by E Hall
“He made a mistake. He’s an Alpha. The wolf system works differently than what we’re used to. Think about it this way, he’d never be the type of guy to break up over text.”
I chuckle because from what I’ve seen, she’s probably right.
“There’s honor and loyalty. A code of conduct they must follow. He’s compelled to look after his pack above all. He thought you were a threat. His heart told him differently. What does your heart tell you?” She brushes her hand down my arm and squeezes my fingers.
I wish we were back home when life was the way it was when I’d just graduated high school and had my future wide open in front of me. Then again, back then, I was hoping for something different. I guess I got it.
My mother continues to gaze at me, waiting for me to answer.
“My heart?” My wolf’s heart. It knows what it wants. Rather, who it wants. My mind has something else to say on the matter.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you more, well, about yourself. But if you think about it, you got a glimpse of human life. In the long run, it’ll help you better understand the humans we’re meant to live among and protect. I’ve seen countless magicals who think they’re superior. I mean, we are, but well, never mind. They have their merits.”
My lips pin down because I wasn’t expecting her to say that.
“Sweetie, this is hard, but you can do hard things. In fact, you were made to do hard things. It’s your fate.”
“Made to do hard things?” The version of me who grew up thinking she was human doesn’t like the sound of that. But she’s not wrong.
She leans closer to me. “This world you’re now a part of isn’t exactly as it seems.”
“No, it’s insane. It’s magic and shifting, and vampires. Mom, you realize that you’re a vampire, right?”
She chuckles lightly. “Yes, I realize that. There is corruption in the magical world, plays for power. I don’t think the Council are quite what they seem. The Klave either if there’s even such a thing. No one has ever seen a member. It’s almost like two extremes when what we need is to move more toward the middle, toward unity. I get it, that’s what the Accords intended, but well, we don’t need to talk magical politics.” She must sense she’s losing me. I’ve never been one to talk politics.
“Where does Corbin fit in?”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure he realizes what’s going on. Listen, find your father. He can help you understand.”
“Why don’t you find him? Or we could do it together.”
“He refuses to see me, and I don’t understand it entirely, to be honest. I’ll just sound paranoid. But this diary and the fact that you’re a tri-magical is big. Many people think you’re here to make things right—a prophecy of sorts.”
“Me? I didn’t know things were wrong and according to Corbin I’m Magical’s Most Wanted.”
“Exactly.” She winks. “The Accords may be flawed,” she says carefully. “There’s more to it than protecting magicals and humans. At least your father thought so.”
“But he’s the reason it exists.”
“Sweetie, it’s complicated.”
“Mom, you’re not making sense.”
“No. I’m not. Just trust me. No, trust your wolf and your inner vampire.” She wrinkles her nose. “Maybe not your fae. They can be tricky.”
I eye the dale, wondering where to go. What to do.
“While love is the greatest thing we know for humans and magicals alike, it’s not the only reason fated mates come together. Go to him. You and he have a life fated.”
When I think of a life fated, I imagine two beach chairs in the sand, a happy couple clinking frilly frozen drinks and watching the sunset.
“If you think I should go, why did you send me to this haunted house, Mom?”
She sighs. “I thought if you were here your father would come.”
“Isn’t he wanted by the Council?” I ask, as confused as ever.
“Yes and that’s the only reason I could think of why he wouldn’t come to you.”
“Where was he during the previous eighteen years of my life?”
“Because we broke the rules, you and I were in hiding. Your magic was suppressed. Now that you’re synthesizing, he’ll sense you.” Nervousness rumples her expression. “You can find him. But first, go make things right with Corbin. We never regret being with the people we love.” She looks at me tenderly.
I wrap my arms around her in a hug. “No, I guess we don’t. What about you?”
“I have to get back to work. I have the dreaded two-on, two-off, three-on schedule in the ER coming up.”
“Mom, did you become a nurse because of—?” I don’t want to say the word blood or even think about it.
