Pack Daughter Read online

  Table of Contents

  Legal Page

  Title Page

  Book Description

  Dedication

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  New Excerpt

  About the Author

  Publisher Page

  A Total-E-Bound Publication

  www.total-e-bound.com

  Pack Daughter

  ISBN # 978-1-78184-482-3

  ©Copyright Crissy Smith 2013

  Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright September 2013

  Edited by Stacey Birkel

  Total-E-Bound Publishing

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Total-E-Bound Publishing.

  Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Total-E-Bound Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

  The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

  Published in 2013 by Total-E-Bound Publishing, Think Tank, Ruston Way, Lincoln, LN6 7FL, United Kingdom.

  Warning:

  This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has a heat rating of Total-e-burning and a sexometer of 2.

  This story contains 86 pages, additionally there is also a free excerpt at the end of the book containing 4 pages.

  Were Chronicles

  PACK DAUGHTER

  Crissy Smith

  Book seven in the Were Chronicles series

  The shifter world has announced their presence…and now must deal with the consequences.

  Mike Jackson knew when the other members of his military unit started finding mates that his life would be heading for some major changes. The decision to leave the military was agreed upon but now that Mike is free, he is finding himself weary and bored. When the call comes in to assist a Pack facing dangerous threats, he is more than glad to help. He hopes getting back into the thick of things will calm him and his wolf.

  Becca Nelson’s heart is breaking at the horrible fires that are plaguing her town. Someone is out to destroy her community and they have no idea who it could be. Her father, the Alpha, makes a call for help and brings Mike into her life. Becca knows that Mike is the wolf for her the moment she meets him.

  With a direct threat against Becca, an ex showing up, and a kidnapping, Mike and Becca may not have the time to save both the town and each other. It’ll take everything Mike has in him to keep the Pack Daughter safe and give him time to place his claim. That is if Becca doesn’t have to rescue him first…

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to my wonderful and supportive family. They have cheered me on from the sidelines and always let me know that they believe in me.

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmark mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Tahoe: General Motors Corporation

  Chapter One

  Becca Nelson blew her bangs from her eyes and surveyed the mess that the old community centre had turned into. The fire had been extremely hot and had burned quickly.

  The community centre was just the latest casualty in a line of local buildings that had been targeted for arson.

  Becca raised her camera and started to click. In less than thirty seconds she had dozens of photos. The building still smouldering in the cool night air, the exhausted firefighters that had fought to save it, and the residents that looked on in horror and unease.

  She’d already taken photos of the fire itself when it had still burned brightly. It was her job—she had to remain professional, even if the sight made her stomach hurt. The reality of what was happening right in front of her was devastating.

  Sighing, she lowered the camera again. “Damn it,” she mumbled under her breath, unable to understand why anyone would torch the building that had been the centrepiece for so many wonderful memories.

  She’d attended her senior prom there, watched several of her friends perform mating ceremonies, and had even planned one for herself. Her ceremony had never taken place but the memories associated with it still made her smile. Now she felt her heart ache with the loss.

  The fourth building burnt to the ground. What would be next? Who might be hurt or killed? Those questions haunted her and every resident of Riverwood.

  For over a month, the city where she’d lived her entire life was slowly being taken from her. The first fire, a small one compared to tonight’s, had been just on the edge of town—an old farmhouse that had been converted into the town’s museum. When tourists wished to learn more about the first known wolf shifter community, they could stop by and pick up brochures and information.

  With the help of the Alpha Council, the city of Riverwood, once on the brink of extinction, was now a hot, must-see tourist site.

  Riverwood, population just over three thousand residents, had barely been surviving before the shifter world had gone public. Now, three months after the announcement, visitors flocked to the once forgotten town.

  Businesses that had been boarded up and abandoned had been remodelled and now thrived. Families who had believed they would have to leave their homes to find work were now proud and happy in their hometown.

  The changes had come quickly but had breathed new life into the Pack.

  Then the fires had started. First the museum, then the school house, followed by the bank and now the community centre.

  Becca turned and walked back to her Tahoe. She packed away her things and turned to look one last time at the community centre. She’d need to get the photos printed for both the police and the newspaper. It would be a long night and she didn’t look forward to seeing what she had captured—a memory that would forever be imprinted on the community.

  As she stared back at the building, two bodies broke away from the small group of firefighters and made their way over to her. She offered a small smile to her two best friends when they reached her.

