Shifter

Book 3: Stope Packs

by Rebecca Zanetti

Genres: Action & Adventure Romance; Romantic Suspense

Synopsis

***First published in Kindle Vella***

She's a wolf-shifting scientist who needs cover, and He’s an alpha without a pack…

As the only living wolf pack member with the tiniest drop of alpha blood in her veins, Luna McElhanney should be happy. Instead, she just wants to be left alone in her lab with her experiments, until she discovers something that could end them all. In a heartbeat, she goes from living under the radar to the one being hunted. There’s only one solution, according to the pack, and that’s for her to mate Erik Volk and bring him into the fold.

Erik Volk has been fascinated by the petite wolf shifter from the moment he’d kidnapped her so she could help his family, which she cheerfully did. He enjoys his job as the Enforcer for his brother’s pack, but the Alpha in him keeps yanking against the chains. When he discovers Luna is in danger, as is his new pack, he has no choice but to let the Alpha loose and become the Shifter they should all fear.

 

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Release date: February 13, 2024

Publisher: RAZ INK, LLC

Print pages: 273

Sample

Chapter 1

 

Pissing off an alpha male was definitely the wrong way to start her day. Perhaps Erik was just irritated. Nope, he was pissed. Yep, that was definitely a ticked expression. How could he look so sexy and angry at the same time?

Luna cleared her throat and tried to gather her stack of papers into some semblance of organization. “I apologize if I’ve insulted you. I mean your ego.” She was fairly certain that all males, especially Alphas, had substantial egos.

Erik Volk sat back in his chair across the conference table, one dark blond eyebrow lifted. He’d cut his hair short—very short—making it look darker than his eyebrows. “My ego.”

That voice. Seriously. Deep, growly, and thrumming with power. All Alpha.

It was shocking that the guy had let his brother become Alpha of their pack, instead of just ripping Seth’s jugular right out. What kind of stranglehold did Erik have on his demons anyway?

She swallowed. “Yes.” Trying to appear in control, she cast her gaze on the only other person in the opulent conference room, her current Alpha, Yago Yassi.

He sat at the head of the table, his expression showing…what was that? Shock, irritation, bemusement? Her stomach dropped. She truly needed to learn to read expressions better. Those online videos were not helping.

Yago cleared his throat and faced Erik. “I do apologize for any confusion.” He glanced at the printouts. “Luna, I don’t understand what you’re trying to do here.”

She had been extremely clear. “I’m trying to find the appropriate mate for our incoming Alpha,” she said slowly. Again.

Yago shook his head. “You’re the only descendant with even a drop of Alpha blood in your lineage. You’re it.”

This was not a game of tag, and the entire situation was probably a farce, anyway. “I understand that we haven’t traced any Alpha blood to anybody else. However, there are definitely more suitable mates.” She took a chance and looked at Erik again. “And then once you have children, they’ll have Alpha blood, right?” If there were children, of course.

“Not Copper Pack Alpha blood,” Yago said, his voice lowering to a growl. The current Alpha was several hundred years old, and his hand trembled slightly as he flattened it on the thick copper-edged table. “I know you don’t see yourself as creating leaders for our people, but it’s your role.”

Actually, her role was as the lone—the one and only—scientist in any of the wolf packs. At least, as far as she knew. In fact, the pack’s future might depend on her, and Yago knew that. He was just playing on faith and hope right now, and he should know better. Plus, she wasn’t any good at keeping secrets. “I have other work to do,” she said through gritted teeth. Her cheeks heated as she tried to face down the most powerful male she’d ever met. Well, until Erik Volk walked into the room.

“You can do both,” Yago said.

She wanted to shake her head, but she lacked the nerve. She didn’t have time to do both, and only somebody desperate would believe Erik Volk wanted to switch packs. He was Silver through and through, and most likely there to conquer the entire land. “I think we...”

“No,” Yago said. “Enough of this.” He stared directly at Erik. “I appreciate you coming into my territory and hope there are no hard feelings…well, about…”

Erik didn’t move. “About you sending a kill squad of six males to murder my brother and slaughter his mate?”

A chill spiraled through

Luna. “That really wasn’t very nice.”

Yago ignored her. “Your brother impregnated his human female before they mated. You know that’s nearly impossible, and the offspring will probably be feral.”

“That’s an old wives’ tale,” Luna protested, her ears heating from the tension in the room.

