Reviewed by Cindy

TITLE: Once an Alpha

SERIES: Hidden Wolves

AUTHOR: Kaje Harper

PUBLISHER: Self-published

LENGTH:  208 Pages

RELEASE DATE: July 20th, 2024

BLURB:

Can I be both Alpha and the man Rob needs me to be?

I spent nineteen years rebuilding the pack I took from our abusive Alpha, with my bondmate Melody as my wife, and my best friend Rob at my side as Second. Then I lost Melody and the child we hoped to have, and my world crashed down on me. I holed up, grieving and fighting conflicting impulses, until my Third, Sherman, got tired of my apathy and Challenged me for pack Alpha.

I could’ve taken Sherman down, no sweat. Rob could’ve wiped the dirt with him. What held us back was the memory of one night when we were both seventeen, and three decades of not giving in to impossible dreams. If we were free, away from the violent homophobia of the packs, maybe we could finally be more than Alpha and Second. So I suppressed my Alpha instincts and walked away. Rob, as always, came with me.

Now we’re in my truck, heading west into the mountains. Just David and Rob, two men trying to figure out what we can be to each other. Until we stop in a small town for a meal, and someone who smells like a wolf steals my truck. Trouble’s afoot, the local lone wolves need help, and I’m discovering that once an Alpha, always an Alpha. But if we get entangled with a new pack, does that mean any relationship Rob and I might’ve found has to be lost again to werewolf laws?

Set in 2010, a year before Unacceptable Risk in the bad old days of the packs, this is a Hidden Wolves universe standalone 44,000 word novella with new characters.

Content warnings for grief, past pregnancy loss, past abuse, past captivity, and violence.

Contains the added bonus 5K short story Toby, Doyle, and the Cats.

REVIEW:

I’m going to start with being honest and saying I haven’t read any of the other stories in this series. That being said, it reads well as a stand alone novel and I’m glad that I picked it up.

David and Rob are two men who have loved each other for years. In 2010 that might not have been so bad if they weren’t also wolf shifters. Shifter laws run rampant with homophobia. They did their best to be friends and take care of each other, with the buffer of David’s wife between them it mostly worked. With her gone, there’s nothing left between them but the archaic views of the old wolves.

These men were intriguing, even without the shifter element. And I love how they finally take the chance to be free instead of trying to cling to their old lives.

Found family is one of my favorite tropes and this is a great example of it. The shifters they meet in a small town are lone wolves in need of a leader and David could be that guy. But he’s not sure he wants to pay the possible price.

The best and hardest part of this story is watching these two men struggle with their decision. They’ve waited so long to be happy together and it means everything to them, but they are both natural leaders.

This is a short book and I don’t want to give too much away, but this story is so well done. The sex is so damn hot and very story appropriate. I loved getting to know David and Rob and all the characters who become a part of their story.

And even though it’s short, it’s definitely a complete story. I always want them to be a little longer, but that’s mostly about me being greedy for more.

Now, I’m going to go check out the rest of the books in the series.

Oh and there’s a bonus story at the end, and it’s just cute as heck! And that’s all I’m going to tell you.

RATING:

BUY LINKS:

Amazon