ROMANCE: Paranormal Romance: The Valley (Book One) (Fun, Sexy, Mature Young Adult Vampire Shape Shifter Romance)

by Charlotte Swanpol

  She looked up at Shane who seemed to be deep in concentration. His jaw was stiff and Delilah was tempted to reach out and run a finger over the hard line, but refrained, thinking it inappropriate for the situation they were in.

  Time seemed to pass ever so slowly as Shane carried her through the forest. She couldn’t tell how much time it had been since she entered the forest, but it felt like an eternity. The forest, without proper sunlight, was constantly bathed in a sort of twilight. Delilah tried to look around as well, trying to spot her dog, but still found nothing.

  All of a sudden, Shane whistled, startling Delilah. She looked up at him curiously, wondering what he was doing. Out of nowhere, Alpha showed up, barking as he saw them, his tail wagging furiously. Delilah’s eyes went big as she got down and hugged her dog around the neck. She buried her face in his fur, glad that he was by her side once more.

  She grabbed his lead and vowed she wouldn’t let it escape her grasp anymore. When Delilah was done reuniting with her best friend, he walked over to Shane and laid down, showing obedience to the werewolf. Delilah looked at them curiously, wondering how they had formed such a close bond in such a short amount of time. “How did you do that?” She finally asked.

  “Do what?” Shane raised an eyebrow in question, his hands in his pockets, trying to look nonchalant about the whole thing.

  “Make Alpha come back like that,” she explained, looking at him intensely. “Can you teach me?” Shane chuckled at her enthusiasm, about to say something when his head whipped to the right at the sound of a twig snapping nearby. Alpha growled, but Shane shot him a stern look.

  “Stay,” he commanded Alpha who whimpered but stood his ground. Delilah wondered what was going on as all of a sudden the air around them was very tense. She felt his hand on her hip, as he pushed her behind him protectively.

  “What’s going on?” She asked suddenly, trying to keep calm, but instantly feeling that something was wrong.

  “We have company.” All of a sudden, a group of men emerged from behind the nearby trees. Delilah eyed them, wondering who they were. In any case, they didn’t look at all friendly. Their faces had savage looks to them and their eyes were filled with wild ferocity. Delilah clung to Shane, wondering what was about to happen.

  “Shane…” She whispered, getting as close as possible, her body pressing against his. In her fear, she didn’t notice his muscular body or how it was teeming with excited energy.

  “You don’t belong here, mutt.” One of the men said, stepping out of the circle. He was shirtless and his chest was covered in multiple scars, all of them looking like they had been caused by animals. What was going on here? She looked at the other men and saw their bodies were no different.

  “Val,” Shane growled, his body becoming even tenser against Delilah’s. She held onto him a little tighter, sensing the hostilities between the two men. How did they know each other? She remained quiet, however, knowing that her foolish question would only make things worse.

  “I see you brought me a little treat. What a good boy.” The man teased. Delilah noticed he was talking to Shane as if he was a dog and her face reddened in anger.

  “Hey! Don’t talk to him like that!” She butted in, thinking she was helping. The man chuckled.

  “A feisty one. I like it.” His eyes stared at her, turning dark with mischief. Delilah shrank back, trying to escape his gaze.

  “I swear if you touch her, I will rip you limb from limb like I should have done months ago,” he growled. Delilah was shocked at his words. Were these the friends he was talking about yesterday? Shane looked around for a moment, making eye contact with the dog who got up suddenly, pulling Delilah away from the men.

  They were about to chase after her, when the leader spoke up, “Leave her be.” Alpha brought her to a hiding spot, where she stood behind a large tree, watching the two men circle around each other. All of a sudden they lunged at one another. Delilah flinched as they did. They wrestled until they plummeted into the ground. She wondered why the rest of the men were just watching the fight.

  Shane seemed to be doing well from what she could tell. He was standing his ground and throwing some attacks in the assailant’s direction, but as she looked around at the men that surrounded him, she knew that they were wildly outnumbered. She shuddered to think what would happen if they all decided to attack Shane at once.

