Book #4 in the Fur, Fangs, and Felines series
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Blurb:
Werecats mating with humans was
bad enough…. But an Alpha werewolf?
Aidric’s life takes an
unexpected turn when he meets Alpha Carter Lovelock of the Dark Lake Pack—who
is apparently his mate. Now Aidric must decide whether to accept the mate the
goddess chose, or deny her gift because cats and dogs just don’t mix.
Carter is in a pickle. He always
assumed his mate would be a female werewolf. How else is Carter supposed to
carry on his line and retain Alphaship? When Aidric comes into his life,
Carter’s ex, Sabrina, isn’t giving up easily. Her brother, Delaney, is a thorn
in Carter’s side, and some of the other werewolves go out of their way to make
Aidric feel unwelcome, including one of his deltas, Evan.
Unfortunately, what little
headway they make is destroyed during a full moon hunt when enemy werewolves
attack Aidric and threaten the pack house where the Dark Lake pups are kept—an
ambush that could have devastating consequences on their future.
Werewolves are notoriously
insular, and before Carter and Aidric can build the life they want with each
other, they’ll face a fight for acceptance.
Excerpt:
THERE
WAS nothing better than being the butt of a cosmic joke.
My mate was a werewolf. A werewolf.
Just what the hell was I supposed to do with that? The fact my cat wasn’t
freaked out surprised me. It certainly freaked me out. What
was my goddess thinking? My cat huffed, annoyed with me. Well, he was in good
company—I was annoyed with myself.
I rested my forehead against the windowpane. In
the week since I found out who my mate was, all I’d done was torture myself
with the information. Enough already. Turning from the windowpane, I stripped
and threw my clothes on the couch. There was just enough time to play outside
before the sun set.
Squatting in front of the fire, I cleared my
mind and let the change take me. I groaned loudly with the first crack of the
bone. My body twisted in ways a regular human body was never intended to.
Things tore and modified as I shrunk. Muscles realigned and bones reformed in a
feline shape.
My spine tingled as my tail grew. Ears sprouted
on top of my head, and my face pushed out to form a muzzle, complete with
whiskers. Damn things caused my nose to twitch, and I pawed at it to stop the
itch. Hair sprouted over my body, and then all four paws hit the ground. I
stretched one leg out behind me—oh yeah, that felt good.
I took a step and stretched the other leg out,
then swished my tail lazily behind me as I shook out my coat. All my human
worries faded into the background as I strolled into the kitchen toward the
patio door. One thing occupied my mind, and I pushed through the cat door I’d
installed. I stood on the back porch and yowled loudly.
Snow!
I plowed into the pristine landscape, joy
spreading through my heart. Wet coldness surrounded me, and I pranced. I loved
snow. Loved it. However, since my clowder lived so far
south, it was rare we got the cool fluffy goodness.
Bouncing around in the snow, I reared up on my
hind legs and… hey. Hey! What was that? My front paws hit the ground, and I
crouched, darting my eyes to the left and right. Something dark and slender
fluttered right outside of my line of vision. Quiet. Must be quiet. Quick
as a flash, I turned and pounced. The long furry thing wiggled away, jumping
back and forth.
Jumping in the air, I twisted and came
down. Whap! Whap! Whap! Growling, I pursued the long slender
thing hopping around, determined to get it. Round and round I went, turning in
circles as I chased…. Suddenly I stopped, plopped my butt down, and
nonchalantly licked my paw.
Jeez. That was my tail.
Damn thing was always distracting me. Satisfied
no one had seen, I flopped down in the snow. Fortunately my coat was thick
enough to keep me warm. I stuck a paw out and watched it sink down. My ears
twitched. Okay, that was totally cool. I shot out my other paw from underneath
me to lay it upon the snow, and it too sank. Fun! Fun!
