Island Stripe Pride

BLURB

Dean Romero is not your average Tiger Shifter. He is the king or the Neta of the Island Stripe Pride, operating out of Manhattan.

Wanting to avoid the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, this Neta elects to spend Christmas at his newly built cabin in a remote section of the Pine Barrens just outside of Maccon City, New Jersey. A town notorious among supernaturals for its Shifter ties.

Violet Martinez is a nail technician stuck working on the holidays. Asked to make a house call she has no choice but to drive to an important client’s house on Christmas Eve.

She’d much rather be at home curled up with her favorite mug full of steaming spiked hot chocolate and a marathon of old black and white movies to keep her company.

Resigned to her fate, she heads out in the wintry weather which has made the drive nearly impossible. Halfway there, Violet’s car spins out on a lonely stretch of road and she slams into a tree, hitting her head on the dashboard.

Passing out in the cold with a head injury was not on Violet’s Christmas list, but good thing there’s a Tiger king who just happens to be out for a run nearby.

When Dean gets a whiff of Violet’s sugar cookie scent all bets are off. This Neta wants her for his own, but will the dark-haired beauty accept him and agree to be his bride this Christmas?

PROLOGUE

Damn it, Dean, you’re supposed to be there!” Alex raised his voice and slammed his hand down on the desk.

The man obviously forgot himself in the excitement of his discussion with his boss, but one growl from Dean and the feisty Tiger Shifter averted his gaze and bared his throat. After all, Dean Romero wasn’t just his boss, he was also his Neta.

Alex Kensington was not the first who’d scoffed at Dean’s announcement that he’d be spending the holidays alone in his new cabin in the Pine Barrens of South Jersey, but that was one of the perks of being in charge.

Dean Romero was the Tiger King, the Alpha, or as Bengal Tiger Shifters the world over preferred to call their leader, the Neta, of the Island Stripe Pride. His Pride was small, but fierce with a reputation for such. They operated primarily out of Manhattan but had footholds in several other major cities.

The Island Stripe Pride was also a large global conglomeration with interests from imports and exports, to farming, winemaking, shipping, and construction, and Dean was the CEO.

His Pride mates worked for him, learned from him, basked in his protection, and took care of one another as he instructed. Community, loyalty, and structure were important parts of living in the Shifter World, and Dean was very good in his roles as both Neta and CEO of the Island Stripe Pride and their corporation, ISP Inc.

“You will represent the Pride at this year’s holiday celebration,” Dean instructed.

“But-”

“Alex, as my Beta, you will do quite well filling in for me at the Christmas party,” Dean told the younger man, who was still looking at the ground and baring his throat in submission.

Dean cursed inwardly and cut off the resounding growl that was still reverberating in his chest. His Neta powers were causing his Pride mate to basically grovel, and that was not the kind of man, not the kind of leader, he was. Dean had no interest in constantly proving his strength and control to others. He was the Neta.

Enough said.

“I’m tired, Alex,” Dean finally admitted the truth aloud as he picked up one of the sugar cookies his administrative assistant had delivered him that morning.

The darned things were his favorite and he’d already scoffed down two dozen. Good thing Shifter’s had an extremely fast metabolism or he’d worry. As it was, he could eat ten dozen and still be trim and fit for a man in his position.

“My Tiger is restless. Has been these past few months. The beast is hungry, but what he craves cannot be found in this city. I think the quiet space will help.”

Dean gestured to the crowded streets below them, visible through the impressive floor to ceiling windows in his penthouse office of the ISP Building in lower Manhattan.

“Perhaps a woman? Who knows you might get lucky this Christmas with a little miracle of your own?” Alex suggested and Dean shook his head.

“There is no such thing. Besides, there is no one in the Pride or among those close to us who sparks my interest. I just need a break.”

“Ouch! Excuse me, Scrooge. Hey, you’re not going rogue, are you, Neta?” Alex joked, but Dean could hear the sincerity behind the question.

His oldest friend feared for his beast’s sanity. He wanted to laugh at the impossibility of it all, but Dean could only grunt at him in response. The idea had crossed his mind, but he pushed it back. A Shifter went rogue for many reasons, but Dean didn’t have the luxury to give in to his own fancy.

