{"id":2615,"date":"2021-03-08T11:42:52","date_gmt":"2021-03-08T16:42:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aimeeeasterling.com\/?p=2615"},"modified":"2021-03-08T11:42:52","modified_gmt":"2021-03-08T16:42:52","slug":"charmed-wolf-sneak-peak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/aimeeeasterling.com\/?p=2615","title":{"rendered":"Charmed Wolf sneak peak"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Charmed<\/a>Charmed Wolf<\/a> is book two in the Samhain Shifters series, but unlike most of my series you can dive into any installment you want as your introduction. Keep reading for a special snippet to tempt your taste buds before next week’s launch.<\/em><\/p>\n

Chapter 1<\/h1>\n

There are few things more amusing than growly, dominant werewolves coated in glitter. No wonder my friend Ash raised a hand to cover his grin as Willa stormed into my office without knocking.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlpha,\u201d she addressed me, ignoring Ash as irrelevant, \u201cyou have an appointment in half an hour.\u201d<\/p>\n

And she had a streak of glitter that started below her right eyebrow and arched up wildly toward her buzz-cut hairline. As if she\u2019d tried to apply mascara and had her elbow jiggled at just the wrong moment.<\/p>\n

Which, knowing the fifty-something, ramrod-spine Beta that I\u2019d inherited from my father, was nowhere near the origin of that smear of cornstarch-based metal-mimic marring her forehead. When you run a glitter factory, sometimes sparkles end up in the wrong place.<\/p>\n

\u201cShould we tell her?\u201d<\/i> My words were silent, sent down the pack bond that connected me to the closest thing I had to a brother, the guy who just so happened to be the bringer of the snacks scattered across my desk.<\/p>\n

Yes, I\u2019d worked through lunch again. Yes, Ash had fixed my error. No wonder I let him make the call.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot quite yet, Tara,\u201d<\/i> Ash replied. \u201cIt\u2019s always good to have an escape hatch when dealing with Willa.\u201d<\/i> His tone was mischievous and I got the impression that he enjoyed being the devil on my shoulder.<\/p>\n

If he was the devil, Willa was the angel. The one always reining me in to the reality of my new responsibilities. \u201cAlpha,\u201d she repeated, eyebrows drawing together.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a name,\u201d I told her mildly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know you do, Alpha. Just like your father did and his father before him.\u201d Her smile turned grim. \u201cThe pack doesn\u2019t need to know that name, however. You were Heir. Now you\u2019re Alpha. And if you don\u2019t get a move on, you\u2019re going to be late.\u201d<\/p>\n

I reached around a baggie of baby carrots\u2014Ash sometimes arrived with strangely healthy food for a shoulder devil\u2014and clicked over to the screen with my calendar on it. \u201cI don\u2019t recall any meeting. Did you find contact info for Greenpeace\u2019s purchase agent?\u201d<\/p>\n

Willa scowled. Since Father died and I inherited both my role and her help as interim second-in-command, she was perpetually scowling. But the lines in her forehead deepened now in response to my question. \u201cThey are prey. We are predators.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll take that as a no.\u201d I slammed the laptop shut. Straightened and let my inner wolf growl at her. \u201cBiodegradable glitter would make glitter bombs more sustainable. Greenpeace is in the business of sustainability and protest. They\u2019re an obvious partner. You\u2019ll call them tomorrow<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n

The words reverberated with Alpha power I hadn\u2019t possessed until six months ago. No wonder Willa fought against my compulsion.<\/p>\n

First she tried to wrest her gaze away from mine. Then, when that failed, she called up her own inner wolf to snarl behind her eyeballs. A glint of fangs, the scent of fur, a warning that she had a strong beast just waiting to get out.<\/p>\n

The attempt at intimidation didn\u2019t work though. I was Alpha. She was only Beta. Inch by inch, Willa\u2019s head bowed downward until her eyes latched onto the sustainable bamboo flooring I\u2019d installed to attract the right sort of client. The flooring she\u2019d argued wouldn\u2019t stand up under lupine claws.<\/p>\n

