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  Sacred Bond 1

  Bound by Two Alphas

  [Siren Publishing: The Lynn Hagen ManLove Collection: Erotic Romance, Contemporary, ManLove, Alternative, Menage, Paranormal, Shape-shifters, MMM, HEA]]

  As far back as I could remember I have been able to dream things that come true. The one I’d had last night had shaken me from my sleep. It had just been a dream. That was what I kept telling myself until I ran into the two strangers in town. Not just a dream. The two are real. My world is turned upside down when I find out that Lucas and Mikhia York are there to protect me from something wholly evil.

  Now I’m knocked up, dodging my dad, and trying to pump the brakes on things that are moving way too fast. But Lucas and Mikhia have other plans. They refuse to let me out of their sight, even when my father shows up at the motel I’ve spent the night at with the two studs. I handed over my virginity and they rocked my world, and now I’m so screwed that it isn’t even funny.

  Length: 33,000 words

  BOUND BY TWO ALPHAS

  Sacred Bond 1

  Lynn Hagen

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  Bound by Two Alphas

  Copyright © 2020 by Lynn Hagen

  ISBN: 978-1-64637-270-6

  First Publication: October 2020

  Cover design by Jess Buffett

  All art and logo copyright © 2020 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book or print book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at [email protected]

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Lynn Hagen loves writing about the somewhat flawed, but lovable. She also loves a hero who can see past all the rough edges to find the shining diamond of a beautiful heart.

  You can find her on any given day curled up with her laptop and a cup of hot java, letting the next set of characters tell their story.

  For all titles by Lynn Hagen, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/lynn-hagen

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  BOUND BY TWO ALPHAS

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  BOUND BY TWO ALPHAS

  Sacred Bond 1

  LYNN HAGEN

  Copyright © 2020

  Chapter One

  Lucas…

  I cracked open my eyes. At first, I couldn’t figure out where I was or what had happened to give me such a headache from hell. But as I lay there, the memories came flooding back.

  Maxine.

  The unfathomable suffering I had just survived tore through me, making me remember things I wished to the gods I could forget. I turned my head when I heard groaning. My brother was lying a few feet away, covered in blood.

  Crawling to Mikhia, I glanced around to make sure we were alone before I grabbed him and pulled the semi-conscious man into my arms. “Mikhia, can you hear me?”

  “M–My leg,” Mikhia groaned and then hissed. “I think it’s broken.”

  “Don’t shift,” I whispered into his ear. That was the last thing I wanted him to do. The demonic creature who had come after me and my siblings had tortured us for days in order to make us shift into our black panther forms.

  All three of us had held out. But it was Maxine who had broken first. I could still hear her echoing cries, begging me and Mikhia to forgive her before she had shifted.

  And then that thing had killed her. There had been no quarter given, no mercy shown. The creature had torn her heart out with malicious laughter, promising to do the same to me and Mikhia just as soon as we shifted.

  I didn’t know the creature’s name. I’d just seen his true face past the façade he hid behind. It was grotesque, twisted, a face not even a mother could love.

  But in his disguise, the creature had been handsome, blond, with green eyes. If I’d passed him on the street, without the ability to see its true form, I never would have guessed he was something ancient, something purely evil.

  “We have to get out of here,” I whispered as I cradled Mikhia’s head. “Can you use your good leg?”

  Mikhia’s jaw was tight as he nodded. A sheen of sweat covered my brother’s body, but I knew he was too stubborn to give up. We were true-born alphas. It was rare for two alphas to be born to one family. But our fathers hadn’t cast us out like other panthers would have done. Our fathers had taken their family and settled deep in the Smoky Mountains.

  But someone had discovered us. That creature had killed our parents and tortured me and my siblings. I wasn’t sure where the thing was now, but I knew our window of opportunity to get out of there was closing. “Come on.”

  Getting to my feet, I helped Mikhia up. My brother bit back a shout as he threw his arm around my shoulders. As I gazed around the area that my family had called home for the last one hundred and ten years, I saw that our small compound was on fire, the flames licking skyward, eating not only the structures but the trees all around.

  The air filled with smoke, making it hard to breathe as I began to pull Mikhia toward the path that would lead us out of the mountains. Our journey wasn’t going to be easy. We had days before we would make it to any road. Even if we got far enough away for Mikhia to shift, a panther needed at least twenty-four hours of rest to recover.

  We didn’t have twenty-four minutes, let alone a full day.

  I could feel Mikhia’s muscles quivering under my hands, feel the man’s body ready to give out, but Mikhia kept moving. And if my brother became too weak, I would carry him out of this place. I wasn’t going to leave him behind.

  I just wished he wasn’t so solidly built.

  Something hard hit my back, making me fall forward and lose the grip I’d had on my brother. We hit the ground before I spun and jumped to my feet.

