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  Alpha Province: Reigning Kings’

  After witnessing the murder of her best friend, Pixie Vesper is on the run. She tried to inform the authorities, but when she sees the spitting image of the killer behind the police station counter, she’s running scared.

  As soon as Tatum King sets his gaze on the ill, unconscious woman in her car, he knows she is his and his brothers’, Rex’s and Shaffer’s mate.

  After having surgery to remove her appendix, Tatum, Rex, and Shaffer take Pixie into their home to care for her. All three lion shifters can see the fear in the depths of her beautiful green eyes and are determined to get to the bottom of it, while courting her.

  When they find out what she’s been through, they vow to protect her with their lives. However, things don’t always go according to plan and Pixie is kidnapped from Ambrose, North Dakota. The three King brothers change into their lion forms and race after their mate.

  The men aren’t going to give up until they have Pixie back in their arms where she belongs.

  Genre: Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal, Shape-shifter

  Length: 67,444 words

  ALPHA PROVINCE: REIGNING

  KINGS'

  Becca Van

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  ALPHA PROVINCE: REIGNING KINGS'

  Copyright © 2017 by Becca Van

  ISBN: 978-1-64010-709-0

  First Publication: October 2017

  Cover design by Harris Channing

  All art and logo copyright © 2017 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

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  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  My name is Becca Van. I live in Australia with my wonderful hubby of many years, as well as my two children.

  I read my first romance, which I found in the school library, at the age of thirteen and haven’t stopped reading them since. It is so wonderful to know that love is still alive and strong when there seems to be so much conflict in the world.

  I dreamed of writing my own book one day but, unfortunately, didn’t follow my dream for many years. But once I started I knew writing was what I wanted to continue doing.

  I love to escape from the world and curl up with a good romance, to see how the characters unfold and conflict is dealt with. I have read many books and love all facets of the romance genre, from historical to erotic romance. I am a sucker for a happy ending.

  For all titles by Becca Van, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/becca-van

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  About the Author

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Epilogue

  Landmarks

  Cover

  ALPHA PROVINCE:

  REIGNING KINGS'

  BECCA VAN

  Copyright © 2017

  Prologue

  Pixie Vesper wiped the sweat from her brow and squinted her eyes as she peered through the windscreen. Although it was cold outside her small, four-door sedan, she was burning up. She hadn’t been feeling well for a few days now, but she didn’t have the luxury of stopping anytime soon.

  If she did, that bastard might find her and she would end up in worse condition than she already was. The pain low on the right side of her stomach was getting worse with each minute that passed and she was feeling sick to her stomach, but she couldn’t book herself in to see a doctor. If she did, then he’d have no trouble finding her.

  Sweat dripped down the sides of her face and into her eyes, making it even harder to see. Pixie knew she had to stop, but there was nowhere she’d ever be or feel safe again.

  When she saw the sign for the next town, she sighed with relief. Maybe she could see an MD without giving her real name. She snorted and shook her head. No one was going to treat her without all of her personal credentials, even if she did have health insurance, which she didn’t anymore. That was a luxury she just couldn’t afford, working from hand to mouth the way she was.

  She eased her foot off the gas pedal when she saw the posted mile-speed sign and blinked the haze from her eyes. If she hadn’t been feeling so sick she would have looked about as she drove into the town of Ambrose, North Dakota, but she just didn’t have the energy.

  Pixie cried out when the piercing, stabbing pain in her side escalated, and after making a quick check of her mirrors, she indicated, slowed the car even more, and pulled into a parking space. She’d stopped just in time because the pain was so intense it was unbearable, and she felt as if she was about to pass out. She quickly opened her window to let the cool autumn air in and gulped in a couple of breaths. It didn’t help.

  Another cry tore from between her lips, and she doubled over clutching her stomach. This was bad. Really, really bad. Pixie didn’t know what to do, but one thing she did know was that she couldn’t possibly drive any further. She was a danger to herself and everyone else on the road.

  Pixie forced her lids up but her vision was blurry, and even though she tried to breathe through the pain, nausea, and lightheadedness, it wasn’t working.

  “Are you all right, miss?” The man’s voice seemed to come from a long way off, but she realized that wasn’t the case. She could smell his delectable cologne, deodorant, or shower gel, which let her know whoever he was, he was close. Maybe he was standing right outside her car door, but she was in too much pain to look.

  “No,” she whispered before she cried out again as the burning, stabbing pain once more pierced her side.

  “Geezus,” the man said as he tugged her car door open. He inhaled deeply and then gasped. “You’re sick.”

