Lisa: Coming Of Age (The Guardian Shifters Book 1)

by KM Lowe

  "Let's get this show on the road before your mum and dad send out a search party."

  My heart stumbles in my chest because I feel like I came out here a girl but I'm going home a woman. My parents will notice the change in me because I do.

  I step out of the front door and lift my head into the air to smell the wonderful aromas of Scotland. I’ll miss this every day, but I have it ingrained into my head for when I’m in Dundee at university.

  We make our way through the camp in silence. Strangely, there’s no one around. It’s like everyone has deserted us, which I didn't expect at this time of morning. Usually, morning is the busiest time for chores and working. We turn the corner to the Alpha's cabin and stop dead in our tracks. The full pack is standing in front of us, headed by Carlos, Chardonnay, his Beta, Bull, and Joel. Everyone cheers for us and I look over my shoulder to see if someone is behind us. Nobody’s there.

  "What's going on?" I ask.

  Carlos steps forward with Chardonnay on his arm. "We couldn't let you leave without a proper welcome to the pack, or a proper mating celebration. You're one of us now and we look after our family."

  I hold my hand over my mouth as Markus’ arm wraps around my shoulders. "I don't know what to say."

  "Thank you. This is - well it means a lot to us both," says Markus, speaking for both of us while I’m rendered speechless.

  "It's our pleasure. Now, before you leave, I have something for you inside. Will you all join me?" Carlos points over his shoulder.

  I look over to Jasper, who places our bags down, and I follow beside Markus into the Alpha's cabin.

  "What the -?" I run forward and wrap my arms around my mother’s neck. What are my adoptive parents doing here? "How? Why? I don't understand." I pull back and look at Jasper and Markus, who look equally shocked.

  "We couldn't miss this big celebration," my mum says.

  "What?"

  "Come and sit down," says Chardonnay as she ushers us all to the large dining table. "I know Stracey has been taking care of you all, but help yourself to drinks or snacks."

  "Thank you, sweetheart."

  I don’t let my mum go as we sit down. I feel like I’m going to lose her if I let her go. This wasn't supposed to happen, but I have a feeling it’s about to become clear.

  "I don't understand what's happening." I break the silence around us.

  "Okay. Let me explain." Carlos stands and walks behind Jasper’s chair and pats his shoulders. "After I spoke with Jasper and Markus, after you decided you wanted this life, it became clear to me that Jasper would break the rules with the council to keep you happy. That's Jasper, always protecting everyone else without a care for himself. Joel came to me with a plan when he left you."

  I turn to look at Joel standing against the doorframe, arms folded over his chest, feet crossed at the ankle. He winks at me and I giggle. "What was his plan?” I never take my eyes off Joel.

  "That we take matters into our own hands. The council could kill Jasper, they could terminate his work, make his life hell, but it would be harder to go against a pack. I daresay there will be consequences for our actions, but it keeps Jasper from doing anything stupid -"

  "Wait!" Jasper pushes his chair back and stands, hands resting on the table, back arched as if ready to pounce. "You did this so I wouldn't? Why? My son and practically my daughter-in-law will be out here. The council will make your life hell. Now their lives. They've been through hell and back this last two weeks. This wasn't your call, Carlos. This isn't my pack. I am a one man show. Lisa would have had Max and Val in her life. I would have made sure about that."

  "We know. Now let me finish."

  Jasper relents and sits back down, leaving Carlos to take up his place at his back. "This better be good," mutters Jasper.

  "Part time. I've agreed to let Markus and Lisa be here part time. I'm going soft in my old age." He shakes his head and smiles at me across the table. "Anyway, this is where Joel's plan started. We've become a pack that takes in the waifs and strays. We give young shifters a better life, we integrate them into pack life, and we're not big enough to deal with a lot of them. We still turn a lot away to surrounding packs."

  "Are you getting to the point?" scoffs Jasper.

  "Shut up. I want to expand our pack. Lisa is going to med school, and we could use her skills in what... five years?" Carlos raises his eyebrows at me and I nod in response. "When we expand, I want to open our own medical centre. I've spoken with Stracey and she is happy to lend a hand, but we need new blood here. None of us are getting younger, and our pack needs more pups running around. We need to move with the times. Expansion means we can take on more of your prodigies, Jasper. This will hopefully get the council off our back, because we're doing well for our kind."

  Silence surrounds us for what feels like forever, but Joel moves away from the door and says, "I was lucky enough to be accepted into this pack. I got my fresh start, a family, love. That makes a difference to a shifter when they feel like they have no one. Markus, Lisa, Kevin… you're all in the same shoes as me. We could have been living a completely different life right now, that's if we survived the storm. Jasper helped us. Jasper has put his life on hold for each one of us at some point. If they chop my head off for telling Lisa's parents, they chop all of our heads off. We're family. "

  Joel has me, Chardonnay, and my mother in tears. I swear he should have been a public speaker, because he just opens his mouth and lets it run away with him. "Were you the one to tell my mum and dad?"

  He nods and looks down at his feet. I let my mum go and get up to wrap my arms around Joel's neck. I have to squeeze the life out of him for this gift, because it’s just what I need. "I'm glad it was you." I choke on a sob that wracks my body.

  "I feel like I've entered some parallel universe," says my dad.

  The whole room erupts into laughter. "You've not seen anything yet. Wait until you see those witches doing hocus pocus. It’s a crazy world we live in," says Joel. "But Lisa has power she needs to learn. I can't wait to see that."

  I slap his chest with the back of my hand because he's already said too much. I’m not sure what my parents know, and I don’t want to lose them already.

  "Your parents know everything, Lisa. I've filled them in," says Carlos, making my jaw drop. "I told them about your wolf, the power you will hold, your mating with Markus." I feel my cheeks burning. "I told them about your kidnap. Your encounters with your father. Your mother. This is a fresh start for you."

