Mated: A Paranormal Romance Shifter Anthology Read online

  Mated: A Paranormal Romance Shifter Anthology

  By Kerry Adrienne, Sionna Fox and Shari Mikels

  One anthology. Three wolf shifter romances. Don’t miss this collection of stories from USA TODAY bestselling author Kerry Adrienne, Sionna Fox and Shari Mikels

  A woman born blind and without the ability to shift yearns to seek her own fate away from her watchful, devoted wolf pack. Vulnerable and stuck in human form, she’s alone and at risk when she’s rescued by the bear shifter who is her destiny.

  An accident forces a man to change the best friend he’s loved for years...or leave her for dead. There’s no reason to hide his true self anymore—but can she ever forgive him?

  And a pack alpha finds that rescuing his fated mate from a violent confrontation with two wolf shifters is easy. Helping her move from fear to acceptance of the animals—and him—is a challenge.

  This anthology includes:

  Saving His Wolf by Kerry Adrienne

  Wolf Summer by Sionna Fox

  Drawn to the Wolves by Shari Mikels

  Stories also available for purchase separately.

  This book is approximately 86,000 words

  Dear Reader,

  I love paranormal romance, so it was an extra pleasure for me to decide we were going to publish two paranormal romance anthologies and then get to read all of the submissions for them. I’m pleased that these two anthologies, Primal Need: A Sexy M/M Shifter Anthology and Mated: A Paranormal Romance Shifter Anthology, are finally available for purchase this month. Romantic, sizzling and just plain fun, I think you’re going to love them.

  Primal Need features three talented authors of male/male romance bringing together three incredible tales (and tails, I guess? Ha!). In Parker Foye’s “Wolf in King’s Clothing,” collared shifter Kent must steal one final thing before he can be free, but alpha wolf Hadrian doesn’t intend to go quietly when he realizes he’s the thing Kent has to steal—nor does his pack intend to let him go without a fight. In “The Alpha’s Claim” by Holley Trent, quick-witted actor Teddy Gaines is the mate Coyote alpha Jim West’s inner beast craves, but in claiming the very human Teddy, Jim risks inciting rebellion in an already restless pack. Last in this male/male romance anthology is “Dark Water” by debut author K.L. White. Struggling with PTSD, blinded navy veteran Benjamin wades into the ocean to die but is intercepted by a kelpie, a water horse shifter named Rez, who planned to sacrifice him, but their unexpected passion and love may save them both.

  After an accident on her twenty-first birthday, Sam MacTire has to give his best friend, Callie, a quick and dirty education on the ways of the wolf, clan politics and the little problem of their raging hormones before he faces censure for defying clan law and changing her. Check out “Wolf Summer,” debut author Sionna Fox’s addition to the Mated paranormal romance anthology. Returning Carina Press author Shari Mikels joins her with “Drawn to the Wolves.” Wolf shifter and pack alpha Callan Mohan meets his human mate, former sketch artist Kate Ballard, who’s terrified of wolves after witnessing a traumatic childhood incident. And in “Saving His Wolf” by Kerri Adrienne, bear shifter Powell senses the instant he holds her that Olivia is his mate, but the one thing threatening their healing mating hunger is Olivia’s distrusting and vigilant pack—who are prepared to do anything to get her back.

  In addition to these six novellas, we have a full lineup of romance to keep you going through spring and the end of the school year! As FBI agents Aidan “Irish” Talley and Jameson “Whiskey” Walker struggle to separate their professional and personal relationships, the challenging task is made impossibly harder when they’re sent undercover—as basketball coach and sports agent—on an identity-theft case in which all their secrets are ripe for exposure. Layla Reyne’s Agents Irish and Whiskey series is back in Cask Strength, and if you’re not following this male/male romantic suspense series, you’re missing out. It’s not too late to catch up with book one, Single Malt.

  When she agrees to pose as his woman to get details they need for the case, things heat up fast—and it’s not long before the lines between business and personal blur, and they’re both in over their heads. Sarah Hawthorne’s Demon Horde contemporary romance series will keep you turning the pages and this newest installment, Rebel Custody, is no exception.

  Contemporary romance author Jen Doyle is back with her charming and romantic Called Out. Widowed mother of four Lola McIntire did not need a man. Been there, done that, got the broken heart. Even worse? A man who had more drama in his life than she did—like the irredeemable Jack “Ox” Oxford, the major-league pitcher who slept with his best friend’s fiancée. By all accounts, he should be called out. But there’s something about Jack that Lola just can’t shake.

  Jules Court first brought us Hot in the City and now she’s Enticing the Enemy. When passion erupts between police detective Daniel Cruz and defense attorney Erin Rafferty, natural enemies might become something more.

  Last this month is the steamy erotic romance Crave Me by Stacey Lynn. Master Jensen Rhodes was determined to leave the BDSM lifestyle forever, but when he’s introduced to Haley Portsmouth, a new sub seeking her first Dom, he not only decides he’ll train her for submission, he’ll take everything from her—including her heart.

