by Cecilia Lane
Claiming the Wolf Princess
Cecilia Lane
A Shifting Destinies Novella
Contents
Claiming the Wolf Princess
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Forbidden Mate: Chapter One
New Series
Newsletter
About the Author
Also by Cecilia Lane
Claiming the Wolf Princess
A Shifting Destinies Story
Darkness rises and darkness comes.
With it, the House of Conri falls.
Brokenhearted, non-shifter Rory Conri returns home to the Wolfden enclave. There's only one thing she knows will help take her mind off of her ex: the annual Summer Solstice Ball. But those plans are shattered when her parents, the Wolf King and his Consort, forbid her from attending. Their refusal stems from the fear of her curse—a ruinous birthright that prophesized the downfall of the Conri line the day Rory takes a mate.
Determined, Rory sneaks into the ball anyway. There's no reason for them to worry. Conris only mate wolves, and no one would ever want a non-shifter without a wolf inside. But when a tall and ripped masked stranger claims that she's his mate, Rory questions the life of solitude that her parents have thrust upon her.
Adrien Bloodwing hates suits and masks, and he especially hates balls. Forced to attend by his dragon clan leader, Adrien dreads every second he's at the Summer Solstice Ball until the fleeting scent of his mate catches his attention. He is immediately drawn in by her sultry curves and shocked when she tells him about some silly curse she carries. It's a lie. At least he believed it was before she practically dropped dead in his arms after an innocent kiss.
With Rory whisked away, Adrien is determined to save and protect his mate while also clearing his name of murder. But things only darken as the pair begin to unravel the lies of Rory's past. Together, the two will have to face an evil that has haunted her entire life or forever be torn apart.
Step into the world of Shifting Destinies, where the men and women you meet might just be a little more than human. Their towns are protected by magic, and their hearts are open and ready for love. But watch your step - more than darkness lurks in the shadows.
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Chapter 1
The door to Rory’s room stood ajar. Gossip spread like wildfire in the enclave and she knew someone had gotten wind of her early arrival home. There were no secrets in Wolfden.
Suspecting who waited for her, Rory shoved open the door and swept inside.
“Hey, freak. I thought that was your car coming up the drive.” Finn stretched out on a chaise at the foot of her four-poster bed, tossing a small, porcelain statue into the air and catching it without even looking.
“Hey, yourself.” Despite the word, Rory grinned. Finn was the only one to truly accept her, even if he was an arrogant jerkhole ninety-five percent of the time.
One year her senior, her brother was the perfect specimen of Conri male. Tall and strapped with muscle, but not overly bulky like the bears she’d known. He was a wolf, after all, and his human form was as sleek as his inner beast. His cheeks were permanently red, like he was forever just coming inside from a bout of activity. He had more than his fair share of admirers and marriage proposals.
Unlike her. While Finn reveled in being the arrogant princeling, Rory was hidden away outside the enclave. He was schooled by the finest tutors and enforcers the pack could provide. She was sent to boarding school as soon as legally possible and only welcomed home on holidays.
All because she was shiftless. Her jaw tightened. Cursed at birth by an evil fae queen with the biggest black stain a Conri could bear. No wolf howled away inside her. She wouldn’t bring more Conri pups into the world because no one wanted her. Even if they lowered their standing by taking her as a mate, that act would allegedly bring about the fall of the Conri line. She brought shame on the family simply by existing.
Finn continued to toss the figurine into the air. “Do Father and Mother know you’re back?” He sighed, like he already knew the answer to his question.
She snatched the statue before it fell from his hands. Unlikely, with his shifter agility, but the bouncing made her uncomfortable. “It was a spur of the moment decision.”
“Spontaneous? You? What have you done with my sister?” He sat up and fixed her with suspicious, narrowed eyes.
“Just trying to be more like you.” Rory smiled sweetly and tugged open the door to her closet. It was nearly the same size of her apartment in the city and mostly packed with formal wear. She thought her mother would die of shock to see her casual clothes at home. She dressed professionally for the office, but her time home was spent in jeans and tank tops. Definitely nothing befitting a wolf princess.
She frowned at the clothes. She might have the name and the title, but no one treated her like a royal Conri.
“No matter,” Finn continued. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”
Rory peeked out of her closet and saw her brother drag a hand down his face. Finn hardly ever showed hesitation. His directness had gotten him in trouble too many times. A ruler should know when to placate instead of rile up, their father admonished more than once.
“I want you to move back here. Permanently.”
There was the haughtiness she expected. Power laced the air. Not the discernible kind an alpha exuded. She couldn’t ever detect more than a trace of that. Finn’s power came from a surety of knowing his words would be taken as a command.
“No,” she answered and ducked her head back inside. There had to be a dress suitable for the evening somewhere.
