Primal Bonds: Wolf Hollow Shifters

By Nikki Jefford

Language, custom, and ancestry forge seemingly impassable barriers between a woman and a bear shifter, but words cannot stand in the way when it comes to the language of the heart.

Autumn's settlement is still reeling in the wake of the werewolves' reign. If they are to protect themselves from future attacks, they will need help from their new bear guardians. The villagers are eager to give the bear shifters a reason to stay, especially after learning there are single males in the tribe interested in human wives. But before any of the bear shifters can court the village women, they must first wait for their chief to claim a mate.

Kohana saved Autumn from a vicious werewolf attack. When he offers to claim her as his mate, she is baffled. She's a human widow with two unruly boys. The mysterious and majestic indigenous bear shifter is chief of his tribe and the most gorgeous man she's ever seen. Surely he wants a young bride with her maidenhood intact.

The tribe's translator assures Autumn that she is the only female Kohana wants. He has witnessed her strength and position as a leader within her village. She has birthed two strong sons and looks out for her people.

After a passionless marriage, will Autumn make peace with the past and give in to her desires?

This novella follows immediately after Animal Attraction, Wolf Hollow Shifters, book 5. Best enjoyed after reading Animal Attraction.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nikki Jefford
• Release date: Sep 10, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201989002

Book preview

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For my wild and wonderful readers.

Copyright © 2021 Nikki Jefford

Cover design by Najla Qamber Designs

Edited by Per Se Editing and Roxanne Willis

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author. Thank you for respecting the rights of the author.

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

chapter one

SOFT SOBBING WOKE Autumn from a slumber she did not remember falling into.

Her eyes opened to darkness and slowly adjusted, taking in the wooden chest of drawers against the log wall and, on the next wall, the blue, purple, and pink patchwork curtains. The groggy haze was replaced by panic. For several thundering heartbeats, she thought her village was still under siege. Her breaths sped out of her mouth. Blinking rapidly, she turned her head and saw Blossom curled up in the fetal position, her back to Autumn.

There was an empty space on the bed between them. It meant she hadn’t dreamt the nightmare away. They were safe, but they had lost good people, most recently Willow. Silent tears spilled from Autumn’s eyes and cooled over her cheeks. She could only pray that her friend was happier joining her beloved husband in heaven. Autumn wished she could burn the image of Willow’s mangled body from her mind. After changing clothes, she had thrown the torn dress with her friend’s blood into the flames of the cabin fire. They’d been lucky to lose only the one structure, not as lucky with the price of her friend’s life. If they had waited another day or even another hour, Willow might still be with them.

She couldn’t allow her mind to go down that dark path. The werewolves had done this to them. Everything that came after their arrival was entirely the fault of those ungodly creatures.

The cabin that had belonged to Autumn and her late husband was being temporarily used to shelter her niece and nephew’s wolf friend, Rafael, and his mate Hailey while the shapeshifter waited for his animal to recover from the wounds he’d suffered.

They were more than welcome to her old home. Autumn had no intention of ever moving back in. There were no happy memories tied to Spruce lingering within those closed walls, even before Gavner took it as his personal lodgings. She could not think of a more fitting death than the one doled out by the bear shifter—Gavner in his beast form being mauled by a much larger creature. It was sinful to take pleasure in the suffering and death of another being, but if ever an exception was to be made, this was it. Gavner was a monster who deserved far worse.

A howl made Blossom shriek and fling herself into Autumn’s arms. They were both sitting bolt upright on the bed, clutching each other.

After her heart dislodged from her throat, Autumn tried soothing her friend, which was challenging when she herself had broken out into a cold sweat.

Hailey said that her friends would be checking the perimeter outside our village. Saying it aloud helped calm her nerves.

Do they have to make that horrid sound? Blossom asked in an angry, watery voice.

Autumn stroked the back of Blossom’s head. Once Rafael is recovered, they will leave.

Blossom’s arms tightened around her middle. And leave us vulnerable to the next werewolves who come along?

We don’t know that more will come.

Blossom let go of Autumn and clutched the edge of the blanket in her lap. Exactly, we don’t know. Things were different for our parents. They never had to worry about monsters like werecats or werewolves or shapeshifters when they were our age. We’re no match for them, Autumn. That’s why God sent us the bears.

What? Startled, she turned to face her friend. The tears were gone from Blossom’s face, replaced by gutsy determination.

The young woman had always been a sweet, sensitive soul, but that didn’t make her weak. In spite of all of the hardships, loss, and suffering, their whole village remained strong. They had been taught as children that the world they inherited was not for the meek.

Tell me again what Chester said to you last night, Blossom said, sounding resolute.

It took Autumn six long breaths to go back to that conversation. There had been so many, it felt like trying to separate one chirping cricket from all the rest . . . only that was a lie. She remembered that talk with Chester well.

The music and merriment of the night returned to her head. For the first time in three months, they had been able to harvest a pig to feed the village rather than the werewolves. Autumn had allowed herself to savor their newly won freedom.

Torches blazed from posts, lighting the settlement in the night. Chester, with his coal-black skin, saw her, smiled, and walked over with his muscular Native friend Kohana—his chief, she discovered later from Hailey. They had fashioned loincloths out of clothing the village offered, seeming to miss the intended point of the garments. Autumn kept her gaze level with theirs, or rather, tried to. The bear shifters towered about a foot above her.

Thank you both again, she said, though it was Kohana who had saved her.

It is our pleasure, Chester said. He stood with his legs a couple feet apart, tall and relaxed, the embodiment of ease.

What must it be like at the top of the food chain—to roam the world fearlessly?

I will never forget what you did here tonight, she said to Chester, though her words were for Kohana. She found it difficult to look at him without her body reacting in ways unbecoming of a recently widowed woman. You are always welcome in our village.

Chester beamed. Your hospitality is greatly appreciated. He spoke in tongues to Kohana.

Autumn braced herself for the deep timbre of his response that had turned her heart into a drum the first time she heard him speak, but he merely nodded.

We must rejoin our tribe, Chester announced. Our group of ten was looking for a good place to spend the winter. We passed some caves near your settlement on our journey here. If you and your people are not opposed to shapeshifter neighbors, it would be our pleasure to winter in the caves.

You mean hibernate? Autumn asked, curious.

Chester repeated her question to Kohana and the two males broke out into laughter. The rumbling of Kohana’s mirth vibrated through Autumn. She threaded her fingers over her abdomen, glad for the long wool gown covering her, which was far more appropriate than the short, torn dress Kohana had first seen her wearing when he—

Her cheeks blazed as she recalled his face in front of her nether regions, sniffing to determine whether Gavner had raped her. Thank God the monster had been unsuccessful and Kohana’s bear appeared before the werewolf had a chance to rip her to pieces.

We do not hibernate, Chester told her in that amused voice of his. Autumn watched him, waiting for more, and was glad to have somewhere to focus other than on the nearly naked man who had inhaled her as though she had a flower blooming between her legs. But we do enjoy our rest, Chester continued.

You said there are ten of you? She had to fight down a flare of panic and remind herself the bear shifters had shown themselves to be friends, not conquerors. They were not ordering the village to provide cabins and meals. They weren’t asking to stay in the settlement at all. Chester was asking permission to occupy the caves outside their perimeters through the cold season.

Chester bobbed his head. "Kohana’s sister, Nita; her mate Mahkah; and their son, Nikiti, will join us.