Black Paw Pack
Book 2
Table of Contents
Books by Melanie James
Copyright
Edition License Note
Acknowledgements
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty One
Chapter Twenty Two
Chapter Twenty Three
Chapter Twenty Four
Chapter Twenty Five
Chapter Twenty Six
Chapter Twenty Seven
Chapter Twenty Eight
Chapter Twenty Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty One
Chapter Thirty Two
Chapter Thirty Three
Chapter Thirty Four
Epilogue
About the Author
Books by Melanie James
Black Paw Pack
Fur Ever Yours
A Hot Piece of Sass
Fur Ever Witched
Twice the Sass
Literal Leigh Romance Diaries
Accidental Leigh
Serious Leigh
Hopeful Leigh
Haunting Leigh
Joyful Leigh
Disastrous Leigh
Tales from the Paranormal Plantation
Gertie’s Paranormal Plantation
Back to the Fuchsia
When You Witch Upon A Star
Karma Inc. Files
Karma Inc.
Mission Impawsible
Shame of Clones
Éveiller Drive
Ava & Will
Kara & Dave
Laura & Alan
Jamie & Brad
Ashley & Jeff
Valerie & Greg
Éveiller Drive Boxed Set
Riverton Romance
A Valentine’s Surprise
A Deadly Obsession
Stand Alones
Conjuring Darkness
Snowflakes, Exes & Ohs
Copyright
Fur Ever Witched
By: Melanie James
Copyright © 2016 by Melanie James
Editing: http://www.serenityeditingservices.com/
Proofing: AVCProofreading
Cover Artist: Willsin Rowe
Nordic Dire Wolf Design: Elizabeth Rupp of WildSpiritDesigns
Nordic Dire Wolf Image Copyright © 2016 by Melanie James
All rights reserved
Published in the United States of America
Edition License Notes
This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you wish to share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should delete it from your device and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work. Illegal copies come with a fine up to $250,000.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is coincidental.
Acknowledgements
Elayne – Thank you for your insight and for helping to make this the best possible story.
Alicia – Thank you for helping to clean up the little things.
Tricia – You are the absolute best. Wishing you nothing but happiness and success.
Dedication
To women around the world. Never be afraid to be yourself.
Prologue
The young girl looked to her mother for wisdom in matters she did not understand, much as any girl would.
“But Momma, why do I have to have a mate? I don’t even like boys,” the little girl complained, crossing her arms.
“One day you will, sweetheart.”
“But what if I don’t?” She would not be swayed in her thinking.
“There will come a time when you happen upon a male so grand his scent will crash over you with the force of a tsunami. Your wolf will know immediately that he is her fated mate and she will guide you in everything you need to know.”
“If any wolf tries to kiss me, I’ll smack him in his big furry nose.”
Erin’s mother laughed at the girl’s feistiness. “You’ll be nice to your mate, dear. You were born with a kind heart.”
“No, I don’t think I will be. You keep saying that I have a kind heart, Momma but I think you’re wrong.” Erin diligently brushed her baby doll’s hair, carefully working out each of the matted sections. “But Momma, what if I don’t like my wolf’s mate? Can I pick someone else? Don’t I get a say?”
“Your mate has already been selected for you by the Fates, my wee one.”
“I don’t like this Fates thing. What if I don’t want to listen to the stupid Fates?”
“Hush, Erin. You must never say such things, for the Fates are always listening.”
“But I don’t want a mate, Momma.”
“Listen to me, daughter. Having a mate completes you and your wolf, mind, body, and soul. No matter how strongly you believe you can live life without your mate, you will soon come to realize you’re wrong.”
“I won’t be wrong, Momma.”
“Just remember your true mate will give you strength when you need it, hope when you’ve lost it, and love when you least expect it.” Her mother could tell the child was deep in thought. “What else troubles you, daughter of mine?”
“Well, I’m part witch, right?” Erin kept on brushing, never meeting her mother’s eyes.
“Yes, but you must never let another wolf, save for me or your father, know that. And the witches must never find you. They have been hunting me since your father claimed me as his mate. Should they catch up with us, and find out about you, they’ll kill us both on sight.”
“But won’t I anger the wolves, too? If they find out about my witch?”
“That’s why you must wear your pendant at all times.” Brenna reached for the pendant that lay between her breasts. “Like mine, it contains an ancient majik to mask the scent of your witch from the wolves.”
Erin stopped brushing and looked down at the necklace her mother had given her. Her small fingers traced the Nordic lines cast in the metal wolf paw.
“Can it hold other majik, Momma?”
“Of course. You’ll learn all about it when you get older.”