“I consider it a perk of the job. There’s a fund for vamps, thanks to the Brooklyn Vampire Club, and they compensate blood banks for their donations. There are also blood depositories, but not where we live.”
My stomach turns...sort of. “You think I should stay here?”
She nods. “Now, I’d better run, literally” She gives me another hug, and then in a flash she disappears as fast as lightning.
I linger in the house a moment longer, wondering what to do, where to go. I’m guessing Pepper would let me stay for a day or two until I figure things out.
When I step outside and into the fresh air, I breathe deep. My wolf’s heart patters in my chest. I feel Corbin lingering there even though he’s long gone.
I gaze at the dale and my mind fills with the kind of static that my heart recognizes.
Maybe not gone.
In a voice as soft as the pussy willows in the distance, I whisper, “Corbin, you were right. Home isn’t a place. It’s certainly not this house. Home is wherever you are.”
A hand slips around me, pressing against my belly. A hand I recognize. A handsome hand. Corbin nuzzles my ear. I inhale his woodsy, wolf scent.
I turn and like seeing him for the first time all over again, I warm at the sight of his dark brown hair, his copper eyes, and full lips.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
“I was halfway back to Headquarters and my wolf stopped. Wouldn’t run a measure farther away from you,” he answers.
A grin sneaks across my lips.
“I felt terrible, Kenna.” Corbin grips the back of his neck with his hand.
“I can see that. Rather, I can feel it.” There is no ignoring my wolf’s heart. I know he’s telling the truth versus the times one of my mom’s boyfriends typed out a text telling her how awful they felt.
“That means our bond is strengthening. And the Accords are doing the opposite. Well, never mind. We can talk about that later.” Concern dips in his brow, but then he brightens. “I said I choose you now and always. I won’t ever betray you again.”
I lift a wary eyebrow. “Unless you’re trying to protect me?”
“Well, maybe.”
“Corbin...?”
He grips my upper arms and gazes into my eyes. A surge of heat and electricity and magical energy rush through me. “I can make this promise, to always be loyal to you. To do everything I can to protect you. That’s the Alpha in me. We’re powerful, but we’re not perfect. I may screw up. But I trust your wolf will keep me in line.”
From within, she yaps in affirmation. “I’m afraid. Afraid for us and afraid for the future. My mom said some things about the Klave and the Council that contradict what I’ve gathered elsewhere.”
“You don’t have to be afraid—”
I place my finger over his lips, silencing him.
“Yes, it’s okay for me to be scared, but that doesn’t need to keep me from loving you or doing hard things. I can also be uncertain and questioning at the same time.”
“About us?”
“No, about my fate. Our fate. I think that’s what my mother wants from me. She was saying some stuff about my dad, and it’s all much bigger than we think.”
He juts his head back as confusio
n flickers across his features.
“I was hesitant to say that, but I’m going to be honest with you. I don’t know what to make of it, but I trust her, and I trust myself, my wolf. Can I trust you?”
“You can trust me to always do right by you, Kenna. And you never have to be unsure about us.”
“For almost my whole life, I didn’t feel like I belonged. As strange as it is and as much as I might feel the pull toward the fae and vamps as I synthesize with my power, I know I’ve found my place with the wolves and you.”
He brushes his lips against mine. But I’m not done speaking.
“I also have always felt like I’m made for more. I’m ready to live my destiny, wherever that brings me as long as we’re together.”
Corbin’s lips drop to mine. Around a kiss, he says, “Me too.”
Fires light within. My wolf prances. My vampire purrs. The fae makes me feel electric.
I lose myself in this kiss as our lips press together firmly. It’s like he draws breath and something more from me. I’m all too willing to give it. After a little exhale, I find it comes back to me, stronger, more potent. Whatever it is we’re sharing and trading is bigger and deeper than a regular kiss.
I grip his jaw, rough with stubble. I like the scratch of it against my cheek.