  Kenny Moore and Todd Wilkins looked exhausted. Sweat soaked their T-shirts, their eyes were dark and serious, and they appeared almost dead on their feet.

  Kenny shook his head. “I can’t believe this,” he said quietly.

  She would have hugged him but she didn’t think she could offer much comfort right then without breaking down herself. Todd clasped a hand on his shoulder and squeezed.

  Kenny visibly relaxed. They loved one another, had committed themselves, although they had never taken the last step. She was a little jealous of them but had always supported them. The two of them had got her through the roughest patches of her life.

  “Anything?” she asked, nodding towards the building.

  Todd dropped his hand and turned to look at the community centre that was now no more—rubble on the ground. “Same as before. It was too late by the time we got here. All we could do was stop the fire from spreading. It’s a complete loss.”
>
  “They keep getting closer to downtown,” she admitted her fear. “And I can’t help but wonder, then what? The entire town or Alpha property could be next!”

  Todd shook his head. “I don’t really want to find out. We have to stop this. So far no one’s been hurt but…”

  He trailed off. Neither she nor Kenny wanted to be the one to finish the thought. They were all thinking it, but to say it out loud? No one wanted to be the one to go there.

  “Yeah,” she said instead.

  “We gotta head back. You staying in town or at your dad’s?” Todd asked.

  Becca thought it over. Her apartment was closer but she needed her Pack. To see her father and know he was okay. “I’ll stay at the cottage.”

  Todd released a breath. “Good. We’ll be over when our shift is finished.”

  She exchanged one-armed hugs with both men as they tried to keep her from getting dirty. They all needed the contact. She watched them walk back to the fire engine, jump up and disappear inside. Then she glanced around the crowd that was slowly drifting away.

  Someone had to have seen something. There was just no way whoever did this could keep from standing out in town. There were so many questions but no answers.

  She slammed the rear hatch closed and dragged her tired body to the driver’s side. She just wanted to get home.

  * * * *

  Mike Jackson strolled into the sheriff’s office of Midessa, New Mexico with a smile on his face. It hadn’t been that long ago that he’d arrived in town to help his best friend RJ Cross as RJ’s brother, Dylan, was accepting the position of Pack Alpha.

  Now Midessa was like a second home to him.

  He waved to the pretty receptionist and tilted his head towards Brandon Stratton’s office. “Is he in?”

  The receptionist smiled back at him. “He’s waiting for you. Go on back.”

  Mike inclined his head and made his way to the back office.

  Brandon Stratton, the sheriff deputy and second in command of the Pack, was reclined back in his chair with his eyes closed.

  Mike knocked loudly and stifled a laugh as the other man jerked in his chair.

  “Damn it man!” Brandon groused.

  Mike chuckled. “If I knew you were just lazing around I would have gotten here sooner.”

  When Brandon stood and offered a hand, Mike shook it readily.

  He hadn’t expected to become such good friends with Brandon. Not after all the drama that had taken place several months ago. But Brandon had proved himself to be a great asset to the Pack.

  When Mike had first arrived in town Brandon was considering challenging for the Pack Alpha. He didn’t actually want the job but other members of the Pack had been putting a lot of pressure on him to not let a stranger take over.

  Luckily Brandon’s sister had stepped in and, with help from RJ, they had brought both men together and had avoided a challenge between the two of them.

  “Good to see you man. Thanks for coming,” Brandon told him.

  He took a seat in front of the desk while Brandon walked around and closed the office door. He waited until Brandon had settled back into his chair before he spoke.

  “Sounded important,” he started.

  Mike had been travelling back from Texas, where he had been visiting another member of his old military unit, Casey. He’d planned on stopping in and seeing RJ even before he got Brandon’s call.

  “It is,” Brandon said and pulled a file from his bottom drawer. “You’ve heard about the threats to the Packs that went public?”

  Mike nodded. It was one of the reasons he’d been in Coyote Bluff. His old unit commander and his mate, the feline Prince, were concerned about the new threat to the shifters.

  For the first few weeks since the announcement, the excitement about there really being shifters had been top news. But as time passed, more and more people—humans—started to see shifters as a threat.

  Shifter communities that had chosen to be open now had to deal with some heavy backlash in the form of threats.

  “Riverwood, California. Last night was the fourth fire in less than a month. Before each fire there is a letter sent to the Alpha. ‘Surrender the Pack and land or the town will be burnt down’,” Brandon informed him.

  Mike opened the file. The Pack was located in northern California not far from his own Pack. Population over three thousand.

