Evernight Publishing
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2013 Stacey Espino
ISBN: 978-1-77130-625-6
Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs
Editor: JS Cook
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to all my readers asking for more of the Pack Seduction series.
FORBIDDEN MATE
Pack Seduction, 4
Stacey Espino
Copyright © 2013
Chapter One
Wesley leaned against an oak tree and took a heavy drag from his cigarillo. He was on perimeter duty tonight, but even the furthest reaches of the royal property couldn’t muffle the sound of lovemaking from the second floor balcony. The queen was away for the week, leaving her three daughters and their mates to their own vices. Fucking was apparently at the top of their list.
An entourage of Royal Elite had joined the queen on her trip to reconnect with shifterkind. Delia insisted her mother was too disconnected from her people, so the queen was making an effort to bring the monarchy into the twenty-first century. Life at the palace had tilted off axis once the three wolven princesses returned home after years on the run. They wanted change, wanted equality, and wanted the small town surrounding the palace to stop following old-school traditions.
Old, new—it made no difference to Wesley. He was still bound to his duty, and even though the queen was off the property, the Royal Elite always had to be vigilant in protecting the palace. There had been word of a threat months earlier, a male fox claiming a wolf hired him to kidnap a princess. They could never be too overprotective.
“Sitting down on the job?”
Wesley already knew his friend approached from behind. In fact, he knew the minute Ulric opened one of the doors in the network of stone corridors beneath the palace.
“You know I never sit.” Wesley stomped out the remainder of his smoke. “What are you doing out here at this hour?”
“Checking up on things,” said Ulric. “If you forgot, I’m still an Elite.”
Wesley narrowed his eyes. “You’re not exactly one of us anymore, Ulric. You go home to a fancy bed and ready pussy each night. Me? I look forward to my shitty apartment and blue balls.”
His bear-shifting friend was no longer required to keep his vow to the Elite. He was mated to the last princess, his days of loneliness long forgotten. But Wesley and the remaining guards continued to protect the royal family, their personal lives forever second place.
Ulric gave him a firm shove in the shoulder. “Stop being so dramatic. You’re worse than a damn female. You have the same rights as me now. If you want to claim a mate, no one will stop you.”
“I didn’t take my vows lightly. My parents raised me with the Elite calling in mind. As soon as I came of age, I pledged allegiance to the queen alone. It’s all I know.”
“Then do both. Who says you can’t have a woman and juggle shifts?”
Wesley shook his head, not looking his friend in the eye. It wasn’t long ago that he was giving Ulric the pep talks. Now it was Wesley growing bitter and lonely.
“Being an Elite is more than shifts. It’s my life,” he said. “I just need a quick fuck. It’s been too long. My mood should improve once my head clears of this fog.”
It was hard to think straight when his panther was pacing inside him, eager to indulge in a female. On top of it all, he had to endure the satisfied moans and cries from the balcony. His mood grew more venomous by the second.
“Go to town after work and get it out of your system. There’re always women ready to bed an Elite.”
He knew all about it. The guards usually hit the town at least once a week. The local pub was crawling with easy women. They willingly offered one night, no questions asked. Being a Royal Elite required they keep their distance from the world beyond the grounds they were born to guard. Personal attachments were a weakness to be avoided.
Another playful squeal broke the silence.
“It wasn’t Delia.” Ulric said it like an apology. Wesley didn’t know how his friend could stand sharing his mate with two other men. It was the curse of mating a princess. They were born to mate multiple males, so Ulric had no choice if he wanted Delia as his woman.
That would never be him.
Wesley now realized that he hadn’t felt the same about Ulric since he was approved as a royal mate. It seemed one day they were on the same page, both wanting more but knowing there were no options. They both rented rooms over the rundown stores in town, trying to pass the time between shifts with as little reflection as possible. Now Ulric knew what love was. He was accepted at the queen’s table, quickly learning a life of luxury.
Wesley had been left behind.
He tried to remember that the bear shifter wasn’t his enemy or any different than him. Surely he was the same man on the inside even though his status in life had drastically changed. “So, what’s it like…”
“What?” asked Ulric.
Wesley leaned against one of the large decorative columns surrounding the palace. The stars decorated the blackened sky, giving him something to focus on during the long nights. “Having one woman, and knowing she’ll be the last.”
“You know I’ve always loved Delia. She’s the reason I became an Elite, so I have no regrets.”
“And the sharing?”
Ulric shrugged. “Alexander and Caleb aren’t so bad. They come with the territory. I’m just thankful the queen allowed Delia to choose me when there’s already another bear in the palace.”
“Yeah, that’s something else,” he scoffed. “A Royal Elite breaking their vow. Never thought I’d see the day.”
“Don’t start busting my balls again, Wes. It was always about her, and you know it. Do you think I wanted the same sleep, eat, and guard cycle for the rest of my life? I wanted more. I wanted the love of my mate.”
