Fairy Tales with a Shift: Complete Collection (5 Bear Shifter Novellas)

by Cara Wylde

  She shook her head and tried to focus. If she were to be chosen tomorrow, anything that she learned now might be just the edge she needed to save herself from the wolf-shifter. So, she threw her knives, trying to keep in mind the suggestions that Braden had given her.

  “Good,” Braden said as her knives hit home on their targets. “You are getting better already.”

  And Scarlett could see that she had improved.

  “Now, how about some moving target practice?” He bent down and picked up some branches from the ground. “Let’s see if you can hit any of these.” And he threw a branch up into the air in a lazy arc across the clearing.

  Scarlett pulled out her knives, but the first branch had hit the ground before she could aim and throw.

  “You need to be faster, Scarlett,” he said. “Not every target will just sit and wait for you to hit it.”

  Scarlett scowled at him. He just smiled at her, and his smile made her weak in the knees. Great! She was supposed to get better, become stronger, not turn into a pathetic puddle at his feet.

  “Let’s try again,” he said as he threw another branch in the air.

  This time, Scarlett’s knife hit the ground just as the branch did.

  “Better,” Braden said. “Again.” And he threw another branch for her to aim at.

  Then another, and another, keeping her on her toes, making her run across the clearing from one side to the other and back again, aiming, and throwing, and collecting her knives. Only to aim and throw them once more.

  “Okay, you’ve lost your center,” Braden said, as he walked over to her. “Here, take a deep breath and relax as you breathe out.” Braden put his hands on her shoulders.

  Scarlett looked up into his eyes, and all of a sudden, his arms were around her, and her arms looped around his neck. She could feel the heat from his body chase away the cold night air which surrounded them. His arms felt like two huge stones pushing her down, and his body had a heavy presence. A solidness in the darkness. They felt good, and real, and safe.

  He leaned in, and she automatically lifted her head towards him. He placed his lips against hers, and they kissed. A slow, gentle kiss that seemed to last forever.

  Then, everything suddenly hit Scarlett. She was out late at night with a stranger, a stranger who made her feel like she had never felt before. It scared her. It scared her that he was a traveler, and she knew he would leave the village and seek new adventures and new, pretty girls to seduce. Her heart ached at the thought.

  There was also tomorrow, the day when a woman would be chosen to be given to the wolf-shifter. If she was chosen, her life would be over anyway, so why not enjoy this special moment in Braden’s strong arms?

  “What’s the matter, Scarlett?” Braden smoothed down her wild red hair and looked deep into her emerald eyes.

  “It’s just...” Scarlett could feel tears well up in her eyes. No! She couldn’t cry. Not here, in front of this man. Not ever. She pushed him away and turned to go back home before he figured out what was happening.

  Braden held her for another moment, but she shrugged his arms off and he had to let her go. He fought the desire to hold onto her, to throw her over his shoulder and take her far away from this dreadful place.

  “Scarlett…”

  She threw him one last glance, then she walked away.

  “Scarlett!” he called louder.

  She was running now. Running home, with tears streaming down her face. She had no way of knowing, but he could smell her salty tears on her cheeks.

  His first instinct was to chase after her, to hunt her down and make her his. He took a step towards the edge of the clearing, but stopped himself. He knew that was not the way to win her heart, and he really wanted to win her heart. Of that, he was certain. So, he followed her at a distance to make sure she got home safe, and then just stood outside her house listening to her sobs as she cried herself to sleep. When her every heavy sigh pierced through his soul, Braden knew the beautiful, confident Scarlett was his mate. Nothing in his life had hurt so badly. Not even the fact that she had told him she hated all shape-shifters. All he wanted was to see her safe and happy.

  ***

  The next day, Scarlett didn’t come out of her house until the church bell rang out announcing the commencement of The Choosing Ceremony.

  Braden waited outside, slowly circling her house. Casually walking down the road, he was a shadow hiding at the edge of the forest. But never too far away. Always within earshot so he could hear her as she moved about inside. Though, apart from coming down to breakfast, which she didn’t even eat, all she did was lie in her bed until midday.

  Her mother and grandmother took turns trying to talk to her. They tried to console her and point out that there were over thirty women in the village who were eligible to be chosen, and that if she survived this Choosing, she would not have to face the next one for another five years. She only answered them in monosyllables of “yes” and “no”, and could not be drawn out to say anything else.

  At noon, the church bell rang out and the people of the village all left their houses and gathered in the town square. Scarlett and her mother joined the crowd as they, too, made their way to the gathering. Scarlett’s grandmother decided to stay at home. She had seen too many Choosing Ceremonies in her life, and she couldn’t go when Scarlett was on that awful list.

  Braden followed the two women a little distance behind. In all the commotion, no one paid him any real attention, and he stood at the back of the crowd as the elders of the village climbed up onto a podium. The Mayor stood at the front and called for the crowd to make silence. He read out a long proclamation explaining the deal which the five villages had made with the wolf-shifter, and that it was their village’s turn this year to select a woman to send to the shifter. Everyone in the crowd already knew everything he was saying. Many people from the five villages traveled to the annual Choosing Ceremony in whatever village it was held. Today, the population of the village was swollen to over twice its regular number, which made the village square very crowded. However, it was such a serious and tense event that everyone stood packed together, with no pushing or shoving.