Erik slowly nodded. “Yeah, and it’s bullshit. You wanted to kill Seth because you thought I was going to take over the Slate Pack by mating Emily Nightsom, which would leave your pack in the cold when it came to alliances. You wanted to murder my brother and used an unborn baby as an excuse.”

Yago leaned forward, his body taut. “And Seth killed all six of my soldiers. By himself?”

“You know Seth fought them alone,” Erik murmured. “The bodies were brought back to you, and you could scent him. Well, what was left of the bodies.”

Bile rose in Luna’s throat. She didn’t want any part of this kind of brutality. Erik seemed fine with it, and she’d never forgive him for so casually kidnapping her in September. She couldn’t let him take over her life, and he would. She just knew it.

“So that’s in the past?” Yago asked.

Erik tilted his head as if trying to decipher a puzzle.

Luna couldn’t blame him. Yago wanting a different pack member as Alpha showed definite weakness. There should be viable contenders within the Copper Pack. “We do need a fresh start.” She tried to assist her current Alpha.

Erik glanced at her. “I haven’t decided if the insult is in the past or not, but if I do take over as Alpha, there will be no mercy for anybody who goes after my brother or his family. That’s nonnegotiable.”

“Unless we go to war,” Yago countered. “Then your alliance must be clear.”

Erik flicked his gaze toward Yago. Oh, there was no way Erik was here to help them. Why couldn’t Yago see that? “We won’t go to war.”

Yago stood. “Good. I’m sorry the rest of the council wasn’t here to meet with you today.”

Erik stilled. “Council?”

Yago faltered. “Yes. As I’ve gotten older, we’ve formed a committee of sorts to lead. There were four other members, but your brother killed two 

 two of them.”

“Having a council implies weakness. You have to know that.” Erik’s face showed no expression.

Yago swallowed. “I need to get to the copper mine. You two may work out the arrangements necessary for you to join our pack and your ensuing union.” He glanced at his watch. “I have work to do.” With that, he swept from the room, loudly shutting the door. The thick atmosphere of tension lessened just slightly.

“I have to admit,” Erik rumbled, looking at the photographs Luna had provided, “I’ve never had a female try to get rid of me before.”

That ego was probably earned. “I’m not trying to get rid of you,” she said, throwing her hands up. “I’m just not the right person to be an Alpha’s mate. I don’t even know how to fight.” She truly wasn’t interested in learning combat.

“That’s unfortunate because you should learn,” he said.

It was nice of her to refrain from reminding him that he’d once kidnapped her. Jerk. “I don’t want to learn. I like my lab, Erik. I like my job. I don’t want to host society parties or go on hunts. It’s just not me.” Plus, she liked her freedom and didn’t trust him. At all.

“I’m not saying I’m taking the job, but if I did, I wouldn’t ask you to be anybody other than who you want to be.” He sat back, his broad chest filling out his long-sleeve black T-shirt in a way that should be illegal.

She could admit to herself—and only to herself—that he was probably the most handsome male she’d ever met. Well, not exactly handsome, but rough and hard-edged. The strength in his face led to a beauty that could only be found in nature. He would make a fine Alpha, and the pack truly needed him.

Much more than he knew. She couldn’t be the person to mate him. Wouldn’t be forced to do so, damn it.

She slid two pictures across the table to him again. “Listen, I’ve done all my research, and one of these females will be the perfect mate for you.”

He looked down at the photographs.

A surprising spurt of jealousy filtered through her, shocking her silent for a moment. What the heck was that? She had no claim on Erik Volk and frankly didn’t want one. But she’d have to be dead not to recognize the power in every line of his body, in his very fit, muscular, and

lithe form.

She cleared her throat and tried to keep from blushing again, knowing it was futile. She pointed to the first photograph that nicely showed Zelda Graytail, no doubt the fiercest female wolf in the entire pack. Stunningly beautiful with brownish copper eyes, Zelda had a wild mane of curly black hair, dusky brown skin, and finely cut muscles. She stood about six feet tall and had once taken down a grizzly bear—a real grizzly—all on her own.

“This is Zelda,” Luna said. “She’ll make you many fine sons, and she can train them if you’re busy.” It was nice to go with the positive aspects sometimes.

Erik looked up at her, a glimmer in his eyes. Was that amusement? If so, she could work with that. “What about daughters?” he asked.

Luna blinked. “Well, yeah. She’ll make you lots of daughters.” She had figured he’d want sons. “Why? Do you want daughters?”

“Of course, I want daughters,” he said. “Why wouldn’t I?”