  “Going somewhere?” It was the creature’s minion. The man who had done all of that thing’s bidding. The man’s eyes were cast in an evil glow, his crooked front teeth showing as he smiled. I crouched, moving to my left, drawing him away from Mikhia.

  “I’m getting out of here.” I shuffled my feet, continually moving away from Mikhia. I was watching for any opportunity to take the big bastard down.

  “You can go.” Bodin gave two quick nods. “But your brother stays.”

  “Do I look stupid to you?”

  Bodin chuckled. “Yeah, you do.”

  I growled at the insult. The hatred I felt for this man swirled like a cancerous disease inside my heart. I wanted Bodin—as well as the creature—dead in the worst sort of way.

  “Contemplate my demise all you want.” Bodin moved to my right, growing closer to Mikhia. “But it isn’t going to happen.”

  This shuffle wasn’t working out quite like I had planned. I did the only thing I could to get
Bodin away from Mikhia. I rushed the mountain-sized man. No sooner had I grabbed Bodin around the waist than he had me off my feet, upside down, ready to power drive me into the ground.

  But I wasn’t that easily defeated. I wrapped my legs around his head, using my panther strength to lunge backward and twist in midair, taking us both down. Bodin landed on his back, a growl rumbling in the air between us.

  “You'll pay for that, pussy cat.” Bodin rolled and then pushed to his feet, going after me. But I was quick, moving out of the way before the guy could land on me.

  “I might,” I said, “but not today.” I grabbed the large tree branch that was lying next to me and brought it down hard on his head.

  The minion crumpled and didn’t move.

  I raced toward my brother, grabbing Mikhia from the ground and hauling him to his feet. “We need to get the fuck gone.”

  My ribs were killing me, and I knew the pain was from Bodin grabbing me around the waist. Sharp stabs through my side made it difficult to walk, but I didn’t slow down, and I didn’t allow Mikhia to linger.

  “He kicked your ass.” Mikhia’s attempt at teasing fell short when he hobbled too far to the right, nearly toppling us both. I found my footing and kept us upright.

  “Who’s the one out cold on the ground?” I pushed us forward, listening for the sound of the creature’s approach. In the past four days, I had noticed how the thing could move as if levitating, his feet inches from the ground, able to move like liquid lightning. He also had a stench about him that had smelled like sulfur, noxious and bile inducing.

  Luckily, the only thing I smelled right now was Mikhia’s pain and the burning forest around us. The smoke was growing thicker, making my lungs burn. I could hear the snapping and cracking of the trees as they were consumed, could scent the burning wood and leaves, the soot heavy in the air.

  Soon there would be humans here, combating the fire, and I didn’t want to be anywhere around when they showed up. The way my luck was going, they would blame me for the blaze.

  I hadn’t wanted to leave Maxine’s body behind. She, and my fathers, deserved a proper burial. But my time was short, and if I didn’t get Mikhia out of there, we would both die, too.

  Right now my sole focus was on keeping Mikhia alive, on getting him to safety. I would mourn my loss later, though there was a black hole in my chest from the loss I’d just suffered through.

  Something shot past me, nearly knocking me and Mikhia to the ground. The minion stopped to smile at us.

  “See you around, pussy cat.”

  The man took off, leaving me struggling to get my brother to safety. I wasn’t sure why the guy hadn’t tried to kill me once more, but I wasn’t going to stick around and figure the shit out.

  But I did vow right then that I would hunt Bodin down—along with that foul creature—and kill them both, painfully and slowly for what they had done to my family.

  * * * *

  Dillon…

  I shot up in bed, gazing around the darkened room as I tried to bring my breathing back under control. My skin was damp with sweat, and my gaze flickered around to make sure I was really in my bedroom.

  It was only a dream.

  But I knew my dreams had a funny way of coming true. Since I was a little boy I had dreamed of things that came to pass. My mama used to tell me that I had second sight, but my dad firmly believed I was cursed.

  Tossing the sheets aside, I placed my feet on the cool floor as I shivered. I ran my hands up and down my arms, trying to shake the last vestige of my dream away.

  Noises from downstairs told me that my dad was already awake, banging around in the kitchen. Glancing at the clock on my nightstand, I saw that it was time to get up.

  God, that wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted to fall back on the bed and get a few more hours’ sleep. I’d tossed and turned most of the night, and now I was exhausted.

  Donning a robe, I padded down the steps to see not only my father in the kitchen but my brother, Jason, as well.

  “Dillon, have you seen that large skillet I use for frying fish?” my dad asked before going back to searching under the counter.

  I walked over to the rack above the stove where the pan was hanging and handed it to him.

  He gave me an appreciative smile before he turned toward the stove. Jason was eyeing me suspiciously.