“What about me? There aren’t exactly any princesses left unmated, and you’re comparing my life to a steaming pile of shit. My every breath has been for the monarchy. Without it, who the hell am I?”
The princesses were breaking down the old ways piece by piece, a great wall crumbling into rubble. What happened when there came a time the queen no longer required the services of her guards? She’d already granted them the new freedom to take a mate, something they were strictly taught never to pursue. Wesley was born to be a warrior, trained as a killing machine with only one goal. Now he felt lost, like this entire existence would soon be irrelevant.
“You’re no different from the good friend I’ve known for years. You should be thankful for your new freedom. It’s the beginning of better things to come.”
“The rules were bent so you could be with Delia. If you weren’t an Elite to start with, nothing would have changed for us. I doubt our newfound ‘freedom’ will last long.” Fuck, he was just feeling sorry for himself again. Wesley looked up to the moon. It was nearly full. Soon his sexual urges and desire to mark a female would make every waking hour intolerable. He’d been trained to deny himself, to meditate and focus on anything but the mating call. It was harder now that his panther knew it had a choice. “The queen will realize it was a mistake to loosen her grip on the Royal Elite once danger shows up on her doorstep.”
Ulric looked at him wit
h narrowed eyes. “Things are different now, Wes. All the princesses have capable mates to watch out for them.”
Ulric didn’t have to say Wesley wasn’t needed anymore when it was obvious what he thought. Wesley could go on for hours about his hatred for the new regime, but he didn’t want to argue with his friend. The royal sisters’ plan to bring peace and unity to shifterkind left him powerless. Once a man felt inconsequential, what did he have left?
He nodded to the treeline. Ronan had just finished his perimeter check and was coming to take Wesley’s place at one of the watch posts. There were only a few guards left behind to protect the palace during the queen’s absence. It meant less free time and long, tedious shifts.
“Looks like my replacement just showed up.”
He didn’t think twice before shifting into his black panther. He’d already said too much to Ulric, opening up something that needed to remain tightly sealed. Wesley had to remember his training—no emotion, no fear, no weakness. It was better that way.
Darkness enveloped him like a silky caress once on all fours. He owned the night, easily traveling unseen and unheard. Right now he wanted to forget his brief conversation with Ulric, forget his insecurities, and lose himself in the scent of a female.
“Behave,” Ulric called out, his voice already drowning out as Wesley put miles between them.
He was heading to one of the few places that remained the same. Their little town was still barely touched by technology and modern conveniences. It was a piece of heaven, a slice of life untainted by humans and urban development. When Wesley entered the bar, it was like stepping back in time to simpler days. He met the friends he’d grown up with, some of his Royal Elite brothers, and enough females to keep him satisfied. Hopefully the royal sisters would keep their paws off the town and confine their uprising to the castle.
It felt revitalizing to run off his energy and push his doubts aside. Wesley finally slowed his speed, coming to a walk when he emerged from the forest. The air was sweet with the scent of baking bread. He could hear the laughter from the local bar once he neared the heart of the town. His panther continually tested the air for any threats as he weaved unnoticed amongst the darkened houses. Even though he was off shift, he was hardwired to expect trouble, part of him craving it.
He slipped into his skin within the shadows and grabbed the pair of worn jeans he kept stored under the wooden porch of an abandoned house. Now he was ready for a night of anonymous sex and debauchery—a stark contrast from his respectable position at the palace. But his free time was his own.
“Wesley!” Cade shouted after he pushed open the heavy wooden door to the pub. The windows were open to allow the crisp evening breeze to cool off the overcrowded interior. Lightbulbs swung on their wires, glasses clanged, smoke lingered above the bar, and chairs scraped the wooden floor. He could hardly hear himself think with the multitude of conversations, music, laughter, and drunken hollering.
He made his way around tables and through the groups of people enjoying the night out. They moved aside for him like river water dividing for a boulder. He wasn’t sure if it was his status with the Elite, his size, or something else, but the local shifters always kept their distance.
His friend and fellow Elite was sitting at the bar with a free stool saved beside him. The shifter bar itself was a shithole, but it was a second home. Maybe Wesley’s only home.
“I thought you were on shift until morning,” said Cade.
“Ronan just relieved me. And not a minute too soon.” He flashed two fingers to the barkeep. “My head’s swimming.”
Wesley downed his shots as soon as they were set in front of him. They promised a respite from his futile thoughts. He swiveled on his stool and eyed the crowd like a predator looking for a kill.
“She’s a cute one,” said Cade.
He looked in Cade’s direction. The busty redhead was sipping on a fancy drink, looking over at them with flirty eyes. Her friend was next to her, whispering something in her ear. All Wesley could think about was getting fucked.
“I’ve never seen them in here before,” Wesley said. “Which one do you want?”
Rather than choose, his friend said, “They could be human.”
“Human?” He narrowed his eyes, turning to look at the women again. His initial interest fizzled away.