  The Mayor started calling out the names of those women who faced The Choosing. One by one, as their names were called out, the women made their way through the crowd to stand in front of the podium. Scarlett was among them, and when Braden saw her standing there, back straight and head held high, his bear growled deep inside his chest. He couldn’t let this woman go. He simply couldn’t.

  The Mayor looked down at the group of women who stood at the front of the crowd.

  “You are all eligible for this year’s Choosing,” he announced. “Your names have been written on pieces of paper and placed inside this drum.” The Mayor gestured to a large drum set up on a frame that allowed it to be spun. “The name will be chosen at random. Whoever is chosen will have to go into the forest at midnight and await her fate.”

  The crowd waited with baited breath as the Mayor moved to stand behind the drum and started to spin it.

  He spun it and spun it.

  And then, he spun it some more.

  When he finally stopped it, everyone held their breath. For most of them, mothers and fathers of the women in front of the podium, it was worse than facing their own death. The Mayor looked up at the sky and slid open the little door on the top of the drum. He reached inside and waited a moment before pulling his hand back out. He held a piece of paper high into the air.

  A murmur of anticipation ran through the crowd.

  The Mayor brought his hand down and unfolded the paper. He looked out at the crowd and called out Scarlett’s name.

  The crowd erupted, as relief, expectation, fear, anger, and all sorts of other emotions washed over everyone. For the women around Scarlett, and for their families and friends, the main emotions were relief and happiness. For everyone else, it was the spectacle of yet another annual victim being sent to her fate.

  For Sca
rlett, it was a sense of numbness and disbelief. Had she just imagined that her name had been called out? Everyone else was milling around, every person in the crowd in some kind of movement, but she just stood as still as a statue. Her mother forced her way through the crowd and threw her arms around her.

  “Oh, Scarlett, Scarlett, Scarlett,” the woman wailed, her burnt face more twisted and hideous than ever. She had sacrificed her beauty to raise her little girl, and now her little girl had grown into a woman and was about to die for the good of the five villages. The irony crushed her.

  Scarlett wanted to ask her what the matter was, because she didn’t quite comprehend what was happening. It was like her brain refused to wrap itself around the news. Then, two of the elders came through the crowd and took hold of her.

  “Don’t even think of running away,” one of them said.

  And that was when Scarlett realized she was the one chosen to surrender herself to the werewolf. At midnight, she would have to go into the forest. She dared not think about what might happen to her. She looked around and saw Braden on the other side of the crowd.

  “Scarlett!” he called out.

  Scarlett wanted to go to him, but her mother wrapped her in her arms, screaming and crying out, holding her close as the men of the village gathered around in case Scarlet should decide to run. She had no desire to run. She just stood there, helpless, trying to regain some of her confidence. Her mother was still crying at the top of her lungs, and a group of neighboring women joined in with her, wailing in grief as if Scarlett were already dead.

  The Mayor tried to call for order, yelling over the noise, but no one was paying any attention to him anymore. The news which everyone had wanted to hear had been delivered, and now they were all free to express their relief and fear.

  Scarlett felt dead inside. She had had nightmares about being chosen, and she had always known there was a fair possibility she might end up in this situation. Still, to be chosen on the first year her name had been added to the list... It was an event too momentous to accept. Too unfair. She looked around again, standing still in the center of all the commotion, not believing it, slowly taking in the fact that before it had even begun, her life was already over.

  Braden was on the other side of the square. He wanted nothing more than to push his way through the crowd and gather up Scarlett into his arms and take her far, far away from here. He could easily do it. Even without shifting into his bear form, he could easily outrun any man from the village, without being bothered by Scarlett’s weight. He held himself back. Now was not the time and, even though he could take on the whole village and kill everyone if needed, he also knew he could not win Scarlett’s heart that way. She was a kind and gentle soul. These cruel people wanted to send her to her death, but he would never allow that to happen. All he had to do was to be smart and fast enough, just like he had been in the past with all the other shifters he had eliminated. Yes, this particular werewolf was strong, given that he had been ruling over five villages for so many years, but he was not indestructible. Braden knew exactly what to do. He knew how to fight a wolf-shifter, and he certainly knew he had a fair advantage over the beast. Bear-shifters were slower because of their massive bodies, but they were also heavier. With a bit of patience and a good strategy, Braden would free everyone from the big bad wolf.

  The elders declared the Ceremony over and ordered the men of the village to take Scarlett and her mother back to their house. They would stand guard and make sure she was ready to go out at midnight to face her fate.

  Braden trailed along after the crowd as the whole village made its way to Scarlett’s cottage. The sons of the elders would guard the three women in shifts as they prepared for what was to come.

  The whole population of the village milled around, talking amongst each other, and Braden had to wait until they finally got bored or hungry, and dissipated. He considered sneaking in behind the guards’ backs just to see Scarlett and talk to her, but then realized he wouldn’t know what to say, and gave up. It was better to leave her alone for now.

