the Alpha's surrender (ebook)

She fights him tooth and nail at every turn. And he likes it.

On the verge of war between the shifters and the Dark Fae, the last thing alpha wolf Cedric Kincaid has on his mind is falling for a fiery, stubborn, Fae lass. But the faerie prince has one last move in his game- to mate Cedric to the princess. At first, he adamantly refuses. But the more he thinks about it, the more Cedric warms to the idea. Och, aye. Duana is the most intriguing lass he's ever met, and he would be able to keep an eye on her this way. But there's just one major problem: She wants nothing to do with him.

Duana is not the evil faerie everyone thinks she is. Yes, she's done some questionable things in her life, but she has her reasons. And most of them revolve around saving her people from the inescapable addiction they are prone to in this world. Now the portal that kept them away is cracking, and she's in a race against time to find a cure before they escape. She has neither the time nor the inclination to "date". Especially not a mangy alpha wolf who scorches her body with his white-hot eyes and turns her insides to mush with his Scottish brogue.

Cedric would give his life for the safety of this pack.
But he soon learns it would be far more painful to give up his heart.

Cedric waited inside the cabin with Lucian and Keelin and wondered—again—how everyone had been aware of Lucian’s secret hidey-hole except for him. 

He was the alpha. There should be no secrets between him and the shifters he was responsible for. What if something had happened and he’d needed to find Lucian? Or the pup had gotten hurt while he was out here and the others were gone and Cedric didn’t know where to find him?

How the fook was he supposed to protect his family if they hid things from him?

A low growl emanated in the center of his chest and he released the tension on a long exhale. Lucian had always been a crabbit beast, fighting Cedric’s dominance over him every time he turned around. At least until the young one had mated Keelin. The lass was not only The Key and the most important element to keeping the soul suckers locked away in their own dimension, but she was also the one responsible for single-handedly taming the demons inside of Lucian. 

And that made Cedric’s job a hell of a lot easier. 

A low growl rumbled through the silent room, one not of his making this time, and Cedric realized he was smiling gratefully at the lass who currently filled his thoughts. 

She smiled in return before running a soothing hand over her irate mate’s back, soothing his possessive grumblings.

The storm raging in Lucian’s blue-gray eyes tempered down to a minor squall at her touch, and he grabbed her hand and kissed the back of her knuckles before shooting Cedric an apologetic glance for threatening him. 

Cedric narrowed his eyes in warning, but to be honest, he didn’t take offense. Much. Wolves were extremely territorial, especially over their mates. And Lucian, a wolf who ran a wee bit hotter than the others, took this to an extreme. 

The door opened and a male nearly as tall as Cedric with long, wavy brown hair and a short beard ducked through the opening. His bright blue eyes quickly cased the place before he reached back and took the hand of a female to assist her inside. She stumbled over the doorstep, but he was ready, catching her easily and grinning when a heated blush rose up her neck to color her cheeks. Gently, he brushed her golden brown locks from her face and hugged her against his side as he pulled them out of the way so the others behind her could come in.

Marc entered in much the same way Brock had, his dark eyes landing on Cedric and waiting for his nod before he stepped fully inside. Turning, he gave a smile of encouragement to his Bronaugh as she followed him into the small cabin. The lass tucked a strand of wheat-blond hair behind her ear with her free hand. The other held tight to her mate’s arm. Cedric was relieved to see her eyes flashed no colors, but were a warm brown, much like her mate’s. 

Marc closed the door behind them and they took a seat on the bed, the only piece of furniture in the place other than a small table and chairs in the kitchen area and a wood stove near the door. 

The only ones missing were Duncan and Ryanne.

Although summer was fast approaching and the sun was rising through the trees, Cedric had closed the curtains over the single window when he, Lucian, and Keelin had gotten there, and with the door closed it took his eyes a partial second to adjust to the dim light. When they did, he walked to the entry of the kitchen, then turned to face the somber group. 

“Thank ye all for meeting me here. I did no’ want tae take a chance o’ the prince overhearing any o’ this.” 

There were a few curious looks, but no one raised any questions. Cedric looked at each of the lasses in turn. They were all Fae: one sweet and pure, one besieged by the sinister magic of the an olc, and one a little of both. He allowed his gaze to wander back to Bronaugh. “Can I trust all o’ ye?” Although the question was meant for all of them, he directed it toward her in particular. He held nothing against her for her heritage, but there was something happening with the lass, and his gut told him it wasn’t only the natural progression of her dark nature she was battling. 

“You can trust me,” she told him. “I’m not thrilled with what has happened with my people. But I am loyal to Marc above all else. I would never do anything that would put him in harm’s way.”

Something about her words struck Cedric as a wee bit…off, but for now, he only needed her reassurance she would not go off the deep end anytime soon. He gave her a nod and turned to the others. Heather was the only one who was of the na maithe tribe. And although she was raised on the other side of the world with humans, as a “daughter” of the Faerie prince, she was the next biggest risk. “What aboot ye, Heather? Tell me now if ye feel any sort o’ protective feelings for yer prince. None o’ us will blame ye for them, but I dinna want ye here if ye do, for yer own protection.”

Brock frowned and searched his mate’s expression as though the idea had never occurred to him.

But she only gave Cedric a quick shake of her head. “He’s only my prince as far as he needs to be to keep me off of his radar. After the little game he played with our lives—solely for his own amusement no matter what he may say—I believe he’s more crazy than anything. I am one hundred percent behind you. It’s time he was removed from the position of protector of our people. A position he never should have had to begin with.” 

Cedric didn’t miss the meaningful glance she sent to the other females. “The biggest thing I’ve learned since meeting all of you is that we are all Fae. It doesn’t matter what tribe or where or how we were raised. Soul suckers aside, there’s no reason for any animosity between us, and I think it’s Prince Nada who’s been feeding that opinion for a long time.” She looked at the others again. “Am I wrong?”

“No,” Keelin told her. “I don’t think you are.” She smiled at Heather, then at Bronaugh, before turning her attention back to Cedric. “What do you need to tell us? I can guarantee you it won’t leave this room.”

Satisfied with their answers, he apologized to their males. “I’m sorry I had tae go there, and did no’ warn ye ahead o’ time, but I needed tae be sure yer lasses spoke the truth.”

“It’s all right,” Marc said. “What’s going on? Why did ye need tae bring us way out here?”

Cedric linked his hands behind his back and grinned. “I have a bit o’ good news for ye. And again, allow me tae apologize for no’ being honest with ye until now. But I heard from Duncan. He is alive and well, and so is Ryanne.”