Her words now came out more like ground glass than glitter. \u201cYes, Alpha.\u201d<\/p>\n

Teeth sharp, I nodded. Willa would call Greenpeace and we\u2019d make a sale.<\/p>\n

I hoped. Because this factory\u2014this crazy, unwolflike glitter factory I\u2019d let my best friend talk me into building\u2014was all that stood between the Whelan clan and insolvency. I refused to be the Alpha responsible for the decline and fall of our pack.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

We told Willa about the glitter smear after that, which sent her scurrying home to shower off the offending particles. What we didn\u2019t tell her was that I\u2019d received a heads-up from the glitter-bomb-testing committee that they were waiting at the second-floor window just above the entrance in preparation for a stealth attack.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, she\u2019s going to shower anyway,\u201d Ash observed as he pushed a platter of chocolate-cranberry cookies in my general direction. \u201cMight as well….\u201d<\/p>\n

Willa\u2019s roar cut through his words and I couldn\u2019t resist. I swiveled my chair around and pushed open the window so I could see the aftermath.<\/p>\n

The air was so full of swirling sparkles that I couldn\u2019t even make out Willa for a moment. I could<\/i> see the glitter bombers, though, their entire torsos hanging out the window beneath me. The scientists\u2019 eyes were wide, their mouths opening to form words I couldn\u2019t hear but which I suspected were: \u201cOh shit.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

Willa was the very last werewolf they would have chosen to test their glitter bomb on.<\/p>\n

They were frozen, but I ran through scenarios at the speed of Alpha. Could Willa shift to wolf form and make it all the way up the stairs before the glitter-bombers fled the premises? Just in case, I dropped another alpha command on her: \u201cYou will not tear anyone\u2019s throat out.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

Amidst the subsiding sparkles, one glittery fist curled tighter. The other opened out to reveal a single finger. But Willa didn\u2019t make a move to retaliate against the throwers of glitter.<\/p>\n

They, in contrast, had curled in on themselves as the shockwave of my command rolled downward. The stronger of the two coughed out an apology. \u201cAlpha, I\u2019m so sorry. I didn\u2019t see who was coming….\u201d<\/p>\n

My lips twitched, but I firmed them back up. \u201cPerhaps next time you\u2019ll confirm your test subject\u2019s identity before launching.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Alpha. Of course, Alpha. It\u2019s just that no one is willing to be glitter bombed….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t mind it.\u201d I let a smile break out across my face. Five minutes of glorious sparkle followed by thirty minutes of relentless scrubbing? Sounded like a much-needed break from the spreadsheets, letters, and bills on my desk.<\/p>\n

The silence below was deafening. The glitter bombers\u2019 eyes grew so wide I might as well have suggested tap-dancing naked in Times Square.<\/p>\n

Willa\u2019s response was more understated but also more powerful. She met my gaze and shook her head. Once. Hard.<\/p>\n

The gesture dislodged a cloud of sparkles, which should have been hilarious. Instead, it struck me like a punch to the gut.<\/p>\n

No, my Beta was saying, that was inappropriate behavior for an Alpha. Especially one who\u2019d only held her position for six months.<\/p>\n

Behind me, Ash hummed commiseration. But I didn\u2019t need to be patted on the back, literally or verbally. I was Alpha.<\/p>\n

So I straightened my spine until I resembled Willa, only significantly less sparkly. \u201cJust kidding,\u201d I told the glitter bombers.<\/p>\n

Then I closed the window more quietly than I wanted to before retreating to my desk.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Ash left after that. He always knew when to make himself scarce. And the factory gradually emptied out as the work day ended.<\/p>\n

Which didn\u2019t mean I was off the hook. As long as a single wolf remained in my vicinity, I remained on call.<\/p>\n