  “I heard you shout from upstairs. Either you’re entertaining someone or you had another dream,” Jason said, loud enough for our father’s ears.

  Jason could be such a shit sometimes. My brother knew that our dad didn’t want to hear about me having dreams. Lately our father had been talking about taking me to the preacher who held his sermons in one of those big white tents. Reverend Goodstocke came around Hungry once a month, healing those with ailments. People went to him for cures ranging from unemployment to what my dad referred to as “being possessed.”

  Of course, my dad thought anyone acting peculiar was possessed. If that was the case, Jason should be bound to the preacher’s side.

  I, on the other hand, thought it was all bullshit. The reverend was only out to steal everyone’s money. I couldn’t understand why the hell no one else saw that. The town acted as though Goodstocke was the next Jesus.

  Too bad I couldn’t smack everyone into seeing what a true snake the guy really was.

  “Go on and get ready for work,” my dad said over his shoulder. “I’ll have your breakfast ready when you get back down here.”

  “And tell whoever is up in your room to scram before Dad gets his shotgun,” Jason called after me. I really wished Jason would grow up. He was twenty years old but still acted like he was ten.

  My younger brother was a straight-up pain in the ass.

  After showering and putting on my work clothes, I went back downstairs and had breakfast with my dad and brother.

  When Jason looked like he was gearing up again, I excused myself. “I’ll be late if I don’t get out of here.”

  Or I might go to jail if Jason opens his mouth again.

  I kissed my dad on the head and curled my lip at Jason before heading out. I slowed when I neared my car. A niggle in the back of my mind said someone was watching me. I glanced through the thick foliage that bordered the house, staring past the veil of moss clinging to the trees.

  Nothing seemed out of place.

  Chalking up my spooked feeling to my dream, I got into my car and drove away.

  The small town was just waking up, a few stores putting their sidewalk signs out. I spotted a few new faces in town and knew the small influx was from the displaced people who had suffered through a hurricane all those years ago. Most families in Hungry had been there five or six generations. They weren’t too friendly to outsiders.

  Even if some of those outsiders had been there for years. The residents of Hungry were just too set in their ways. They viewed the newcomers as intruders instead of embracing fresh blood into their community.

  Pulling in front of Wilbur’s Drug Store, I climbed out of my car. There were a few people milling around, watching me. I didn’t recognize the men.

  One in particular was watching every move I made with a dark observation. It was as if I were on his menu. I quickly looked away and hurried inside the drug store.

  “Morning, Dillon,” Reese called out as I walked down the first aisle.

  I’d almost forgotten what I’d gone in there for. The stranger outside had rattled me.

  “Morning, Reese,” I called out as I passed shelves stocked with men’s cologne. I finally remembered that I needed Chap Stick. My lips were dry as hell, and if I didn’t lube them soon, they would crack and peel.

  Not a very flattering sight.

  After paying for my purchase, I walked out. The strangers were still standing outside the drug store. The one who had eyed me before was talking low to one of his friends, but as soon as he spotted me, I had the stranger’s full attention.

  Whether I wanted it or not.

  Now both men we
re staring at me like I was prime steak. I was so busy watching them watch me that I nearly ran into Reverend Goodstocke.

  Crap. Just the person I didn’t want to see. He gave me the willies, and I tried my best to steer clear of him.

  “Whoa, slow down there, boy.” He jutted his plump hands toward me, but I immediately pulled away. There was just something about the “good” reverend that I simply didn’t trust.

  Maybe it was those beady eyes, the kind of eyes that said he would steal your soul if he could.

  “Sorry.” I looked over my shoulder to see the one who’d been eyeballing me stand up a little straighter, their faces a mask of stone. It seemed my morning was getting weirder by the minute.

  “Where you off to in such a hurry?” the reverend asked, wiping away the sweat that was forming over his brows. “It’s too early to be running, boy.”

  I bit my tongue. I wasn’t going to disrespect a reverend, even if he was a phony, but I hated when anyone referred to me as boy. “I’m running late for work.” I stepped around him and hurried to Bert’s Pet Grooming.

  Bert always ran late and wouldn’t be ready to open for another hour, but I wasn’t going to stand there and have idle chitchat with Reverend Goodstocke. The town praised the man and thought highly of him. Everyone would think I needed healing if I sassed him.

  It was bad enough my dad was considering sending me the reverend’s way. I shuddered at the thought as I pulled my keys from my pocket and opened the store. Maybe the good reverend would leave town and never return.

  You wish.

  He wasn’t going anywhere as long as he could milk everyone for their hard-earned cash.

  I began to set things up, pushing the reverend and my father from my mind. I began to think of the dream I’d had when the little bell above the door jingled. Damn it, I’d forgotten to lock the door behind me.