Rogue Mate, The Moltiare Collection: Book 1

By Acacia Estep

Jessica Ryland knew all too well about the chaos that followed this taboo. It had cost her the lives of her family at a very young age and even in giving that taboo just what it needed, she knew that it wouldn't stop chasing her until she joined them.
But when she decides to take refuge in a city that had already been claimed by a Shifter pack, she finds that she is in for more that she bargained for. With a mate that refuses to turn her away, she will find that she is stronger than she ever thought she could be.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Acacia Estep
• Release date: Aug 26, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301800346

Acacia Estep

was born in September of 1992, in the small town of Wilmington, North Carolina. Most people nowadays call me by my first name, others by some variation of blondie or by my childhood nickname, Moe, but you can go with whichever you prefer.I came across my writing somewhere in the 4th grade. There was a writing project in english that required us to write a poem, and towards the end of the year, those poems would be published in a small booklet that was handed out to families. After I had finished with mine, I simply didn't want to let it go!I had been going through a bout of depression, coping with something that happened a year or two prior, and I found that the writing allowed me to get those feelings out on paper. So I gathered notebook after notebook and began writing. The poems began to lengthen and turn into short stories, and from there they progressed to the books that they are now.But for all of these ideas and inspirations that I had, I didn't yet have the confidence to go with it.As the daughter of a single mother, I have watched my mother struggle and walk with ease, and I am amazed now by how much she accomplished on her own. I've watched her make mistakes and learn from them. There have even been a few of my own that I've had the liberty of looking back on, but my mother has been my greatest inspiration.She has taught me to never give up on myself or what I believed in, and has also shown me how to be strong in what seems like the hardest of times.Also a great supporter and inspiration, my husband, Carlton. Without him and my mother pushing me along and creating the blockade that kept me from turning back, I would not be here holding my dream in my hands. Quite literally actually.There are quite a few others that are also to blame for my personal success, but I fear that if I keep telling you what they've done for me, that you might as well pull out the sleeping bag and camp at the computer.Can't say that computer would make fantastic smore.

Book preview

Prologue

There’s my baby. She whispered as she brushed a gentle hand over her child’s cheek, My sweet baby.

The little man was sound asleep in her arms, but he had every right to be. After all, with nearly every member of the pack ogling over him and the trip home, it had been a very tiring day.

He had been the second birth that the pack had seen in two years. The birth rate among the wolves had only just been on the rise, so nearly every pregnancy was a surprise. A pleasant bundle of surprise.

Her fingers traced over the mark that was inlayed on her child’s shoulder. It was a witch’s mark, the mark of Flidias, the same as her own and her father’s before her. For them it had meant Shape shifter, giving and abnormal amount of control over their animal spirits and the way that they changed form, but she wondered if he would be different. She wondered if he would be more like his older sister who bore the mark of Fama, or like his aunt and grandmother who bore the mark of Pronoea.

What gift had the gods chosen to bestow upon him?

She felt the presence of the man beside her before he even spoke. It seemed that motherhood had fine-tuned her senses more than she had ever hoped for, so much that she felt that she could almost feel and smell all of the places that this man had been before he even made his way up the steps. How could she absorb this much, she wondered, from a man that smelled of wood chips, mint, and death?

Perhaps because her sister had told her that he’d be coming. With the mark of Pronoea burning behind her ear, her sister had told her the man would come to ask questions, that he would be here out of a friendship rather than the duty that followed him, and that she would have nothing to fear.

She still knew that she would, however. Even now the fear was nipping at the corners of her mind while she struggled to keep calm, but it was only natural to feel that way about a creature that lived his life feeding off of those that she lived next to. Vampires and Shifters had never mixed well.

Jessica Ryland? he called to her from the doorway, keeping his distance from the mother and her pups.

