Wolf of Bones: The Wolf Shifter Rejected Series, #5

By Amelia Shaw

Galen struggles with the death of his father while Talia discovers more about her demon wolf shifter bloodline, but their connection is tested in a new and dangerous manner.

When the couple travel to the Arctic Circle on the trail of Talia's family, they don't expect to encounter the evil Bone Clan who worship their demon master. In the land of ice and snow, Talia faces her greatest challenge yet.

Betrothed to the Demon Wolf God, she is offered an impossible choice. Keep Galen as her consort, or watch him die in the ring at the hands of an endless supply of Bone and Blood Clan opponents.

Will the Alpha wolf shifter of the Northwood pack accept the position of consort, or will he die trying to protect what is his by birthright—his pack, and his fated mate, Talia?

Book 5 in The Wolf Shifter Rejected series. Slow Burn Paranormal romance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Harley Romance Publishing
• Release date: Jan 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215336083

Book preview

Chapter One

TALIA

Montana was in the rearview mirror. After Galen received the call about Max’s passing, the summit was over for the Long Claw pack. There were no more meetings to attend. No briefings to give, or alliances to be made. Galen had lost the most important ally he’d had.

His father.

The news hit him hard. It hit us both hard. Max and I had become fast friends in the short time we lived together and I’d taken care of him. Some may have felt the level of care he needed was a burden, but I enjoyed our time together. I loved him as if he were my own family and he filled the void that had been left in my life after my father died.

The hole in my heart had been ripped open once again, even bigger than before.

The summit wasn’t the only thing we left behind in our haste to get back home. I left Valerie and Victor in my wake—along with any information they may have had about my mother, her connection to the lost demon princess and my red eyes.

I was so close to uncovering the truth about who I was, where I came from and why my eyes turned red without warning. But the timing couldn’t have been worse. Galen needed me and I would be there for him for whatever he needed and however long.

Even if it meant I gave up on my search for the truth and continued living a lie. I could hold up the charade for as long as I had to if that’s what it took to help him through the loss of his father.

Word that Max had succumbed to his mysterious illness spread through the pack bond. Galen’s shared pain through the bond had been enough to call every Long Claw wolf home to the pack’s territory. They lined the streets of the main town on either side of the road like a parade route, heads bowed in communal mourning for the loss of one alpha and to honor another stepping up to lead them.

Galen white-knuckled the steering wheel; a muscle in his jaw twitching as he made the turn onto Cypress Lane. The small two-story house Max called home, with its cut grass and trimmed shrubs, looked the same as it had when Galen backed the truck out of the driveway and headed for Montana.

Despite appearances, nothing would ever be the same again.

I unbuckled my seatbelt, flipped up the center console and slid across the bench seat, leaning against his shoulder. His muscles relaxed as he rested his head on top of mine and for a brief moment the tension eased from his body.

I don’t know if I can do this. Galen pulled into the drive and parked the truck.

You can, Galen. I eased back onto my side of the truck, pivoting on the bench seat so that I could look at him. "You can because you have to."

I knew it wasn’t what he wanted to hear, but I also knew that he needed to hear it.

Headlights pierced the dark interior of the truck’s cab when Theo pulled in behind us. He sat in his car, taking his cue from Galen. He’d step out of the car and head inside when his new alpha did.

You don’t understand. Galen closed his eyes and exhaled a long breath through his nose. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean...Of course, you understand. It’s just—

You don’t have to explain. I do understand. Which means I’ve been where you are and I no doubt said the same things to my friends when my father died. They helped me as much as they could before I left the Northwood pack.

I stifled a sob, choking back the emotions that constricted my vocal cords and made it hard to breathe. My chest was tight and my heart ached, but I forced myself to pull in a deep breath and fill my lungs; composing myself as I let the air out slowly.

They were there for me. Not as long as I would have liked, but I wouldn’t have made it through that first night after my father was killed if it wasn’t for them.

Galen pried his fingers from the steering wheel and collapsed across the front seat, resting his head in my lap.

You can lean on me, Galen. I combed my fingers through his hair, smoothing back the stray locks that fell over his eyes. I can bear the weight. I’m stronger than you think and I am here to support you however you need.

I wish I had half your strength. After everything you’ve been through, I don’t know how you do it. His tears pooled on my leg and soaked through my jeans. I don’t know how to do this without him.

Yes, you do. I stroked his hair and slid my hand down to the middle of his back, rubbing small, soothing circles against his coiled muscles. Your father prepared you for this moment your whole life. He raised you to be the man that you are today, the alpha of the Long Claw pack. You will lead them through this because it’s what your father would have wanted you to do and what your pack needs you to do.

And what about me? Not the heir to the throne and future alpha of the Long Claw pack. Me, the man. He pressed his fist against his chest, right over his heart. When do I get to mourn? When does a son get to say goodbye to his father, if he’s already gone?

Galen, you need your pack as much as they need you. We’re all mourning with you. I turned his head, forcing him to look up at me from my lap. Take comfort in them. Let that be what gives you the strength to lead them. I would have given anything for a pack that mourned my father alongside me.

For the chance to bury him.

You’re right. He scrubbed his hands over his face, sat up and stared out through the windshield at the house where his father had raised him.

His hand hovered over the door handle, but he didn’t open it. I hopped out of the truck’s cab, walked around the front of the truck and yanked open the driver’s side door.

I know you’re still doubting your strength right now. I can feel you holding back, trying to keep that uncertainty and self-doubt from seeping into the pack bond. I leaned against the side of the truck and extended my hand. You can borrow some of mine. Come on, we’ll do this together.

He dropped out of the truck and grabbed ahold of my hand as tightly as if it was a life line I’d offered. He laced our fingers together and held on tight.