I bulldozed my way through a gigantic
snowdrift. Wheeee! Nothing could stand in my way. The
snowdrift I battled through might be larger than Mount Everest, but I would
persevere and take no prisoners. I’d slay my enemies. The cold wouldn’t stand
in my way. As I tunneled forward, the cold embraced me in its chilly arms.
Damn. I paused in the snow tunnel I’d created.
It was kind of cool in here, but a bit harder to breathe
than expected. Ears twitching, I backed out and shook my head. Snow flew
everywhere. My nose twitched. Oh. Oh dear. I pawed at it,
but….
Achoo!
I sniffed, snorted, and twitched my nose.
Sneezing as a cat was probably the most uncomfortable thing ever, and I pawed
at my nose. Ugh. Not much I could do since I currently had paws and not
fingers.
All of a sudden, I froze, and my ear swiveled.
What was that? Casually, I turned. Several feet away from me there was
movement, which caught my attention. I crouched, my itchy nose forgotten.
Listening closely, I tracked the sound, but I wasn’t sure…. Yes!
Something moved, and it wasn’t my tail this
time. On superlight paws, I tiptoed across the snowy whiteness, edging ever
closer. My breathing leveled out as I prowled nearer… nearer. There it was
again, and I paused. Ears twitching madly, I scanned the area, and even though
nothing moved, I knew where the sound originated.
I focused on it, waiting… waiting. Holding my
breath, my tail skittering behind me, I pounced… and whatever I’d heard
burrowed madly through the snow, escaping. I debated chasing after it, but I
wasn’t really hungry. Besides, playing was more fun than hunting. I fell
backward, kicking my back legs. A shower of snow rained down. There was nothing
better than being a cat.
I rolled onto my paws and shook out my coat. Too
bad my mate wasn’t here. I’d love to see him rolling around in the snow. We
could run, or he could chase me. Or I him. The human part of me snorted in
derision. I ignored him. Humans made things much more complicated than they
needed to be.
A red bird landed on a branch above me, and,
unable to resist, I raced toward the tree. I sprang, claws extended, and
climbed. Up the tree I flew until I found the branch where the bird sat.
Carefully I edged out on the limb, my eyes glued on the prize and… with a
squawk, the red bird flew off. Damn.
Annoyed, I sharpened my claws against the
tree. Yeah, bird, that could’ve been you. Oh well, part of
the fun was climbing the tree anyway. Trees were fun. So were balls of yarn.
And boxes. Ohhhhh. I loved an empty box. An empty box sitting in the sun was
even better. Oh! Oh! And a blanket in the box that was sitting in the sun where
I could nap. Yeah. Kitty heaven.
My tail drooped. But lately even those things
couldn’t cheer me up. Thoroughly disgusted with myself, I climbed down the tree
and trudged across the snow toward the house. After I slipped inside through
the cat door, I shifted into my human form.
Tired and aggravated, I dressed, then knelt in
front of the fireplace, stirring the fire. The month of February promised to be
a cold one, even down here in the South. The flames danced across the surface
of the wood in an explosion of heat and energy, consuming it. The process would
continue until there was nothing left but ash.
Morosely I stared into the fire, unable to stop
the comparison between the wood and myself. Was this my fate too? To be
consumed? Would there be anything left of me if I mated Carter—I refused to
call my mate by his damn title inside my head.
I shuddered. Of all the mates out there, why him?
I turned away from the fire. Questioning her will was pointless, but I couldn’t
stop myself. Carter had plainly stated he thought his mate would be female
since he had the burden of providing an heir for his pack.
Well, there was already one strike against me.
There were many things I could do, including shifting into an animal, but
providing children wasn’t one of them. I wasn’t sure if I was relieved or
disappointed.
The whiteness of the landscape caught my
attention, and I stopped in front of a window. Sightlessly I stared out over
the stream in front of my cabin. Alpha Carter Lovelock of the Dark Lake Pack—okay, that last name did bring a smile
to my lips—was a big bull of a man with cold golden hazel-brown eyes. Whoever
said such a color was warm never met Carter. He was tall, taller than Marshell.