  She wondered how he knew that but then snorted a little hysterically. Of course, he knew she was sick. She was sweating like a pig with perspiration dripping down her face, and she was almost bent in half with her cheek resting on the steering wheel.

  “Rex, get Broden out here now!”

  That was the last thing Pixie heard before she sank into the dark painless abyss.

  Chapter One

  Tatum had just exited the hotel when he heard a car coming into town. He glanced toward the small, dark-green sedan and frowned when he saw how slow the car was moving. But that wa
sn’t the only reason he frowned. The driver had to be intoxicated or high on drugs because they couldn’t keep their vehicle in a straight line. It was weaving all over the place.

  He glanced up and down the street to make sure no one was about in case the idiot crashed into something, and then he sucked in a breath and held it as he prayed the fucker didn’t drive into one of the buildings.

  Thankfully, the car slowed even more, and when he saw the person behind the wheel, at first, he thought she was a kid. How the hell she could see over the top of the steering wheel was beyond him. She was so fucking small, she had to be having trouble seeing. Maybe that was the reason for the dodgy driving. He sighed with relief when the woman turned into an empty parking space right outside the diner.

  Tatum began walking across the road toward the car, intent on giving the stupid female a piece of his mind. He was going to sniff her out, and if he smelled alcohol or drugs, he was taking her keys off of her.

  She rolled the window down just as he reached the back of her car and groaned softly. The hair on the back of his neck, and the rest of his body, stood on end when he caught a whiff of her scent. His mouth watered for a taste and his lion roared with approval.

  However, the closer he got to her, the more his internal alarm bell started ringing. There was something off with the way she smelled. Her feminine fragrance drew him like a moth to a flame, but there was also a slightly acidic aroma wafting from her.

  The second he was standing outside the driver’s side door and open window, he knew she was his. His lion roared again and leaped against his insides, trying to get out, but Tatum shoved his animal back down hard enough to set him on his haunches. This small woman was his mate, but there was something drastically wrong with her. He locked his knees when they threatened to buckle and shifted on his feet when his cock went from flaccid to full attention in less than a minute.

  Tatum wanted to tear the door off its hinges, reach in, and scoop her up into his arms, but he didn’t want to scare the living shit out of her. After asking her if she was all right and getting a negative response, he shouted for Broden Higgins. The Kodiak bear shifter was their one and only doctor, and right now, he thanked whoever would listen that they even had a doctor in town. He just hoped that he could diagnose and fix his mate.

  “What’s going on?” Shaffer asked as he and Rex came out of the diner.

  Tatum ignored his brothers, bent down, undid her seatbelt, and carefully lifted his mate into his arms. He wasn’t a moment too soon either. Just as he shoved an arm under her knees and supported her back, she slumped over as she passed out. He straightened and turned to face his brothers and knew by the awestruck expressions on their faces that this small, delicate woman was their mate, too.

  “What have you got?” Broden asked as he raced toward where Tatum was holding his mate.

  “She’s sick.”

  “Bring her next door into the clinic,” Broden ordered. “Archer, Airen, I’m going to need your help. Now!”

  Tatum was never more glad that all the men in this town were shape-shifters. Even though Archer and Airen were probably in the pub where Broden had been, they would have no trouble hearing their brother.

  Broden hurried toward the four-bedroom house, which also doubled as a clinic and hospital in case of emergencies. Tatum raced after him, being careful not to jostle his mate too much.

  “What’s wrong with her?” Shaffer asked as he held the door open.

  Tatum didn’t bother to answer as he stepped inside. He wasn’t a doctor, so he had no clue.

  “Put her on the examination bed.” Broden pointed. Tatum eased his woman onto the bed and brushed her shiny brown hair from her face while Broden scrubbed his hands at the sink across the room. “Tell me what happened.”

  Tatum began recounting what he’d seen just as Archer and Airen entered the room. Shaffer and Rex had moved to stand at the head of the bed, both of them staring at their mate.

  “She was doubled over holding her stomach?” Broden asked. He walked toward the bed while donning surgical gloves.

  “Yes. She was also sweating, panting, and shaking.”

  Broden glanced at his brothers. “Get the operating room prepped.”

  “You’re not cutting my mate open,” Shaffer shouted.

  “What the fuck for?” Rex yelled.

  Tatum ignored his brothers’ anger and met Broden’s gaze. “I need to lift her shirt and lower the waistband of her jeans. I think your mate has appendicitis.”