  My head bows and I look at my feet. Thinking about my real mother, the love and care that radiated from her stirs something inside me that I didn't know existed.

  "Sweetheart. Come here." My dad stands and wraps me into his arms. "It must have been hard to see your biological mum. We should have been here with you. We will be from now on. No more secrets. No more lies. As Carlos said, we're all family. We're united, and you could turn into an alien and we'd still love you. It will be a lot to get used to, but we'll try to accept it as best we can. We'll learn together. Who knows, maybe I'd be able to help out at this medical centre when I retire."

  "Really?" I pull back and my dad puts his hands on my cheeks and makes me look at him.

  "Really. Now, tell us what happens now?"

  "Now, we go home. We go back to our lives, work, and school. The rest we take day by day. Only..." I stop and hold my hand out to Markus. I see the uncertainty in his eyes, but he joins me at my dad’s side.

  "Only what?"

  "Carlos has told you that I'm Markus' soulmate. Well, as wolves, soulmates can't live apart. If it's okay with Jasper and you guys, we'll do a couple of days with you and a couple of days with Jasper until we go to university in September. I can't leave him. I won't." I shake my head, standing my ground.

  "We understand." My mum stands to join us. "We'll take you any way we can get you, and Markus has been a big part of our family. I'm very grateful you'll spend your life with someone who will love and care for you. We know no one
can know about this." She motions around the room. "We can tell your brothers when the time is right."

  "Oh." I look around for Kevin, but he’s way back out of the way. "Kevin." I wave my hand for him to join me. "Mum, Dad, this is my brother, Kevin. Kevin, this is my mum, Valerie, and my dad, Max."

  "Nice to meet you both." Kevin holds his hand out to my mum but she walks forward and engulfs him in her arms. For the first time since I met Kevin, he looks comfortable. That’s something my mum is good at—chasing away demons.

  "You're welcome in our home anytime. I just wish we found you sooner."

  My mum is a born nurturer. She does it so easily, and I know she means every word, and I agree with her. I wish I knew about Kevin years ago, but now I do know about him, I won't let him go.

  "Can I have a minute with you both?" asks Jasper as he walks out of the cabin door.

  I close the door behind me and stand behind Jasper as he looks out to everyone partying on our behalf. "You okay, Jazz?"

  "I was going to ask you both the same. I know this is a lot to take in, and trust me, I would have much rather you got a say in it all. Is this what you want?"

  I shuffle my feet and stick my hands deep in my hoodie pockets. Markus looks down at me and I raise my eyebrows for him to say something. "It isn't what we expected. It isn't even something we planned. But this is a win-win for everyone, right? I mean, the pack can expand into bigger and better things. Lisa gets her parents’ blessing, we get each other here, Anderson, and at uni. I think it will all work out. We're young, determined, and if we can help other wolves before they get to Joel and Kevin's stage, I say the decision is made for us. What's this about the council though? Do we need to worry?"

  Jasper sniggers. "Leave them to me. There will be consequences for the pack’s actions. Rules have been broken; rules I would have broken for you. But I'm glad the pack had our backs. The council will think of something to call in this favour and we'll just have to be ready for it. Now, I don't know about you two, but there’s a party about to start and I need a drink. "

  "We'll be there in a minute," Markus says to Jasper’s back and I turn to face Markus. His features have lightened. His posture isn’t as tense. "Are you really okay, baby?"

  I wrap my arms around his neck and lean into his mouth. Our tongues duel and our bodies ignite. "I feel content, Markus. We have no threats hanging over our heads. We have the best of all worlds and I can't wait to explore this with you."

  "Me too. I love you, Lisa."

  "I love you too. In it together, right?"

  "Right." Our mouths meet again, and this time the kiss is soft and gentle.

  This time last week, we were in a war zone between wolves and witches. This week, we're making plans to move on with our lives. One thing I've learnt from this ordeal is to live every day like it's your last, because no two days are the same. Today is here, but tomorrow is never guaranteed. Hug your loved ones, tell them you love them, and treat them right. You never know when that could vanish. All I do know is that I’m loved. I’m cherished. I have more than some people.

  I have my soulmate.

  Did you enjoy Lisa’s story? You did, well you’ll be thrilled to know that Jasper is coming very soon. That’s right, VERY SOON.

  Jasper – United Together (Book 2 of The Guardian Shifters)

  Jasper has always been a born protector. When he lost his one true soulmate in January 2000, his life changed. He didn’t just need to look out for himself, he had to look out for his soulmate’s baby – Lisa. This takes him down a path that you don’t expect a shifter to take, but Jasper has found his place in the only life he knows.

  Fast forward seventeen years, and Jasper is still that born protector. He’s protected many people, but now that protection has backfired on him. He needs to look out for himself, put the past behind him, and move on with his life with his family. However, it’s not that simple, because the council has a hold over him. That hold needs to break, and only a united pack will be able to set Jasper free from the life he once loved.

  Other Books By KM Lowe

  Paranormal Romance

  The Beautiful Life Trilogy

  The Beautiful Life Trilogy

  The Smile (Book 1)

  The Smile – New Beginnings (Book 2)

  The Smile – Forever After (Book 3)

  The Guardian Shifters

  Lisa – Coming Of Age (Book 1)

  Coming Soon

  Jasper – United Together (Book 2)

  Kevin – (Book 3)

  Joel – (Book 4)

  Romance

  It Was Meant To Be

  A Country Escape

  Burning Hearts – A Dark Loss (Book 1 of The Burning Hearts Duet)

  Burning Hearts (Book 2 of The Burning Hearts Duet)

  A Different Christmas

  Home For Christmas

  Contact The Author

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  Kmlowe86@outlook.com

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