The Wolf and His Forbidden Witch
White Mountain Shifters book 2
Lisa Carlisle
LisaCarlisleBooks.com
The Wolf and His Forbidden Witch
Tensions are brewing between the packs.
After a wolf from another pack has been killed, Grayson, beta of the Franconia pack and CFO of a mountain resort, strives to avoid more bloodshed. When negotiations sour, he brings in a witch as an outside mediator.
Aurora heads to the White Mountains to mediate between wolf packs. Wolf shifters are notorious for their stubborn, territorial nature. She wants to hurry up and finish the job, and return back to Salem.
But when she meets Grayson, he’s unlike anyone she’s ever met. She promises to help him save his pack. Yet, an unexpected attraction grows.
Grayson recognizes Aurora as his mate, but he must ignore the yearning.
They must work together to prevent a pack war, not fall prey to temptation...
Fated mates and forbidden love. Escape into the magic of the White Mountains with the Franconia shifters.
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Other Books by Lisa Carlisle
White Mountain Shifters
Howls Romance
Fated mates and forbidden love. When wolf shifters find their fated mate, the trouble is only just beginning.
The Reluctant Wolf and His Fated Mate
The Wolf and His Forbidden Witch
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Underground Encounters
Steamy paranormal romances set in an underground goth club that attracts vampires, witches, shifters, and gargoyles.
Book 1: SMOLDER (a vampire / firefighter romance)
Book 2: FIRE (a witch / firefighter romance)
Book 3: IGNITE (a feline shifter / rock star romance)
Book 4: BURN (a vampire / shapeshifter rock romance)
Book 5: HEAT (a gargoyle shifter romance)
Book 6: BLAZE (a gargoyle shifter rockstar romance)
Book 7: COMBUST (vampire / witch romances)
Book 8: INFLAME (a gargoyle shifter / witch romance)
Book 9: TORCH (a gargoyle shifter / werewolf romance
Book 10: SCORCH (an incubus vs succubus demon romance)
Chateau Seductions
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Darkness Rising
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Dark Pursuit
Highland Gargoyle
Gargoyle shifters, wolf shifters, and tree witches have divided the Isle of Stone after a great battle 25 years ago. One risk changes it all…
Knights of Stone: Mason
Knights of Stone: Lachlan
Knights of Stone: Bryce
Seth: a wolf shifter romance in the series
Knights of Stone: Calum
Stone Cursed
Knights of Stone: Gavin
Stone Sentries
Meet your perfect match the night of the super moon — or your perfect match for the night. A cop teams up with a gargoyle shifter when demons attack Boston.
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Enticed by the Gargoyle
Captivated by the Gargoyle
Anchor Me
Navy SEALs, Marines, and hometown heroes. Each one encounters his most complicated mission yet, when he will find a woman from his past—who changes his future.
Antonio (a novella available for free here)
Angelo
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Slade
Mark (Coming in 2021!)
Night Eagle Operations
A paranormal romantic suspense novel
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Berkano Vampires
A shared author world with dystopian paranormal romances.
Immortal Resistance
Blood Courtesans
A shared author world with the vampire blood courtesans.
Pursued: Mia
Visit LisaCarlisleBooks.com to learn more!
For E. Always.
The Wolf and His Forbidden Witch
Copyright © 2020 by Lisa Carlisle
Edited by Natasha Larry
The right of Lisa Carlisle to be identified as author of this Work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, copied in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise transmitted without written permission from the publisher. You must not circulate this book in any format.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please do so through your retailer’s “lend” function. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
To obtain permission to excerpt portions of the text, please contact the author at [email protected].
All characters in this book are fiction and figments of the author’s imagination.
Find out more about the author and upcoming books online at lisacarlislebooks.com, facebook.com/lisacarlisleauthor, or @lisacbooks.
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Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Epilogue
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Acknowledgments
About the Author
Book List
Chapter 1
Grayson
Grayson ended the call with the Salem Supernatural Network. What a mess his pack was in. Would his attempt at mediation with the Sacco pack prevent war?
He stared out through the picture window of his office facing Franconia Mountain. The chairlifts were all running, and the early birds skied or snowboarded through the fresh snowfall from last night. He’d normally be out there himself to get a few runs in before heading into the office, but the rising tensions with the Sacco pack drove him straight to the base lodge to tackle the issues.
