Beautifully Shattered: Shadowcrest Pack Series Book One

by B. Livingstone

  She leans in, places a kiss to my lips and whispers, “Thank you.” Then gets up and heads back toward the penthouse. Sooner or later, I will figure that girl out.

  Wilder

  While Riley takes off after Cree I pull the burner phone from my back pocket. Turning it on, I wait for it to power up. I’m not a hundred percent sure this is the right move, maybe I should wait just a little longer. Give Riley a chance to fully come to terms with everything that is changing her life first.

  Mate need this. Mate needs to prepare. My wolf growls in my head his thoughts on my matter. He believes if she’s not ready, she soon will be.

  Once powered up I type out a quick text to my contact.

  It’s time.

  That’s all it’ll take. Hitting send I wait again. Sent, I power it off, tuck it away and rejoin the others in watching the show. I make it out just in time to see Riley take Cree down like an NFL linebacker. Never a dull moment when Riley is around.

  Riley

  Gathered in the living room, Enzo and Wild again act as my bookends seated on the couch. Enzo on my right and Wild on my left. Axel sits on the floor in front of the fireplace to my right. Cree and Reed rejoin us but don’t sit, rather Cree stands guard at the entry to the room as Reed watches by the window. “So there is no miscommunication between us all, I want to get this straight now. I am going to move back to my apartment and start training with Enzo. Cree, I think I need to look for a different job. Working at the bar with the drunks and alcohol while trying to stay sober does not seem like a wise choice to me. The temptations there are too great. Plus, there’s the other thing too.”

  Nodding his agreement, Cree states, “I think that is a great first step. While I hate to lose you, I agree you need to do what is best for you. Understanding your limits, setting your boundaries, and sticking to them is important to recovery and, we’ll stand by you and support you in any way we can.”

  Enzo adds, “You can come work at the gym.” A grunt of distaste is sounded from Cree, obviously he doesn't like this idea, and I do so like to push his buttons.

  “That would be great, Enzo, thank you.” Taking a fortifying breath, I look each guy in the eye. Opening myself up, becoming vulnerable, so they can see the truth and sincerity in my next words. “As for all of us. We all feel this connection, I can’t deny it anymore. But I can’t handle that level of commitment or intimacy right now. It’s all just too much. I need time to think things through, really thinking them through.” Grabbing the hands of the two guys boxing me in, I press on, “I’ve been wandering lost and angry for so long. Now that I can see and think clearly, thanks to all of you, I need to find me. And find a way to put everything behind me, to deal with the mix of emotions before I bring something as strong as a mate bond into it. That all being said, friendship is all I can offer right now. I’m sorry if it’s not enough. It’s just…”

  Reed speaks from his place at the window, effectively cutting me off, “Riley, all we have ever wanted from you was for you to fight, to live. You have a long road ahead of you. We are here in any capacity you need or want us in. If friendship is what you want to offer us, we will willingly accept.”

  I could see the stiffness in the way he was standing. What he said was true. They would take what I was offering them, however to their inner animals it was the equivalent of having your heart ripped in two jagged pieces when your mate rejects you. Which to anyone else is exactly what I just did. However, these five amazing, sexy as hell alphas don't even flinch. They each nod in agreement while a tear slips free of my eye as I thank them each for their understanding, for their support, and for just being them.

  I settle back into the couch comfortably between my man bookends as conversations spring up around me as though it is a regular Tuesday evening. It’s comfortable, normal, and I find I am oddly at peace for the first time in years. Glancing down the hall toward the bedrooms I gasp. Wild squeezes my hand in understanding as Enzo frantically asks, “Riley, what is it?”

  A tear runs down my cheek as I sob a weak broken, “Gracey?”