For example: \u201cDo you need anything else, Alpha?\u201d asked the ten-thousandth shifter to intrude upon my day.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t glance up this time because the speaker happened to be the lowest wolf on our totem pole. Perpetually terrified, he tended to pee his pants every time I made eye contact. \u201cNo, thank you,\u201d I answered. \u201cYou can go home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another two minutes of typing, then another voice: \u201cAlpha, it\u2019s quitting time and the pups are antsy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The spreadsheet in front of me contained far too many red cells. Negative income since we\u2019d yet to find any buyers for our product, the product I\u2019d dreamed up to replace my father\u2019s outdated but fiscally responsible tobacco-growing enterprise. I wanted to tear my hair out and scream.<\/p>\n

Instead, I graced this pack mate with a smile. He could handle eye contact. Craved it, actually. My attention proved there was an Alpha in charge even though my father\u2019s body had been reduced to ash then returned to the forest.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake the pups for a run then,\u201d I suggested, although I shouldn\u2019t have had to state the obvious. \u201cNo one will see you. The humans left an hour ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pup minder backed away bowing, as if I was a medieval ruler. \u201cThank you, Alpha. I\u2019m sorry, Alpha.\u201d<\/p>\n

Drat.<\/i> Must have let a little annoyance seep into my voice.<\/p>\n

I tamped down stray emotion, or seemed to. Because the next two pack mates didn\u2019t prostrate themselves on the floor with their bellies exposed. They left, instead, with bounces in their steps and the smiles of wolves content in their pack.<\/p>\n

For my part, I fell deeper into my spreadsheet as the litany of \u201cAlpha\u201ds faded. Such relief to have half an hour of solitude before I needed to prepare for an evening of challenges.<\/p>\n

But, no. Challenges weren\u2019t the only item remaining on my to-do list. An email from Willa dinged in my inbox. Inside was the information we\u2019d both forgotten while I was letting the devil on my shoulder guide my actions.<\/p>\n

My industrious Beta had set up an appointment with a potential Consort. A mandatory part of my transition to leadership. One I didn\u2019t relish.<\/p>\n

And, yes, I was going to be late.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 2<\/h1>\n

He\u2019s beautiful. <\/i>My wolf and I cocked our shared human head as we stared in the plate-glass window of Fluff Enough Bakery. The other potential Consorts I\u2019d considered over the last six months had been powerful wolves with excellent heredity, but they\u2019d lacked this male\u2019s chiseled cheekbones and lanky vitality.<\/p>\n

They\u2019d also watched me with greedy eyes. Their wolves had been alert, ready to fight or fuck. Maybe fight and<\/i> fuck in the same moment.<\/p>\n

Not this male. He sat cross-legged on the bench seat of a half-booth, eyes closed and back straight. His hands rested on his knees, thumbs touching middle fingers. But even though he appeared to be meditating, his nostrils twitched ever so slightly when another diner rose to drop off a dirty plate at the counter. He was 100% alert.<\/p>\n

And he matched the scanty description Willa had left for me. Biracial with some African component to his heritage. Six foot four inches of lean, muscular beauty. Close-cropped, jet-black hair.<\/p>\n

So I opened the door, letting myself in. Watched out of the corner of my eye to see how he\u2019d respond to my heady chocolate aroma.<\/p>\n

This was the first test…and also one of the reasons I met potential Consorts in a human-run bakery. Usually, my signature scent was lost amid fumes from brownies, dark chocolate tarts, and homemade truffles. In the midst of all that created sweetness, even shifters didn\u2019t tend to notice that I smelled like a pack princess\u2014a cossetted alpha\u2019s daughter\u2014rather than a gritty pack leader. I wouldn\u2019t have to take no-longer-wanted interviewees out back and break their arms before they\u2019d take no for an answer.<\/p>\n

Only, the venue didn\u2019t work this time. The potential Consort\u2019s eyes remained closed but his head turned toward me. He\u2019d smelled something, although I couldn\u2019t quite discern his reaction at our current distance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe regular?\u201d Megan asked from behind the counter, reminding me that I\u2019d made other advances in my interview technique since the arm-breaking fiasco.<\/p>\n

I nodded. \u201cEvery bit of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you sure?\u201d Megan leaned in closer and lowered her voice to a whisper. The volume wasn\u2019t, of course, low enough to keep shifters in the dark. Megan was totally human and unaware that her shop currently hosted not one but two werewolves. \u201cThis one\u2019s pretty.\u201d<\/p>\n

