Mated to the Pride: A Military Shifter Reverse Harem Romance Read online

  Mated to the Pride

  Jade Alters

  Contents

  1. Blake

  2. Jessica

  3. Hale

  4. Jessica

  5. Stone

  6. Jessica

  7. Preston

  8. Jessica

  9. Blake

  10. Stone

  11. Jessica

  12. Blake

  13. Hale

  14. Jessica

  15. Hale

  16. Preston

  17. Jessica

  18. Blake

  19. Stone

  20. Jessica

  21. Hale

  22. Jessica

  23. Stone

  24. Jessica

  Afterword

  Also by Jade Alters

  Blake

  Our pride’s workout routine was always punishing, but never more so than the few weeks before a big mission. Now that there were only ten days before we left for our latest engagement, I was holding nothing back. As alpha commander, senior both in our pride and our military actions, it was my responsibility to keep these men alive.

  Of course, I did that in many different ways — but keeping them in peak physical condition definitely wouldn’t hurt.

  I paced my breathing as I continued on the rowing machine, pushing hard to meet the same high bar I’d set for the others. Sure, we stuck to traditional pride hierarchy like any other group of shifters, but our work bound us together. I was their leader, but also their equal. I never asked them to do anything I wouldn’t do myself.

  “You okay there, chief?”

  I paused to look across at the speaker. If I wasn’t pushing my body so hard, Hale’s grin would be as infectious as always. Of the entire pride, it was Hale that had the most feline energy in this form. His dark, narrow eyes were intense and focused, playful as he was. Outsiders tended to find him intimidating and were surprised to learn that nobody in our group agreed — especially since Hale was also my second-in-command.

  I shot him a look back. “I’m fine.”

  “I don’t know. You got some heavy breathing going on over there.”

  I shook my head. I was too focused to smile, but Hale knew me well enough to read it in my eyes. “Focus on yourself, smart-ass. You sure you haven’t turned down the resistance?”

  “I just want everyone to know,” said Hale, turning around to face Stone and Preston, “that our fearless leader is accusing me of slacking off.”

  “Uh-huh,” said Preston. He wasn’t much of a talker, but he didn’t have to be. The smirk he shot back at Hale did all the talking for him. Strangers tended to be confused by that. They hadn’t learned to pick up on his signals like we had and saw him as a mystery man. An enigma. The piercings in his upper ear and eyebrow likely helped that along — as well as his sleek wave of dark hair, dashed with a fleck of premature silver. Preston was only 28, and looked it. The little gray looked curious, and often had people joking that we put him through too much stress.

  “If only he could accuse you of shutting up,” said Stone.

  “Wow,” Hale shot back. “I resent that.”

  Like Hale, Stone was never too tired to smile, and had a playful look even now as he pushed hard through the rowing motions. These youngest two members of our pride, Stone at 26 and Hale at 27, were always batting friendly insults back and forth between one another. At 30, I wasn’t much older, but I still didn’t know where they got their energy from.

  Maybe my mind was just occupied with more serious things.

  “How much time left?” Stone asked.

  “One more minute,” I said. “Then we run.”

  “Thank fuck.” Stone pressed on, lifting a hand to push back the bleach-blond sweep of his hair. Needless to say, that bleach-blond was the subject of a lot of Hale’s teasing, but nobody could deny that it suited him. As alpha of the pride, I kind of had to appreciate that at least one of us was sporting something like a mane in human form.

  It wasn’t exactly the most practical haircut for paramilitary operations, but Stone was our medic. I figured I could cut him a little slack.

  When the timer finally hit zero, the room gave a collective exhale. All the tension in our muscles faded away to sweat and heat, and there was a fizz of relief in the air as we headed outside.

  “Good work today,” I said, pausing to pat Preston’s shoulder as he passed, and closing the door behind us. “I didn’t hear too many complaints. Everybody had good form. Shaping up pretty well for next week.”

  “If we’re not exhausted,” said Hale, rolling his shoulders back. “Shit. I wish my lion wasn’t so ready to go right now. I want to fall down face-first into a snack.”

  “You always do,” Stone teased. “C’mon. Let’s get this over with.”

  As he reached the edge of the gravel path outside our home, he shifted in the blink of an eye. Where there had once been lithe limbs and tan skin, Stone was now all sand-colored fur — the well-shaped, muscular form of a lion’s body, paws pounding against the floor hard enough to leave imprints in the crumbly earth.

  The rest of us followed close behind, keeping pace with our medic. Even your average human could probably spot the difference between us, but it was even easier for our pride. Stone’s blond hair seemed to be reflected in the lightness of his mane, and how it so closely mirrored the rest of his fur. Flecks of gray were peppered through Preston’s dark, near-black mane. Hale stood taller than the rest of us, and with a reddish sheen to him that was absent from his human form. As for me, I was a muddy gray with a mane that lightened at the edges, with muscular limbs that marked me out as leader.