As Corbin deepens the kiss, the truest part of myself warms through to the core. My wolf wants to howl.
“What’s next?” he asks when we part.
“Let’s do that again,” I answer, leaning in for another kiss.
When we part a second time, I pull out the ruby. “This and the diary point toward something more and toward whatever is next. I know it. Oh, and we’re going to have to break some rules. Or at least I am. I have to find my father.”
Corbin lets out a long breath as though the prospect of doing so makes the Council member in him uncomfortable. “First though, we have to announce our status then perform the ritual to seal our bond.”
“What are we waiting for?” I kiss him on the lips, lingering a moment, before shifting into my wolf. What if I say yes to this magical life? What if all of those last times were leading to this?
If so, I’ll take it. I’ll take all of it. Whatever comes, it’ll be worth it because I found out who I really am, I found love, and a person to call home.
Corbin grins, fixing his copper eyes on me. “Mine,” he says.
Yes, I am his.
He discards his trousers and morphs into his furry and fierce wolf.
We rollick on the dale for a moment, pawing at each other and yipping with glee.
As much as I love kissing Corbin, running wild with him is pretty amazing too.
I take off in an open sprint. He chases me until we’re side by side and free. For now.
Keep reading... book 2 in the Sweet Paranormal Wolf & Fae Fantasy Romance Series series, Lies Tamed.
An excerpt is below
Chapter 1
Kenna
When life gives you blueberries, make blueberry muffins. I found a huge bush off one of the trails so I’m baking them for the pack with the hope that fresh-baked yumminess will make them think I’m less of a troll. Wait, are trolls real? I’m not a troll. No, I’m a magical mutt, according to the whispers I hear.
Warm blueberry and buttery goodness fill the lodge’s custom kitchen. The array of professional chef-quality equipment is quite the upgrade from the various apartment kitchens I’ve lived in back in the United States.
It took me a minute to find my way around in here, but the pantry is stocked with almost everything I could need to cook or bake anything. I could probably even make doughnuts considering the variety of kitchen gadgets lining the upper shelves of the pantry.
What I haven’t figured out how to navigate is Pack Hjalmor. The betas—Baker, Camilla, Claude, Inga, and Trigg—are great, but they know my story. I’m not including Avril in that list because she despises me.
However, the subordinates—so basically everyone else—witnessed me lose it during the Mate Call-Out with Amanda. They whisper and cast furtive glances in my direction, or go quiet whenever I enter a room.
The oven dings. As I take the muffins out to cool, Heather, Harper, and Hannah enter the kitchen.
Heather says, “Smells like a wet dog in here.”
The others chuckle as they sit down at the long farm table that could seat a few dozen people.
Their eyes track my every movement. I don’t think they realize how uncomfortable this makes me feel. Or maybe they do, and that’s the point.
I glance at my reflection in the stainless steel refrigerator. Do I have blueberry stuck between my teeth? I check my sneaker for a square of toilet paper stuck to the sole. Nope.
I set the muffins in a basket and bring them over to the table. The three shifters hurriedly get up and leave the room. Maybe they’re allergic to blueberries. Or me.
I plop down at the end of the table. Sitting here, alone, without distractions, only highlights how strange my life has become and how there’s a certain loneliness that comes with being Magical’s Most Wanted.
My inner-terrain continues to shift, uncertain where to settle. I still don’t know where I fit in here or if I do. I shoulder a nagging feeling that I don’t care, but that notion tilts my inner world even further askew because I do care. Corbin is my home, and this is his home. Of course, I want a place in it.
Even at this early morning hour, the lodge is already alive with activity. Now and at other mealtimes, I’ve observed the typical groups like from high school. Some like drama and pop culture. There are nerdy-geeks, athletic types, and the cliquey-girly posse that just vacated the table.
Maybe there is a crossover-group that I’m not aware of—a collect-all for people like me. Or maybe I’m just me. Kenna Slade, the one and only. Ding, ding, ding. That’s the right answer.