She waggled her eyebrows. The male\u2019s lips twitched ever so slightly.<\/p>\n

\u201cCertain,\u201d I growled.<\/p>\n

And Megan shrugged, ringing up two meals and paying for them\u2014plus a 100% tip\u2014out of the credit card I\u2019d left on file. The tip was sufficient to ensure we\u2019d receive her undivided attention…and that she wouldn\u2019t balk at the required cleanup.<\/p>\n

Because we had a deal. The moment I crossed my fork and knife on my plate, Megan would dump something foul and liquid all over me. Here amid humans, the potential Consort would have no choice but to bow to social standards when I stormed out to change my clothing. Willa would deal with the unenviable task of letting failed applicants down over the phone the following day.<\/p>\n

After thirty-five times through this process, I already knew how today\u2019s \u201cdate\u201d would end. Still, I straightened my spine and pasted on a human smile.<\/p>\n

After all, I might as well try to enjoy the process. This was the closest I\u2019d ever come to bonding with a mate.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

The thirty-sixth potential Consort, though, continued to act differently than expected. His eyes didn\u2019t open until I set the tray down on the table between us. Even then, there was no leering, no foul language. Just a restrained nod.<\/p>\n

Time for his second test, then. Would he accept food a woman had picked out for him? To get a good gauge of the applicant\u2019s personality, I\u2019d gone full-on girly with the menu. Quiche, a skim latte, and a bright pink cupcake with piped yellow rosettes on top.<\/p>\n

The potential Consort didn\u2019t even glance at the food. Instead he spoke my name in a voice so deep and liquid I wanted to swim in it. Not Alpha<\/i> but: \u201cTara Whelan.\u201d His eyes smiled if not his lips.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, he rose, opening up both seating options\u2014the bench he\u2019d been meditating atop and the two normal chairs on the table\u2019s other side. Sidling out of the way, he made space for me with the elegance of a wolf hunting. Each foot was placed so carefully it made no sound against the tiles.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat a pleasure to make your acquaintance,\u201d he continued. \u201cPlease choose a seat.\u201d<\/p>\n

I frowned. I should have been the one speaking. Guiding the conversation. I couldn\u2019t afford to let a Consort wannabe gain the upper hand.<\/p>\n

So I pulled upon the arrogance of Alpha. \u201cWhat does it matter where I sit? We have business to attend to.\u201d Then I dropped my gaze to his file on my phone as an additional power play.<\/p>\n

The gesture had only been meant to prove my wolf\u2019s ability to rip out our enemy\u2019s throat without watching him every second. But I found myself frowning as I skimmed over the scanty data.<\/p>\n

Why had Willa arranged this meeting when the potential Consort had filled in so few of the application questions? He hadn\u2019t bothered to submit a DNA sample. Hadn\u2019t listed his ancestors. Hadn\u2019t even put down a surname. Just his first name….<\/p>\n

\u201cButch?\u201d I looked from the phone to the stunning specimen of masculine beauty before me. \u201cWhat kind of name is that?\u201d<\/p>\n

The applicant\u2019s eyes were closed. As if he\u2019d decided to take advantage of my pause to finish up his meditation. But long lashes fluttered back open as I addressed him. He raised his eyebrows and shrugged.<\/p>\n

Then he waited. For what? For me to choose a seat? Perhaps this was Butch\u2019s return power play. Whatever.<\/i> I sank into the closest chair, expecting Butch to slide back onto the bench on the other side of the table.<\/p>\n

Instead, he pulled out the other standalone seat, folding his long body into it. Now he was so close that his presence warmed me like summer sunshine. My entire face heated. I knew from experience that my cheeks had turned a brilliant red.<\/p>\n

