Page 5 of Ravish
His dad’s face turned into an angry mask, and his lips firmed in disgust. He loved his father, especially for the fact that even though he was grieving and angry over the loss of his fated mate, he never once blamed Shea for what her father had done, but despite that, the village could not forget the loss of their queen and placed the blame and anger on the only living person that could take their sorrow of loss, Shea.
He too, to his shame, was the same way as the rest of his people, and even the pain and sorrow in her brown eyes did not sway him. He'd wanted revenge or at the very least to have her outcasted for her father's crime, but he was not the ruler and had to abide by his father’s decision. Time began to heal his wound, and he no longer hated or despised her. But seeing her all the time was a constant reminder of what he and his father had lost, and he was glad she lived on the outskirts.
His father had not taken another female Lycan to lie in his bed. His love for his deceased wife was still strong after all these years, and his father seemed happy to be alone, but sometimes, he could see the loneliness for his mate in his dad’s eyes, worrying him.
Roland hoped that with the upcoming heat cycle he would find his predestined mate and give his father something new to look forward to while he stepped down as the King of Lycans in the Moonshadow Clan.
He looked at his father sitting there, and despite everything that happened, his dad was still a virile and good-looking man. The single women that were not mated and sometimes even the mated women would come by regularly to check on him in the hopes that they could share his bed, but hisfather paid them no mind. Just nodded, smiled, and conversed until he could get them to the door and usher them out.
Roland could tell that his dad was milking his illness, making his coughing fits long and loud, deliberately making it sound worse than it really was so that he would not have to see the females in the village when they came by with food, to clean, or to check and see how he was doing.
His thoughts broke when he saw his father pull the quilted blanket up further onto his chest.
“Father, why don’t you turn in for the night and rest?”
His dad nodded and then rose to his impressive height, his muscles rippling underneath the PJ set he was wearing, and he began to fold the quilt over his arm.
Roland’s head turned to the side to get a better look. That quilt was new, and the images interwoven on it were spectacular, along with the color.
“Dad, where did you get that?”
“Oh, Fantasy dropped it off for me. Sweet girl.” A soft smile graced his handsome features, and his eyes held a bit of a sparkle to them. “She came by to check on me after the meeting and gave me this.” He raised it toward Roland.
Interesting.
“Oh, did you guys have a nice chat?” He moved closer to his father to see his expression.
King Ramsey frowned, giving him a look. “Yes, she stayed for a little bit, and we talked about what was happening with the mystery pack of Lycans in the area, and then she left, son. She is too young for the likes of me, and no one can compare to your mother.” His father warned in a stern voice before moving toward the door.
He turned. “Good night, Son. Don’t stay up too late worrying about the mystery pack; you cannot do anything right now until they make a move.”
Roland ran his hand through his hair. His dad knew him so well; he would be up late thinking. He didn’t like when something was left uncertain, and he always wanted to take action. They weren’t doing anything illegal or frightening, but he still had a feeling something was about to happen, and he would be at fault if someone got hurt, as he was their protector along with his father.
He strode to the back of the room and to a table, picking up the forgotten drink, tilting his head slightly back, and downing it in one swallow; the liquid warmed him, and he sat in the chair his father vacated.
His dad was right, and he and the other clans were taking precautions to make sure nothing happened. His thoughts now turning to what was about to occur in a day or two. The cycle was soon upon them, and he noticed he had been feeling agitated all day, and not just from his concern about the mystery Lycans, but his heart rate was increased, and his sense of smell and hearing were heightened. He had picked up that some of the females had begun to feel the heat building; the rest of the eligible females would follow. He gazed at the fire, his thoughts on one thing. This time he was going to find his fated mate.
Chapter 3
Shea
Shea had two dreams that night, one of horror where she watched her father murder the Luna over and over again, and then as dawn was almost near, her dreaming changed.
She was in heat and was being chased in her dreams, fear and excitement coursing through her.
Shea woke up, for the second time, out of a deep sleep, but this time her heart was racing and her body shuddering from an intense orgasm. She took huge gulps of air into her lungs, sweat coating her body, the pillow, and the sheets underneath her. A cold breeze came through her open window. February in the mountains was still cold, but everything was beginning to thaw for spring and warm up.
But February was also when adult female shifters would go into heat, and if not fated mated or mated, could be rutted by any eligible male she took to her liking.
For Shea, the choice of an eligible male would be slim to none. As a child, she never really fit in; her head was in the clouds, and she loved nature and plants. She always felt more comfortable with them than she did the people around her and was always out helping her mother with gathering the plants and herbs needed to help tend to those who preferred an alternative to regular medicine provided by the doctor, who tended to the different clans living in different areas on the mountain. If the doctor was not around, people would come to her mother to helpthem out with their ailments. The males here had no interest in her that she knew of, except for needing her help with an ailment.
Her gaze turned to the sun slowly rising over the tiny hill and forest she called home. She jumped up and took a shower, rinsing the slick wetness that was between her legs, using a special soap she had created to mask her arousal from anyone that could possibly be close by, as she lived far on the outskirts away from all of the Moonshadow Lycan clan. The rest of the clans on the mountain had their own mating and heating cycles. It was rare but still possible for them to mate outside their clans; nevertheless, not many had been interested or able to do so.
She donned another cotton nighty, and on bare feet, padded to her small kitchen, where she put water from the spring into her kettle and settled it on her stove to boil. She opened her cupboard and searched for the tea she needed to drink to calm her nerves.
Shea thought about her first dream as she waited for the kettle to whistle. It started out as usual with her screaming and begging her father to let go of the Alpha King’s wife. His eyes had turned a feral yellow, his face contorted with jealousy, confusion, and anger. Her father was a scientist and was experimenting on improving the life expectancy of weakened Lycan babies, who were born with defects just like him. Her father had been born with one leg shorter and weaker than the other, which, when he shifted, made it difficult for him to run with the men of the clan on their nightly outings. As a man, he would wear shoes created to compensate for the size difference.
He was not allowed to be one of the Lycan warriors who protected the king, queen, and their son. He felt shame all his life because of it, but he also had a love for science, and that was what he studied instead. Both her mother and father attendedthe same school together and then married, coming back to the mountains to live and raise her. After her mother passed away, her father withdrew more into himself and threw himself into his experiments. One day, he came out of his study, claiming he was working on a project that would help all the Lycan clans. She became scared when he told her he would first experiment on himself, giving himself a bigger dosage than what he would be giving a newborn child.