  Tatum nodded. “I’ll do it.” He gently lifted the hem of her sweater, tugged the button on her jeans open, and lowered the zipper. It was going to be difficult to see another man touching his mate, but he was going to have to keep his shit together. Their woman was in a bad way, and if he wanted Broden to help her, he couldn’t let his animal rage get a hold of him.

  “You need to lower her jeans.” Broden met his gaze.

  After sucking in a deep breath, Tatum held it as he tugged her jeans down until the satiny green waistband of her panties were visible. He shifted from side to side, trying to relieve the constriction his jeans had on his hard cock, but it didn’t help.

  Broden met his gaze before looking at first Shaffer and then Rex. “I need to feel her stomach to see if my suspicions are right. Please don’t bite my fucking head off.”

  Rex crossed his arms over his chest and grunted. Shaffer curled his hands into tight fists and nodded.

  “Do it,” Tatum commanded.

  The moment Broden lightly pushed on the lower side of their mate’s stomach she flinched and cried out, but she didn’t awaken. “We need to remove her clothes, wrap her up in a blanket, and then one of you can carry her into the operating room. Her appendix is about to burst, and if I don’t remove it, right now, she could end up dying.”

  “Fuck!” Tatum snarled as he moved to her feet and tugged her sneakers and socks off.

  Rex went to remove her sweater, but Broden stopped him.

  “I know you can’t stand the thought of me touching your mate, but just think about how she’s going to feel if she finds out someone other than her treating doctor saw her naked.”

  “How will she know?” Shaffer snarled.

  Broden met Shaffer’s gaze. “You and I both know how women are. When she wakes up and is cognizant enough to start asking questions, do you want to be the one to tell her that you all saw her nakedness when there’s no reason for you to?”

  “As much as I hate to admit it, Broden’s right,” Tatum replied and rubbed at the back of his neck.

  “Why don’t you all go on back to the diner?” Broden suggested. “I promise that as soon as she’s out of surgery and stable, we’ll get word to you. You can come check on her, but I would suggest that only one of you be here, when she wakes up. She might get scared if y’all are hovering over her.”

  Tatum nodded as he turned his gaze back to their mate. She was only an itty-bitty thing, but she was already in his heart and soul. Just the thought of her having to go through surgery was enough to have his lion yowling in rage. He was just as angry as his beast, but he pushed his ire aside. His emotions were all over the place and having a tug of war. He was ecstatic that his mate was here, but he was scared like hell that he and his brothers were going to lose her before they got the chance to get to know her. He met Rex’s and then Shaffer’s gaze. “Let’s go.”

  He didn’t respond when his brothers growled at him before stomping toward the door. Tatum followed them out, but paused in the doorway to glance over his shoulder at Broden. “No one but you get to see her body.”

  Broden nodded. “They won’t.”

  “How long do you think you’ll be?”

  “I’m hoping for no more than an hour, but don’t quote me on that.”

  Tatum swallowed around the emotional constriction in his throat and nodded.

  “You might want to have Emmy come with you when it’s all over,” Broden suggested. “Having another female around in a time li
ke this will go a long way into helping her relax.”

  “Thanks, Broden. Take care of my mate.” Tatum forced himself to take another step, and then he rushed out the door and headed straight back to the hotel. He just hoped that Declan, Brooks, and Jett, Emmy’s mates, didn’t kick up a fuss when he asked to borrow their woman.

  “What’s going on?” Jett asked as soon as Tatum sat on one of the bar stools.

  “My mate just arrived in town.”

  “That’s awesome, Tatum. Congratulations.” The smile slid from Jett’s face when Tatum shook his head. “Why aren’t you happy?”

  “I am. We are.” He paused to swallow audibly. Jett frowned at him before nodding toward the beer tap and quirking an eyebrow in query. “Please.”

  As soon as Jett placed the beer in front of him, he picked it up and took a sip as he glanced about the room. “Where’s Emmy?”

  “She and Declan are out back cleaning a couple of the motel rooms.”

  “Are you going to tell me why you’re looking as if your best friend has just died?” Jett asked.

  “Our mate’s sick.”

  “Now I know why you called for Broden.” Jett frowned. “What’s wrong with her?”

  “Suspected appendicitis.”

  “Shit, that’s not good.”

  “Who has appendicitis?” Emmy asked as she and Declan entered the bar from the back-hallway entrance.

  “My mate,” Tatum growled his response.

  When Emmy went to move closer to him, Declan wrapped an arm around her shoulders and tugged her into his side. If Tatum hadn’t been so worried about his woman, he would have laughed at the display of possessive jealousy.

  “I’m sorry your mate is sick, but I’m happy you’ve found her.” Emmy frowned. “Is she mate to your brothers, too?”