Chapter One
Lucas Jansen, aka her wolf’s true mate, paced back and forth in front of her, wearing an uneven pattern in her carpeting. She imagined billows of steam shooting from his ears like a classic cartoon character in a fit of rage.
She tried not to laugh, honestly she did, but it was no use. Nothing about their situation was funny. It was a tragedy in the making, but once the giggles started there was no stopping the knee-slapping, snorting laugh that followed.
“You think this is funny?” Lucas paused to face her, his hands tunneling through his messy h
air.
Tears streamed from Erin’s face as she laughed even harder.
Gasping for air, she tried to speak, but failed. If he would only stop, even for a moment, the giggles would stop. As it was, he was just making it worse on both of them.
“You stubborn woman. What is the matter with you? All I want to do is have a conversation with you.”
“I—I can’t help it. I can’t talk to you when you’re like this.”
“Erin, this is serious. We have to complete the mating ritual. Soon.”
And there it was.
The cold hard reminder, slapping her in the face. The wakeup call she needed to quell the laughing.
“We only have until the next full moon.”
Barely listening, her blood started to boil. Statements like the one Lucas had just made drove her nuts. If there was one thing she hated more than anything, it was being told what she had to do. By her parents, by the Fates, or by her would-be mate.
“Over my dead body.” Her fit of laughter came to an abrupt halt.
“It may just come to that,” Lucas warned.
“Is that a threat?” She hated it when Lucas turned those emerald eyes on her, pleading for understanding.
Understanding she couldn’t give.
“You do know what will happen if you deny your true mate, don’t you?”
Erin rolled her eyes. “I know, I’ve heard all about it. Thou shalt be cursed to the depths of Helheim. Thou shalt walk the world alone…yadda, yadda, yadda. Did I miss anything?”
Lucas leaned against the wall. “You missed the part about your wolf dying and separating from your body. There’s also the part about—”
“My wolf is just fine, thank you.” The lie stung as it left her mouth.
Her wolf whimpered in her mind, wanting to rub up against Lucas. She wasn’t fine and Erin damn well knew it. She needed her mate and grew tired of the tight leash Erin kept her on. A wolf needed to run and socialize with her pack. It had been months since she’d been set free to burn off the excess energy.
“Great! Just great! Your wolf may be fine, but mine isn’t.”
Erin met Lucas’ pleading gaze. “What do you want me to say? That I’ll mate you against my will?”
“Erin—”
“No, you need to listen to me. I don’t want a mate, Lucas. I don’t need a mate. Even if I was in the market for a mate, it wouldn’t be you.”
Erin’s thoughts turned to her mixed heritage and the struggles of her parents.
In her heart and mind, the impure blood running through her veins made her unfit to be any wolf’s mate. It didn’t matter that her pure-blooded witch mother had mated with her pure-blooded wolf father. Erin knew firsthand how hard her mother had worked at keeping her true identity a secret. She swore she would walk a different path. Her children would never have to hide who they were.
Her father, Reider, was one of a kind. He didn’t give two shits that his mate was a witch when he’d marked and claimed her, putting them both in a very dangerous situation. His pack had disavowed him and stripped him of his rank. But the discrimination hadn’t stopped with his pack.
When the witches had found out that Brenna had been claimed by Reider, they’d gone one step further by putting a bounty on both of their heads, claiming she had been seduced by the darkest majik of the evil Berserkers.
Fearing for the life of his mate, Reider had whisked Brenna away under the cover of a moonless night, traveling to a land far from his ancestral home to start anew. They ran from pack to pack, only to be shunned as soon as the wolves scented a witch. They’d grown weary of a life on the run, but until they’d stumbled upon an ancient concealment spell, Brenna hadn’t been able to conceal the scent of her witch.
“You would deny me my mate? Force my wolf to die? For what? What did I ever do to make you hate me so much? Do you despise me so greatly that you would allow me—my wolf to suffer such a fate?”
Weary and tired of the fight, Erin sucked in a deep breath. “Lucas, I don’t hate you. I just can’t…you wouldn’t understand.”
Lucas crossed the few steps separating them to kneel beside her. “What wouldn’t I understand?” His tone soft and caring, he pleaded for her to talk to him.
“It’s nothing. Just forget it.” Erin closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. Even if she wanted to tell him the truth, she couldn’t. She was bound by secrecy.
Years after discovering the concealment spell, her parents were taken in by Black Paw, who were none the wiser when it came to Brenna’s true heritage. All was well with Reider and Brenna until their daughter was born. Half-witch. Half-wolf.
