Alpha's Kiss

ALPHA’S KISS SHANNON WEST Alpha’s Kiss Copyright © 2023 Shannon West Published by Painted Hearts Publishing About the Book You Have Purchased All rights reserved. Without reserving the rights under copyright, reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or any other means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, is forbidden. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law. Unauthorized reproduction of 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. Alpha’s Kiss Copyright © 2023 Shannon West Author: Shannon West Editor: Mildred Jordan All cover art and logo copyright © 2023 by Painted Hearts Publishing 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. Facts About Fairy Tales Fairy tales are not set in our world. Think of them as taking place in an alternate reality, in fictitious kingdoms and definitely not in our own past. This story takes place in a world where magic exists, along with handsome princes, beautiful princesses and wicked queens. The characters may speak in a “modern” way at times, even though they don’t always have modern values. This story is set in an omega verse—Alphas are dominant and controlling, but they can also be tender and sweet. Objects and people often come in threes. Royalty is usually present, as well as magic, both good and evil. And the stories almost always begin with “Once Upon a Time.” Chapter One Once upon a time… “Rory! What on earth are you doing here?” my stepmother, Queen Berinda, cried out in a horrified tone as she spotted me at the back of the Great Hall. She clutched her chest, as if she were about to have a heart attack. I should be so lucky. I gave her a mocking little bow and a smile. “I live here, my queen.” My presence had taken my stepmother by surprise, and the poisonous words had spilled out of her mouth before she could stop them, I think. She usually tried to hide the full depth of her hatred for me in front of my father. I wasn’t sure why. He never seemed to feel much differently either, really, though he did try to keep up appearances. One must have some decorum, after all. Standing beside my stepmother was my half-sister, Princess Callista, wearing a candy pink, low-cut gown and glaring at me like she could already feel her blood-red fingernails digging satisfyingly into my skin. I suppose I had waited too late to even try coming to the Great Hall that night, where my father, stepmother and half-sister took their evening repast. I usually came much earlier to fill a container with food I could take back to my own rooms and snuggle down into my blankets to hide, thus avoiding any needless interaction with my family. We all found that so much easier to bear. But I had been so excessively tired this evening that I had nodded off as I was reading in the library. Almost no one from court ever came there, so it was perfect for me to stay during the day. I even had a lovely corner where I’d made myself a hideaway by piling up some pillows and blankets, with the only light coming into my little cocoon was from a sliver of the nearby window that I’d left uncovered. I liked to sit for hours reading every day when the weather was too cold and dreary even for me to go out to the mountain trails to run. Since my father’s court had very few omegas—my stepmother’s idea—everyone just thought I was weird and crazy. Which I probably was, but we omegas liked the safety and comfort of small, dark places. The nesting instinct was strong inside us, because we were usually on the small side and vulnerable to just about everybody else. Well, everyone else with a dick, anyway. The Alpha fathers of most omegas acted as their protectors until they came of age, but my father never had much to do with me. He’d once been a strong Alpha, but over the years, as his close family members and betas had been killed in the frequent, back and forth wars with Morovia, the neighboring kingdom to the northeast, my father seemed to dwindle away, getting smaller and weaker with each passing day. Then my mother died. And the thing about mate bonds, like the one my father had with my mother, was that even death didn’t break them. He tried his best to keep going after she passed, but I knew he still suffered her loss keenly every day, making him unable to ever truly move on. My father grieved over my mother’s loss particularly hard, because she had not only been his mate, but she’d also been on his council and his closest advisor. But since we don’t miss what we never had, my father’s disregard barely registered on me. I was far too engaged in a daily cat and mouse game with my stepmother. On this particular afternoon, when I finally woke from a late nap, the soft, amber-hued light from my little sliver of window in my hideout told me that it was far later in the day than was strictly safe for me to venture out. Still, I was starving, and I thought I might have enough time to slip into