Beyond by Chantal Fernando
Dedication
This book goes out to all the amazing ladies in Chantal’s Alpha Male Support Team.
Thank you for believing in me.
Chapter One
I stand when I hear the sounds of the doors opening, and the men start walking inside. My eyes scan each of their faces, looking for him. I’ve heard the women talk about him. Dane, his name is.
“No more procrastinating Olivia,” my father says from next to me. His eyes don’t turn to me, instead roam his soldiers. I’m twenty-one today, and I can no longer put it off. My father wants me to get married. I talked him out of choosing someone for me, instead he gave in and said I could choose who I want to marry. I have never even had a conversation with most of these men, so I guess it doesn’t really make a difference, except for the fact that there is one man I’ve seen around that catches my attention each time. I may as well choose someone I’m physically attracted to. I hold my breath when I see him walk through the door. Dressed in all black, tight black T-shirt, black cargo pants and combat boots, I can see his muscles flex as he walks. Powerful thighs that have caught my eye more than once, and the untameable vibes surrounding him make me want him even more. He runs a hand through his dark hair, his green eyes scanning the room. He’s always on alert. Ready for anything.
He’s a warrior of our time.
I stand up on my tip toes and speak into my father’s ear. “The one dressed in black that just walked through the door.”
I know his name, but I don’t speak it.
My father looks to the entrance and purses his lips when he sees the man I’m talking about.
“Dane? He’s my best solider,” he says, not looking happy. His green eyes, just like my own, narrow slightly. “I have other plans for him.”
“Then he will make a great future leader.”
His lips tighten. “He is already a great leader, but he belongs on the field. He takes the most dangerous missions and makes sure everyone gets home safely. The soldiers need him more than you do.”
“I won’t stop him from going beyond the walls,” I say.
In fact, maybe he could take me with him.
“You are okay with an absent husband?” he asks, studying me.
I shrug. It didn’t matter. He was the only man who had ever caught my eye, and it went further than his good looks. He had something about him. An aura of danger. He was a man you want on your side, and I happen to want him standing next to mine.
“Wouldn’t you want your only daughter to be well protected?” I ask him, looking back towards the man we are discussing.
Going by my father’s strained face, I can see that he really doesn’t want to give his best soldier up. “Head to your room,” he says. I kiss him on the cheek, give Dane one last lingering look, then do as I’m told.
The next evening, I still haven’t seen or heard from my father. I walk towards his room, but hide around the corner when I see two men walking my way. I’m not meant to be here, on this side of the building. It’s the men’s quarters.
“I don’t want to marry some uptight princess,” a man growls in a deep voice. I immediately know it’s him. Even at his cruel words, the low timbre of his voice sends a shiver down my spine.
“Did Evan say you have to?” another man asks. “I’m sure you can get out of it. You’re his favorite.”
A pause. “He requested that I do. And I can’t turn him down after everything he’s done for me.”
“You can but you won’t,” the man replies, pausing. “You don’t like blondes.”
I hear Dane chuckle. “That’s the least of my problems right now.”
“She’s beautiful though,” the man replies. “You could do worse.”
Dane expels a deep sigh. “If you were told you had to marry someone you haven’t even spoken yet, how would you feel? Yes, she’s beautiful but so are many other women. Marriage isn’t something to be thrown around, even in this day and age. The woman I marry I will see as mine. I’d prefer it if it was one that I’d chosen and from my own free will.”
“You don’t even know if you will be compatible in bed,” the other man adds with a taunting laugh.
“I’m a good teacher,” Dane replies, sounding amused. “However I bet she’s cold as ice in bed. She looks so uptight and proper, I don’t know.”
Dane’s friend laughs again. “Not like the women you’re used to then. We all know you like them stacked and easy.”
I hear a slapping sound, followed by a groan. “Ouch you f*cker.”
“Don’t talk badly about my women,” Dane replies, no heat in his tone.
“Women,” the man replies, grunting. “You’re a lucky bastard the way they all throw themselves at you.”
I bite my lip and sink deeper into the shadows. He doesn’t want this. Why didn’t I even factor that into the equation? I don’t want someone who doesn’t want me. Maybe I should just tell my father to choose someone for me. Why did I have to marry at all? The whole thing was stupid. Women married as soon as they hit eighteen here, we needed to rebuild our population. As the leader’s daughter, I was to be married to someone who would one day help me lead our people. I was now twenty-one, given a little leniency because of my station.