Hi guys! We have Victoria Sue stopping by today with her brand new release The Alpha Heir, we have a fantastic excerpt to share with you so check out the post and enjoy! <3 ~Pixie~
The Alpha Heir
Victoria Sue
Man and wolf. Sworn enemies in the battle for Askara. Can hate and betrayal ever lead to love?
Caleb Harken has spent six years wrongfully imprisoned for his father’s treachery. Tortured and reviled by the very wolf pack he should have been leading as Alpha, he is not surprised to learn he’s finally to meet his death at the hands of the human rebel leader, Taegan Callan.
Taegan gave up his dreams of a life-mate and a family after seeing too many humans butchered at the hands of the wolves—even if Caleb doesn’t seem to be the bloodthirsty savage he expects, and even if he starts to long for a different kind of future with the wolf.
Can Caleb become the Alpha he was always meant to be and lead his pack, or will he finally realize that winning his freedom means nothing when he has already lost his heart?
Amazon
Excerpt!
“Taegan.”
Taegan looked in confusion at his mom, who stood by the door of his room with a bowl of half eaten food. He’d walked into the passages and headed back in a daze. By the tone in Renee’s voice, he had a feeling he’d been so lost in his thoughts she’s had to say his name twice.
“He’s still not eating enough,” she said helplessly and her blue eyes that rested on him were lit with such worry.
He followed his mom back to the cooking area — the ones by the entrance were the only caves lit by natural light and contained the kitchen and the fires for heating their food. There was always a pot of some sort of stew kept on for when the rebels returned, or if someone was just hungry. They were lucky. They kept chickens and the wolves wanted a lot of work out of the humans that picked the grapes. It wouldn’t have been in their best interests to make them go hungry, and they always had some spare for those close that needed it.
“He’s barely eaten anything today. Silas couldn’t even get him to.” Silas hadn’t gone to Nairn as his friend was travelling and he would send a bird when he returned. Taegan had been absent most of the day as after meeting his team leaders he had helped to train some of their men in throwing knives, which he was especially good at. It was one of the best and easiest ways of killing the gammas. No human would stand a chance in hand to hand.
“But he ate with me yesterday.” Taegan’s belly rumbled. He wouldn’t mind some food himself.
Renee’s eyes filled. “Mom,” Taegan pulled her forward and she fit into his arms. “What is it?” She was a warrior, his mom. She went to battle for them every day, and he hadn’t seen her this upset in a long time.
“It’s like he’s given up, Taegan. He’ll eat when you are there, but still not enough. It’s like he knows the bare minimum that will keep him alive and it would take nothing for him to just stop altogether. I feel if he gets any thinner he’s just gonna disappear. Silas told me what he’s been through. Six years? I can’t imagine how horrible that is.” She bit her lip and swiped at her wet cheek.
“We can’t force feed him.” Taegan tried to keep his voice reasonable even as worry gnawed at his gut. Was that it? Was he merely existing while they got the children back? Taegan had eaten a few times with him, but he generally ate quickly and was often gone before Caleb had taken a few mouthfuls. Shit, why hadn’t he stayed to make sure he finished? Because he was frightened he couldn’t keep his hands to himself. Taegan grunted in disgust. The man was starving himself while Taegan watched, and he had been so wrapped up in his own needs he hadn’t noticed.
Well, no more.
“He needs someone to fight for him, son, because he has no-one else, and he’s given up doing it for himself.”
Taegan dropped a kiss on her hair and let her stand back. “Give me some stew and bread.” He smiled ruefully as her face lit up. She immediately ladled some in a big dish and gave him two spoons. In his other hand he got a huge hunk of soft fresh bread he knew Manny would have made that morning. He gave her another kiss and took it all back to his room after dismissing Jenner for the night.
Taegan glanced at the curled up shape in his bed and put the soup and the bread down on a small rickety table. “Caleb?”
Caleb opened his eyes. He looked dreadful. The black shadows under them were gone but his cheekbones seemed more pronounced than earlier, if that was possible. His mom was right and he cursed himself silently. “I’m sorry,” Caleb said and sat up. “Did you want me to move? I can sleep on the floor.” He reddened slightly. “I fell asleep.”
“You must be hungry,” Taegan said, ignoring pretty much all of Caleb’s statement and lifting the bowl and balancing it between them on the cot.
Caleb shook his head. “No, I ate.”
Taegan just lifted his eyebrows and Caleb’s cheeks flushed with a faint hint of color. He lifted a spoon to his own lips and rolled his eyes as he swallowed and made an appreciative noise. Then he nodded to the other one in the bowl. “You’re gonna hurt her feelings.”
Caleb sighed, but he picked up the spoon. Taegan put his down and tore a couple of chunks from the bread. Put the smaller one next to Caleb as he was taking an experimental swallow of the stew.
Caleb dipped his spoon in the stew again. “What are you planning to do once you have the children back?”
Taegan finished his bread. He looked carefully at Caleb and told him what Peya had said about the Alpha in Perse and the rumors surrounding the new one in Caedra. All the time he was talking Caleb was taking small mouthfuls of food, and Taegan wasn’t sure he even realized what he was doing. He didn’t think too much about how satisfying it was to see Caleb eat, but it settled him on some level he hadn’t thought about before.
