"And your mom passed, right?"
"Yes. My aunt says she breast-fed me for three days then they found her unconscious one night. She died later at the local hospital of internal bleeding. Official cause of death was still up in the air even after she was buried, but it was pregnancy-related. But you know what? My mom gave me my name…Noah. Can you guess why?"
When it dawned on her, Tania smiled.
"My aunt told me that my mom said my mate mark looked more like an ark than anything else," he confirmed.
"That's unique. The concept of us having matching mate marks is romantic too. But you can't mean mate…as in together forever…"
"Actually, that's what it means. Not only do shifters imprint on their lovers, they also mate for life. Our matching mate mark tells us that we're meant to be. We met for a reason. Now that we've found each other, there's nothing that will stop us from coming together and procreating like we were meant to do."
"Procreating?" She grinned. "I've always wanted a family. I've never had one. Just my foster moms and dads, some of the group home counselor. Some of my sisters from the orphanage. Eliana's like a sister to me."
"I've accepted you and so will my family."
Tania couldn't help but think back on the times she wished she had a family and a real home. A birth mom and a dad. Found abandoned on a bus in Aspen Valley at just four months old, she was labeled a Jane Doe baby. Hadn't even been given a name until she was officially registered with the foster care system. The thought of having Noah in her life gave her promise.
"Are you sure they'll accept me? You've known these people for years."
"You're my mate. You carry my mark. Of course," he said.
"I was thinking hard about last night when I got home and I thought you'd already left for Minnesota. To tell you the truth, if I hadn't found someone that knew your contact information I probably would've taken a bus to Timber Rock to find you."
He laughed softly. "See? That's our mating instincts at work. And I'd like nothing more than for you to step foot on my home territory. Then I know you'd be there to stay. I couldn't let you leave."
"I wouldn't want to," she said, snuggling up to him.
"Well, even though I'm the best-est guy you'll ever meet, I must say, my home town is the real deal. Is that even a word? The best-est?"
She giggled. "No."
"Well, I made it up because I like to invent stuff like that. I think you'd really like it there. It's like Aspen Valley, but on a larger scale."
"I always thought about moving to a big city one day. I hadn't thought of giving a bigger town a shot," Tania replied.
"But no rushing things, okay? We'll take this one day at a time."
"It's a little late for that. That was the best-est sex I've ever had."
They laughed and then he said, "It was that way for me too, but I never had any doubts about you."
They let silence will the air again and then she said, "I think I understand why you would have to leave here eventually."
He looked down at her, locking their gazes. His eyes told her that he was curious to know what she knew.
"You're part of a Pack, aren't you?"
"Yeah."
"It's in Timber Rock. Minnesota."
"I'm an Omega and I work closely with my Alpha. For the past couple months, I've been talking with the enforcers of the Aspen Valley Wolf Pack about some issues they've been having. And their Alpha too. My stay was never meant to be permanent, but when the Alpha sends me on a mission, I go…and then I return and I report to him. It's my duty and my responsibility."
"Wow, you sound all important. That's so sexy." She grinned and lifted her lips to kiss him. "Omega. I like the sound of that."
"Lower ranking and Alpha appointed, but a rank no doubt. Not that many shifters are chosen to be a part of my Alpha's closest circle. Not all shifters attain ranking either. I was honored when he chose me." Then he said, "We're going to make this work, Tania. One day at a time. There's distance between us now. Someday, not even the distance will keep us apart."
She sighed. "I've never left Aspen Valley, that's all. I want to, but then I don't. I've been through a lot."
"I know. I understand. I won't force you anywhere you don't want to be. I'll wait for you as long as you need me to."
"That's sweet," she said, tracing the corded muscles on his chest.
"I mean it. So, are we even now?"
"What do you mean?" she asked, resting her head on his chest and listening to his heart beat.
"We're both naked. No street clothes. No PJs. Skin to skin. Just the way I like it."
"Yes, we're even now, Noah."
Message from Amber Ella Monroe
MESSAGE FROM AMBER ELLA MONROE
Thank you for reading Aspen Valley Wolf Pack ~ The Complete Series. If you enjoyed the stories, don't forget to leave a review and tell others what you loved about it. Even a couple sentences can say a lot.
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What’s Next ~ Shifters of Timber Rock
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The Dresdan Coven Trilogy
While you wait for the Timber Rock Wolves, enjoy this BONUS edition of The Dresdan Coven Trilogy if you like shifters and alpha males with your romance and adventure!
Her blood, his addiction…
A deadly attraction…
Brought together by betrayal, vampire rebel Vicq and his mortal enemy Elaina find a passion that breaks all the rules. Elaina was sent to execute him, but she fell for him instead. Now they’re both being hunted–and their forbidden love could be the only thing keeping them alive long enough to learn the truth. Danger is encountered from every angle, and they can’t seem to stay away from each other.
* * *
An unrelenting bond…
Elaina and Vicq know where their loyalties lie—with each other. But there’s a fine line between love and the will to live. Together, they’ll face many obstacles and will make a choice that will change their eternal future.