  The first known organised community of shifters.

  It had become common for shifter species to live and work together, depending on one another to survive. But that wasn’t how it had always been. Long ago, the shifters had lived by the rule that only the strongest survived. The Pack Alpha in Riverwood had known the shifters would never last if they kept killing each other. He’d started the first community that welcomed shifters to live in harmony.

  Because of the success of his idea, shifter communities now thrived all over the world. As years passed, the Alpha position had been passed down to the next generation but the honour that came with being the first community never faded.

  The current Pack Alpha, Jim Nelson, had decided to go public because over the years the pack had fallen on hard times. He’d approached the Alpha Council and received approval to brand the title of the first known shifter community.

  It had sounded like a good plan to Mike. And it had seemed to work. The entire town had grown. Mike had always supported the decision to go public and had agreed with his own Alpha to take that step.

  He flipped through the pages and read the report that looked like a copy of the police investigation. The photos of the fires showed him more. Someone was out to ruin the town.

  “The fires are always at places that the town depends on. And they are getting closer to the downtown district and homes,” Brandon told him.

  “Anyone hurt?”

  “No, luckily all buildings have been empty at the time. But the concern is that if they don’t get what they want, that’ll change.”

  “Do we know who they are?”

  “No. And no instructions on how they want the Alpha to ‘surrender’ his Pack,” Brandon said. “The demand is bullshit. They just want to hurt people. But without knowing who’s involved they don’t know whether to look at locals or tourists. That’s where you come in.”

  Mike lifted an eyebrow. He knew what was coming. “And what do you want with me?”

  Brandon sighed. “Alpha Nelson has reached out to the council and asked for help. Dylan was approached to see if he had any ideas.”

  “And?”

  “Dylan and RJ thought you’d be a good man for the job.”

  Now they were getting somewhere. “What kind of job?”

  Brandon grinned. “Recon. Just like what you did with the unit.”

  “And how do you know what I did with the unit?” Mike questioned, grinning.

  The unit he’d belonged to had been made up of all shifters. Several different shifter species. He and RJ both wolves, but they also had felines and bird shifters, as part of the team. “And how is this even remotely the same?”

  “Hey.” Bandon held up his hands. “Blame the Cross brothers. I’m the contact to Alpha Nelson but sending you was their idea. Something about you drifting around lately and unable to settle?”

  He nodded. He’d been a little lost since he’d left the military and he had always enjoyed helping others. “I don’t mind helping out,” Mike told Brandon. “And I really don’t want anything to happen to this Pack. I’ll go.”

  Brandon clapped his hands together. “That’s great! I was really hoping to be able to tell Alpha Nelson something today. This is a big load off my shoulders.”

  Mike shrugged. “It’s not like I had any big plans anyway.”

  He’d been headed home even though he knew he wouldn’t be there for long. Mike couldn’t seem to stay in one place. So much had happened in the last year.

  It started with the kidnapping of the feline Prince, then the long mission of getting him back, before they lef
t the military. Casey and RJ finding their mates. Then the shifters going public…

  His whole life, he had moved from one purpose to another.

  The last few months just seemed like he was cruising. And he didn’t like it all. So RJ was right, he was just drifting.

  He’d even thought about going back to the military. He hadn’t shared that thought with anyone else though. Now that he wasn’t tied down every day he just wasn’t sure what he wanted to do.

  Maybe this assignment would help him decide. It would be nice to have a purpose once again, anyway.

  He stood and offered his hand to Brandon. “I like to see RJ while I’m in town but I can leave tonight.”

  Brandon came around the desk and threw an arm around his shoulder. “Nah, man, we’re having a cookout for the family at the Alpha house tonight. Come along with RJ and Nikki and leave in the morning. I’ll let Alpha Nelson know to expect you tomorrow.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Mike agreed.

  He left Brandon at the office door and was amused to see Brandon trying to catch the receptionist’s eye. She pretended not to notice Brandon standing there but the sexual energy bouncing between the two was enough to make anyone take notice.

  It would be interesting to see where that relationship would go.

  He stepped out into the warm early evening air and looked around the main street of the small town. There weren’t many people walking around which only added to the small town feel.

  The community was friendly and anyone who did pass waved to him. He glanced down the street and saw that RJ’s tattoo shop still had the open sign lit up.

  It had taken time but from what RJ had told him people were finally coming around to his shop. He was even getting quite a few out of town appointments once word got out that he did custom mate tattoos.