No, he simply needed rest and some peace and quiet this Christmas. What was wrong with that? And Alex would do fine at the party. They’d known each other for years, having grown up with each other.

Alex had seen Dean rise to his position after his father had stepped down. He’d been a devoted part of Dean’s inner circle ever since. There had been no one to challenge him when he ascended to Neta, and he’d heard of none since.

Dean had always tried to run the Pride with justice and fairness. The same way he ran ISP, with the keen expertise and intelligence his vast education and years working with his father had afforded him.

He was just tired, that was all. It was as simple as that. And if his inner beast was restless and anxious, that was nothing to worry about.

Just tired, he repeated to his animal who rested inside of his mind’s eye.

“Maybe you need a woman?” Alex suggested.

As soon as his Beta posed the question, Dean’s enormous Tiger pushed forward, his glowing teal eyes bright in his mind’s eye, the beast thought a single word that made Dean recoil.

Mate.

Well, fuck. He didn’t expect that. But even as the seconds passed into minutes, he knew it was the truth. The beast inside of him wanted his mate.

Lonely at the top was too cliché, but it fit. He needed a partner, someone to share his wins and losses with. It had been a long time since Dean felt something other than the urge to quench his carnal appetites with a woman.

Still, he wasn’t sure he was ready to take a mate. Not yet. And besides, where would he find one? He already knew all the females in the Pride, and they were not for him.

“I could call one for you,” Alex was still talking, but Dean had stopped listening.

“No. Absolutely not. In fact, it’s just another reason I’m leaving the city and going to the cabin for the holidays. There is just no way I am going to spend the entire Christmas party dodging the wily females of the Shifter community.”

“Yeah, I hear that. Thanksgiving was no fun at all. That Hyena delegation kept trying to shove their Alpha fem’s granddaughter at you. The one with the lazy eye,” Alex said and shuddered.

Dean shook his head at the memory. That idea was not appealing in the slightest.

Nope. Dean wanted to give his Big Cat the opportunity to run and roam through the still untouched Pine Barrens without fear of being caught under the mistletoe by some desperate woman looking to catch him in a weak moment.

Last time he took a member of his Pride home with him for the night, she’d had their firstborn named before he even slipped the condom on. Blue balls were so not his thing.

Fuck it. He wanted no misunderstandings this Christmas. Dean would go far away where he was safe from all the women trying to earn themselves the coveted position of his mate and the Pride’s Nari.

“The cabin will suit my holiday needs, Alex. My assistant has stocked my car with food and clothes for the weekend.”

“But what if-”

“Alex I am the Neta. I will be fine. It’ll be like my gift to myself. Far away from all the people and things demanding my attention. I can connect with my Tiger and recharge my batteries so to speak.”

“If you’re sure,” his Beta muttered.

“I’m not going rogue, Alex, I just need some time alone. Now, I signed the bonus checks and had Carl send them out via hand delivered couriers to everyone in the company, as well as, to the all the Pride families.”

“They do love your yearly bonuses,” grinned Alex.

“Yes, and this year they will get them without having the opportunity to shove their single daughters in my face at the Christmas party.”

“But Dean-”

“No buts about it, Alex, end of the day today I am out of here. No phones, no computers, no messages. Do not call me until after Christmas Day. That is an order,” he growled and downed the two fingers of Mason Lane’s newest artisan distilled whiskey, Holiday Bite, that the Werewolf had sent him as a gift.

Dean enjoyed quality spirits and poured himself the glass to toast the upcoming holiday with his Beta before he skipped town. Holiday Bite slid down his throat warming his chest and leaving behind a smooth, delightful hint of rosemary and cranberries.

The amber colored liquid was quite excellent and he made a mental note to drop Mason a line of thanks for the gift. He grabbed the bottle and nodded at Alex while heading out to his sleek blue Aston Martin Valkyrie.

The four-million dollar automobile was his other Christmas present to himself this year.

With his plans to avoid the holiday party, his new custom luxury automobile, not to mention the cabin in the woods and his bottle of Holiday Bite, this was already turning into the most excellent Christmas indeed.

Grrr, agreed his Tiger.