And…Butch scooted his chair back a precious four inches. Murmured an apology. Picked up his latte, took the tiniest sip, then set it back down in its saucer with a gentle clink.<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand you\u2019re looking for a mate.\u201d His words were a quiet rumble, almost gentle. I found myself leaning forward, then caught myself and shook my head.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Whelan Alphas don\u2019t bond with mates,\u201d I corrected. \u201cWe hire Consorts, a temporary, paid position. Please allow me to explain the logistics before you speak.\u201d It was easier, I\u2019d found, if I just spat it all out in one go.<\/p>\n

Well, easier for me. Most male werewolves took offense halfway through and interrupted. If they did, the fork and knife crossed and the interview ended. Thinking ahead, I dropped my left hand to the butter knife. Then I returned my attention, to the phone in my right hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll just run through the entire checklist,\u201d I told him, before proceeding to do so.<\/p>\n

The once-a-generation job was simple, especially when the Alpha\u2014me\u2014was female. The Consort would be on call until I hit peak fertility. During the subsequent twenty-four hours, he\u2019d do everything in his power to ensure conception, after which he\u2019d receive his first stipend. If necessary, both job and payment would be repeated for up to six months.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen you\u2019ll receive a smaller weekly retainer to make yourself available,\u201d I informed him. I should have been gauging his reaction, but just saying the words made me slightly queasy so I kept my eyes on my phone as if I needed a cheat sheet. \u201cFirst pregnancies have a 25% chance of miscarriage, so we might be forced to circle back around to the beginning. That will be determined at the discretion of both parties, using the same structure of recompense. At the time of birth, your job will be complete.\u201d<\/p>\n

I paused, expecting him to say something. But he didn\u2019t. Shrugging, I continued on to the legal side of the equation. Butch would be expected to sign papers asserting his total lack of rights to the child. \u201cThey\u2019ll hold up in human court,\u201d I informed him. \u201cBut that\u2019s unlikely to be necessary. If you attempt to use the child to gain a foothold into our pack, I will personally rip out your throat.\u201d<\/p>\n

His chair leg scraped against the floor. That<\/i> had gotten a reaction.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, air currents promised Megan was passing close to check on the state of my silverware. Her human ears couldn\u2019t overhear my murmured threat, but body language must have clued her in to the intensity of the conversation. No wonder she thought our meeting was going badly.<\/p>\n

Only…she and I both thought wrong. When I looked up, I saw that I\u2019d misread the chair scrape. Rather than preparing to leave, Butch had worked his way through the quiche while I was speaking. He hadn\u2019t touched his latte after that first sip, but he now consumed the entire cupcake\u2014rosettes and all\u2014in two voracious bites.<\/p>\n

When my pause lengthened into a third second, his mouth quirked. There was the tiniest dot of yellow frosting on his upper lip and I had the oddest inclination to reach out and touch it. \u201cMay I speak?\u201d he murmured, gaze lowered.<\/p>\n

I closed my eyes for half a second, disappointed. Butch\u2019s wolf must be very weak to so easily accede when I insisted upon laying out the ground rules. I hadn\u2019t put a hint of alpha compulsion behind the demand. He shouldn\u2019t have obeyed.<\/p>\n

Which made our interview easier, but also meant Butch was an instant reject. A weak father would mean a weak child. Even with my familial ace in the hole, the secret boost that promised Whelan Alphas were always able to bark down anyone within their territory, neither Heir nor Alpha could afford to start out weak.<\/p>\n

I set down my phone and picked up my fork, preparing to stop wasting our time. But before I could cross the silverware, my wolf rose up through me. She\u2019s smelled something. Or seen something. Whatever the reason, she was there, glaring through my eyes at someone I thought was weak but she thought was a threat to us.<\/p>\n

And Butch\u2019s wolf responded. I couldn\u2019t see it, but I could feel it. Smell it. The energy, the wildness of fur seeping out of his human body….<\/p>\n

His wolf wasn\u2019t cowering the way I\u2019d assumed it would in the face of my dominance. Nor did Butch\u2019s beast fight then submit the way Willa\u2019s had.<\/p>\n

Instead, the intensity of his inner animal set chills running through my entire body. I was the one struggling, chiding my wolf when she would have retreated. I was the one who gritted my jaw and ignored the sweat beading at my hairline.<\/p>\n

