Alpha Squad: The Complete Collection
by Lorelei Moone
Alpha Squad, #1-4
Publication Date: September 22, 2017
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Shifters, Boxed Set
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SYNOPSIS:
It has only been a few months since humanity found out about the various shifters that live among them. This brave new world is not without its challenges; neither for the humans or the shifters. Alpha Squad is formed to help law enforcement agencies deal with shifter related matters, and not a moment too soon! Follow the brave men and women of the squad as they try to come to terms with their new reality, catch criminals and find love along the way.
Boot Camp
Bear shifter Eric King is asked to join Alpha Squad; a task force meant to promote cooperation between shifters and humans in law enforcement, but there are problems: Is Alpha Squad even a serious initiative? And how will he focus on his training when his inner bear insists that the squad leader is his mate?
Friends & Foes
Alpha Squad has received its very first assignment and bear shifter Adam King is excited to jump head-first into the action. Upon investigating a string of seemingly shifter related murders, he finds himself torn between his job and the local police’s main suspect; Felicity Weir; female bear shifter and Adam’s fated mate…
Infiltrator
For the past six months, Thomas Blackwood has been serving two masters: he’s been an active part of Alpha Squad, but only on his old alpha’s say-so. When he finds himself stuck in between two sets of clashing orders, he must make a choice: who does he truly serve? And what would the woman of his dreams, Private Callahan, think of him if she knew he was a traitor?
Showdown
Upon joining Alpha Squad, bear shifter hybrid Sean McMillan realizes there’s a lot more to being a shifter than occasionally sprouting some fur. His first mission: a double murder. That shouldn’t be too hard for the experienced former police detective, but he didn’t count on coming across lab assistant Erin Reid who shows an unusual amount of interest in him. Strangely, the feeling is mutual…
EXCERPTS
ALPHA
SQUAD: BOOT CAMP
Eric
took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He should have just stayed
behind at that service station, perhaps tried to strike up more of a
conversation with the mysterious woman who had caught his eye there.
Or ideally, he should have risked Henry's disapproval and refused to
join the task force. Anything was better than this.
Back
to the mystery woman. And what a woman she was. A regal beauty, with
a voice that had set his heart alight. His inner bear had tried its
best to claw to the surface; he'd hardly been able to control the
urge to shift right there in front of her.
How
would she have reacted if she'd seen his true form? Things had
changed since the New Alliance's little stunt, coming out to the
entire world media, but they hadn't changed that
much for everyone. Humans were still apprehensive, and why wouldn't
they be? Most of their kind were pretty damn scary looking.
Would
she have screamed and run away? Or would she have been intrigued?
He
would never find out of course, because he'd let that opportunity
pass him by when Adam had dragged him back to the restaurant for
lunch.
Where
was she now? And was she thinking about their little encounter as
much as he was?
So
many questions he'd never get the answer to…
Instead,
he was stuck here in this decrepit old building with a bunch of
people, none of whom seemed to want to be here. Except Blackwood the
wolf, maybe. He had seemed like the most cheerful person here after
Adam.
The
sound of the door disturbed his gloomy thoughts, but he tried to
ignore the intrusion.
"Attention!"
Private Callahan's voice filled the dorm.
Eric
opened his eyes and sat up straight on his bed. The top of his head
almost touched the springs underneath Adam's mattress above.
The
private stepped aside and another woman marched into the room.
Was
he still daydreaming? He could not believe who had entered—the
woman he'd just been fantasizing about.
"Major
Williams would like to say a few words," Private Callahan said.
Major
Williams.
Eric was speechless. He had expected a grey-haired man, gruff like
the SAS guy across the room, but perhaps more polished. Their
commander was a woman. His
woman.
Major
Williams scanned the room, slowly, pausing on each of the other
trainees for a moment, then moving on to the next. Until she spotted
Eric. She looked away instantly. Of course, she'd recognized him as
well, and she did not look pleased to find him here.
"I
am Major Janine Williams, your team leader. Welcome and thank you for
joining Alpha Squad. Starting tomorrow, I will conduct your training,
evaluate you, and report on the progress of this task force with the
relevant higher authorities. The first phase of training starts in
the morning and will last two weeks, at the end of which you will all
be graded on various aspects of your performance. Anyone who is
deemed unfit to continue will be asked to leave at that point, before
phase two begins. Any questions?"
Questions?
Eric had so many of those. He did not speak, though.
