The Shiftless Luna (eBook)

A Reluctant Fated Mates Shifter Romance

Catherine H. Francis (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025 | 1. Auflage
346 Seiten
Publishdrive (Verlag)
978-0-00-093649-3 (ISBN)

Infos

My fated mate can't shift.

As the Alpha of the Crescent Moon pack, my primary responsibility is to guarantee my bloodline with a powerful Luna. My pack is restless, my enemies are circling, and my soul longs for the other half that was promised. 

I eventually located her in the most improbable of locations, her scent a beacon of hope amid a packed human lecture classroom. Her name is Pearl, and she embodies everything I've ever desired. But she is also everything my pack considers broken. She has our heritage, but the wild spirit of the wolf lies mute within her, preventing her from doing the one sacred deed that would complete her in their eyes. She rejects me, our relationship, and the terrible world I control because she is terrified and embarrassed of a power she has no access to. 

To seize the lady who controls my destiny, I must breach millennia of convention. I need to show to my pack, and especially to her, that genuine power isn't necessarily measured in tooth and claw. Her silence wields a new sort of power-an intuition so profound it borders on magic, a calm resilience that may be our pack's greatest strength or its undoing. This book describes our hard battle against prejudice, the struggle to overcome her fear, and the realization that her supposed weakness may be the one weapon our opponents never see coming. 

This is more than simply a love tale; it's a battle against expectations. Prepare for a primal connection that flames through every page, the gut-wrenching anxiety of a hesitant mate, and the slow-burn suspense of an Alpha who must earn, not simply claim, the heart of his mate. You will support a one-of-a-kind heroine who redefines what it is to be strong, as well as fall for a love so powerful that it threatens to shatter the entire planet. 

If you're looking for soul-deep romance, tremendous emotional turmoil, and a narrative that reveals the heart is stronger than the fang, your next passion awaits. Scroll up and click 'The Shiftless Luna' immediately!

Textauszug

CHAPTER 4

Sean

"L

ooks like Ben's here," I replied, pointing to my black SUV as it approached the curb. My phone, which had just delivered the stinging reminder of my next meeting, felt heavy in my grasp. Pearl stood next to me, silent, her head inclined slightly as she watched the car approach. The mild wind brought her fragrance, which was delicate yet seductive, and caused my wolf to murmur. We had just concluded our sociology lesson, and our little conversation seemed like a huge step forward, a break in the well-created wall around her.

"Right," she muttered, her voice faint, and I could see she was still bothered by our near closeness in class. Her eyes were wide, hinting at something unreadable in their honey depths. I wanted to reach out and smooth the little furrow between her brows, but I pulled back since I knew it would only startle her. My alpha instincts clashed with the need for prudence, a struggle that had become a regular companion since I discovered her.

Ben parked neatly, the engine purring. He nodded respectfully to me before turning to Pearl with a brief, interested glance. He knew I had met my mate; the entire pack sensed it. I could feel his unspoken acceptance and desire for me to finally bring her home.

I was going to open the passenger door for Pearl when I heard a harsh, piercing whine. It wasn't human. It was the desperate, high-pitched scream of a terrified wolf, piercing through the campus hubbub like a dagger. My head shot up, my senses heightened, and I became immediately aware of the air.

The sense of anxiety, strong and metallic, reached me next, followed by a faint, new odor—a rogue. Additionally, it was too close to college. My breath stopped. My muscles stiffened, and every fiber in my body snapped to attention. My wolf, normally a simmering presence, exploded into a raging inferno, demanding action. “Danger. Pack and protect.”

"Sean?" Pearl's voice was barely a whisper beside me, a delicate query tinged with confusion. She had heard the whine as well, perhaps not as loudly as I had, but enough to realize something was wrong. Her gaze was locked on my face, observing the rapid change in my behavior. My glance scanned the surroundings, analyzing. Students were still roaming around, unaware. The scent became stronger and closer. A rogue guy, anxious and perhaps bewildered by the metropolitan surroundings. That indicated he was desperate, and desperate shifters were deadly.

"Ben," I yelled, my voice sinking low and guttural, like an Alpha order. "Alert the campus perimeter patrol. Now. Inform Liam that I require his assistance in monitoring the southwest sector. Quick."

Ben recognized the urgency in my tone and quickly got out his phone, yelling commands into it before closing the car door. He was a good wolf—quick and faithful. Pearl took a short step back, her eyes wide as saucers. Her lips were slightly wide, indicating a hushed gasp. Her stare was locked on me, not only interested but also filled with a newfound anxiety. My smell, which is generally suppressed in human form, must have emanated complete Alpha strength. The shift in my stance, the sudden tightness, the short, raw commands—it all removed the college student character, revealing the leader beneath.

"What was that?" she said, her voice quivering slightly.
I did not have time for explanations. My pack was in peril. Students were at risk. My friend was at risk. The rogue's scent became stronger, mingled with despair and increasing aggressiveness.

"Liam!" I yelled into my phone, my voice powerful and resonant with real authority. "Status Report! Southwest Sector. "Any sightings?" Liam's voice cracked over the phone, bleak. "Sean, we have a definite image. Male. Uncollared. Seems agitated. "I'm heading towards the old library quad."

