Brock, p.1
Brock, page 1
Brock
ALPHA DADDIES, BOOK TWO
PAIGE MICHAELS
Copyright © 2024 by Paige Michaels
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. And resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Contents
Newsletter
About the Book
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Author’s Note
About the Author
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About the Book
Alpha Daddies is a wolf shifter series that follows the lives of strong Alpha Protectors and the women they are fated to mate.
Suzette has waited twenty years to meet the Alpha Protector who is destined to claim her. In a cruel twist of Fate, she is drugged and abducted on the morning of her ceremony. When she awakes in a cage in a dark cave, she breaks down in tears over the tremendous loss, believing her life is ruined.
When Brock learns his intended has been kidnapped, his fury is immeasurable. Though he can’t scent the man who took her, he is able to follow the scent of his Little mate. He’s determined to find her and claim her no matter what. She is his.
It’s too easy to locate her, which raised many questions. Who took her? What is he? Will Brock’s pack be able to find the mysterious villain before he strikes again?
The books in this series include strong elements of age play. If this genre is offensive to you, this may not be the book or series for you.
Prologue
Two weeks ago…
“There’s a problem.”
Brock lifted his gaze from where he was adjusting the side rail on his mate’s crib. “What problem?” He turned his attention back to the screw as his best friend, Arion, stepped into the nursery.
“I can’t believe you’re just now finishing your mate’s nursery,” Arion joked. “I had Jezebel’s done years before I claimed her.”
Brock grunted as he lowered the screwdriver to adjust the next screw. “We aren’t all as eager as you, my friend. The room is almost done. I have two weeks still.”
What Arion didn’t know was that Brock was full of shit. He had been for twenty years. Arion had talked frequently about his mate, watched her from a distance in fascination, and obsessed over her as she grew up. Born two months before Brock’s mate, Jezebel had reached the age of twenty six weeks ago and had been claimed by Arion at that time.
Brock had made fun of his friend and teased him about his excessive preoccupation with Jezebel. Brock’s lack of interest had always puzzled Arion, but it had never been true.
Even though Brock had claimed, on many occasions, not to know who his mate was, he’d known. He’d always known. He’d taken great pleasure in seeking out his best friend where he’d often perched on a rock to watch his mate miles below in the valley. He’d done that because he’d known good and well that the gorgeous pale-skinned brunette who nearly always accompanied Jezebel was his own mate—Suzette.
It was also not true that Brock had put off finishing this nursery until recently. He’d had most of this stuff in boxes in the closet for years. He’d even gone so far as to snoop around in Suzette’s life enough to know her likes and dislikes so he could prepare a room she would love.
But no one knew any of that, and Brock found it comical.
“What the dickens are you even doing down there, Brock?”
“Tightening the screws.” So the side rail won’t accidentally lower on its own and create an unsafe sleeping environment for my mate.
Brock finished his task and rose to his feet. As he stood, he tipped his head back and inhaled deeply. Arion wasn’t the only visitor he was going to have today apparently. As his best friend of thirty-seven years, Arion had keys to the house and free rein to walk in anytime he wanted, but other Alpha males were approaching. Arion’s father. Brock’s father. Two of their respective brothers, Damon and Elias. “What’s going on?”
“I told you there’s a problem.”
“I assumed you were referring to my preparedness.” Brock put the screwdriver back in the tool box and followed Arion out to the living room.
“I wasn’t.”
“And this requires a family meeting?”
“It does.”
Brock drew in a frustrated breath. “And you’re not going to give me a head’s up?”
“No.”
Brock grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge and tossed one to his friend before opening the other and taking a long drink. He headed for the front door and opened it as the other four men approached.
Nervous energy put Brock on edge. Whatever was going on, it couldn’t be life-threatening, or Arion wouldn’t have stood around shooting the shit with Brock about the crib.
“Son,” his father, Owen, stated as he stepped into the house.
Talon, Arion’s father, nodded as he entered, followed by Damon and Elias.
Brock shut the door and turned to find all five of his guests with furrowed brows and disconcerting wide stances. “Someone talk.”
Talon cleared his throat. “There have been a few reports of someone stalking your mate.”
Brock took a step back, feeling as though he’d been punched in the gut.
“We can’t be certain,” his own father continued, “but we like to take these matters seriously.”
Brock ran a hand over his hair, too stunned to respond. His heart was racing. Whoever the fuck thought they could harass his Little girl and get away with it was seriously mistaken.
“We don’t think it’s an outsider,” Talon informed him. “It would be tough for someone from a rival pack—either the Grelians or the Loawens—to infiltrate the valley without anyone scenting them.”