She lifted her head for a moment, her eyes adjusting to the darkness to make out his full black attire. His slacks and button up shirt suggested professionalism, or maybe a taste for finer things that he had acquired over time, but the way he leaned casually against the open door, with neither a smile nor scowl on his face, suggested exactly what her sister had told her. He was a man with questions, and a man that would not willingly risk a life unless it was meant to be taken.

You were expecting me? she could tell by the confusion in his voice that he hadn’t expected her to know, Were you told by who sent me?

Keep it down. She whispered, and all but ignored his first two inquires.

His eyes drifted over the child in her arms and the child that slept in a crib not far from where she sat, not altogether pleased by her statement, but respecting it nonetheless.

I’m Darrius Moltiare. He began again with a quieter voice, Although I’m sure that a woman of your background knows exactly what I am…

The inkling of suspicion inside of him was confirmed as he watched the fear rise slightly in her aura.

But how is it that you almost know who I am?

She considered his words for a moment before she began lifting herself from the rocking chair. Her son stirred quietly in her hands as she carefully placed him back onto the soft blankets that he had ruffled when he had begun crying a few hours before hand. She ignored the tremors in her movements as she bent to kiss his forehead and moved across the room to do the same to her daughter. Perhaps the nerves and the instinctive need to protect what was hers would fade once she got him away from her kids.

His eyes had a metallic sheen to them, she noticed as she came to stand before him, one that made them look almost golden in the light.

I’m going to make myself some tea, she stated calmly, if you would like to join me downstairs.

Darrius’s eyes rested open hers shortly before they flicked back towards each of the children. A mother defending her pups, he mused as she shifted slightly on her feet to block his view.

I would be my pleasure.

Part 1

Jess

I stared up at the now hiring sign, tightening the strap of my bag over my shoulder as I searched for the name of the small diner I stood in front of. It was a busy night, and people were bustling all around me on the sidewalk. The high school I passed was still filled with people as the night came to an end, the baseball field beside it was lit up with bright lights and students filled the stands. Friday night baseball, I had thought at first, maybe I would be able to avoid the crowd.

Instead I found myself in it, my attention momentarily captured by a cardboard sign while I became increasingly aware of how light my wallet was about to become. I had just enough in it to rent out a one bed motel room for a month or two, but after that I was on my own.

Before this town, it hadn’t been a problem. I had been on my own for years, sleeping, hunting, and living in the wilderness. I traveled into a town here or there to buy a few necessities such as clothing or to treat myself to a human meal once I became comfortable with the area, but past that I stayed away from people. I had snuck into libraries where ever I could and taught myself everything there was to learn on paper. If I found myself having to deal with people, I kept my head down as much as possible, kept to short conversations if I couldn’t avoid them entirely, anything to remain as insignificant as possible. The less people remembered about me, the better…but I wasn’t careful enough.

The last town had been too small, and I hadn’t taken into account how quickly people had taken note of my presence, or how quickly that word would spread. I had done what I could to hide my scent, both wolf and human, and I learned how to fight when I could, but nothing had prepared me for the storm that awaited me when I returned to my resting spot that night.

My body still ached and shivered as I remembered the way that Vlamir had laid his hands on me, beating into me until I had no more fight left and finally stripping me of my clothes. When I try to think of what he might have done to me if I had stayed, my body just goes numb. He had already left me feeling weak, vulnerable, and deserving of only the dirt beneath his shoe, but I was the only one that had openly defied him in front of others. For that…he thought I needed to pay.

My tongue ran across my bottom lip and over the broken skin that was still healing. It was the only mark he had left on me that I couldn’t cover with clothing or make-up, but not the only mark that pushed me to keep going. I wasn’t going to let him do that to me again.

So this time I had chosen a bigger town, and instead of living on the outskirts, I was going to live in the heart of it, blending in as much as I possibly could. My theory was that it would help mask my human scent, allowing me to focus more on financial matters, or where I could go next if he were to find me again, and how I would get there. The only problem was the land the town was sitting on had been claimed by a Wolf pack, and though I didn’t know much about packs, I knew that most didn’t take kindly to visitors. Or rather they didn’t take kindly to rogues like me, but I couldn’t give myself much of a choice.

