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Wolf Boyfriends - Shifter Romance Books

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"What a BEAUTIFUL wolf romance on kindle!"

Royally Cursed: A Fated Mates Wolf Shifter Romance (Fated Love, Fated War Book 1)

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Wolf Boyfriends - Shifter Romance Books

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I flopped back on my bed, thoroughly exhausted from what felt like a never-ending shift in the infirmary. Fort Canid certainly hadn’t gone easy on its healers lately, which was surprising, considering just how far we were from the front lines. <br /> Then again, the war between my homeland and the country I currently served started before I’d even been born. There were always changes in what areas were hit hardest and where the most troops were needed. <br /> Still, that didn’t make tending to the many, many freshly injured and severely wounded any easier. I was familiar with the anatomical specifics of most of the paranormal creatures fighting in the military, but my brain always felt like taffy after hour ten, and I was eager to fall into blessed sleep…except for dinner.<br /> My stomach growled as if to reiterate the point. We’d been so slammed that I’d skipped lunch to check up on patients, then after that I’d skipped supper to produce more anti-infection salves. I needed to at least try to get to the later dinner provided to Fort Canid’s soldiers or I’d be in terrible pain the next day. <br /> Then there was the brain fog. <br /> Even though I was only a half-shifter, I had the appetite of a full one, and goodness, could shifters eat. If I were any other paranormal creature—or a “cryptid”, as we tended to jokingly call ourselves—I’d definitely qualify as a glutton. It wasn’t uncommon for me to eat six large meals a day, or even more if I was expending my energy more than usual, and that was fairly run of the mill for a wolf shifter. The bear, manticore, and elephant shifters I’d met could easily triple that.<br /> It was one of the biggest reasons good relationships with the surrounding towns and their folk were so important. We had our own dryads and druids who tended to cows, pigs, and sheep that were ranched within the southern sector of the fort, but it wasn’t enough to fuel all the soldiers stationed there. So, supplies were sourced from the locals, and at a pretty penny as well. <br /> “Come on, Ayla, you gotta eat,” I grumbled to myself, as if saying the words would magically motivate me to sit up and do what I needed to. <br /> Not shockingly, this didn’t really work. <br /> It was just so tempting to let myself slip into restful slumber. My magic was all but tapped out, drained by a war that just kept escalating, demanding more battles and blood spilled across the land.<br /> But before I could let my eyelids flutter closed, a knock sounded at my door. My first instinct was to jolt. Who would want to come into my room so late in the evening? I made it my mission to carefully keep my distance from everyone—quite literally everyone—at Ford Canid, so it wasn’t like I had callers usually show up out of nowhere. <br /> I took a deep breath and caught a familiar scent; one I hadn’t been able to shake even though the rest of the Fort was happy to leave me alone and dub me the “Healing Hermit”. It was even more impressive—or was it pathetic? —when one considered that the other healer in my division was an old warlock with a lengthy white beard who could put most elderly magic users to shame. <br /> “Come on, Ayla. I know you’re in there!” her voice called musically through the door. I rolled my eyes, although I couldn’t help the small smile that spread across my features. Despite my efforts to keep my distance, one of Fort Canid’s most powerful psychics seemed dead set on being my friend.<br /> It would&#039;ve been annoying if she weren’t so charming. She had a smile that was broad and inviting, her white teeth standing out against the beautiful umber of her skin. It wasn’t a hue I saw often, but it was similar to the reddish clay that spread out under very specific, blessed trees in my homeland, except this was mixed with gold. She was unearthly beautiful in a way, and I had no idea why she was so set on liking me.