by Vella Day
Rye led her back to the rock where they donned their clothes with some difficulty. Putting them on over a damp body sucked.
Out of nowhere, two sets of hands clapped and she stilled. Izzy spun around and her knees weakened. “Naliana?”
Chapter Twenty-One
‡
It had been a long time since Rye had seen Naliana, and he wasn’t sure what to make of her sudden appearance. James was with her, standing tall, his salt and pepper hair newly trimmed. His wide grin made his eyes crinkle, but it was the extra sparkle in them that had James looking even younger.
Naliana stepped closer. Her long white hair glowed in the moonlight, and the gauze dress she wore made her appear a bit too thin.
“I see you two have mated.” She clapped once more. “I’m so happy for you.”
Izzy glanced over at Rye and then at Naliana. “Did you have something to do with getting us together?”
Naliana clasped a hand over her heart. “I’m not a pretend goddess. You know how much I believe in true love.” She placed a peck on James’s cheek. Light glinted off his smile as he wrapped an arm around her waist.
“Is that why you called me home?” Izzy asked. “So I’d be with Rye?”
“That was one of the reasons.”
Now the goddess had piqued Rye’s curiosity. “You didn’t send Owen Chancellor after Izzy just so I’d have to protect her, did you?” Damn, he hadn’t meant to sound accusatory, but if that was what Naliana instigated, then the goddess that everyone looked up to wasn’t who everyone believed her to be.
“No, Rye! When I realized what that horrid little toad of a werewolf was planning to do, I had to warn Izzy. I didn’t want her in the same continent as him. I had no idea he would follow her to America or that he planned to kidnap her.”
The tension in his body dissipated. “I appreciate that.”
“I did, however, have Izzy do your aura cleansing instead of Kathryn.”
“So Mom was in on it,” she telepathed to Rye.
“Remind me to give her a big hug.”
“What did that stalker creep really want?” Izzy asked. “When he kidnapped me, he had a witch try and perform a love spell.”
“Owen Chancellor wanted to bring home a bride to make his parents proud, mostly because he was such a big disappointment to them. When he saw your magic, he decided you’d be perfect.”
James held up his hand. “Just so you know, the witch wasn’t really going to do a love spell, Izzy. She was stalling for time until Rye arrived.”
“How do you know this?” Rye asked. Once more, his tone came out sharp.
James shifted his weight. “She’s kind of working for me.”
Rye was confused. First, Naliana admitted she was aware of what that man had planned for Izzy and had done nothing to stop him. Now, he learned that James had a Changeling working for him. Growling, Rye asked, “Care to explain?”
“Easy there, big fellow. I told you I have sources in the Changeling world.”
James only said that he had sources, but he’d never mentioned anything about them being Changelings. “And?”
“She’s one of them. In fact, Olivia is in the process of coming over to our side.”
He’d like to know how that was even possible, but he doubted he’d receive a satisfactory explanation.
“Are you sure?” Rye asked. “Wasn’t she the same witch who put a spell-binding on Izzy?”
James waved a hand. “No. That witch was conveniently unavailable when Chancellor tried to contact her again. He was redirected, shall we say, to Olivia.”
His powers and connections were quite extensive and remarkable. Rye had probably learned all he could today.
The lovebirds’ time was very limited. Not only did Naliana and James have a lot of catching up to do since she’d be returning to the heavens tomorrow, Rye needed to ask Izzy something.
Naliana lifted Izzy’s hand. “You made the right choice by shifting and wanting to share your life with the man you love. For your sacrifice, I can reveal to you that your powers will diminish over time, but never completely. They shall remain at half strength.”
Izzy looked up at him, smiled, and then returned her gaze to Naliana. “Thank you.”
She let go of Izzy’s hand and once again kissed James on the cheek. “I made a sacrifice for James, and I’ve never regretted it.” She looked over at Rye. “As for you, sir, your shifting abilities will remain strong, and those talents you’ve received from Izzy will continue to intensify, but not so much to interfere with your destiny—that of being an Alpha to your Clan.”