She shrugged. “It was my impression that most Alphas wanted males.”

He studied her then in that way he had that made her feel like she was one of her specimens on a slide under the microscope in her lab. Well, her tiny basement that served as a lab.

“Females can be Alphas,” he murmured.

Not in this pack. “If you say so,” she said instead. “So, that’s your first option.” She then pointed to a lovely blonde in the second picture. “This is Francine Goodhouse. She plans the best parties and is the most organized person on the planet. She could take care of all your other duties, so all you have to do is work on protection and defense for the pack.”

Francine also had a very kind heart and would probably be nurturing, which perhaps a male like Erik needed. He’d lost his mother a long time ago. Maybe he required a mate who was on the softer side.

“Can she cook?” Erik asked dryly.

“Of course,” Luna said, brightening. “She’s a wonderful cook. Her snickerdoodles at Christmastime are...” She paused. “Are you messing with me?”

“A little bit,” Erik said, “though I do appreciate the time and effort you put into finding these females. Why these two? They seem to be complete opposites.”

Luna lifted one

shoulder. “I didn’t know what you wanted.”

“What if I want you?”

She sat back, blinking. Panic coated her throat. She was a logical female and didn’t want this kind of attraction. Plus, she couldn’t be what he wanted, even if she let herself ease into the whirlstorm he all but promised. “You really don’t.”

He cocked his head, and tension of a different sort spiraled through the room. “How do you know what I want?”

“You’re an Alpha,” she said slowly. “You want what they all want.”

“And what’s that?” he asked.

Why was he playing dumb? “To protect the pack, scare the other packs, make a bunch of money, and have multiple sons to carry on your lineage.” Although, sometimes, that did create difficulties when the time to pass the torch arrived. Brothers fighting brothers could tear a pack apart.

“Huh,” he murmured. “I wasn’t aware those were my goals.” He looked around the conference room before kicking back his chair and standing. “You want to get out of here?”

“Sure.” She organized her papers into a file and stood. “I could show you around if you’d like. Then maybe we can track down Francine and Zelda, or you can see them at the welcoming party tonight.”

He paused in reaching for her. “There’s a welcoming party?”

“Yes.” She rolled her eyes. Parties were her least favorite events—not that she enjoyed public events of any kind. “You need to meet everybody, the members need to meet you, and perhaps you can spend time with both of these females. Maybe a spark will fly.” Sparks burned from her toes to the top of her head at being near him. What was wrong with her?

“Sounds like you have it all worked out. Who planned the party? Francine?” he asked.

“No.” Luna kicked at an invisible pebble on the hardwood floor. “I had to plan the event, but Francine definitely executed the festivities. So, don’t worry. It’ll be perfect.”

He grinned and reached for her arm to pull her around the table. “Sounds like you don’t like party planning.” His grip was firm and warm…and somehow gentle.

“I’m just not very good at it,” she admitted, stepping in front of him and leading the way to the door, pushing out into a brisk, early winter day. November was chilly and rainy but hadn’t seen snow yet. Headquarters was centered in the middle of their territory where the Alpha and his organization held office. The nearest road led a mile to the copper

mine’s entrance.

The Copper Pack was part of the Stope Packs Coalition, comprised of four wolf shifter packs, each with ties to mining. Copper had been in great demand for the last couple of decades, so their coffers should be full. However, their working force numbers were not.

“The mine is that way.” She pointed.

“I figured,” Erik said. “Mining copper isn’t all that different from mining silver, so I can’t envision a problem if they need help at the mine. I’ve worked in silver my entire life.”

“Are you sorry you didn’t become Alpha of the Silver Pack?” she asked quietly, curious. The breeze picked up, ruffling the maple trees around them and dropping scarlet and gold leaves in every direction.

“No. My brother is the rightful Alpha. I do miss working with him, but it’s better to keep my distance unless he needs me. For now, it’s time to create a good alliance between the two packs and maybe even intermingle a little bit.”

Luna clapped a hand over her heart. “Don’t say that out loud to anybody, especially Yago.”

“I won’t,” Erik said. “I think it’s silly that we keep these separations and fights. We created the coalition to protect against outsiders. Maybe it’s time we adhered to that agreement instead of jockeying for position all the time.”

She liked that about Erik. A lot. Of course, she needed a nice and mellow mate who wanted to putter in her lab or library with her and not a badass who’d no doubt killed more than once. That fire lived in Erik’s blood.

He nodded toward one of several vehicles in the parking lot. “I’ll drive, and you can point out the entire territory for me. I’d like to get a feel for it before the event tonight.”