Never since my father died had I met a wolf so powerful. In six months, no one had given my wolf any reason to stretch her muscles, let alone cave before them.<\/p>\n

And yet, here I was unwillingly lowering my eyes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 3<\/h1>\n

Guardian,<\/i> I begged, wriggling my toes in shoes that sat atop a concrete floor and had no way of contacting the soil. Was that why the unthinkable had happened? Our pack\u2019s secret weapon couldn\u2019t reach me through the veneer of human civilization?<\/p>\n

Whatever the reason, Butch\u2019s dominance was so great that my fingers refused to cross silverware over my untouched plate of quiche and cupcake. Couldn\u2019t change their trajectory and reach for one of the half dozen razor-sharp knives I had secreted about my person either.<\/p>\n

I could, however, speak.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re refusing my offer, you may go,\u201d I ground out. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to prove your point by overpowering me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour offer,\u201d Butch countered, \u201calthough intriguing, is not why I\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n

I shouldn\u2019t have felt disappointed. After all, the role of Consort was a business transaction. One of the less appealing ones involved in the transition of power…or it had been unappealing until I\u2019d set eyes on this unexpected specimen of a wolf.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why did you let me make a fool of myself by telling you all the details?\u201d My cheeks were hot again, which made me furious. Almost furious enough to break Butch\u2019s hold over me…but not quite.<\/p>\n

His dominance really was greater than mine. Also his patience. He waited until my wolf stopped struggling then shrugged. \u201cYou asked me to let you speak. I let you speak.\u201d<\/p>\n

And now he\u2019d challenge me. Why else would another dominant werewolf jump through such extreme hoops to get me alone? Within my clan, politeness dictated that challenges wait until moonrise. But there was no politeness when dealing with dangers from outside the pack.<\/p>\n

I tried again to beat back Butch\u2019s hold over me. As before, there wasn\u2019t even a ripple of strain on his features. Instead, he spoke as easily as I had when laying down the Consort ground rules.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour pack refuses admittance to outsiders,\u201d he continued, telling me what I already knew. \u201cThere is no publicly available contact information for any of you besides this one application.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was<\/i> one other available contact number, but to argue that point would be hairsplitting. Butch was right\u2014the Consort application was the primary chink in our armor.<\/p>\n

One I should have paid more attention to. After all, while few outside the Whelan clan understood our centuries-old bargain with the fae, those who did could have read the signs and known we were presently at our weakest moment in a generation. I hadn\u2019t allowed any of our wolves to attend mate-seeking Solstice gatherings last December. Had put out the call for a Consort even before that.<\/p>\n

I might as well have ordered a billboard stating that we were unprotected by our hereditary fae Guardian until I had the Heir issue sorted. It had been naive of me to think I could drag my heels until the last possible minute just because I found the task distasteful.<\/p>\n

Well, I was Alpha. I would fix this.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe honorable way to challenge is to meet away from humans. Away from coffee shops,\u201d I growled.<\/p>\n

Or, well, I tried to growl. To my disgust, the words came out closer to a whine.<\/p>\n

No wonder. My inner wolf had given up, rolling over and showing her belly to the stronger shifter. I clenched my eyes shut, hoping Butch hadn\u2019t noticed the transition from threat to submission in my pupils. But the warmth of his proximity heightened. He\u2019d leaned in closer until his breath slid across my skin.<\/p>\n

This wasn\u2019t even going to be a challenge. He\u2019d leave me frozen while he vanquished me. Killed me perhaps.<\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t allow that. My pack needed me alive. Even if I was no longer Alpha, I could find a way to help them survive Butch\u2019s coup.<\/p>\n

So I did it. Hating myself, knowing Father\u2019s ashes would be rising up out of the forest floor at this disgrace to his bloodline, I tilted my chin upward to reveal my neck.<\/p>\n

