Bite of the Moon: Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance Boxed Set (60 page)

About Erika Masten

Erika Masten is a lifelong writer and award-winning author in several genres. She combines her love of mythology and steamy love stories in her shape shifter erotic romances for the plus-size reading audience.

BBW PARANORMAL SHAPE SHIFTER ROMANCE FROM ERIKA MASTEN

Turning Wild
(An Aesir Shifters BBW Romance Novella)

One Wild Night
(An Aesir Shifters BBW Romance Short)

A Prowl On The Wild Side
(An Aesir Shifters BBW Romance Novella)

Wilding
(An Aesir Shifters BBW Romance Short)

Aesir Shifters: The Collection

Bad Hoss
(BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance: Windemere Stallions)

If Wishes Were Horses
(BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance: Windemere Stallions)

Preferred Prey
(Bite of the Moon ~ Sons of Fenris MC)

Erika Masten Online

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http://erikamasten.com

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Bryce Evans

Dedication

I would like to acknowledge my mom, who passed away a few years ago; she told me to follow my dreams and never allow anyone to tell me I couldn’t achieve them.

Thanks to the love of my life, John, for making me a place to write and even taking up the slack when I was typing away in my own world. You helped to make my dream come true. It may be a small table in the corner, but it’s my corner of make believe, where dreams do come true.

Thanks to my beautiful kids, who keep me grounded and drive me crazy at the same time. I love you all.

Thanks to Janka Dustan, who agreed to be my PA and tells me now what to do and when to do it.  We have been figuring it out and having a great time at it.  Thanks, Janka for all of your help and kindness.

A special thanks to my friend Bobbi Kinion, who beta reads and gives me great advice. Also, thank you to all of my Nite Stalkers who have stood behind me throughout the good and bad times. Thank you, Bobbi Kinion, Kent Kinion, Kristina Galbert, Janka Dustan, Amy Bowens, Sara Gomez, Lori Backfire Twardokus, Ronda Reed, Debbie Raddatz, Lori Engelbrektso, Penny DeLoche, Christine Lease Wheeling, Tina Brunelle, Rachel Harrington, Cindy Harris, Kelley Hopkins, Helly Kasprzak, Carolyn Hall Brown, Kerry Anne Porter, and Pamela Altman Talley.

Thanks to the Bryce Evans Paranormal Society, who have helped me spread the word of my books and keep driving me.

A SPECIAL THANKS to the REBELS. You know who you are. 

It’s a long road but it’s worth it!  We did it!!!!!!

Please be kind and leave a review on the site you purchased the book from.

Prologue

He didn’t notice he’d picked up a tail on his jog until he heard the pattering of feet hitting the leaves behind him.  Whoever it was meant to make enough noise to be heard.  He decided to pick up his speed and see if they could keep up, but the sound only got closer.  Finley’s mind flashed back to the war in Afghanistan, and being followed while on patrol.  His adrenaline picked up, making him run faster. The trail for Arden Dixon’s land was just ahead; maybe he could lose them there. But even as he made the turn, he could still hear the crunching steps of his pursuers.

As he rounded the curve, he found a big red wolf blocking his path.  He’d lived in New Hope all his life, and was used to seeing wolves and bears in the woods, but this wolf was different.  In fact, he looked like he had rabies.  His fur was matted together in places, with black smudges all over it. He wasn’t foaming at the mouth, but the crazed light in his eyes stopped Finley dead in his tracks.  Finley knew when a predator was getting ready to attack, and the wolf in front of him was crouched down, clearly ready to spring.   

He knew he couldn’t outrun the animal, so he needed to show it that he wasn’t afraid. That was the only chance he had of coming out of this alive.  The wind blew against his face, and the scent of rotten eggs traveled up his nose.  Slowly he reached down and picked up a large stick lying by the side of the path.

That’s when he noticed the others.  A pack of wolves standing quietly by, watching him. 
Shit,
he thought.  If he were facing a man, he could handle that, but a freaking pack of wolves was something different. 

Finley held the stick like a bat, getting ready for a fight.  He had to turn sideways in order to keep all the wolves in his sights. The ones at his back were coming a little too close, and he had no choice but to swing the stick. 

Bingo.
He hit one of the wolves, slamming it backwards into the dirt, but then another one charged him.  He had to swing to kill, because these wolves clearly meant to make a meal out of him. He was getting ready for another hit when he felt the sharp fangs of the wolf in front of him sink into his calf muscle.  If he jerked away, the beast could take a big chunk out of his leg. 

He swung the limb with his other arm, but before he could make contact the wolf had let go and backed off.  In fact, they were all backing away from him.  Shocking him further, when they’d all moved a few feet back then laid down on the ground. 

The pain of the bite was searing.  He must have rabies, because there was no other reason for the wound to hurt that bad.  His calf muscle was still intact; his only injuries were the puncture wounds from the wolf’s fangs.  Nothing else. 

