Ella and Her Shifters: A Reverse Harem Shifter Romance (Once Upon A Shifter Book 1)

by Aria Winter

  “She speaks the truth,” Kai adds beside me as he bows low to the king and queen. “Allow her to prove it.”

  Something akin to hope fills the queen’s expression as she moves away when Ella steps forward. I hand Ella a knife, and she drags the blade across her palm. Holding it over the body, she allows a few drops of blood to land on his skin.

  A rippling wave of light moves over the body then lifts away, disappearing into smoke and taking the false form of the prince with it.

  The king and queen stare down at the stranger’s form. A broken sob escapes the queen as she turns and hugs the king tightly. “It’s not our boy! It isn’t our son!”

  She turns to Ella. “Where is our son then if this is not him? I don’t understand.”

  As Ella explains everything that happened to them, they listen intently. At the end of their conversation, the king orders his guards to free Rina’s husband.

  The queen takes Ella’s hand. “Please. Is there any way to find our son? You must help us.”

  Rina steps forward. “There is a way,” she says.

  “What is it?” the king demands.

  “I—” Rina stops, her gaze shifts to me. I do not know what she means to say, but it is easy to see that whatever it is will reveal to them that she is a shifter. Humans used to hunt our kind. What she does is a significant risk to herself and her husband.

  I place a hand on her shoulder. “If it goes badly, we will protect you.”

  She nods and turns back to the king and queen. She allows herself to transform before their eyes into a beautiful peacock, spreading her feathers wide.

  The queen stares down at her in shock a moment before she returns to her human form. She bows low, her body trembling as she straightens again. “I am a shifter, Your Majesties,” she explains. “I infuse the clothing I create for my customers with some of my magic, and because of this, I am able to track it. I have made many things for the royal family, and if the prince wore anything I created when taken, I would be able to find him.”

  The queen takes the king’s hand, her grip so tight her knuckles begin to turn white as she stares at Rina. “Please,” she begs. “Do whatever you must to find my son.”

  Rina’s husband walks in with the guards. As soon as he sees her, he rushes forward and embraces her.

  “Is your husband also a shifter?” the king asks, and Rina’s husband pales.

  He looks to his wife. “You told them?” he asks, his voice full of alarm. “They will surely kill us now. Their people hunt shifters.”

  Ella steps forward. “No more,” she states firmly, as she meets the eyes of the king and queen. “It is wrong to condemn someone to death simply because they are different.”

  The king gives her an imperious look as he gestures to the dead body beside them. “And what of this? It was shifters who took my son and replaced him with one of their own, was it not?”

  Ella straightens her shoulders as she stands before him, her expression firm. “You cannot judge all people by the actions of only a few.”

  The king’s gaze holds hers, but he says nothing. After a moment, the queen turns to him. “She’s right, Victor.”

  “Shifters are dangerous,” he says as he narrows his eyes at Rina and her husband. “Their kind have killed many of ours.” He turns his attention to Ella. “Are you a shifter as well?”

  She shakes her head. “No, I’m not.”

  I note she does not reveal that the rest of us are. She is cautious, not trusting the king not to harm us.

  “Our people have murdered many shifters as well,” Ella adds. “Where does the bloodshed end if not here? Today?”

  The king considers her a moment, then stands. “If you find my son, I will consider it.”

  Ella looks to Rina, then the queen. “We will find your son, and we will return him to you.”

  Chapter 32

  Ella

  As we leave the palace, the guards watch us with narrowed eyes. They trust us even less than they did before, now that they know Rina and her husband are shifters.

  Kai takes my hand. “You were very brave, my love.”

  I smile. “So were you.”

  He lifts my hand to his face, pressing a soft kiss to the space between my thumb and forefinger. Once we are outside the palace gates, he turns to Rina. “What do you need to do to find the prince?”

  “I must go back to my shop. The sewing machine is enchanted. It carries the memory of each thread that passes through it. I will call upon the magic within to help me find the prince.”