  Of course, human eyes wouldn’t catch all these details at first glance. For one thing, we were moving quick enough to be easily missed, dust whipping up around us in a storm. After working our human bodies so hard today, this felt like a treat. Like the best kind of cool-down stretch. We wouldn’t feel like ourselves if we had no time to do this. Our human forms were fine, but there was something pure and right about this form that we needed every once in a while. However the others experienced it, I could feel the earth pulsing through my paws, connected to me in a way that my other shape wasn’t.

  We could communicate differently in this form, too. We didn’t need to speak to fall into formation, forming a chain that worked perfectly as we made our way through the undergrowth and the tightly-packed forest. We each took turns in the lead, fast and furious as we coursed over gulches and dips in the ground. It was seamless. Nobody had to snarl or roar to advertise their position; we were just aware of each other, as easily as we were aware of ourselves. We barely had to think about it.

  This innate sense of flow and cooperation was why we worked so well together as a military unit. Maybe our commanding officer didn’t really understand what bonded us so closely. Our shifter status was highly classified information. Still, it was obvious to everyone who came into contact with us how useful our unspoken communication could be in any intense and difficult situation.

  This was why we were trusted with such important missions. This was why we were being sent away in ten days. No amount of physical aptitude or training could compare to the kind of team that we had — and our physical skills were top-notch in any case.

  It was a tough life. We worked hard, and had little time to ourselves, but the pride kept each other sane and happy. There’d be time for fun and settling down later in our lives.

  Probably.

  By the time our lion muscles were as exhausted as our human ones, the sun was just about to come down. I took the lead again as we headed back home, feeling the
earth cool underneath our paws, and only shifted back again as we reached the yard.

  I opened the door, glancing over my shoulder at the sound of Hale’s yawn. He had already shifted back, stretching his arms with a slight grimace. “Man. Hard work today. I needed that run.”

  “I think we all did,” I agreed, holding the door open so that each one of them could pass — first Hale, already yawning again, and then Preston and Stone behind him. “But we’ll be grateful for being in the best possible shape when we’re out there in Sigma territory.”

  “Damn right.”

  We flopped into the long angular couch, big enough to hold us all with a little extra space… in human form, at least. Even draped over these soft cushions, ready to be lazy for the rest of the day now, I could see the strength in my pride’s arms, and I knew we were ready. I had faith that not only were we likely to succeed in this mission, but we’d do it fast too — and safely.

  Still, there was one thing left to discuss before we started our final preparations.

  “Guys,” I said, glancing over my shoulder. “This place is a dump.”

  I was only barely exaggerating. As we’d been training so hard, the kitchen had been used to prepare several meals that hadn’t quite been cleared away yet, and there were piles of clothes dropped all over the floor from where tired lions had abandoned their human things and never come back for them. Our enhanced shifter senses weren’t much of a good thing when you could smell dust in the air, and see crumbs that needed lifting from the carpet all the way across the other side of the room.

  This… would not work for our mission.

  “We’ve got time yet to clear it up,” said Stone, smoothing the suede of the couch arm all in the same direction. “Really shouldn’t take that long.”

  “Uh-huh,” I said. “But we can’t have the cabin like this in Sigma.”

  Preston wrinkled his nose. “Huh. Yeah.”

  “It’s a distraction,” I said. “And clearly we’ve been focusing pretty hard on other things the past week or so. The workload isn’t going to be lighter once we’re actually out there. Maybe we need to work something out.”

  “What, like a rota?”

  “Hale,” said Stone, eyes bright, “we all know you’d never stick to a rota.”

  “Actually,” I pressed on, before Hale could bite back, “I was thinking more like external help. Somebody we’d bring along specifically to take care of the cabin for us.”

  “A shifter?” said Preston.

  I shrugged, considering it. “I don’t know. It could be hard to find somebody in time now. It’s so last-minute. I think we’re going to have to put an ad out in the paper and hope for the best. Maybe go through an agency if we absolutely have to, but… I’d prefer somebody we can approve of ourselves.”

  “That would be my concern,” said Hale, wearing his serious hat for once. “We need somebody trustworthy, and also who understands that the place we’re going is not exactly safe. That they need to take any instructions we give them seriously.”

  “We could interview for that,” I agreed, nodding. “Stone? Preston? What do you think?”

  “The budget allows for it,” confirmed Stone, finally looking up from his cell phone screen. “We have a surplus. I think you’re right; I think it makes sense.”

  “We’re going to have to be careful,” said Preston. “If they’re not a shifter. If they don’t know...”

  “It wouldn’t be the first time we had to keep the secret,” Hale pointed out. “We could shift back before we got to the cabin every day.”

  “Would it be harder to make sure we’re not followed, that way?” Preston folded his arms, brow furrowed in concentration as he tried to answer his own question. “I’m not against it. Just want to make sure we’re doing the right thing here.”

