Mated To Magic (Stark Creek Shifters Book 1) by Barb Shuler (free ereaders .TXT) 📕

the clearing. A large deer carcass lay on the ground—what was left of it anyway. I felt confident in saying that it had been there for a day or so. Birds had been at it, as well as other creatures. Large chunks of its flesh and muscle were missing.

I lifted my head, catching a few odd scents but nothing that could tell me what happened here. I saw no unusual tracks, just deer, coyote, and a small set that looked to be from a fox.

I left the scene and went to the east trail, following Ty’s scent up the incline. Tyson, my beta and one of my best friends, was a large black panther, a Jaguar. He was the one I turned to the most with things that involved the pack and keeping our territory safe. Even if it wasn’t pack related. He had a level head and helped to balance out my temper.

I wasn’t your average Alpha. I had a good handle on my temper unless Mia or my pack were involved.

I jogged to the hilltop, the rocks under my shoes grinding into the earth. Ty stood just ahead, his tail flicking from side to side. I raised a brow as I looked up, following his line of sight. That’s when I saw it. Up on the hillside, a black bear scaled a piece of the hill. I could have face-palmed in frustration.

“What in the hell is he doing?”

Ty just looked back at me, his green eyes shining with annoyance.

“For fuck’s sake. He’s worse than a damn toddler sometimes.”

I took a few steps closer to the ledge where Ty stood then looked back over to Kody. How had he gotten… I saw a large tree toppled over the gap, its gnarled branches nothing but bark covered sticks now. I shook my head. The only good thing I can say for this act of total stupidity was that the drop to the river below was only about fifteen feet… It wouldn’t have killed him if his fat ass had slipped.

“Come on, let’s go around and see what he’s up to—”

A pissed off roar rolled across the open gorge. I saw three figures moving back down the ridge toward the old tree. I hurried to the tree. Last thing I wanted was for the big dummy to scare some kids and have one of them fall to their death.

I moved easily across the tree and met them on the other side. By the time I got them calm, Ty had joined us, redressed and wearing a scowl that made the girl in the group back away.

“Come on, before that stupid bear comes back.” Ty’s demand was quickly followed. Each of the three trespassers made it back across the tree safely. When they turned back to us, they were surprised by a bright flash.

“Hey! What was that for?” one of the boys asked, his face turning down into a frown.

“I needed your faces to give to the Sheriff. You’re trespassing on our property, scaring the stupid wildlife and making our busy night busier. If I see you out here again, I’ll let the bear eat you.”

I won’t lie, I had to turn away from them because I was laughing. Ty’s face showed absolutely no hint of anything but serious determination. Kody would never eat anyone, but he would enjoy chasing them through the woods. Which would be just as bad. Last thing we needed was hunters out here with rifles and no clue as to what they were really hunting. It wouldn’t end well and I just finished unpacking. I wasn’t ready to pack all of my shit back up and find another place that was suitable for all of us.

Once the kids were gone I shook myself, threw off my clothes and shifted, letting my wolf free. It was time to run off all of my pent-up feelings.

2

Mia

Getting the run of this new place was taking some getting used to. We hadn’t been here all that long, so I didn’t really know anyone I was now managing. The security team that I trusted to keep me safe were new too. Could they step up to the plate? I guess only time would tell. I sat in my office, glancing over at the cameras every now and then, making sure that Jayden was okay with the team behind the bar before going back through the resumes on my desk. When I took over Bar None, I sacked a lot of people. This didn’t make me many friends, but I had put my hard earned money into the place. The last thing I needed was for it to go down the drain. It hadn’t happened yet and I would be damned if I let it happen now.

Resting my elbows on my desk, I let my thoughts drift off. When Dalton told me that it was time to move the pack to a new place, I had a mild freak-out. We had been friends for a while, but over time, I had developed strong feelings for him. The thought of him leaving made my chest ache. When I talked to Jayden about it, she told me that I needed to go with him. If Dalton was my best friend, Jayden was my sister. I couldn’t do without either of them. When she suggested I go with him, I knew she needed to come with me. She had been my right hand in every bar that I had owned and managed. While I ran the back of the house, Jayden would cover the bar for me so that I could focus. I trusted her with my life; as a matter of fact, we had been inseparable since I’d saved her life, so it made sense for her to come along with me.

When Dalton first walked into my bar, I felt a shift in the air. I sensed straightaway that he was a shifter, and he could tell there was something about