“I thank you two for everything.”
“We won’t keep you two any longer,” James said. “We just wanted to stop in and congratulate you.”
For the first time in his life, Rye was at a loss for words.
Like a puff of smoke, the two trailed off into nothingness.
He faced Izzy. “Can you believe that?”
She laughed. “I’m just as stunned as you are, but I’m happy that we have their blessings.”
He didn’t care if the goddess and James were in favor of their mating or not. Rye was in love and content for the first time in his life.
“What I find interesting is that the witch was working with James.” He snapped his fingers. “That was why James didn’t hurry when I pounded on his door and told him you’d been kidnapped. He knew. He was stalling until Chancellor arrived with you at that woman’s house. I’ll be damned.”
Izzy wrapped her arms around him. “I’m just glad James was able to help.”
“Me too.” Rye inhaled as he slipped his hand inside his pocket and rubbed his finger around the smooth pink quartz band. “There’s something I want to give you.”
“What’s that?”
Being a wolf, he really wasn’t sure how this human proposal stuff was supposed to work. “In our Clan, once I’ve bitten you and you’ve accepted my offering, we are mated for life.”
“I know.”
His heart pounded. “I realize that humans do things differently than us, so I want to respect your tradition.” He withdrew the ring from his pocket and lifted her left hand. “I want all the humans to know that we are together. I’m also willing to have a human style wedding ceremony if you want. What do you say?”
When he slipped the ring onto her fourth finger, she sucked in an audible breath. “Are you asking to marry me?”
“I suppose I am, but I didn’t do a good job of proposing, did I?”
She threw her arms around him. “It was wonderful. I don’t need a fancy wedding. I’m happy being your mate and doing things your way. If you think about it, I’m not even totally human anymore.”
She was part shifter. “I know, and I couldn’t be happier, but your parents might like to see their girl walk down the aisle in a beautiful white dress, and that is absolutely fine by me.”
“They just might. I’ll let you know.”
“You bet.” He kissed her like he never had before, and his cock responded as usual. He ended the kiss. “We probably ought to head back. I think we’ve had enough excitement for one night.”
She smiled. “I’m sure we can conjure up a bit more if we really try.”
“You might be right.” He did love his mate.
*
The past week had been hectic preparing for the Alpha ceremony. He’d been busy practicing and helping his parents and the Murdochs set up the tables and chairs. Rye was definitely ready for the passing of the title. Because the temperatures late in the day were still warm, they held the ceremony outside on the extensive acreage connecting the Murdoch and the McKinnon properties. A few of the Clan members had built a makeshift stage and erected a stand with a hanging curtain behind it.
His dad approached him. “You ready for this big step, son?” It was hard to hear over the noise coming from the boisterous crowd. As far as Rye could tell, every bear and wolf shifter living in or near Silver Lake had come to the ceremony.
> Rye chuckled. “A little late to be asking now, don’t you think?”
His dad patted him on the back. “You’ll do just fine. With Izzy by your side, the two of you will be excellent leaders. Why if it hadn’t been for your mom, I would have made a lot more mistakes in my time as Alpha. Izzy seems like she’s very level-headed.”
“She is.” Rye glanced over at Kalan who was nervously shifting his weight. His sister and brother were standing next to him, while his parents were helping Rye’s Mom place the food on the massive buffet. Nearly every shifter family had contributed to the feast.
Rye glanced around for Izzy and spotted her with her mom. “You have your spare pair of jeans, right?” he asked his dad. None of the bears or wolves had an issue walking around naked since they frequently shifted, but Rye didn’t want to embarrass Izzy’s parents.
“Yes son. Now are you ready to get this show on the road?”
He nodded. His dad motioned to Devon who then walked up to the stage and whistled. The crowd immediately settled down. Rye was thrilled his brother had been able to make it tonight. If anything ever happened to Rye, Devon would become the next Alpha.
