by Olivia Arran
I rested my chin in my hand as everything I’d thought I’d known to be true, rearranged itself and made a whole new picture. Damn. If I’d only waited a couple more days, we would have spoken and the truth would have come out. They would have helped protect me and I wouldn’t have had to run. None of this would have happened. The bitterness and hurt that had almost broken me had been endured for nothing.
Then Owen’s hand squeezed mine and our eyes met.
And everything made perfect sense.
I had to be broken to find him, so he could put me back together again. So I could understand his broken pieces and fit them with mine.
I had to be the girl who’d run away from home so I could become the woman who loved him with every part of my shattered heart.
A flash of warmth in his eyes and a tilt of his head told me he understood. He would stand by my side no matter what, but it would always be my decision which way I would lead. No words needed.
My heart fluttered in my chest, trying to psychically reach across the gap for him. I gasped. Damn, I love this man.
Pressing a kiss to his lips, I squeezed his hand, then released him.
Then I slowly reached for my parents’ hands. “I’d like you to officially meet my mate and the man I love, Mr. Owen Robson, the alpha of the wolves of Heartsridge.
Carter
I tapped the pen on my desk, gathering everyone’s attention and disbursing the low rumble of voices into silence. Meeting and holding their eyes, I let my lips curl into a mockery of amusement. “I think we can all agree that the plan worked.”
Murmurs of agreement, some faces twisting in obvious worry met his words, but nobody disagreed.
Good. They might be the fucking kings and queens of their little part of the world, but here—here—I was in charge. And they wanted my help.
Because they didn’t have the balls to do what needed to be done.
I resisted the urge to rub at the tension mounting behind my eyes, the dull throb a never-ending ache that had become a constant companion lately. Weariness might be trying to suck the marrow from my bones, but I’d be damned if I’d show a hint of weakness. Not when surrounded by predators.
A throat cleared, drawing my attention to the tall, angular woman seated across from me. Jasmine Kent, a stunning tiger shifter with a fierce intelligence that demanded respect from everyone she met, narrowed her eyes at me, challenge sparking in the silvery depths. “What’s our next move, Noah?”
Good thing I counted her as one of my close friends. Letting a genuine smile curve my lips, I leaned back in my chair and adjusted my cuffs. “They came to us, tipped their hand.” A feral edge sharpened my smile as I surveyed the room. “Now it’s time for us to go to them.”
Confusion creased the wolf council member’s brow as he shifted in his chair. “But why would—”
“We drop enough bait, eventually they’ll walk straight into our trap.”
“And lead us directly to their master,” Jasmine finished for me with satisfaction adding a purr to her words. “I like it, Noah.” The look she was giving me also told me she’d be quite happy liking something else too—namely me. But I’d already decided a long time ago that, though the arrangement would have certainly been ... satisfying, it wasn’t worth the headache.
And Jasmine would be a headache. She wasn’t the kind of woman who’d allow a man to take control. Without a fight anyway. Not that I didn’t enjoy a certain amount of ... sparring for dominance in the bedroom, I wasn’t a sadist and everything about Jasmine hinted that I’d be the one tied up and fucked. Literally.
Luckily I had enough practice schooling my expression, this time with boredom as I tilted my head in agreement. “I want the man at the top.” I wanted his fucking balls on a skewer, but I held that little titbit in, letting the image soothe the beast inside.
“We all do.” Sylvia growled, smoke escaping from her nostrils. To say that Sylvia had been a little … pissed that I hadn’t sent news about her daughter was putting it mildly, but we’d since straightened things out.
It had basically come down to this: Briana—Lucky—was one of my own, under my protection from the minute she walked through those gates and taken up residence in Heartsridge. Of course, I’d recognized her the moment I’d laid eyes on her—I’d known her parents for years and had seen many a family photo—but I’d also recognized the fact that something had happened to put hurt in her eyes. Once she’d been safely married to Owen, I’d considered contacting her parents, but had finally made the decision to wait it out a bit. Those two had needed some time to come to terms with what they were to each other, without parental interference.
And, as I’d informed Sylvia and Gareth, it wasn’t exactly coincidence that they’d bumped into Briana on the steps of the municipal building. I mean, come on. Seriously? Coincidences were just bad planning.
“You have our full support and backing,” Sylvia added.
I muffled a snort of amusement. As if that was ever in question. They wanted me to accept their proposal—for me to re-take my place on the council—therefore they couldn’t risk insult. “I need two of your council hunters.” Highly trained, they were the real ghosts of the shifter world.
“Done.” Theo, the wolf shifter, nodded. “I’ll make the arrangements.”
“Two of our own will go in with them.” I already had two names in my head. “They already know the humans, there shouldn’t be an issue with them making contact and monitoring the situation.”
“Who?” Jasmine looked like she was restraining herself from licking her lips. Barely.
“Grant and Dylan. Two of our best wolf shifter enforcers.” They’d already been briefed and knew exactly what this mission entailed.
