Memory (Tails Book One)

By R.E. Butler

He only cares about becoming alpha...
There’s only one thing standing in the way of Duke Fairborn taking over his pride as alpha, and that’s choosing a mate. According to pride law, matings must be among their own kind, and only a mated male can become alpha. Mating an outsider means facing exile. After giving the pride matchmaker the go-ahead, he soon finds himself betrothed to a lioness, with a mating ceremony scheduled for the following weekend. Now, everything is falling into place in his life and he couldn’t be happier. Right?

Her broken heart doesn’t trust easily...
Memory Hendrix isn’t interested in dating, and doesn’t even believe in happily-ever-afters. After one too many broken hearts, Ree knows that the only person she can trust is herself. Accompanying her younger sister to a bar for a drink to kick off the weekend, she finds herself in the arms of the sexiest guy she’s ever laid eyes on. He’s built like a tank and he purrs! One night with him, and her broken heart is all but mended.

Not all is what it seems...
Duke knows that taking Ree to bed is going to be the end of his bid for alphaship, but he couldn’t care less. Nothing is as important to him as his new mate. Believing she’s safe in his room above the bar, he leaves her sleeping and goes to the pride elders to accept his exile. He’d rather have Ree than be alpha. But the jilted lioness isn’t going to go down without a fight, and when Ree believes that Duke will never choose her, she runs. He’s not about to let her go, and no lioness or pride laws will stand in his way. He’ll choose honor over duty, and love above all else.

• Language: English
• Publisher: R.E. Butler
• Release date: Jan 6, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463876381

R.E. Butler

A Midwesterner by birth, R.E. spent much of her childhood rewriting her favorite books to include herself as the main character. Later, she graduated on to writing her own books after "retiring" from her day job as a secretary to become a stay-at-home mom.When not playing with her kids, wrestling her dogs out the door, or cooking dinner for her family, you'll find her typing furiously and growling obscenities to the characters on the screen.Her best-selling series Wiccan-Were-Bear, The Necklace Chronicles, Hyena Heat, Wilde Creek, Were-Zoo, Arctic Shifters, Norlanian Brides, Saber Chronicles, and Ashland Pride are available now.

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Memory (Tails Book One)

By R. E. Butler

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Excerpt from Mercy (Tails Book Two)

Books by R. E. Butler

About the Author

Copyright

Chapter One

Duke Fairborn swiveled back and forth in the comfortable leather chair and listened to the pride elders as they discussed issues from last month’s meeting. He hated these meetings; they dragged on forever. But as the son of the alpha, he had to be there, particularly because he was going to take over the pride when his father stepped down. Their pride, like all lion prides in the States, had a hereditary alphaship, passed from father to son for as far back as anyone could recall.

He wanted to be alpha more than anything. He’d been born for it, had trained his whole life to be in this place. Boring meetings aside, he couldn’t wait to be alpha. Taking a glance at his father, who sat at the head of the long mahogany table, Duke vowed to be just as successful when he was in charge. His dad, Byron, had ruled for thirty years. The pride had flourished under his leadership, and Duke was ready to grasp that brass ring for himself.

There was just one thing in the way.

A mate.

And not just any mate, but one worthy of being female alpha.

That concludes previous business, Winston, one of the elders, said.

Duke flicked his gaze to the male and then to his dad, who nodded.

New business? Byron asked.

Duke listened as the elders and high ranked pride males went around the table and discussed issues. He didn’t have anything to add. He was the second highest ranked male in the pride, and he’d earned that rank by fighting his way to the top when he was younger. The duties that came with being so close to the alpha included keeping others in line and protecting the alpha. When Duke took over, Lenn, the third-ranked male, would take over as number two. Thankfully, they were good friends, and he knew the male would always have his back.

When the meeting concluded, Duke waited until the elders left, and then swiveled the chair until he was facing his dad.

I take it you have something to tell me, son?

Yeah. I’m ready to take over.

You know what you need to do in order for that to happen.

Take a mate.

Byron arched a brow. Do you have someone in mind?

There were two ways to choose a mate—a heart-match or a mate-match. Some lions and lionesses waited their whole lives to find their heart-match, the one person on the planet meant for them. But for males like Duke who had their eyes on the highest rank attainable, waiting for his beast to find the one wasn’t feasible. He didn’t have to think hard to know that none of the unmated females in his pride were the right one for him. If one of the females was meant to be his mate, he would have felt it. The mating pull, which came from finding a heart-match, was impossible to ignore.

He could wait and hope to run across his heart-match, but that would mean delaying becoming alpha. He’d rather choose a mate-match and get on with his destiny. The reality of his life was that he was in line to be the next alpha, and in order for that to happen, he had to mate a lioness. It wasn’t about love, it was about duty. Period.

I’m going to reach out to Abbie. Abbie was the pride’s matchmaker.

Byron nodded. She’ll find you a suitable mate from another pride.

There were several prides that called Kentucky and the surrounding states home. The prides mainly kept to themselves, but the alphas did occasionally get together to discuss general pride issues, and during the solstice celebrations, unmated males and females would often gather to find mates or have cubs together. Duke had tumbled his way into beds with different females but had never felt connected to any of them.

I’m going to meet her this afternoon. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Good luck.

With that, Duke left the meeting room in his parents’ home, and stopped in the kitchen to say goodbye to his mom. Davina stood at the stove, stirring a pot of noodles.

Stay for lunch? she asked after accepting his kiss on the cheek.

I can’t. I’m on my way to see Abbie.

She turned to him, brows high. Really? Oh, that’s wonderful!

Setting the long-handled wooden spoon down, she hugged him tightly. His mother was well over a foot shorter than his six-and-a-half-foot frame, and he had to bend to return the hug. His parents had been mate-matched by Abbie, so he knew that a mate-match didn’t have to just be a business decision, but for him—at least for now—it had nothing to do with love and everything to do with becoming alpha.

Her brow furrowed and she said, Are you sure this is the way you want to go?

It’s time for me to be alpha, Mom.

I know you’re ready, and I’m certainly ready for your father to stop being the literal boss of everyone, but you don’t have to rush.

You and Dad were matched by Abbie.

Yes, but I think that a match like ours is the exception, not the rule. Do you really want to be alpha so badly that you can’t wait a little while longer, try to find your heart-match?

His lion agreed wholeheartedly. Guilt tickled at the back of his mind, but he pushed the unwanted emotion away. Didn’t you raise me to take over, to be the best alpha possible?

Of course, and you will be. I’m just pointing out that you’re still young and you don’t need to rush.

It’s time, Mom.

She looked up at him with narrowed eyes and then she sighed. I’m sure she’ll find you a lovely mate.

He knew he hadn’t really won their little argument, but he was going to