The Crucial Shift: The Ariane Trilogy, #3

By Michelle Dare

A bond sealed. A new reality. A pack war.

Since she met Orion, Ariane's life had been anything but calm. With the threat of war looming only days away, ensuring victory for the Avynwood Pack was her primary focus. Some of her new friends would lose their lives in the fight, a fact she already accepted.

But what if along the way, she uncovered new details about herself? What if becoming Orion's mate revealed more than she ever imagined possible?

A new shifter was in town, and she was thirsty for revenge.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Daring Romance LLC
• Release date: Jun 22, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223495277

Michelle Dare

Michelle Dare is a USA Today Bestselling Author. Her stories range from sweet to sinful and from paranormal to contemporary. There aren’t enough hours in the day for her to write all the story ideas in her head. When not writing or reading, she’s a wife and mom living in eastern Pennsylvania. One day she hopes to be writing from a beach where she will never have to see snow or be cold again.

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The Crucial Shift by Michelle Dare

The Crucial Shift

Copyright ©2018 Michelle Dare

Cover Design & Photography by ©MaeIDesign and Photography

Editing by Barren Acres Editing

Proofreading by Landers Editorial Services, Tiffany Landers

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without express written permission from the author/publisher.

No Generative AI Training Use. The Author expressly prohibits using the Work in any manner for purposes of training artificial intelligence technologies to generate text, including without limitation, technologies that are capable of generating works in the same style or genre as the Work. The Author reserves all rights to license uses of the Work for generative AI training and development of machine learning language models.

Author’s Note: No artificial intelligence (A.I.) or predictive language software was used in any part of the creation of this book.

CONTENTS

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The Crucial Shift

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Epilogue

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The Crucial Shift

A bond sealed. A new reality. A pack war.

Since she met Orion, Ariane’s life had been anything but calm. With the threat of war looming only days away, ensuring victory for the Avynwood Pack was her primary focus. Some of her new friends would lose their lives in the fight, a fact she already accepted.

But what if along the way, she uncovered new details about herself? What if becoming Orion’s mate revealed more than she ever imagined possible?

A new shifter was in town, and she was thirsty for revenge.

1

My aunt is the Quivakond alpha’s mate? Just when I think I have a handle on things, everything spins out of control again. Never would I have thought, when Rion and I decided to drive to Pennsylvania, we would uncover this.

Are you a shifter? I ask her. There’s no point in beating around the bush here. Either she is or she isn’t.

Zayda takes a seat beside me. Her long, blonde hair lies over her slender shoulders. I am.

Get out! I had no idea. Mom didn’t know you could shift. She said the line stopped. That neither you nor Dad could shift.

She didn’t know. Neither did your father. I never told them. I thought it would keep everyone safer that way. Taking my hand in hers, she says, I’m so sorry about your dad, Ari.

I wish you could have been there.

Did you give him a proper send-off? she asks as tears well in her eyes.

Yes. That’s all I can say. Anything else would end with me sobbing again and I don’t want to cry anymore. I’ve cried enough to last me many years.

You look so much like your mom, Zayda says while holding my eyes.

Hold on, Merrick, the Quivakond alpha, cuts in with his gruff voice. You told me in the forest that Travis killed your father. So you’re saying your father is my mate’s brother and that my brother killed him?

I nod. He didn’t kill him directly but sent his men to do so. Travis doesn’t seem to like getting his hands dirty. He’d rather have others do it for him.

I’m going to murder him, he growls as his eyes flash emerald green.

You’re going to have to get in line, Rion interjects. His pack killed my parents and my mate’s father. If anyone is going to end him, it will be me.

Not if I have anything to do with it, Zayda growls. I can’t believe it was them who did this. I only knew of his passing in a car accident, not what caused it.

There is so much angry wolf in this room. Maybe swaying Merrick’s pack to our side won’t be so hard after all.

Okay, we all understand each other. We each want to kill him, I add. How about everyone grabs a limb and we pull? No, it’s not the time to joke, but I can’t help it. The air is heavy with tension and I need to break it.

Ari, be serious, Zayda states.

Oh, I am. Think of the pain we could inflict if we rip his limbs from his body. I’m not the same girl you remember. We haven’t seen each other in years. I’m not as weak as I once was.