  Pick your poison—or your paranormal or contemporary romance—this month with all these great offerings!

  Coming next month: Rhenna Morgan is back with her latest übersexy hero in the Haven Brotherhood series. Hang on to your hats because Trevor is going to knock your (cowboy) boots off and set your world on fire! Also releasing: our newest anthology offering, a capers and heists collection!

  As always, until next month, my fellow book lovers, here’s wishing you a wonderful month of books you love, remember and recommend.

  Happy reading!

  Angela James

  Editorial Director, Carina Press

  Table of Contents

  Saving His Wolf by Kerry Adrienne

  Wolf Summer by Sionna Fox

  Drawn to the Wolves by Shari Mikels

  Saving His Wolf

  By Kerry Adrienne

  From USA TODAY bestselling author Kerry Adrienne comes a riveting novella perfect for fans of the Shifter Wars series

  Olivia, born blind and without the ability to shift, yearns to seek her own fate away from her watchful and devoted wolf pack. Vulnerable and stuck in human form, she’s alone and at risk in the forest’s brutal winter when she’s rescued by a park ranger and taken to his cabin in Deep Creek. By the warmth of a crackling fire, she’s comforted by his presence. But it’s his rugged scent that stirs something in her she’s never felt before.

  Bear shifter Powell sensed the instant he held her that Olivia was his mate. He also knew she had the untapped powers to discover her true shifting nature—if only he could convince her to trust in him, and to believe in herself. Now the one thing that stands to threaten their healing mating hunger is Olivia’s distrusting and vigilant pack. A pack prepared to do anything to get her back.

  But there is no danger as strong, no desire so liberating as what Powell is bringing out in her—because Olivia can finally see where her destiny lies.

  This book is approximately 30,000 words

  One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!

  Carina Press acknowledges the editorial services of Anne Scott />
  Dedication

  I’d like to dedicate this novella to my mom, Phyllis, who passed away October 2016. Though we had a rocky relationship, she was still my mom and I miss her every day.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  Also by Kerry Adrienne

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Streaks of pain seared through Olivia’s ankle as she slipped on the sharp rock. She bit her lip to stifle a yelp, but a weak moan managed to escape. If she didn’t keep quiet, the rest of the wolves would find her. She was already at great risk in human form since she wasn’t able to shift, but it couldn’t be helped. Never had she wished for the ability more than as she trudged down the path tonight. She batted away the snowflakes freezing on her eyelids.

  Being blind hadn’t ever been more dangerous than it was now.

  The icy snow gave way underfoot, and she began to slide down the embankment she’d fallen over when she stumbled off the path.

  Despite the snow, she’d had to leave the pack.

  She grasped for anything within reach that would break her descent, but the slush and ice covered everything in a glaze of slippery wetness she couldn’t hold on to, and she continued to slip down the hill, her ankle twisting loose from the rough rock that had broken her initial fall.

  From what she could tell, the rock was more of a boulder, perhaps one that had sheared off recently and left jagged edges more damaging than a serrated steel trap against her skin. Her ankle pulsed as her boot tightened around it, a sure sign of swelling. She’d be lucky if her ankle wasn’t broken.

  Arms spread-eagled, she tried to slow down. She whimpered, snow edging under the hem of her coat and damming against her abdomen.

  She grabbed at the ground as she slid, her gloves snagging on something twisty and knotted. A root or branch of some sort stuck out from the ground, and she clutched it with both hands, her throbbing ankle now useless as an anchor. Tears burned her cheeks as she dug her other foot into the snow to hold herself steady.

  “I had to leave,” she whispered, laying her cheek on the cold snow for a moment of rest. No choice.

  Staying with the Green Glen wolves wasn’t an option since Alfred had decided to take her as one of his mates. He’d made the announcement, and no one had spoken up in protest, not even those she called friends. Everyone was afraid of him. He was the cruelest creature she’d ever known and she could never love him, even if he was the last wolf on Earth. He’d threatened to force her to mate, and he meant it. Everyone knew it.

  She shuddered.

  Blind and lost in a snowstorm with an injured leg was better than being with Alfred. Freezing to death, alone, was better.

  A long, low howl sounded in the distance, and icy fear slid up Olivia’s spine and gripped her in frozen panic. She clung to the root tighter, her knuckles aching at the tension.

  Alfred.

  No mistaking that howl. Part monster, and part...something else, his howl strangled her soul, and made her wolf want to curl into a ball and hide forever. She pushed her hair from her face and listened. How close was he?

  And more importantly, how long did she have before he found her? Maybe he would stay on the trails while he looked for her. He’d never believe a blind wolf would dare leave familiar ground. Not that she’d planned to, but the snowstorm had messed up her internal map, and she’d gotten off the path and gone right over an embankment. She adjusted her toehold in the snow. She was stable for the moment, but she needed to come up with a plan.

  Alfred howled again, but sounded no closer.

