Shifted Plans

by Brandy Walker

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Shifted Plans

  Copyright © 2014 by Brandy Walker

  ISBN: 978-1-61333-749-3

  Cover art by Syneca Featherstone

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by Decadent Publishing Company, LLC

  Look for us online at:

  www.decadentpublishing.com

  ROAR

  Mischief, Mongrels & Mayhem

  Sorority Wolf by Rebecca Royce

  Phoenix Rising by Cara Carnes

  Imperfect Mate by Lia Davis

  Coming Soon

  Tempting Her Tiger by Virginia Cavanaugh

  Shifted Plans

  By

  Brandy Walker

  Dear Reader,

  Welcome to autumn, 2014. It’s a time for pumpkin spice lattes, cooling days, and kids heading back to school. I swear it feels like just yesterday that we were doing this last year. You know, I have a deep and abiding love for paranormal romance. I actually fell in love with urban fantasy and by extension paranormals thanks to two authors: Anne Rice and Emma Bull. If you’ve never checked them out, you should.

  Fortunately, in the years since I read those the genre of paranormal romance has grown by leaps, shifts, fangs, and fur. I’ve always had a soft spot for shifter romance, and if you told me a book had wolves or cats or bears in it—well, I was so there. This hasn’t changed, not one bit. I don’t think there’s enough shifter romance in the world, but I did want to see more—what happens when young shifters leave their packs? What if they go off to school? How do they start over? How does a young wolf or cat or bear or any young person really make that final leap to adulthood?

  I am thrilled to introduce Decadent ROAR as an answer to those questions. The line is dedicated to featuring stories about young weres and shifters who have come of age but now must determine the path of the rest of their lives. It's an exciting time of making your own decisions and not having to seek permission, but freedom always comes with a cost. Fortunately for these burgeoning adults, they have the ROAR hotline to reach out to.

  Run by the mysterious siblings Hui and Min, 555-ROAR is a line shifters can text or call for help, whether it’s, What’s the best spot to hunt, or I’m in danger. What should I do? It’s a helpline, and a lifeline in some cases. Growing up is hard—being an adult is harder.

  So what do we have to kick you off as ROAR launches a new school year? How about a mongrel attending college close to home who must contend with a sexy Alpha and his pride moving into her region? That’s the problem Mischief “Missy” Jones faces in Mischief, Mongrels & Mayhem by Heather Long.

  Pledging a sorority can be hell, but is it so bad when you have a demon on your side? Werewolf Alexandra will have to decide when Kieran promises to turn over heaven and hell to help her out in Sorority Wolf by Rebecca Royce.

  Not everyone gets encouragement when they head off into the big, bad world on their own. This couldn’t be more true for fragile and abused Riletta who’s dumped at school with no options, no fallback, and no hope—that is until delicious Macen intervenes in the hot ride that is Phoenix Rising by Cara Carnes.

  Choosing college can be a grueling experience, but, then again, so can diving into adulthood and taking responsibility for your actions. Samira faces s a lot of hard choices, none tougher than accepting human Gavin might be her mate in Lia Davis’ Imperfect Mates.

  Life is what happens when you’re not paying attention, and the best things don’t always occur in the order you expect. They sure don’t for Avery and Declan. Both are busy setting up their lives but the allure of mating throws them for a loop in Brandy Walker’s Shifted Plans.

  Attracting attention from the male species is a hard job, even more so when that male is a shifter. Some lines, though, are hard to cross, and Jordan will fight his attraction to his best friend’s sister, Stacia, with everything he has in Tempting her Tiger by Virginia Cavanaugh.

  Ultimately, the question these six stories must answer is not who will they be as adults, but who are they? How do they reconcile everything they've ever known with what can be? It's a new type of shifter romance, with all the love and passion required to achieve a happily ever after....

  Thank you for joining us as we launch a hot new series—we’ll do our best to make every single tale memorable.

  Happy Reading!

  Heather Long and

  Decadent Publishing

  www.decadentpublishing.com

  ~Dedication~

  To Heather Long. Thank you for believing in my storytelling and me.

  Chapter One

  Avery Hillman pulled open the heavy wood back door to her home away from home and breathed a sigh of relief. Tension knotting her neck and back eased. The numbness in her ass started to dissipate.

  River Rock, the home of Shifter U, may technically be two hours away from her home in Mischief, Wyoming, but this time the trip felt like it took forever.

  The summer break with her pride had been filled with bickering siblings, rambunctious cousins, and near nonstop work at the Hillman Family Medical Clinic.

  Working her butt off at the clinic, she could handle. All day, every day. It filled her with a sense of accomplishment to help others as the behind-the-scenes girl. The one who made sure appointments ran smoothly amidst the chaos of emergencies and various unexpected complications. The master’s in health services management she would receive at the end of the school year would be the last item in her toolbox, the final key she needed to solidify her position in the family business.

