“Wolves, shift and let us mourn the loss of our Alpha, my father,” I cried.
Archer and Ollie threw their torches to the body, a rush of flames engulfing my father. In the dancing light of the fire, the wolves shifted and with their heads turned towards the moon, the tragic mournful howl of a pack rang out through Evervale.
* * *
The End
Enjoyed this story? Be sure to leave a review! You can also preorder ‘Twisted hope’ the first book in the Evervale wolves trilogy here: Twisted hope: Evervale Wolves book 1
About the Author
British author Bex Taylor is the mind behind the Evervale universe, and one of the authors of the Mobster and Monster shared world.
Her characters are sassy, strong, cocky supernaturals all begging for their twisted stories to be told.
When she isn't putting her characters through turmoil, she can be found walking her two beagles, reading, or watching supernatural over and over.
* * *
Want to hang out with me, see the cool covers first, and support my books on social media? Join Bex's witchy world , my readers group on Facebook!
* * *
Want to get exclusive news and giveaways straight to your inbox? Join my newsletter here
Join Me online
www.bextaylorbooks.com
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
Bookbub
About the Author
British author Bex Taylor is the mind behind the Evervale universe, and one of the authors of the Mobster and Monster shared world.
Her characters are sassy, strong, cocky supernaturals all begging for their twisted stories to be told.
When she isn't putting her characters through turmoil, she can be found walking her two beagles, reading, or watching supernatural over and over.
* * *
Want to hang out with me, see the cool covers first, and support my books on social media? Join Bex's witchy world , my readers group on Facebook!
* * *
Want to get exclusive news and giveaways straight to your inbox? Join my newsletter here.
Join Bex Online
www.bextaylorbooks.com
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
Bookbub
Read more of Bex’s books
Mobster and Monsters shared world (co-write with N.K Stackhouse)
Rules of the Reaper (Mobsters & Monsters Preludes Book 2)
How to Ruin my Mafia Reaper (Mobsters & Monsters Book 7)
A Wolf’s Missing Mate
Romances Beyond Tuala, Book 1
Amy Proebstel
About A Wolf’s Missing Mate
Marika
It wasn’t in her nature to go against pack rules.
Yet painful memories of her dead mate and Alpha surrounded her.
She had to get a job outside of their community
…even if nobody approved.
But distance and time hadn’t healed her heart.
How could she raise her son, the future Alpha, alone?
* * *
Evan
Hiking the Appalachian Trail wasn’t far enough to escape his overbearing family.
But he hadn’t intentionally gotten lost.
Fate must have had plans for him—ones she wasn’t sharing.
He was an outsider with plenty of his own secrets.
Why did the wolf’s howl sound like a call home?
Chapter One
The pack would never let her live this down. Already, they disapproved of her decision to get a job outside of their community, but she had no choice. Marika could not spend every waking moment surrounded by the ghost of her lost mate.
Every building, trail, and clearing held a precious memory of Dirk. Even the well-meaning community’s smothering watchfulness only made her want to put more space between herself and them. Unless she made time for herself, she worried for her sanity. She had to find some way to heal her heart, even if it meant going against tradition.
But she hadn’t counted on her car breaking down. When the engine began sputtering, Marika’s gaze flew to the dash controls. Seeing the temperature gauge pegged, her foot slammed on the brake, and she pulled the car off to the side of the road. Steam billowed from the cracks alongside the hood, confirming the worst possible problem on a hot evening nowhere near civilization.
Even without any mechanical inclinations, she knew that this was bad. And she didn’t have any way to fix it. Glancing at her watch, she sighed. She was going to be late getting her son from the babysitter. Again.
She’d promised to be on time today of all days. Darla had a date, and Marika didn’t want to have to find another babysitter for Zack. Plus, she approved of the man who’d finally gotten up enough courage to ask Darla out.
Scrubbing her hands over her face, Marika inhaled the scent of coffee and fried food. Her skin always soaked in the smell of her waitressing job, instantly reminding her stomach that she’d skipped dinner. Exhaling through her nose, she tipped her head back until it made contact with the seat. What a mess. Even her cell phone conspired against her by deciding to die before her shift finished at the diner.
Her pulse raced at the idea she had deliberately avoided for the last eighteen months. The mere thought of shifting caused her heart to constrict. Looking over at her purse, she groaned when she realized she’d have to leave that behind as well.
Shifting into her wolf wouldn’t allow her to take anything with her unless she carried it in her mouth. Not only that, but she’d also arrive in the village naked. Nobody would even care about that aspect, but it did mean she’d have to detour to her house before going to Darla’s—another inconvenient delay.
Slapping her hand against the steering wheel, she shook her head in disgust at the steam still engulfing the front of her car. “I hate you!” she cried out to nobody. Shaking her head one last time, she pulled the key from the ignition. With angry motions, she twisted the car key from the brass ring.