I had traveled a long way, both by foot and whatever rides I could hitch, but my body was still healing and I hadn’t slept decently in days. I was tired, in both body and mind, and I needed a break. My goal was to stay hidden in one location as long as possible, and I needed both the human and Wolf population to do so. The human population would keep my human scent undercover, while the Wolf population would either hide my scent completely, or deter Vlamir away from me and possibly buying me more time. This time however, I wasn’t going to be naive.

I knew that if Vlamir found a way, he come after me again, and I needed to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. This meant no attachments, little belongings, and the money to go where ever I needed when that time came.

So here I was, in the heart of it, surrounded by a mixture of humans and wolves, and staring up at what could be my only hope. I had a fake I.D. and a set of birth certificates that I’d had forged by someone a few towns back, so if they asked I could provide proof, no matter how fictional, of my age and existence, but what worried me were the questions that came after that. Parents? Where did I live before this town? Did I have any friends? What brought my family here? What was my story?

What was my story? I had to ask that one myself. My parents died when I was 10, struck down by the very man that was still snapping at my heels six years later. For the first two years after their deaths, I’d had my aunt and uncle, but it didn’t take him long to strike them down too, so instead of risking anyone else’s life, I ran…as far as I could with what I had. It unfortunately didn’t get me far, and it only made him angrier, but it was too late to stop. If I let him have me for too long, I knew that eventually he would strike me down as well.

I felt myself being shoved forward, the action causing me to stumble forward and catch myself on the wall. My arms and shoulders hissed in pain where the bruises were still black and blue, my ankle screamed from where it had been twisted the other night, and my short brown hair, still wet from crossing a stream in wolf form, stuck to my cheek as I turned my head and scowled at the human responsible.

They looked back on me in disgust; no doubt taking in the state of my tattered clothing and the bag I carried which was just barely holding together. The only thing I had that had stayed in relatively good shape was the large pair of converse shoes that I had found in one of the first towns I walked through. Originally, they were several sizes too big for my small, child-like features, but I grew into them.

Watch it weirdo. The girl, looking to be about my age, sneered as she dusted off the place on her clothing where we touched and returned to her friends, who were now giggling at her comment.

My wolf let out a growl, but I quickly smothered it and tried to focus on the task at hand. I couldn’t afford the luxury of standing up for myself now. In my experience, those who stood up tended to stand out! That was the last thing I needed to do.

I looked around me, noticing the amount of people now walking about. They were now driving down the street, yelling excitedly out of their cars, stopping and piling out onto the sidewalk, on their way to diners and favored hang out spots much like the one I stood in front of. I could hear the name of the high school being chanted over the commotion outside and turned to look through the diner window.

There was another small group of teens, all looking to be about my age, cheering in a circle as a waitress brought out a cake and set it in front of them.

One boy, dressed in a dirt covered uniform and wearing a baseball cap, leaned forwards to blow out the candles while another, with brown hair and chocolaty brown eyes, tossed an arm around his shoulders and grinned. That one had smooth skin and a well-toned body that I quickly noticed was visible through his tight shirt and jeans, and even as I found myself imagining what he might look like if he took his top off, I noticed his pearly white canines.

I looked towards the others around them as I took a whiff of the air. He, just like everyone else in the group, smelled like wolves.

I found myself biting my lip again as I began to tuck away every bit of evidence that my wolf was ever there. My hand consciously moved over my ears, checking to see if they were still shaped human, and gave a small glance at my reflection when I turned, although I’m sure if I still had my tail out that someone would have noticed by now. Finally, I began to hide my nerves, knowing that the moment I opened the door that they would be able to smell the fear.

I had known I was going to be this close to others, but I hadn’t known that it was going to be this soon. Normally I would have been miles away by now, but I didn’t quite see the point. I didn’t have much money left, and with a bad ankle I’d only be a sitting duck out in the woods. I needed somewhere to rest, I needed to recuperate, and I needed time. It was no longer a question anymore. I needed this and I needed to do whatever I could to keep it.