The responsibility to keep peace fell squarely on his shoulders. As beta of the Franconia wolf pack and CFO of Franconia Mountain Resort, he strove to keep the pack and business running smoothly. The death of a Sacco wolf during a fight with a Franconia enforcer had shifters in both packs itching to fight.
Grayson had worked so hard with his alpha, Rafe, to make the resort a success so the pack could live comfortably in the mountains, and it all could be threatened if the packs went to war.
That couldn’t happen. Grayson would do all he could to prevent bloodshed on the mountain. When packs battled, no one came out a winner. He knew that firsthand.
&nb
sp; A Franconia enforcer, Damon, had sparked the hostility of the Sacco pack when he’d tracked his mate into their lands. A Sacco enforcer had attacked Damon, igniting a feud.
Tensions remained high and all were on edge, ready to fight. Rafe had grown impatient with the Sacco’s accusations and demands. It had taken all of Grayson’s skills at negotiating to keep Rafe from responding with more violence. Grayson had barely been able to keep from shifting into wolf form and tearing into Lars, the Sacco beta, himself, finding the Saccos too stubborn and unreasonable.
Somehow Grayson had summoned enough control to seek another approach. He’d talked to both Rafe and then the Saccos about bringing in an outside mediator to aid in negotiations since the two packs could not come to an agreement. The call from the Network informed him they’d found someone.
A witch.
He should have expected that. The network was based in Salem, Massachusetts, after all. But witches and wolves were too different and kept a cautious distance from each other. As much as Grayson was wary about bringing a witch to deal with wolf packs, he didn’t have much of a choice. He needed someone skilled at negotiating between hot-tempered shifters, and he needed them here quickly.
He left his office and strode down the lodge to Rafe’s office on the opposite end of the building.
“The Salem Supernatural Network just called,” Grayson said.
“And?” Rafe answered.
“A mediator will arrive tomorrow.”
Rafe exhaled. “I still don’t know about this. It seems like we’re just delaying what’s inevitable.”
“Don’t worry, I will work with her,” Grayson assured his skeptical alpha.
After all, how difficult would that part be? He’d meet with the witch and explain the situation, and then she’d go meet with the Saccos. That part would be easy.
Whatever happened after that, well, he’d worry about that when it was time.
Aurora
The snow-covered White Mountains were picturesque, but as Aurora drove closer to her destination, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that something about this assignment was unlike any she’d ever faced before.
Was it because they were wolves, the most stubborn of all the groups she’d worked with?
Or was it something else?
No sense in trying to solve that mystery without any clues. She’d be at the resort soon enough. When the first sounds of Robert Plant’s “Big Log” played, she turned up the volume and admired the scenery as she drove north on the New Hampshire highway.
The distraction didn’t last until the end of the song.
She squirmed in the driver’s seat and leaned her head back on the headrest. Why had she agreed to take on this assignment?
She groaned. As if she didn’t know. Her Aunt Colleen had asked her, and she liked to please her aunt. She’d taken Aurora in when she was twelve and her parents were on the verge of separating. They’d all agreed that it was better for Aurora not to be around the fighting, but after her parents had divorced, she’d chosen to stay. She looked up to her aunt, a successful, independent witch who ran a magic-supply shop in Salem and was one of the founders of the Salem Supernatural Network. As soon as Aurora was old enough, she worked part time in the shop.
For the last few years, she’d also become a mediator for the network which catered to supernatural beings in New England and the Tri-State area. Her great uncle James had been killed when she was a child over a territorial dispute. Shifters had moved into Salem and had attempted to seize control from the witches. The witches had prevailed, but not without losing a number of gifted witches. Certainly, that had influenced her volunteering to become a mediator. She’d sought to prevent senseless violence as disputes could be better solved through peaceful talks.
Lately, though, she had doubts about her work for the network. Dealing with quarreling parties had lost whatever appeal it might have had as she’d begun to feel like a lawyer in divorce court.
But she couldn’t let Aunt Colleen down, so she resolved to do the best job possible before returning home. She replayed the conversation with her aunt to prepare for her assignment.
“A wolf shifter pack requested a mediator to help with a dispute. Can you go up to the White Mountains to help unruffle some fur?”
She sighed. Wolves. The shifters might be the worst to deal with their ridiculous pride and propensity to settle disputes through violence.