  With her father’s promise, she would take over the management and running of their clinic completely upon her return. Six grueling years of schooling and she would travel home one last time to start her new life. A small thrill skittered through her at the idea of settling down on her own. The comfort of familiarity mixing with the prospect of doing things how she wanted, when she wanted, and with whomever she wanted. She would be a bona fide adult, able to make decisions, whether good or bad, that would dictate her future.

  Clearing the visions of life after college from her head, she sucked in a deep breath, allowing the scents and warmth of the house to calm her, bringing her back to the present.

  “This is it. My last year,” she announced to the empty townhome as she closed the back door.

  She knew there wouldn’t be anyone else in the house. Her roommates from the previous year had either graduated or found their mates, leaving her the last woman standing.

  Mate.

  The word whispered across her subconscious as she moved through the kitchen. She had yet to find the guy who called to the lioness within. And trust her, she had looked. At home. At school. At bars and parties. Well, the few she had gone to when not studying.

  She even checked the patients coming into her father’s practice over the summer. Nothing. Not a twitch or a nudge. Her lioness lazed about not caring whenever presented with som
eone new.

  She wasn’t in a hurry to find her mate. At least she tried to tell herself that each time disappointment spiraled through her when it didn’t happen. At twenty-five, she felt like an on-the-shelf spinster, destined to live a life of solitude with only her nieces and nephews to keep her young.

  I might need to cut back on the historical romances. That’s a bit dramatic even for me.

  She couldn’t deny she wanted what her friends had. They juggled mating ceremonies, completing college, and finding a home or place to be closer to each other. She welcomed the stress most would cringe and shy away from. Finding her mate would be a dream come true.

  For as long as she could remember, she’d woven fairy tales of meeting her mate, falling in love, and having the perfect family and life.

  Their eyes would meet across a crowded room, the glow of the mating connection reflected in their stares. Drawn toward each other, they would come together in the middle of the room, their scents mingling, weaving into one, and start the bonding process. He would be reluctant to leave her side, insisting he couldn’t be away from her for any length of time. He would woo her, tempt her with his words and actions. Then he would beg her to mate with him, do anything to be with her.

  A soft, dreamy sigh escaped her lips, startling her from her musings, as she pulled her bags behind her through the living room.

  Mating wasn’t all hearts, sparkles, and rainbows. She knew that. Not all mates were lucky enough to fall in love. With the mating connection the couple generally got together regardless, the pull from their beasts too much to resist, but nothing guaranteed they would be perfect mates. For mating to turn into love, to become perfect mates, hard work and dedication were required. There would be arguments and compromise followed by passionate nights filled with apologies and forgiveness.

  Days when you questioned your sanity about agreeing to become someone’s mate for all eternity. Nights when you wondered how the two of you could make it work when it felt as if your path was littered with every obstacle known to man.

  The negatives didn’t dissuade her from the romantic, heart-thumping, breath-stealing ideas floating through her head. She had lived with them for so long she didn’t want her mating to go any other way. Didn’t know what she would do if it did.

  Her mom told her she would find the One when she was supposed to. Probably when she least expected it. Avery wrinkled her nose at the thought. She could admit to not being a fan of surprises, not when it came to something as important as this. Then again, it could be her inability to let nature take its course as to why she hadn’t found the elusive One. She anticipated his arrival around every corner, in every room she entered. She was constantly on the lookout for this mysterious mate destined to be her perfect match, her perfect mate.

  “Not this year, Av,” she murmured as a reminder. She promised herself she would try to let it happen as the Fates intended. Live in the moment and not actively look for him. She wanted to enjoy her time with her friends, not stress over finding a man to complicate her life. She needed to embrace this last year of being responsible for nothing other than graduating.

  “And I shouldn’t have to keep reminding myself either,” she muttered.

  The urge to drop her bags at the foot of the stairs tugged at her when she looked up. Two flights of steps. One steeper than the other. She knew once she set them down, she wouldn’t want to pick them up. Trudging up the well-worn wooden stairs, her footsteps echoed throughout the house. She passed the second floor and continued to the third.

  Being the residential manager of the townhouse meant she had the coup of living in the top floor loft, basically a studio apartment.

  She had a bedroom separated from the small but functional living room and a nice little kitchen with all of the amenities, including a bar and two tall-backed stools, creating the perfect eating area. Her bathroom was bigger than all of the others in the house—garden tub; shower; a pretty, single-sink vanity with under-cabinet storage. If she could find something similar in Mischief, she would be one happy woman. No way did she plan to move in with her parents and obnoxious siblings like her mother hoped. The promise of the finished basement not nearly alluring enough to put up with that madhouse.

  Avery trudged through her living room before dropping her bags in her bedroom. She popped open a window to let in some fresh air and checked her phone. She needed to let her parents know she made it and wanted to see if there were any girls slated to move in with her.