Third grand slam this season, Aaron. The brown eyed boy began as the woman behind the bar fussed at the other to go get clean, How does it feel?

I pulled the hood of my jacket past my eyes, squeezing painfully through another group of people as they made their way for the door. The crowd around the bar separated just long enough to show the empty stool in the corner, its blood red cushion making me blink twice before I realized what it was. Then again all of the chairs in the diner were like this, lined up with perfect black trim and standing out against the black and white checker board floor.

Feels great. The one under the baseball cap grinned before sucking up the foam that rested on top of his root beer float.

Pushing myself as close to the wall as I could, I picked up one of the menus lying on the counter and began to search through it while I waited. My mouth watered at the sight of the pancakes and eggs on the first page, and when I had tried to turn the page, I realized that the steak and dessert menu wasn’t going to help either.

My stomach was already grumbling at the smells that filled the air, teetering on borderline starvation and being sick at the thought of food. That was when I remembered that I hadn’t calculated food into the financial situation, and even factoring in only one meal per day, I still would have lost a couple weeks stay at the inn. How could I have been so stupid?

Can I help you honey? an older woman’s voice sounded before me as the group of teens began to cheer again.

I did my best to shoo away the scowl on my face and look up with a smile. In my experience, people always dealt better with smiles.

The sign outside said you were hiring. I tried to say, but my voice cracked horribly from the lack of water and I became thankful that she couldn’t hear me over the commotion.

Boy’s you better calm down. The woman warned before turning back towards me, What was that you said?

I cleared my throat and tried again, Your sign, it said that you’re hiring.

The woman turned and scowled as another set of teens entered the dining area, chanting Aaron’s name over and over again. Without another word, she waved her hand at me, motioning for me to head towards the back of the diner where it was no doubt quieter than it was out here.

I pulled my hand back up to my shoulder, holding the strap of my bag there when it had fallen, and carefully slid off the stool. My ankle lit up with pain as I did my best to walk normally, but the growing crowd around me was making that difficult.

They all gathered and seemed to be flocking their way towards the Golden Boy, disregarding their surroundings as they pushed me about. I tried to step out of the way, but only stepped into someone else, who in turn pushed me back, and finally I cursed and shoved my way through, ignoring the way my eyes watered from the pain.

I could hear people behind me cursing as they stumbled over in my wake, but did my best to shut them out and move on, the sanctuary behind the swinging grey doors seeming more heavenly by the second. My bag tugged at my shoulder as I cleared through group of wolves and I turned to see that my bag had been caught on one of the chairs with one of their hands unintentionally covering the cloth. I pulled it once, but when the boy didn’t seem to notice, I reached up to pull his hand away and suddenly wished I hadn’t.

Sparks shot clear up my arm and the air suddenly became heavier around me, pulling me towards him as he too, began to notice.

I had remembered my parents telling me about this once. They told me about how my skin would tingle and when I looked up into his eyes, my wolf would be pining for him, but a mate, someone I could wait a lifetime for, was yet another luxury that I couldn’t afford. Panic raced through me as I thought of what Vlamir might do, and I could feel the hold on my wolf threatening to break as she trashed about inside my head, pleading for me to step forward.

I watched him as he began to turn around, his hand momentarily lifting away from the strap that had caught on his chair, and just as I thought that I had been cornered, the strap was free. Using the cover of the growing crowd, I ducked around the corner and hurried through the door, the gravity on the air lifting as I put more and more space between us. Still, it didn’t fade completely, and even as I followed the woman through the kitchen and out of the back door, I knew that he’d be following.

Sorry about that honey. Friday nights are always crazy, especially when Aaron plays. She apologized pulling my attention towards her as a look of concern crossed her face, You alright?

No, I thought to myself. Fate was a cruel bastard, my ankle was throbbing, bruises were aching terribly, and my lip felt like it was on fire, but even despite myself, I smiled and nodded.