Suddenly all the wolves stood up and ran into the woods.   Finley shook his head.  For a moment it was as if he could hear a voice talking to him.  He shook his head again, trying to clear the words from his mind.  The wolf must’ve had rabies; that, or the doctors were correct and he was having some kind of PTSD flashback.  

*****

Silas and Hannah Hoffman shifted behind the trees and watched as the man moaned in pain as the change started to take affect.

“It won’t be long before we have what we need, Sister,” Silas whispered.  Both could hear the Dixon pack coming in the distance.  “This couldn’t have turned out better.”

Hannah smiled.  “So it begins.”

Chapter 1

Arden waited for Charley to shift, but he couldn’t.   The little guy was thinking too hard.  He watched as the little boy struggled, eventually getting so frustrated that he gave up and stomped off, crying. 

He waited, giving the boy plenty of warning that he was coming up behind him.  He didn’t say anything until Charley finally spoke.  “Why can’t I shift like the rest, Alpha?”

Arden smiled, and then patted the ground beside him.  Charley walked over and sat down.  The kid was breaking his heart as tears fell from his eyes.  Arden knew he was considered the runt out of all the kids, and the most picked on.

“I’ll tell you a secret Charley, but you have to join the Little Mites first.”  

Charley’s eyes sparked with interest as he turned to face his Alpha.  “Who are the Little Mites?”

“Well, you see Charley, I was a Little Mite.  When I was your age, a group of us formed our own club.  It was me, Bane, Tate, and a few others who couldn’t shift the first time.  Man, we got made fun of for a whole week.  While everyone else went off and shifted, we went down to our clubhouse and hid out.  My dad found us about two weeks later.  He’d been so busy that he didn’t know that we hadn’t shifted and should’ve been at class learning to be a wolf.  I was the Alpha’s son, so I was expected to be the best, but I was having a hard time.”

“Just like me,” Charley said.

“Yep, just like you.”

“But…but how did you become Alpha if you couldn’t shift?”  Charley asked. 

“Remember, Charley, you have to keep this secret.  Only the Little Mites know this secret, and only members know how to get people to shift.  So if you want to be a member, then you have to hold up your right hand and repeat after me,” Arden told him seriously. He waited for Charley to sit up straight and raise his right hand.  “I, Charley Nathaniel Ripken, do solemnly swear to protect all those who are weaker than me, and to keep the secrets of the Little Mites and only pass them on to someone else who is in need just like me.”  Arden leaned forward. “Say ‘I swear.’”

“I swear,” Charley repeated.

“I promise to train every day and never make fun of anyone bigger or smaller than me, and to always help those in need,” Arden continued.  ”And I promise to obey my parents and Alpha, and to do all my chores without any objections.”  Arden watched as Charley narrowed his eyes in surprise at the last part.  “Come on now, say ‘I promise.’”

“I promise, Alpha.”

“Then I now declare you a member of the Little Mites.  Congratulations, Charley.”

Charley’s smile was so big; Arden thought the kid’s face was going to crack. 

“Alpha, I still haven’t shifted yet.”  Charley’s smile faded as he thought about it.

“Do you trust your Alpha, Charley?”

“Of course I do.”

“Then I want you to close your eyes, and when I describe something I want you to think about it and then reach out and touch it.  Do you understand?”

Charley nodded and closed his eyes. 

“Remember last fall when we had the October fest and we let all of you guys run with the wolves?”  Charley smiled again, and nodded.  “That was a fun time, wasn’t it Charley?”

“Yes sir, it was the best.”

“Do you remember when I shifted and ran up to you guys and you all rubbed your hands up and down my fur?  I want you to reach out, Charley, and pet my fur.”  Arden let himself partially shift.  His arms sprouted hair as Charley reached out.  Arden stuck his arm underneath the boy’s hand so he could feel it.  “Now Charley, I want you to think about your fur and how it feels on your wolf.  You feel your wolf inside of you?”

Charley continued to rub Arden’s arm, then started smiling. Arden knew that he could feel his wolf.  His skin was starting to ripple, and he needed just a little more to push him over.  “Call to your wolf, Charley.  Let him out to feel the wind blowing through his hair. Jump over those logs.  Do you feel the pads of your paws hitting the ground?  Your Alpha is waiting to run with you.  Shift now, Charley.  Shift.”  And just like that, Charley shredded his clothes and shifted into his wolf.

“You’ve done it, Charley!  Great job.  Now let’s go have some fun.  Run with your Alpha.”

Arden shifted and took off running.  He could hear Charley behind him as they ran toward the other pups.  He slowed down, allowing the boy to run beside him as they came upon the clearing where everyone was playing.  The others stopped and stared, watching Charley as he ran beside the Alpha.  It was a big thing to be able to run with him, and now Charley was the big man among the pups.  Well, Little Mite, but he wore it with honor. 

Even the bigger kids came up to him, and they all started playing.  What Charley didn’t know was that Arden had used the same words his father used on him.  He was a man with a lot of wisdom, and Arden missed him, especially at times like this.  Watching the pups brought a sense of purpose to his life.  He hoped that one day he would be able to watch his own pups when it was their time.