"What
do you mean, unfit? I was told I was being transferred here
permanently," Ben, the younger of the two humans complained.
"You
shall address me as Major Williams or Ma'am, first of all. Secondly,
this task force is not a joke. Only those who are worthy will make
the cut." The major glared at him from across the room. Eric
couldn't help but be impressed by her show of authority.
Cooper
folded his arms and pressed his lips together.
"Do
you understand? What's your name?"
"Ben
Cooper, Ma'am. Yes, I understand."
Eric
had trouble suppressing a smile. She wasn't going to take any crap
from anyone, that much was obvious. It would only be a matter of time
before Adam and the major would clash similarly. Amusingly, he found
himself rooting not for his brother, but for the woman. Training
under her command could get interesting.
She
glanced at him for a split second, during which he did his best to
hide his reaction. He would play along, fall in line, and do his best
to fit into the squad. He owed it to Henry, but that was not the only
reason. Fate had handed him a second chance after he recklessly
failed to get her details earlier today. No matter what, Eric was not
going to waste the opportunity. He'd prove his worth to her one way
or another before training was over.
"All
right then, at ease, everyone," the major said, "You have a
big day ahead of you and I suggest you take rest."
Eric
nodded, mostly to himself, and lay back on his cot again. Perhaps
this whole Alpha Squad nonsense had a couple of silver linings after
all.
ALPHA
SQUAD: FRIENDS & FOES
Never
before had Felicity believed that she needed anyone; not really. She
had always handled her life, both professional and personal, on her
own. Sure, she sometimes confided in her parents. In the past, she'd
at times confided in her ex-best friend, Joy, but none of those
interactions had made her feel anything like what she felt now with
Adam.
The
memory of their kiss was still fresh. She could still feel a tingle
in the exact spot where his lips had touched hers. Their connection
was intense. Not just because it was new, but because it was real.
She'd felt the
bond.
She'd heard his thoughts and felt his feelings and felt at one with
him.
It
had come to an end much too soon.
"Ms.
Weir, if you don't mind… I asked you a question!" Detective
Nye insisted.
She
shook her head and tried to focus. What question?
"I'm
sorry?" she stammered.
"Why
were you at the camp this morning?" the detective repeated
himself.
Felicity
frowned at him. Was he serious?
"For
the same reason you were, I imagine?"
"I
want to hear it in your own words," the man said.
She
shook her head in disbelief. Was he being thick on purpose or what?
"I
got a call about the fire, and I came as soon as I could. One of the
families I work with, their youngest was stuck inside one of the
classrooms. I did my best to get her out."
"The
child is what, a wolf? Some other animal?" the detective asked.
Felicity
was getting more and more frustrated. What sort of questions were
these? "If you must know, shifters don't acquire the ability to
transform until puberty. So technically she would be no different
from any human
child."
"And
then?"
And
then…
The fire had blocked her exit; she feared certain death, but then
Adam had arrived. Surely people would have seen all that? Why on
earth ask all these daft questions?
"Adam
got us out of the building."
"U-huh,
Adam, you say. Adam King, member of Alpha Squad and bear shifter,
just like you are, correct?"
"I
suppose so," Felicity mumbled.
"Right."
Detective Nye went quiet as he made some notes, presumably of her
answers.
Felicity
tried to compose herself, but instead, her anger flared up. How dare
this guy waste her time as though she had done something wrong? And
Adam, as well. He had saved them. Who the hell did this idiot think
he was?
"Can
I go now?" she said. "I'm assuming I'm not under arrest for
trying to save an innocent four-year-old, right?"
Detective
Nye smiled briefly, though it was obviously disingenuous. His eyes
were too cold and calculating, making his attempt at a smile look
more like a grimace.
"Good,"
Felicity said and walked off without acknowledging the man any
further. She wasn't quite sure what his deal was, but he really had
it in for her. The way he’d even attempted to twist the rescue of a
young child from a fire into something negative. Obviously, this man
had issues and prejudices against her kind that severely impaired his
judgment.
ALPHA
SQUAD: INFILTRATOR
Private
Callahan.
The
petite and quiet assistant to Major Williams was a constant influence
on his mood. He couldn't explain quite how it worked, but every time
Thomas caught a glimpse of her, his heart sang. If she inadvertently
looked in his direction, his nerves surged.
If
by chance she failed to cross paths with him on any given day, his
day was essentially ruined.