  I don’t quite understand how it will work, but I only hope that it will. If the prince is wearing something not made by Rina, I don’t know how we’ll find him.

  As if sensing my troubled thoughts, Devon turns to me. “If Rina cannot locate the prince, we will have to go before the wolf shifter queen. I suspect she will have the answers we seek. It was her cousin who lay dead in the castle; there is no denying she had a hand in this plot.” He looks to Kai. “The words of the Elder confirmed it as well.”

  When we reach Rina’s shop, she leads us inside, locking the door behind us. She moves to the back, and I notice the sewing machine in the corner. I blink in astonishment as I watch it working on its own, creating a fine dress before my eyes.

  Rina turns to me and smiles. “It is how I get my creations done quickly.”

  I turn to Nyx, remembering his gift with illusion magic. “Does every shifter have a magical ability of some sort?”

  He shakes his head. “Not all practice the arts. It takes great concentration and years of patience to master a particular type of magic.”

  “What made you want to learn illusion magic?” I ask, curious to know.

  “My family is rabbit shifters. As such, we are underestimated by many others. Specifically, the larger shifters,” he says. “I have found illusion magic can make us appear much larger or greater in number than we actually are, thus intimidating a foe. It can also shield us from danger by hiding us behind magical barriers, such as the one I placed around the cottage.”

  This makes sense. I understand now why he would choose to learn these types of spells.

  Rina closes her eyes and begins speaking a string of strange words. After a moment, she lifts her gaze to us. “The prince is in a tower on an estate near the edge of the dark forest. It is one of the only green spaces for many miles around it.” She cocks her head to the side. “It is odd, is it not? So that should not be too difficult to find.”

  I look to Kai and the others. “She is describing my home. But why would he be there?”

  A loud knock from the front of the store startles me.

  Rina looks to us. “I’ll go see who it is. I will be back shortly.”

  She leaves to go to the front of the store.

  A scream pierces the air, stopping my heart, followed by a loud crash and growling.

  Devon grips my forearm, pulling me behind him as Kai and everyone else moves in front of me as well. I’m so terrified I can barely breathe as we wait while Devon goes to the door. Carefully, he pulls it open and peers into the room.

  He bristles and begins growling. “Who are you?” he asks in a low and threatening voice. “Why are you here?”

  “I’ve come to speak with the girl,” a man’s voice answers, and I note the gravelly rasp of his tone.

  “There is no girl,” Devon replies. “Leave. Now. Before I end you.”

  “I can scent her,” the man replies. “I know she is here. I mean her no harm. I merely wish to speak with her. It is about the prince.”

  I push past my mates and step through the door into the front entry room. I notice Rina is unharmed and standing off to one side, her eyes trained on the man. “What about the prince?” I ask, but then still. My entire body begins trembling as the man stares at me, partially shifted in his wolf form.

  Sensing my fear, he changes until he appears completely human. He bows low. “Forgive me, my lady. I mean you no harm. My vow. Yes, I am a wolf s
hifter, but I am not an ally of the queen. She convinced her cousin to take the prince’s form because she wanted to stop the prophecy from being fulfilled. She does not want peace because it threatens her rule.”

  “Why are you here?” I ask, still not sure why he is telling us all of this. He is a wolf shifter. He could be trying to get us to let down our guard so he can kill us himself.

  Kai and the others must be thinking the same because they stand protectively around me in a semicircle, ready to attack at a moment’s notice.

  “When I was a child, half of our pack was killed by humans. I have lived in fear since that day of losing everyone else because of the hatred between our two peoples.” He places his hand on his chest. “Some in the pack want vengeance, but I want peace. I want to live in a world where we do not have to worry about killing one another.” He pauses. “I was there the day the queen spoke with one of the Elders. They told her that her reign would soon end and you would be upon her throne instead.”

  “But I’m human,” I tell him. “I don’t understand.”

  He shifts into a wolf, and my mates pull me behind them, growling low in their throat.