  Other howls answered. One, then another, and another. All different, all long and low and piercing. Deferring to him. They sounded out from different areas of the forest, yet converged as they overlapped and echoed through the snowy tree boughs.

  They’re searching for me.

  And they’d find her on the embankment, as they triangulated her position methodically. Wolves hunted in packs and they always found their prey. They’d drag her back and she’d be Alfred’s forever. Once back at the pack compound, he’d make damn sure she’d never have the chance to escape again—telling everyone it was for her own safety but, in reality, using her blindness to control her.

  Alfred took advantage of weakness and used it to gain and maintain control. That went for anyone the wily wolf came in contact with, be it wolf or human or shifter. She’d scented his modus operandi the first time she met him, and it’d grown stronger as he’d matured. His younger brother, Claude, might be the head of the pack in name, but it was Alfred who reigned.

  She shivered, more from fear than cold, though the slow seeping chill of her damp clothing pressed against her skin and sent goosebumps racing over her stomach and chest.

  She’d be hypothermic soon if she didn’t find shelter and warm up. She almost laughed. She didn’t know where she was or how far she was from Oakwood, so the chances she’d make it to town were slim.

  The snowflakes stung as they hit her cheeks and forehead, and the wind tossed her hair across her face. The shivering had become almost rhythmic and her teeth chattered. Her leg ached from holding her body weight on the snowy hill, and her other ankle had gone completely numb.

  If only she could shift. Then she could run, despite having one gimpy leg. But that wasn’t meant to be. No, she was going to have to get out of this predicament like a human.

  She tried to push herself up with her good leg but couldn’t get traction, and she was growing more tired by the minute. Things could be worse. The wolves weren’t howling, so they weren’t close, and the snow would mask her scent a little.

  At least for a while. Eventually, they’d find her. The question was, would she be alive or have frozen to death?

  I want to live!

  She yanked at the root to readjust her grip and punctuate her feelings. The wood gave way in her hand, pulling loose from the embankment.

  With no time to scream, she covered her eyes and let go, hoping she wasn’t about to tumble off a cliff. Her ankle bumped and banged as she rolled, and snow flew in her mouth and nose as her braid slapped her in the face.

  She hit the flat ground at the bottom of the hill with a thump, the fresh snow cushioning her fall enough to keep her from getting the breath knocked out of her. On her back, she lay still, listening, her heart slamming against her chest wall as adrenaline flooded her system like a warm cappuccino.

  Alive!

  She could’ve just as easily slid down a bank and dropped a couple hundred feet to her death. Her moment of gratitude was short-lived. The wolves howled again, the low voices almost lost on the wind or blocked by the cliffs.

  Alfred wouldn’t give up. Once he had his mind set on something, he kept at it till he had what he wanted. And he wanted her. She’d gone against his wishes and he’d make her pay.

  The snow had picked up, and it bit into her face as it fell faster and the wind whipped it against her. She imagined the flakes as little spears swirling in puffs of air then attacking her bare skin. She had to move before she froze. Willing her legs to move, she lifted them one by one, her injured ankle sending aftershocks of pain up her leg to her thigh.

  She sat up, feeling the ground around her body with her hands. Her wet gloves stuck to her palms, and she mashed her fingertips against the ground, trying to figure out where the ground ended and a cliff began.

  One wrong move and she could fall to her death. She pulled
her hood around her face, the faux fur trim tickling her cheek. The flush of adrenaline was wearing off and the shakes set in.

  Do or die moment.

  She slid to the right, dragging her bum ankle, which had numbed to a hard block of flesh. Feeling the solid ground again, she inched a bit more. A few more times, and sweat had formed on her back, though she still shook from the chill of wet clothes and falling snow. She tugged her scarf tighter, trying to keep her neck protected from the elements.

  Hope I’m going in the right direction. If she could get to the embankment she had tumbled down, she could figure out how to climb it. Moving incrementally, she continued to slide toward what she hoped was the hill. The wind whistled as it swept around the cliffs and through the trees.

  The wolves had gone silent.

  Her wet pants, soaked through from sitting in the snow, began to stiffen. Warmth filled her legs and she closed her eyes.

  The darkness was blacker than usual. She yawned.

  She breathed deeply, scenting the pine amongst the snow. Always a peaceful scent, and one that reminded her of her mother. If she were alive, she’d never have allowed Alfred to lay claim on Olivia. She’d have fought him herself if she had to.

  So tired.

  The shivers and shakes were continuous but she ignored them. The embankment had to be close.

  There!

  She touched the incline. Steep at the bottom, it would take a lot of energy to haul herself up. And she was exhausted.

  It’s not so cold any more.

  Was that a wolf howl? Or a bird call? She leaned against the bank and listened to the muted sounds in the snowy forest. The air had warmed. When had it gotten so warm? She could take a little nap before trying to climb the embankment.

  Yes, a short nap. A few minutes.

  The crunch of heavy footsteps sounded, and Olivia struggled to stay awake, her heart picking up speed at the thought of Alfred.

  “You there. What are you doing out here in this blizzard? And all alone at that?”