“Sure,” she said, not completely certain. It was one thing to sit in a conference room with his hard body for hours, but now he wanted her to relax in the cab of his truck? “No problem.” She cleared her throat.

“Are you all right?” he asked, looking way down at her.

“Yes.” Why couldn’t she be tall like Zelda? How wonderful it would be to look eye to eye with folks. “Were you serious about wanting daughters?”

“Of course. I’d like

lots of kids,” he said.

“Were you honest about females becoming Alphas?”

He shrugged. “Why not?”

Why not was a very good question, except her people had never thought it a good idea. Yago certainly would not like this line of thought, but she couldn’t exactly tell Erik, the possible soon-to-be Alpha of their entire clan, what to think or say.

He led her to his truck, opened the passenger-side door, and lifted her up. He frowned. “I don’t have running boards on this. I guess I’ll need to change that. There’s no way you can climb in here yourself.”

“I doubt I’ll be in your truck much.”

He leaned in, and the scent of wild forest and fresh rain came with him. “Are you sure about that?”

She was. She was absolutely sure. Wasn’t she? For goodness’ sake. Did she really have to remind her interested body that he’d kidnapped her?

He looked around. “It’s pretty quiet in the area. I figured we’d see more people. How far is the school?”

“It’s about five miles to the north,” she said. “It’s a small school.”

He frowned. “How many members of the pack do you have?”

She had no idea whether she was supposed to share this information or not, but he needed all the facts to do his job. She couldn’t share weaknesses, but if she showed him around, he’d see the truth. Erik Volk wasn’t anywhere near stupid. “You know, we’re like the other packs. We have about twelve hundred members.” The lie nearly caught in her throat.

He slowly turned his head, staring her in the eyes. Man, his eyes were blue. Not as much blue as cerulean. “That’s more than the Silver pack. Yet there’s no activity around here.”

“I heard something about a couple of big copper veins being hit, and everyone is working around the clock.” That was the story Yago had insisted she tell, so she gave it her best shot. She sucked at lying.

“Why aren’t there at least two guards on Yago?” Erik asked.

Probably a great question. “You’ll have to talk to Yago about that. While he’s several centuries old, he’s tough, and I think he wants you to trust him. I’m sure he’ll give you all the data about the pack—maybe after you’ve made a choice between the two females.”

“I will,” Erik said, his voice ominous. “Trust me.” He leaned in, his gaze burning. “And it’s three females, Luna. Right now, you’re in the lead.” His

lips brushed hers before he leaned back and shut the door.

She gasped, her mouth burning.

 

Chapter 2

 

Erik turned from the door as the phone in his back pocket buzzed. He wanted nothing more than to dive back into his vehicle with the enticing wolf. Her scent had been with him for months. Juniper berries and female. Who the hell smelled like juniper berries? He pulled his phone free and walked around the front of the truck, already knowing who was calling. “Hey, Seth,” he answered.

“How’s it going?”

Erik’s work as a spy had been rather boring so far. Well, except for sitting next to the flustered and too-adorable Luna. “I just met with Yago and am now going to tour the territory.” The wind rustled leaves across his boots.

“Good. I want to know every weakness they have,” Seth said tersely.

So far, the Copper Pack had revealed many more weaknesses than Erik had imagined, considering they let their Alpha meet with a possible enemy alone. “I don’t know anything yet,” Erik said. This could be a decent trap. Or at least an illusion. He wouldn’t put it past Yago to give him a show. Made sense. Erik certainly hadn’t promised to take over as the Alpha. As far as Yago was concerned, this meeting constituted the first of several negotiations.

For Erik, this was a needed mission to secure his pack. The Silver Pack.

As adorable as she seemed, Luna might not have the full story about the Copper Pack. Why did Yago send a kill squad after Seth unless it was to take territory? Was he that afraid of the other packs combining to take him out?

“Do you know what Yago wants?” Seth asked. “None of this makes a lot of sense.”

“No, but I’ll find out. I’m going on a tour of the entire territory right now, and then I’ll visit the mine. Tonight, they’re throwing some sort of welcoming party.”

Seth remained quiet for a moment. “A welcoming party?”

“Yeah.” Erik ruffled a hand along his hair, wishing he hadn’t cut it so short. It would grow soon enough.

“Do you think they’ll try to kill you?” Seth asked.