Finn moved from his spot on the chaise and put his back against the doorframe, crossing his arms over his chest. “Our parents have decided they want to retire to the countryside. With all this business of the fae outing the bears and war on the enclaves, they think it’s time for the younger generation to step up and take charge of our destiny.”
“I can almost hear Father’s voice when you say that.” And it in no way made her want to extend her visit. She was there to lick her wounds and get herself back on her feet, not move back home for whatever harebrained idea Finn was cooking up. “The answer is still no.”
Did she hate that the enclaves had been outed to humans? Yes. They were her people, even if she couldn’t shift like them. She didn’t want any of them harmed for their inner nature. But it’d been made clear by her parents that she wasn’t one of them, wasn’t part of the enclave, wasn’t a member of the Conri pack. Finn couldn’t take back years of living on the outside and being forced to look away.
“I need you, Rory. I want to do this. I have a list of changes I want made and I don’t trust any of the old dogs. I want you to be my business manager. You know how that side works. You’re the perfect bean counter for the job.”
“As if Father is going to hand over the pack and enclave to you. The Wild Wolf they call you, isn’t it?” She grabbed a handful of dresses and brushed past him. One by one, she tested them all against her reflection in the mirror.
“I’ve sown my oats.” He didn’t show a hint of remorse for the trail of broken hearts he left in his wake. Finn took his place back on the chaise, looking every bit a lounging,
bored prince. “What about you? Wasn’t there some musician keeping you away from your family duty?”
“It ended when video of that toad sowing his oats went viral.” And then it made perfect sense why he never wanted her on tour. She was happy to remain home and count beans for a living, as long as he made it back to her bed. But that happened less and less as his career took off. Who wanted a boring accountant when adoring fans catered to his every whim?
She hadn’t even bothered with phoning him up or waiting for a confrontation the next time he swung by their apartment. She sent him a link to the video and received two words in response. Figured. Bye.
She didn’t want to spend her birthday alone. Sure, she was expected at the Conri manor for the big day tomorrow. But the idea of spending even a single second in the apartment she shared with that toad pushed her to drive home early to be part of the annual ball.
The Summer Solstice Ball was the event of the year for Wolfden. The manor was opened as a suitor’s ball for all the eligible Conri males and females. The tradition dated back to before the veil opened and poured any supernaturals into the new world. They’d hide their faces behind masks to rid themselves of any preconceived notions of potential mates, dance the night away, and end with a run under the moon at midnight.
Wolfden’s elite weren’t the only ones to celebrate. The entire enclave shut down to enjoy the night. Those who weren’t invited to the ball celebrated in the town square or at parties of their own.
“Do you want me to kill him?”
“Finnagan Aengus Conri!” Rory laughed and shook her head. “You cannot kill everyone who crosses you.”
“Aurora Deirdre Conri!” His high-pitched mockery of her voice was far too convincing. “And it wasn’t me he crossed. It was my dear, darling sister. I’ll make it fast.”
Rory eyed her brother in the mirror. “You may not kill Todd.”
“His name was Todd? Todd the Toad!” Finn’s green eyes danced with hideous joy. “He should be killed just for that name.”
Rory opened her mouth to snap at him but paused when he cocked his head. That was his sign for her that someone was coming down the hall. Other shifters didn’t need such an obvious signal because they could hear just as well as Finn, but she was on her own with the weak senses of a cursed, shiftless human.
Sure enough, Finn’s hearing gave her time to prepare for their parents’ entrance. She smoothed out a wrinkle on a gown, took a deep breath, and waited.
The marching steps announced the honor guard, who never went anywhere without their Wolf King. Scuffed sounds told of their flanking her door and turning on their heels to watch for any threats.
The Wolf King stalked into the room while his Consort glided a step behind. Honora stood an inch taller than Donal, who had grown round in his old age.
“Father.” Rory hurried forward and planted a kiss on her father’s cheek, then her mother’s. Finn didn’t even bother sitting up straight. “Mother.”
Honora accepted the affection, then barreled into the reason for her visit. “We didn’t expect you until tomorrow.”
“Plans for tonight fell through, so I thought I’d attend the Solstice Ball.” Rory hid her fluttering hands with a gesture to the dresses laid out on her bed.
“You may not attend!” Honora exclaimed, hands clutching the pearls around her neck.
The unfamiliar worry on her mother’s face gave her pause, but only for a moment. Rory wanted some fun. She wanted to forget Todd the Toad. For one night, she wanted to let her hair down and party with the wolves. “Other humans are attending. It’s not like I’ll be in any more danger than them.”
Her father shook his head. “Absolutely not. Your mother is right. You should have come tomorrow as was planned.”
Finn rolled his shoulders and gave their parents a flat look. “This isn’t about the curse, is it?”
Of course it was about the curse. Every single moment of her life was about the curse. All decisions made for her pointed back to the curse. It dangled like a sword over her head anytime she tried to make a place for herself in Wolfden.
