Unwilling Mate: Greyriver Shifters: Volume One, #2

By Kristina Weaver

Unwilling Mate was initially published as the second book in Greyriver Shifters by Kristina Weaver. It is now available as the second book in a five-part series: Greyriver Shifters: Volume One.

 

Enjoy over 80,000 words in this second book of the first series.

 

Unwilling Mate

I will not mate Hannah Seers even if destiny and my animal instincts call me to do it. She's spoilt, rude, mean, and ugly in ways that have nothing to do with her perfect form and the body that drives me crazy. I shouldn't look at her and want her, and I damn sure should not give in to her demands for mating, but she has something I need, and if I have to mate her to get it, I will. That doesn't mean I will love her, even as I take her body, and it sure doesn't mean I want her heart. Or do I?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kristina Weaver
• Release date: Oct 2, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223951285

Kristina Weaver

Immerse yourself in the world of romantic comedy with Kristina Weaver. Her stories feature strong male characters and witty female leads, creating laughter and chaos before delivering a happy ending. With the added bonus of paranormal elements, her books are perfect for those seeking adventure. Start with the first book in the Greyriver Shifters Volume One series and get ready to be swept away into a world of imagination. Keep an eye out for discounts and even FREE offers on this book because this is an experience you wouldn't want to miss! For more information: Books2read.com/KristinaWeaver KristinaWeaverAuthor at Gmail dot com

Book preview

Chapter One

Logan

I run as fast as my legs can carry me, my heart beating in my chest, as Banner takes his place beside me and keeps his pace even with mine. I don’t know what to do or how to feel, but the urgency inside me is such that my heart feels like it is liable to burst inside me.

Barbie Kendall is a female I have known since I was a pup and too small to understand the difference between males and females. For God’s sake, the female was with me the night I got trashed and made the monumentally stupid decision to sleep with Hannah Seers, my Fated ex-bitch.

She’s always been a part of my life in one way or the other, no matter where we both were in our lives or what we were doing. She was there when Mom went through her change of life and sat with her for hours to settle her and stop the old bat from killing anyone who came near her.

She was there for me when Bear and Hannah got engaged, and she was there for me after Mika and Gretchen got out of the hospital and everyone was on their own mission, leaving me at loose ends.

We talk, go out, and drink together, and more importantly, I talk to her. She is the only female in my life—besides my mother—who listens to what I have to say and doesn’t judge or try to tell me what to do.

And now she’s gone, and I hate that I wasn’t there for her. I should have been, but lately, every time she’s called I can’t work up the energy to go out or get together with her.

She called me last night and asked me to come over, said that she had something important to tell me and needed my ear to figure out, but I was so pissed that I had to respond to a disturbance call at Lone Wolf, the local bar, instead of tracking the western boundary, that I blew her off with a vague promise to call her today.

I never did.

The disturbance at the bar ended up being a drunk and disorderly that involved Hannah and her cousin Elsie. The females were wasted and throwing around nasty comments, as if picking a fight.

I had to haul their asses down to Nick’s cells and lock them in there, so they could yell and cuss and finally sleep it off. That led to a ruckus from Lync, who is never easy to deal with, even on a good day, which patently was not the case with him, so I had to tranquilize the poor male and restrain him—just to keep him from hurting himself.

After that, I went to talk to Nick and suggested that he either move Lync to seclusion or figure out something else for the holding cells, because having females anywhere near the male was no good.

It was a reasonable request, seeing as ninety-nine times out of a hundred I am the one taking care of Lync. Not that I mind, it’s just that the male doesn’t need that shit right now.

He’s been in that cell for years, pacing and snarling, doing God knows what and clawing at the walls savagely. I don’t think he needs to have to deal with scenting females that close, especially not in his feral state. Nick shrugged it off and reminded me that we get very few females down there and said that he’s not putting resources into another holding area for one night’s worth of drinking.

Pissed me off, but my Alpha is not to be questioned.

That’s why, instead on calling Barbie, I took another shift and searched the woods, shifting near the shore line of Whitefish Lake, where our last scent marker was.

I found nothing, again, and eventually went home to brood and drink and tell myself that it’s all going to be fine.

Dammit, get out of your head and concentrate! Banner yells, when I realize I have stopped and am just staring off into the distance. Barbie doesn’t need this shit from you, Logan. Either male up and start getting into it—or go home. You’ve been so out of it lately, it’s a wonder Nick hasn’t booted your ass on suspension.

I grunt, loping beside him, and disagree entirely. Nick wouldn’t dream of suspending me after I found his daughter-in-law, Mika, and the pregnant female, Gretchen, after they escaped their kidnappers—and we all know it.

The hero mantle doesn’t fit my shoulders all that well, but it gives me an advantage I won’t complain about. I can do and say what I want and not fear a dressing down.