  Epilogue

  Alastair

  “She’s what?” I scream at the man speaking on the other end of the open phone line, as I pace the small space behind my desk. After the news he just shared I couldn’t stay seated, my wolf is agitated after what she fucking did to him. So, I put the call on speaker and began to pace, attempting to expel some of the aggressive anger. My newest spy inside Riley’s small circle has informed me that my little wolf is feeling better after her more than two-year drug and alcohol stint and is now preparing to take back the pack. As if I’d allow that, the notion is nearly laughable. Except he also tells me that Grace is alive, which can only mean one thing. For that alone I am not laughing, instead my heart is pounding in fear.

  “That is not possible. I saw her fucking body; I know she is dead. I fucking watched them put her body in the ground.” They hadn’t had a clue I was there that night. It was the night I met her man, the human. What a joke. I informed him that should he continue down his current path with Riley, I would tear his body apart one piece at a time with minimal bleeding. Every time he passed out due to pain I’d pause and wait for him to wake so he would not miss a moment of our entertaining time together. “I knew the fucking prophecy; I fucking burned her body to ash because of it. This can’t be happening. Why is this fucking happening; why now, after all this time?” my voice and panic rises with each pronouncement.

  “Listen, I don’t know the how and whys of what’s going on. All I know is what I saw, and what I saw was Grace standing in the middle of the fucking living room. How she got there or how she came back from the fucking dead I don’t know. Something else I do know though; is I am fucking done being your errand boy. I’m not doing this anymore, Alastair. I won’t spy on Riley.”

  “Is that right?”

  “Yeah, I’m done. You can do whatever the fuck you want to me, send your boys back out here to finish the job they started. I don’t fucking care, but I won’t hurt her anymore.”

  I was prepared for this moment; I knew he’d go soft around her. So, I pull up a message I have saved on my phone and hit send. I catch the silent moment on the phone as the message is received before I respond to his declaration. “I do believe you just received a message, son. You may want to change the tone of your song after seeing that. Go ahead and check it, I’ll wait.”

  It only takes a minute for a string of curses to reach me from the other end of the line. “Sweet music to my ears. Now, do you want to change your stance on the matter? I really am a reasonable guy you see and I am willing to give you a second chance here. But son, there will not be a third.”

  “Fuck you, Alastair. If you lay even one finger on either of them… I swear to the Gods.” I do believe he is mad. The smirk that plays across my face is devilish.

  “Just do your job. I promise if you do that they will continue to live quiet and stable lives. On the other hand…” I let the threat hang there, then inform him of how I have been sending them money on his behalf and paying the mountain of medical bills that have been accruing. So, if he wants them to continue to be taken care of he’ll continue to stay near Riley and report back to me. I could always find other means of persuasion for him, either way I get what I want. Right now that’s Riley, we have unfinished business.

  Shattered Strength

  Shadowcrest Pack Series Book Two

  Shattered Strength is book two in the Shadowcreast Pack Series. Featuring the return of Riley and her alphas; Reed, Cree, Enzo, Wilder, and Axel.

  In this book we’ll follow Riley as she learns the true extent of her strength and not just physically but emotionally and mentally as well. We’ll see how she handles the return of her past and betrayals of the future.

  This is a reverse harem, paranormal romance featuring one female with five males; that is a slow/medium burn containing M/M and F/M/M/M/M/M sexual themes suitable for +18 audience. Trigger Warnings: This book includes subst
ance abuse, sexual assault, physical abuse, and violence, swearing, and PTSD.

  Continue reading for a sneak peek with the Prologue and Chapter One of Shattered Strength, Shadowcrest Pack Series Book Two.

  Prologue

  Riley

  “Grace? Really… You… I don’t understand how I’m seeing you. I’m not asleep. That’s… Why? Fucking hell, I swear I’m not dreaming. It's not fucking possible,” I trip, stumble, and mutter, unable to get my head wrapped around what I’m seeing. Wild, with a childish grin on his face, is still holding my hand. Giving it a squeeze with just a little bit of extra pressure, the slight pain shows me it’s true, I’m really not asleep and Grace is really fucking here. Of all things, I don’t understand. I’m completely lost in the moment of knowing she’s here, she's alive.