“I said they could be. There’s been a steady stream of tourists through the past couple days. They’re here to see the castle and the lake, something about a Chupacabra sighting. Besides, so what if they’re human?”
Wesley shuddered just considering the idea. Human females were weak and unappealing. He’d been trained to protect the royal family from threats—the largest being the spread of humankind. Humans were the reason shifters had to live in the shadows and continually hide their natural identities. If he couldn’t stand their presence in his home town, he certainly didn’t want to fuck one.
“Why don’t you take one yourself…or both?”
“Suit yourself.” Cade slipped off his chair and sauntered over to the females. The cougar was a beast around women. The females could be shifters, but he was too tired to play games to be sure. Maybe he’d just take a cold shower and hit the sack for the night.
Wesley felt like a caged rat as he pushed his way out of the bar. Normally he felt quite at home around the noise and chaos. Tonight everything grated on his nerves. Ulric made him think about things he didn’t want to contemplate—namely his future and the endless years of loneliness awaiting him. He’d never questioned his fate before, only welcomed it. His parents were proud to call their oldest son a Royal Elite, and the entire community respected his rank. Now, seemingly out of nowhere, it wasn’t enough.
He walked along the dark sidewalk, kicking at loose gravel and plucking the occasional leaf from a bush. The further he distanced from the center of town, the darker it became. Only the sound of crickets droning in the tall grass surrounding the paths kept him company. There wasn’t much waiting for him in his empty bachelor apartment above the bakery—a bed, dresser, and a window looking out into the forest. Some days he was tempted to shed his skin and never turn back.
“I said I’m not interested.”
“Of course you are, sweetheart. Why else would you wear a skirt that tight?”
The voices came from the alley just ahead, piquing his interest. His panther easily recognized the sound of distress. He tested the air until he scented it—fear. His mouth instantly salivated as his predatory instincts rushed to the surface.
“Please, just let me go. If I scream, the entire town will hear.”
The male chuckled. “It’s just you and me.”
“You’ll regret this,” said the female. “Do you want to spend the rest of your life in jail?”
When Wesley turned the corner he wasn’t expecting her to be so damn beautiful. The woman had long, dark hair covering her bare shoulders like a veil. She could be a she-wolf, although her voice was a little too shaky. Maybe a fox.
He leaned against the brick wall of a garage and crossed his arms over his chest. Wesley recognized the man. He was a local coyote, and the filthy little scavenger appeared to be swimming in alcohol. His life of petty crime was about to take a wickeder path.
But it wasn’t Wesley’s job to save the world. His duty was to the queen and her palace, nothing more. Even that responsibility could be null and void before he knew it. Besides, if a shifter, female or not, couldn’t defend themselves, they deserved what was coming to them. Survival of the fittest was the number one motto in their world.
“You look worth the risk,” said the coyote. The male tore at her shirt, revealing the lacy edge of a white bra. She screamed as promised, the sharp sound clearing Wesley’s head of his slight buzz.
Fuck it. He couldn’t just stand there and watch a crime play out. Although he’d been trained to be cold and unmoving, he still had a conscience. Maybe that was one of his downfalls as an Elite. Either way, it was time for the coyote to keep his han
ds to himself.
Wesley stepped away from the shadows and approached the two in the alleyway. “Hey, Romeo. She told you to back off.”
The coyote turned to look at him, his eyes narrowed and sharp as daggers—until he saw who spoke. “I–I’m sorry. It’s not what it looks like, I swear.”
“Sure it’s not.” Wesley grabbed the man’s arm and forcibly led him to the main pathway. “Go home and get some sleep before you do something you can’t undo.”
“Yes, sir. You won’t see me out here again tonight.” The coyote stumbled as he tried to run while continually looking over his shoulder.
Wesley watched him struggle down the path until out of sight entirely. He’d just done his good deed for the week. And he needed a smoke. As he started to walk away, the gentle rustle of fabric reminded him of the woman he’d just saved.
He whirled around and pinned her in place with his eyes. “You shouldn’t be out alone at this hour. Not unless you’re looking for trouble.” A lot of shifters did enjoy a good fight this close the full moon. Females included. But this one seemed incapable of defending herself.
She clutched her blouse closed, but it didn’t hide the outline of her full breasts. He wet his lips, craving a taste. Maybe she’d be good for something besides fighting.
“I was just trying to get to my hotel room. I must have took the wrong turn and—”
“Hotel room? You don’t live in town?”
She shook her head, still not moving out of place. “I’m on a four day tour.”
Un-fucking-believable. She was just another human passing through, no different than the redhead at the bar. Then why didn’t he feel the same malevolent energy boiling up inside him? Humans always brought out the beast in Wesley. Instead, he was oddly compelled by her presence, her innocence calling to him. She was beautiful, with big brown eyes and lush curves. He’d be blind not to notice—even if she wasn’t a shifter.
Forbidden Mate Page 1