Then I waited, teeth clenched and lungs frozen. Most wolves wouldn\u2019t bite a submissive. Most<\/i> wolves. Not all.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not challenging you.\u201d The whisper of his breath flitted across my unprotected jugular. \u201cYou have nothing to fear from me.\u201d<\/p>\n

I opened my eyes. I couldn\u2019t help it. Butch\u2019s face was so close I could see that his irises were brown rather than the black they\u2019d appeared from a distance. The color of fallen leaves soaked for half a week in pooled rainwater.<\/p>\n

There was no longer wolf visible in them either. Instead, his pupils appeared to have turned human and kind.<\/p>\n

\u201cNice trick,\u201d I told him. My fingers still refused to budge, but Butch\u2019s compulsion appeared to be fading. I was now able to shift my torso the tiniest bit.<\/p>\n

As I flexed the only muscles that would move at the moment, the knife at my hip slid a quarter of an inch out of its sheathe. If Butch lost the rest of his hold over my will for even a second, I could grab the weapon, stab him, and run.<\/p>\n

Then what? Would Megan call the human cops? Would Butch tail me as I fled to pack central? Attack wasn\u2019t much of a solution. My chin dipped downward as I gave up on the plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cTara.\u201d My name on his tongue pulled my face forward. \u201cYou\u2019re not listening.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course I wasn\u2019t listening. The dominance behind his eyes had said everything, even if he\u2019d hidden it afterwards. My pack was in imminent danger. I needed to think of something unbelievably clever so I could overpower a much stronger wolf.<\/p>\n

Too bad the only thoughts in my brain related to Butch\u2019s scent\u2014a deep, woodsy baseline sweetened by persimmon. The focus I required slipped through my fingers every time I tried to grab for it. My inner wolf refused to even consider a fight.<\/p>\n

While my brain whirred, Butch humphed deep in his throat, a lupine sound of put-upon annoyance. But when he spoke, there was no overbearing beast in his voice. Instead, his words were bell-like, musical.<\/p>\n

\u201cI swear that I mean no harm to you or your pack, Tara. As proof, I give you my true name\u2014Rune Pelletier.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

A true name meant…. \u201cYou can\u2019t be fae,\u201d I countered. \u201cYou have a wolf inside you.\u201d<\/p>\n

His lips pursed, somehow managing to remain beautiful in the process. This time his eyes were the ones averted. \u201cHalf fae. Half wolf,\u201d he murmured, as if he didn\u2019t want to share the information. \u201cNow will you listen?\u201d<\/p>\n

A true name wasn\u2019t given lightly. With that knowledge, I could do more than freeze his muscles. I could force him to obey.<\/p>\n

I cleared my throat. \u201cMay I test it?\u201d<\/p>\n

His muscles tensed but he nodded. \u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRune Pelletier\u201d\u2014I whispered the words, not wanting them overheard\u2014\u201cleave me.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was the obvious use of his true name. The one thing he clearly didn\u2019t want to do.<\/p>\n

But he rose to his feet. Half-bowed. Turned toward the exit.<\/p>\n

If Rune was pretending, he was doing a fine job of it. His scent had dropped from dominant to disappointed. Plus, an Alpha learned when it was worth going out on a rickety but useful limb.<\/p>\n

That, I told myself, not Rune\u2019s beauty, was why I let him off the hook. \u201cI release you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The traditional words were almost musical. Not as melodic as Rune\u2019s had been, but still redolent with something more than humanity.<\/p>\n

Rune turned, one eyebrow raised. \u201cYou realize your inability to move will fade within minutes if you send me out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n

I nodded. \u201cIf what you have to say is important enough to trade a true name for, I\u2019ll listen.\u201d<\/p>\n

He half-bowed again. Then he subsided into his seat.<\/p>\n

I expected him to release me from his compulsion now that I\u2019d agreed to stay, but he didn\u2019t. Maybe he didn\u2019t trust me not to run, or maybe he was too intent upon his own goals. Either way, he leaned in until my wolf whimpered then backed up a millimeter. Finally, he breathed out a story about beings I\u2019d seldom heard mentioned outside my pack.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast October, fae came through a node two hundred miles from here.\u201d His voice was as seductive as the trail of a buck scented when my stomach was empty. \u201cMany of them crossed over, but only three made it past our swords. Three is a powerful number for fae. If all three survive until next Samhain, the devastation could be….\u201d He closed his eyes, his voice trailing off.<\/p>\n