<br /> Well…that wasn’t entirely true. I’d started things, even if it had been an accident. I’d met her during my first week stationed at the Fort. She’d come in for stronger pain medicine while the lunar eclipse was wreaking havoc on her period—something that wasn’t entirely unusual for magic users. I’d wanted to do a thorough magical scan of her, so I asked her to wash her face and remove her makeup, including what I thought were her very obvious falsies. <br /> I’d been as cold and detached as possible, but she’d just laughed and informed me she wasn’t wearing any. She just had a mutation that gave her a double row of lashes on both her top and bottom lids. <br /> Naturally, I was fascinated. Can you blame a healer? I knew that distichiasis was a mutation of the FOXC2 gene that existed in humans and could have plenty of other symptoms, such as lymphedema and congenital defects, but I’d never heard of a cryptid with it. <br /> It turned out asking a curious question was the same as proposing a lifetime bond, apparently, because Darla looped her arm around mine and told me that if she was going to give me a whole interview, we might as well be friends and eat together. <br /> “I thought you couldn’t read my mind while I’m wearing the inhibitor bracelet,” I called gruffly without moving. The truth was, I liked Darla quite a lot. She was funny, charismatic, and sharp as a whip. I got the feeling that, even if she couldn’t read minds, she&#039;d be a force to be reckoned with.<br /> “I don’t need to read your mind to know that you’re in there without having eaten anything for at least half a day.”<br /> I may have cursed under my breath. Unlike most shifters, Darla couldn’t hear my muttering. <br /> “You might be right, but I’ll confirm nothing.”<br /> “I wouldn’t expect anything less. Now, get up and out of here so we can get some grub. It won’t remedy you needing to get laid, but at least it’ll stop you from being hangry.”<br /> I shot her a look, even though she couldn’t see me.<br /> “Excuse you, I do not need to get laid!”<br /> I was prickly around the edges, but that was on purpose. I had… complications in my life that forced my hand. Complications that meant I&#039;d need to keep my distance as much as possible, and last I checked, sleeping with someone was definitely close contact. <br /> Besides, I didn’t want to tell my gorgeous, charismatic friend who had dozens of men and women drooling over her that I was a twenty-two-year-old virgin. Not because she&#039;d make fun of me, but because she might try to ‘fix’ the situation.<br /> Ugh, the thought made me nauseous. <br /> I could just picture the line of eligible bachelors she’d round up in the hopes of me finding “the one”. Not only would it be awkward beyond the extreme, it’d only end with bitter attitudes and broken hearts. <br /> Mostly because I’d already found “the one”.<br /> I could never, ever become close to him.<br /> “Baby, are you really trying to lie to a psychic?” Darla shot back. It’d become increasingly obvious with each second that she wasn’t going to leave me alone, so I groaned, got up, and stalked over to the door.<br /> “We already went over this,” I told her dryly after flinging it open. “Inhibitor bracelet means that you’re not much different than a human to me.”<br /> “Not much different than a beautiful human to you,” she corrected me without missing a beat. That charisma again. She had a quick tongue and an even quicker wit, which was probably one of the reasons it was so hard to shake her. I knew that if I really put the work into being a miserable twat, she’d eventually lose interest, but try as I might, I just couldn’t bring myself to fully commit. <br /> This was incredibly selfish of me, of course, but it&#039;d been so long, and sometimes I was just incredibly lonely. Was it really that wrong for me to have a single friend?<br /> Probably, but it was what it was. <br /> “Come on,” Darla said while completely ignoring my scowl. “You can’t blame me for suggesting a way to help you out.”<br /> “Help me out with what?”<br /> “That whole uptight vibe you’ve got going on.” She pushed her way into my room, and the next thing I knew, she was sitting at my desk. I didn’t have a lot of furniture exactly, but I&#039;d more than the standard soldier, considering all the healing and witch supplies I needed. <br /> “You know, not everyone is into romance or sex,” I said, crossing over to my bed and flopping back down. It looked like now I wasn’t going to eat or sleep, which wasn’t the best option. Actually, I was pretty sure it was the worst. <br /> “Ayla, I can end up living in other people’s heads if I’m not careful. Of course, I know about the ace-aro spectrum, but I also know that that isn’t you.”<br /> Ugh, I hated when Darla got insightful.