Artemis Lupine- The Complete Series

by Catherine Banks

  Thank you for reading the Artemis Lupine Series. This was the first series I ever wrote and published and holds a special place in my heart. Knowing that you took the time to read the full series makes me happier than you will ever know.

  If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving a review.

  Bonus Scenes

  Bonus - Halloween

  “What are you doing?” I asked Koda who stood in front of the open window in warrior form.

  “Trying to scare some little kids,” he responded honestly. “You can’t let humans see you like that,” I said angrily.

  “It’s Halloween. They’ll just think it’s a really good costume,” he said, “We’ve been doing this for a hundred years.”

  “Ares, are you going to let…” I stopped talking because Ares had walked into the room with jeans, a jersey, and a high school letterman jacket on, in his warrior pose. “Teen wolf, really?” I asked him with a sigh.

  He smiled at me, or tried with his wolf head. “What are you going to be?” Matt asked me. “I’m not dressing up,” I said.

  “We’re going to a party. You have to dress up,” Ares told me. “We’re going to a party? A human party?” I asked. All three

  nodded their heads. What was wrong with these men? “Just take a warrior form,” Ares suggested.

  “I don’t want people trying to touch my head,” I said.

  “They won’t while I am standing next to you,” he said with a jealous gleam in his eye.

  “Maybe some pirate will sweep me off my feet and steal me away to his boat,” I teased, placing the back of my right hand against my forehead and fanning my face with the left hand.

  “He won’t get very far without his head,” Ares growled.

  “We’re in Wisconsin, there are no pirates here,” Koda pointed out.

  “I might have to go find some,” I said with a wink at Ares.

  He shifted back to his man form and wrapped his arms around me, “You’re mine and I’ll fight off any pirate who tries to steal my treasure.”

  “Remember when we stole Blackbeard’s ship?” Matt asked with a wicked smile.

  “Blackbeard was so furious, but we had already sailed out too far so they couldn’t catch us,” Koda added.

  “That and they were too drunk,” Ares said.

  “Only because someone gave them two barrels of whiskey,” Koda said, pointing at Ares.

  “You stole Blackbeard’s ship? Blackbeard?” I asked in shock. “We were bored,” Ares said with a shrug, “And the whiskey

  was awful. I was glad to get rid of it. Plus, we returned the ship to Blackbeard.”

  Someone knocked on the door of the house we were staying in and Koda opened it. Three kids in varying ages stared at Koda a minute, processing his appearance and then they smiled and gave him high fives. He gave them candy from a bucket I hadn’t seen a minute ago. The kids waved at Koda, who waved back and then shut the door. “See, the kids like it,” Koda said.

  “Pick a form,” Ares said, “And let’s go.” “Who’s going to give out candy?” I asked.

  “We leave the bowl on the step with a note,” Matt said, “Most kids around here know us and they’ll only take a couple pieces of candy.”

  “That’s because Matt stayed home one time, but set the bowl outside with the note and hid in the bushes so when a kid tried to take too much he jumped out and scared them,” Ares said.

  “You three are terrible,” I said with a shake of my head.

  We walked out of the house and Matt said, “Everyone likes to be scared on Halloween.”

  “I don’t,” I said honestly, “I hate being scared.”

  A man dressed up like Dracula leapt out in front of me and hissed. I punched him in the face before I could scream. His fake teeth fell out and he clutched his face. “What the hell?” he said.

  “Sorry,” I said, wincing. Ares, Koda, and Matt laughed hysterically. “I’m so glad I could amuse you.”

  “We better remember to duck and weave when we try to scare her tonight,” Koda said.

  Ares had shifted into warrior form and growled at me. I glared at him and shook my head. I was walking down the street with three werewolves in warrior form. Everyone looked at us and yet no one freaked out. We walked into a large warehouse which had been converted to a club with tons of Halloween décor. Ares took my hand and spun me out onto the dance floor. The crowd parted for him and we found a spot on the crowded dance floor. People complimented Ares on his costume. Ares danced with me until I was too thirsty to ignore it anymore. At the bar, I ordered two waters and then whispered into Ares’ ear, “It’s too bad you’re in that form because now I can’t kiss you.”