It’s quite the crowd. I admitted

So you’re here about the job? she asked and waited for me to nod again, Well I was really looking for someone for full time.

I can do that.

It would require you to be here from after school to almost one in the morning.

I can do that too. I insisted nervously, My...parents and I just moved to town, and we don’t really have that much money.

The woman began to eye my lip suspiciously, Will your parents be ok with that?

I nodded for the third time, maybe a little too quickly for my own good as the woman gave a small sigh.

Well you start Monday after school then, she placed her hands on her hips and gave me a pointed look, How’s that?

Great! I forced a grin

Three o’clock don’t be late! She raised a finger at me as she moved towards the door.

I won’t. I promised.

Oh! Ethan. The woman gasped as she opened the door, a wolf’s scent flushing out into the open, making me involuntarily taking a step forward.

Did a girl with blue hoodie come out here? the wolf asked, his voice sending a shiver down my spine.

The woman began to nod and I felt my hair beginning to stand on end. Damn him, I thought as I looked behind myself, noticing the open alleyway and the dumpster a few yards down. I must not have run fast enough, my ankle even now was threatening to snap if I thought about running again, but I already felt fear getting the best of me. The hold on my wolf had all but severed and I found myself shifting before I could stop it.

Thick bristles of hair forced their way through my skin and clothes, and my bones began to snap. Pain nearly crushed my lungs as I dove for the safety of the shadows, letting out a small whimper as I was unable to catch myself and crashed into one of the trash cans. I was barely able to push myself up before the woman had stepped back into the light, looking for the source of the commotion as the brown haired, brown eyed wolf followed her out.

Well that’s odd. The woman stated as she searched around for me, She was here just a moment ago.

Even as she searched, I could feel my mate’s eyes locked on me. He went to take a step forward, but my wolf, in pain and terrified, took a step back, yelping as I put weight on my back ankle. When I looked back I could see that his jaw had tightened and his eyes had filled with worry, but he wasn’t the only one.

Another stray? the woman gave an exasperated sigh before taking a small step forward to get a closer look. I stepped back again, this time limping as I let my foot dangle at my side, while my tail was tucked neatly between my legs.

Poor thing must be hurt. She tsk’d and thankfully came to a stop when Ethan placed a hand on her arm.

You can’t get close to her Mrs. Kim. He began to lie, She’s scared, and you don’t know how she might react.

Kim frowned, but nodded in understanding as she took a couple of steps back allowing me to relax. She placed her hands on her hips and shook her head in disappointment, the glimmering, paw shaped pin on her shirt telling me that she was an avid dog lover, I suppose we should try to catch her.

Ethan nodded, never taking his eyes off of mine, Go get some of the scraps from the kitchen, I’ll try to keep her attention.

Kim looked from me to Ethan worriedly, but after a moment turned and disappeared into the kitchen, leaving the two of us alone with noise everywhere around us as the night refused to wind down. He moved a step or two to the side, but the movement caused me to quiver and he immediately stopped, looking towards the ground as something caught his eye. My already labored breathing stopped when I realized what it was.

My tattered bag was lying just outside of the shadow, some of its contents just barely spilling through the draw string enclosure. My eyes darted from him towards the bag as my wolf began to whine. I could feel myself becoming weaker the more I stood, and I knew that if I didn’t run away from here soon, I’d collapse inside the alleyway. I tried to imagine what he could possibly do to me then, but all I could picture was Vlamir’s angry face, and I cringed when I imagined his fists hitting me.

A soft scrape in the background caught my attention again and I looked over to see that Ethan had taken a broom with one hand. He slowly moved the tip of it under one of the straps and lifted it from the ground, the contents somehow managing to stay inside as he extended the end of the broom out towards me. My bag swung gently in the air as the broom reached just a couple of feet away, just outside of the shadows.

Take it. He told me, holding the broom as far as he could without taking another step.

