Alpha Unmasked: BBW Bear Shifter Romance (Greenwood Shifters Book 1) (12 page)

R
achel’s sandals
clacked against the hardwood floor. The house was large, but empty, and the sound reverberated off of the walls. She glanced out of the glass doors to the balcony at the hills beyond. Her room in Megan’s apartment was too small for the both of them, and Dirk insisted on an upgrade, a new house for their new life together.

He’d picked a beautiful house in the hills. The house was newly remodeled, but not as modern or as large as the compound. It still had some of the California charm Rachel loved. The view was staggering. At night, they could watch the twinkling lights of the neighborhoods below. Rachel hadn’t realized such a view existed in the middle of Los Angeles.

“Look at that view,” the realtor said. The woman hovered closer to Dirk than Rachel liked, but she didn’t worry. Her Alpha only had eyes for her. “It’s the best in the neighborhood. And this far in the hills it’s quiet.”

They’d settled on Silver Lake, a trendy neighborhood built on curving hills. The area was quiet, just as the realtor promised, and the hills and trees provided some of the nature her mate craved.

Dirk grasped her shoulders from behind and slid a hand to cup her ample rear. The still-new Alpha couldn’t get enough of his mate, and she felt the same. He’d experienced a surge of confidence and vitality since he’d become Alpha. His touch was still gentle, but their lovemaking had taken on a delicious frenzy since they’d moved in together.

“Bear’s ready for cubs,” Rachel had said. She was only joking, but still she pushed along the wedding plans. Her mother would never forgive her if she were showing during her wedding. Luckily she had Miranda to help.

They’d grown closer in the weeks since Dirk had claimed Rachel. Miranda had even invested in Rachel’s business, allowing her to find a space for her bakery in their new, pricey neighborhood. Miranda never had a daughter of her own, and she seemed to delight in helping Rachel learn what it took to be an Alpha’s mate. Even Cyrus had warmed to her as he took his position as Clan Elder rather than Alpha.

The question on all of their minds was how the other clans would react to her. The Tenwicks had been invited to the wedding, an invitation they summarily declined, as had all of the east coast clans. Dirk insisted that it was just politics. The east coast clans were old and tightly bound by marriage, blood, and friendly alliances. If Marlow Tenwick, the most powerful of the east coast Alphas, refused to approve the marriage then the other clans couldn’t either. But representatives from the other West Coast clans had accepted. It seemed that they weren’t as stringent with their mating rules as the East Coast clans, and when word began to spread through social circles that Dirk Greenwood had found a true mate in a human, the West Coast clans had been eager for a look at her. It still weighed on Rachel a little that her presence cost the clan connections in the east, but everyone else made peace with it and moved on.

“Could you give us a minute to talk about it?” Dirk asked. Rachel felt the air in the empty room get heavy and a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. She couldn’t say why it exhilarated her when he exerted dominance, but it did.

“Of course,” the realtor said as she excused herself.

Dirk turned her around and pulled their bodies close together. His hands cupped the curves of her buttocks without shame.

“What do you think, love?”

“It’s not as impressive as the compound, but it’s certainly fit for an Alpha.”

“And his bride,” he said.

“But will it be big enough for when you have to receive guests?” When she wasn’t expanding the bakery or basking in Dirk’s passionate embrace, Rachel studied clan politics with Miranda. There were many rituals she needed to learn, some ancient, some new. At times it was overwhelming. But her new family seemed confident that in time she’d grow into her position as the Alpha’s mate.

Her first test was coming soon. She and Dirk would travel to the unclaimed territories and forge an alliance with Maddock’s community. Dirk would also welcome Maddock’s mate into the clan. The ties between Clan Greenwood and Maddock’s community would give them a foothold in the east, without putting them in the path of the Tenwicks again. Rachel found she missed Maddock’s lopsided smile and easy laugh. And she wanted to thank him for giving his support to Dirk when he needed it most.

“Hmm, if it’s not I’m sure we can use the compound. The important thing is, do you like it?”

Rachel glanced at the towering ceilings and the sunlight that filled the room.

“I think I do,” she said.

It was empty now, but they would fill this space with laughter and cakes, with happiness and love. They would raise their children here, and at the compound. There’d be no more secrets between them. No more plots or schemes in Clan Greenwood. Dirk would lead with honor and honesty, and Rachel would be right there by his side.

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ant
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S
.A
. Ravel is an avid reader, writer, nature lover, and all around geek-of-all-trades. She honed her passion for storytelling as a teen. A wanderer at heart, Miss Ravel eventually traded the misty shores and towering redwoods of Humboldt Country for the concrete jungles of Los Angeles. She writes steamy tales about Alpha males and the curvy, strong women who love them.

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