Or as vulnerable, Rion adds.

Zayda and Merrick both study me for a second. You’re a wolf, too? she asks.

I shake my head. No, but I can teleport. I also have the strength of a vampire and am hard to kill. The only way is to chop off my head. Everything else I’ll heal from. Oh, and I can transfer my memories to anyone. And I’m a dream watcher, but that’s been pretty boring lately. No premonitions recently. I knock on the wooden table. I’m not superstitious. However, you never know. I’m not in the mood to go traipsing through the woods again anytime soon.

How? she gasps.

Well, the watcher part I got on my own, same with the memory transfer thing. The other stuff was given to me by a vampire.

Ford Verascue is her best friend, Merrick states and crosses his arms.

She shakes her head. June must be having a field day with you.

Nah, Mom pretty much leaves me be.

My stomach growls again, reminding me I haven’t eaten in hours. The drive up to eastern Pennsylvania was long and we only stopped a few times.

Zayda stands. Let me get you some food. I’ll be right back.

After she leaves the room, Merrick turns to us. You’re welcome to stay here for as long as you like. Though we’ll have to move your car before someone at the park gets curious as to why hikers haven’t returned.

Rion stands. Tell me where to put it and I’ll do so.

Merrick gives him directions where to drive around Jacobsburg State Park to get to the hidden entrance to the pack’s garage, where they store their vehicles. It sounds more like a parking deck to me. I offer to teleport him, but he said it would be good to stretch his legs some more after the drive. His wolf doesn’t like to be cooped up that long.

Rion leaves, and I’m alone with Merrick. He studies me for a moment, appearing as if he’s seeing right into my soul. His thick arms are still crossed, the red flannel shirt he’s wearing pulling taut. Zayda used to tell me stories about you when you were younger.

I haven’t seen her in a long time. I thought she was still living in California.

We only got together a few years ago. I’d gone three hundred years without finding my mate, and then I stumbled upon her on the West Coast. I knew she was a shifter right away, but she was timid, not used to being around others like her.

I can’t believe she lived out there all alone for so long. She must have been frightened, being a wolf and not having a pack to support her. My poor aunt. She didn’t want to come back to North Carolina, thinking it would put us all in danger. So she lived the life of a lone wolf. How isolating.

Merrick nods. After your grandmother died, Zayda didn’t have anyone who understood her issues, so she dealt with them alone, the best she could. She stayed across the country, not wanting to head toward your father. She was afraid of what might happen if she revealed herself as a wolf. Once we discovered we were mates, it was easy to get her back here. I already had my pack in place.

I’m surprised my dad stayed in North Carolina, to be honest. I would have run as far away from Travis as I could.

It’s where he was born and raised. It’s what he knew. Besides, his wife—your mom—is from there as well. Still… My butt would have left. Given up everything I’d known if it meant getting away from that tyrant of a shifter.

Travis left them alone until recently. I’m guessing that me having a shifter for a boyfriend changed everything.

He runs his hand through the top of his brown hair. It brushes his shoulders in length. Normally, I’m not big on men with long hair. I prefer Rion’s shorter locks. But with Merrick, it makes him all the more intimidating.

You came here to ask for my help, correct? he asks. You and your mate want my pack to back you in this war. To fight alongside you and help defeat my brother. Here we go. I have to do whatever I can to get them on our side. Not only because he’s Travis’ brother, but because having another wolf pack aligned with us would be very beneficial.

Yes. The more we can get on our side, the better. It’s not going to be easy, but we’re trying to get all the help we can to sway the odds in our favor.

You have others who’ve already chosen to fight for you?

I nod. Vampires, mages, a few fae, and other shifters. But Travis has a group, too. He has almost all the foxes, thanks to Ford killing one of them. He quirks an eyebrow. Guess I better give him the rundown. The fox was going to kill my human friend, and instead, Ford killed her. She was working for Travis. So I grabbed her drained body and teleported her back to Travis, where I left her carcass in front of his house. Of course, that was also when I found out that the fox had poison in her. Once Ford drank from her, it poisoned him, too, but he’s fine now.