<br /> I got the feeling the psychic liked to play up an empty-headed bimbo persona to get people to underestimate her. The fact that she didn’t bother with that charade around me was pretty flattering, as much as I tried to wall myself off. <br /> “No, you’re so full of internal tension, I’m surprised you haven’t spontaneously combusted,” Darla continued, spinning around in my desk chair. “So, please, help me help you before you snap.”<br /> “I’m not going to snap.” <br /> “All right, I’ll trust you for now, but if you start chewing on the walls, I’m gonna take dating applications for you.”<br /> “Yes, because that’s definitely a habit that’ll attract multiple suitors.”<br /> Darla laughed at that, her head tipping back and white teeth flashing. It probably shouldn’t have made pride flicker in my chest that I’d amused her, but it did. What could I say? I liked the idea of making my clever friend, and my only friend, laugh. <br /> “Hey, your love non-life aside, did you see the latest batch of shifter trainees? Some of them are absolutely scrumptious. Maybe you could put on cute civvies and we can give ‘em an eyeful in the dining hall?”<br /> “I thought you just said my love non-life aside.”<br /> “I’m sorry! I’m just a dog with a bone.”<br /> “More like a dog trying to get me boned,” I muttered under my breath, only to send Darla cackling again.<br /> “What did you just call me?”<br /> My eyes snapped wide open at that, and I jolted upright. “What? Nothing!”<br /> “Relax, relax, girl!” Darla said between peals of chuckles, waving me off. “You’re so funny when you don’t mean to be.”<br /> I wanted to argue that I&#039;d be funnier if I didn’t have to barrier myself off from everyone around me, but I wanted to keep that truth to myself. “I don’t even have clothes outside my healer uniform and sleepwear,” I said instead, diffusing the mood.<br /> “What? I know I didn’t just hear that.”<br /> “You did. Besides, I’m exhausted. I’m good unless you think these recruits have a thing for dark crow’s feet and crabby attitudes. So, if you wanna head out and do whatever with them, feel free to do it solo.”<br /> Darla completely ignored my invitation to leave, which I didn’t expect to work, anyway. If I told her seriously that I needed space, she&#039;d respect my wishes, but she had an uncanny knack for seeing through my bluster.<br /> “Nah, not interested. Captain Kai is in the dining hall welcoming them now, so I’m sure they’re all starry-eyed and fawning over him. Not enough attention left over to make it worth getting dolled up on my own.”<br /> I couldn’t fight the emotional jolt that went through me at the captain’s name. It was such a specific feeling that I only associated with him: a twinge of heartache, a dash of resentment, a heaping dose of guilt. I wasn’t sure what my feelings were cooking up, but whatever it was, it always left me with a forlorn, bitter taste in my mouth. <br /> But that was probably because he was my fated mate.<br /> “You all right over there?” Darla said in a curious tone. Sometimes I got the feeling that she knew how much I was drawn to Captain Kai, and other times it felt like she was completely oblivious. “You look a little green.”<br /> “I’m fine,” I lied, just like I had to do most of the time. I really hated that about myself, but survival is as survival does, and I just did what was necessary to protect the people around me. “Just hungry.”<br /> In truth, my stomach was twisting at the thought of him being surrounded by drooling, enamored recruits who could openly speak with him—be close to him. Meanwhile, I was barely able to steal distant glances, and that was it. It wasn’t right to be so isolated from my mate. It tore at me in ways I truly hated, but what could I do?<br /> Mates, fated mates, and romance were complicated, interwoven things in shifter culture. Considering I was only half a shifter and raised by witches, I was still unraveling those intricate social rules. Mates were what most shifters tended to call their long-term partners, wives, or husbands. It meant a specific, important relationship that was set aside from just dating, or even marriage. It was something shifter-specific and taken very seriously. <br /> But it was a choice.<br /> Fated mates were something else entirely. I was still shaky on the why of it, but boy, was I familiar with how it felt. Fated mates weren’t about choice. It was like an irresistible call to another person—someone I was meant to be with. More enticing than a siren’s song, more compelling than my need for oxygen. My entire body, heart, and soul longed to be by Kai’s side. To protect him. To comfort him. To laugh with him and share all the mundane little happenings of day-to-day life. I craved him more than I wanted food or drink.<br /> But I couldn’t have him.