  He tips his head to the side and speaks in my mind. “Can you hear me?”

  “Yes,” I reply, and he instantly turns into a man once more.

  “Then it is true. You are a human who can both hear and speak to our people in our animal form. You are the bridge between worlds.” He drops to one knee and bows before me. “You are destined to marry the prince and become the queen of both kingdoms.”

  Everyone remains still and quiet beside me. The weight of his words hangs heavy in the air. I have already chosen them as my mates. I cannot marry the prince. He is human, and he would not tolerate me having anyone but him. And I do not love him. Nor would I ever love anyone enough to give up my mates.

  I do not tell him this, however. I simply motion for him to stand. “Will you help us rescue the prince?”

  He crosses his arm over his chest and bows low. “Yes, I will help you.” His eyes meet mine. “The prince must kill the wolf queen. It is the only way to transfer the power of the throne. He will not defeat her easily.”

  I look at my mates. In their eyes, I see the same mistrust that I’m sure my own reflect. I want to believe this man wants to help us, but it could just as easily be a trap set by the wolf queen.

  Although I already know the answer, I study him, deciding to test his loyalty. “Do you know where the wolf queen keeps the prince?”

  “Yes. He is in a tower near the edge of the forest. You know it well, I presume, for it used to be your home.” He pauses. “On your eighteenth birthday, everyone in the pack was given the mission to take your life for our queen. Only a few accepted because the rest of us understand that peace is better than the hatred that has existed between our people all these long years.” His gaze shifts to each of my mates. “The reputation of your guards is known far and wide. This alone deters many from seeking to take your life.”

  “Why does the wolf queen keep him there?”

  His gaze shifts to my mates. “It is forbidden to bring a human to our kingdom, across the veil. She will not break her own laws. Not even to imprison one she considers her enemy.”

  “And why has she not killed him?” Kai asks.

  “That, I do not know,” he replies.

  My mates all turn to me. Devon’s voice fills my mind. “I do not trust him. He is wolf kind. He could be an agent of the queen.”

  Kai nods. “I agree. We should not trust him.”

  Nyx looks to us. “What if he is telling the truth? A wolf would make a good ally. The queen will have the prince heavily guarded in the tower.”

  I touch Nyx’s arm. “Can you use a spell like you did with the wolf shifter in the woods? See if he is speaking the truth?”

  He shakes his head. “No.” His brown eyes sweep to the wolf shifter. “He is skilled in magic. I can smell it on him. There would be no way for me to know if he counteracts my spell should I use it to see if he is telling the truth.”

  “The wolf queen is bound to have many patrolling Ella’s home,” Cash interrupts. “As much as I hate to admit it, we may not be enough to rescue the prince if we go in there alone.”

  “What about the humans?” Finn asks. “The king and queen might send guards to help us.”

  I shake my head. “The king does not trust us enough to commit his guards. That he asked us to bring back his son is a test. And if we fail, I’m certain he will hunt us down.” I pause. “We have no choice but to trust this man. If we are to have any chance, we will need more help.”

  Devon looks to me. “No. We should not trust him. We can do this alone.”

  I take his hand. “No, we can’t. Not if we want everyone to make it through this alive.” I look to the rest of my mates. “I do not want to lose any of you.”

  Kai lowers his head. “Unfortunately, she is right. We will need help if we are to succeed.”

  Devon clenches his jaw as he looks at us. “You are all fools who will be killed the moment this male double-crosses us.”

  Kai’s gaze burns with anger as he looks to Devon. “I am the leader here, and Ella says we should trust him. She is the one who makes the final decision on this. Not you.”

  He growls low in his throat as he grits his teeth. “Fine.”

  We turn back to the wolf shifter. Kai steps forward. “Gather any who are loyal to our cause and have them meet us at the edge of the forest. We will move at dawn to rescue the prince.”

  The man bows again then leaves.