You’re pretty cocky, my dear.

No, I’m not. I’m angry and hurt. I’ve reached a point where I’m tired of waiting for this war to happen. I want my shot at Travis. I want him removed from this world, along with anyone who sides with him. Paranormals shouldn’t be afraid to come into North Carolina. They should be able to freely travel through it, or reside there, without having to worry about a pack of wolves coming after them. They shouldn’t have to seek refuge in the Avynwood Forest.

It boils my blood to think of what would happen if Travis wins. It will only be the start, too. He’ll go after other states, and more paranormals will lose their lives. All because Travis is on a power trip of epic proportions. He needs to be taken down.

I agree, but we’re not dealing with your average shifter. We’re dealing with one that’s power hungry and won’t stop until he’s claimed the entire state.

And then what? I ask. If you don’t help us, if others refuse, he’ll move on after he takes the Avynwood land. He’ll want more. And who knows where he’ll go next?

You’re right. And that’s why I’m siding with you. That and the fact that he killed my mate’s brother. You’ll have the backing of me and my pack.

I immediately sit up straighter, trying to hold back a smile. Really?

Absolutely, just don’t tell anyone outside your pack we’re coming. I want to see the look on my brother’s face when he lays eyes on me standing on the other side from him. If only he knew how grateful I am that he just agreed to side with us. How close I am to jumping out of my seat and hugging him. He doesn’t seem like the affectionate type, so I’ll keep myself planted where I am.

Don’t worry, I say. I hadn’t planned on it. I’m hoping him seeing you throws him off his game and gives us an advantage.

He strokes his beard in thought. There’s a group of fae not far from here in the Poconos. I wonder if I can get them to join us. They’re an older group—ancient magic. They might not want to get their hands dirty, or they might be bored and want to have some fun. They like to cause mischief, those fae.

I smile wickedly. Mischief can be fun.

Merrick laughs loudly as Zayda comes back with a tray of food. I only have sandwiches for now until dinner is served.

That’s fine. I’ll take anything at this point. I’m about to chew off my arm. We didn’t stop often on the way up here. We wanted to get here sooner rather than later. I lift a ham and cheese sandwich, my mouth watering. Thank you.

You’re welcome. She smiles and sits down beside her mate. I’m surprised you didn’t teleport up here. It would have been safer, given who is after you.

Swallowing the first bite of food, my stomach is slightly appeased. We had people keeping a lookout for us. Travis and his pack weren’t anywhere near us when we left. I didn’t want to teleport, though. After all that’s happened with my dad, Cace, Wake, Ford, etcetera, I needed a break.

Cace and Wake are wolves in your pack? Merrick asks. I haven’t kept up with the business of other packs.

Emotion begins to clog my throat at the mention of Cace. Yes, Cace was killed by Javen. I leave off the part of it being my fault. I can’t go down that road right now. And with what everyone told me about Cace, he wouldn’t want me to. And Wake is Aries’ son. He was ousted by the pack, thanks to a vampire bite, then went to the Diaminsey Pack in revenge. But once they discovered he was helping me, they kicked him out and left him near death. I had to work hard to get him back into the Avynwood Pack.

A vampire bit Aries’ son? Merrick asks, shocked.

I nod. No one knew it at the time or until years later. We only found out when Ford and I dug into his head and broke down a tough wall the vampire built so we couldn’t discover what he’d done. But between the two of us, we handled it and saw what really happened.

Let me guess. Travis?

I point at him. Bingo.

A boy, who is probably around sixteen years old or so, strides into the room. He’s got sandy colored hair and dimples when he smiles. Who’s the hottie? he asks, while picking up a sandwich from the table.

Your cousin, Zayda replies, very matter-of-fact.

The boy starts to choke on the sandwich, coughing and sputtering, spitting it onto the floor. My... What?

Ladon, this is Ariane, your cousin.

You have a son? I ask, astonished. Where did you hide him the last time I saw you? It’s been a long time, but I would have remembered having a cousin.

With his dad. He’s human, and so is Ladon. His dad doesn’t know about the other part of me. He knows I’m living out here with Merrick but thinks we’re hippies surviving off the land.

Get out! I have a cousin.