  Standing from the couch, I run at her, full force knocking us both to the floor. We both start laughing as she holds me tight, like she’s never held me before or she’s afraid one of us will slip away. Unable to breathe from the tight hold she has on me, I grab hold of her just as tightly, holding her to me, refusing to ever let fucking go again.

  “Grace, I can’t believe you’re here. How? Why?” My mind is still reeling from this revelation, and my tongue is too tied from the shock. Sitting up, I cup her face in my hands and study her eyes. I can feel my wolf slowly approaching the surface wanting to peek out and inspect the person in front of me. When my eyes change, Grace gives my wolf a small encouraging smile. My wolf’s soul connects with Grace’s like when she was a child, wanting to transform now and climb in Grace’s lab so Grace can run her fingers through her fur. A sense of peace washes over me and I gasp from the realness of it. “Oh my fucking Gods, you really are here,” I sob.

  Tears are running down both our faces now. This was a day I never thought possible. Being sober in every sense of the word as well is causing my emotions to run in all directions, high, low, and every space in between.

  “I am here, Riles. I really am here, alive and stronger than ever.” Taking both my hands in hers, she takes a deep breath like she’s bracing for something earth shattering. “I know you have a million questions, Riley, and I promise you I will answer every single one of them, in time. Now though, we need to have a vastly different conversation, one about Alastair.” Her face transforms into that of a hardened warrior.

  “This is serious, isn’t it?” I inquire, glancing around the room at all my guys. No, not my guys. Not the time, Riley. Stay focused. Each guy meets my eyes with a look of sympathy, everyone except Wild. He eyeing Grace with an expression I can’t define. Looking at her, she’s eyeing him just the same. As if they’re holding a silent conversation the rest of us are not privy to.

  “It is. Life altering serious, Riles. I’m really sorry.” Her voice expresses the seriousness of what she has to say, but also holds a hint of regret as well.

  Awe hell. Not again.

  Killian

  Alastair hangs up the phone with his unknown spy and turns to me. “We need a flight to Vancouver, taking off yesterday.”

  “For how many sir?”

  “Five. A small group to start. I don’t want to give us away before it’s time.”

  “Yes, sir,” I reply before turning and heading for the door.

  “Make sure it lands in a private airfield. No paper trails. If we’re found out it’ll be your head I take,” Alastair yells out as I head down the hall toward my office.

  Slipping inside, I make my way to the floor to ceiling bookshelf and remove my Harry Potter Special Edition Chest Collection Set. Hidden behind it is a small safe. Disengaging the lock, quickly and quietly, I open the door and remove the burner phone stashed inside. Opening my message center, I type out a short message to my contact in Vancouver.

  Hey man, quick heads up. Alastair plus four others are headed your way.

  After hitting send and powering off the phone, I place it back in the safe, close the door and re-engage the lock.

  Alastair

  One week, one fucking long ass week and not a single update or response from my spy. He thinks he can dictate our arrangement, but he has another thing coming. I am not one to be trifled with. I’ve been in Vancouver nearly a week now, attempting to keep my arrival here a secret while still hunting for a 24-year-old girl, this is not my idea of a good time. No, my idea of a good time would be tying said girl to my four-poster bed and making her suffer for all the shit she caused when she took off. Having to explain to the elders and pack her disappearance without causing suspicion of my involvement was no easy feat considering how vocal she was concerning her ascension to alpha. Then there is the pain she caused my wolf with the loss of our eye. My wolf wants recompense for that little act of defiance. He shall have it and then some.

  Riley was supposed to be mine all those years ago. Mark my words, she still will be. I don’t care how many “mates” she surrounds herself with now, she’s mine and that’s all that matters. Besides, I have a spy inside her camp, a man behind enemy lines; one that would not dare to defy me.

  Riley has no idea the hell she is about to unleash upon herself.