“One can only hope,” Erik murmured, his skin feeling too tight across his muscles. He needed a good fight—and soon. “If not, perhaps Yago truly wants an alliance between our packs.”

Seth sighed. “It makes some sense, considering my cousin runs the Granite Pack, and we’re pretty good friends with the leaders of the Slate Pack. It does leave Yago out in the cold.”

“True. And his hands are trembling. He’s older and more weakened than we thought.”

“So, you could take him out?”

With little effort. “Easily.” That had been Erik’s initial intention, actually. He’d purposefully kept his gaze averted from the female in the truck. There had been an exasperated fondness between her and her current Alpha, and if Erik killed Yago, it’d hurt her. But his pack came first.

“Well,” Seth said, “we could go to war.”

Erik gave in and turned to look at the female in his vehicle’s front seat, surprised to see her flipping through a book as she waited patiently for him. Damn, she was cute. “I know, but what then?”

“What do you mean, what then?” Seth asked.

“What do we do with everybody we don’t put six feet under? We can’t leave them unprotected.” Especially Luna. He would never leave her unprotected. Even though the four mining packs had created the coalition

for the good of all, they still hadn’t worked or mixed. Ever. Combining packs would never succeed, and even if it somehow could, that wouldn’t help Erik. Seth would always be the Alpha of the Silver Pack, which was as it should be.

But Erik couldn’t stay too close these days—his blood demanded leadership. So, he’d stay alone, on the outskirts, and do what he could to help. “I don’t have an answer to what Yago’s up to right now, but give me a couple of days.” His mind still reeled from meeting with Yago alone. Erik would never leave Seth’s back unprotected like that. Even now, four good soldiers were rotating in a protection detail.

Seth’s growl sounded tired. “We could hurt them bad enough they don’t hit back and then kick them out of the coalition.”

“That’s an option,” Erik agreed, his chest heating.

“Good. I didn’t like the idea of you mating someone outside our pack.”

Neither did Erik, and he thought he’d enjoy his new position of scouting weaknesses in other packs, both those in the coalition and the many outside of it. Surveying the Copper Pack was his first job.

Seth sighed. “You sure you’re good traveling so much away from our people? So often?”

“What else am I going to do?” Erik said softly. “I can work as your Enforcer for short stints of time, but something in me wants to lead. This satisfies some of that craving.”

“You need to lead,” Seth finished for him. “I get it. I have Alpha blood, too. Just don’t let seduction go to your head. You’re not meant to live with any pack other than your own.”

“I don’t think Luna wants to seduce me,” Erik said dryly. He’d warmed to this new position instantly, knowing he could protect his pack from afar. It had been a while since he’d felt truly needed, and it surprised him how tempting the idea had become. “I’m going to seek weaknesses here and then go to this party. Did you know she has two other mating candidates for me?”

Seth chuffed. “Luna?”

“Yeah. She has two other females she thinks I should romance. One is a hardcore fighter, and the other is a homemaker.”

Seth’s deep chuckle came over the line. “That’s hilarious. Isn’t Luna the only one with any Alpha blood?”

“Yeah, and she doesn’t think it matters. She believes they’re better mates for me.”

Seth laughed harder. “That had to be a bit of a blow to the famous Volk ego.”

“You have no idea,” Erik said, an unwilling grin tugging at his lips. “Right now, she’s in the truck reading a book. I think she’d do it all day and not get irritated that I’m not inside going on her tour.” That both amused and slightly irritated him.

Seth snorted. “You mean she’s not undressing you with her eyes through the windshield?”

“Shut up,” Erik retorted.

“You shut up,” Seth said.

Erik shook his head. “How’s Mia feeling?” His brother’s mate was one of his favorite people on the planet.

“According to her, she has a bouncing watermelon in her belly. That kid is active.”

“It’s your kid,” Erik replied. “Of course, he’s active.”

“Could be a girl,” Seth said.

Erik warmed to the subject. “I’d love to have a niece.”

Sudden tension spiraled over the line. “I’m going to ask you this once. Is my mate still in danger from the Copper Pack?”

Erik looked around the too-vacant area. “I give you my word that by the time I’m finished here, they won’t ever consider crossing into our territory again.” Although it appeared the lesson would be much easier to deliver than he’d initially planned—unless he was being lulled into a very false sense of security. He studied the female flipping through pages quickly. She must be a fast reader. She hadn’t looked up to watch him once. Yeah, it might be insulting, yet his grin widened.

She looked adorable with her thick, dark hair piled on top of her head, dressed in a plain green sweater, ...