Resisting The Alpha (Werebear Shifter Romance) (The Crane Curse) Read online

  This is the first novella from the 3 part Backstage with Silverlight series, a spin off from the novel Lucky Break.

  ***

  The Ballad of Jude

  Backstage With Silverlight #1

  By

  Liliana Rhodes

  Chapter One

  Eel Pie Studios occupied a converted freestanding garage near the entrance of Silverlight’s legendary drummer Jude Morrison’s home. The control room hummed from the recording equipment and amps. On one side of the glass was the rehearsal space where a seven piece maple drum kit with matte black shells sat in the center of the room. Jude’s signature drum kit made its first appearance during Silverlight’s first world tour which was to date the highest grossing tour for any band of the last two decades.

  Between the money, the women, and the accolades, no one understood why Silverlight ended. Even the fans refused to admit they broke up. Jude heard it all, from Cade’s ego got too big, to Jude’s personal life intersected too much with the band. Now, with the Silverlight documentary, was the time to set the record straight.

  Jude pushed back his shaggy dark hair back as he admired his drums from his swivel chair at the soundboard. The chrome fittings on the drum kit reflected the light of the room, reminding him of stage lights. Not many people got to do what they loved and Jude was always humbled whenever he thought about Silverlight’s simple beginnings. It was sometimes hard for him to accept that he was the drummer in the band many people called the biggest thing to happen to music in the last twenty years.

  Jude Morrison had his favorite black motorcycle boots propped up on the edge of the soundboard as he leaned back in the dark burgundy chair. He cocked his head to the side and peered out from behind a pair of gunmetal Ray Ban Aviators at the young man entering the room.

  As Feature Reporter for the foremost music magazine in the industry, Nathan Fielding was living his dream. The boyish twenty-something stepped into Eel Pie’s recording studio with a beaten canvas messenger bag slung across his lanky form. Nervously running his hand over his shaggy hair, he quickly smiled when he recognized the drummer for the biggest band of his generation–Jude Morrison.

  “Hi, I’m Nathan Fielding,” he said as he extended his hand for Jude to shake. “It’s an honor–”

  “Cut the crap. I know who you are,” Jude said, ignoring his outstretched hand. “I remember you from Olivia’s tour.”

  “Yes, I did the Lucky Break documentary. Is she here?”

  “She’s here. You won’t be seeing her though. She doesn’t do interviews anymore.”

  “But she’s just starting out…” Nathan said, sounding disappointed.

  “Let’s just say she wasn’t too thrilled with the experience. She’s not used to people criticizing every little thing about her and her music. She cares too much so it really wounded her.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t want to get into it but people didn’t get it, and you definitely didn’t get her,” Jude said. “She’s a very private woman who grew up sheltered in a way neither of us could really understand. It takes a lot for her to be as open as she was and to hear people criticize what they saw of her relationships really cut to the bone.”

  “What did people say? I thought I was very fair in the documentary. She was open and honest as far as I remember.”

  “You know how people are, Nathan. They said we fell in love too fast. That she and Jordan didn’t seem like best friends,” Jude said as he let out an exasperated breath. “Jordan is the closet person Olivia has other than me. She doesn’t open up to just anyone. She doesn’t know how. Add to that that Jordan is complicated in her own right. A lot happened just before the tour that neither of them were ready to talk about, so they didn’t. Sometimes when you’re close to someone you find comfort in silence. Anyway, I’ve already said too much.”

  “Well then let’s talk about you. That’s what I’m really here for anyway,” Nathan said. “You did fall in love really fast though.”

  “I do that, that’s how I am. I’m passionate,” Jude said smirking. “But when it came to Olivia, I didn’t have a choice. I knew she was the one the moment I first set eyes on her. Then later when I heard her songs, listening to those lyrics. Man, you really have no idea. There’s nothing more intimate and personal than reading someone’s words. That was definitely it for both of us.”

  “You said you knew the moment you saw her, what was it about her?”

  “Everything. She’s my ‘split apart’. I couldn’t exist without her now if I wanted to.”

  “Split apart?”

  “Yeah you know, Plato?” Jude said, annoyed. “He believed that our souls were all split and we spend our lives looking for our match, the other half. Our soul mate. That’s Olivia.” Jude’s voice softened as he spoke about his girlfriend. Clearing his throat, he dropped his feet to the floor and propped his elbows on his knees. “You gonna stand the whole time?”

