Their rising sun, p.1
Their Rising Sun, page 1
THEIR RISING SUN
WINTERVALE PACKS
MILLY TAIDEN
CONTENTS
Their Rising Sun
About the Book
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
About the Author
Also by Milly Taiden
THEIR RISING SUN
WINTERVALE PACKS
NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR
MILLY TAIDEN
ABOUT THE BOOK
Blake Parker believes in giving herself and helping others whenever and however she can. When she hears about an opportunity to help an alien planet repopulate and rebuild, she jumps at the chance to be a surrogate. Blake herself was born to a surrogate mother, so it feels like the right thing to do. Giving the shifter alpha males on planet Daeria a family is her ultimate pay it forward.
* * *
Not long after arriving on Daeria she meets not one but four handsome wolf shifters. They all claim she's their mate. How in the world did she get so lucky? Jericho, the Wintervale Alpha, and his sentry, Mace have agreed to share a surrogate. However, two other males take an interest in her. So now four guys are ready to share her in the dirtiest ways possible and she's beyond excited about the prospect. She's a sick woman with a perverted mind.
* * *
When Blake’s life is threatened by a race of ancient monsters who rise from the grave, hungry for her blood, it’s up to Jericho, Mace, Serge, and Castien to keep her safe. They need to discover her true heritage, and train her for the fight of her life. Not to mention, get her to realize she's their fated mate and they're keeping her. Forever.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real in any way. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.
* * *
Published By
Latin Goddess Press
Winter Springs, FL 32708
http://millytaiden.com
Their Rising Sun
Copyright © 2019 by Milly Taiden
Edited by: Tina Winograd
Cover: Willsin Rowe
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Property of Milly Taiden
November 2019
Created with Vellum
—For my readers
* * *
Your continued support of my books means the world!
CHAPTER ONE
Blake Parker was on an alien planet filled with men. Alien shifter men. And every one of the alien shifters were sexy and built for pleasure. A girl’s wet dream come true.
Being a surrogate for the hottie shifters was going to be the best decision she’d made in her life. Not just because of the sex, but because she was there to help them expand their species and ensure their races didn’t die out. The sex was an added bonus.
Breathing in the crisp clean air, Blake sighed as she drank her cocktail and enjoyed the view of the shirtless males as they worked on the community center. The building had been damaged in a battle between the dragon shifters and a rogue wolf the night Blake and five other surrogates—the second batch from Earth—arrived on Daeria.
At first, she was concerned more rogues would rise up. The planet was still recovering from a war that had ended a little over a year ago. Katrina, the human mate of two dragons and sat on the Daerian council, reassured her and the others that precautions had been taken. But another attack was possible.
Appeased, Blake relaxed and focused on the important things. Like fantasizing about which one of the sexy shifters would be hers one day.
At least, that was her hope. Every time she thought about not being chosen, she felt sick. Blake did want to be picked to be a shifter’s life partner. She’d even be okay with having four or five, like some of the other humans. But she didn’t want to be sent back to Earth.
“Blake, are you okay?”
Meeting Adrienne’s green eyes, Blake sighed. “Just can't believe I'm actually here,” she told her friend.
Adrienne nodded. “It does seem like a dream.”
“Yeah.” More like a fantasy come true. Blake scanned their surroundings. They were sitting in the large open courtyard on the north side of their complex called Pinnacle Crown. It was located in an area recently named Empyrea.
According to the information packet provided on the space flight to Daeria, their new home used to be a neutral zone. It bordered the three houses—Nightflame Dragons, Wintervale Wolves, and Silvermoon Pride.
The landscape around them was beautiful. Mountains filled the background, stretching from the north to the east. The rest was sky with a purplish hue mixed with a darker blue. Different from Earth’s sky. Even the air was different. It felt clean and filled with scents of flowers and spice.
“Are you ready for the party tonight?” Blake asked before taking a drink of the fruity cocktail. One of the complex’s staff members made it for her.
That would be another adjustment for Blake. Staff that waited on her. She'd been on her own since she was sixteen and had to work her ass off to get the things she wanted. Like the house and sports car she’d left behind. She wasn’t sad about leaving those because she was doing something she loved—helping others in need. She’d sold the car and house, then donated the money to a children's charity.
They were just things. She was going to give life to an alien race!
Adrienne picked up a slice of meat foreign to them. “I think so,” she answered with a laugh. “I know what I'm wearing at least.”
“Me too.” Blake watched as two of her travel companions exited the complex with drinks in their hands.