Ladon’s face is a lovely shade of red. A cousin who wishes he could take the hottie comment back.

Don’t stress. We’re fine, I tell him. Too bad you can’t shift.

I wish I could. Can you?

I shake my head. I do have a vampire friend who could maybe make you one of his kind, though, I add before taking another bite of the sandwich.

Ariane Sanderly, Zayda admonishes. You will not help my son become a vampire.

I shrug. I was only saying it’s an option.

There go Merrick’s eyes glowing green again. He will not let a vampire suck on his neck.

Pointing at my mouth, I say, If you haven’t already figured it out, I don’t have much of a filter. My smart mouth goes along with my sassy attitude.

Merrick grumbles something unintelligible as Zayda lays a comforting hand on his arm, attempting to calm his wolf down. All the while, Ladon is looking at me like he won the cousin lottery by me bringing up the option of him turning vampire.

Rion enters the room, stuffing his keys into his pocket. The Jag is tucked safely in the fortress known as the Quivakond garage. No one laughs or even acknowledges he’s here outside of me. His eyes hold mine as he reads my thoughts. Ari, you can’t go around offering to change people into vampires. Who knows if Ford would even agree to that?

I was only giving the kid an option.

He shakes his head and takes a seat beside me.

Wait, Ladon states. You’re barely a little older than me and you have a mate already? That’s not fair. He drops down in the chair in front of him, sulking.

I laugh. You think it’s fun being a human and having a shifter for a mate? The stories I could tell you.

Ari, Rion warns.

What? It’s not like this ride was all roses and rainbows so far.

Zayda cuts in, Ladon, what have I told you? If fate wants you to have a shifter for a mate, then you will, but the time isn’t right yet. You’re still young. It could be years before you find someone.

Whatever, he says and tosses his half-eaten sandwich on the table.

2

We sit and talk a while longer before Zayda shows us a room in the house where we can rest. Rion retrieved our bags when he parked the car in the garage. Members of the pack walk by, eyeing us with open curiosity. Of course, to Rion that means they want his mate. So he puts his arm protectively around my waist and keeps it there until we’re behind closed doors. Zayda assured him she would talk to the pack and tell them I’m her niece and also taken. They don’t see the mate mark on me, so they view me as available. Hopefully, Rion can keep himself and his wolf in check so a fight doesn’t break out at the dinner table when we all eat together.

I literally throw myself onto the bed, grateful for a comfortable spot to lie down. My body is still stiff from sitting in the car for so long. Rion lies down beside me, our bodies facing one another as our eyes meet. My mind wanders as I look deep into his crystal blue eyes. What would it be like to finally mate with him? To have his mark on my wrist?

He takes my hand in his, his thumb rubbing over the inside of my wrist. The spark of our connection flares to life, coursing through my body before calming to a hum. Sevan told me when you mate, you finally feel complete, he says, reading my mind. As if the stars align and everything in the world is right as long as you have that one person by your side. You feel like you’re breathing the freshest air and everything seems brighter. But the best part, he said, was the fact that he knew Dalia would be his forever. We don’t get divorced like humans do, Ari. When we mate, it’s for life. There’s no backing out once the bond is sealed. When we do this, I need you to be a hundred-percent sure.

I know, I respond softly. I’ve read enough of your thoughts to understand this is for life. But you already view it that way, don’t you?

Rion inches closer, his breath fanning over my lips as he grips my hip in his strong hand. I’ve told you from the start, it’s only ever going to be you. My wolf calls for you, bays at the thought of not solidifying our bond.

And what if I told you I was sure? That I’m ready? I’ve given it a lot of thought. The deeper I go into this world, there’s only one person I see by my side through everything—Rion. Sure, I have Ford and other friends, too. But eventually, they’ll find the one they’re meant to be with.

The elation pouring from Rion hits me right in the chest, causing a smile to form on my lips. I love feeling his emotions. Even if we don’t speak, I’m aware of what he’s feeling. I don’t think anything I could have said would make him happier. But with that elation comes a hint of worry. He’s concerned I’m not ready, and the last thing he wants to do is rush me into this, only for me to regret it.

You can feel me as much as I can you, I tell him. "Search