  “Let’s think about it,” I suggested. “We can put out the ad and see who shows up to interview. Trust our instincts. If somebody fits, we’ll make it work. If they don’t…”

  “We teach Hale how to follow a rota,” said Stone, dodging as Hale tried to swat his arm.

  We had a plan. Now, it just remained to be seen whether it would actually work out for us or not — and if this was really a good idea.

  Jessica

  I sipped my coffee as I headed out of Starbucks, even though it was still a little too hot. The barista was so busy it appeared she would run off her feet, but she seemed to like her job a hell of a lot more than I liked mine. I checked my watch, picking up the pace to make sure I reached the station in time to catch the next train home.

  I didn’t want to spend a single minute more away from home. Today had really taken it out of me.

  You would think that sitting behind a desk all day would leave you pretty well-rested, but it was actually the exact opposite. The more time I spent cooped up and staring at expense reports on a computer screen, the more I wanted to run out of that place and never look back — not that I had the energy to run.

  The pay was okay. The benefits were reasonable. The commute was long, but it could be a heck of a lot worse.

  But didn’t I deserve something a little bit more than okay?

  It felt like I spent most of my life working. A few years ago, I’d left college believing that my life was just about to kick into high gear. Now, I barely saw the friends I’d made there, who I’d felt so close to back then. None of us ever seemed to have time off that coincided. My life had turned into the kind of treadmill I’d only seen in movies and ‘before’ pictures.

  I needed an injection of something good and different. Fast.

  Once I finally got a seat on the train and could settle down with my coffee and my evening paper, I fell into the usual routine. I scanned the Missed Connections section first, always hoping in vain that some Prince Charming or other would have seen me across the counter at Subarro and fallen head over heels in love with me. It could happen, right? But for some reason, there were no notices that fit my description today — just like every other day.

  Never mind. On to the classified ads.

  A couple of people were selling pure-breed puppies. If my apartment allowed pets, I might have considered it, but… not for the thousands of dollars these breeders wanted to charge. Somebody wanted five hundred bucks for an old couch. Judging by the attached picture, it might be worth that if it had four hundred hidden under the seat cushions.

  There really wasn’t much of interest today. I was about to close the paper and go back to daydreaming with my coffee when my eyes caught on a job advertisement.

  Live-in home manager wanted, it read. Competitive pay. Join our tight-knit team in a remote location for full three-month term, with a near-immediate start. Duties will include cooking, cleaning and general home maintenance. All applicants welcome to interview — good personality fit required. Call for details.

  There was nothing special about it. It certainly wasn’t my area of work. I studied finance at college, and now I stared at facts and figures all day, preparing detailed cost breakdowns and profit/loss reports. I could cook and clean, of course, but I’d never considered doing it for a living. Not even slightly.

  So why was I itching to call that number?

  My fingertips hovered over the ad. Could it be that I was just lonely? They mentioned a tight-knit team, which would be a far cry away from the cut-and-dry environment of my office, where nobody exchanged more than a couple of sentences with one another. Either that, or it could be the thought of getting out of the city for a couple of months.

  Now that the idea had wormed into my head, I couldn’t shake it. The feeling was surreal. I had never even thought about leaving my job before, at least not in a serious way. Now here I was feeling drawn to a random ad in the paper that didn’t even cover my expertise. However competitive the pay was, could it really compete with my current salary for my highly-trained job?

  I dropped the paper to my lap, frowning down at my coffee. I was probably just tired. I needed to get home, make a quic
k dinner and binge something on Netflix. If I needed to call that number and set up an interview just to scratch the itch, then so be it. It didn’t mean I had to actually attend it.

  Man, scratch ‘make a quick dinner’. I needed takeout tonight. That much was for sure.

  When I found myself in an Uber pulling up to a big house outside the city at 5:30pm the following day, I could barely believe I had come this far. Surely I wasn’t really going to leave my safe, secure office job for this opportunity, no matter how well the interview went? I was probably just setting myself up for an hour of awkwardness and a pointless rejection.

  All risk, no reward.

  “Alright,” said my Uber driver Shanice, giving me a big cheery grin as she pulled to a stop. “Here you go. Don’t look so nervous, okay? You’re going to do great.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Hey, none of that,” she said, wagging a finger at me. “You made a great impression on me. I’m sure they’re going to love you. And if you figure out you don’t want the job, then… at least you don’t have any regrets, you know? You took your shot. That’s what life’s all about.”

  “You’re adorable,” I said, although privately I couldn’t help but feel like I needed to stop telling my life story to every friendly stranger I met. Shanice was cool, but she probably didn’t want to know about my unnecessary job interview woes. “Thanks for the pep talk. Have a good day!”

  I watched the car pull away. I wasn’t a nervous person, but I couldn’t help chewing the inside of my lip as I walked up to the front door of this house. It looked like a nice place. The advert was asking for a ‘good personal fit’. If the people who lived here were really well-off, chances were that I wasn’t going to be on their level. I lived paycheck-to-paycheck, pretty much.