“Dante will go with the wolves.” At Sylvia’s statement, I arched an eyebrow. “He deserves to suffer a little for hiding my daughter from us.” She laughed and I almost felt sorry for Dante. Almost. “He thinks because he’s old he’s untouchable. It’s time he remembers his place in our world.”
Biting back my chuckle, I answered, “I’ll let you break the news to him.”
“With pleasure.”
Theo didn’t hold back his laughter, his large frame shaking as he stroked his short beard. “And what will you be doing while your dogs are out tracking?”
“Orchestrating the game of cat and mouse, of course.”
On my order, Anita had deliberately left one of the computers unlocked while rushing out to answer a phone call. Unmanned. Unwatched. The perfect temptation for someone wanting to sneak into our security system. We’d just had to bide our time, wait and see if the bait had been snatched up. Yesterday I’d received the news that had prompted calling the shifter council back to Heartsridge. The bait had been taken and the trace had been successful, our suspicions confirmed.
We had a dirty cop on our hands.
Not that they would actually have access to anything useful. Anita and Jake had isolated the access and were feeding it bullshit information, just enough to keep the spy unaware of what was really happening.
We were coming for them.
As the meeting broke up and everyone began to leave, I stayed seated, lifting my untouched drink and taking a long swallow, already going over the next steps in my mind. Plotting the course and examining all the pieces in play. I didn’t have a full view of the playing field yet, but that was just a small annoyance, something that would be rectified soon enough.
A knock on the door drew me from my thoughts. “Enter,” I called, throwing back the rest of my drink and setting the glass down with a soft clunk. I watched as the woman who occupied nearly all of my waking thoughts—and all of my dreams—poked her head around the door.
Ah, yes. I was playing more than one game of cat and mouse.
Pushing up out of my chair, I smiled inwardly as her eyes traced the lines of my body without conscious thought. I felt myself harden beneath her gaze, and when her gaze leapt up to meet mine, I barely stopped myself from clo
sing the distance between us and claiming my prize. “Miss Lockett, what a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you?”
“Carter—”
“Noah,” I corrected her with a growl. “We’ve had this discussion. In private, you call me Noah.”
She swallowed hard, but a spark of fire lit her eyes. “I don’t think that’s appropriate.”
Damn. She was just all kinds of perfect for me. I smirked, keeping it just this side of decent. No need to scare her off when she’d only just arrived. “If you really feel that way, then in private you can call me Sir.”
Thank you for taking the time to read Heartsridge Shifters: Owen, I hope you enjoyed meeting Owen and Bree. The next book in the series should be out soon, but if you’d like to spend some more time in Heartsridge, the South-One Bears series is complete and ready for you to read!
Keep reading for a sneak peak of:
Heartsridge Shifters: Austin (South-One Bears #1)
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Also by Olivia Arran
Recommended Reading Order
True Mates - Wolves
(Series complete - best read in order)
Found (a Prequel) HERE
Promised - HERE
Taken - HERE
Healed - HERE
Redeemed - HERE
Cherished - HERE
OUT NOW - True Mates: The Complete Series Boxed Set HERE
Alpha Protectors - Wolves
(Series complete - standalone stories)
Guardian - HERE
Sentinel - HERE
Defender - HERE
Enforcer - HERE
Watcher - HERE
Her Dragon Protector - HERE
The Everson Brothers - Bears
(Series complete - standalone stories)
My Curse to Bear - HERE
My Duty to Bear - HERE
My Wound to Bear - HERE
My Heat to Bear - HERE
My Hunger to Bear - HERE
OUT NOW - The Everson Brothers: Complete Series Boxed Set HERE
Heartsridge Shifters: South- One Bears
(Series complete - best read in order)
Austin - HERE
Cade - HERE
Brent - HERE
Jake - HERE
Nate - HERE
Standalones
Call Me Sassy (Sassy Ever After Kindle World Novella) (US Only) - HERE
Shifter’s Calling (One True Mate Kindle World Novella) (US Only) - HERE
Sneak Peak - Heartsridge Shifters: Austin
South-One Bears #1
Chapter One
Austin
Freedom had nearly been mine; I’d been two seconds away from stepping out of the stifling building and into the midday sunshine, when a slick pair of loafers had planted themselves in my way. The man wearing the black fancy shoes also happened to be my boss. Well, kind of. Noah Carter was the boss of everyone, given that he was the Mayor of Heartsridge, the town that I happened to live in.
Giving him a grin that I knew would drive the uptight bastard crazy, I rocked to a halt and dug my hands into my pockets. I’d been so close to escaping; I could already taste the beer waiting for me back at my cabin. “What’s up?” Not that I really wanted to know. Political bullshit wasn’t my thing, and the lion shifter knew it.
A flicker of irritation pulsed in his jaw; probably mashing his molars together to keep from snarling at me, then he cleared his throat with a pointed air of importance. “You haven’t filed your reports again.”
