poignant in the air…shiny buildings looking like godly towers when the sun hit them at just the right angle…

The crowd cheered louder, making Frankie jolt and tense. The cowboy, standing in front of the tied up calf, took a bow.

Frankie sighed, her shoulders lowering. She scowled at the cowboy, even though it wasn’t his fault that she was here. It was her boyfriend Jack’s fault.

Okay, technically, he didn’t force her to go west with him. He had told her that he was restless and lost—that he was moving for his soul’s sake and not because of anything she had done—and because she had believed him, she offered to go with him.

They had only been dating a year. What was she thinking? She hated dirt. And she hated watching people attack baby animals for amusement. And she had been an accountant back home—making good money, living in a nice apartment.

But she loved Jack Moore. God help her, she really did. And if he could find peace from this setting, then maybe she could, too. Black people in the south weren’t victimized as much as they used to be, after all.

The thought made her stomach constrict. Placing a palm over her gut, Frankie stood and gently pushed herself past people.

She had to find Jack. She had to remind herself why this crazy move had been worth it.

As she walked in front of the bleachers—the announcer talking about the price of beverages or something—her eyes roamed about in search of Jack. What she found instead was a tall, attractive stranger, his cowboy hat askew on top of his short, messy hair.

He turned and, with the most gorgeous green eyes she had ever seen, looked back at her. Smirking, he winked.

Frankie blushed and snapped her gaze to the side. Jack, Jack, Jack—where was Jack?

If she was still in New York City, she would be spending this Saturday at a matinee. The lilting-then-dramatic music, fun costumes, inspirational or devastating themes…

Her lips spread into a feeble smile, tiredness and dust stinging her eyes.

She glanced around the bleachers and arena a few times, her gaze noticing a few gentlemen leading that poor calf to an adjacent stall.

She had to get out of here. Just for a little while. Besides, Jack might be back at his truck. Maybe he had forgotten his wallet and he went to retrieve it from the dash? Or maybe he was bored out of his mind and he didn’t want to admit it aloud, so he went to his truck to hide.

Good plan, Frankie thought as she speed-walked to the parking lot.

In retrospect, Jack’s occasional suggestion for her to move back to New York City should have tipped her off in regards to his infidelity. If not that, then their constant bickering, maybe. Or the fact that every time they went to events together, he eventually ditched her.

“Got caught up in something,” he had told her over and over again. “Sorry, babe. Maybe you should go back to New York?”

Had he been cheating on her this entire time? Frankie couldn’t help but wonder as she gaped at Jack and an another woman getting it on in the back of Jack’s pickup. The very pickup she had helped him buy.

The blaring sun rays reflected off the vehicle at various angles, blinding Frankie a bit. Yet she could not look away—could not ignore the sounds of Jack grinding into this woman, the result of that being the slight rocking of the truck.

The woman wasn’t even moaning or gasping. He wasn’t even doing it right.

Frankie glanced around. There were a couple people in the massive parking lot, but no one noticed the dry-humping that was going on. Unbelievable.

She nearly shouted—nearly grabbed Jack—but she steeled herself at the last moment and backed away. Heart shattering, Frankie found the strength to turn around and walk away. The rage searing through her was chaotic and painful, as if it was trying to tear itself out of her skin.

She kept walking though. She would not be an abuser, would not be an attacker like the cowboys here.

Jack was no innocent calf, but she was no cowboy.

CHAPTER TWO

Adrenaline rushed through Hanes’s veins as he settled himself on top of the bull, huffing and stamping in the tiny stall. Hanes grinned with a maddening kind of delight. The audience had gone quiet, their anticipation thick and sweet in the air. Hanes swore he could hear his own pulse—feel the massive animal beneath him twitch.

The others helped to make sure he was seated fully on top of the bull—each boot in its respective stirrup and all that. Hanes barely noticed anyone else though, his eyes trained on the back of the animal’s neck.

Everyone backed away.

Seconds of silence ticked by.

Hanes tightened his grip on the rope that was tied around the bull’s torso.

Bells rang—the buzzer blared—and the gate was opened, allowing the bull to rush forward.

The crowd cheered as the bull sprinted and jarred Hanes side to side.

His sweaty palms, though covered by his gloves, scraped against the rope. He didn’t feel it though and he tightened his grip. Euphoria and fear iced his blood, making his torso tighten and tickle.

The bull bucked, throwing Hanes up a bit but not all the way off.

A laugh got clogged up in his throat.

This was living. Being near the edge of death, facing off with an animal physically stronger than yourself—it made Hanes feel realer than he did doing anything else. The pay wasn’t half bad either, though it would be considerably more if he branched out to other rodeos—other companies, sponsors—

The bull shoved itself against the wall and bucked, making Hanes reel to the side before snapping back into place. A laugh did burst out of him then, brief as it was, before the bull jumped toward the center of the arena.

This was never about money, not really. Money was nice, but it meant very little to Hanes Copper in the wake of his father’s death. Hanes’s brothers can deal with the lawyers—can make future plans in regards to the stables, ranches, and the whole damn company—Hanes didn’t care. Dad was dead, gone forever, and no amount of wealth or control was ever going to ease the agony that pulsated deep within Hanes’s torso.

An adrenaline rush came close though.

The bull jiggled, then bucked.

Breathless, Hanes smiled.

After the rodeo ended, the announcer telling the departing audience about other scheduled events, Hanes lingered in the stands. His elbows rested on his knees, his forearms hanging downward. Now that he was calming, grief echoed more loudly in his empty chest. He stared forward.

His dad was a good man. Money hadn’t changed him, no sir. Not like it did to Hanes’s brothers. They grew up wealthy, and they were desperate to always stay that way.