  Nathan quickly sat down on a long couch along the wall by the door. Opening his bag, he pulled out a spiral notebook with a pen clipped onto the wire and a small digital recorder. He scribbled something on the lined paper and then pressed a button on the recorder.

  “Ok so Lucky, I mean Olivia won’t do interviews anymore, and I know you’ve been burnt before,” Nathan said. So why did you agree to the Silverlight documentary?”

  Jude let out a small laugh. “Because I don’t give a fuck anymore,” he said grinning as he leaned back into his chair. “Listen, I love our fans and I know they’d love a documentary about Silverlight. Everyone wants to know what happened. They want details. The fans have been through a lot following us from the beginning and all. They deserve to know.” Jude stroked his stubbled chin thoughtfully before continuing. “I’ve been in this business long enough to know that you can’t please everyone. A lot of people just need to find something wrong with what you do and shit all over it. I don’t care, people can say whatever they want. Haters gonna hate, you know?”

  Nathan nodded as he jotted something into his notebook before looking up at Jude. “Its been said that Silverlight changed the face of modern music. Everyone knows the story of how you guys got together, but be honest now, Jude. Is there any one person you can point to for making that happen?”

  Jude laughed and took his sunglasses off revealing deep green eyes then set the Ray Bans down on the edge of the soundboard. Leaning back into his seat, he grinned and nodded slowly at the young man across the room. He let the question hang in the air knowing the courage Nathan must have summoned to even ask such a thing.

  “I know what you’re asking,” Jude said gruffly. “You don’t want to hear Richard Black, you already know the answer.” Looking at Nathan’s wide anxious eyes, Jude knew how far Nathan had taken it and the direction he was heading. “Why bring her up?”

  “You know why,” Nathan said, sounding cocky. “She was an important part of your life and Silverlight’s. Actually she’s important to a lot of bands nowadays. She has a gift for finding talent.”

  “I don’t know about finding. I’d say talent finds her. She’s a magnet. A muse…” Jude said as his voice drifted.

  “Yes, I know. It took me a while, but I tracked her down and spoke to her. Zoey had a lot to say about you.”

  The Ballad of Jude is available now!

  Author’s Note

  Hi! Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this book, it would mean a lot to me if you helped others find it too. Please consider writing a review or recommending this book to friends or family.

  Reviews and word of mouth recommendations are the best way you can help an author. It helps other readers discover new books too!

  I love hearing from readers! If you have any comments or questions please feel free to email me at [email protected] and I’ll reply as soon as possible.

  Love,

  Liliana

  Liliana’s Amazon Author Page

  Novels

  Lucky Break


  Canyon Cove Series

  No Regrets

  Novellas

  Charming The Alpha

  Backstage with Silverlight Series

  The Ballad of Jude

  His Every Whim Series

  His Every Whim, Part 1

  His One Desire, Part 2

  His Simple Wish, Part 3

  His True Fortune, Part 4

  The Billionaire’s Whim - Boxed Set

  Get news about my new and upcoming releases as well as special offers by signing up for

  Liliana’s Email Newsletter

  Stop by and say hi!

  My Website

  http://www.LilianaRhodes.com

  My Facebook Page

  http://www.facebook.com/AuthorLilianaRhodes

  My Twitter

  http://www.twitter.com/Liliana_Rhodes

  About The Author

  Liliana Rhodes is a USA Today Bestselling Author who writes romance with fun, engaging characters. Blessed with an over active imagination, she is always writing and plotting her next stories. She enjoys movies, reading, photography, and listening to music. After growing up on the east coast, Liliana now lives in California with her husband, son, two dogs who are treated better than some people, and two parrots who plan to take over the world.

  Copyright

  Resisting The Alpha

  Copyright © 2014 by Jaded Speck Publishing

  Cover by Jaded Speck Publishing

  Photography: ©BigStockPhotos / Photosani, tankist276

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Table of Contents

  Resisting The Alpha

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  EPILOGUE

  Excerpt - The Ballad of Jude

  Author’s Note

  Liliana’s Links

  About The Author

  Copyright