Page 1 of Unforeseen Mate

CHAPTER 1

HAYDEN

The Hollow

One of the best things about being a hellhound was the ability to be completely invisible for brief periods of time, as well as shifting from man to beast. Most of those in the shifter community referred to themselves as asomething-shifter. Hellhounds didn’t. They justwere, although some shifters called them demons. Demons, of course, were adamant that hellhounds weren’t demons, but then demons were an arrogant lot.

The fact was that hellhounds were a little bit of both. They were unique, being neither wholly shifter nor wholly demon, a fact they liked to exploit. They did, however, use their knowledge of both worlds—the earthly realm and the Underworld—to their advantage. It amused the hellhounds that the Underworld was so misunderstood. There was no torturous place of fire and brimstone. Well, there was, but that was reserved for the most depraved individuals.

The only human who’d even come close to understanding much less describing the Underworld was Dante Alighieri, only he assigned way too many rings. The reality was far simpler than that. There weren’t nine; only four: Limbo; Sinners—for thosewith problems with lust, gluttony, greed, and anger; as well as levels for Violence; and Treachery.

Earthers lived on Earth, demons resided in one of the four realms of the Underworld, and hellhounds resided in a somewhat flexible realm between the two, known as the In-Between. The Hollow was the dominion of the hellhounds and was a part of the In-Between. It divided life on earth from existence in the Underworld; the mortal from the immortal. The In-Between acted as both a barrier and a gateway between the two.

Hayden North was the leader of the hellhounds. The Alpha. That had been his destiny from birth, and it was one he embraced and one that his younger brother, Tanner, had thought to challenge, mainly because Tanner believed it meant he could do whatever the hell he wanted. He wasn’t right, and Tanner was rarely willing to face the consequences for his actions, but he did have a small following among the weaker hellhounds.

Tanner’s latest scheme had to do with the scarcity of female hellhounds.

Long ago the hellhounds had been damned and banished from the Earth by the gods—condemned to patrol the Hollow to ensure nothing moved between Earth and the Underworld that wasn’t supposed to. The gods had forbidden the Hellhounds from taking a mate outside their kind unless he or she was determined to be a fated mate. The problem was no hellhound had been gifted with a fated mate in Hayden’s long lifetime. Because of that, their numbers had begun to dwindle.

Tanner and those who followed him proposed that the females of breeding age who remained should be divvied up between small groups of the strongest warriors and used to bring their kind back from the edge of extinction—essentially relegating their position in their clan to nothing more thanbreeders. Hayden too refused to accept extinction, but drew the line at giving their females no say in the matter.

“Hmm. That’s not a look I like to see,” said Oslo East. “What put it on that ugly mug of yours?”

Hayden looked up. “Extinction. My younger brother plans to lead a revolt, oust me as alpha, and turn our females into broodmares.”

Oslo chuckled. “I think he might find that more difficult than he imagines. After all, female hellhounds are not known for their demure personalities.”

Hayden laughed. That was an understatement. “True enough but keep an eye on him while I’m gone.”

“You’re headed topside again?”

“I am. There’s a war brewing in the shifter community—ultimately it will affect every living being on Earth, including humans. Deke Campbell and Colby Reynolds believe it’s coming to a head.”

“You don’t agree?” asked Oslo.

“No,” said Hayden, shaking his head. “I’m afraid I don’t. I think the Shadow League is gearing up and there will be a battle, but I think the best Deke and Colby can hope to do is only to cut off the snake’s head. I fear another will rise to take its place.”

“Oh so, nothing of much consequence then,” teased Oslo.

Hayden smiled. Oslo was the best beta an alpha could ask for. Not only was he a strong right hand, but he tended to be irreverent and could make Hayden laugh in the worst of circumstances.

“I don’t understand how those who went before us let us get to this state—very few females of our own kind and dire consequences if we take anyone to mate who either isn’t a hellhound or isn’t fated,” said Hayden.

“Would you settle for someone not fated to you?”

“To keep us from annihilation? Yes.”

“Annihilation?” asked Oslo. “That’s a bit strong.”

“Is it?” rejoined Hayden. “When was the last hellhound born?”

They both knew the answer to that—not since either of them had reached the age of majority.

“Would you mate with a demon?”

“God, no,” scoffed Hayden. “But I do wonder about a human or a shifter. The learning curve would be steeper with a human, but they would be less likely to have clans that would be willing to venture into the Hollow to retrieve them.”

“Are you thinking of raiding parties? What about the consequences of taking a female who isn’t your fated mate?”

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