I tear a page from my diary and jot a note for Corbin. I walk to where he lives in a small, private residence just behind the main lodge.
I leave the note, telling him I’m going for a run, along with a muffin on his doorstep. He was on patrol last night, so he’s probably exhausted.
Then again, wolves don’t get tired like regular people. As I synthesize with my magic, I’m able to draw on new levels of energy. I do so now, urging my wolf toward the surface. I could go for a regular run with sneakers, shorts, and a tank top, but shifting into a wolf is way cooler.
I gaze ahead at the place where the horizon meets the sky in gradients of blue I didn’t know were possible this far north. The trees are well into turning autumn colors, washing the landscape in reds and golds.
I close my eyes as my wolf comes to life. Heat and cold slide from my fingertips and toes all the way into my center as my bones and organs and inner composition changes along with the outer into a wolf with reddish fur and eyes that match my own.
I’m still Kenna and can access my thoughts, but their emotional meanings slip away. It’s just sensation without worry or concern or labels like left out, excluded, or lonely.
The dirt path under my feet becomes a streak of color as I bound along the trails that stretch toward the mountains. My mind goes quiet, and I am wild and free.
Of course, my senses are still on alert. I pick up the increasingly familiar scents of other wolves, animals, and traces of magic. I’m on a steep learning curve, but my wolf processes it differently than I would. Life seems simpler as a wolf, and I like it this way.
I streak past rush grass and spear thistles. A stand of pine trees line the base of the Montmartres Mountains, and the bold green of the birch trees’ leaves are fading toward yellow.
I spent the summer at Headquarters while Corbin hunted a rogue werewolf. Unfortunately, it’s still out there.
A picnic table seems oddly out of place, but I imagine the wolves enjoy picnicking out here. I catch the scent of a few members of the pack who must have been out this way last night. Then a strong scent practically drowns my senses with its wolfiness.
I almost stop but will let Corbin catch me. He’s a careful, quiet runner, but my senses are attuned to him no matter if we’re in physical or wolf form. He’s behind me, coming up fast on my right flank. I brace myself in case I misjudged his speed, but then stop abruptly as Corbin tackles me. His copper eyes sparkle. He wears a playful smile as our pelts and bones and paws crash together.
If I could laugh, I would. I’m not sure what to call the gleeful sound I make other than a yip. It’s kind of like a cross between a purr, a giggle, and a sound unique to wolves.
As our connection grows, our line of communicating in the wolf-way is improving. It’s not like we can read each other’s thoughts, but it’s an energetic and species-unique language all its own.
I understand the wolf-way of communicating like high tech internal walkie talkies. Sometimes my end has static, but I’m working on it.
You thought you’d get away with going on a run without me this morning? Corbin asks.
I figured since you were on patrol all night, you’d be exhausted, I reply.
Ate that blueberry muffin and now I’m like new.
You didn’t have steak for breakfast? The wolves love their meat.
That too. Scarfed it down before tracking you down.
Corbin has me pinned to the ground and then nuzzles me with his snout. I want to shift back to human form. As though sensing this, he lets out a sharp bark, jumps to his feet, and then takes off. The idea is for me to chase him. But soon, I’m not sure who’s chasing who as we race on the trails.
Suddenly, I catch the scent of a human. Distracted and slightly panicked, I lose my footing, shift, and tumble down a slight incline. Fortunately, at the bottom is one of many stashes of clothing. Every day, it’s someone’s duty to replenish the supply. I’ve gotten used to wearing random T-shirts, shorts, and leggings that don’t belong to me.
Corbin must’ve caught the scent too because he strides toward me wearing a pair of black work pants and a blue T-shirt.
Taking my hand, a thrill at his touch shoots through me. My cheeks tint pink. We walk along the trail, both keeping alert. From a bend in the path, a man with a thick beard and gentle eyes appears. He carries a rifle. “Nice day, Corbin.”