Brock nodded slowly, still processing. “One of our own—a Drydus—would dare to approach a marked Alpha mate?”
“Perhaps. Or maybe we’re overreacting,” Arion suggested.
“How many confirmed reports have you had?” Brock asked.
“Four,” Talon confirmed.
“And no one knows who it is?”
“Unfortunately, no,” Talon said. “No one has caught his scent. Average height, average build. Nothing else to go on.”
“So, what do we do? Perhaps we should complete the mating ceremony early?”
Owen shook his head. “You know we can’t do that. It’s against pack law. A mate must reach the age of twenty before she can be claimed.”
Brock rolled his eyes. “As if two weeks could possibly make a difference. Her safety matters more.”
“Nevertheless, that isn’t the best option. What if next time it was two months or two years?” his father pointed out.
“We have another idea,” Talon said as he glanced at the two brothers who had not yet spoken. “We’re going to place Damon and Elias as her guards for the next two weeks.”
Brock drew in a breath and shifted his gaze to his brother and Arion’s. “That’s risky.”
“It is, but measures have been taken to minimize those risks,” Talon added.
It was rare for unmated Alpha males to descend into the valley with regularity because there existed the risk that they might accidentally encounter their future mate. In most instances, the Alpha males were well aware of their mate’s identity. Whether or not he chose to be informed was another matter, but the leaders most definitely had every detail recorded from the moment a female wolf shifter was born in the valley with the mark of her future Alpha.
Brock was aware that both Damon’s and Elias’s mates were also approaching their age of maturity. Their own claiming ceremonies were growing close.
Brock rubbed his temples as he wandered farther into the room, a feeling of unease consuming him. Sure he’d spent the last twenty years pretending to everyone around that he was disinterested in knowing anything about his future mate, but none of that was true.
Brock’s chest tightened at the thought of anything happening to her. Tightened to the point of pain. He lowered onto the sofa and set his elbows on his knees. “I’ll take the nights.”
“No,” his father argued. “Elias and Damon will switch on and off. It’s only for two weeks.”
Brock lifted his gaze. “This isn’t negotiable. I’ll take the nights.” If Elias and Damon followed his sweet mate around during the day and kept a close eye on her while the sun was up, great. But no way would Brock be able to sleep at night without standing guard outside his mate’s house. He could do so without being detected by anyone.
There was a long silence before Talon sighed and nodded. “Make sure you’re not seen.”
Chapter One
Two weeks later…
Suzette bolted awake and sat upright, gasping for air. It had happened ag
In reality, she knew someone was watching her. She was well aware that two members of the Alpha Protectors had been guarding her night and day. She’d been more than aware. Her entire life had turned upside down two weeks ago when her parents had informed her she would not be leaving the house again until the mating ceremony.
Suzette felt like she was suffocating from being cooped up for so long. She wasn’t the sort of person who liked to be alone in her room. She liked to be around other people, breathing in the fresh outdoor air.
As a female member of the Drydus pack of wolf shifters, she had attended an all-girl’s school with the rest of the unmated females her entire life. It was how things were done.
No matter what age a female was claimed, they all attended school until their claiming ceremony. Twenty was the age of consent. Though she was a marked female who would be claimed on her twentieth birthday, her unmarked peers followed the same rules.
Suzette had been forced to quit school two weeks early in order to ensure her safety. She hadn’t been in favor of the decision, but she hadn’t argued with her father when he’d informed her of her sequestration.
She’d thought she could handle two weeks. Just fourteen days. She’d continually told herself that the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow would be reuniting with her best friend, Jezebel, who had been claimed two months ago. As next-door neighbors and best friends, it had been fortuitous that the girls had both been born with the mark on their right wrist.
Panting heavily, she glanced around her childhood bedroom. It was still dark out, but she knew the sun would be up soon. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes as, yet again, she drew in the now familiar scent that had infiltrated her bedroom every morning at this hour for fourteen days.
It wasn’t a nefarious scent. She didn’t believe it belonged to her stalker. It was woodsy, deeply masculine, and heady. It filled her lungs and made her tremble. Her skin tingled, and her body reacted in ways she’d never experienced before. A longing she couldn’t describe consumed her, making her squeeze her legs together as she crossed her arms and applied pressure to her breasts.
The scent belonged to her mate. She was certain, though she’d never told her parents or any other person. He came to her in the night, watched over her, kept her safe.
It was unnerving because she knew he’d watched her sleep for two weeks while she’d never yet seen him.