*****

Arden Dixon couldn’t shake the feeling that today wasn’t going to be a good day, even though the birds were chirping outside and all that crap.  He took one look at his Beta as he walked into his office and knew he was right.  Today was going to be a shit day.

“How bad is it?”  Arden asked, leaning back in his chair. 

“Not good.”  Bane Cross sat down in the chair across from his Alpha.   His blond hair looked disheveled as he ran his fingers through it.  “Another human was bitten last night.  We got to him before they carried him off, and he’s in confinement until he gets through the change.”

“Who is it this time?”  Arden asked. He stood up, walked over to the window, and stared out at the lake, watching as ducks landed on the water.  He wanted to go outside and stretch his legs, and shift.  The vague sense of doom he felt wasn’t going away, though, and he was needed here.

When he looked back, Bane had leaned forward; his blue frosty eyes flickered with anger before he answered.  “Finley Egan, the police chief’s son.” 

Arden swung around abruptly. “Fuck.  They have to be targeting certain people.  Finley is strong, and he just got back from the military.  He must have been picked because of that.” 

Max Conell, Alpha of the Conell pack, had sent out a message to the surrounding towns that a rogue pack was targeting humans.  Two humans had been attacked; one hadn’t made it through the change.  On that occasion there was a witness who told Max what had happened.  Max explained that two friends had broken down on the side of the highway and were attacked by a pack of wolves.  One of the boys had a rifle with him, and he killed one of the wolves.  The rest of the pack ran off, but unfortunately the other boy was bitten.  Max didn’t have a clue why, but once the boy started going through the change, he died.

“We need to find out who the hell is doing this before the Council sends
them.”
  There were times he hated the Council.  They were a group of Alphas, made up of wolves, bears, witches, and wizards.  There was even a vampire on it.  He’d never seen the man himself, but Arden knew he was over five hundred years old. 

Bane’s eyes narrowed.  “Who?”

With forced calm, Arden said, “The Death Hunters.”  Everyone had heard of the Death Hunters.  Their name sent chills up a wolf’s spine when it was mentioned.  When a problem became too much for a pack, or any paranormal family to handle, the Council would send in the Death Hunters. 

Most of the time the Council was fair, but sending the Death Hunters out would only make his pack remember what had happened to his mom and dad.  It was a glimpse of his past that he didn’t want to be brought up again.  The Hunters were appropriately named; they brought nothing with them but death. 

Just their name brought back horrible memories.  A local witch who lived in their town had cast a spell on his father, forcing him to shift into his wolf, and then kill his only son—Arden.  Arden’s mother got between them before he could succeed, and Arden’s father ended up killing her instead. 

Arden was still a child when all that happened, but it felt like yesterday.  The Death Hunters had been sent by the Council to resolve the matter, and they had decided to kill both the witch and Arden’s father. 

His father had been a good wolf.  The witch had acted out of revenge; Arden’s father had refused to change her daughter into a werewolf. It was forbidden to do such a thing; only human mates were lawfully permitted to be changed. The girl had been distraught, and killed herself on the pack’s land, leaving a note that said it was his father’s fault. 

Ever since then, Arden had hated witches, and Death Hunters.  He’d been left without a mother or father, and that pain and anger hadn’t faded with time. 

Arden shook his head to try to drive the thoughts from it.  “Let’s gather the pack and meet.  I want them to be on the lookout for anyone strange in our territory.  Tonight after the meeting we go out and patrol.  I’ll go with you to town; maybe we’ll get lucky,” Arden said. Bane nodded and left.

Arden needed to find out who was doing this, in a hurry.  If humans found out they were being targeted, it would be a disaster for relations between the town and the pack.  Most of the town folk knew about his kind, and so far they’d stayed on a common ground.  They helped each other out when they needed to.  When young kids got lost, it was pack members who found them.  Pack members owned most of the town, which kept the town in jobs.  It was an important balance, and Arden couldn’t allow anything to damage it.

Plus, the Council would think he couldn’t handle it and send in the Death Hunters, and nobody wanted that. 

Now he needed to go and talk to Deaton Egan, the police chief.  Deaton was a good man, and knew about his pack.  They worked together whenever they had a problem arise, and most of the time he allowed Arden to handle problems regarding his pack. But this was different; Finley was the chief’s only son.  Not a lot of new people moved to their town, mainly because it was so small, but it was close enough to the city to bring in customers to the country store and Charlotte’s Closet.  New Hope was famous for its wildlife, and there were strict laws against hunting here.  The woods were packed with tourists who came for the nature walks. 

Laughter brought him from his deep thoughts as the pups ran by his window.  He waved and smiled, and Charley stood up straighter, puffing his chest out.  He held the confidence that he needed, now. 

Arden would have loved to join in their play, but he had a lot to do. First he needed to check on Finley and see how he was doing.  

Eventually Finley’s father would be allowed to see him, but how soon depended on how well Finley’s body was accepting the change.  Arden had known Finley since he was born, and now he was a strapping twenty-seven year-old Marine.  Arden needed to make sure he was okay.