Step Alpha

Wolf Ridge High #3

by Renee Rose

1st Lesson of Wolf Ridge Dominate or submit.
It’s a wolf-eat-wolf school, and those on the top–like my stepbrother–rule all.
Those of us on the bottom? We try to fly under the radar.

But now that my name is attached to Wilde’s,
now that we’re “family,”
there’s no more hiding.

And the cocky baller is out to punish me
for the crime of dragging down his reputation.

He discovered my secret
and uses it against me.

I would rather die than have anyone find out.
So I give into his demands.

My bed.
My body.
My submission.

And the worst part? I don’t want it to stop.

Genres: Paranormal, Shapeshifters, Enemies To Lovers, Fantasy, Romance, High School, Paranormal Romance

284 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 25, 2023

About the author

15-Time USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR RENEE ROSE loves a dominant, dirty-talking alpha hero! She's sold over five million copies of steamy romance with varying levels of kink. Her books have been featured in USA Today's Happily Ever After and Popsugar. Named Eroticon USA's Next Top Erotic Author in 2013, she has also won Spunky and Sassy's Favorite Sci-Fi and Anthology author, The Romance Reviews Best Historical Romance, and has hit the USA Today list with her Chicago Bratva, Bad Boy Alpha, and Wolf Ranch books as well as various kinky anthologies.

For FREE RENEE ROSE BOOKS, go to this page: https://subscribepage.com/alphastemp

**Visit her blog at www.reneeroseromance.com
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WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT RENEE'S BOOKS:

"I savor Renee Rose's books as if they were the finest of champagnes" ~USA Today Bestselling Author Sierra Cartwright

"Renee Rose has an ability to write the most captivating, most intriguing, and the hottest books around." ~ USA Today Bestselling Author Alta Hensley

"A sexy tale for modern women that's as steamy as a locker room shower." ~Kirkus Reviews

"I've been completely blown away by this series" ~The Romance Reviews

"Nobody writes a bad boy hero like Renee Rose" ~USA Today Bestselling Author Cara Bristol

"If you are looking for a romance you can lose yourself in and think fondly of for days after, look no further. This is a Renee Rose book and this author is very good at what she does." ~USA Today Bestselling Author Maren Smith

"Hands down Renee Rose writes the sexiest, naughtiest, set your Kindle on fire romance." ~USA Today Bestselling Author Natasha Knight

"If you love your men dominant alphas and get considerable pleasure out of watching them have their lives turned upside down by the women in their lives on the way to their happily ever after, then you'll love this story." ~The Romance Reviews [TOP PICK]

"Rose always delivers with her erotic stories. It's hot, it's sexy, & don't forget the icy drink & fan when you read this one." ~Manic Readers

"I have yet to read a book by Renee Rose that I don't enjoy so much as to read it again and again." ~Bottoms Up Book Reviews

Reviews

[Intel Chicky Reads Romance (Kara Merideth) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Trope: taboo: step-brother, bully
Angst: 😱😱.5
Smexy: 🔥🔥🔥

Renee Rose's shifter books are a total no-brainer one-click for me. I've never walked away unhappy and Step Alpha definitely stepped up. Rayne is on the small side and has never shifted, solidifying her outcast position at high school. She's trying to juggle lots of balls from new family situation, school, and her side job of selling foot fetish pics on her OnlyFans page to save up for college. Everything becomes that much more complicated when her new step-brother, Wilde, gets in trouble in college and has to come home for a bit. Angry at the world and not sure why he's getting in his own way, Rayne finds it super easy to torment the little runt who's taken up in his old room.

I really loved this book! Step Alpha combines the paranormal with a bunch of my favorite tropes: the taboo, step-sibling dynamic, bully, and NA and it worked well. The story was well written and had an interesting storyline with just a dash of suspense. The taboo nature of their relationship made their attraction even hotter. I really liked how Wilde grew as a character during the story, but it wasn't just a flip where he went from jerk to nice and sweet, but an actual progression. I wish we had seen Rayne come into her own a bit more, but it was still a fantastic story that left me with a smile on my face, hoping for more.

⛔️ My bookshelves can sometimes be spoilers

[Tabatha Reed · Rating 2 out of 5]

I kept seeing a Facebook ad for this and it finally reeled me in. Unfortunately, I didn’t love the book. It’s ok there were a few parts I enjoyed and a few that turned me off.