The security lights mounted on the corners of the house flipped on as we made our way up the concrete sidewalk that led to the porch where David and Marcus already waited to usher us inside. Theo rushed up the walk behind us, taking the front steps two at a time to close the distance and fall in line behind his alpha.

Apart from the soft glow of the overhead light, mounted above the sink emanating from the kitchen and the warm, yellow glow of the bedside lamp in Max’s room spilling out into the hall, the house was dark.

But we didn’t need light for our enhanced vision.

It was as if Max called to us, his body waiting to be prepared for the funeral service, a magnet that pulled us down the hall and into his room.

Galen dropped into the chair at his father’s bedside, rested his elbows on his knees and propped his head in his hands. His betas formed a semicircle behind him and I moved up and stood at his side.

We stayed with him until the sun peeked through the blinds and the mortician came to collect Max’s body.

MAX’S FINAL ORDERS as alpha for the Long Claw pack had been in relation to preparation of his funeral service. He gave specific instructions to David and Marcus, handling every last detail so that his son wouldn’t have to bear the burden of making the arrangements while working through his grief and assuming the full responsibilities of becoming the new alpha.

Galen conceded to his father’s wishes one last time—even if he didn’t agree with the decisions. Still, he adhered to the formal and regimented schedule Max had set for the funeral service.

Lying in state. Galen crumpled the trifold paper program with a full schedule printed inside and tossed it in the trash can by the desk in his office at the bar. This is the part I hate. Is it selfish of me not to want to share this with everyone? There are members of the Long Claw pack that haven’t been home in years.

They just want to pay their respects. I grabbed a bottle of spring water from the mini-fridge, along with a protein bar from the bottom of my bag and set them on the desk. You need to eat.

They could have paid their respects by being present and accounted for while he was alive. Galen peeled the wrapper from the granola bar and chucked it in the trash. And I’m not hungry.

I know, but you still need to eat. You’re no good to anyone if you let yourself get rundown. I nudged the water bottle over the desktop calendar until it brushed his fingertips. You need to hydrate too.

Thanks. Galen cracked the twist top on the plastic bottle, chugged half the contents and set it beside the protein bar.

He went through the motions. Eating and drinking just enough to keep from being nagged to death by me or his betas.

Galen had run himself ragged fielding calls from allied packs offering their condolences and conference calls with the council. Despite the preparations his father had made, there were some things Galen just couldn’t avoid.

The council was one of them.

Grief and stress had taken their toll on him mentally and physically. He was sleep-deprived and well on his way to being malnourished. The protein bars I stowed in my messenger bag for him weren’t enough to maintain a shifter metabolism. He needed to eat a substantial meal.

The refrigerator and freezer at Max’s were stocked with meals that pack members had prepared for their new alpha. Nothing said you cared quite like a casserole. They were all covered in foil, ready to be popped into the oven, but Galen had no interest in going back to his dad’s to raid the fridge.

We should probably head over to the funeral home. I glanced at my phone to check the time. David, Marcus and Theo are probably wondering where you are.

It had been hours since he’d checked in with his betas. Galen had withdrawn since he got the call about Max’s death in Montana. I don’t even think he realized he was doing it, but it wasn’t like him to leave texts and calls unanswered.

I’m not a hard man to find. If something is wrong, they know where to look. Galen grabbed his suit jacket off the back of the chair and slipped his arms into the sleeves.

They’re worried about you. I held out my hand and pulled him close when he collapsed his hand around mine. I’m worried about you too.

I spared him the lecture of distancing himself from the people who loved him. Given the way I’d handled the problem with my wolf’s eyes, I was the last person who needed to be giving a speech about trust and relying on others.

Who wanted advice from a hypocrite? Nobody, that’s who.

I know. He brought my hand to his lips and brushed a kiss across my knuckles. After Jessie died, I spiraled. Marcus, Theo and David were there for me. But I never would have clawed my way out of the pit I was wallowing in without my dad.

Galen pulled his cell out of his back pocket with his free hand and pressed his thumb against the screen to unlock it. It opened to his contacts. Max was at the top of the list.

When things were good, bad, or in between he was the person I turned to. I keep reaching for my phone to call him, or my keys to jump in the truck and drive over there to talk to him.

My dad and I were close, nothing like you and Max, but he was the one constant in my life. I know what you’re going through, and I know it’s not the same but you can talk to me.

He leaned in and rested his forehead against mine.

It’s like there’s this hole in the pack bond that nothing will ever fill. I’m hanging on by a thread here. How am I supposed to take care of the pack if I can’t even handle going to my own father’s funeral?

Oh, Galen. I pressed my lips to his in a tender kiss. You’re handling this the best you can. You’re grieving. No one is judging you.

Maybe not today, but they will. His breath skated across my skin, raising goosebumps when he sighed. Someone will sense my pain in the bond and take it as a sign of weakness.

You’ve been leading them for months. I cupped his face in my hands. Look at me, Galen. No one is going to challenge you.

Someone will. We’re werewolves, Talia. It’s in our nature. He pulled away, and stepped out of reach. We should go.

I wanted to console him, to reassure him that his pack would stand with him and not against him. I wanted to tell him that he was wrong.

Except, he wasn’t.

Chapter Two

GALEN

We buried our own. An alpha’s life could be violent. It all depended on the man, what type of person and leader he was. But an alpha’s death? Violence was all but guaranteed. They fought their way to the top and fought even harder to stay once they got there.

The scars inside the body and out, combined with the manner of death, raised questions. We preferred to keep that out of the public eye.

Although, with demons on the loose and rampaging our communities the secrecy seemed unnecessary.

Old habits die hard.

My father lived and died as the