Bound to the Owl: Owls of Rawr County

By Sophie Stern

Otto Strix has been searching for his mate for five years.

He doesn't think it's actually going to happen until he meets her.

Judith is everything an owl's mate should be: funny, smart, interesting.

But Judith has a secret.

Something from her past is haunting her, and it's up to Otto to save her.

Owls of Rawr County is a spin-off series from SHIFTERS OF RAWR COUNTY by Sophie Stern. This series may be read before or after Shifters of Rawr County. Each book features an owl shifter, some spice, an incredible story, and an HEA.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sophie Stern
• Release date: Jul 30, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223994121

Book preview

Bound to the Owl

Owls of Rawr County

Sophie Stern

Published by Sophie Stern, 2023.

This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

BOUND TO THE OWL

First edition. July 30, 2023.

Copyright © 2023 Sophie Stern.

ISBN: 979-8223994121

Written by Sophie Stern.

Also by Sophie Stern

Alien Chaos

Destroyed

Guarded

Saved

Christmas on Chaos

Alien Chaos: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance Bundle

Aliens of Malum

Deceived: An Alien Brides Romance

Betrayed: An Alien Brides Romance

Fallen: An Alien Brides Romance

Captured: An Alien Brides Romance

Regret

Crazed

For Keeps

Rotten: An Alien Brides Romance

Anchored

Starboard

Battleship

All Aboard

Abandon Ship

Below Deck

Crossing the Line

Anchored: Books 1-3

Anchored: Books 4-6

Ashton Sweets

Christmas Sugar Rush

Valentine's Sugar Rush

St. Patty's Sugar Rush

Halloween Sugar Rush

Bullies of Crescent Academy

You Suck

Troublemaker

Jaded

Club Kitten Dancers

Move

Pose

Climb

Dragon Enchanted

Hidden Mage

Hidden Captive

Hidden Curse

Fate High School

You Wish: A High School Reverse Harem Romance

Freak: A Reverse Harem High School Romance

Get Lost: A Reverse Harem Romance

Good Boys and Millionaires

Good Boys and Millionaires 1

Good Boys and Millionaires 2

Grimalkin Beasts

Alien Indulgence

Grimalkin Needs Brides

Ekpen (Intergalactic Dating Agency)

Torao (Intergalactic Dating Agency)

Leo (Intergalactic Dating Agency)

Honeypot Babies

The Polar Bear's Baby

The Jaguar's Baby

The Tiger's Baby

Honeypot Darlings

The Bear's Virgin Darling

The Bear's Virgin Mate

The Bear's Virgin Bride

Office Gentlemen

Ben From Accounting

Owls of Rawr County

Bound to the Owl

Polar Bears of the Air Force

Staff Sergeant Polar Bear

Master Sergeant Polar Bear

Airman Polar Bear

Senior Airman Polar Bear

Return to Dragon Isle

Dragons Are Forever

Dragon Crushed: An Enemies-to-Lovers Paranormal Romance

Dragon's Hex

Dragon's Gain

Dragon's Rush

Rose Valley Vampires

Vampire Librarian

Vampire Doctor

Shifters at Law

Wolf Case

Bearly Legal

Tiger Clause

Sergeant Bear

Dragon Law

Shifters of Rawr County

The Polar Bear's Fake Mate

The Lion's Fake Wife

The Tiger's Fake Date

The Wolf's Pretend Mate

The Tiger's Pretend Husband

The Dragon's Fake Fiancée

The Red Panda's Fake Mate

Stormy Mountain Bears

The Lumberjack's Baby Bear

The Writer's Baby Bear

The Mountain Man's Baby Bears

Sweet Nightmares

Sweet Nightmares: The Vampire's Melody

Sweet Nightmares 2: The Sound of Roses

Sweet Nightmares 3: Bittersweet Vampires

Sweet Nightmares 4: The Vampire King

Team Shifter

Bears VS Wolves

No Fox Given

The Fablestone Clan

Dragon's Oath

Dragon's Breath

Dragon's Darling

Dragon's Whisper

Dragon's Magic

The Feisty Dragons

Untamed Dragon

Naughty Dragon

Monster Dragon

The Hidden Planet

Vanquished

Outlaw

Conquered

The Wolfe City Pack

The Wolf's Darling

The Wolf's Mate

The Wolf's Bride

Standalone

Saucy Devil

Billionaire on Top

Jurassic Submissive

The Editor

Alien Beast

Snow White and the Wolves

Kissing the Billionaire

Wild

Alien Dragon

The Royal Her

Be My Tiger

Alien Monster

The Luck of the Wolves

Honeypot Babies Omnibus Edition

Honeypot Darlings: Omnibus Edition

The Swan's Mate

The Feisty Librarian

Polar Bears of the Air Force

Wild Goose Chase

Star Princess

The Virgin and the Lumberjacks

Resting Bear Face

By Hook or by Wolf

I Dare You, King

Shifters at Law

Pretty Little Fairies

Seized by the Dragon

The Fablestone Clan: A Paranormal Dragon-Shifter Romance Collection

Star Kissed

Big Bad Academy

Club Kitten Omnibus

Stormy Mountain Bears: The Complete Collection

Bitten by the Vampires

Beautiful Villain

Dark Favors

Savored

Vampire Kiss

Chaotic Wild: A Vampire Romance

Bitten

Heartless

The Dragon's Christmas Treasure

Out of the Woods

Bullies of Crescent Academy

Craving You: A Contemporary Romance Collection

Chasing Whiskey

The Hidden Planet Trilogy

The Bratty Dom

Tokyo Wolf

The Single Dad Who Stole My Heart

Free For Him

The Feline Gaze

Fate High School

Dragon Beast: A Beauty and the Beast Retelling

Boulder Bear

Megan Slays Vampires

Vampire Professor

Once Upon a Shift

The Feisty Dragons

The Vampire Who Saved Christmas

Dragon Enchanted (Books 1-3)