  He grabbed my hand and towed me to the back of the room, outside and into a deserted alley. His body returned to normal and he kissed me. “Better?” he asked.

  I smiled and said, “Everything is better if you’re here.”

  He smiled, pleased with my comment and asked, “Want to howl at the moon?”

  I placed my hand on my heart and pretended to hold back tears as I said, “I thought you would never ask.”

  We shifted into warrior form, tilted our heads up to the moon, and howled. Koda and Matt howled inside the warehouse, but we could still hear them where we were.

  “Want to go back and dance?” I asked.

  He nodded his head and we went back inside to dance the night away as werewolves, the humans none the wiser.

  Bonus - Koda

  The wind ruffled my fur and blew familiar scents across my nose. The high grass swayed with the wind and its scent held more happy memories for me than any other scent in the world, well except for one person’s. The moon was high, its magic humming through me and making the switch from man to wolf much easier. I could change whenever I wanted to, but when the moon was full the call to become wolf was its strongest. I was more than a couple hundred years old now so I could control myself enough even while in wolf form that there really was no difference in me between forms. Although I do bite more often in this form. Ares was on one of his walkabouts although I followed him long enough to figure out where he was heading so I could rush to his aid if need be. Not that my older brother really ever needed help. He was the strongest man I knew and a very skilled fighter, which helped him obtain the nickname of God of War. The jerk had even been worshipped as a god for a long time. I knew my twin brother Matt was also following him so I didn’t feel too bad about taking some time for myself.

  I loved my brother and as his packmate I craved time with him, but I hoped he took a while longer on this walkabout. I was having a very good time. An owl flew over my head, heading for a mouse in the field of grass who had mistakenly thought it was a safe time to make a voyage across the green area. He was now the owl’s dinner. I watched the owl dive into the grass and then fly away with his prize in his talons. Sometimes I wished that I could fly. I refocused on my hunt in front of me, crawling forward on my belly as slowly as possible to close the distance just a little bit more before I made my attack.

  The woman in front of me had no idea I was here. She stood in the middle of the field picking flowers which only bloomed in the light of the full moon and putting them in the little wicker basket she was holding. She was gorgeous. She was powerful. I was going to pounce on her and pin her to the ground. Her black hair waved in the wind like a welcoming flag. I dug my claws into the ground and bunched my muscles to prepare for my leap. It was a long distance, but I could leap a lot farther than a normal wolf. She looked behind her at the sound of a rabbit being chased by something in the forest. This was my chance! I leapt up and at her, my legs spread wide to knock her to the ground. Two feet short of her she looked up at me with a smile on her face and I froze in midair.

  “You’re louder than you think, Koda,” she said as she smiled at me. I growled at her and she laughed. “You do not frighten me.”

  I could if I wanted to, but I didn’t want to frighten this gorgeous woman.

  She wal
ked up to me and kissed my muzzle. “Go hunt the little things in the forest and then come see me in the morning.”

  The spell released and I spun around to land on my feet. I watched her walk away swinging her basket and then ran into the forest to sidetrack myself for the rest of the night before going to see her. I had a lot of energy to spend. As a rule I only hunted predators. I was at the top of the food chain and although I enjoyed burgers and steaks as a human, I felt it was only fair to hunt other weaker predators. My hunger tonight would need to be filled for the fun I was planning to have with my friend in the morning when I went to visit her. It took down a male brown bear since they were heavily populated here and ate my fill. Scavengers began to fill up the area, keeping their distance, but waiting, but I made them wait longer as I cleaned my paws like a cat. I made my way to a creek nearby to clean myself off and then jogged back towards the witches’ compound. The women on night watch waved to me as I jogged inside and I hurried to the top of the stairs where the coven leader slept. The door was left open a crack, which made me smile a wolfish smile. She was always so considerate.