If I had to guess, I’d say he was at least six foot six inches or more… and
stocky. Broad.
Our meeting
was brief, but I walked away with the impression of a man who commanded the
space around him. Intimidating. Powerful. Sexy. The diamond earring he wore was
insanely sexy too. He was the things I yearned for. I placed my hand on the
cold glass pane and shivered, unsure if the action came from my thoughts or the
coldness of the day.
My cat
grumbled loudly, letting me know it wasn’t the cold, even though there was a
fresh layer of snow on the ground. All this back-and-forth was giving me a
headache. There was no denying I wanted Carter. His body—all that bulk, sharp
planes, and muscles—appealed to me.
And he was
bald. I clenched my fists and tapped them lightly against the windowpane. If
there was one trait that drew me to a potential sex partner, it was that. I
loved bald men, but it was so rare among shifters it was almost nonexistent.
Shifters
simply were not bald—not on purpose, anyway. I was sure there was a story
there. Sure, they could shave their heads, but once they shifted and then
returned to their human forms, the hair regrew. Because of that, I didn’t get
to indulge my little quirk often.
Through the
years I’d noticed several humans who were bald, and I found them appealing but…
well, human. Until recently we simply did not mix with them. But since Dolf’s
half-human mate, Kirk, hit our clowder like a tornado, several firmly held
beliefs had been destroyed.
Thanks to Kirk
opening our eyes, I finally admitted I might’ve made a mistake in judging
humans so harshly. I even hooked up for a one-night stand with some who, of
course, happened to be bald. I found humans weren’t as bad as we always thought
and was even considering asking a few out on a date when my life fell apart.
Which was a nice way of saying I met my mate.
Speaking of my
mate, my fingers itched to run across that hairless dome of his. My breathing
spiked. Goddess, I was getting hard just thinking about all that smooth, shiny
skin. My cat yowled in
exasperation. He didn’t understand my human nonsense. Carter was my mate. As
far as my cat was concerned, that was the end of that.
And this was just stupid.
There was no way a mating between a werewolf and
a werecat could work. All I was doing was delaying the inevitable. Obviously
Carter felt the same way since he hadn’t bothered to call me in the week since
that meeting. He certainly wasn’t pursuing me.
Growling, I stomped to the bedroom. Well, screw
him. I needed to be mated to a werewolf like I needed a hole in the head. I
snatched up my cell phone and promptly dropped the thing on the bed when it
rang. Startled, I hissed at it. Shit. The ringtone continued
to blare as I snatched it up. If I’d cracked the stupid screen, I was going
to…. I blinked in surprise.
Speak of the devil—or in this case—the werewolf.
Running my finger across the screen, I unlocked my cell. My heart pounded. If I
answered this, I’d have to stop avoiding the situation. Was I ready? There’d be
no going back. Did I really want to take this step? Did I
have a choice?
I answered the damn phone. “Hello?”
“Aidric LeClair?”
I closed my eyes for a second, took a deep
breath, and then opened them. Why did his voice have to be so low and rumbly? I
shivered. “Speaking.”
“This is Carter Lovelock.”
Right away I noticed he omitted his title, but
that didn’t surprise me. He had no way of knowing how secure my phone line was.
“Are you there?”
“What?” Jeez, what was I doing? “Yes, I’m here.
Sorry about that. I was….” Okay, no, I was not going to tell him I was perving
on his voice. “Anyway. What can I do for you?”
There was silence on the line. The temptation to
bang my head against the nearest wall was great, but I resisted. Had I actually
asked him what could I do for him? Could I possibly sound stuffier?
“I can think of several ways to answer that
question, but maybe it would be better not to.”
“I’m sorry?” I cringed. In my mind I saw my cat
with his paw over his eyes. Well, guess that answered the question of whether I
could sound stuffier. Apparently I could.
“Ah, is this a bad time?”