PRELUDE
No river can return to its source, yet all rivers must have a beginning.” ~ Proverb
* * *
*** Prologue
“Vida o muerte?”
"What?" the dying man croaked, confusion marking his face.
“Life or death? Which do you choose?”
Vicq’s Maker had given him this choice long ago. Not one ounce of hesitation consumed him as he extended the same options to the infected and wounded man lying on his back on the pavement, coughing up blood and struggling to stay alive.
The fact that a Dresdan had drained a human within a few short miles of his coven alarmed him. When Vicq had set up his coven near the foothills of the Black Mountains, the territory had been vacant of any vampires. Was Master Russo getting close to finding his sanctuary? Had he sent another army of Dresdan Soldiers to track him down? Or was it mere coincidence that this man was left here to die?
“I’m already dying, aren’t I?” the man asked, sputtering up blood.
“You’ve been drained by a vampire—a Dresdan. Sí…eventually you will.”
“Well, why don’t you finish me then, vamp?” he spat. “I’m too weak to move, and the sun has burned me to a crisp. Put me out of my misery…please.”
“You’re alive because you were infected with Dresdan blood before you were drained. What did you do? Try to square off with one of us?”
“Yes,” he hissed between clenched teeth. “I didn’t know he was a dirty, stinking vamp.”
Vicq shook his head and tapped the roof of his mouth with his tongue. “Careful. It’s a miracle that you still speak. Based on the amount of blood dried up around you and your current state, I don’t expect you to live more than a half hour. If you’re not dead by then, the sun rises again
in five hours, and that’ll surely kill you. Whoever drained you and left you for dead wanted your passing to be slow. You can wait just another half an hour for death, can’t you?”
The man grumbled but couldn’t lash out due to his weakened state.
Vicq continued to speak, “To the north, there’re mountains. To the west, more mountains. To the east, we have valleys. You’re out in the middle of nowhere here, and miles from any hospital.” Vicq waved his arm to illustrate the landfill just a few yards behind him. “What’s a human doing out here, anyway?”
“I was…delivering a car. A Ferrari. Top of the line. The vamp betrayed me. He took the car and left me.”
“You don’t have much blood left. Decide quickly. I can give you more time, but, of course, you’ll be forever changed.”
“You’re one of them. One of those bloodsuckers who did this to me. I don’t know if I can trust you.”
“When I feed from humans, I don’t get messy.”
“If…” The man coughed. “If I take your blood, will I become like you?”
Vicq’s intuition told him that the man was worth saving or turning. And he had learned long ago that listening to his initial hunches was beneficial.
“Depends… Life or death?”
Creating a vampire and then leaving him alone to fend for himself was against the Dresdan code.
“Life, of course.”
Vicq lifted the injured man, bringing him to a sitting position. He brought his wrist to his fangs, split his vein, and offered the man his arm. “Drink, but not too much. You might feel a little drowsy afterward. There’s a motel five miles up the road from here. I’ll get you there to recover after this, but I suggest you stay inside for at least three days.”
“Will I be normal again?”
“What do you think? You’ve been bitten by Dresdan. Enough with the questions, human. You won’t be the same, but you won’t be a vampire either.”
“Why should I trust you?”
“You shouldn’t.”
The man looked at him apprehensively. “What will I owe you?”
“When I’m in need of a car, I'll come to you.”
He didn’t miss the light sparkle of hope in the man’s eyes.
“Cómo se llama?” Vicq asked.
“Emory,” the man whispered. His lips had turned ashen white and his eyes virtually soulless as he struggled to hold on to what little life force was left in him.
“When you’ve had enough of being a human on the edge of insanity with a taste for blood instead of food, and you’re ready to cross over, remember my name. Vicq.”
The man cupped Vicq’s wrist in his hands and tipped it to his lips.
He’d chosen life. Vicq wasn’t surprised. Most any human would choose their life over uncertain death.
Most any human…but not him.
Life or death.
When Vicq had been given the choice by his Maker over sixty years ago, he’d chosen death because life, as it was back then, was both uncertain and unjust.
* * *
*** Chapter 1
Two and a half months later…
Elaina Arakelian turned her wrist over and glanced at the time on her watch again. 8:01AM. She had less than an hour to reach the District 5 base for scheduled training, yet all the tables at The Pancake Hut were occupied. The eatery was busy, as was expected during the breakfast rush. It was the only diner within a fifteen-mile radius of the base. This place had been here for years, even before the District set up shop, yet they refused to add takeout service. She was hungry and extremely low on fuel. So, she’d wait. From here, it would only take her fifteen minutes to reach base. If she timed it just right, she could get there on time.
When Elaina looked up again, she noticed that many other District 5 members were here to grab breakfast before training started. Among them were full-fledged trackers—just like her—and recruits. She wasn’t on a first-name basis with any of them—yet. Her priorities were simple. Train, complete assignments, and collect her paycheck and monthly stipend. Upon recruitment, they’d been told not to use their legal names. They weren’t allowed to hold on to any fragments of their past lives. They were basically dead to the rest of the world. They’d pledged their life to the mission. Even in death, they would all become the property of District 5.