  Chapter 33

  Ella

  It doesn’t take long to get back to our cottage. When we do, Cash, Finn, Nyx, and Kai leave to patrol the barrier while Nyx fortifies it with his magic, leaving me alone with Devon.

  He refuses to look at me or even speak as he lies on the couch, feigning indifference to the entire world.

  I walk over to him. “Are you done brooding?”

  He lifts his gaze to me, his eyes burning with frustration, but he says nothing.

  “Is this how you’re going to treat me every time we disagree?”

  Again, he remains silent as he stares up at me.

  “You know what?” I snap. “I’m used to being ignored and being treated like I’m less than a person.” Tears well up in my eyes, but I blink them back, biting my bottom lip to stop it from trembling. “So, I guess this is nothing new for me.”

  With that, I turn and march up the stairs, angry at him for being so stubborn.

  As soon as I reach the bedroom, the first tear escapes my lashes as dark memories of my time with my stepmother surface in my mind. She never cared for my feelings either. I was not even a person to her; I was merely a thing. A tool to be used to serve her and her daughter. Unable to hold them back, tears begin streaming down my face. I collapse on the bed, burying my head in my pillow to muffle the sounds of my crying.

  I hate that Devon is angry with me. Why does he have to be this way? Anything could happen to us tomorrow, and I don’t want to leave here mad at one another. Especially since it could be the last time we ever have a chance to speak.

  Warm hands grip my shoulders, but I shrug them away, knowing it’s Devon. He grips me a bit more firmly and pulls me up into his lap.

  I push against his chest, not wanting him to see my tears, but he holds me tightly to him.

  “Let me go!”

  “No, I will not.”

  I struggle a moment, but he grips my chin firmly, tipping my head up to look at him. His green eyes meet mine. His vertically slit pupils contracting and expanding as he stares down at me. Tenderly, he brushes the hair back from my face and wipes at my tears with his thumb as he cups my cheek. I look down, refusing to meet his eyes.

  “Look at me,” he commands.

  Shaking my head, I keep my gaze lowered.

  “Look at me, Ella,” he growls.

  My eyes snap up to meet his. “Why?” I ask, tipping my chin up in defiance
. “I don’t want to see you angry at me. I don’t want that to be the last image I have of you in my mind in case I—”

  “In case what?” he asks in a low voice.

  I clench my jaw. “In case I die tomorrow.”

  His eyes widen slightly in alarm. “You will not be going anywhere near the estate tomorrow. We will not allow you to place yourself in danger. You will not die tomorrow, Ella. My vow.”

  I shake my head. “I’m not letting you all go by yourselves. I can’t just stay behind while you put yourselves in danger.”

  He clenches his jaw. “You can and you will,” he snarls.

  I jerk my chin from his grasp and push at his chest.

  He responds by tightening his arms around me.

  “Let me go!”

  “I am your guard, and it’s my duty to keep you safe. I won’t let you go.”

  I turn back to him, anger burning inside me at his stubbornness. “Why?”

  His green eyes stare deep into mine. “Because I love you, Ella.”

  I go still as his gaze holds mine.

  He leans in then gently skims the tip of his nose alongside mine as he whispers. “I love you more than anything in this entire world, even if you do not love me. I vow that I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe, my Ella.”

  When he pulls back, his expression is so vulnerable and full of pain, it breaks me. I reach up and cup his cheek. “Why do you think I don’t love you?”

  He lowers his gaze. “Because you have already chosen everyone but me. And I am a cat shifter. My nature alone would give any pause to take me as theirs. So, I do not blame you for not wanting me.”

  “What do you mean ‘your nature’?” I furrow my brow in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

  “My people are known for their possessive nature, more so than many of the other shifters. When we... take our mates, we mark them.”

  “Mark them how?” I ask, curious to understand.

  “When we mate, we bite our partners.” He lowers his gaze as if ashamed. “Many fear us because of this. They believe we are more animal than man. They even point to our eyes to prove this theory. And...” he sighs heavily, “perhaps they are right.”