A Magical Shift: A Hot Paranormal Fantasy Saga with Witches, Werewolves, and Werebears (Weres and Witches of Silver Lake Book 1) (28 page)

He didn’t care if the goddess and James were in favor of their mating or not. Rye was in love and content for the first time in his life.

“What I find interesting is that the witch was working with James.” He snapped his fingers. “That was why James didn’t hurry when I pounded on his door and told him you’d been kidnapped. He knew. He was stalling until Chancellor arrived with you at that woman’s house. I’ll be damned.”

Izzy wrapped her arms around him. “I’m just glad James was able to help.”

“Me too.” Rye inhaled as he slipped his hand inside his pocket and rubbed his finger around the smooth pink quartz band. “There’s something I want to give you.”

“What’s that?”

Being a wolf, he really wasn’t sure how this human proposal stuff was supposed to work. “In our Clan, once I’ve bitten you and you’ve accepted my offering, we are mated for life.”

“I know.”

His heart pounded. “I realize that humans do things differently than us, so I want to respect your tradition.” He withdrew the ring from his pocket and lifted her left hand. “I want all the humans to know that we are together. I’m also willing to have a human style wedding ceremony if you want. What do you say?”

When he slipped the ring onto her fourth finger, she sucked in an audible breath. “Are you asking to marry me?”

“I suppose I am, but I didn’t do a good job of proposing, did I?”

She threw her arms around him. “It was wonderful. I don’t need a fancy wedding. I’m happy being your mate and doing things your way. If you think about it, I’m not even totally human anymore.”

She was part shifter. “I know, and I couldn’t be happier, but your parents might like to see their girl walk down the aisle in a beautiful white dress, and that is absolutely fine by me.”

“They just might. I’ll let you know.”

“You bet.” He kissed her like he never had before, and his cock responded as usual. He ended the kiss. “We probably ought to head back. I think we’ve had enough excitement for one night.”

She smiled. “I’m sure we can conjure up a bit more if we really try.”

“You might be right.” He did love his mate.

*

The past week
had been hectic preparing for the Alpha ceremony. He’d been busy practicing and helping his parents and the Murdochs set up the tables and chairs. Rye was definitely ready for the passing of the title. Because the temperatures late in the day were still warm, they held the ceremony outside on the extensive acreage connecting the Murdoch and the McKinnon properties. A few of the Clan members had built a makeshift stage and erected a stand with a hanging curtain behind it.

His dad approached him. “You ready for this big step, son?” It was hard to hear over the noise coming from the boisterous crowd. As far as Rye could tell, every bear and wolf shifter living in or near Silver Lake had come to the ceremony.

Rye chuckled. “A little late to be asking now, don’t you think?”

His dad patted him on the back. “You’ll do just fine. With Izzy by your side, the two of you will be excellent leaders. Why if it hadn’t been for your mom, I would have made a lot more mistakes in my time as Alpha. Izzy seems like she’s very level-headed.”

“She is.” Rye glanced over at Kalan who was nervously shifting his weight. His sister and brother were standing next to him, while his parents were helping Rye’s Mom place the food on the massive buffet. Nearly every shifter family had contributed to the feast.

Rye glanced around for Izzy and spotted her with her mom. “You have your spare pair of jeans, right?” he asked his dad. None of the bears or wolves had an issue walking around naked since they frequently shifted, but Rye didn’t want to embarrass Izzy’s parents.

“Yes son. Now are you ready to get this show on the road?”

He nodded. His dad motioned to Devon who then walked up to the stage and whistled. The crowd immediately settled down. Rye was thrilled his brother had been able to make it tonight. If anything ever happened to Rye, Devon would become the next Alpha.

“Would everyone please stand?” Devon asked. “We are about to begin the transfer of leadership.”

Whether wolf or bear, this event would only happen once or twice in their lifetime. Daniel Murdoch, Kalan’s dad, stepped up onto the stage and Kalan joined him, facing his father. Rye’s dad stepped next to Daniel, and Rye followed suit, standing next to his best friend and Beta-to-be. He glanced over at Kalan whose back was so straight he looked like his spine might crack from the pressure.

“Smile. You and I are going to rock this leadership stuff,”
Rye telepathed.

His shoulders sagged slightly.
“We are.”

Cameron McKinnon held up a hand. “Thank you for coming to this ceremony. For years, you all have welcomed me and my family, along with Daniel and his. We’ve had some struggles, but by working together, we have overcome many obstacles. I am confident that my son, Ryerson, and his Beta, Kalan, will be even better leaders than we were. With Isadora Berta, a Wendayan, by my son’s side, Silver Lake will be even more united.”

