Dekota and Eris stretched out before the cabin’s small cook fire, moving a pot of tea back over the stove iron. The fireplace had an iron slab built into its roof that acted as a perfect heat conductor for a stovetop to heat food, pots, or tea kettles. The cabin was quiet for a few minutes while the tea heated and a pot of grits boiled. When the kettle finally started to sing, Eris poured mugs of tea for everyone.
“So, mind filling us in on a bit of details? The village is a riot with rumor and speculation. Some say werewolves are roaming the woods, some say Stella has turned against the people, others say a curse has been laid on us because of the coven. Others say the white men are the curse,” Dekota said, clearly not believing any of it.
“Are they really that riled up over us?” I asked.
“Us? You mean the two of you? They could care less about Makya here. Sure Chief was worried for a bit, but once he spotted Zophiel he
I nuzzled Convil again before sending him on his way with a mental command. “You make that look natural,” Makya whispered in my ear as he walked past me. “What?” “Working with that wolf. It’s like you can talk to him as if he understands you and obeys.” “He can. why wouldn’t he?” I realized the absurdity of that statement the second it left my mouth. In my mind, I could hear a rumbling snarl that I took to be Stella laughing at my plight. Makya looked hard at me and I wasn’t sure how to take that look. “What do you mean he can understand you?” I huffed at him. “Why is this so hard to understand? Zophiel understands you well enough, doesn’t he?” Makya considered that and seemed to accept it. “I suppose there is something to that. Zophiel and I have been together since he was an eaglet, fresh from the nest.” “Well, does anything that happened at seven lakes have a rational explanation?” Makya signed as he wa
“But father, you saw that they were after her! we can’t just send her off with them!” Makya said. I stepped behind Makya, not wanting to be sent off. The chief looked at me and said softly, “Eileen, I am not sending you off to be with some strangers. Your whole coven is going to a funeral and then coming back. Nothing more. It is the proper thing to do. Observe the formalities and then come home to us.” “You said… one of their men was killed looking for us. Was it determined how he died?” I asked, remembering the beast we had helped slay. Stella had likely finished it with her pack, but it had been shot by us. “Wolves got him. it was one reason I was concerned about…” he glanced around him at Convil and the others who were teasing Jiro, tossing a rabbit over his head. “Chief, your tribe knows and respects Stella.” The chief cocked an eyebrow at me. “Our legions speak of her, and we ascribe the name to a red timber wolf when we see one on the w
The snarls set my nerves on edge and I wondered if I should lash out with a tendril of mental command. ‘Hide, conceal.’ Came Stella mental prod. It was not a tone of concern at the pack’s behavior, but more wary caution. I decided she might be right. There was no point in letting the pack know that I could hear their pack link. ‘Stella, this Alpha… Arvin?’ I pondered. ‘Yes, dominance. Power. Control.’ A shiver came down the mental link. ‘Darkness.’ That darkness more than anything is what I was worried about while we were here. Pay our respects to their dead and be gone. My aunt could keep her ties if she so desired. I wanted nothing to do with them. Mr. Bodolf glared at the pack and I could feel the mental slap that whipped out from him, causing all of the males to step back, as if physically hit. “Let us get our guests back to the mansion. The others should be back in the morning. we need to prepar
As the vehicle turned down a long drive, I stared out the window trying to process what I had seen in Misty’s mind. She looked to be in her late twenties now, to those memories must have been about eight to ten years ago. What atrocities had she suffered in the time since? The drive cut through a section of tall red cedar trees, Douglas fir, and towering maple trees, now barren. The road then turned up a small hill to the main house. Overlooking a lake with a creek feeding it and overflowing the far back, a huge manor came into view. It looked like a three-story log cabin but was MASSIVE. As the drive circled around the front, I couldn’t even begin to guess how many rooms this house had. The main level was wrapped in a wide porch with huge polished tree trunks as pillars every few feet. Several large men patrolled the grounds with rifles in hand. I wondered what they were so worried about to have that much security. “Welcome to Maple Meadows. Clearwater
“Gray, tell me, how is your son doing in his training?” Arvin asked, looking to the gray-haired man.Gray finished the slab of meat he was eating before grunting. “The welp is strong enough. His skills are sharp. He just lacks the heart for such things. I think he would rather be out under the moon chasing moonbeams than training to take his place as a delta soldier.” Gray sighed. “I suppose things were a bit different when we were that age. There was present danger to deal with, and reason to train. The last few years have been easy on them.”Arvin smiled. “Such times may yet be upon us all again if the witches’ prophesy is to be believed. This alignment at the end of next year should prove interesting.”Gray perked up, glancing down the table at the matrons, “Is that so? They believe things are in motion?”“Quite.”I watched this exchange between bites of meat. They wer