  She thought about stepping in and helping him, but realistically she knew it would do no good. Looking down at Alpha, she tried to think of what else she could do, but she had no other option apart from standing there, behind the tree, watching the fight from a distance.

  Alpha began to whimper as the fight took a turn for the worse. Shane was getting pummeled with attacks and Delilah could see blood coming from the corner of his mouth. She had to do everything in her power to restrain herself from running out and helping him. She watched with worried eyes, praying everything would be okay in the end.

  Chapter 6

  Shane

  Shane focused on the fight, pitting against the man he had once recognized as his alpha. Now, however, as a lone wolf this fight was serious. If Val wanted to kill him, he had every right to do so. Why Val didn’t do it before, was something Shane never understood. As a beta who had tried to take his leadership, he should have been killed off, but instead, Shane had been banished, which might have been a fate worse than death. A wolf without a pack was no wolf at all.

  “Give it up Shane, you don’t have what it takes to defeat me.” Val taunted as they grappled with each other, still in their human form. “And you might even get hurt.” He chuckled, throwing him aside until Shane landed against a nearby tree. He grunted, but got up quickly, wanting to prove himself.

  However, as he got up, his eyes went huge seeing Delilah squirming against the grasp of two omegas. “Let her go!” He yelled, about to rush forward as two more betas held him back. He growled in anger. This was foul play.

  “I just want to thank you once again for the lovely little treat you brought me…” He whispered, his fingers slowly tracing over her face, making her wince.

  “A fight. A fight to the death!” Shane suddenly blurted out, his eyes intense as he looked at the alpha. Val smirked, looking at the desperate man. Would he really do something this foolish for a human girl?

  “You haven’t shifted in weeks, how do you plan to beat me?”

  “If I lose, then you may keep her,” he said, looking into the other man’s eyes not letting himself get intimated. The alpha chuckled and walked up to him.

  “Very well. A fight to the death.” Val grinned, feeling confident in his ability to defeat the lesser wolf. The betas eased their grip on Shane and he shrugged them off harshly, before looking at Delilah, trying to tell her, by his looks alone that everything would be okay. But he could tell by her worried expression that she was scared.

  “Shane… don’t do this!” She suddenly pleaded.

  “It’ll be okay… I promise.” He said, his jaw tightening as he looked away from the girl and at his opponent. This would be one of his toughest battles, but there was too much on the line to even consider losing.

  All of a sudden, Val shifted, turning into a large grey-haired beast. He snarled as he lunged forward at the lone wolf. Shane stepped to the side, rolling out of harm’s way, still in his human form. That was a cheap shot, going at him when he wasn’t yet a wolf. Well if the alpha wanted to play dirty, two could play that game.

  Shane shifted quickly, allowing his body to relax, turning into a slightly bigger dark furred wolf, whose markings were incredibly similar to Alpha’s. Without paying attention to Delilah and her response to his transformation, he focused on the fight. He lunged forward, trying to go on the offensive, but Val, a seasoned alpha knew his way around a fight and anticipated the lesser wolf’s attacks.

  Val dodged effortlessly, launching his own attacks time and time again, his sharp teeth ripping deep wounds all over Shane’s body. His fur was quickly covered in
blood and he was weakening, but still he fought with a vengeance that surprised even his former leader. Shane, in his newfound energy, caused some damage to the alpha, taking a chunk out of his side with a well-aimed bite. The two wolves were coming to an even playfield now.

  The battle wore on as the two wolves lunged and attacked each other, until suddenly Val swiped his claws across Shane’s face, narrowly missing his eyes, but tearing up his flesh nonetheless. There was blood everywhere and Shane felt weakness taking him over. He knew he wouldn’t last much longer.

  He had one more shot to win this. He whimpered, getting down, and laying on his back, exposing himself to the alpha. Val stopped for a moment, sniffing the wolf, seeing his submission. Had Shane finally come to his senses and realized that he would never be able to beat him?