With more force than necessary, Marika flung her door open. Desperation and anger made her reckless. She never even stopped to check if the road was clear.
How had she missed the four motorcyclists approaching? Their curses sounded over the roar of their engines as they swerved to miss her door. Marika cringed, calling out, “Sorry.” Not that it would do any good now that the danger had passed.
As one, the motorcycles skidded to a stop on the side of the road ahead of her. At first, Marika eagerly entertained the idea of them stopping to offer assistance. Yet, that notion evaporated like water drops on hot pavement. The men marched toward her, with fists clenched and eyes hardened, their mouths were shouting vile and dire words.
Standing beside her car, Marika locked the door and angrily slammed it shut. She didn’t have time for these men, nor did she wish to have to defend herself against the four of them. But if they pushed her, she’d make them sorry they ever decided to ride on this stretch of road.
She knew what these men saw—a petite woman, alone and defenseless. But she had a secret—one she hoped to keep to herself, yet would gladly share if it meant teaching these scumbags parading as men a lesson. Not waiting for them to surround her, she turned and jogged into the scrubby brush beside the road.
“You can’t run forever,” one of the men shouted after her. The others laughed and joined in with renewed insults.
Marika didn’t have time to undress; she’d have to sacrifice her uniform. Inwardly, she cringed at having to tell her boss, but she had run out of options. Stopping behind a tree and surrounded by thick brush, Marika forced herself to inhale slowly. This process had enough dangers without rushing. She would take her time; besides, none of those men would dare touch her as her body shifted forms.
Cracking sticks under lumbering feet sounded closer than she would have liked. The air around her suddenly seemed without oxygen. With desperate gulps, she attempted to calm herself before the men
came any nearer.
She didn’t want to shift, and she resented being forced to. Running as a wolf with her husband, Dirk, had meant everything to her. From her first shift as a teenager, Dirk had stood by her side. The idea of meeting her wolf, looking to her left, and only finding the space empty broke her heart all over again. Instead of almost two years apart, it felt like mere seconds.
Tears dripped from her chin. Anger lanced through her mind. She’d make these men pay for destroying the peace she had found for herself. Faster than ever before, Marika allowed her body to flow down into the ground.
From years of watching others of her pack shift, she knew only a shimmer remained where her body once stood. Time slowed, as it always had. Briefly, Marika wondered why she hadn’t sought the peace and solitude here in the transition space. Yet, she knew to linger would mean certain death. Was that so bad? It would be so easy just to stay here, sharing her afterlife with her wolf. She welcomed the giant wolf to her, allowing her mind to flow to it. Her sadness reflected back to her from the giant wolf’s golden eyes.
She had to decide; time would not stand still forever while she contemplated her sorrow. Besides, her son needed her. Nobody could raise him as she could. Zack’s destiny was to lead the pack. He was their next Alpha, and she would stay by his side to make sure he learned everything he needed to fulfill the promise of his future.
The transition happened in a heartbeat, as easy as breathing. Her wolf form reappeared where she stood in the thick brush. Throwing back her head, she howled her fury and frustration to the sky.
The scent of fear assaulted her senses as the four men realized how close they had come to a wild wolf. They were nearly upon her, but they had missed the transition. No longer was she a weak, seemingly frail girl; she was a massive, deadly wolf ready to tear these men to shreds.
Already, the saliva poured into her mouth at the idea of fresh, hot blood. Immediately, she reined in that thought. Humans were never a food source; that was a solemn vow never to be broken.
With practiced stealth, she silently stepped away from the sheltering brush. In a heartbeat, she noted the locations of the men and set her eyes on the man closest. They hadn’t spotted her yet, but she would fix that.
Her lips curled back, revealing two-inch razor-sharp canines. The growl escaping her mouth started low enough to only register on her victim’s instinctual level but not his hearing. The scent of their fear intensified as they began to realize their mistake.
“We’re done here, boys. Let’s get back on the road,” the man said, his voice sounding higher with fear. He still hadn’t spotted her, but at least he had enough sense to shy away from danger. As one, the bikers turned away. Every creature in the forest had gone silent with their passing, amplifying their noisy exodus through the underbrush.
But their cowardly retreat wasn’t enough for Marika; these men had cost her precious time, not to mention her work uniform. They deserved some payback for their vile intentions. Using her long stride and knowledge of the forest, she circled the men and made her way out to where they had parked their bikes. Not even pausing, she launched herself from the ground and landed squarely on the side of the closest bike. It toppled over, struck the one next to it until all four bikes lay on their sides, reminding Marika of the dominoes she’d played with as a child.
Her triumph tempered instantly as the smell of singed hair and skin surrounded her. Only then did she register the pain pulsing along her front leg. She swiped her tongue over the tender flesh, belatedly realizing she had pushed against the bike’s hot muffler—a small price to pay for the satisfaction of knocking them over.