It was ridiculous. Conri wolves only mated other wolves. No wolf would want her. No mate existed for her. The curse of her line’s destruction, like her shiftless nature, were excuses to hide her away from the pack and enclave.
Their mother’s face drained of blood before fury brought all the color roaring back. “Curse or not, your sister is not eligible for the suitor’s ball.”
“No one will know! I’m sure all the other humans will be protected. Just stick me with them. We’re all wearing masks. No one will connect me to you.”
“No. That is our final word.” Donal’s expression softened slightly. “You will have our undivided attention tomorrow, pumpkin. Tonight is about pack business. You, by no fault of your own, are not pack. You know this, Rory.”
Rory tightened her jaw to hold back her furious words. She rarely complained about the obvious favoritism they placed on Finn. She accepted her education away from home. She moved on to graduate from a great university.
Acceptance from her family was all she wanted when she was hurting. She’d done everything right, and she continued to be burned by the people that should care for her the most.
One horrible week culminated with another knife to her heart.
“I won’t show my face tonight.” The words tasted like ashes and hid her lie.
It was a masquerade ball. No one would show their face.
“See? That wasn’t so bad. We will spend the entire day with you tomorrow,” Donal promised.
“Finn, shouldn’t you be readying yourself?” Honora focused her attention anywhere but her shameful daughter. “There will be a gaggle of acceptable females for you to pick tonight.”
Rory faded away into the background. She regretted coming home. She didn’t belong in Wolfden. Her parents didn’t want her in the enclave or at their precious Solstice Ball. Cursed, shiftless, it didn’t matter. She was nothing to them.
She barely registered them sweeping out of her room. They received their promise, and she’d make sure she kept it. She wouldn’t show her face. She just needed to find the perfect gown and secure a mask. She’d have her night to forget Todd the Toad, then she’d disappear from Wolfden forever.
“Hey, shiftless.”
Rory turned and nearly planted her face in Finn’s chest. Stupid wolf speed and grace.
Finn wrapped her in a quick hug and pat the top of her head. “I’m glad you’re home.”
“Thanks, jerk,” she mumbled. At least someone in her family was happy to see her.
Chapter 2
Adrien Bloodwing opened the flask and took a healthy swig of the fiery liquid inside. He needed the extra encouragement to make it through the night. One part solstice celebration with three parts matchmaking service brewed a mixture of wolf politics he didn’t want to touch with a ten foot pole.
Yet he was in the outer courtyard, watching other guests arrive for Wolfden’s Summer Solstice Ball.
“It’s going to be a good night, brother,” Damien insisted. “Don’t look so glum.”
“Doesn’t matter what I look like. We’ll be wearing these idiot masks,” Adrien growled at his twin.
They leaned against a stone wall and passed the flask between them. Adrien eyed the gathering crowd with apprehension while his brother peered at them more... adoringly. That was one of their defining differences. He could take or leave people, while Damien always wanted to be surrounded by others.
Damien poked his mouth. “Believe me. This frown will be seen for miles.”
Adrien hated Wolfden. He hated his twin. He hated Gideon, leader of the fucking Bloodwings, for making him attend the ball. He was not made for monkey suits or masquerades. Getting his blood up with action or women, that was what he liked.
But that was life in a clan, wasn’t it? Ever since Gideon summoned them to aid in a fight that wasn’t theirs, Adrien felt a noose tightening around his throat.
Do this, go here. No arguments allowed.
Gideon wasn’t half bad, if he could get over his resistance to lead. He’d hidden away as a bartender in Bearden rather than accept responsibility for the clan of dragons. The man was even more a recluse than Adrien.
Damien had a real problem with Gideon. His twin was biding his time for some big power play. He’d been caught with the wrong sort of whispers on his lips, and because most considered them one and the same, Adrien was dragged down with him. They were placed on diplomatic duty to keep them out of trouble and away from the rest of the Bloodwings. Gideon claimed Adrien was to temper his twin’s action, as if Damien ever listened to someone besides himself.
Adrien wanted no part of the trouble Damien was contemplating. It was a sign of a fractured clan that his brother even dared speak against Gideon. They’d all gone too long without proper structure.
The dragon inside him stirred and shook out his wings. That was about the only response he could force out of the beast. Unless blood was involved, the creature stayed silent and apart. His head was too fucking lonely for the last year and a half. Too quiet. Something had torn the beast apart and nothing he did brought them back together. It was like an entirely separate creature existed inside him, instead of his other half.
No, that was a lie. He knew exactly what caused his dragon’s separateness. Denver had been his undoing.
He hadn’t even meant to stop in the city. His brother was the one who dropped out of the sky and Adrien followed. He caught the scent of the streets and people and food and filth and under it all, the scent of her.