Hungry for Her Mates [Wolf's Pass Shifters 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  Wolf’s Pass Shifters 2

  Hungry for Her Mates

  Gabrielle "Gabby" Caldwell is going crazy waiting on her mates to claim her. Her wolf is retreating, believing they have rejected her. Levi and Aaron Shoewater want Gabrielle as their mate, but something is blocking Levi’s mating heat. Without it, his wolf won’t mark her, and they’re slowly losing Gabrielle while they search for the answer.

  To make matters worse, humans are using magic to invade their land and take their wolves. As future Alpha, Levi feels pressured to stop them and capture whoever is helping them, but what about his mate?

  An old ally is called on for help, but while the three sisters who arrive are able to counter the magic the humans have stirred up, they prove to cause a stir of their own. Levi and Aaron must hold their pack together despite their private issue with claiming their mate. The answers are right in front of them, but sometimes good intentions cause more problems in the long run.

  Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal, Vampires/Werewolves

  Length: 49,818 words

  HUNGRY FOR HER MATES

  Wolf’s Pass Shifters 2

  Marla Monroe

  MENAGE EVERLASTING

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting

  HUNGRY FOR HER MATES

  Copyright © 2014 by Marla Monroe

  E-book ISBN: 978-1-62741-256-8

  First E-book Publication: January 2014

  Cover design by Les Byerley

  All art and logo copyright © 2014 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  Letter to Readers

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  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  About the Author

  HUNGRY FOR HER MATES

  Wolf’s Pass Shifters 2

  MARLA MONROE

  Copyright © 2014

  Chapter One

  Levi watched her as she circulated among the pack. She was perfect for them in every way. She was well loved among their wolves and had already developed a relationship with not only their mother but also with his brother’s new mate, Nessa. Her beautiful auburn hair reached past her shoulders, its rich color shimmering in the overhead lights. She had the bluest eyes he’d ever seen. They were always sparkling with laughter. And he didn’t feel a thing.

  Aaron, his brother and Beta, had gone into heat over her several weeks before, but at his insistence, he had refrained from approaching her. He’d told Aaron that they needed to allow Joseph and Jessup this time with their mate before announcing to the pack that their queen was among them. It would create a circus of events when they announced their mating, and Levi still hadn’t felt a thing for her, or any female for that matter.

  To make things worse, someone was stalking and attacking shifters in the area. So far his wolves had not suffered, but several of the other shifter communities had. Though shifters were no longer in hiding and the world knew of their existence, not much about them had been revealed. The general populace still lived in denial, and as long as there was no media coverage concerning them, it would remain that way. But with violence came curiosity, and eventually those hungry for sensationalism would seek them out to exploit them. Levi had known it was coming, but he had hoped not this soon.

  Once thrust into the spotlight, shifters would lose their ability to blend and freely come and go as they wanted. They would be like bugs under a microscope, every aspect of their lives studied and analyzed for any signs that they were a danger to man.

  He grunted in annoyance at where his thoughts were leading him once again. It served no purpose to brood over it. It was a fact that he had to prepare for. Right now he had another worry, and that was what to do about the mate that he should be in heat over. He hadn’t said anything to Aaron yet. He would have to talk about it with him tonight, though. There was no doubt that Aaron would insist that he talk to their dads about the issue. His dads would push him to talk to their healer, Harper.

  Shaking his head, he searched to find her again among the throngs of wolves in the room. There, talking with Nessa and Avery. The crisp green outfit she wore accented her auburn hair. He wondered how her blue eyes appeared amid the green.

  “I see you can’t take your eyes off of her, either,” Aaron said, walking up next to him.

  “She is quite lovely in that green pantsuit she has on,” he said in lieu of a greeting.

  “You don’t feel it, do you?” Aaron asked quietly.

  Levi sighed. He should have known hi
s brother as his Beta would be able to tell. He turned toward him with a frown.

  “No, I don’t. I don’t understand it. You are in full heat, yet I feel—nothing. It doesn’t make sense. We are bound partners—bond mates. I should be aching to claim her just like you.”