It was too early in Elaina’s contract to forget her family and friends. She didn’t know that she would ever forget them, but it was her duty now to remain at a distance and protect from the shadows. She still had many memories. Her memories were her own and no one else’s. Nobody could take that from her. But that didn’t change the fact that she was still bound to District 5’s mission.
“Ma’am?”
Elaina’s attention shifted to the server, standing to the right of her.
“We have a seat for one,” the server continued.
She followed the server to an empty stool near the serving bar. Three cooks manned their individual stations directly in front of her. They seemed to be working quickly despite the number of order tickets the waitresses threw at them.
Eggs were being cooked on the griddle, sunny-side up. Sausage and bacon sizzled. Steam floated up from the pancake tray. This was the closest she’d get to a home-cooked meal.
Elaina looked down at her watch again just as a waitress approached her. 8:07AM. From the looks of it, she’d have just enough time to pig out. She ordered the breakfast platter that was chock-full of protein. She’d need it. This was the last training session of the season for trackers. If she passed with flying colors, the District 5 heads would be more likely to hand her an assignment worthy of her skills.
For the past few months, all she’d been doing was knocking off the occasional rogue or wayward vampire. Those assignments were getting too easy for her. She was getting bored…and curious about the other, inner workings of the District—an organization whose mission was to prolong the existence of mankind by capturing, destroying, and salvaging vampires.
Elaina worked from the shadows at night and trained and rested during the day. Whenever she or one of her colleagues knocked off a rogue vampire, they were ordered to collect the blood. In very rare cases, if they could capture one, they were ordered to bring it to the labs. The District 5 lab techs were interested in vampire blood the most. The older and more powerful the vampire, the better.
To date, there had been under two dozen accounts of vampires being held captive and taken in. Likewise, there had been several dozen accounts of District 5 recruits and trackers being murdered by vampires while on assignment. It was a dangerous job…but Elaina was being paid to do it. She didn’t get a thrill from killing vampires, but she did gain a sense of achievement from killing vampires who slaughtered humans mercilessly and without reason.
Of course, there were vampires who slipped out at night, fed, and kept their donors alive, but those numbers were small in comparison to the rogues who killed to feed. During training, recruits were told to presume that if a vampire revealed itself, he or she was there to kill. Elaina didn’t need to test that theory. Even though she had sacrificed her life to become a member of the District, she wanted to live.
However, she wanted to be more than the recruit who took orders and followed her superiors without asking questions. One day, she wanted to be a leader who gave orders. She wanted to make a difference, and she wanted to stand for something greater than she could ever imagine.
Her father always told her, “Be careful what you crave. Sometimes, your cravings can turn out to be your worst nightmare.”
Other than the occasional bruise to her ego after losing a fight or two or letting a rogue vampire get away, she hadn’t experienced any nightmares. Yet. Something told her that she should still heed her father’s warnings; but so far, she hadn’t done so. Some of her cravings were just too persistent. Sooner or later, Elaina would find out that one relentless craving could change her life forever.
* * *
*** Chapter 2
“I can see that District heads are still hiring and promoting girls ‘round here.”
The statement came from Danny, a colleague in Elaina’s unit. He was more than a colleague, actually. He’d recently been selected as the leader of her work unit. She may be required to follow his orders, but she certainly wasn't keen on putting up with his bullshit comments.
Elaina lowered the chilled bottle of water she was chugging down and gave him a quick glance. He grinned smugly and used the hand towel around his thick neck to wipe sweat from his face.
“I’m not your optometrist. I’m not the one you need to convince that you can see,” she said and moved to the other side of the courtyard.
Her unit was only five minutes into a break after two and a half hours of grueling physical maintenance drills. Danny had followed her, but her idea of rest didn't include talking to a guy she couldn't stand.
"Why'd you walk off like that? Can't I have a chat with you?" he asked.
"Just because we're in the same unit and you've been assigned as my superior, doesn't mean that I want to engage in small talk with you."
Danny shrugged. "Why not? If we're going to be working together for the next few months on assignments, you've gotta learn to love my influence around here. Especially now that you've been promoted as next in line under me."
"Influence?" She almost laughed. "I don't have to like the people that I work with, and that includes you."
"Girl, who's fucking you the wrong way for you to carry such an attitude day in and day out?" he asked.
"You keep calling me girl, but does it bother you that I've beaten every one of your scores since we started training together?"
Danny's grin disappeared. "It doesn't matter. You're still under me, and you'll always be. You've beaten my training stats but when we're in the real world, fighting those vamps, can you apply the same skills, girl? Or will you watch from the sidelines as your partners take them out? Those cold-hearted scumbags don't have a taste for tits and ass like half of these men out here who've been distracted by the women training beside them do. Pretty women like you, flaunting your assets all over the training field. The vamps are interested in blood. They kill to drink and nothing distracts hunger."
Aspen Valley Wolf Pack (The Complete Series) Page 73
