Defender of the Pack: The Other Wolf, #0.5

By Heather G Harris

I have a wolf in my head. Her name is Esme, and she likes killing things.

I'm Lucy, alpha werewolf of a pack that hates me. I inherited the pack when I mercy-killed the current alpha at his behest. I did the right thing, but it's left me head of a werewolf pack who resent that I still live and breathe while their old alpha doesn't.

The problem is, I wasn't born to the Other realm so magic is all new to me. I've got to get up to speed – fast. Luckily, I have super soldier Greg Manners on side to help me, or this loneliness would be crippling.

My new packmates are making it clear that I'm about as welcome as a malodourous, flea-ridden mutt. Disrespect is one thing, bullying is another. I'm trying to take their pranks as light hearted fun, but my gut tells me there's no affection behind them. I'm going to have to find the pranksters and put a stop to their shenanigans before they erode what little shred of authority I have left. Because if the pack doesn't respect me, I'll be replaced as alpha. It's a position you can't resign from. It's do or die.

It's time to get my paws dirty…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Heather G Harris
• Release date: Dec 9, 2022
• ISBN: 9781915384201

Book preview

Defender of the Pack

The Other Wolf Series, A Prequel Novella

Heather G. Harris

Copyright © 2022 by Heather G. Harris

All rights reserved.

No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

Cover Design by Miblart.

Contents

1. Chapter 1

2. Chapter 2

3. Chapter 3

4. Chapter 4

5. Chapter 5

6. Chapter 6

7. Chapter 7

8. Chapter 8

9. Chapter 9

10. What’s Next?

11. Also By

12. About the Author

Chapter 1

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‘So I killed him.’ Silence greeted my announcement. The glares being directed my way were icy. I didn’t blame them.

‘That makes Lucy your new alpha,’ Greg Manners explained calmly. His words dropped into the silence like stone. The glares intensified.

I cleared my throat and smiled harder, like that would help. ‘I’ll be taking over Lord Samuel’s office and I will be having an open-door policy. If you have any issues, please do come and see me.’ My background as an accountant was showing. Office hours and open-door policies were things I was comfortable with. Being an alpha werewolf was as far from my comfort zone as I could get.

‘I appreciate that there will be a transition period whilst we all get used to each other. I want you to know that I won’t be calling a full pack tourney at this time – your rank within the pack is secure for now. However, I expect Greg Manners here will become my second, so he’ll fight with the current second, Mark Oates, to confirm his position. Any questions?’

I looked around hopefully for someone to engage with me, but the only response was from Mark Oates. He stood up and started to strip off his clothes. Shit – I hadn’t meant they would fight right now.

I glanced to my left, where Manners was standing legs akimbo, arms folded. He met my slightly panicked look with the barest of winks. Obviously, he wasn’t fazed. He unfolded his sizeable forearms, reached down to the bottom of his T-shirt and peeled it off. I looked away hastily. I’d only been a werewolf for a matter of weeks, and I’d definitely not gotten used to all this casual nudity. Manners had been a werewolf for only a day or two but was completely unabashed.

We’d stopped on the long drive down here for me to teach him everything I knew about being a werewolf. The lesson had been depressingly short.

Mark Oates had the jump on Manners in that he started shifting first but, at only two minutes long, Manners had a very fast shift. Obviously surprised, the pack members started to whisper among themselves. Manners sat patiently on his hind legs and calmly groomed himself as he waited another two minutes for Oates to finish shifting. My own shift takes a mere second – but my wolf and I are different in more ways than one.

It was clear that the speed of Manners’ shift had pissed off Oates, and he didn’t wait for me to start the fight. Despite this being a ‘friendly’ bout, he bared his teeth and raised his tail high. Uh-oh, he obviously wasn’t going to pull his punches.

I felt a twinge of fear in my stomach. Manners had never fought in wolf form before; we’d done some play pouncing, of course, but it wasn’t the same thing at all.

On two legs, Manners is as deadly as they come. He’s brethren born and raised, bred for the sole purpose of protecting the dragon shifters. He was handed his first gun before he was given a pencil. Okay, I’m exaggerating, but not much. Rumour has it that there’s not a single weapon he can’t handle. But suddenly having four legs and a tail to balance and move is a whole new game. He would need to put all his trust in his inner wolf.

Manners was virtually a stranger to me. Although I didn’t know him well, he was close to my best friend, Jess, so that made us … something. In a pack with no allies or friends, something was better than nothing.

Oates and Manners were assessing each other. Both were bigger than average wolves, at least one hundred kilos apiece. They were both grey wolves, which made it difficult to tell them apart. Manners had slate-grey eyes versus Oates’ brown ones, but if their wolfish counterparts took over