Nowadays, the most shit I get from Nick is a firm no. Something I may not like, but it is better than most punishments. And trust me, with my attitude and love for a good fight, I’ve had my fair share.

We reach Barbie’s house to see Bear standing on the porch, yelling into his phone, and Nick, his dark hair mussed on top of his head, as if he’s been pulling at it, is right beside him, staring down at the floor.

I leap onto the porch beside Banner and immediately sniff, trying to detect any scent. What I get makes me frown, and I see Banner’s own confusion before Nick turns to me and sighs.

You smell it, too? he asks.

Yeah. I don’t understand. There is no fear in her scent, and yet, I know the other scent we’re picking up is like the other masked scents we’ve been tracking since the invasions started.

Bear snarls, his anger spiking, because I recognize at least some of the scent as belonging to one of the males who took Mika and Gretchen a few months ago.

It’s strange and not easy to explain because it’s true that the scents are masked somehow, but as masked as they are, there is still an identifying marker that makes it unique in its strangeness.

Yeah, and that is weird in and of itself because I expected at least some fear. From the state of her home, it looks as if she fought—and yet no fear, he says again, his frown creasing his brow.

I sniff again, attempting to pick up something, but all I smell is Barbie’s natural scent and the homemade lotion that Mika, Bear’s mate, makes for Barbie.

The scent is pleasant, the faint smell of flowers muted by the coconut and vanilla she uses, but not strong enough to mask emotion, and after walking into the little house and seeing the chaos and mess, I know I should be smelling at least a hint of fear.

What the fuck is going on here?

I don’t know, son, but whatever it is, it’s more than getting on my fucking nerves. Prissy was the one who came over and found this place turned upside down. I had to sedate her when she started shifting between her wolf and human so fast it made my head spin. The stress is getting to her, he says and snarls, his wolf getting antsy while he talks about their mate.

We all are, Dad. Mika isn’t happy about staying at home all the time, and Noble is having trouble with her as it is. She goes to the grocery store and starts fights with Bronwyn for God’s sake. Yesterday, she cried because she says she misses seeing Hannah in town!

We all grin at that because it’s Mika’s code for I am so fucking tired of this I would be happy to see that whore and have a conversation with her.

Yeah, things are that bad that Bear’s mate is willing to put up with his ex to have some freedom.

Well, what are we supposed to do? Banner asks, walking out of the house where he’s been looking around.

His eyes flash, the golden-brown bear vying for supremacy over his wolf and making him unusually volatile. Banner is my half-brother, a wolf-bear mix. That is not a good combination in males. The wolf and bear in him are always at odds, one or the other fighting for dominance.

On any given day, the male keeps himself steady with regular shifts and running in the woods, but since the attacks, we’ve had almost no time to fully shift and run off any frustration. That leaves us all volatile and aggressive, but for Banner, it’s worse because he’s not just fighting his wolf—but his bear as well.

Find out who is doing this? Find Barbie? Kill a lot of people to get answers? Bear suggests, his own emotions making his grey eyes turn silver.

That would be nice, if we could. I’ve been over the boundaries a thousand fucking times, and so far, I have nothing new. What little scent there was to work with is long gone. The cave where Mika and Gretchen was kept is deserted and obviously scrubbed clean, and the lack of movement for the last while suggests that it should be over, even if I know it’s not. All we have to go on is that these people are looking for Jules, which makes sense, because Bear was right, as was Mika, the attack path suggests they were making their way to your place, Alpha.

The three males growl back in answer, and Nick snarls before stomping into the house to look down at something. We follow, and I groan when I see Barbie’s bobble head collection shattered and in pieces on the floor.

She’s going to shit a brick when she sees this. If she sees it. Please God, spare her, I pray, my chest aching with the thought of Barbie being harmed.

The little wolf-cougar shifter is a tiny little thing with pretty blue eyes, big blonde hair the color of snow, and a personality that takes a lot of getting used to. Once you love her though, that is it, she’s in there.

And I do love her. She is the sister I never had, a female with balls and more courage than her stature suggests, and not having her in my life would be like ripping off a limb.

We will get her back, I promise myself, leaning down to pick up one of the ridiculous pink bows she likes to wear in her big hair, the reminder of the loss cutting me deeply.

I don’t smell anything, and I even let my bear out enough to take a whiff. It’s the same as all the other times. There’s something there, but for whatever reason, it’s masked very well, Banner hisses, stomping towards the bedroom and back again. There’s nothing. Any witnesses? Anything to go on?

Nothing, Bear says, shaking his head. The closest neighbor is less than a mile out, but they were having a family get-together now that the attacks have stopped and people are feeling safer. All we have is the underlying scent—and this. No sound, no trail that we can follow. Just this.

We look at the room he’s indicating, and once again, I find it strange that Barbie would not scent of fear or anger if someone had come in here and done this to her place.