The hair rose on the back of her neck; another snarl escaped her lips as she whirled around to face the bikers where they stood frozen in fear, not ten feet away. Too much time had already been lost dealing with these men. She needed to get home, yet the men stood in her way.
Without any further delay, Marika charged toward the huddled group. They didn’t look so tough and menacing as they cowered from her advance. Marika opened her jaw to display her impressively lethal teeth as she ran directly into the center of the group.
Her elation evaporated with an intense and sharp pain flowing along her shoulder and ending at the middle of her ribs. In her eagerness to show them a lesson, she’d missed an important detail, and it cost her. One of the men had drawn a knife on her. How was she supposed to get home in time if her injury was as bad as she believed?
She couldn’t slow her pace until she reached the safety of the forest. If the men knew the extent of her injury, then she’d be at risk from further attack. Forcing herself not to show any indication of injury, she gritted her teeth against the painful impact of her feet on the hard ground. The sheltering protection of the trees stood so close. She could make it that far—hopefully.
Chapter Two
Evan stopped in the clearing and brushed madly at the sweat, which insisted on dripping down into his eyes. If he had stayed home, then he wouldn’t be hopelessly lost in the wilderness. Of course, he wasn’t ready to admit defeat just yet. He’d allow himself another twenty-four hours before he resorted to doing anything drastic.
He turned around in a circle, disgusted by how everything looked exactly the same in all directions. He knew it was a mistake to step off of the Appalachian Trail to search for a stream to fill his canteen. He knew better.
With another shifting of his shoulders, he adjusted the uncomfortable pack to allow the faint breeze inside his shirt. This now-routine gesture hardly gave him any relief and only delayed the inevitable decision over which direction to try next.
All wildlife sounds abruptly silenced as a wolf’s piercing howl echoed through the hills and valleys. Evan knew he’d have to pick a better location to camp for the night. Just hearing the evidence of predators gave him the impetus to get moving. Since everything looked the same, he just started walking in the direction he already faced.
The once-romantic notion of hiking the entirety of the Appalachian Trail had died several weeks before. Evan wished he’d listened to more experienced hikers before he foolishly set out alone. Why had he thought he was up for this trek? What had possessed him to leave the comfort of his home to pretend to be homeless for more than a month?
Everything about this place was a whole new world. He didn’t know the rules, and he definitely didn’t appreciate the incessant bugs buzzing close to his face at every hour of the day.
The howling sounded close, closer than he would have liked. He rushed forward, wishing he could simply teleport himself somewhere safe, but that wasn’t an option here. He wanted to get away from all of the craziness back at home, hence the ill-fated hiking trip. He had made a vow to avoid all things that could even remotely remind him of home.
So far, he’d kept that promise. But not without quite a bit of struggle at the beginning of the journey. Who would have thought he’d need to bring double the amount of food he’d packed? Okay, any seasoned hiker would have, but Evan never professed to have any experience. He wanted an adventure, and boy had he found one. Only, getting lost had long since lost its appeal.
Setting his sights on walking the infamous trail had merely given him an excuse to stay away from his problem, namely his mom, for at least eight weeks. Yet, her scathing words insisted on disturbing the peacefulness of nature’s scenery. He’d have to head home soon if only to tell his mom that he was going in another direction for his life.
He knew his mom meant well, but she’d made her own choices, and it was time he got to make his. She wasn’t going to like it, more like she was going to make his life miserable until he relented. But if she insisted on pushing him, he’d simply move as far away as he could. Given her fear of the unknown, this trip was only a trial run to let her know he meant business.
So deeply had Evan gone into his thoughts, he almost missed the sound he barely even recognized. That had to be a vehicle—which also had to mean there was a road. Even if he had no idea where the road l
ed, it had to end in civilization at some point.
Not wanting to lose the first real glimmer of hope he’d had in days, Evan began running. Branches struck him in the face, and tree roots seemed to jump from the ground to trip him, but he kept going. Maybe someone would take pity on him and offer him a ride to town. That almost seemed too good to be true, but he held on to the hope.
Too soon, the sound disappeared, even the echo had dispersed in the thick underbrush. Evan groaned in dismay. His first break had vanished, and he was no closer to being found. He slapped his hand against a nearby tree trunk. As if to reward him, pine needles poured down over his head, finding their way into his shirt, and one even flew into his mouth. Turning his head and spitting the offending debris out, something white caught his eye.
Something was definitely wrong; his eyes and senses had to be fooling him. For the first time in weeks, he felt the familiar pull of elemental energy. Taking several steps closer, Evan had a full view of a massive, white wolf. But even as he slowed down in case of any danger, the wolf’s form shimmered. For a second, Evan thought it had disappeared entirely as if his mind had finally cracked, and he’d gone insane.
Instead of the wolf returning to the ground, a woman appeared—a completely naked woman. Evan started to turn away until he noticed the gushing blood flowing freely from her side. Instantly, Evan closed the distance between them. No matter who or what this woman was, she needed help.
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