<br /> Maybe…maybe it wouldn’t be the worst idea to go to the dining hall and help with the welcoming of the new recruits. Even though I couldn’t participate directly, it was always nice to see him charm the troops. Captain Kai had a way of making everyone feel welcome right off the bat—that was if they let him. Goodness knows, I certainly hadn’t when I’d first arrived. I’d stared straight at the ground and given one-word answers as best I could. Not exactly the best first impression, but it was what I had to do to squeak by. <br /> “Why don’t we go get you food before you pass out? You know how cranky you get in the morning when you’ve gone too long without eating.”<br /> She was right. “All right,” I said, like she’d managed to convince me. “Let’s go get food. As long as you’re willing to not make a scene.”<br /> “Me? Make a scene?” Darla objected, batting her double row of eyelashes at me. “I&#039;d never.”<br /> “Uh-huh. Why don’t you go ahead? I’m gonna take a quick wash, then follow up behind you.”<br /> “You’re really sticking to this hermit thing, aren’t you? You know, if you didn’t work so hard on being stony, more people would see how fun you are.”<br /> “I don’t want people to see how fun I am,” I countered sharply. I didn’t need to risk them getting hurt. <br /> “All right, all right, I can tell I touched a nerve. I’ll head out to get my flirt on before you join me.”<br /> “Thanks.”<br /> Darla practically skipped out of my room, heading away from my living quarters toward the southern cafeteria. Troops tended to eat in the same places most days, but sometimes we’d wander to one of the other quads if our usual one was overly packed. <br /> Considering the late hour, though, there would be plenty of room once I arrived. Most of the soldiers in our quad were used to me silently eating alone or with Darla, so no one was likely to bother me besides perhaps the new recruits. But I was sure that others would warn them off me before then. It was certainly a relief. It was going to take far too much of my attention to not openly stare at Kai, so I wasn’t exactly going to be up for conversation. <br /> Allowing myself one more groan, I got out of bed and hopped into the shower. Most of the new recruits had to use communal dorm bathrooms, but as one of two healers on our quadrant of the fort who often had to wash viscera, tonics, and brews off myself, I&#039;d a small bathroom attached to my quarters. <br /> Once I was clean, I pulled on a standard uniform instead of my healing one, then headed to the café. Just like I’d hoped, Darla was indeed busy with a gaggle of soldiers who were all vying for her attention, allowing me to get my food and pretend like I wasn’t waiting for Kai to arrive.<br /> The room was much louder than usual, filled with all the new bodies. As much as I appreciated the reinforcements, my heart grew heavy knowing we were so direly in need of them. The war seemed to stretch on forever, escalating more and more as the years passed. <br /> What was it even about? Land? Power? It all seemed so pointless to me. I fought as hard as I could to be an excellent healer and soldier for Captain Kai and my fellow shifters, but that didn’t mean I was a blindly loyal patriot. The world would be a much better place if there were no such thing as armed conflict. <br /> I grimaced as I tried to shove those thoughts out of my mind. Luckily, that was right when none other than Captain Kai strolled into the cafeteria, his presence banishing the negativity always living in my mind. He looked gorgeous, as usual, and my eyes traveled along his noble brow, down his strong nose, then to his chiseled chin. He was smiling, as he usually was off duty, his dark spit curls hanging off his forehead. <br /> I mechanically shoveled food from my tray into my mouth, but even with how hungry I was, I didn’t really taste any of it. My full attention was on Kai, save for the small sliver of my brain trying to pretend that I wasn’t looking at him. Once more, the siren song bloomed within, flooding me with a bitter longing that never seemed to end.<br /> “Well met!” I heard him say cheerily to one of the recruits, with even my half-shifter hearing able to pick up his voice from across the room. <br /> As he continued to greet the troops, I thought back to the first moment I saw him from across the compound. It was like the world had stopped moving entirely, its axis disappearing, only for none other than Kai himself to become the center upon which it rotated. My inner wolf howled, wanting to go to him, begging to, but I… I couldn’t.