We should put out a pack-wide message and call the Kendalls. Gile won’t like this. In fact, I think that sonofabitch may start going on a rampage. Barbie is their only young, and this is going to kill his mate.

I agree with Nick, but I don’t think anyone should talk to the family about this just yet. Don’t ask me why, but I just know that having the town on alert again and one male rampaging and out of his mind is what those bastards want.

With the pack relaxed and unstressed, it is safer and easier for us to keep order and walk the boundary lines. Things were so unsettled a few weeks ago that I was running after shifted males, who decided to go vigilante and search these invaders out.

That took up half of my time, running them down and convincing them to shift back and go home. Hell, I caught my own Alpha stalking the woods in wolf form, ready to attack anything that came anywhere near our boundary lines and onto our lands.

I’ve caught females too, one of them Barbie herself, the little cougar the hardest one to track because she’s small, blends in well, and has an advantage when she is in the trees and looking down at the woods.

Through all of this shit, the one thing I still don’t know—and what could give us all the answers possibly, is why Jules? After the first time Nick moved her, the female took it into her head that she needed to leave and gave her guards the slip, disappearing into the world without a trace.

She’s just gone. Her last message let Nick and Prissy know that she has a safe place to go to and a friend who is keeping her hidden and that she’s going to get her own answers before too long.

The clock is ticking for us now. We can’t leave Jules out there alone with no protection, and yet, we can’t leave our people unprotected either—as tonight has proven.

"What we should do is keep this quiet and not rouse more problems for the force. Wait Alpha, please just hear me out. Once Gile and Carline know, the whole pack will be on alert again and tense. The council is already making noises about replacing you as Alpha, and while I know Bear is ready for whatever you throw at him, he doesn’t want to have to rule knowing the pack got rid of his father and mother. Things are testy right now, too testy to expect that you’ll keep things together if the council gains enough support to boot you," I point out, getting a snarl of pure rage for my words.

Those fuckers are getting on my last Goddamned nerve. Haven’t I always led the people with everything I have in me? he says and growls, pacing to the windows to look out at the black night sky.

Yeah Dad, you have, and everyone in this pack knows you’re the best Alpha we’ve had in centuries. Grandfather was a good male, but he refused to rethink the old ways that kept us pinned in the dark ages. You’re our Alpha, our leader, our strength, but right now, tensions are just simmering under the surface. Logan is right. If they know Barbie’s been taken, everything goes to shit for us before we can figure things out and get her back. What we need is time, and for you to keep these people under control, Bear says, throwing me a look.

I know that look because I must have worn the same just a minute ago. Tread lightly with Alpha, Dad or not, or you’re likely to end up in the cells for a good twelve months to reconsider your attitude.

Fuck! I need this shit right now like I needed that sister of yours to get fool ideas in her head. Goddammit, I need time to find my kid, not play pack politics and wipe hairy asses.

Bear grins, giving me a look filled with amusement, and I shake my own head, disagreeing with his silent message. Alpha is still in control, and he can still kick our collective asses with one hand tied behind his back.

"Then keep this shit quiet and focus on searching for Jules—quietly—while Banner, Bear, and I start searching for Barbie."

Where? Where do you start looking? There’s fuck all here, Logan, and despite all the optimism in the world, we all know that we have nothing. No scent, no trail, nothing. If I keep this under wraps, and Gile and Carline find out, they’ll take it to the council as is their right as parents. Alpha or not, I answer to the laws of this pack as much as any of you.

I get that. Trust me, I really do. Bear may be second and heir to the throne as things may be, but in our circle and on the force, I lead. I lead my teams; I take all the hits for fuck ups—I’ve cited Bear so many times I can’t keep count anymore—and I have to accept blowback for any decisions I make in my role as first enforcer.

I get that responsibility and accountability is high and deadly right now, but I’ll say it again and I’ll keep saying it—even if my Alpha locks me away and throws away the key to shut me up—we can’t afford another spate of panic and pack splitting.

With the Seers, Fords and Banes on the council, looking to cause shit for Nick all the time, another kidnapping will drive the pack into their corner, and then we’re all screwed.

I don’t relish the thought of banishing my Alpha, and neither do I relish knowing that Bear will have to lead surrounded by idiots with no loyalty or integrity.

I’ve been thinking about the frequency of the attacks before they stopped, after Mika and Gretchen fucked things up for those bastards, and I’ve been considering a few things that may help us.

Like what? Come on, boy, spit it out if you know something that can help, he says and snarls.

Bear huffs, trying to hold in a laugh when Nick partially shifts, looking like those mangy werewolves he’s so fond of ridiculing. The look is not one that most shifters go for, and the scraggly growth that covers his face, coupled with his fangs and clawed out hands, are hilarious to behold.

The male would shit himself if he knew what he looked like.