I looked back towards the open part of the alley, debating on whether or not I should try to run, but something told me that if I did so now, Ethan would be behind me in a heartbeat. Besides, everything I needed was in the bag he was holding. I couldn’t get a motel room without the fake I.D., I couldn’t use the high school as cover without the forged manuscripts, and I wouldn’t be able to get anywhere without the money in my wallet. If I had that last thing, I might have been able to restart, but without it all I really had was nothing.

If you don’t hurry, she’ll be back with a leash. He nodded back towards the door.

My wolf growled slightly at the thought of being restrained and took a few shaky steps forward, watching him carefully to be sure that he didn’t make any sudden moves.

I could feel my eyes dilate as my reddish brown muzzle came out of the shadows, and they stared back as his chocolaty brown eyes began to swirl. They mixed with black and as he let out a warm smile and I could tell that there were many things running through his mind. One of them was worry that quickly turned to anger as his eyes moved over the patches of fir that didn’t completely grow in, and the deep cut between my shoulder blades that burned under his stare.

Because I had been hurt in my human form, the hair couldn’t push through the damaged parts of my skin. It required more effort than my body had to give and so instead of going through with the change, the same areas appeared almost hairless and sickly. It left me in a more vulnerable position against other shifters, because they would know that I was hurt and to any other rogue that I came across, I would be an easy target.

Ethan, is she still out there?

I panicked as I heard Kim’s voice behind the door, quickly taking up the bag in my mouth and hobbling my way around the corner into another alley way. But even in my wolf form, I stumbled.

The will of my wolf snapped and she began to back her way into my mind again, forcing another turn that left me lying on my side, my nails digging into the dirty concrete, and biting into the side of my hoodie to keep from screaming. The scent of blood filled the air, and I knew that the wound on my back had opened again.

Damn. I heard Kim curse as she set something metal on the ground.

She bolted when she heard the door. Ethan explained. The worrisome tone he held in his voice now rang true, even though I knew he wasn’t fooled about where I was. She didn’t look too good, Kim. We should call the rescue center and see if we can’t catch before she hurts herself, or runs into the street.

Oh god. I could hear Kim’s horrified voice as she ran back inside, Ethan’s footsteps becoming a steady jog as he ran towards me. I tried to pull myself further away, but my hand had only made it couple of inches before he began lifting me up.

No. I tried to say, but it came out in a hoarse moan as he took one of his now grime covered hands and cupped my cheek with it.

I could feel his eyes searching my face for any other injuries. I would have looked up at him, my wolf even begged me to seek comfort in his eyes, but my eyelids seemed to be growing heavier by the second. It was the same feeling I had begun to have when Vlamir stood over me, bludgeoning me until the pain had become too much for me to handle and I had passed out. It was only the warmth of his palm that kept me awake…Just barely.

Damn-it. He cursed as his clean thumb ran over my broken lip. Reaching up to feel my forehead, he cursed again and began lifting the hood away from my head, I need to get this off of you.

No. I gave another strained moan and lifted my hand to stop him, but he moved it away with little effort.

One hand still on the zipper, he used the other to pull my chin up, Trust me.

His eyes began to swirl again with an animal like darkness, peering into the depths of me and wrapping a pair of warm arms around my heart. I felt myself begin to cry because it had been so long since I had received that type of affection from anyone. It reminded me of what life used to be like with my parents. Always comforted, always safe, and always loved.

I didn’t want to trust him. I didn’t know him that well, but I did so anyway mostly because I didn’t have any energy left to do otherwise.

Ethan

I watched as her head went to rest on the brick wall, sweat rolling off her forehead as she stared me down with watchful eyes. Her breathing was heavy as I pulled the zipper and slid the hoodie off of her shoulders, but her hand stayed closed around my wrist, as if she were holding me down. She took in a sharp breath as my hand brushed over her skin and I did my best to stay calm.

My wolf was already threatening to burst at the seams, growling and barking around the borders of my mind. The thought of someone hurting her was already taking