  Aaron nodded gravely. “You need to talk to the dads about it. They may know something.”

  “I’ve read through all of the history journals and found nothing to suggest that this has ever occurred before.”

  “Talk to them, Levi. I can’t handle waiting much longer. I agreed with you that Joseph and Jessup deserved time for their mate to be accepted first, but she’s back on her feet now and pregnant with their pups. My wolf is clawing my insides out to claim her.” Aaron wiped a hand over his face. “Please, brother.”

  Levi gritted his teeth. Aaron was right. It was time. He’d asked more of his bonded brother than he should have. “I’ll talk to them tonight once everyone has left.”

  He watched as Aaron’s shoulders relaxed in obvious relief. Levi had no doubt that his brother was fighting the need with her so close to them. It was a testament to how strong the man was that he’d been able to hold his wolf off for this long.

  “I’ll stand with you, Levi. You’re not alone. We will always fight our battles together.”

  Levi nodded and clasped his brother’s shoulder before turning away from the crowd to take a walk outside. He needed some air and space from everything. Lately it seemed as if the pressure was too much. How did his fathers deal with it all? Levi wasn’t even officially Alpha yet, and already he felt overwhelmed at times.

  Instead of staying in the open area where there were chairs and picnic tables, Levi ventured deeper into the tree line to put some distance between himself and the buzzing in his head that represented his pack members. Already, as the intended Alpha once his fathers stepped down, he could feel the other wolves and knew when something was wrong. It wasn’t as strong as it would be, but it was there, and sometimes it was hard to ignore—like now. He needed space to think.

  “I thought I saw you slipping out.” Avery’s scent greeted him about the time she appeared from behind him. The fact that she’d slipped up on him proved he was not at his best.

  “What are you doing out here alone, Avery? It’s not safe.”

  She wound her arms around his waist. “But I’m not alone. I’m with you, darling. What’s wrong? Why are you out here instead of inside?”

  He didn’t move. “I needed some space for a few minutes. I’ll be back inside in a bit.”

  She didn’t take the hint. Instead she leaned into him and laid her head against his chest. He realized that though they had been lovers off and on for several years, he didn’t feel anything for her either. That was wrong. Though he’d ended their relationship when Aaron had taken on the mating heat, he should at least feel some measure of affection toward her. She had been a warm and generous lover, but there was nothing, just as there was no sign of the mating heat for the one who was supposed to be his and Aaron’s mate.

  “What is it, Levi?” Avery asked, looking up. “Something’s wrong. I can feel it.”

  “It’s nothing, Avery. I just have a lot on my mind right now.” He rubbed her back, knowing she needed to feel that, despite ending their physical relationship, he wasn’t rejecting her wolf as the future Alpha. “Go on inside, and I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  She pulled away and smiled up at him before nodding and leaving him alone with his thoughts. Levi wanted to understand why he didn’t feel anything. It was as if the emotional part of himself had dried up and blown away. He tried to think back to when he last felt some emotion, something other than this emptiness that filled him now, but it had been long enough that he couldn’t even imagine what it had felt like.

  He knew he loved his family, but he couldn’t feel it. Had it been when they’d lost Joseph and hadn’t known if he were alive or dead? His brother had cut himself off from them when he had joined the special operations unit made up of shifters so they wouldn’t worry about him or feel it if he were injured. Then they’d received word that he’d been captured, but no one knew of his fate. Maybe he’d somehow cut off his emotions then to keep from going crazy inside over how helpless they’d been.

  He shook his head. How long had it been? What was he going to do if he didn’t regain his ability to feel, to experience emotions? What would it mean for Aaron—for his mate? After a few minutes staring out into the darkness, Levi turned and headed back to the building. He wasn’t going to be able to figure it out now when he hadn’t been able to figure it out over the last few days. All he could do was pray that either his fathers or the pack healer would know what to do. If they didn’t, Levi was afraid of what might happen with his mate and Aaron.