<br /> It’d taken every bit of strength I had not to give into the feral need rushing through me, hot and bright. Somehow I’d managed to rush back to my quarters and collect myself despite my inner wolf cursing at me with bared teeth the entire time. <br /> I was so shocked. Never in a million years had I ever thought I&#039;d have a fated mate, let alone that I&#039;d run into mine during my military service. It just figured because the urge to protect him, to take care of him, prevented me from ever acting on these overwhelming feelings. <br /> In the end, I always ended up hurting everyone around me. Everyone I was close to. All because of a stupid curse by a bastard of a magic user who apparently had it out for an infant. <br /> The witches who helped raise me had tried for years to remove the curse—what I liked to call my Malignant Shadow—that’d been forced upon me. It sank into my skin, my very soul, spreading out to feed on those I loved. <br /> So, I’d cursed Kai right back. Not with the Malignant Shadow or anything that would hurt him. No, I’d cut my own hand off before I did anything like that. But I did curse him with… blindness.<br /> Except blindness wasn’t even an accurate description. It was a complete and total ablation of all his senses. Normally, it would be the most extreme torture: locked within one’s own body without a sense of taste, smell, hearing, sight, touch, or perception of where one was in any given space, but I&#039;d no desire to harm Kai. In fact, I’d cooked up my little spell specifically to save him. <br /> I’d narrowed down the curse to just affect how his inner wolf saw me. He could still see and hear me, of course, so it wasn’t like I was invisible to him, but it cut him off from the natural ability to sense I was his mate. So to him, I was less than interesting, and just another soldier with the world’s mildest scent and a bland personality.<br /> It was worth it—at least that was what I told myself—to keep him safe, even if sometimes it felt like it was ripping my heart out.<br /> “Ah, I heard about your mother’s exploits in the fifth regiment. She was one of the best calvary we ever had. I look forward to seeing what you can do, cadet.”<br /> There was his voice, drifting over to me and coiling around my heart. As usual, I let myself daydream of what it would&#039;ve been like if I hadn’t cursed him. If I’d just let nature take its course so the two of us could be together.<br /> They were a slippery slope, these daydreams, layered with earnest delusion atop a foundation of delicious temptation. I knew it, and yet I let my mind wander along these familiar fantasies, anyway.<br /> I supposed I was a glutton for punishment that way. <br /> But it was just so easy to see. The special smile he’d send me, his mate. How he would hold me. Despite what I’d been through, my mind had no trouble conjuring up what it might be like to be loved and claimed by someone so warm, so bright. A shining beacon of strength and compassion in the darkness spreading rapidly across our lands. <br /> The further I went along with the daydream, the more I could feel my cheeks burning until I was surprised they didn’t spontaneously light themselves aflame. After all, it wouldn’t be the strangest thing to happen at Fort Canid. <br /> But then I happened to make eye contact with Darla. She wiggled her eyebrows at me knowingly. Ugh. Even with the inhibitor bracelet all of us soldiers were given when we arrived at the fort, she could still see right through me. <br /> Quickly looking down at my food, I shoveled another forkful into my mouth. I knew I should leave, but when I glanced up, with my mouth full of beans, my eyes didn’t connect with Darla’s. No. Suddenly I found myself looking into Kai’s dark, soulful eyes.<br /> Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!<br /> I did my best to reign in my response, even if everything in me was screaming that he knew, but the moment barely lasted before his gaze moved away from me, not even registering I was there.<br /> It made my heart ache something fierce, even if that was exactly what my curse was supposed to do. I was nothing to him, and nothing I must remain. <br /> As much as I told myself that, though, electricity still ran through me each time I saw him. It really was excruciating torture being so close to the man I was supposed to be with and having it taken away before I was old enough to understand what a fated mate even meant.<br /> But it would be worth it.<br /> As long as Kai was safe, it would all be worth it.<br /> <br /> Chapter 1 of Royally Cursed. Read the rest today, FREE on Kindle Unlimited!

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