“Would everyone please stand?” Devon asked. “We are about to begin the transfer of leadership.”
Whether wolf or bear, this event would only happen once or twice in their lifetime. Daniel Murdoch, Kalan’s dad, stepped up onto the stage and Kalan joined him, facing his father. Rye’s dad stepped next to Daniel, and Rye followed suit, standing next to his best friend and Beta-to-be. He glanced over at Kalan whose back was so straight he looked like his spine might crack from the pressure.
“Smile. You and I are going to rock this leadership stuff,” Rye telepathed.
His shoulders sagged slightly. “We are.”
Cameron McKinnon held up a hand. “Thank you for coming to this ceremony. For years, you all have welcomed me and my family, along with Daniel and his. We’ve had some struggles, but by working together, we have overcome many obstacles. I am confident that my son, Ryerson, and his Beta, Kalan, will be even better leaders than we were. With Isadora Berta, a Wendayan, by my son’s side, Silver Lake will be even more united.”
The crowd applauded and pride swelled. When the clapping subsided, his father continued. “I know all of you will offer the same respect to these young men as you have given to Daniel and me, so it is with great pleasure that I hand over my leadership role as Alpha to my son Ryerson.”
As choreographed, both Rye and his dad shifted into their wolf form, as did Daniel and Kalan Murdoch into their bear form. While his father had told him what would happen, Rye was in awe when his father actually knelt in front of him with his head bowed, and then both Murdoch men followed suit. Rye howled to signify he agreed to be the group’s Alpha.
The crowd cheered, and then all four animals jumped off the stage and ducked behind the curtain before shifting. If Izzy’s parents hadn’t been in the crowd, they never would have gone to such lengths. Once they changed, they headed back out where the crowd was still clapping.
“Congratulations, son.” His dad hugged him. “Go, get ’em. They’re in your hands now.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Daniel Murdoch embraced his son then shook Rye’s hand. His father looked over at Rye’s arm. “It’s official son. The gods have agreed.”
His pulse soared when he saw what had once been just a paw print on his tribal band, was now a wolf’s head; and his father’s wolf head imprint had transformed into just a paw print. “I’ll be damned.”
Kalan lifted his sleeve. “Holy shit,” he whispered. His grin said it all. His bear paw was now the head of a roaring bear.
The two of them hugged. Rye then looked around for Izzy and motioned her over.
“Me?” she telepathed.
“I can’t rule without you—or should I say, I don’t want to.”
Izzy worked her way through the crowd, and when she came to his side, he just had to kiss her. He wanted every person to know that he’d found the perfect mate.
Epilogue
‡
Teagan Pompley finished changing the linens on the massage table, set out the oils, and then lit the incense to prepare for the next customer. Suddenly, she swayed and had to grab onto the table or chance falling. Her vision blurred and her stomach churned. An image of Elana Stanley surrounded in darkness swept across her mind’s eye.
Then everything cleared and Teagan’s balance returned. She hopped up onto the table to gather her wits. That had to have been the quickest premonition she’d ever had, which meant something bad was about to happen to Elana in the future.
*
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Next up is Elana and Kalan’s story—Catching Her Bear. Below is the first chapter!
Chapter One
Brother Jacob stood behind the hand carved table on the raised platform and shut the lid to his laptop. He then held up his hand to quiet the Changeling Council members sitting on unforgiving wooden chairs before him. The dim lights flickering from the six gas sconces barely illuminated their faces, and the black wool curtains covering the cement walls added the air of mystery and secrecy. He glanced at the two new additions to the room that he’d personally commissioned. They were two statues, the bottom half of which was human, but from the shoulders up they were pure wolf. The eyes made of red onyx were lit from behind to make the eyes glow.
He glanced around. Three of the members had failed to don their robes. They would suffer for that slight.
Once the ten-member group stilled, he addressed them in his most Alpha tone. “Brother Chris, tell us that you’ve procured the sardonyx.”
