Hidden Destiny (Redwood Pack) Read online

  “Guys? It’s beer. Get over it.”

  The two men swiveled their heads at him and glared. They might have looked nothing alike, Liam with his dark looks and blue eyes, Alec with his brown hair and green eyes, but right then, they had the same expression.

  Hunger, anger, and confusion all rolled into one.

  What the hell?

  Looking at Liam, Alec twisted off the beer cap then took a long swig. Liam’s jaw clenched as he ground his teeth together, and then he handed Hunter a bottle.

  Hunter looked between the two men but put his questions aside. He had enough to deal with without delving into whatever drama they had.

  “Tell me about what I missed,” he said after a minute of awkward silence.

  “Everything, Hunter,” Liam said.

  “No shit,” Hunter snapped. “Give me specifics.”

  “When you left—” Alec began then cut himself off. The other man clenched his jaw then took a deep breath. “No, when you were taken, things went to shit. We still don’t know how you were taken to the demons, Hunter. You have to believe that.”

  Hunter nodded and meant that. He knew the two men in this room wouldn’t have sold him to the demons. That was all he knew though. He had his ideas of what had happened, but no proof.

  Finding out how he’d been sold as a slave to the highest demon bidder was high on his list of priorities.

  Liam cleared his throat then put his hand on Alec’s shoulder before sitting down on the couch. Alec shot him a look, and Liam pulled his arm away.

  “When you left, Masterson, Lloyd, and Jacobs thought they found an opening for their plan,” Liam continued. “They’ve never hidden from those who’ve looked as though they want to take over the Pack. They want to bring the wolves into the twenty-first century, as they put it, and force a democracy.”

  Hunter cursed. “We’re wolves. That cannot happen. None of the other Packs who have tried that have survived. We’re not humans. We have wolves wrapped around us, deep within the very aspects of our souls and beings. Denying an Alpha should hurt.”

  Liam nodded. “You’re not telling us anything Alec and I haven’t said before. The amount of pain, though, depends on the Alpha.”

  Hunter held back a grimace. “Josiah is getting older, but we don’t age like humans. His power should only increase with age.”

  Alec shook his head. “Not without a Beta who can support him or without the magics that got him the position anyway. An Alpha can’t survive without a Beta. Josiah holds all the magic and strength of the entire Pack on his shoulders, but he can’t rule and be himself without another to lean on.”

  Hunter nodded. “He would have been fine if he hadn’t lost Clara.”

  Liam ran a hand through his hair. “She’s been gone for a decade, Hunter. Josiah is stronger than he gives himself credit for, but he can’t do it alone. He shouldn’t have to do it alone.”

  “And Samuel, may he rest in peace, wasn’t strong enough to protect him,” Alec whispered.

  Hunter didn’t wince or move at the mention of his late brother’s failures. No, that wasn’t quite right. He couldn’t call his brother’s decision a failure since the boy had done all in his power to protect the Pack. It just hadn’t been good enough. There had never been any question that Samuel hadn’t been strong enough for the position, but the kid should never have been put in harm’s way to begin with. If Hunter had been there, Samuel would be alive.

  That above all else would be something that would haunt Hunter until the day he died.

  “Have you found his killer?” Hunter asked, his voice low, deadly.

  Alec shook his head. “No, but we can make guesses.”

  “The three bastards who think they can take over the Pack.” Hunter clenched his fists, his fury riding him hard.

  “You’re here now and named Beta in truth,” Liam said. “We couldn’t do it alone, not and keep our families alive and the Pack fluid, but we’ll be by your side, Hunter.”

  Hunter nodded but stayed silent.

  “The struggle has only just started, Hunter,” Alec put in. “We don’t know what the others have in store, and we don’t know exactly what they’ve done in the past. All we know is that we’ll protect Josiah and you with our lives.”

  Hunter inclined his head at the two men who had been his best friends since they were pups. The three of them had always been thick as thieves, and when they’d grown into adult wolves, they’d taken their positions as council members and Beta in stride.

  Alone they were strong.

  Together they were stronger.

  “This will cause a war if we’re not careful,” Liam murmured.

  “We’re already in a war,” Hunter said flatly. “We just need to make sure it’s contained.”

  The last thing he wanted was to bring their conflict into the other realms and hurt the humans.

  Especially one particular human. She’d already been hurt once from a supernatural battle, and he’d be damned if he’d let another touch her.

  He’d walked away from her once to ensure her safety.

  He wouldn’t do it again.

  You can find more from An Unlucky Moon on Carrie Ann’s website.

  www.CarrieAnnRyan.com

  Divided Loyalties

  From Lia Davis’s Ashwood Fall’s Series

  Did you enjoy this selection? Why not try another romance from Fated Desires?

  Trained to hunt rogues and protect the human race from the threat of shifters, Christa Baker is beginning to rethink her career choice. Especially when her niece and nephew—who she’s raised on her own—end up in the crossfire. Now she’s looking for a way out and disappear off Shield’s radar for good. She never thought her out would be a gorgeous wolf who kidnaps her after raiding Shield HQ.

  Hayden Raines has always followed the rules. As the Ashwood Fall wolf Marshal, he has to set the example for those working under him. When he sets his sights on the beautiful human hunter things go downhill, fast. Fate has a funny way of turning things inside out—because the woman he kidnaps, the enemy he might need to protect his family from, just happens to be his mate.

  Warning: Contains one woman on a path she’s not ready for, a man who thought things would be different, and a heated exchange that turns out to be the best thing ever.

  Cursed

  From Ann Mayburn’s The Chosen

  Did you enjoy this selection? Why not try another romance from Fated Desires?

  Locked in a demonic curse, Carmella Ramirez has lost the will to love. Once she was the star of the Ramirez Samba School and lived a charmed life. Now, thanks to an old enemy’s thirst for revenge, she’s the school’s reclusive seamstress and living in the dangerous ghetto of Rio de Janeiro. But that’s the least of her problems. When the sun sets, a succubus overtakes Carmella’s body and uses her beauty to lure men to their death. As the corpses pile up, those controlling Carmella plan to sacrifice her to their demonic god and blame her for the killings.

  Her only hope is Sean Kalmus—a world famous musician and warrior of the Celtic god of Music, Maponus. While in Brazil to work the Carnival, Sam’s orders by Maponus to find and rescue Carmella turn into something more than they ever could have imagined when Carmella captures Sean’s heart.

  With Sean’s help, Carmella will have to call on her strength, his magic and their love to break herself free before she becomes known as Brazil’s most notorious serial killer.