  Standing across the street, I spot a slender woman with fiery red hair walking out of a gym. Pulling my phone from my pocket I pull up the photo my spy sent last week. Her. My wolf spots his prey, readying himself to pounce. Not yet, it’s not time. If we want her to suffer for what she did to us, we need to be patient and follow the plan. Don’t worry you’ll have your fun with her.

  Chapter One

  Riley

  It’s been three fucking weeks since that meeting in the living room. Grace is fucking alive. Unfortunately, she had to move on again. No, fuck, not dead just out of town. She has some quest or mission or something she has to do in order to help me in the fight to get my fucking pack back. To help us get our home back.

  The guys have been a little clingy if not obsessive at times. Which is completely understandable being shifters, our animals can be a bit aggressive at times, especially when it comes to our mates. While I’m not ready to call them my mates, they take every opportunity to remind me what they feel towards me. If I’m being honest it’s kind of nice to be wanted in that way. And even though I still have them in the “friend zone” they don’t push me for more than I am ready to give them right now.

  The guys ensure one of them is around me at all times, I guess it’s to make sure I don’t backslide and start drinking or using again. Gods, the excuses they come up with to stop by are childish at times, but still endearing and heartwarming. Ones like, “Oh I thought you could use a gallon of milk,” or “I noticed you needed a loaf bread,” or my favorite, “Here, I’ve got some work for you to do.” That one comes from Cree when he stops by with his books.

  Cree never really accepted me leaving the bar. After watching me for over two months he’s developed a mother hen mentality. Since I can’t go to the bar, he’s taken it upon himself to bring me his books at least twice a week to log invoices, payroll, and other expenses. In truth though, we both know it’s to please his bear and because he’s a controlling fucker. I honestly find the whole thing endearing and really don’t mind the guys being here. My wolf is more at ease when they’re around. When I’m alone all I can do is think. Think about the past, the present, and the future. Not to mention my dreams, as of late, have been rather disturbing.

  Standing in a large open field, the ground is littered with the bodies of dead wolves. White wolves, black wolves, brown wolves, and one lone red wolf. Looking across the field, standing along the tree line is Alastair. He’s wearing a knowing grin on his face, one hand in his pocket and the other holds what looks to be a dagger dripping with blood.

  In the sky a large shadow flies overhead, while a war cry sounds from the overgrown woods behind me. From between the trees shadows begin to emerge, and a large group of animals descend on the open field. Howls, growls, and roars shake the ground under me as my front paws hit the grassy floor.

  It’s been the same dream e
very night for a week, what it means I can’t figure out. What or who was the shadowed figure flying overhead? Who were the animals coming from the forest, where did they come from, are they shifters? What was with the dagger? Lastly, who were all those dead wolves. I have so many questions and no way to answer them all. Somehow though, I believe Grace has some of these answers I seek, if only I could reach her.

  A knock sounds from my door and shakes me from my reverie. “It’s been three weeks, Cree, are you telling me you still haven’t hired another bookkeeper?” I shout as I head toward my front door.

  “How’d you know it was me?” Cree asks with a hint of awe in his voice as I open the door and give him a good once over. Gods, this man is sex on a stick. Today he’s rocking his bad-boy biker vibe attire with his black leather harness riding boots, dark denim jeans mostly covered by black leather braided chaps, a white t-shirt, and finished with his Allstate black leather jacket I picked out for him last week. Then there is his hair, oh Gods, that hair, which right now is being held back in a tie that I want to snap so I can run my fingers through his long locks of dark brown goodness.

  Fuck I really need to get laid.

  Mate. My wolf pants in my head and I swear she licks her chops.

  Oh I agree he is pant worthy. But still not going there.

  Gathering myself I finally reply, “You five have been stalking me for weeks now. I’ve learned the difference in the way you all walk and how you knock on the door.”

  “That’s impressive, Riley,” Cree states while welcoming himself into my apartment, placing a kiss on my cheek as he slides by just a little too close that his shoulder brushes across my hardening nipples, Gods, damn it.