Ian was the first to complete his transition. His black wolf was sleek, and the fur was full and silky. The other soldiers lingered in a mid transitional state, long hairy limbs writhing in agony as their bodies tried to complete the shift. Ian padded over to us, and sniffed along our side. We snapped playfully at him, warning him off. As the other hunters finally completed their shift, many showed signs of mange in their fur, and their eyes had turned dark, no longer the human tones they had bore moments before. ‘Ian doesn’t seem as tainted as these others.’ ‘Indeed not. Their actions play a role in how fast the rot takes over. They choose to be more beast than men. Ian… Perhaps he made peace with his wolf. Peace with his new nature.’ It was a thought we would have to ponder further. The hunters set off in looping strides for the southeast. Ian ran out in front of us and Stella yipped in pleasure, sprinting after him. Our powe
When we made it back to the house, Gray was waiting for us. “I see you actually managed to bag something. Well done, Ian.”We shifted back to my human skin, thankful once again for Morrigan’s gift of such an amazing dress. “It was a good kill. We had fun out there.” I did my best to hide my shaking hands. My nerves likely showed and I prayed anything Gray sensed, he would chalk up to adrenaline from the hunt and not the attack.“Your other hunters successful?” I asked. Stella listened to the pack link, and we both smirked as Gray confirmed that the others were still tracking a small herd to the northwest. I wondered if their mange gave off enough stench to warn any deer in the area to run.“You were lucky to find this one lame so close to the house.”I glanced at Ian, who was starting the painful shift back. He writhed on the ground for a moment before covering himself. “Father?”Gra
I sprawled on the bed in the plush robe, pulling a blanket up over me. It may be warmer in the room, but I was amazed at how much I already missed the god blessed dress that kept my whole body warm. The only time it had been off me since its gifting was… THAT night. Makya. What would he do to me now, in a bed like this seeing me in only a robe, so easy to undo.My eyes closed as I imagined his warm hands gently sliding under the robe to caress my body, slowly peeling the robe away from my naked form as his lips came close to kiss my breasts.A knock sounded at the door, jarring me from my dream. I sat bolt upright, quickly fixing my robe, as I went to the door to see who had decided to interrupt such a moment.I opened the door to find Kiara standing there with my dress and other clothes folded over her arm and the red poncho draped over it. “Luna? Is everything ok?” she asked, glancing at my hair.I looked at the back of the door where
My readers have spoken and I need to finish this tale and do it right. I will not be releasing new chapters for a while yet, but know that I have finished book one of Rejected Billionaire so now my goal is to FINISH this book before the end of 2022. it now has my undivided attention and I will be writing as often as I can. I have learned that it is better for me not to release chapters untill I am done, so I will be rough drafting for now, doing a hard edit and then working with some beta readers to make sure this ends up being the best tale I can offer. Again, you all are amazing. please keep holding on a bit longer and I hope to complete this tale for you with some great chapters. I will not be starting any other tales until this one is complete. I would LOVE to see in the comments anything you want to see happen, who you are shipping hard, and how much spice you want.
Back in my room, Kiara collapsed on the bed, “Everything I grew up knowing feels like a lie! You said he was one of the Tuatha Dé Danann? You mean he is like Morrigan, and the others?” I simply nodded. “You know I still have not wrapped my mind around all of that. I grew up thinking Ballar was like a god to our pack. There was some mention of Herne but we never learned about the rest. If I had not gone there myself and seen them face to face, I don’t know I would ever believe all of that.” Kiara said, holding her head in her hands. I realized just how much insanity had happened in the last few weeks. We both had enough life experience with things that were out of the ordinary that our minds were open enough to accept some of this but it was still massive. “I think it is a lot for both of us. I honestly didn’t believe in half the things my coven taught up until a few weeks ago. I guess I always believed in Morrigan, but it was more of a guardian angel
As we walked into the dining room, the aroma of roasting venison and hardy stew wafted from the kitchen. My appetite rushed back with a vengeance and I was eager to sample Caleb’s hard work. Then I noticed a man at the end of the table dressed in buckskin with long brown hair. I stopped dead in my tracks, staring at one of my patron gods, Cernunnos, horned lord of the hunt. “My lord, Cernunnos,” I said, curtsying and pulling Kaira down into a curtsy as well. The man snorted and stood, “I see you know my half-brother. While I like to think I have the better looks, he is still better known with the ladies. I am Herne.” I looked at him again, taking in his build and dress. He looked to be in his prime, perhaps mid-thirties, but his eyes held a timeless quality, full of deep knowledge. “Forgive me, I didn’t realize any of the Tuatha Dé Danann were here.” I said, trying to give Kaira as much studdle information as I dared. “That is a tale for after dinner.