Shaylin and Tabitha. They both were beautiful and not at all plain like Blake. Shaylin had fiery red hair that fell to the middle of her back in perfect curls and big blue eyes. Tabitha had platinum blonde hair and brown eyes. Both were curvy, like Blake, but they had confidence about their weight Blake longed for.
“Where's Kindle and Jinelle?” Blake asked as the pair sat in loungers beside her and Adrienne.
“Kindle is putting Nate down for a nap and Jinelle isn't feeling well,” Shaylin answered before taking a sip of her drink.
Blake could relate to not feeling well. She'd been a little off since arriving a few weeks ago. She wasn't sick. Just tired and restless, but she ignored it, figuring it was her body adjusting to everything on the new planet.
A smile lifted Blake's lips as she thought about Nate, Kindle's three-year-old son. He was adorable and very active. It made Blake's mama clock tick louder. She loved kids and wanted a bunch of them. It was the reason she signed up to be a surrogate. She wanted babies and if she could help a planet rebuild in the process, bonus. It was her way of paying it forward, Blake being the product of a surrogate mom herself.
Shaylin sat up and motioned to the group of men working on the community center. “I'm loving the view.”
Blake giggled and glanced at the shirtless men. “It is a beautiful view.”
“I’ll have to agree.” The sound of the low husky voice made Blake lifted her gaze to stare into the most beautiful golden eyes she’d ever seen. Okay, so it wasn’t often she saw gold eyes. Not light brown with a gold hue, these babies were gold. The man had white-blond hair and was built like a house—thick arms, broad shoulders. Blake wanted to climb him.
She was so mesmerized by the shifter, she didn’t notice the other two who jumped over the low cast-iron fencing that surrounded the pool area. They took a seat close to Adrienne and Shaylin. One had short dark brown hair and the other had purple hair. All three had ridges on their noses and high cheekbones.
The man with the blond hair and gold eyes then hopped over and sat at the table with Blake. She felt her cheeks heat and she averted her gaze. He reached over the table and touched the back of her hand. She swore a jolt of electricity tingled her fingers, traveled up her arm and spread throughout her body. Holy hell. What was that?
“I’m Serge.” His voice was husky and silky at the same time. It had a slight accent that reminded her of French and German rolled into one.
“Hi. My name is Blake.”
“Blake…” He spoke her name and she almost melted in her chair.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to focus on not jumping in his lap. “What type of shifter are you?”
For a moment, she thought her question was offensive, but he smiled, revealing one dimple. “We are wolves.” He pointed to his friends then introduced them. “The one with the purple hair is Quil and the other is Barrett.”
Barrett seemed to take an interest in Adrienne while Quil talked with Shaylin. Blake nodded at them and sa id, “Hi. Nice to meet you.”
They replied politely but she could tell they were more interested in her friends. Blake glanced at Tabitha who winked at her playfully before going for a swim. Blake giggled. Tabitha seemed to have a dark side, but she had a soft spot for nature and animals.
A couple more shadows fell over them and she glanced up to see the men working on the community center standing at the fence. Serge straightened and his features darkened. “What?”
One of the men said, “We are finished and taking a break.”
Serge pointed to the community center. “Go take a break over there and wait for Mace. He’ll be here in a few minutes.”
The men remained for a few moments, then Serge growled and arched a brow. The men scattered. Blake laughed, mostly out of nerves. “Wow. Do they always do what you say?”
Serge said, “Yes. I’m their beta. I only answer to the alpha, Jericho. You’ll meet him tonight at the party.”
“Will you be at the party?”
He met her gaze and brought her hand to his mouth. “Yes. Will you save me a dance?”
“Yes,” she said without thinking. In fact, the idea of being wrapped in his arms with their bodies close together made her hot all over.
His smile brightened. “Good. So, tell me about yourself. What do you like to do?”
Blake thought about it. “There isn’t much I don’t like to do. I love helping others and sunrises.”
Serge’s eyes lit up. “Our first date will be to watch the suns rise.”
“That sounds amazing!” Wait. Had he just asked her on a date?
Just then a silver, egg-shaped transporter pulled up next to the community center. Two men got out and when they met each other at the front of the vehicle, they lifted their heads in her direction at the same time. She swore they were looking directly at her. But they could be looking at Serge. She noticed him stiffen slightly beside her.
Her heart hammered. Everything around her faded from view and all she saw was them. Desire and heat built within and her insides tingled with awareness. What the hell?
She broke the eye contact with effort and focused on her friends. They hadn't seemed to notice her out-of-body experience or whatever the hell just happened. She met Serge’s gaze and realized he had noticed her reaction. In a flash, he softened his features and brushed a strand of hair from her cheek. “It seems I may have competition.” He winked at her and leaned in. “It’s a good thing wolves like a challenge.”