  Three text messages waited for her. The expected one from her parents, to which she fired a quick reply. One from Shifter U’s Housing Management Office, notifying her of three new roommates expected over the next couple of days. Last, but not least, one from her best friend Reese, confirming their plans for dinner.

  A sorority girl and member of the elite Gamma Liontari Phi, Reese’s education groomed her for an advisory role to help plan the future of the prides in their hometown and the surrounding areas. She would work with other sisters of the sorority, past and present. Eventually, attaining a high-ranking position on the Council of Prides—one coveted by women across the country and not just because of the hot men with equally high-ranking positions.

  Avery would have to be content to spend time with her best friend when she wasn’t mired in sorority work. It wouldn’t be as often as she liked.

  Shooting off a quick text, she confirmed the five o’clock meet up at Chugs for beer, beef, and boot scootin’—the perfect way to start the new school year.

  Chapter Two

  As Avery walked through the door of Chugs, the scent of full-bodied hoppy beer and seared-right-past-the-point-of-being-blue rare steak assaulted her. Taking a deep breath, she inhaled as much as she could. She wanted the memory of her favorite bar imprinted on her soul for future recall.

  Her phone vibrated in the front pocket of her jeans. Digging it out, she saw a text from Reese.

  At the usual.

  A smile lifted the corner of Avery’s mouth. “The usual” meant their table where they always sat. The one she and Reese had claimed the first time they went to Chugs—even going as far as carving their names in the wood top while the staff hadn’t been paying attention. Of course, Reese then charmed the pants off those same staff members to include the owners, and they in turn generally made sure no one took it.

  Niklaus Braun, one of the bar’s owners and a Kodiak bear shifter, sidled up to her suddenly before wrapping her in his beefy arms. He lifted her, her shoes dangling a couple of feet off the floor, and crushed her against his massive chest. “My sweet, sweet Avery,” he rumbled over her head. “’Bout time you showed up.” Placing a kiss on top of her hair, he set her down, keeping a hand on her arm to steady her.

  “Hey, Nik. How’s it going?” She took a step back, craning her neck to take in his handsome face. Dark brown hair flirted around his chiseled features. Golden-brown eyes, high cheekbones, straight nose, and lush lips graced an almost too-pretty face. The scar running from his right ear to mid cheek the only imperfection. If you could call it one. She certainly didn’t.

  Avery could admit, if only to herself, it made him even sexier. Nik never told how he got the jagged mark but joked, saying chicks dug scars, so it didn’t bother him. He felt it made him a bit of a mysterious bad boy.

  At seven feet tall and built like a damn brick house, solid and formidable, Nik dwarfed her by more than a foot and a half. The bar benefited since no one would mess with him or his brothers, the co-owners of the bar. The bear shifters never had a problem breaking up fights or arguments…or getting into them when the urge took hold.

  Nik leaned against the wall, tugging her with him, out of the way of incoming traffic. He casually monitored the crowd as he talked to her, always keeping an eye on the place. Always waiting for someone to start a fight he could jump in. While it didn’t get rowdy this early in the evening, it did happen, especially at the start or end of the school year. Everyone wanted to cut loose one last time.

&
nbsp; “Ah, you know. Staying busy keeping the twins out of trouble. Picking up women and rocking their world.” His deep-brown gaze landed on her face. The sexy smile she had seen him use to woo women and get under their skirts lifted the corners of his lush mouth. “Speaking of women, you finally gonna cave and go out on a date with me?”

  Not likely. The Nik ship sailed the second he asked her friend out and she refused to be a temporary port. Avery laughed and shook her head. “No. As you will recall, you went out with Reese. Best friends don’t date their best friend’s ex-boyfriends.”

  Nik sighed dramatically and shifted to get a better look at something or possibly someone. “Women have the strangest rules,” he said absently.

  Avery rolled her eyes. He would have no problem replacing her, not that she believed in his earnestness when he asked her out anyway. Sure in her belief, he only did it out of habit after all this time.

  “Not strange, just courteous. I see you’ve got your eye on something. I’m going to head over to Reese. See ya, Nik.”

  Nik’s gaze slid to her, a sheepish grin softening his face. “Sorry, Av. I’ll see you later.”

  “I’m sure you will.” She chuckled. On impulse, she got up on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on his cheek. Turning, she walked away, not bothering to wait and see how he reacted. The move totally out of character for her, but if she wanted this year to be different, she needed to be a bit more daring.

  She made her way to the corner of the bar, weaving between the bodies heading for the dance floor. A soft country tune pumped through the speakers, and she felt herself begin to relax.

  Nearing the table, she found Reese talking to an attractive blond-haired man. Around six feet tall, he had a handsome, roguish kind of look. Shaggy hair, mischievous glint in his eyes, and a devil-may-care smile. Definitely a wolf.