  I nudged it open and then closed it behind me. The room was dark, but I could see her chest rising and falling as she slept in her bed. I walked over to the bed and looked at her beautiful face as she slept. Selene. She was one of the most powerful witches I had met yet. She was also one of the most kind hearted women I knew. I had seen her help a child she didn’t know and even take an arrow to the stomach for a werewolf she didn’t know during a battle. I shifted forms and kissed the scar on her stomach before crawling in beside her and falling asleep with her in my arms. I knew she would never be my mate, but I enjoyed every moment I spent with her and I would cherish every moment I spent holding her.

  “Koda,” Selene whispered, “Wake up, darling.”

  I opened my eyes and smiled at her beautiful face hovering over mine. “Good morning.”

  She kissed my cheek and said, “Every morning with you beside me is great, not good.”

  I pulled her down, hugging her against me and said, “You are right. Great morning.”

  She laughed and kissed my cheek again. “Go brush your teeth, you beast.”

  I tickled her until she begged me to stop and then walked to the basin in her room. “Bear breath isn’t sexy?” I asked as I scrubbed at my teeth and tongue.

  “Not particularly,” she admitted, “But there isn’t much about you that isn’t sexy so you need a flaw every now and then.”

  “Stop staring at my butt,” I told her as I spit into the spittoon beside the table.

  “It’s so cute though,” she purred from behind me.

  I turned and leapt on to her, pinning her to the bed with my body weight. “Ha!” I said victoriously.

  She laughed. “I let you pin me. I could have frozen you midair again.”

  “Stupid spell,” I muttered.

  She leaned up as if to kiss me and whispered a word in Latin that I did not know. I should have learned it by now since she used it on me often to send me flying across the room. “Rude,” I grunted as I struggled against the spell holding me to the wall.

  She stood up and let the sheet fall to the ground around her feet like a puddle of silk. “You my dear have gotten too comfortable. What if I decided to stab you while I held you in my spell like this?”

  “A world where you would betray me is a world I would not want to live in,” I said mournfully.

  She released the spell, letting me stand on the ground on my own feet and kissed my lips. “You are very crafted with words.”

  “Would you have found me so interesting if I wasn’t?” I teased. “Oh you are interesting in very many ways. You also know it.” “To know one’s strengths is to also know one’s weaknesses,” I whispered in her ear.

  “What weaknesses do you have, Wolf of Lyngvi?”

  I nipped her neck and said, “A wolf does not reveal his weaknesses, my little Goddess.”

  I felt him before I heard the howl. “Who is that?” Selene asked in shock.

  “Ares,” I whispered. I kissed her neck and quickly got dressed. “It was lovely seeing you again. I hope to see you soon.”

  She blew me a kiss and said, “The pleasure is always mine.” I winked and said, “That was the plan.”

  She blushed and I darted out of her bedroom, running down the stairs and out the door without saying bye to anyone I past. I ran out of the compound and slid to a stop in front of Ares who was in his wolf form. “Hi,” I panted.

  He sat on his butt and looked at me. “Selene?” he guessed. I smirked. “A gentleman does not kiss and tell.”

  He rolled his eyes and turned around. “I need some clothes.” “Have a mishap?” I asked him.

  “No, some woman stole my clothes.”

  I laughed. He had had this happen several times. “She thought you would stay if she held them.”

  “Yes.”

  “Did she faint when you turned wolf and walked away?” “She was asleep,” he mumbled.

  My mouth dropped open as I looked at him. “Wow.”

  He growled. “Not because of that. I just sort of helped her fall asleep.”

  I shook my head at him. “Some ending to your walkabout.” I looked around and frowned. “Where’s Matt?”

  Ares stopped and narrowed his eyes as he looked at me. “What do you mean?”

  “He was following you,” I answered honestly.

  We both looked at each other in silence a moment and then burst into laughter. No doubt some woman was holding him hostage for his clothing as well. He’d eventually get free and come find us.