Rayne is viewed as defective in the pack because she’s tiny and seemingly doesn’t have a wolf though her mom is definitely shifter. It’s unknown if her dad was human or not but presumed to be so. She’s largely ignored by her fellow packmates but when she is acknowledged it’s always cruel. She mostly called Rayne the Runt through the book. It got really old to me fast.

Wilde, the H, is off at college in the beginning but somewhat purposefully lands himself in legal trouble mostly because he seems to miss pack life.

His dad and therefore h’s stepdad is a huge asshole but mostly harmless. He wasn’t cruel to Rayne just mostly dismissive and oblivious.

Definite spoilers below, in case you’ve changed your mind about wanting spoilers.

When H comes home and h is forced to share space with him is where the story takes off.

Here’s what I liked:

I enjoyed the softer moments between H/h when he wasn’t being a dick.
I enjoyed h occasionally tossing attitude and/or surprising people by not being meek when that is what they expected
I enjoyed Hs possessiveness and jealousy especially when he didn’t even understand why he acted that way.
I liked that H encouraged h to “take up space” instead of trying to be small and unnoticeable.

What I didn’t like:

The H kept up his cruelty for too long
The h didn’t hold him accountable for his cruelty AT ALL
He made her sleep on the floor, this really bothered me.
We get several moments of H feeling guilty internally but ZERO GROVEL - I know some readers are fine with Hs not groveling - just knowing they feel guilty but I am not one of them. This man should begged forgiveness and bend over backwards to make amends but we get nada here.
It’s a small thing but I was EXTREMELY turned off by H “popping h’s cherry” with his fingers. It was so off putting to me I nearly DNF’d. The purpose of this was never revealed because when he stuck his dick in her later it still hurt. I don’t know why it icked me out so hard but it did 🤢
The h does foot porn on OnlyFans, starting when she was 17. It’s only foot stuff but I didn’t care for that.

Slow burn , there’s some useless foreplay earlier in the book including the repulsive “cherry popping” at 55%, Hs dick does enter h until 73%.

No condoms but birth control used
H didn’t seem to be a manwhore
Virgin h
No OW drama
Mild OM drama
No cheating
No separation in book but they attend different schools in epilogue and are finally going to attend the same one after a year at different schools
HEA
Epilogue

Safety - this is safe. No cheating and the OM drama was to show us h’s jealousy and possessiveness. The h and OM were strictly friends with no romantic interest in each other.

[Kate V · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 - 4 stars!

Renee Rose always knows how to deliver a good bully romance. Rayne is considered the runt of their wolf pack and has never shifted. She is a loser at high school and has had a difficult time adjusting to her mom marrying a new man, dealing with her step-brother who bullies her and how she is going to save money to attend college.

When her step-brother Wilde finds himself in trouble and back home, everything changes because Wilde is wild about her. He initially makes her life even harder but the more time they spend together, the more their dynamic changes.

“I don’t think, Rayne-bow. I’m fucking sure. I’m claiming you. You belong to me, sweet girl. Whether you want me or not.”

Wilde realizes that Rayne may be his and will do everything in his power to make sure she is as much his as he is hers.

“Oh, but I am, Runt. I’m your everything."

I really enjoyed this story. There was a delicious enemies-to-lovers slow burn vibe and the tension was hot. When they did combust, it was *fans self.* The whole story was entertaining and the romance dirty yet sweet. I loved the development of both Wilde and Rayne. They grew individually but also together as a couple and it really grounded their love. Overall, I've enjoyed this world and this story.

[Salma · Rating 2 out of 5]

The cliff scene sent me🤣

[Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars 🌟 🌟 🌟
First time reading this author and I’ll definitely check out her other books. Why wasn’t this a 5 star?
The length. I like a full story, character development and I found this one could improve in a few places.

[Aou · Rating 4 out of 5]

H was cruel but not much.

[Serial Romance Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! I liked the taboo romance. I enjoyed the bully aspect. I really liked Wilde and Rayne. It was a super entertaining shifter romance and I’ll read more.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so ridiculous but damn those spicy scenes? 👀 One of the best bully romances I've read honestly. But some of the wolf stuff was so silly 😂 He howled at a football game because he realized she was missing. And he threw her off a cliff to try and make her shift 😂😂😂 I CACKLED.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this was fun! I’m so glad Renee Rose is writing in this world again. I love these shifter HS books. It’s pretty typical for her shifter books; you get the dominance stuff, the spanking, the forbidden aspects, the carrying the h around and buckling her into the car , etc etc. All that stuff was great! I just wish there was some more angst. The h questions his motivations a lot and that would have been angsty but since we’re in his head so much that we know what’s going on with him. So the angst just didn’t hit right for me but I still enjoyed this one.