The crowd applauded and pride swelled. When the clapping subsided, his father continued. “I know all of you will offer the same respect to these young men as you have given to Daniel and me, so it is with great pleasure that I hand over my leadership role as Alpha to my son Ryerson.”

As choreographed, both Rye and his dad shifted into their wolf form, as did Daniel and Kalan Murdoch into their bear form. While his father had told him what would happen, Rye was in awe when his father actually knelt in front of him with his head bowed, and then both Murdoch men followed suit. Rye howled to signify he agreed to be the group’s Alpha.

The crowd cheered, and then all four animals jumped off the stage and ducked behind the curtain before shifting. If Izzy’s parents hadn’t been in the crowd, they never would have gone to such lengths. Once they changed, they headed back out where the crowd was still clapping.

“Congratulations, son.” His dad hugged him. “Go, get ’em. They’re in your hands now.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Daniel Murdoch embraced his son then shook Rye’s hand. His father looked over at Rye’s arm. “It’s official son. The gods have agreed.”

His pulse soared when he saw what had once been just a paw print on his tribal band, was now a wolf’s head; and his father’s wolf head imprint had transformed into just a paw print. “I’ll be damned.”

Kalan lifted his sleeve. “Holy shit,” he whispered. His grin said it all. His bear paw was now the head of a roaring bear.

The two of them hugged. Rye then looked around for Izzy and motioned her over.

“Me?”
she telepathed.

“I can’t rule without you—or should I say, I don’t want to.”

Izzy worked her way through the crowd, and when she came to his side, he just had to kiss her. He wanted every person to know that he’d found the perfect mate.

‡

T
eagan Pompley finished
changing the linens on the massage table, set out the oils, and then lit the incense to prepare for the next customer. Suddenly, she swayed and had to grab onto the table or chance falling. Her vision blurred and her stomach churned. An image of Elana Stanley surrounded in darkness swept across her mind’s eye.

Then everything cleared and Teagan’s balance returned. She hopped up onto the table to gather her wits. That had to have been the quickest premonition she’d ever had, which meant something bad was about to happen to Elana in the future.

*

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Next up is Elana and Kalan’s story—Catching Her Bear. Below is the first chapter!

B
rother Jacob stood
behind the hand carved table on the raised platform and shut the lid to his laptop. He then held up his hand to quiet the Changeling Council members sitting on unforgiving wooden chairs before him. The dim lights flickering from the six gas sconces barely illuminated their faces, and the black wool curtains covering the cement walls added the air of mystery and secrecy. He glanced at the two new additions to the room that he’d personally commissioned. They were two statues, the bottom half of which was human, but from the shoulders up they were pure wolf. The eyes made of red onyx were lit from behind to make the eyes glow.

He glanced around. Three of the members had failed to don their robes. They would suffer for that slight.

Once the ten-member group stilled, he addressed them in his most Alpha tone. “Brother Chris, tell us that you’ve procured the sardonyx.”

This blood colored stone, when imbued with a powerful curse on the red moon, could extract the powers from a Wendayan. The Changelings could dominate all of Silver Lake and beyond if they were able to harness the witches’ magic.

“Not yet, Brother Jacob. The Stanleys claim the Indian mine where they’d found the stone in the past has closed, but that they are scouring the earth for another one. It’s difficult to find the red stone suited to our exacting needs.”

Jacob slammed his hand on the table and the sound reverberated. “Unacceptable! Tell them they have one week or they die.” He didn’t bother wiping the spittle from his chin.

“Yes, Brother Jacob.”

*

Kalan Murdoch, the
werebear Beta to the clan of wolves and bears, sat in his Alpha’s living room, pad of paper in hand, discussing their duties as newly appointment leaders in Silver Lake, Tennessee. Even at ten in the morning, his eyes were tired from taking notes, and the strong coffee Rye’s mate had made for them didn’t seem to be working.

Right after Rye’s mate, Izzy, had moved in, she’d placed a lamp next to the lounge chair, but even that didn’t provide enough light. He did appreciate the added crystals, colorful candles in all shapes and sizes, and some much needed throw pillows, like the one supporting his back.

Kalan pointed his pen at Rye. “Here’s a thought. We could exact enough pink quartz from the bottom of the lake to give a piece to everyone.” The recent rash of robberies and fires had alarmed some of the members, and the quartz would provide a modicum of protection against the evil and ever illusive Changelings. Personally, he’d never use the stuff, but rumor had it that power resided in the quartz.