“You’ll get them tomorrow morning.” I made to move past him and ended up engaged in a little two step of a dance as he blocked me.
“Your team follows your lead, Austin,” he growled out in a voice heavy with disappointment.
Letting out a heartfelt sigh, I leaned a shoulder against the drab beige wall and contemplated staring him down. I could take him; I was sure I could. Even though he was the Mayor, he had been elected into his position, while I was the Alpha of my team. By right and by might, I held my team and my place in the hierarchy, not like this asshole. “Leave my team out of it.” I let a tendril of power ghost through my words, heavy with warning. No one messed with my guys.
His hand came up, then thought better of it, retreating back to his side. “Then set a good example.”
“We keep the perimeter safe and secure. That’s our job. If there was something for you to worry your pretty head about, you’d be the first to know.”
I had to give it to him, he didn’t cower or back down, instead he carried on staring at me with those weird amber eyes of his. He was the only goddamned shifter I knew whose eyes didn’t change with his beast. Giving me a sharp nod, the worry lines smoothed from his face. “That’s good to hear,” he muttered, then he strolled off, like he hadn’t just grilled me in the hallway. He’d barely made it halfway back to the main reception area when Iesha, his assistant and a cute little bobcat shifter, appeared, as if out of nowhere, and attached herself to his side, her mouth going a mile a minute and a dozen or so papers wafting in the air.
Shaking my head at the scene, I counted my lucky stars that I didn’t have to worry about the kind of shit Mayor Carter did, and strode the final couple of steps out of the double front doors. Freedom at last. Sunshine hit me in the face, bathing me in a warm glow and washing away the stress of the last couple of hours. Three hours late clocking off shift, I’d been up all night running patrol, and my body was done for.
Stretching my arms up to the sky, I tipped my head back, closing my eyes and letting the warmth penetrate. As a bear, there was nothing I liked more than a lazy nap in the summer sun, but only on a full stomach, of course. I sniffed the air. Speaking of food…
Making my way down the steps, I headed across the main street following my nose, keeping my eyes straight ahead and face closed off just in case anyone felt brave enough to try some small talk. It wasn’t the shifters I was worried about; they were used to me by now, it was the humans.
They were everywhere; skipping down the street, lazing in the sun, pointing and staring with open mouths and eyes full of wonder. Like we were a damn theme park set up for their entertainment.
Which, admittedly, we were. Kind of. Heartsridge—the biggest shifter settlement in the west. Sure, there were others dotted around the States. I’d heard there was a huge one down near Florida, which didn’t surprise me. Why not visit all the tourist attractions at once? But, up here, we were like the wild west of shifter towns. Rugged and real; we didn’t hide behind shiny promotional materials, no matter how much Mayor Carter itched to give us a lick and polish. We stuck to how we’d always been; honest and hardworking. Only, with the new Registration Act we now lived together as a community. Us and them; shifters and humans. It worked, apart from the whole tourist thing that some smart asshole had thought up and made a rule. I corrected myself silently; it’d been six years now since we’d been outed to the humans. Six fucking years and I could still remember what it had been like to hide what I was, to live in the shadows of society and fear being found out.
Not now. Every man and his dog knew about shifters. Bears, wolves, big cats, the odd dragon, plus I’d heard Florida even had a rhino shifter. Whatever the species, we lived here; in one of the settlements set apart from the world. But, it had been our choice. On days like this I had to keep reminding myself of that fact. We had chosen to band together and carve out a place in the world.
Veering into the tiny cafe, I sat my ass down on one of the tall stools next to the counter and before I had a chance to utter a word, a plate of pie was set down in front of me. Leaning over, I inhaled the steam rising from the plate, mouth watering and stomach rumbling in noisy appreciation. “Plum?” This was asked around a forkful of buttery pastry, the fruit filling burning the ridge of my mouth and sticking to my tongue.
Julie—the cafe owner and ocelot shifter—grinned from ear to ear, her appreciation of my evident enjoyment
clear from the purring rumble coming from her chest. “Yup. Made fresh this morning.”
Groaning around another mouthful, I waved my fork in the air, tracing small circles that I hoped she would be able to interpret.
More pie landed in front of me. Julie was a wonderful woman; it was a damn shame she was mated already. Actually, I’d never looked at her that way, my bear never giving her a second glance. I was starting to lose hope he would ever get off his huge ass and choose our mate. So far, he’d dismissed every woman we’d ever met. Picky bastard.
She clucked her tongue, flicking a towel at me. “You keep me in business, but don’t go around thinking stuff like that so loud. My mate wouldn’t appreciate it.”
“I could take him,” I muttered, but there was no heat to my words. I liked her mate, Tom, one of the wolf shifters. He was a good guy and I’d worked with him on occasion, usually when coordinating a big security detail.
I knew why my bear was being a picky bastard. He was holding out for her. Our fated mate. Who—according to shifter tradition—was our perfect match in every way.
It didn’t matter how many times I told him that the odds of finding her were fucking abysmal.