“Silas is waiting to hear when he can go visit a friend to see what he can find out, but Peya is right. If we don’t change anything then nothing will change.”
“That’s a very wise thing to say.” Caleb smiled shyly.
Taegan shrugged. “I’m sure I heard it from someone else.” But he liked seeing the smile on Caleb. Taegan deliberately slowed his eating. He was quite certain he could have finished the entire dish on his own, but between the smiles and the talk of a different future Caleb seemed to have relaxed and was eating.
“The bread’s good. Manny makes it fresh.” Caleb had already finished some but he took some more at his urging and dipped it in the stew, slurping as some dripped onto his chin. Without thinking, Taegan immediately caught it in his thumb, and swiped under Caleb’s bottom lip.
And just like that, every bit of oxygen seemed to leave the room.
Soft eyes caressed his own. Taegan forgot his promise, the food, forgot where he was, forgot every word of Peya’s and just about forgot his own damn name. He saw Caleb lean towards him, move the bowl to the floor, and the world narrowed.
Soft lips brushed his with a barely there touch. Then gently, ever so lightly because Taegan was scared of bruising him, of breaking him, he was kissing him back. He was so slight, fragile. Taegan held himself back, but didn’t. It was as if because he feared unleashing his strength, he had to wrap him up with something else, something almost visceral. His arms were gentle, cautious, but the strength and energy flowing through him was ferocious. An almost silent whimper stroked his ears, but Taegan heard the need and answered with his body. His large hands roamed Caleb’s back. Clothes were effortlessly removed as their bodies glided in a sinuous, soulful joining. Taegan didn’t know where his fingers ended and where Caleb’s began as the rush and heat of skin against skin melded and danced together.
Taegan knew he had to stop. Caleb was too fragile, too hurt, too everything. But every noise, every gasp and moan was spurring Taegan on. His head was telling him one thing, but his body was listening to another master. Caleb’s small hands pushed Taegan onto his back, and cool fingers slid Taegan’s tunic up and over his head. “Caleb?” Even as Taegan said the word, it was as if someone else spoke.
Caleb didn’t give him chance to utter anything else because suddenly his lips were covering Taegan’s and then every thought vanished with the long, slow kisses that stole them away. Taegan’s mind was spinning as Caleb’s lips teased his own. Caleb’s sinful tongue asked his to dance, and Taegan’s dipped and swirled to music only they could hear.
Taegan arched as Caleb licked and bit gently as he trailed lower. His neck, his chest. Caleb’s deft fingers pulled at the drawstring fastening his pants and slid them down his hips. More heat rushed to Taegan’s groin as he drowned in Caleb. Caleb’s tongue, his hands, licking and sucking, smoothing over skin that seemed to come alive.
Cool fingers trembled as they gripped his hips and Taegan shivered involuntarily at the contrast on his hot skin. He opened his eyes and then everything in him stilled. The blanket had fallen off and the moonlight was stark against the whiteness of Caleb’s skin. Caleb was freezing but he seemed unaware of it. Caleb realized he’d stopped and his eyes shot up.
For a second Caleb looked puzzled, but then Taegan saw the shame slide over his face and he jerked back as if Taegan had slapped him.
“No,” Taegan said, reaching for his hand.
Caleb scrambled away, his eyes filling. “I must disgust you.”
“What?” Taegan said incredulously; stood up and took a step towards him. Caleb backed up to the wall until he could go no further.
“I-I will go,” he stuttered and brushed ineffectually at his eyes.
Taegan shook his head and gently reached out and caught his shoulder. “Come away from the wall. You’ll freeze.”
Caleb dropped his hand and fixed his golden eyes on Taegan. Tears running unchecked down his white cheeks. “Let me die,” he begged.
Never.
Taegan’s hand slid between Caleb’s bare back and the coldness of the cave wall and he pulled him gently close.
“No,” Caleb whispered, but Taegan could no more ignore the pain in the small word than he could have hurt him anymore. He drew Caleb’s shaking body close and felt the first sob push raw from Caleb’s throat. Then the dam burst. Harsh, shattered cries tore out of him; so loud, so broken. Caleb shook and Taegan swung him up even as he collapsed against him. His fists beat against Taegan’s chest, railing at the injustice, the torment, the cruelty. Six years. Taegan sat back on the bed and pressed Caleb close, rocking him gently as the grief kept pouring out.
It seemed forever until the sobs slowed and became small gasps and mewling cries. Taegan just held him close and soothed. When the cries became the occasional gulp of air, Taegan reached out for his shirt and then leaned back so he could see Caleb’s face. He was taking shuddering breaths, eyes closed, and as Taegan gently wiped his face, Caleb sighed and lay still.
About Victoria!
Wrote her first book on a dare from her hubby three years ago. Loves writing about gorgeous boys loving each other the best, and especially with either a paranormal or a historical twist. Had a try at writing contemporary but failed spectacularly when it grew four legs and a tail.
Is an English northern lass but is currently serving twenty to life in Florida – unfortunately, she spends more time chained at her computer than on a beach.
Loves to hear from her readers and can be found most days lurking on facebook.
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