This blood colored stone, when imbued with a powerful curse on the red moon, could extract the powers from a Wendayan. The Changelings could dominate all of Silver Lake and beyond if they were able to harness the witches’ magic.
“Not yet, Brother Jacob. The Stanleys claim the Indian mine where they’d found the stone in the past has closed, but that they are scouring the earth for another one. It’s difficult to find the red stone suited to our exacting needs.”
Jacob slammed his hand on the table and the sound reverberated. “Unacceptable! Tell them they have one week or they die.” He didn’t bother wiping the spittle from his chin.
“Yes, Brother Jacob.”
*
Kalan Murdoch, the werebear Beta to the clan of wolves and bears, sat in his Alpha’s living room, pad of paper in hand, discussing their duties as newly appointment leaders in Silver Lake, Tennessee. Even at ten in the morning, his eyes were tired from taking notes, and the strong coffee Rye’s mate had made for them didn’t seem to be working.
Right after Rye’s mate, Izzy, had moved in, she’d placed a lamp next to the lounge chair, but even that didn’t provide enough light. He did appreciate the added crystals, colorful candles in all shapes and sizes, and some much needed throw pillows, like the one supporting his back.
Kalan pointed his pen at Rye. “Here’s a thought. We could exact enough pink quartz from the bottom of the lake to give a piece to everyone.” The recent rash of robberies and fires had alarmed some of the members, and the quartz would provide a modicum of protection against the evil and ever illusive Changelings. Personally, he’d never use the stuff, but rumor had it that power resided in the quartz.
Ryerson McKinnon, his Alpha, propped his feet on his wooden coffee table. “It’s not like it’s their Kryptonite. Only the massive amount of the stone at the bottom of Silver Lake seems to temporarily drain the Changelings’ powers when they enter our land.”
That made sense. “Do you think something the size of Izzy’s quartz crystals would have an effect on one of them?” He bet if a Changeling ever walked into this room, he’d feel his powers drain immediately.
“Not really, which is why we need to get closer to them and find out what they’r
e up to. Stop them before they can do more damage. You’re the cop. There has to be something you can do.”
“Not without attracting attention.” The sheriff wasn’t even aware shifters exist, so he wouldn’t be getting any support from the department. “Perhaps James can help.”
James, their resident immortal and husband to the moon goddess, Naliana, had a Changeling contact who had helped them locate Izzy when that Scottish Changeling Owen Chancellor had captured Rye’s mate.
“I don’t want to rely on him for everything,” Rye said.
“Asking for help a few times isn’t exactly relying on him. If you don’t want to go that route, what do you propose?” Kalan asked.
“Not sure. Izzy might have been joking at the time, but she suggested we find someone to go undercover to infiltrate their ranks.”
Kalan laughed. “Right. That would be a death sentence.”
“Not if we hire an out-of-towner, someone who has experience working undercover.”
“Good luck finding him. Our kind doesn’t exactly advertise in the Yellow Pages.”
“I can be patient.” Rye leaned forward, snatched his cup off the table, and tipped it back. “Did I mention Izzy’s birthday is in two days, and that we’re going to have a little get together here this weekend?”
Kalan had to assume the discussion about how to handle the Changelings was now closed so he tossed his pad on the lounge at his feet. “No. Then again, you’ve been a bit preoccupied.”
His best friend grinned. “I’m telling you, having Izzy in my life has been the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
Kalan could tell where this conversation was going, and he needed to nip it in the bud. “I’m happy the two of you are mated, but just so you know, I’m perfectly content being single.” As a deputy and part time detective in the criminal division of the sheriff’s department, he worked erratic hours. Sampling the women of Silver Lake whenever the need arose worked perfectly for his lifestyle. More importantly, now that he was the new Beta of the large clan of wolf and bear shifters, he didn’t need to be tied down to one woman. “What can I bring to the party?”