  “So, where are we going?” I asked as we continued walking. Obviously, we were going towards the closest town so I could get him some clothes, but he knew that wasn’t what I meant.

  “Away from Lyngvi,” he answered simply. “That’s vague.”

  “I believe that I have a passt genau.”

  If my jaw could have, it would have hit the ground. “What?!”

  Ares stopped and looked at me. “I can’t really explain it, but I started feeling this way a little while ago. I went to that house yesterday and had no interest in them. None, Koda. Zero. It was like you showed me a piece of cake and I just didn’t want anything sweet.”

  “So, what are you going to do?” I asked when I finally found my voice again.

  “First I need some clothes and then I’m going to need to stay away from Lyngvi.”

  The most eligible werewolf bachelor, the prince of werewolves, was now off the market because of a girl he hadn’t met yet. He was going to have a lot of angry women on his hands if he went back to Lyngvi so I didn’t blame him for his decision. “We’re going to Russia, aren’t we?” I asked with a sigh.

  Ares smiled a wolfish smile at me and said, “It’s not so bad there.” “It’s cold,” I muttered, “And the women are always dressed in

  lots of layers.”

  “We could go to the Bahamas,” he suggested. “Really?” I asked.

  “No,” he said with a snort.

  “That was cruel,” I growled at him. “Why can’t we at least go to Florida or somewhere like that?”

  “Maybe,” he said in consideration.

  “I could let you stay a wolf and not get you clothes,” I suggested.

  “I could bite your finger off,” he growled.

  “You’d have to catch me first,” I teased him, “I doubt you would want the humans to see you chasing me through town. I bet they’d put together a hunting group.”

  “It could be fun,” he said seriously, “It’s been a while since a human has tried to hunt me.”

  “We are not antagonizing the humans. We don’t need them killing all of the real ones again just because you’re bored.”

  He whined. “It wasn’t my fault! Matt was the one who ran into the

  town.”

  “You left the paw prints.”

  He winced. “Right. So, how about those clothes?” “Miami?” I asked. />
  He sighed. “Fine.”

  “We should get Matt first.” “He’s behind you.”

  Before I could turn around my twin brother tackled me and licked my face. “Yo.”

  “Yuck,” I grumbled as I pushed him off me. “So, some girl stole your clothes too?”

  “Yup.” He answered with glee.

  I rolled my eyes at my brothers and headed towards the town to purchase clothes for them. “Matt, we’re going to Miami.”

  “Woohoo!” he yelled in our heads.

  If Ares was right and he did have a passt genau then our lives were going to drastically change. What did she look like? What was she like? It honestly shocked me that he would have a passt genau with his lineage. There weren’t any other half werewolf, half Sidhe in existence. Would she be powerful or would she be weak? Sometimes the matches ended up being complete opposites so I could see Ares’ match being a completely submissive wolf. It might do him some good to have a submissive wolf as a mate. Perhaps she could calm him down a bit.

  “Are you going to keep taking a stroll through the forest or are you going to get us some clothes?” Ares asked.

  “Sorry,” I mumbled and started jogging through the forest. The town was about five miles away. Ares and Matt would hang back in the forest while I went into town and got them some clothes. We would have to go to a werewolf town nearby to get some cash, but I didn’t want to mention that to Ares. No matter where we went women would throw themselves at him for a chance to be his mate. I didn’t envy him for having women throw themselves at him, I had that myself, but I did envy that he could take a mate. I knew when I took the job as his guard and as part of his pack that I could not have a mate, but sometimes I wished for a mate of my own. Then I saw something else shiny and it took my mind off of it.

  “Be careful when you go into town. The Justinson brothers are still out for my head,” Ares reminded me.

  How could I forget? Those idiot brothers had almost exposed us to a group of humans a few months ago. If Victor hadn’t been with us and been able to use his vampire powers on them then it would have ended much differently. Speaking of Victor…