I keep my own amusement in, and instead think about some things I’ve been pushing around in my head.

We’ve been focused on our town and keeping our borders impenetrable—

Yeah and look how that fucking worked out for us, Banner says and grunts, getting a look from me to shut the hell up.

Nick snarls again, and I roll my eyes silently, waiting for him to calm down and shift back.

I think we’ve been doing it all wrong. Those bastards didn’t live in the cave. That is clear enough from the way they managed to get out and scrub the place down in so little time. That means they have to have been staying in one of the other towns surrounding us and coming at us from there.

That makes sense, Bear says excitedly.

Or they’re further out and shift to get here fast, Banner points out again, his penchant for logical thinking pissing me the hell off.

I give him a filthy look to keep his trap shut and shake my head.

Maybe, but if I was planning a string of invasions to kidnap the daughter of the Greyriver pack, I wouldn’t risk being seen by humans or shifters with too much distance between me and the target, and I sure as fuck don’t think that these assholes can maintain their scent block if they shift. Our biology is strong, but we all know that once we shift Mother Nature takes over. Our scents cannot be masked in shifted form.

That’s true, Banner accedes, grinning when I flip him the finger. So, they’re close by or were close by. That gives us what, an area of no more than twenty miles to cover. That leaves us with a few options, but I’d search Kalispell, Columbia Falls, Olney, Hungry Horse, Coram, Martin City, and West Glacier.

That’s still a lot of search area, Logan. We can’t afford to send out seven search teams and lose males that we need on the boundaries, Bear points out, leaning down to pick up some of the mess.

I join him, as does Banner, and I talk while we put the place to rights, promising Barbie that I will replace each and every little bobble head when I find her.

I know that, but considering where they took the females on the lake, I’d put my ass on the line they’re using Highway 93 as a route. Olney is up that way, Eureka.

That’s quite a ways, Logan.

Yes, Alpha, but it takes them close to many a hideaway or escape route that isn’t congested too much with humans. They have the mountains, the border up north, and besides, this is not the work of an outlying pack. These guys are unknowns and the only untreatied packs are either on the border between us and Canada, or so far south they are not worth mentioning.

Nick considers this and nods, straightening the couch with a flick of his wrist before laying the throw rug over it and inspecting the place.

I want you and Banner on this until you find something. I can’t risk this getting out if I don’t tell the Kendalls, and I can’t get other enforcers involved, so it’s just you three who know. Bear, you’re with me trying to track down that sister of yours. I hope to God you know what you’re doing, boy. My neck is on the line here.

I hope to fuck I do, too because if Nick’s neck is on the line, mine is on the block. Not only can I not afford to have my Alpha overthrown, not with those prejudiced assholes who sit on the council and my family being mixed, but I also can’t afford to let myself think that I may not get Barbie back.

I won’t get this wrong, Nick, I swear it. I will find Barbie. She isn’t the female they want, so they either took her to question her or as a trading chip. Either way, you’ll hear from them, or I’ll find those bastards nearby, just waiting.

Okay. This place looks as good as it’s going to what with all the breakage. You boys get rid of the debris and get some sleep. I have a feeling this is going to be a shitstorm soon enough.

I get that feeling too, but fuck, it’s a whole hell of a lot better than sitting around like idiots waiting for them to play with us again.

Chapter Two

Hannah

I roll over onto my side, peering at the wall of the little cell while my head tries to explode with agony and my stomach rolls in shifting waves of hung-over pain.

I’ve been down here all night and through half of the morning, and I have no intention of getting up any time soon or demanding release, because the truth is, I want to stay here forever and never see the real world again.

Lync snarls, the sound reverberating through the passageway that is housed with six cells, four of them empty since Jive’s parents came to bail her out last night. So—it’s just me and Lync, the feral wolf shifter, who’s been down here for years now.

I don’t mind being here or hearing him howl for what he’s lost because most days I want to howl, too. I want to howl and scream and break everything in my path since I lost Bear to his Fated, Mika Blithe.

I want to rip them all apart and scream that I was worthy of him and I deserved better than to have it all so close and then have my dreams yanked away from me.

I can’t though. I can’t do a Goddamned thing about Bear breaking off our engagement to mate his female, and I can’t stop the pain that his loss has brought me.

So now I live to forget, and pretend that I don’t care, something I am frighteningly great at since I learned the art form when I was young enough to still need diapers.

It’s how I survive and how I manage to stay this side of the law my life is ruled by.

Another howl splits the air, turning the ice pick in my skull into a jackhammer, the pain serving to stop the thoughts I can’t run from, no matter how hard I try.

Oh, shut up, you feral mutt!

The scream doesn’t help my head at all, but it helps to release the howl of fury I’ve been keeping inside since Bear broke things off and told me that he loved his Fated female and couldn’t marry me.

Since that day, I haven’t been able to do anything but hate and plot