  Shane lied in wait, his heart pounding in his chest as blood poured out of his wounds. He only had one shot and if he messed it up, he would be dead within moments. Val got even closer, his muzzle close to Shane’s neck, about to nick it in a show of dominance. Before he could react, however, Shane jumped him, turning the tables and pinning the wolf to the forest floor.

  Violently, he leaned down and ripped out the alpha’s throat, his muzzle now covered in not only his own blood but the blood of his former alpha as well. The rest of the pack looked on, horrified, not sure what to do. Their alpha had just been killed right in front of their eyes. They no longer had a leader.

  Shane got up, standing on all fours, growling at them, giving them a warning to leave. They got the message, quickly disappearing into the forest. He watched them go and sighed in relief. Alpha ran up to him and started to lick his wounds gently, trying to help. He looked at the dog and nuzzled it gently, glad that he had, at least, one follower. Even though Shane didn’t know it, the dog was certain this werewolf was an alpha, someone who could not live his life under the rule of another, someone born to be a leader.

  Shane eventually turned back to his human form, still covered in blood and wounds. Slowly he made his way to Delilah who seemed terrified. She was frozen in place as he approached her, making him wonder how she would react.

  To his surprise she lunged forward, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I’m so glad you’re okay!”

  Chapter 7

  Delilah

  “Shane… I don’t understand what just happened…” She finally said, the realization of what had just occurred, crashing into her. Had she just seen men turn into wolves and then fight to the death? Was the wolf that now laid dead on the ground, really the man with the plethora of scars on his chest?

  Shane sighed, taking a moment to answer. “I’m a werewolf…” He finally whispered, looking away, unable to meet her gaze. She was shocked and stared at Alpha who barked at her.

  “Can you… um… change again for me?” She asked suddenly, her eyes bright with curiosity. She couldn’t understand what it was, but she had this urge to witness it again, to see him as a wolf once more and make sure she wasn’t just hallucinating or something. Delilah watched amazed as Shane nodded, stepping back and shapeshifting once more into a giant wolf.

  The two canine creatures stood before her now. Alpha looked like a miniature version of Shane’s beast form and she smiled, thinking it was actually pretty cute. She moved forward and hesitantly touched his fur, wondering what it felt like. As she did, their eyes locked, and she knew deep down, that Shane was telling the truth. He was a werewolf, but one that would never hurt her.

  “Well, I guess I have two Alphas now…” She chuckled, hugging Shane’s neck, smiling at the feeling of his soft fur. Alpha barked loudly and wagged his tail, before nuzzling Shane, indicating that he still had wounds that needed treatment. Delilah noticed them and frowned. “I’m not much of a vet… but I am a nurse.” She offered her help.

  Shane shifted back and nodded. She helped him, supporting some of his weight as he limped out of the forest with her. Soon they were in her car, as she drove back home. “I can’t bring you to the hospital can I?” She asked, looking over at him, seeing the blood seeping from the makeshift bandages, made out of some old scarves she had in the trunk.

  “Well unless you want to explain that a werewolf attacked me…” He chuckled, wincing a bit as it caused him pain. Delilah frowned but nodded, driving a little faster as she felt the urgency of the situation. She had to get his wounds stitched up before he bled out.

  When they got to her home, Delilah’s whole mood shifted. She instantly got into her role of a nurse, doing everything she needed in a highly efficient matter. She was quiet as she worked on stitching him up, but even then, there was a chemistry brewing between them. She could feel a strong attraction whenever her fingers brushed against his skin. But she couldn’t think about it right now, all she could worry about was taking care of him.

  Countless stitches later, he was finally patched up. She looked at him for a moment, before leaning forward and kissing his cheek. She blushed crimson when she realized the extent of her action and quickly busied herself with putting stuff away, to try and forget about what she had done. She knew, deep down, that she liked Shane, but wasn’t sure if he liked her.

  Shane was amazingly handsome and she was just some girl, with a bit too much meat on her bones. Countless guys had passed her up for the skinny model types and she feared Shane would do the same as she watched him out of the corner of her eye. He had been quiet during this whole process and as the silence continued her fears increased. She bit her lip in an attempt to keep her emotions in check. She didn’t want to seem pathetic, but at the same time, her self-confidence was slowly being injured as she thought of him with some girl in size zero jeans.