I cocked my head, detecting something personal in his reaction. But the momentary lapse disappeared so quickly I almost thought I\u2019d imagined it. Rune\u2019s voice hardened as he returned to the point.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m one of the Samhain Shifters tasked with finding those fae and expelling them back to Faery before they can wreak further havoc. We suspect one has settled within your territory.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019d been nodding along until the final sentence, but now I cut him off. \u201cNot possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo?\u201d He raised one perfectly formed eyebrow.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t answer the unasked question. The Whelan Bargain wasn\u2019t spoken of outside our pack. Instead, I just nodded. \u201cThanks for checking, but we\u2019re good.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a dismissal, but Butch ignored it. \u201cYou don\u2019t understand. You may think hungry fae are just stories, but they\u2019re not. I\u2019ve seen what they can do. How they invade, feed on pack bonds, break strong clans apart like kindling.\u201d<\/p>\n

He leaned in closer, and this time my body didn\u2019t respond to his proximity either with fear or attraction. He cared about this story, but it was irrelevant to me. Still, I gave him the same courtesy he\u2019d provided and heard him out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI formally request the opportunity to walk through your territory seeking fae, Tara,\u201d Rune continued. \u201cIt won\u2019t take long. A few hours. If there\u2019s an issue, I\u2019ll inform you. As I said, I will take every precaution to prevent harm to your pack.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you finished?\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded once, a slow dip of his chin.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen it\u2019s your turn to listen to me now.\u201d I enunciated slowly to make sure he got the message. \u201cThere are no fae here.\u201d<\/p>\n

None but the one my grandfather had made a deal with. The Guardian, who slept…mostly.<\/p>\n

Rune didn\u2019t lean in closer, yet his persimmon scent consumed me. \u201cYou sound certain, but you had no idea I bore fae blood until I revealed that fact.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even when I\u2019d used his true name, Rune hadn\u2019t released me from his alpha compulsion. But now his agitation did what the true name hadn\u2019t. Tingles of feelings shot back into my fingertips. My hands continued their earlier aborted trajectory before I could freeze them into stillness.<\/p>\n

Fork crossed over knife atop my plate. And Megan must have been hovering right behind me, waiting for the signal.<\/p>\n

Because something cold and gloppy poured over my back, my front, my head. I was drenched in milkshake, rich and sweet and full of chocolate. Curls flattened, clinging to my jawline. I swiped one hand across my face to clear it of the dripping mess.<\/p>\n

I hadn\u2019t heard him move, but Rune was standing by the time I pried my eyes back open. The kindness was gone from his face now. Instead his features had frozen into a mask, pure beauty so perfect it was horrible.<\/p>\n

This time, he didn\u2019t use my name. Just my title. \u201cThere was no need for evasive action, Alpha. I get the picture. I\u2019ll take that as a no.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Keep reading in Charmed Wolf!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Charmed Wolf is book two in the Samhain Shifters series, but unlike most of my series you can dive into any installment you want as your introduction. Keep reading for a special snippet to tempt your taste buds before next week’s launch. Chapter 1 There are few things more amusing than growly, dominant werewolves coated […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49,159],"tags":[14,7,23,8],"class_list":["post-2615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-excerpts-aimee-easterling","category-series-samhain-shifters","tag-paranormal-books","tag-shifter-books","tag-urban-paranormal-romantic-fantasy","tag-werewolf-books","post-preview"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/aimeeeasterling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2615","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/aimeeeasterling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/aimeeeasterling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/aimeeeasterling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/aimeeeasterling.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2615"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/aimeeeasterling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2615\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2616,"href":"http:\/\/aimeeeasterling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2615\/revisions\/2616"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/aimeeeasterling.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/aimeeeasterling.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/aimeeeasterling.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}