Grimalkin Needs Brides (Intergalactic Dating Agency): Books 1-3

Nerd Alert

Red: Into the Dark

Alien Darlings

Shifters of Rawr County: Books 1-3

Shifters of Rawr County: Books 4-7

Sugar Rush

Return to Dragon Isle: Omnibus Edition

Never Kiss an Alien

Scallywag

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Also By Sophie Stern

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

Epilogue

Author

Sign up for Sophie Stern's Mailing List

Further Reading: The Polar Bear's Fake Mate

Also By Sophie Stern

1

Otto

Y ou doing okay? Paisley Sanchez, the world’s sweetest secretary, is staring at me with a concerned look on her face. She’s gripping her coffee cup so hard I’m worried it might shatter at any moment. The poor thing. I know her mother recently passed away and she’s been pouring herself into work. I keep trying to convince her to take some time off, but she won’t do it. Instead, she’s here hours after the office has closed, and she’s worrying about me.

I’m fine, I tell her firmly. You need to go home.

She presses her lips together tightly, shaking her head.

We both know I’m not leaving before the boss, she says gently. It’s strange because just one week ago, she definitely would have left before the boss. Now things are different because the real boss, the head guy, is dead.

My dad is dead.

You should go home, I repeat softly.

I really don’t want to. Her words are gentle and quiet, but I understand what she’s really saying.

She doesn’t want me to be alone.

She doesn’t want me to make her leave.

She just wants to stay for a little while longer.

He’s still working, you know, I tell her quietly. She just presses her lips together tightly and shrugs. We both know that Paisley has been in love with my brother, Maddox, since we were kids. I know that it’s not really fair to her to point out that I know her secret, but then again, life isn’t always fair.

Is it?

I know, she finally says. She stares at her hands like they’re the most interesting things in the world to her. He’s working on completing a couple of reports.

Although we run a tech company, my brother has always been a little inept with technology in general. One of the reasons I’m so glad to be working with our new marketing firm, Leo Solutions, is that they’re going to take all of the legwork out of us figuring out what we need to do next. They’re going to help us truly embrace the world of social media and digital marketing, and they’re going to assist us in letting the world know about our products.

These are things my father should have done. He was in good health before he died. He wasn’t sick. It wasn’t an expected death.

He didn’t, though. He left me and Maddox to run the company because he was so busy with his secret projects toward the end that he was distracted and unavailable. In the end, we’re the ones paying the price for that.

Maddox shouldn’t, though.

I look at Paisley. She’s so sweet, beautiful, and kind. The three of us grew up as best friends, and even though she and Maddox have never actually dated, I think that they should. It’s obvious to me that the two of them are fated mates. It’s really just a matter of whether one of them is ever going to make that first move.

Now that Dad is gone, I have a feeling that Maddox is going to be dragging his feet even more than usual.

I have a feeling that Paisley needs to make her desires known if she wants to grab herself a Strix.

You should go talk to him, I tell her. I try not to sound too bossy. Even though I am her boss, technically, we go back far enough that I don’t view her as an employee. I view her as an associate. She’s the one who basically keeps our entire lives working correctly and running smoothly, anyway. Her official title is assistant, but she does a lot more than that.

She serves as a secretary, an events coordinator, and a manager. She’s an assistant to me and Maddox, but she helps make sure that all of our other employees are carefully protected and cared for. Paisley sits with me and Maddox on the top story of our seven-floor building. Aside from Paisley’s desk and the lobby, there are three offices and a conference room up here. That’s it.

Yeah, we spend a lot of time together.

I think that if Maddox has something to say to me, he can come say it, she whispers. She hesitates for a moment, but then she gives me a little nod and falls silent as she turns back to her papers. Something happened between the two of them. I don’t know what, and honestly, I probably don’t want to know, but it was something bad enough that things are very tense and awkward between the two of them. I know that they both go to great lengths to avoid the other as much as they can. They’re both trying to pretend like they aren’t crazy about the other.

It doesn’t make sense to me.

If I had a mate – and yes, I desperately want a mate – then I’d do whatever it took to keep her safe. I’d protect her. I’d love her. I’d cherish the hell out of her.

Because a mate is someone you’ll do anything to protect.

A mate is someone you’ll go to the ends of the Earth for.

And me?

I’m just waiting for the chance to show that to a woman I care about. Then again, there’s a part of me that thinks the idea of a fated mate is all just a fairytale. Maybe it’s just a made up story designed to get people to believe in something bigger than themselves.

I don’t know.

Instead of arguing, I turn back toward my office door and walk inside. Once I’m seated at my desk, I stare at the closed door for a very long time. Last year, when Dad made me and Maddox