  “Hey… what’s wrong?” He suddenly asked. He had walked over to her, despite his injuries and despite the pain it had given him. She looked up at him, her eyes a little watery. To her surprise he leaned forward, kissing her hard for the first time. Their lips pressed together passionately and Delilah found herself melting against him. Her arms soon wrapped around his neck, letting herself be consumed by his lips.

  The kiss was over all too soon and he pulled away, looking into her eyes. She searched his, seeing the iciness of his stare now gone. She smiled. Even though she knew little about him and even though he was some sort of a werewolf, Delilah knew, deep down, that she wouldn’t be able to let him go. He was the man of her dreams, the one that had swept her off her feet.

  “You’re beautiful, you know that?” He whispered in her ear as he caressed her cheek gently. She blushed slightly, before looking down, a little embarrassed.

  “No…”

  He placed his fingers under her chin, tilting it up for a moment. “Would I lie to you?” He asked in a serious tone of voice. Delilah hesitated for a moment, before shaking her head. This man had risked his life for her, she couldn’t even fathom the thought that he would lie.

  “C’mon we’ve had a rough day… shall we get some sleep?” He asked. She nodded. To her disappointment, he suggested they sleep in different rooms. He lied down on the couch, while she crawled under her bed covers, thinking about him. She tried to sleep, but in the middle of the night, she felt something nuzzle her. She woke up, seeing Alpha there, whimpering at her, trying to get her attention.

  Delilah furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, trying to figure out what her dog was trying to tell her. Sighing, she got out of bed and followed him into the living room. As she did, she saw Shane sleeping there and she couldn’t stop herself from walking up to him.

  Chapter 8

  Shane

  As Shane slept, all his wounds began to heal at an impossibly fast rate. His alpha blood, the one he didn’t know he had, surged through him, bringing him back to a state of full health. Now as he slept, all his wounds had closed up and there wasn’t a scratch on his body.

  All of a sudden his eyes opened up as he felt something soft brush against his hand. He looked down seeing Alpha standing there, looking at him, before making a small noise in his throat and looking in the
direction of his owner. Shane sat up without a problem, seeing Delilah.

  “Careful… you don’t want to hurt yourself…” She whispered, looking concerned as she walked over to him, sitting down on the couch.

  “It’s alright… I’m better now.” He saw her taking a closer look and the shocked expression appearing on her face.

  “How in the world…”

  “Wolves heal quickly. Catnaps are our best medicine.” He chuckled at the horrible joke. She smiled and hugged him suddenly, taking him by surprise. As he felt her body pressed against his, he blushed slightly, but then wrapped his arms around her. He looked at her, taken away by her beauty. He couldn’t hold it back anymore. She was the one. She was his mate.

  In a flurry of emotions, he kissed her lips hard, pushing her down until she was laying on the couch. Quickly, he got on top of her, looking down at her beautiful eyes. He kept kissing her as his hands roamed her. She had the supplest of bodies and his member sprung to life between his legs at the sensation.

  Soon a moan escaped her lips, driving him wild. He was dying to be with her and as he saw the excited look in her eyes, he knew she felt the same way. Without wasting time, he started to peel off her clothes, until she was completely naked. He admired her for a moment, smiling, “You’re beautiful.” He whispered, making her blush.

  He leaned down, his lips pressing against her neck, covering it with kisses, making her shiver with the sensation. His hands moved over her every curve, her every inch, excitement growing inside of him.

  To his surprise he felt her unbutton his pants, taking them off before she pulled off his boxers. They looked at each other a moment before his hands reached out squeezing her large breasts. She moaned out, a little louder this time, and his member twitched in response.

  He couldn’t take it anymore. Letting his instincts run wild, he rammed himself into her before beginning to move. He was hard and fast in his thrusts as his mouth pleasured her breasts, making her feel amazing. She moaned out loud, sending a shiver down his spine.