Is there ever a good time to make an idiot
of myself? “No, no, it’s not a bad
time.”
“I see. Cat got your tongue, perhaps?”
Whatever nerves were plaguing me suddenly
ignited, and with a whoosh, went up in a screaming mass of indignant flames.
Abruptly I wanted to use Alpha Lovelock as a scratching post.
“You know, your kind is proof evolution can go
in reverse.”
Now I understood exactly what the term “dead
air” meant. I couldn’t believe I’d said that, but by damned, he deserved it.
Cat got my tongue—seriously?
Finally Carter chuckled. “I guess I did ask for
that, didn’t I?”
“I would say so.” I collapsed on the bed, knees
weak. Conversing with this werewolf was like pushing a boulder. Uphill. During
a monsoon.
“Hey, it got you talking to me, at least—even if
it was to insult me,” Carter said. Then his voice turned serious. “You and I
need to meet.”
“Yes, I suppose we do.”
“I’ll give you directions to my house and—”
“No.” He couldn’t be serious.
“Excuse me?”
How much arrogance could a person cram into two
words? “I’m not coming on your pac… your, ah… your place. No way.”
“You have my word you won’t be harmed.”
Whoop-de-freaking-do. “That’s nice and all, but
I’m still not coming there.”
“Well, I can’t come to you without permission
from your… from Dolf.”
That was definitely a no too.
“I agree. That’s not a good idea either.”
Dolf and the rest of the betas were already too
interested in my life. The nosy bunch of felines would probably hide in the
surrounding trees if Carter came here. It wouldn’t be curiosity killing the
cat; it’d be me.
“Then what do you suggest, because we do need to
meet. I’m afraid I really must insist.”
I almost told him he could insist until he
turned blue in the face, but I was trying to be civil. “I think somewhere
neutral would be better.”
“And private.”
I hesitated. Private meant isolated, and
isolated meant… well, isolated. Although I understood why he’d request that—we
didn’t have to watch what we said if humans were not about—I didn’t know this
Alpha. He was my mate and wasn’t supposed to be able to hurt me, but did I
really want to put that to the test?
“I… fine. I will tell Dolf where I’m going to
be, though.”
“You should. Temple and Shea will know where I
am too.”
I’d forgotten all about his betas. “You’re
coming alone, correct?”
“I… no. I can’t. You know that. Would you allow
Dolf to go somewhere unescorted?”
Damn. He had a point. Alphas never went anywhere
without at least one beta with them. Now what? “So you’re going to have one of
them with you?”
“I’m afraid so. That’s nonnegotiable, and you
know why.”
This was turning into a massive headache, and we
hadn’t even laid eyes on each other yet. I growled softly. “I am not discussing
anything of a personal nature with you as long as you have an extra set of ears
listening in.”
“Which is why I suggested you come here. It’s
easier.”
Of course it was—for them. I didn’t find
anything about going there easy. The idea of being the lone cat surrounded by
nothing but wolves was intimidating. In shifted form they were bigger and
heavier than my cat, which was the size of a large Savannah.
While we could be arrogant, we had nothing on
werewolves. Ha! Arrogant. The word described them perfectly, along with
sarcastic, bossy, and vain. They acted as if the rest of us shifters should bow
down to them.
If Carter came here, one of his betas would be
with him. Plus they’d have to spend several nights, considering Carter’s pack
land was several hours away. I was uncomfortable offering Carter my guest room,
but I might’ve done it. But his beta too? Not happening. That was one werewolf
too many.
Having two strange males—who were werewolves—under
the same roof with me was more than I could handle. Not to mention I only had
the one spare guest room, and I couldn’t see Temple and Carter sharing a bed.
My cat immediately growled his opinion on that.
I’d probably fillet that sucker if he tried to get into bed with my mate… oh
no. Banging my head against the nearest wall was looking better and better. I
was getting possessive of Carter, which was a bad sign. A very, very bad sign.