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So Hot! 5 stars!

I freaking loved this, Renee Rose has done it again!

Rayne and Wilde were explosive on the page, I couldn't get enough of them. The perfect enemies to lovers, fates mates, bully romance all wrapped up in one neat package.

One of my favourite reads of the year!

[Cleoblacktra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much better than book 1
I haven't read 2 based on the GR reviews

[Liz [reads books] · Rating 4 out of 5]

In love with this series and I was ecstatic to see that this was being released!
Rayne is the runt of the pack with no shifting abilities and Wilde is the "wild" son of her new step-dad.
Wilde finds out a secret about Ryane and holds it against her to bend her to his will. Of course, in the meantime, he's feeling all sorts of feelings for her. 4 stars

[CeCe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not care for the writing style. It did not keep my attention I tried. I know many of you loved it. My opinion.

[Kacy L. Kennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rayne has never fit into the shifter community of Wolf Ridge, being labeled defective or runt and subjected to bullying and harassment for just existing without a wolf. When her mom marries Logan Woodward, a member of the (as Rayne calls them) pack royalty, she hopes that her new stepbrother, Wilde, remains on the other side of the country at Duke where he plays college football. But luck never seems to be on Rayne's side.

For some reason, Wilde feels compelled back to Wolf Ridge and he ends up back on his father's doorstep, suspended from school with pending drug trafficking charges that may land him serious jail time. Wilde is angry that his father remarried his pregnant one-night stand. Especially given her relationship to the pack's defective runt. When he makes it back home, he's determined to make his new stepsister's life miserable, one horrible incident at a time.

But slowly and surely, Rayne burrows her way into Wilde's heart and mind. He finds himself protecting her, standing up for her against her bullies, and taking care of her. When she suddenly starts exhibiting the signs of a late wolf shift, he takes her under his wing -- wondering if she could be his mate. Except life isn't always easy and an unexpected enemy appears on the wings, ready to keep the new couple apart.

***************

Written in dual third-person POV, "Step Alpha" follows Rayne and Wilde as they battle against their new familial relationship while an unexpected, and forbidden, romance begins between them.

So, I read this book on Kindle Vella. And it's a pretty enjoyable book. The author announced in the final chapter release that the book would be out in paperback and Kindle Unlimited later in May. I'm not sure if everything I read will stay the same in the actual published version, but as the book is right this second, I think it's great. It's got that forbidden romance to it with a bit of enemies-to-lovers rivalry and new step-sibling squabbles.

Did I enjoy the taboo stepsibling romance? The stepsibling taboo isn't one that I usually gravitate towards, but the premise of this book made the idea of it seem really interesting. And honestly, it was good. It introduced the forced proximity really well and gave the characters a plausible reason to be interacting with each other, and it made Wilde's need to take care of her less noticeable until the romance was actually underway. It went surprisingly unchallenged the entire book and no one seemed all that fazed by the romance between the two characters.

Did the characters develop in a way that made me happy? Yes and no. Rayne grew very little, I really wanted her to grow a backbone and actually confront people for making her life miserable. But Wilde took care of all that for her, and she never really confronted her new stepfather or her mother for making her feel like an outsider in her own home or that she was like the hired help. I wanted her to challenge someone other than Wilde. but she didn't. As for Wilde, he figured himself out for the most part. After talking to Rayne, he figured out what direction he wanted his life to go and he decided to make decisions for himself instead of for the pack. I just wish he grew up a bit more and stopped acting like a Neanderthal when it came to Rayne.

The conflict in this book was introduced suddenly and was resolved just as quickly. Yes, there were hints that something like it would happen throughout the beginning of the book, but it just appeared in the narrative and was fixed in a few chapters. It didn't feel like there was enough build-up to make readers worried about it or that the stakes were high enough to really make it worthwhile. But it did get the characters together again at the end and we got our happily ever after.

The steamy scenes were good. Again, not a huge fan of the step-sibling taboo in general to the romance, but the romance and steam were built up by the interactions between the characters. Though there were a few scenes in the book that felt a little off in terms of consent and whatnot. Rayne is never outwardly distressed by them, but they left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. Other than that, consent was key and the steam was enjoyable for most of the book.

The pacing for this was just right. I didn't feel like there was too much filler or not enough build-up for the romance, which I sometimes have a hard time finding from Kindle Vella books. I just wish there were more interactions with secondary characters like Rayne or Wilde's friends. They showed up for scenes here and there, but I wish they added more to the characterization of Rayne and Wilde. I wanted Rayne and Wilde to feel like real people and that they need to rely on friends to sometimes figure things out. Especially since this is a heavily YA/NA book. But alas...