On the eve of Erin’s sixteenth birthday, when her witch powers were on the cusp of awakening, her mother had recited an incantation Erin would never forget.
Brenna bound her daughter’s powers so no one would ever know the powerful witch Erin housed in her delicate frame.
And she went one step further—binding her daughter to secrecy about her heritage and the nature of the energy flowing through her.
The spell allowed for no exceptions. It was her burden to carry. Should she try to enlighten anyone to the fact that the blood of witches ran in her veins, an affliction of the worst pain she’d ever felt would sweep over her body.
Erin had made the mistake of testing the spell once. Blinding pain had crushed her instantly, leaving her curled in a fetal position for hours, weeping.
It was a pain she would never forget. A pain she never wanted to experience again.
“You owe me some sort of explanation, Erin. It isn’t just your life you’re fucking with and making decisions about. It’s my life, too.”
“I never asked for you to mark me as your mate. Why do you think I worked so hard for years to conceal my scent from you?”
Lucas’ jaw clenched. “So, I should have just what? Let you die?”
Some days I really wish you had. It would have been a lot easier.
“Yeah, you probably should have. At least then you and your wolf would be free to find a deserving mate.”
“Don’t you get it? There is no ‘finding a deserving mate’ bullshit. You are my true mate. My only mate. There is no one else on this planet that my wolf would even consider accepting for a mate. Ever.”
If he only knew the truth, we wouldn’t be having this argument. He would never accept me for who I really am. What I really am.
“The Fates only give us one mate. One, Erin. I’m sure your parents told you that. Hell, growing up at Black Paw I’m certain you learned that blessed little tidbit.”
“It doesn’t matter. None of it matters.”
Erin’s cellphone chimed with a new message.
“I need to get back to the clinic and you need to go.”
A wave of electricity shot through her when Lucas grabbed her arm as she walked by. Her wolf charged forward, pulsing just under her skin. She felt her canines lengthen.
Oh, no you don’t. Erin warned her wolf away from taking command.
“Let go of me.”
“You feel that?” Lucas questioned.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Erin felt the bolts of awareness shooting just below her skin, but tried to play them off as nothing. She was all about deny, deny, deny.
“Bullshit. Those big brown puppy-dog eyes of yours are glowing, and I bet if you open that pretty little mouth, I’ll see those beautiful canines. Nice and long, just waiting to pierce my neck and mark your mate.”
“I need to go.”
Erin pushed Lucas through the front door, refusing to answer him. Instead, she turned her back on him and locked the door, assuming it would be the end of their conversation for the time being.
And it was.
Lucas didn’t say a word when she turned around to face him. Everything he had to say was silently spoken when his lips crashed down on hers.
Oh Gods. Power sizzled through her body. She had never been kissed with such passion and emotion. Need struck her hard a
nd fast, leaving her body trembling with desire.
Weak at the knees, her hands flew to his shaggy jet black hair, grasping for something to hold on to. A guttural moan escaped her mouth.
Lucas seized the opportunity presented to him and deepened the kiss. His tongue plunged into her mouth, finding and caressing hers. He pulled her closer, their bodies flush against one another. Squeezing her ass, he devoured her like the big bad wolf he was.
Erin’s phone chimed again, pulling her from the lust-fueled make-out session. Stunned by what had just occurred, she pushed Lucas out of the way and jogged for her car.
He watched her fine ass retreat post haste.
“That’s what I thought.”
Chapter Two
“What do you mean he’s dead? He can’t be dead. Don’t you morons think I would have felt it if my own father died?” Christoph screamed at Jayden, his father’s second-in-command.
“I watched his death with my own eyes. I saw his body disintegrate.”
Christoph Engle paced the length of the table, considering his options.
“How is it, might I ask, that you survived the slaughter?”
Jayden shifted his stance. “I was severely injured in the battle. They thought I was as good as dead.”
Christoph’s glance skimmed over Jayden. “You look fine to me.”
“I crawled deep into the woods, where I lay for three days in the freezing cold, waiting for my wounds to heal enough to shift. It was only by the grace of Odin that I managed to survive.”
“If Odin had truly graced you, he would have given you a place in Valhalla instead of cursing you to continue your journey on earth. You should be ashamed.”
“But—”
“Leave me.”
Jayden obeyed the order, slowly backing out of the room.
“Not the news you expected to hear today, brother?” Ivar asked.
“You know damn well it wasn’t. I expected Father to be injured, perhaps. Killed? Not likely.”
“Ha! Really, brother? You must be joking. You didn’t expect a drug-addicted half-breed to take down a true Alpha, did you?”
Fur Ever Witched (Black Paw Pack Book 2) Page 1