He'd
admired her from afar ever since his arrival on base all those months
ago. It was a bit creepy, how fixated he was on her. Like a stalker,
he watched out for her, and often caught himself when his eyes
lingered on her just a bit too long for comfort.
At
least nobody had suspected anything, except maybe the object of his
desire herself.
Private
Callahan had barely spoken a word to him in six months. She made sure
never to come too near or be alone with him. Whenever he was around,
she seemed to act as though he was infected with a dangerous disease.
She wasn't all wrong, of course. Even though she was only human, her
instincts had picked up on his obsession and as a result, she was
always on defense with him.
He
wasn't sure whether to be impressed by her keen intuition or feel
slighted.
Still,
no matter how frustrated he sometimes became by her standoffish
behavior, he could not hold it against her for long. She remained
ever-perfect; a brunette goddess without a single flaw. In his mind,
she could do no wrong; it was him who was at fault. He’d brought
all of this on himself by acting like a complete tool around her.
"Blackwood,
report to Major Williams' office," a stern voice interrupted his
thoughts. He looked up to find Eric King, the major's
second-in-command, staring at him with his arms folded.
"I'll
be right there," Thomas mumbled, while avoiding eye contact with
the bear shifter, as was wolf custom when addressed by one's
superiors.
For
but a split second, he wondered what the major wanted to see him
about. The second and much more pressing thing on his mind was
whether Private Callahan would be in Major Williams' office. He hoped
so.
ALPHA
SQUAD: SHOWDOWN
Joining
Alpha Squad was never meant to be easy.
Sean
McMillan rested both hands on the wash basin, with his eyes fixed
straight ahead at the mirror. He wasn't looking at himself as such,
just staring through his reflection at nothing.
Bentley—the
gruff former SAS man responsible for his training—had warned him
before he'd started boot camp; the others on the squad had joked and
teased him about the same.
But
the intense training he’d undergone hadn't bothered him. He’d
welcomed the physical and mental challenges. And anyway, training was
over now. He'd survived.
What
ate at him this morning—most mornings, actually—went much deeper.
Had
he made the right choice?
His
career on the Kent police force had been on an upward trajectory. At
just under thirty, he'd made detective. He'd enjoyed the work and was
good at it.
And
ever since the string of murders near the Sevenoaks shifter refugee
camp had been solved, things had gone a little nuts. He'd been
singled out as somewhat of a hero and been given his pick of cases
and assignments.
And
yet, he'd left everything behind to join Alpha Squad.
Justifications
for this decision were easy to sum up; the chance to do something
different; to make a difference on a national scale; to be a part of
a new agency which enjoyed the support of an entire government
ministry. Still, none of that rang true; Sean could not explain to
himself why he was really here.
He
did not belong.
This
wasn't a new feeling, of course. He'd always carried with him a sense
that he was different somehow even when he was young. When he hit
puberty, his dad had taken him aside and explained a few things about
what it meant to be a shifter. About the importance of getting his
urges under control. To keep his nature a secret at all costs.
He
was already taller and stronger than most boys his age, so nobody
really messed with him. But he didn't have a lot of friends in
secondary school either. Not that that bothered him.
Sean
had always been quite content in his own company. He preferred
listening to talking, something that would serve him well in his
professional life so far.
What
he found hard to accept was that there was this whole other side to
him which he was just meant to ignore. He'd gotten over it though.
And now he was facing the other side of that dilemma.
Here
he was, part of a brave new world where shifters no longer needed to
hide. That dirty little secret he'd carried with him all his life was
no longer a secret. The team consisted of more shifters than humans,
and they didn't shy away from showing off their peculiar
transformational talents should the situation demand it. Even if it
didn't. It was like it was all a big game to them.
That
was the biggest shock he'd faced upon arriving on base. It wasn't
uncommon for one or more of the team to spontaneously morph into
their animal selves to go out for a run around the woods. No matter
how often they'd encouraged him to join in, Sean had been unable to
bring himself to. It simply felt wrong
to
let his animal side out.
He
forced himself to snap out of his pointless thoughts by splashing
cold water on his face. Onwards and upwards. He'd chosen to be a part
of the squad, so he wouldn't allow himself to give up so easily.
Perhaps once he went on his first mission, all these doubts would
fade.
ABOUT LORELEI MOONE
Lorelei Moone is an up-and-coming author of paranormal romance based in London. A lover of all things sweet, and caffeinated, when she’s not writing about sexy bear shifters and their strong-willed curvaceous love interests, Lorelei can be found baking cookies or cakes for her family.
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