I awoke with a start, sitting bolt upright. I was alone in a large bed, in a decent size room with a big bay window. Sunlight was streaming in as I glanced down to find I was dressed in a large shirt and little else. I scanned the room and found my green dress draped over a chair. Next to it was a red dress in the same fashion and what looked like the black one Morrigan had given us. I briefly wondered where they might have come from, but dismissed it, realizing if Morrigan wanted us to have them, she would have found a way.I stood up, and grunted at the pain that rocked my body. As I dragged my body out of its sleepy stupor, I realized my arms and legs were covered with bruises and nearly healed cuts. If my experience a few weeks ago with the wolf bite was anything to judge by, I must have been in a serious state not long ago to still be seeing this much damage to my body. My stomach made itself known then, the pangs of hunger gurgling forth. I quickly pulled on the red dre
The brief nap in the tub gripped my body, my eyes begging for more rest. It had been too long since we had been able to sleep in a comfortable and secure place. The large bed called to me, and I laid down, my hair still wrapped in a towel. Kiara joined me a moment later, sliding under the sheets as I made room for her. I opened my arms, and she snuggled in close against my robe. As I held her tight, I thought of Mayka, and what he might do to me, the pleasure he could inflict upon my body if he could join me in this luxurious room.The next morning I awoke to the early morning light. Being east of the mountains for the first time in my life, the sun streamed through the windows far earlier that I was used to. Kiara was cuddled against my chest, her cheek pressed to my bare breast. Sometime in the night, she had snuggled into my robe and we were now pressed together. I wasn’t about to wake her, enjoying her warmth, when a loud pounding sounded on our door, startling the
Kiara leaned against the door as I began to explore the room and I heard a small snick as she bolted the door and added the chain and deadbolt for good measure. “That one was a bit bold.”I smirked, the tension slowly seeping from my shoulders as I took in the grand room we had been put up in. a huge king size four-poster bed took up a good bit of the room, but there was also a couch, a desk, a small table, and a large widow with thick curtains that looked out over the town. “You interested in what he is offering? He may be a few years older than us but I bet he could show you a good time if you wanted.”“No.” she said plainly, not a hint of interest. Her voice almost sounded revolted at the idea.“Is there someone special you are hoping for?” I asked, sitting on the edge of the plush bed and flopping back onto its luxurious comforter.“There is… someone,” She said carefully.&ldquo
The run down the far side of the mountain was swift and at times a harrowing experience as we plunged down steep cliff sides, sliding through thick snow drifts. Stella and Sierra’s thick fur was all that kept us from being torn to pieces as branches and brambles flicked overhead. As the sun began its decent in the afternoon, we finally crashed out of the woods and onto a well traveled road. Tucker in his wolf form led us to the rear of town to a small barn where his wolf crashed into his chest.Tucker had been sitting cross legged in the barn atop a pile of straw and suddenly opened his eyes as Kiara and I shifted back into our human forms.“Ah, ladies. Good to see you whole.” He smiled at us both as he rose to his feet and pulled on his shirt. My gaze lingered on those rippling aps as his shirt slid into place, hiding them from view. I then noticed his gaze locked on my feet. “Have you two been without shoes this whole time? Come, there is a sh
A dainty arm wrapped around me and I gripped the hand, hugging it close to my chest as morning light streamed through the canvas of the tent. The warm body pressed against my back and I longed for a warm bed so Makya could press me into it. I kissed the fingers gently, wishing for so much more, but the hard floor of a tent, in the cold of winter was not my idea of a good time. And soon enough we would be back home and we could find his bed and enjoy the warmth of his cabin.“Eileen?” a soft groggy voice asked, the hand pulling away from me slightly. A feminine voice. NOT Makya.I froze, a sense of horror and shock gripping me as I slowly opened my eyes and glanced down at the hand I held. Definitely female, and not Makya’s native tan. I did my best to pretend nothing had happened, “Morning Kiara.”“Where are we?” she asked, sitting up and rubbing her eyes, apparently unperturbed by anything I had done.“I ho
Out of the dense forest, wolves began appearing. We pulled up short as they surrounded us.‘Follow us if you want to live.’ We heard over the mental tether. It was a strange dialect, clearly not the same as that of the Clearwater pack. These must be members of the glacier pack Arvin had yelled about.‘Why should we trust you?’One of the larger wolves stepped forward. He had a gray coat, not the black I had seen in Arvin’s wolves. ‘For now, don’t. simply trust that we are more interested in causing the Clearwater pack issues that we care about you. Removing you from their care is simply the easiest way to piss them off.’We glanced at Sierra/Kiara and made our decision. We all needed time to recover, and so long as this other pack didn’t try anything right off, perhaps we would get the day or two we needed to be at full strength. The fact these wolves were not the solid