She hoped they liked the chase as well because she was going to have fun playing hard to get. Okay, maybe not too hard. A girl has needs.
CHAPTER TWO
Every part of Jericho’s body came alive. His gaze locked with the black-haired beauty and he instantly wanted her. His wolf growled and paced, wanting to go to her.
Mate.
The word was a growl in his mind but he felt the mating urge deep in his soul. He was at a loss for words because he'd never imagined he'd get a second mate in his lifetime. A second chance at love.
The fact that his beta, Serge, was entertaining the female should have sent him into a possessive rage. Yet, his wolf only growled at the thought. It was one thing to share a surrogate with his best friend and sentry, Mace. Bringing Serge into the mix? Jericho wasn’t sure how that would play out since Serge had already agreed to share a surrogate with Castien, the pack healer.
Mace tensed beside him, letting out a soft growl of his own. Tearing his gaze from the female, Jericho glanced at Mace. As if feeling his stare, Mace asked, “Do you smell her?”
“I do.” Another telling sign that she was his and Mace’s true mate was the ability to scent her across the courtyard. “It appears Serge is also taken with our mate.”
Mace growled again, that time it was more possessive. “I’m not sure I like that.”
Jericho arched his brow and Mace shook his head and moved toward the community center, stopping Jericho from asking any more questions.
Fine. Jericho would have to save the Q&A for later. But the four of them—Serge and Castien included—would answer the main question running in Jericho's mind. Was the black-haired female a mate for all four of them?
One thing was clear, Jericho didn't feel any jealousy at the thought of sharing her with his sentry, his beta, and his healer.
Interesting.
When he glanced back at the complex courtyard, the female laughed at whatever Serge was saying. Jericho’s wolf nudged from within, wanting to go to her and find out what was making her laugh. He also wanted to hang around and listen to that sound a little longer. Jericho ignored the animal and followed Mace inside the center.
They had work to do.
The community center had taken some external and electrical damage from Arden's attack during the festival a few weeks prior. Mace's team had worked double-time to get it repaired and ready for the meet-and-greet party for the surrogates.
Jericho had been focused on bringing in the members from Bloodmoon to Wintervale. Well, at least the wolves. The cats were being integrated into the Silvermoon Pride. Micha, the leopard alpha, was having an easier time with his new members than Jericho. Most of the wolves were still bitter from the former alpha, Cedric’s betrayal. The traitor had started a war, killing their females with a spell from an ancient grimoire.
Bloodmoon was a pack formed by Arden—the twisted, psycho rogue wolf who thought he could finish what Cedric started. At first, the pack came together as a group for those who felt they didn’t fit into Wintervale or Silvermoon after the death of Cedric. Then Arden started showing his true self and his plan to bring down dragon king, Voss.
The members of Bloodmoon once again found themselves at the mercy of a rogue lunatic. This time Jericho and Micha were ensuring that all shifters had safe and healthy packs whether they joined Wintervale or Silvermoon, or started a new pack under the council’s rule.
Walking into the center, Jericho was met with the buzz of male voices. Since a few team leaders from his pack were working on rebuilding the center, Jericho met with them there. They were to discuss pending issues with the new pack members and security for the party.
A few moments later, Serge strutted in wearing a wide-ass grin. He lifted his gaze to Jericho's and gave a short nod. When he joined the group, he asked, “How is everything going?”
“I was going to say that. Do you have an update on our newest pack members?” Jericho held Serge’s gaze. His beta didn’t avert the eye contact, but it wasn’t a challenge. A spark of passion and playfulness swirled in his gold depths.
Jericho knew Serge had met his mate.
Serge looked away first, scanning the large open space around him. “Well, considering the situation, most of the wolves from Bloodmoon are leery. They have no choice because they need to follow an alpha. I pulled one of the males aside and he told me that Arden had killed any male strong enough to challenge him.”
Jericho ground his teeth together. That’s what Cedric had done. Only Cedric hadn’t expected Jericho to be as strong as he was. He’d been strategic and he’d hidden his power, waiting for the right time to strike.
Arden killing off his potential threats pissed Jericho off. That was a coward's way, not a leader. “What else?”
Serge shrugged. “Not much. Arden was an ass who fell into Cedric's footsteps. He was a crazy motherfucker and got what he deserved in the end. As for the Bloodmoon pack, it will take time for them to trust you. It’ll help when the rest of us make our way to Wintervale to settle.”