  CHAPTER THREE

  As the church bell struck midnight, the Mayor, followed by the elders and all the other people of the village, arrived at Scarlett’s home. Her mother and grandmother had spent the evening with her, but they had all been in a state of shock. None of them could quite believe it. Yet, it had happened, and now all those people were out there, waiting for their precious daughter and granddaughter to come out of the house.

  Scarlett had put on her finest corset and skirt, and her mother had braided her hair and adorned it with a garland of flowers. Everyone would see how beautiful she was, but what they wouldn’t see were her hunting daggers tucked into the waistband of her skirt, pushed down deep, where only she could reach them. She knew all her hours of practice were going to be put to the test tonight.

  The last thing she put on was the red cape that every chosen woman wore when she went to the wolf. It was the mark of the chosen one, the ceremonial symbol of her fate. Her hands shook as she fastened it around her neck. Everyone she had ever seen wear one of these red capes had never come back. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, steadying herself and mentally preparing for the trial that lay ahead of her.

  Scarlett turned and looked out the window at the forest that stretched out beyond the village. It was full moon, of course. The Choosing Ceremonies were always held on a full moon. But a full moon was also the perfect time for hunting. With the bright stars shining down on her, she would be able to see well enough to aim her hunting knives and put up a real fight. If she was lucky, the beast would be taken by surprise and that would give her an advantage. Scarlett took one last look at herself in the mirror as the Mayor banged on the door and called for her to come out. She steeled herself, took a deep breath, then left her bedroom, carefully closing the door behind her.

  Scarlett’s mother and grandmother watched in silence as she crossed the main room and walked to the front door. The Mayor banged on it once more, and without any more hugs or goodbyes, Scarlett opened the door and faced the crowd.

  The Mayor took a deep breath. He had prepared a speech to deliver, in which he wanted to say how her sacrifice would keep the villages safe for another year. However, the look on Scarlett’s face froze him to the spot.

  “I am ready,” she said, and walked past him.

  Behind her, she could hear her mother break into tears. She didn’t look back. She held her head high and walked forward, heading straight for the forest path that would lead her to her meeting with the wolf-shifter. There was no turning back, so she tuned out all sound and focused on her own breathing, trying to calm down, relax her muscles, and convince herself that she could do this. She was nothing like the women who had been chosen in the precious years. Actually, if she thought better about it, she was glad she was wearing the red cape. It would soon symbolize her victory over the beast, the wolf-shifter’s blood on her hands. Come morning, it would become a symbol of freedom.

  The Mayor took a moment to snap out of his shock and pull himself together before hurrying to catch up with her, followed quickly by the elders and villagers who had been unable to fall asleep at such a time. He fell into step with Scarlett, walking just behind her. Normally, he would need to have a couple of strong men to escort the chosen girl to make sure she didn’t run away, but Scarlett was going of her own free will, accepting her fate and embracing it no matter what the outcome was. It was a little bit disturbing even to him.

  Behind them, Braden watched. Inside, he seethed with anger. Rage. This was not right. There was nothing at all right about any of this. The wolf-shifter who terrorized these villagers had broken their spirits. Well, most of their spirits. Even from a distance, Braden could see there was nothing wrong with Scarlett’s spirit. But he also knew she was no match for a shifter. Especially a cunning wolf-shifter, one who was used to having his own way in this little kingdom he had built for himself. He needed to step up and protect her.

&nb
sp; Unfortunately, he first had to use her as bait to lure out the wolf-shifter. His stomach knotted with fear at the thought, but he knew he had no other choice. Yesterday, he had sniffed around in the forest, both in human form and in bear form, but hadn’t caught any unusual scents. He had hoped he would find the werewolf and kill him before The Choosing. It would have been such a great moment to appear in front of the crowd holding the werewolf’s severed head and then throwing it at Scarlett’s feet. Naturally, he would have asked her to marry him immediately after that. Surely, the young woman wouldn’t have said “no” to a hero. And he knew she was attracted to him just as he was attracted to her. That kiss had told him so much.

  Scarlett led the way, and they eventually came to a clearing, way deeper into the woods than the one in which Braden had taught her the new skills. In front of them, there was another path, the one from which no one had ever returned. Behind them was the way back to the safety of the village.

  Scarlett walked to the center of the clearing. The Mayor, elders, and villagers hang back, afraid to venture too far into the clearing, afraid to get too close to the shifter that could probably catch their scent and decide he wanted a more consistent midnight snack.

  Scarlett paused for a moment. She was aware of the crowd of people behind her, but she didn’t look back. She took a deep breath and strode forward, out of the clearing and, soon, out of their sight. As Scarlett was walking deeper into the dark, unknown forest, the villagers started turning back, as if it was all too much to witness.

  ***

  Braden had followed behind the crowd as they had brought Scarlett into the forest. On the one hand, his heart ached that Scarlett was going into such danger, and only a day after he had found her. But on the other hand, he knew his best chance of luring out the wolf-shifter was to let her meet him. He just hoped he would be able to act in time to save her once the wolf had her.