Still, this was a solid 4.25- or 4.5-star read, which is saying something.

[Romanticamente Fantasy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nemesi - per RFS
.
Ciao a tutti amici lettori, oggi parliamo del terzo romanzo della serie Wolf Ridge High, dove l’autrice Rene, anche questa volta, ha fatto centro. Ho letto tutti i volumi e sono tutti collegati tra loro pur essendo autoconclusivi. Il branco di cui si parla è molto grande e ben sviluppato tanto da trovare fondamenta anche in un’altra serie sempre dell’autrice, dove i protagonisti invece sono adulti, ovvero quella di Alfa Ribelli.

I protagonisti di oggi sono Wilde, un giovane mutaforma di una famiglia alfa che si trova in alto nella gerarchia del branco ed è un giocatore di football che, grazie a una borsa di studio sportiva, gioca in un college umano, la Duke.

La liceale Rayne, detta Rayne-bow, invece è l’emarginata del branco, l’ultima e più piccola di tutti, additata come ‘ la difettosa’ perché non è in grado di mutare né di usufruire delle capacità che agli altri mutaforma viene spontaneo.

Si odiano ma non possono fare a meno di stare insieme, per quale motivo? Perchè fanno parte della stessa famiglia, il padre di Wilde e la madre di Rayne si sono sposati e sono in dolce attesa.

Wilde e Ryane si trovano costretti a una convivenza forzata perché, dopo essere stato arrestato, Wilde viene espulso dalla squadra e deve tornare a Wolf Ridge.

Il ragazzo, come tutti i protagonisti maschili che crea Renee, è dominante, sexy, impertinente , facilmente irritabile e presuntuoso, ma con quella tenerezza e dolcezza che si nasconde tra un ringhio e l’altro quando si trova in presenza della ragazza che mette a soqquadro la sua mente e il suo cuore; diventa protettivo, geloso e possessivo quando sente Rayne vicino a un altro maschio e il modo in cui si approcciano tra baci e battute sferzanti fa battere il cuore.

Sia Rayne che sua madre sono sempre state isolate rispetto al branco, la ragazza ha un padre di cui però non conosce nulla e i suoi problemi a inserirsi come lupa e l’essere bullizzata, hanno fatto si che si creasse una corazza protettiva per difendersi dal dolore dell’essere diversa.

Ma, nonostante tutto, ha un cuore d’oro, è sensibile e sempre pronta ad aiutare, non ha paura di quello che pensa la gente di lei anche se la delusione di non essere accettata è sempre stata una nota dolente della sua vita, sogna di andare via da Wolf Ridge e l’unico modo che trova per fare soldi è la pornografia. Potete immaginare cosa può provocare questo in un lupo iperprotettivo e testardo?

Un romanzo fantastico, pieno di passione, suspense e linguaggio sboccato, che vi terrà incollati alle pagine come del resto ogni opera di Rose. Provare per credere, io non ne manco uno perché l’autrice è una certezza. Una bellissima serie che ha una mensola personale nella mia libreria.

Straconsigliato!

[Nic D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wilde Rayne

First I will start off by saying read your trigger warnings if that stuff bothers you. There are some darker elements in this book.

This is an enemies to lovers/bully shifter romance. Wilde is the popular jock who lived his life on the football field and ended up with the dream scholarship. However, growing up in a shifter town he was free to be himself. He was limited to what he could do while he was away being around only humans. Though he heard and saw trouble before it started, he still found himself getting into trouble and taking the blame for something he didn’t do. Which led him back home.

Rayne is a sweet Wolf ess girl who really doesn’t spend her time with the popular kids. That changes when her mom gets pregnant and the man who’s kids they are takes responsibility. The negative. It’s Wilde’s father, which means she has a new stepbrother. It’s even worse when he comes home after being kicked off the football team and now has a goal of making her life miserable.

They are nothing alike and he’s now tasked with taking her to and from school and teaching her to drive since she doesn’t know how. He starts to notice things and realizes she isn’t wolfless just stunted. As they spend more time together things complicated as they always do. Soon he’s curious to know if she could be his mate. However, the only way to know for sure is to see her Wolf. He starts pushing and she thinks it’s an elaborate plan to get her wolf to present itself. That way he doesn’t have to be associated with a wolfless loser.