That would change today. Today was the ceremony. Today she would meet her mate for the first time and start the next phase of her life.
Unlike Jezebel, Suzette had never had the sensation that her mate had watched her grow up. She’d forced herself to ignore the sadness that had often consumed her, unwilling to verbalize her concerns to her friend or anyone else.
What if the reason she’d never sensed his presence had been because he’d been disinterested in her? What if he didn’t even want a mate? What if he found her lacking or wasn’t attracted to her? She’d had about a hundred other negative thoughts over the years, all of which she’d stuffed into a metaphorical box, praying on this day her fears would be eased.
Though she had lost some sleep in the past two weeks from jolting awake before the sun, she’d also felt a strange comforting sense, believing her mate cared enough to watch her every night.
Suzette had been so bored and tired that she’d started taking naps in the afternoon. She hadn’t taken a nap since she’d been about four. But lately, she’d been unable to keep her eyes open after lunch.
Suzette threw the covers back and slid out of bed before padding over to the window and looking out into the darkness.
No one was out there. No one was watching her. No way would she ever mention the visits she believed to have had in the night to a living soul. If she were mistaken, they would think her loony. If she was correct… There was no telling how the elders might receive such information. Alpha Protectors were forbidden contact with their mates until the day of their twentieth birthday.
There was no chance she would be able to go back to sleep, so she headed for the bathroom to begin preparations for today’s ceremony. She would wash her hair early, giving it plenty of time to dry. She would also shave and cover her body in her favorite lavender-scented lotion.
Modesty had been drilled into her from birth. It was the way of her people. Females never exposed any of themselves outside of the home. They didn’t even do so in front of their own family members. The only time Suzette was naked was alone in her windowless bathroom.
After she entered, she locked the door. Thoughts of her mate and what he might look like consumed her as she turned on the shower and removed her shift. While the water heated, she turned toward the full-length mirror on the back of the door and stared at her naked body.
Suzette had no idea if she was attractive or not. Looks weren’t something her people ever commented on. Her mother had always told her what mattered was what was in her heart and mind.
What mattered was that she impress her new mate with her submission and obedience.
It was ridiculous that she continued to feel his presence nearby. There was little chance he had come close to her even once in the past two weeks, let alone nightly. It didn’t matter. She preferred to pretend he’d been there. It comforted her.
As she stared at her body in the mirror, she ran her hands up her torso and cupped her breasts. Her breath hitched, and her cheeks heated as she stroked her nipples until they turned into hard points.
Touching herself like this was new also. It was frowned upon. Her mother hadn’t spoken to her much about sex, but she’d given her a basic five-minute rundown a few years ago. At that time, she’d told her it would be best if she left her pleasure up to her future mate and didn’t take it for herself.
Until two weeks ago, Suzette hadn’t had the foggiest clue what her mother had been speaking of. The feelings that came to the surface every morning when she awoke were new to her and left her breathless and curious. A tightness had manifested in her stomach and lingered throughout the morning. She’d found herself distracted by thoughts of what her mate might look like and what it would feel like to be touched by him.
As she ran her hands down her torso and along her inner thighs, her breath hitched. She closed her eyes and pictured her mate doing this, touching her reverently and intimately.
She wanted to feel more, to reach between her legs and stroke her folds. She knew wetness had gathered there and her private parts were swollen and needy. She refrained, however. “Today,” she murmured to her reflection. “Today you will meet him and start your forever.”
She prayed her imagination had not led her down a path that would leave her disappointed.
Forcing herself to focus on preparing herself for the ceremony, she showered and dressed in the first few layers of shifts that would go beneath her ceremonial dress. She would wait for the last moment to put the dress on over the top.
The shifts covered her as modestly as any other floor-length dress she’d worn in her life, and she left her room in search of tea, something that might settle her stomach.
Her mother, Silvia, was in the kitchen, and she smiled broadly. “Good morning, Suzette. How did you sleep?”
“Fine.” Until my mate awoke me.
“Hungry?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think I could eat. Just some tea, please.”
Silvia chuckled. “I don’t think I ate a bite on the morning of my mating ceremony.” She set a cup of peppermint tea on the table. “Put plenty of sugar in it, though.”
Suzette sat at the table, her feet bare, her hair damp, and sipped the tea while her mother chattered on about anything and everything to fill the time.
When her father entered a few hours later, his brow was furrowed. He kissed his wife and drew in a breath. “There’s a problem at the plant. I need to go take care of it before the ceremony.”
Her mother gasped, her eyes wide. “Strogan, can’t it wait? It’s our daughter’s mating day.”