“What’s the situation?”
“Two wolf packs—the Franconia and Sacco—have a dispute over a treaty violation, which included staying off each other’s lands. When one trespassed, the other pack went nuts. You know, a typical territorial response. The Franconia beta, Grayson Dumont, asked for our help to find a way that they can live together in peace once more.”
Aurora replied, “Sounds like it will be a doozy.”
“It could be.” Aunt Colleen arched her brows. “Wolves are notorious for their pride.” She nodded. “But with your calmness and ability to get both sides to see the positives with compromise, I know you’re the best for the job.”
Although Aurora had doubts, she couldn’t say no. “Okay, I’ll give it a try.”
Ever since she’d agreed, she’d felt increasingly anxious, but she couldn’t figure out why. Each night, she’d performed a cleansing ritual beneath the moonlight, yet the odd restlessness remained.
Well, she’d go up to the White Mountains, deal with this mess with the wolves, and return to Salem as fast as possible. The sooner she got this job over with, the better. Then she could figure out the next step of what she wanted to do with her life.
Wolves. She sighed, already regretting how she’d agreed to play referee between furry, supernatural toddlers.
Enough of that. She’d didn’t have time to ruminate. The resort was just down this stretch of road.
Aurora touched her heart-shaped, rose quartz pendant to soothe her anxiety and prepare to face the wolves.
Grayson
“The witch has arrived,” Victoria announced. “She’s in my office.”
Grayson looked up from his mahogany executive desk in his office at the base of Franconia Mountain when his packmate entered to announce her. Victoria worked both as an admin and in a marketing capacity at the resort, reporting to Grayson and Rafe.
“Thank you, Victoria. Send her in.”
Her gaze lingered on him before she spun on her heels and left.
Grayson’s gaze dropped to her rear, which she seemed to put an extra sway in for his benefit. Still, nothing. No reaction on his part. Too bad.
He attempted to keep a professional tone and friendly distance between Victoria and himself. She’d made it clear numerous times that she thought they should be mates. Although she was beautiful with lush red hair, vivid green eyes, and a curvaceous body, he didn’t feel any sparks. The unattached wolves in the pack thought he was crazy. They’d kill to have a chance to be with Victoria. Grayson had known her since they were young and didn’t have any romantic feelings toward her, something he considered essential in a mate.
It was unfortunate. They would’ve been a good match since they knew each other well and had a satisfactory professional relationship. But Grayson couldn’t settle. He longed for the connection between mates, that magical union of two souls. His parents had it. If they had it, why couldn’t he?
Life was short—too short to settle for someone who wasn’t the right match.
He and Rafe had discussed that many times in recent months. They’d spent the last decade building up the resort to the success it now achieved, but both had felt it was time to find their mates. They’d even ventured from the mountains to expand their search. Damon had met his mate, Sophie, during a trip to Massachusetts. That was an odd twist of fate since he’d been so reluctant to ever find his mate.
Grayson snorted. That’s the way that fate worked, didn’t it? He pictured it as a mischievous imp who amused himself by messing in the affairs of other beings.
Vic
toria returned to his office with a brunette who looked petite standing next to her statuesque frame. The woman wore a white jacket with black and white fur around the hood and a navy blue travel bag slung over her shoulder. Grayson’s wolf perked inside, taking notice of the woman. She had a heart-shaped face and chestnut hair that fell in loose waves over her shoulders. Her most notable feature were her eyes, which were almost too large for her face. They were a striking shade of a blue that bordered on violet. They stared at him from under long dark lashes.
She bit her lip. Her lips were pale, pink, and plump—a mouth perfect for kissing. She was pretty, no doubt, but not a knockout like Victoria. Her beauty was more accessible, more like the girl next door. Something about her made him look closer, and he quickly scanned her up and down. Through her unzipped jacket, the curve of her full breasts were visible beneath a periwinkle blue cashmere sweater. Her black jeans clung to rounded hips.
“Grayson, this is Aurora Crawford, the mediator from Salem,” Victoria introduced.
Grayson stood up from his leather chair behind his executive desk. “Welcome, Ms. Crawford.” He motioned toward the two chairs that were across from him. “Please have a seat.”
“Thank you. Please call me Aurora.” She walked over.
The Wolf and His Forbidden Witch: A Howls Romance (White Mountain Shifters Book 2) Page 1
