Highland Shifters: A Paranormal Romance Boxed Set

by Unknown

  Under Ken’s direction, the framework of organization emerged quickly. He chose a think tank of older pack members to help sort out the details.

  They determined that each adult would carry a backpack that could be filled halfway with personal things. The other half was dedicated to carrying items that would be prized on Lunark and could easily be traded for things too big to carry, such as large tools and farm implements.

  Liulf had gotten a list from his uncle that included all kinds of medicine including a list of herbs for Luna’s clinic, and medical tools, titanium knives, duct tape, and salt. Lots of salt. Coffee, sugar, and chocolate for the wolves of New Elk Mountain who had migrated from Loti Dimension. He was told that matches or trigger lighters were so highly prized that fights would break out at auction. So Liulf sent people into commercial districts of fae territory to clean out entire store supplies.

  They couldn’t fill a library, but made a list of essential books to take including compendiums on medicinal herbery and wildcrafting, MacBeth, Beowulf, a complete collection of Sir Walter Scott, Robbie Burns, and, of course, Bulnairn’s History of Lycan.

  The curly-horned Black Faced sheep that Liulf had bragged about to Silver Ruff presented the biggest problem of logistics. Ken picked out fifteen of the biggest males and tasked them with carrying one each across their shoulders. It would be enough for a starter herd. The sheep would be heavy, but sedated, so that, at least, they wouldn’t struggle en route. The Scots Gray chickens would be a little easier. He planned to have several dozen young pups carry one each in a backpack. It would be just the right amount of weight for young ones and would make them feel like they played a part in an event that would be monumental. The six roosters would have to be sedated or they would claw their way through both the backpack and the young ones carrying them. So they planned for veterinary pharmaceuticals also.

  Liulf had discussed the arrival of the livestock with his uncle, who was enormously helpful with anticipating their needs. There was no chicken wire available, but Grey secured what the other packs were using to hold chickens – heavy fishnets strung taut over and around the free range portion of the enclosures. They planned for five, one per rooster, with a covered three-sided shed and shelves that would do for roosts. In exchange for the help, Grey’s pack would get one of the roosters and eight hens. If they refrained from eating chicken, the numbers would grow fast.

  The supply list included four backpacks full of ancient seed corn, the kind that will propagate naturally, a pack with seeds for a future apple orchard, and thirty packs of potatoes for planting. Conn shared that one of his ne’er-do-well friends had come up with a way to break a still down into small enough pieces that it could be stowed in a hiker’s back pack and reassembled in the new world.

  Liulf quipped, “Well, it seems Cairlan is good for somethin’ after all.”

  The new alpha would be lying to himself if he didn’t admit that everything about the process was exciting. The Mahdrah Ahlee weren’t just embarking on an adventure. They were creating a new world. And, for a time, the emptiness he’d learned to live with was overshadowed by the enormity of moving hundreds of wolf people to a world they’d never seen, but had committed to solely because of their trust in him. The responsibility for that was humbling, with the potential to be crushing if he stopped for long to think about it.

  Liulf had returned to Lunark three times for the purpose of planning and asking questions. In his wolf form he had covered every bit of the territory that was to be New Scotia. He’d seen red deer bucks and caribou so fat they made his mouth water. He’d come across a small pack of wild wolves who were curious about him, but one warning snarl sent them ducking and scurrying with tails tucked, deciding he was definitely not worth a closer look. The wolves looked good, which meant New Scotia was more than promising. If it was good for wild wolves, it would be good for werewolves. But they’d need to watch their sheep and chickens. Carefully.

  In his exploration he’d found the perfect spot for the settlement. It was a green, treed valley protected from north winds by the hills surrounding it, next to a river running fast enough to provide clean water, but not so fast as to be a constant danger to the pack’s young. There was room in the valley to grow things: plants, animals and the future of the Mahdrah Ahlee.

  There are two diametrically opposed points of view employed in choosing a place to build. If you’re expecting trouble, you want the highest vantage point so that you can see an enemy approaching from far away and because it’s easiest to defend. On the other hand, if what you’re expecting is peace and prosperity, you would choose the valley floor with its fertile land near water – the place of greatest comfort and ease of living, but also the most vulnerable to attack. Liulf had decided to trust his uncle’s judgment that they were safe and give his people a chance at real happiness.

  He didn’t know what he would have done without Grey’s help. Together they put everything in place so that the transition would go as easily and quickly as possible.

  Litha pressed both her friend, Kellareal the angel, and her father, Deliverance the incubus, into service so that they could move nearly three hundred werewolves through the passes as quickly as possible. Still, it took two weeks of dedicated work to move the Mahdrah Ahlee pack. At least Kellareal and Litha were dedicated. Deliverance stopped frequently and disappeared for “fuel” breaks.

  As he’d promised, Grey’s people helped them set up temporary shelter, which was a favor beyond repayment since they were arriving in the cold of winter.

  On behalf of New Gaul, Silver Ruff had sent the best gift of all. The wolf people who had settled Lunark thousands of years before had, with centuries of patience, domesticated the indigenous bison for use as draft and plow animals. Unlike horses, the bison were too dumb to be afraid of werewolves. Silver Ruff had sent a score of the inordinately helpful creatures along with wooden wheel wagons and carts.

  As the building and planning process was fully underway, pack morale was enthusiastic. Everyone in the pack ended the day exhausted – adults from working, young from playing, but when they fell on straw-stuffed beds with sore bodies, they breathed contented sighs, satisfied with the way they’d spent the day.

  Liulf had put Ken to work on a rotation that allowed everyone one day of the week to run or hunt in wolf form and one day to spend leisurely with families.

  Even with all the activity, two or three times a week Mave would seek Liulf out and renew her pursuit. They would replay the same exchange that had been enacted thousands of times. But since Liulf had encountered Rain Falling, he was finding it even more difficult to deal with Mave and was wondering if, perhaps, she was touched in the head. He found himself clenching his teeth whenever he caught sight of her and wished, for both of their sakes, that he had taken the low road and refused to bring her to the new world. The impatience and rudeness of the dialogue was ratcheted up until Liulf didn’t know what else he might do short of sinking his fangs into her neck and giving a mighty yank to separate tissue from bone.

  One morning he left his lean-to to make his way through the various projects.

  Cairlan’s mother was showing some pups how to weave river reeds for a wide range of utilitarian purposes. She looked up at Liulf as he passed, and smiled.

  “How do ye like life here, Bridsail?” he asked.

  “Fine, Alpha, but I will say ‘tis a good thin’ I remember how to make candles.”

  That noon Silver Ruff arrived for a visit to the burgeoning settlement with a contingent of six wagons drawn by bison, each laden with food or other supplies that would be needed to sustain the new colony until they could manage on their own. Liulf greeted her and was about to thank her when he saw that the alpha’s daughter, Rain Falling, was driving the next wagon. Liulf seemed to forget everything except watching her jump down.

  Seeing his brother’s reaction, Conn smiled and stepped forward to introduce himself to Silver Ruff.

  “Sorry. My brother seems to be tongu
e-tied. An unfortunate condition which sometimes happens in the most inopportune circumstances. I’m Connuchur Cu Ahlee, who would be happy to have ye call me Conn.”

  Silver Ruff wasn’t offended in the least. She was well aware that Liulf’s behavior didn’t reflect either bad manners or disrespect. “Thank you, Conn. I’ve come to meet the new neighbors with welcome wagons. I think that’s what Grey told me they were called in your world of origin.”

  “Welcome wagons. Aye. As they should be called. We’ll be sayin’ we’re so very thankful for the wagonloads of good thin’s and then ye’ll be sayin’, ‘Ye’re welcome.’”

  Silver Ruff chuckled at Conn’s good humor and confident manner. Females of all ages seemed to have that reaction to him and, Silver Ruff noted, Rain Falling was no exception.

  When Liulf managed to recover his speech, he showed the New Gaul alpha around, acquainted her with his vision for the colony, and answered her questions in between sneaking glances at Rain, who was always looking at something or someone else.

  The New Gaul visitors stayed overnight and were entertained by stories of what it was like to travel between dimensions and what it was like to confront the reality of giving up all modern conveniences. The guests couldn’t really relate to the last part since none of them had ever experienced the marvels of the technological age, but they seemed captivated by the speech and dress of the new arrivals, not to mention the novelty of blondes and redheads.

  The next afternoon Liulf was working side by side with Conn, erecting a three-sided, open-air distribution center from which they could make sure every family was provisioned. As he drove his hammer into each nail with a vengeance, he reproached himself again and again for being a celebrated warrior too cowardly to approach Rain and speak to her. He told himself that it would be different if she’d given him any encouragement.

  As if Conn could hear his thoughts, he turned to Liulf with a gleam of mischief. “Silver Ruff’s daughter is cute. Think I’ll mount the wee bitch princess first chance I get.”

  Liulf launched himself at Conn with such an explosion of power that it startled the middle triplet into scrambling back, stumbling, and, finally, landing on his ass. Liulf’s growl had been loud enough to alarm the entire village. While he scrambled to get a hold of Conn’s clothes and pull him up from the dirt so that he could punch him in the face, Conn started laughing hard enough to squirt tears from his eyes. With the dawning understanding that he’d been baited by one of Conn’s jokes, Liulf let go of his brother’s shirt with a shake of the head.

  “Funny, Connuchur.” Liulf’s teeth were bared, but he wasn’t amused. He took a step back. “But stay away. She’s mine.”

  “Aye, Liulf, very well. But when are ye plannin’ on telling her?” Liulf was silent. “She’s young, brother. Only fifty. It might be a long time before she’s knowin’ her own mind.”

  Liulf simply picked up his hammer, slipped it into his tool belt and walked away without looking back.

  Once a week, Liulf found an excuse to go to New Gaul. Cutting across part of New Elk Mountain, it took two hours to get there in wolf form, which meant that the combined visit and roundtrip took a whole day.

  He kept a set of clothes in the shed at the edge of the village that was used for that purpose. None of the New Gaul wolves had ever seen a kilt before. At first they’d laughed, until they realized that the females were not laughing, but admiring the look of it.

  He would stop and dress, then stride into town wearing a black long sleeved Henley that hugged his muscular chest and massive shoulders and clung to the ridges of his torso. Beneath that he wore a kilt made from the dress version of Mahdrah Ahlee’s three tartans. It was royal blue and black with cross threads of white and yellow, and the best pair of boots he’d brought with him. He hoped to impress Rain Falling, but he rarely even caught sight of her and never had a chance to speak with her.

  Silver Ruff was acutely aware that Liulf was attempting a lycan version of courtship. The alpha wouldn’t presume to encourage her daughter’s inclination, because interfering with mating would have been unthinkable, but she didn’t discourage it either. She’d grown to like the Highlands alpha. He was strong, sure, and didn’t feel like he needed to fill the air with unnecessary talk. If Rain chose Liulf, her mother would be pleased and think her daughter couldn’t do better. Secretly Silver Ruff suspected that Liulf might be supreme alpha of all of them. If alliances were ever strained, she’d rather be related to him than put that to a test.

  On one such outing, Mave decided to follow Liulf. A few miles from the settlement, he lost patience with it. When he turned and growled, she didn’t take the hint. Less able to control his temper when he was in wolf form, he responded by chasing her down and giving her a bite on the shank that surprised more than hurt her. Still, it made her wolf shriek and run back to the settlement, which was understandable. No wolf with any sense would push Liulf until the hair stood up on his ruff. A snarling alpha with his fur blown to make himself appear even larger was a truly scary sight.

  Unfortunately, Rain’s disappearance when Liulf came to visit was not accidental. She knew her mother liked him, but she found him huge, tense, and humorless. Plus, the unblinking way he looked at her made her uncomfortable. He talked funny, wore funny clothes, and she’d never once seen him smile. His younger brother, on the other hand, never failed to make her heart beat faster. Conn’s caramel-eyed beauty and knowing grin had provided her with endless fantasies involving private romps in the woods.

  CHAPTER 4

  The Spring Equinox Gathering of the Lunark Dimension packs was just two and a half months after arrival. It had been a joyous ten weeks, but it had been grueling as well, so the wolves were looking forward to their next adventure.

  Some of the pack traveled in wagons with supplies to make camp for three nights while others trotted along in wolf form with grins on their faces.

  The site of the Gathering was a valley near the New Gaul settlement. The Council had selected a number of wolves to serve as security for the event and Ken was among them.

  Rain Falling couldn’t hide from Liulf at a Gathering like she could at home. To her dismay, it seemed that, wherever she went, he was there, too. She couldn’t deny that he had a magnificent body, but she continued to shy away from the intensity she felt when he looked her way.

  Unknowingly, Liulf was sabotaging his chance with behavior that Rain found odd and out of character for a wolf. He never tried to talk, but was always nearby. Staring. Which made her want to run. He wasn’t entirely unattractive. She knew that. His features were well-proportioned and, in fact, it was clear that some of the bitches found him desirable, judging from their attempts to get his attention. But his face was hard in a way that, she thought, hinted of meanness.

  Since Mave watched Liulf the way that Liulf watched Rain, it didn’t take long for her to realize that Liulf had set his sights on Silver Ruff’s daughter.

  The first day the Mahdrah Ahlee were standoffish, having never before been in a social situation with wolves outside their own pack. Most simply watched, silently. But when the big fires were lit at nightfall the mood in the camp changed and the stress of uncertainty eased. The combination of biped and beast in werewolves created a love-hate relationship with fire, but in a strange way, the proximity of flames that rose high and roared created a sense of danger that served to excite the beast part of their nature.

  Liulf had met the other leaders at New Moon Council and had come to accept that the new way was a good way. So the Mahdrah Ahlee accepted their alpha’s judgment and slowly began to follow his example. By the second day, New Scotia wolves were mingling with wolves from New Elk Mountain and New Gaul.

  While some of the single females made it plain they wanted Liulf, all of the single females wanted Conn. He was devilishly good-looking, sexier than a wolf had a right to be, with a sardonic smile that said, “I know where all the buttons are and just how to make them dance for me.” The females who got a turn wit
h Conn quickly found that he liked fucking in wolf form. In fact, he insisted on it, which was good for him - no chance of having to deal with after-coitus emotions or affection.

  Most of his conquests went away feeling disappointed, to say the least. Oddly enough, no one ever believed those who had been with him even though they tried to warn of impending disappointment. So he was able to continue his plunder and pillage approach to sex with she-wolves unchecked.

  Werewolves had no qualms about nudity and many felt comfortable with public sex as well, in both wolf and biped form. In general, mated or not, most found that witnessing coitus was stimulating. Liulf learned that it was particularly discomfiting to have Rain in his line of vision while fucking could also be detected in his periphery.

  Finally, spurred by such an uncomfortable incident, Liulf made up his mind that he would talk to Rain.

  Wolves from the three packs who had similar interests seemed to find each other and congregate for exchanging tricks, tips and amusing stories. Weavers were discussing the best materials for building looms. Hunters were discussing various results of arrow flight depending on what feathers were used for balance. Farmers were discussing the best means for collection and storage of bison manure for use as fertilizer. And young she-wolves were discussing unmated wolves.

  The last was what occupied Rain’s attention when Liulf came up behind her. She could see from the change of expressions on her friends’ faces and the direction of their eyes that someone was standing at her back. Someone taller.

  “We’ll see you later, Rain.”

  The girls departed quickly with giggles that Rain suddenly found immature and embarrassing.

  She wasn’t entirely surprised to find Liulf when she turned around. She’d always known the day would come when he’d try to engage her in conversation. “Hello, Liulf.”