The former library quadrangle. That was a high-traffic area, crowded with human students. And disturbingly near to Pearl's dorm building. "I'm on it," I muttered, already in motion. My eyes surveyed the area again, seeking the quickest route and mentally calculating patrol movements. My palms tightened, and my knuckles turned white. My blood was chanting a warm, passionate song of protection. This is what I was here for. This was my intention. I felt Pearl's heavy, shocked gaze on me. My glance at her was fleeting but passionate. Her face was pallid, and her lips parted. She appeared... tiny. Fragile. And slightly afraid. However, there was a flash of something more, such as wonder or a budding awareness.

"Stay here, Pearl," I said, my voice stern, leaving no space for disagreement. It was a direct Alpha directive designed to keep her safe.

"Ben, make sure she gets to her dorm safely. Do not let her out of your sight." Ben nodded forcefully and moved closer to Pearl. I did not wait for her response. My concentration had already shifted.

I pushed through the gathering crush of students, taking long, determined steps. My wolf was coiling, ready to jump, its muscles twitching for the chase. I could feel eyes on me, but I didn't mind. Nothing mattered save the protection of my pack, the security of my territory, and the wordless, desperate need to protect her. I brought my phone back to my ear.

"Liam, are there any civilians near the library? Clear the area. We need to get this renegade out of here. Discreetly."

"Understood, Alpha," Liam's voice cracked. "I'm heading there now. Two minutes out." I began to run, taking short steps and covering territory fast. My sweatshirt was pulled tight over me, hiding my figure slightly, but I knew my presence, my scent, was already emitted into the air. My mental monologue was a rapid-fire series of directives and judgments. Keep him contained. Do not let him change in public. First and foremost, prioritize civilian safety.

As I came around the corner of the student union building, I caught another smell of the renegade. Closer. Stronger. He smelled of desperation as much as hate. This wasn't just some lost wolf.

This was a threat. "Sean!" A voice yelled from behind me. It was Liam, already in wolf form, a whirl of dark fur with quiet paws on the sidewalk. He was quick. He was usually quick.

"What's the situation?" I asked, my voice low and strained with impatience.

"He's cornered himself near the old oak tree by the library steps," Liam snarled, shaking his head slightly as a subtle warning. "Civilians are leaving, with a few stragglers. He is agitated.

"Snapping at shadows." "Good," I muttered, a sickening delight filling my chest. He was stuck. That made things easy. "Keep him in sight. Do not engage yet. I'm coming around the north side."

My heart hammered with a strong pace that matched my wolf's hunger. This is where I belonged. Not in a lecture classroom, not in a suit making calls, but here, on the outskirts of the forest, defending my own. My senses sharpened, and the world around me became crystal clear. I could hear the faint chirping of birds, the distant buzz of traffic, and, most significantly, the rogue's ragged breathing just around the corner.

The excitement rushed through me, hot and exciting. This provided a particular sense of fulfillment. The clearness of intent. Protective instincts. It was pure. Uncomplicated. For a brief time, the weight of my Alpha responsibilities felt less, replaced by the basic, primordial urge of my wolf. I could hear more shifters now, as my pack mates converged. The subtle, familiar smells of my patrol. Good. We would handle it. We'd handle him.

As I approached the library quad, I could see the commotion that had started to develop. Students began to escape, with a few shouts filling the air. My blood became chilly. He pushed them. Creating a scenario.

"Show yourself, rogue!" I screamed, my voice falling, a deep growl of warning that echoed across the ground. It was an Alpha challenge, designed to freeze him and bring his attention to me. A growl echoed from behind a huge bush. Then there was a flash of mangy gray fur. The rogue was smaller than I imagined, but his eyes were filled with furious, uncontrollable rage. He was hungry, desperate, and definitely not in his right mind.

"This is pack territory," I said calmly, despite the noise in my ears. "Leave now, and no one gets hurt." The rogue hissed again, a challenge, his muscles tightening. My Beta, Liam, came from the trees, his own wolf forming a strong, quiet presence. Other pack members followed, forming a broad semicircle that effectively contained the renegade.

The rogue's terrified gaze flew from one wolf to the next, realizing he was encircled. "You really think you can stop me?" The rogue said, his voice gruff and somewhere between human and wolf. "I am free!" "I am not bound by your rules!" "You're cornered," I remarked, my voice icy and emotionless. "Your choices are restricted. Surrender, or we will take you down."

The renegade sprang, not at me, but at a scared student immobilized on the library stairs. "No!" I yelled, and my body moved. This was it. Now is the time to take action.

***

I returned to the pack home hours later, with the moon high in the sky. My muscles hurt, a familiar tiredness sinking deep into my bones, but it was a nice kind of aching. The renegade was brought under control, and no people were injured. The pack handled the situation nicely. Professional. Efficient. My Alpha strength, the power I possessed, had...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 24.6.2025
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Romane / Erzählungen
• ISBN-10: 0-00-093649-9 / 0000936499
• ISBN-13: 978-0-00-093649-3 / 9780000936493