  * * * *

  Gabrielle Caldwell sank to the ground in shock. She watched Avery wrap her arms around Levi, her supposed mate, and lay her head against his chest. He rubbed his hand up and down her back in affection. Obviously Avery was Levi’s lover. Pain shot through her chest like a knife through cheese, pulling at the tender tissues along the way. How could this be?

  Evidently she was alone in feeling the mating heat. Her mates didn’t feel it for her. Aaron hadn’t show any sign of it when they’d been around each other the last few days, and now Levi was holding another woman in his arms.

  She’d noticed when he had slipped out earlier and figured he needed some space from all of the pack. Then Aaron had asked if she had seen Levi anywhere, and she’d told him that she’d seen him slip out the side entrance. Aaron had asked her to find him and tell him he was needed in the office with his fathers. She’d never dreamed he might be slipping out to meet Avery. The other woman had never said anything about being involved with him. They had sure managed to keep it quiet.

  Now, she watched as they spoke in low voices that she refused to allow herself to hear. The sight of them together was more than she could handle as it was, but in her state, she was afraid to try and leave for fear they would hear her retreat. Instead, she crouched on the ground and concentrated on not giving herself away while silent tears rolled down her cheeks. To not be wanted by your intended mate or mates was a blow that she wasn’t sure she could withstand. Her wolf was snarling for her to attack Avery and claim her mate, but Gabby didn’t want someone who didn’t want her, no matter how her wolf felt.

  Deep down she knew that if she didn’t accept the mating heat and bind with the two wolves chosen for her wolf, there were dire consequences. If neither Aaron or Levi felt the heat, it might not affect them the same way, but for her wolf, it might be a death sentence.

  It was very rare that wolves with true mates ever fought or refused the mating heat. It just wasn’t done. The few times she’d ever heard of it happening, the rejected wolf went crazy or died. Sometimes the human half went with the wolf and sometimes they just wasted away and remained ill and weak until they too died.

  As much as Avery didn’t want this to happen to her, she didn’t think she could live knowing her mates didn’t really want her, but were stuck with her. The wolf half of her disagreed, making it clear that she thought her human half was crazy. Still, the wolf had no choice but to follow, and already she was whining her pain.

  When first Avery, then, minutes later, Levi returned to the building, Gabrielle allowed the whimpers she’d held back to escape. Every fiber in her body hurt at the knowledge that her mates didn’t feel anything for her. Their wolves had rejected her as their mate. Somehow she’d been judged unworthy of them. The pain in her chest grew until it blotted out everything else. She couldn’t stand it any longer. Gabby stepped out of her clothes, folded them neatly, and allowed the change to take her, shifting into her red wolf. The slight pain that accompanied the shift was amplified because she forced the change much faster than normal, and she didn’t allow her wolf to shield her from it, craving it to help blot out the emotional pain.

  Once she had shaken the aftereffects off, Gabby too
k her clothes in her muzzle and ran toward home. She doubted anyone would miss her, and if they did, she’d already made the comment to Nessa that she might head home early.

  As soon as she made it to her little cabin, she bounded up to the back door and pushed through the doggy door all shifters installed in their homes. Once inside, she nosed the lock closed on it and padded to her bedroom where she jumped up on the bed and, after circling twice, curled up and covered her nose with her tail. The familiar scents surrounding her helped to calm her galloping heart that had nothing to do with the run back. She allowed the familiarity of it all to lull her into a light doze, her wolf’s mind in turmoil over her other half’s refusal to fight for her mates. The wolf felt that if she showed her willingness to fight for them, they would deem her worthy of the mating, but the human half refused.

  With a soft whimper, her wolf released the tight hold it had kept on her, and Gabby finally managed to fall asleep. Several sleepless nights worrying over it had caught up with her, and sheer exhaustion took over. Her wolf remained on guard though, aware that the human part of her was exhausted mentally and emotionally.

  The wolf accepted the rejection and moved on into protection mode. Without a mate, she would be responsible for her own safety and welfare. There was only one destined mate or mating pair, so they were on their own now. She would never accept another wolf in their stead, no matter how much her human side might want it.

  The wolf watched and waited.

  Chapter Two