One day she’s put in danger. Wilde won’t stop until he finds her and once he does he won’t let her go again. During this time he realizes that love could be just that. She can be his mate either way.

I love a good shifter romance and I did enjoy this one. It’s taboo, dark, supernatural and spicy. I want more.

4.7 out of 5

🌶️🌶️🌶️ out of 5

Definitely recommend!

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

"You belong to me, sweet girl. Whether you want me or not."

3.25 stars

Unfortunately, I had trouble connecting with the two MCs early on in this novel and believing the dynamic between them. However, the steam between Rayne and Wilde was seriously 🔥🔥 as they battled the taboo layer of their relationship and Rayne's lowly status in the pack. The ending had a surprising twist, but the HEA worked out in the end.

Tropes: bully romance, fated mates, stepbrother romance, forbidden love, hate-to-love-you, omega heroine, alpha jp hero, STEAMY🔥

[Shyla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book! I wish it was longer! I needed a palette cleanser and this was just that.
I loved both MCs both strong with attitude, protective, and finding their way.

I do wish we could have gotten to know the side characters more. I felt like some of it was rushed, but I’m not knocking a star. I feel the author doesn’t like to drag things out which was nice. Definitely a change of pace. The drama was minimal and they get right to understanding their feeling faster than most books.

If you are looking for a good fast read, one that has it all this one is it!

[Brianna Citino · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was everything I was looking for! Shifter books are one of my favorites with alpha hole energy, some bullying and the step brother forbidden romance!

Wilde thinks he is too good for his new step sister who can’t even shift. Rayne is defective and worthless in the eyes of the other pack wolves. When Wilde returns home due to possible drug charges he finds that as much as he thinks Rayne is beneath him, his wolf seems to be forcing the two of them closer together.

[Angela Plumeria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a steamy, enjoyable, forbidden romance. I liked it a lot and it had some unique elements. I would probably give it a 3.6.

My only complaint is that Rayne was a bit underdeveloped. Her characteristics consisted of being small, beautiful and outcast for her physical restrictions. Parts of it reminded me of bullying due to physical handicaps. Other than that and her big kinky secret, she was a little boring.

[JaywhyGee Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun, quick, wolf pack read

4 ⭐️/5
3 🌶️/5

sometimes you need a good ol wolf pack romance. Add in a FMC who is the underdog (literally lol) and a MMC alpha dog who has to play nice with his new step-sister, one bed, pack drama, forbidden romance, fated mate, and you have a quick fun read. Rayne and Wilde are delightful. It’s not weird because Rayne just turns 18 and Wilde is 20 max, and they don’t grow up together as siblings. highly recommend for pack lovers.

[Addicted 2 📖 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is truly the unpopular opinion - I didn’t love this book.
Not a whole lot of ‘bullying’. This is my first read by this author.
What confuses me, if this is a ‘wolf town’ and humans don’t know…how is it everyone speaks so freely around them and not expect them to question the oddity? That did not jive for me.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good bully/HS/New Adult romance with the added greatness of wolf-shifters and stepsiblings. Actually read this before as she released it through Kindle Vella and enjoyed it enough to want to reread as a novel. Sweet, sexy and a little suspense...great to pull you out of a reading slump.

[Imee Benzon · Rating 5 out of 5]

***AWESOME READ***

Omg this book is a gem and im glad i found it. It so good and hot that i'm fanning myself *sighs* i hope this will be available in audio because i can't get anough.

[Cindy ✩☽♔ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick, easy read. The tone was about what I'd expect from having read other books by this author before, though I'd say it's less developed than some of her previous work. It was advertised to me on the Kindle app so I didn't realize it was a part of a series until after I downloaded this. But from what I can tell they're interconnected standalones. I didn't need any of the other books to understand this one.

[Sierra Hartley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Liked the story actually, MMC wasn’t too big a bully. Not much grovel if that’s what you’re into but he never did anything cruel so I felt like it was okay. The spice had potential but could’ve used more 🌶️’s

[luna]

i went in knowing it would be entertainingly ridiculous, but at around 50% it was so much so, that i couldn’t bring myself to care about the story. def something i would have read on wattpad when i was way too young - dnf

[Francheska Cardona · Rating 5 out of 5]

ANOTHER AMAZING STORY

I loved it!!! Definitely cried a bit in a few parts. I always disliked how Rayne was treated so was super happy for this happy ending for her. Wilde is amazing to her. Loved it.

[Alexandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am sorry to give the writer a 1 star review, but when I see Only fans its instantly a noooooo for me...

[Lorena · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars