Smutty Shifter Shorts: Books 1-5 Bundle (Paranormal Werewolf Shape Shifter Romance Short Story Anthology)

by Anya Nowlan

  Oh, how she envied those simpletons, whose lives were undisturbed by the phases of the moon and the threats of horrific deeds. She could only imagine a life where she could go to bed, wrap a blanket around herself and forget all about the things that milled about outside, often right by her window, watching and waiting for the right time. If only she could go through her days being blissfully unaware of the danger that threatened so many of them, that wanted to take their daughters and slay their sons. But, that was not to be. She had been marked long ago, the scarred X on her thigh a ceaseless reminder of what her existence was heading towards. And now it was time to face her fate.

  Chicago had been home to the pack for many centuries now. They had blended in seamlessly, having jobs and businesses, some even families and abundant friends outside of their small circle of trust. But at their core, no matter how human they became, they were still beasts. The Red Moon Pack had found their home in the concrete cityscape, but the city had not tamed them. An animal in civilization was still an animal nonetheless, no matter what it appeared to be. Their ancient rituals had not changed and they hung on to them with fervent belief, to the detriment of the hapless humans that lived close to them. The pack had never been healthier, bigger or more close-knit, so there was little point in arguing with the ways that had served them so well for so long.

  The Red Moon Pack was a few hundred members strong, a number that rarely changed. It took very specific conditions for a new werewolf to see Mother Moon and even if the young wolf made it through his first few years, there was always a great chance that he would be driven from the pack when he hit puberty, shunned by his parents or ripped to shreds during one of the initiation trials. Being a werewolf was not easy and the pack took pride in keeping their numbers healthy, weeding out the weak and the undeserving, slaying the incapable and the clumsy. Elise did not wish to know as much as she did, she did not want to know any of it, but there was no escaping the shadow of the pack when you had been marked.

  She was the seventh line of D’Avery women that had been marked by them. Her ancestors had come from France and one young woman in each generation had been visited by the Alpha, marked as a bride for one of the young wolves. Each time, the mother of the unlucky femme would wail and beg at the feet of the great Alpha, who would shrug her aside and mark what belonged to the pack regardless of the pleading words. None of the women from the D’Avery line that had been chosen had ever made it back to their families.

  What happened to them was only discussed in hushed voices. The marked bride was called upon when she reached 18, chosen as the final trial for a fledgling wolf. The wolf was chosen already when the bride was marked as a child, a pair tied together by the bonds of fate without ever laying eyes upon each other. Their futures were shackled to one another, a curious connection that could spell doom for both of them. It was rumored that the bride was set to run through the streets on a full moon after she and her chosen wolf had reached the ripe age of adulthood and the wolf would have to hunt her down. He would have to smell her, sense her, follow their connection or be cast aside as an unworthy husk, only fit to be used as a practice victim for wolves who were in touch with their beast.

  The pair had never met and only knew of each other by the fact that they had been told their other half was somewhere in the city. It escaped Elise how a man was supposed to find the mate. The city was huge and there were countless people living there, milling about even at the dead of night when the moon was full. How could he possibly find his chosen one? But Elise was just a human, her mind did not wrap around the capabilities of the werewolves. She could not be expected to understand the depth of their power and the reach of their senses. A wolf simply knew. When the time was right, an invisible guide would lead him to his mate down the straightest path. If it didn’t, then he was not worthy of calling himself a member of the pack and would have to face the consequences.

  Her mother had told her all that she knew of the pack countless times over her fragile 18 years. The Alpha had come for her when she was 4, when she was but a beautiful green-eyed child with rosy cheeks. He had walked straight to her and turned right in front of her scared mother, pushing her to the ground and ripping the mark on her thigh with his sharp claws. Not a word had been spoken by him when he left, a stern look thrown to the hysterical mother sign enough that she would have to obey the law of the wolves, the curse that had befallen her bloodline.

  Elise’s aunt had been taken in the same way. She had been sent on her run a few months after her 18th birthday, followed by teary-eyed pleads from her parents to return to their protective bosoms once more. It had not happened. Elise was an only child, so her mother’s heartbreak had been even greater at the thought of losing her only offspring. Yet, duty called and it could not be denied. The tight bond of family could not overtake that of the mark.

  The call had arrived a few days earlier, a note with exquisite penmanship telling Elise to take to the streets and run for her life on the night of the full moon. It promised that if she could last until the morning without her mate or the rest of the pack finding her, then she would be freed from her chains. If not, then she would be a wolf bride or meet her untimely demise, depending on who reached her first. It was still impossible to comprehend. Elise’s mind could not bend to the reality of it all, but she knew that it was not up to her to argue with greater, mystical powers.

  She had pored through several old diaries, left behind by the women in her family that had gone before her and never returned. They all read much the same. Fear of losing their life, met with equal fear of becoming a bride for a beast they did not know nor comprehend. Years and years of listless wonderings were documented on the pages, teenage hopes and dreams crushed under the heavy foot of their destiny. She couldn’t help but wonder how those women had met their fate. Had they been found by their wolves, made into brides and kept from their family? Or had they been hunted down by the rest of the pack, ripped and torn until nothing but bloody remains were left, scattered on the cold streets of Chicago? Or had they gotten away and been forced to stay far from their kin? Endless questions swirled in her mind and she knew that the only hope for answers would come that night.

  The clock struck midnight. It was time to run.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Lithe feet carried her through the streets, her breath heavy as her footsteps struck the concrete one after another. She had been told to stay within the confines of the city. It was all open to her, but she could not leave, as members of the pack were waiting on the city borders. Years of preparation had all been in the name of this one night that would determine whether she lived or died, suffered or strived. In the face of a veritable black hole of knowledge, one thing had resounded with Elise. She could run. If her legs were fast enough and she was clever enough, then there was a chance that she could get away. She only had to last until dawn.

  A little voice in her head screamed at her to go faster, further, harder, but she silenced it. She had been practicing for this for a long time, memorizing passages in various parts of town, thinking of ways to hide her scent and building her endurance. The girl was prepared and she could not let fear control her tactics. She figured that the wolf’s connection to her had to rely at least in part on her smell, as that was how the animals tracked. Hours of research had taught her the locations of various little streams and rivers where she could mask her steps. Now that she needed to actually use her knowledge, the loud pounding of her heart seemed to overtake all of the rationality that she had worked so hard to muster.

  Focus, she told herself, her breath billowing in front of her in the cold air. It had been hours now since the chase started and she had not sighted one of the hateful beasts yet. That calmed her a bit. Elise imagined that once they found her, she would not be given long to live, unless the first upon her was her to-be mate. That gave her even more motivation to keep going. She could not imagine a world where she would need to submit to a man or a beast simply because fate dictated it to
her. No, she wanted to make her own choices, choose her own love. She had remained untouched, pure until now and she would not allow it to be the choice of a man if she gave herself to him, at least not without a fight.

  Her legs had settled into the rhythm, her muscles no longer yelling at her to give them a moment of rest. Keen ears listened to every little sound, trying to catch a crackle or a whisper of soft padded feet upon pavement, gaining on her. She almost tumbled over in surprise when she stepped on a stick and it broke in half under her sneakers, making her heart beat even louder and adrenaline pump wildly through her veins. Elise was on edge, to say the least.

  You can do this, just a few more hours, she reminded herself, trying to keep her spirits up. It had been a rollercoaster of emotions so far, days before it being filled with hysterical laughter and gut-wrenching sobs. Coming to terms with losing control over so much of her future had never really dawned on her before the chase was imminent and the hours of running had been much of the same. At times, she was completely confident in her capabilities, only to think herself doomed for certain a scant split-second later. All she could do was to try and calm herself down and focus on the task at hand, running away from her destiny.

  For the last half an hour or so, she had felt a curious tingle in the back of her neck. It felt like someone was watching her, as if brutal eyes rested upon her and tracked her every step, heard her tiniest of breaths. She had cast glances round herself several times, trying to assure herself that it was all in her mind, but the sensation kept getting stronger and stronger. Finally, she turned off the street and headed into a small park, knowing that there was flowing water there that could hopefully confuse her chasers a bit.

  The streetlight became fewer as the park grew thicker, branches reaching out towards Elise as invisible hands, yearning to grab her in their clutches. She saw danger lurking everywhere, her mind wallowing in fear but her body pushing forward. The babbling stream was so close she could almost smell it and it was at that very moment that alarm bells went off in her mind. The tingle on her neck intensified and she could make out graceful, tireless steps gaining up behind her. She did not dare to look back. The moment she had feared had finally come, arrived to claim her and drag her from the life she knew and cherished.

  Adrenaline coursed through her bloodstream, pumping her heart faster and making her muscles strain with effort. Her steps grew faster and more nimble despite the exhaustion, heading straight for the body of water she knew to be ahead, though it was clear that it was too late now. The steps loomed ever closer, she could almost feel his breath on her now. Just a bit before the sliver of water, hidden in the darkness of the foreboding trees, Elise was tackled from behind and came falling down, tumbling down a small embankment with her hands beating at her assailant.

  She screamed out in fright, balling her hands into fist and punching mightily, but with little gain. Sharp claws ripped at her clothes even as they were falling and Elise met the amber eyes of the beast, thick blackish gray mane covering the lean, powerful body of a wolf in a thick blanket of safety. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes, but there was no time to cry now, just fight. Stones and sharp sticks tore at her sides as the duo finally came to a stop, tearing at each other with desperation and need. The wolf only allowed a few blows before he growled deeply, showing her his long, white teeth and pinning her down by her ample chest.

  Elise gasped and raised her hand to strike him once more, but it soon fell limply by her side. She could not escape the intense gaze of the beast, the amber eyes dragging her into them. Something stirred in the girl, who had promised on all that was dear to her to battle her assailant until she had no blood, no strength left. Yet, this wolf had settled her ruffled feathers and calmed her down in an instant with a simple threat of death and a lingering gaze that felt oddly familiar.

  It was as if she was staring into the eyes of a long-forgotten friend, someone who she had shared her whole life with. She could almost imagine them walking side by side through life, having experienced all that the other had without ever meeting. A bond was struck between them, one that was stronger than words and mightier than she could have ever imagined. There was no doubt in her mind that the one who had found her was her chosen one. The wolf before her had caught exactly the prey he had been sent out to retrieve.

  Her breathing slowed bit by bit and her muscles relaxed as she watched him with a mix of emotions stirring in her gut. His eyes were determined, powerful and ruthless, yet she could sense a hint of softness hiding behind them. The wolf’s form holding her down was heavy and constricted her breath, but it barely seemed to matter as the binding fear for her life seemed to slowly seep out of her and disappear into the ground below her. He sniffed her carefully, hiding his teeth now. His mane was standing up on his shoulders, the excitement of the chase and the fresh capture still fresh in the beast’s senses.

  Each moment they spent together told her that it was right, that he was the one that she had been promised to. An unmistakable change came about her, a deep feeling of belonging, of finding her other half. It was so overwhelming that she was not sure how to go on, how to act now that her former way of life had been completely shattered in a matter of seconds and this new way of being had not completely revealed itself to her yet. Confusion stirred and coiled in her mind, panic growing in her chest.

  What do I do now?

  The beast had paused for a moment but seeing her body relax, drove on. Long nails and sharp teeth tore at her clothes, exposing her pale skin. Elise gasped as the wolf revealed her to himself, making her skin break out in goose bumps as the cold night wind wafted over her. Yet, her fists remained at her sides, she no longer battled against him. At least for now.

  CHAPTER THREE

  The girl was soon almost completely naked, rough but careful claws and fangs having peeled from her the layers of protection. She watched him, mesmerized. The breath from his powerful jaws rose in pillars of steam around him and the amber eyes were so full of emotion, almost human in a sense. A small tear trickled down the side of her face, partially from a lingering fear and partially because the sudden release had been so overwhelming, hitting her as a complete surprise. She couldn’t have imagined even in her wildest dreams that she would so swiftly succumb to the beast that was sent for her and yet, that was what had taken place.

  The wolf straightened up for a second and gave her a long, thoughtful look. Moments later, his transformation begun. The body rose and expanded, shifting to two feet and growing taller and wider. The coat disappeared into his newly found human skin and the tail retracted until it was no more. Mighty jaws shrunk until they formed a strong chin line and sharp nose. The only feature almost completely unaffected was the hypnotizing gaze, garnering just a hint more of human nature in them than before. His hair was thick and raven black and his shoulders were wide and muscled. The man was a vision of masculinity, taking Elise’s breath as he stood before her, covered by nothing more than a scant shadow that the tree bows sometimes cast upon him.

  He kneeled beside her and lifted her head and torso a bit with his strong hands, bringing her face closer to his. Strain mixed with affection shone brightly in his eyes and Elise had difficulties forming a coherent thought in the aftermath of the shocking change.

  “Hello. I am Jacques. I was sent to find you and I cannot express how glad I am that I did. We do not have a lot of time, my love. What is your name?” he asked, his voice deep and a memory of a growl resting in his tone.

  “Elise,” she answered softly, warmth gathering in the pit of her stomach at the touch of his hands. The man smiled slightly at her, pulling her against him tightly.

  “May this first moment last,” he whispered, before dipping down and kissing her deeply. Elise gasped softly but allowed herself to sink into his lips. She kissed him back passionately, the cold and fear released from her mind and disappearing into the background. Her hands grabbed for him and she pressed herself against him, yearning to feel him more. Jac
ques answered her passion with equal parts, cradling the girl in his arms and letting his tongue slip into her mouth. She was losing the last of her inhibitions, the terror of the years growing up and waiting for this night as if wiped away, replaced by warmth and joy.

  One of his hands slipped down her chest and trickled down her stomach, tracing a line down her body. The dark-haired, curvy maiden moaned as his fingers slipped between her legs, gently touching the soft skin of her inner thighs and teasing her with his presence so close to her heat but not quite touching it yet. A blush rose to her cheeks and her hands explored him with more confidence, slipping over his wide back and toned sides. She could feel scars and cuts under her hands, some fresh while others were years old.

  He must have been fighting for a long time to be allowed to find me, the girl thought, her heart swelling with happiness that he had made it to her after all of his trials. She could no longer imagine running from him, from escaping his grasp and trying to evade him. It seemed to matter little what the future held for them, as long as she was allowed to face it with her other half, her mate, her Alpha. Her nails dug into his skin slightly as his lips left hers and kissed down her neck, leaving a path of tingling skin behind as he went lower. His scent filled her nostrils, deep and musky, so familiar yet at the same time completely alien to her.