“Aidric?”
“What?” I snapped.
“I’ve already given you my word nothing bad will
happen to you here.”
“That’s supposed to reassure me?”
The growl that came across the phone line lifted
the hair on the back of my neck.
“You question my word? My word? That’s an insult
in so many ways I don’t know where to begin.”
By the goddess’s right paw, what was I thinking?
“Okay. That was uncalled for, and I apologize, but you have to understand how
uncomfortable this makes me.”
“Apology accepted. I do understand, and I
promise you if any of my wolves lays a hand on you, they will regret
it.”
Well, hell. He meant it. I heard the conviction
in his voice and pinched the bridge of my nose. A voice in the back of my head
whispered this was a disaster waiting to happen, but I couldn’t see a way
around it.
It’d be easier for me to go there, even though
the thought left me trembling. On the other hand, what better way to see if I
could tolerate living among the wolves? Better to find out now before we mated,
than later when there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.
“Fine. I’ll come there.” I clutched the phone as
my stomach dropped to somewhere around my knees. “But understand this—the
moment I feel threatened, I’m out of there.”
“Understood. If that happens, I want to know
about it immediately, because you won’t feel that way for long, I promise you.
Would you consent to staying for a couple of nights?”
Yep, the aforementioned headache just sank its
claws into the base of my neck. “Might as well.”
“Thank you. I know this is difficult, but all I
ask is that we sit down and discuss this like two rational adults.”
Then we were already screwed, because I’d never
known a werewolf to be rational, but why throw that into the conversation?
“Agreed. Send me your address so I can program it into the GPS.”
“I will. Is the snow awful down there?”
Oh yay. Small talk and the ever-safe topic of
the weather. “No. Not really. The temperature is supposed to rise tomorrow.
That’ll get it melting quickly.” Which sucked, but it was better for driving.
“I need to talk with Dolf and square this with him so I can have the time off.
I’ll probably leave tomorrow after lunch. Since it’ll be Sunday, the traffic
shouldn’t be too bad.”
“Excellent. Send me a text so I know when you
leave.”
Already with the demands. “How about you ask me
to send you a text? I’m not Temple or Shea, even though I hold the same rank.
And you’re not my Alp… well. You know. You might want to remember that.”
“But I do hold the same rank as Dolf. You might
want to remember that.”
I gritted my teeth. We were already off to a
rip-roaring start. “While I am perfectly willing to give you the respect your
rank deserves, I kiss nobody’s ass. If you want me to do something, ask instead
of demand. I’m your mate, not your beta.” I cursed softly for my slip of the
tongue.
“You’re right. I….” Carter sighed. “Will you
send me a text before you leave?”
That was better. A firm believer in starting out
how I meant to go on, I answered him in the perkiest voice I could muster.
“Sure. I can do that.”
“I’ll see you when you get here. Have a good
evening. Good night.”
“You too. Good night.” On that cheerful note, I
ended the call and slipped my cell back into my jeans pocket.
If we didn’t kill each other within the first
hour, it’d be a miracle.
Author bio and links:
M.A. Church is a true Southern
belle who spent many years in the elementary education sector. Now she spends
her days lost in fantasy worlds, arguing with hardheaded aliens on far-off
planets, herding her numerous shifters, or trying to tempt her country boys
away from their fishing poles. It’s a full-time job, but hey, someone’s gotta
do it!
When not writing, she’s
exploring the latest M/M novel to hit the market, watching her beloved
Steelers, or watching HGTV. That’s if she’s not on the back porch tending to
the demanding wildlife around the pond in the backyard. The ducks are very
outspoken. She’s married to her high school sweetheart, and they have two
children.
She is a member of the Science
Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
Contact M.A.:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nomoretears00
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nomoretears00
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/MA-Church
The Harvest FB fan page: www.facebook.com/#!/theharvest00
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/MAChurch
Email: nomoretears00@hotmail.com
