Her Enchanted Read online

  Table of Contents

  HER ENCHANTED ALPHA MATCH

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Thank you!

  HER ENCHANTED ALPHA MATCH

  Emilia Hartley

  © Copyright 2018 by Blues Publishing. - All rights reserved.

  The contents of this book may not be reproduced, duplicated or transmitted without direct written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Legal Notice:

  This book is copyright protected. This is only for personal use. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the author’s permission.

  NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental. The author does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for third-party websites or their content.

  Chapter One

  Vanessa Caldwell wanted to close the doors, turn the locks, and crawl back into bed. Instead, she was in her office just as the sun touched the horizon. Her iced coffee was dwindling perilously low, and the woman sitting across from her desk was smiling with the kind of perkiness that made Nessa angry.

  “You say you’re a shifter?” Nessa didn’t mean to be so blunt. Above her glasses, she eyed the woman in the seat.

  Her hands were folded atop her purse, hair perfectly wrangled into a gleaming top knot. Everything seemed perfect about her, except the way she smelled. There was no scent of fur in the air, not even a hint of wilderness. Nessa ducked her head, pretending to read the profile on her desk, and scented the air again. Where once there was no scent, the small of musky fur slowly unraveled from the woman.

  “I’m a cougar shifter,” the woman stated. Her smile never faltered, even if the corners of her eyes never creased. “As I stated before. If you aren’t going to believe me, I can take my profile and leave.”

  The woman started to lean forward, reaching a slender hand across the desk. Nessa’s heart flipped. She slapped her hand down onto the profile. She needed this job, as much as she wanted to quit.

  “Ah, no. I believe you. I apologize for pressing the matter. As a lone shifter, I don’t often get the chance to meet pack shifters in the area. I just wanted to make sure.”

  The woman smiled. It was an infuriating look, the way it spread across her painted lips without feeling. Nessa could see the woman’s cold core through her eyes. It would take a miracle to warm her through and through, revealing the emotional depths needed to fall in love.

  Nessa could see the potential in everyone. She could see the cracks in their facades, the weaknesses they tried to shove into the dark corners. Nessa was good at finding the shifters who would allow her clients to feel again. Up until Miles, her match rate had been one hundred percent. The bear shifter from L.A. had used her service as a black book of booty-calls until he’d met Nessa’s adopted sister, Lia.

  It had been a feat of desperation, not that Nessa would tell anyone, matching Lia with Miles. She was glad it had worked, but it was also frustrating. Nessa could match anyone, as if plucking a mate from thin air, for not only clients, but also friends.

  Unfortunately, it wasn’t something she could do for herself.

  She looked in the mirror and searched for the cracks, for the things she tried to hide, but nothing revealed itself to her. She only saw the mousy girl who should have been a cat.

  “I will only settle for being matched with the best, the most powerful,” the woman noted.

  Nessa snorted.

  “I don’t understand what’s so funny.” Her client’s voice fell flat, the smile disappearing into a look of challenge. Her eyes narrowed on Nessa. It would have been intimidating if Nessa cared at all about Pack ranks.

  “As of right now, most of the Alphas in this area have found their mates. If you were looking for the cream of the crop, you’d be sadly disappointed. I could pair you with some second-in-command shifters. Perhaps a wolf or a black bear.”

  “I didn’t come here for a wolf. A black bear is a second-rate excuse for a shifter.” Her words were a blunt razor blade, dragging across Nessa’s patience with jagged and rusty edges. What had been a perky middle-aged woman was now the cougar that lurked beneath the surface.

  Nessa reached for her iced coffee, taking the last drag, so that the irritating sound of a straw sucking on nothing filled the air. It was a power play, she knew, but she couldn’t help herself in the presence of this woman. Her client clearly wanted to strong arm Nessa into something. She’d come with a purpose, much like Monica had a couple of months ago.

  When she was finished with the cup, she took a moment to chuck it into a waste bin before turning back to meet her client’s eyes. Being a kitty-shifter gave her some unexpected perks. The internal dominance play that many shifters struggled with just wasn’t there. Whatever instincts triggered it wasn’t present in cat shifters, allowing Nessa to defiantly meet her client’s impatient gaze.

  “The only Alpha left in the area, since I’m assuming you’re digging for an Alpha at this point, is Caz Frost.” She watched her client’s shoulders roll back and the demure smile return. Nessa’s stomach clenched. She felt sorry for the poor soul who mated with Caz Frost. “If that’s what you came here for, then I regret to tell you it isn’t going to happen.”

  She ached for another cup of bitter sweet coffee. The cat inside Nessa yawned and stretched before curling into a sleepy ball. Nessa lived on caffeine, considering that cats were only awake four hours out of the day. Humans didn’t have the napping luxury that house cats had. She had to get up before the sun and work until it reached the horizon.

  “If you won’t pair me with Caz Frost, then I’ll have to let the community know how you failed me. I’m sure they would like to know what they’re getting into when they approach you.”

  There was no fight in Nessa. She let out a soft sigh, resigned. Perhaps it was time to shut her doors. She could pick up a second job elsewhere. Ever since Lia left, Nessa had been struggling to make ends meet. It was difficult to live on one income these days, but she hadn’t wanted to strip Lia of the only freedom she could find.

  Perhaps it was time to give up on her romantic crusade and look into something that would pay better. Regina had left her job at the local library. Perhaps Nessa could make a go at the vacant position.

  “Are you even listening to me? I just threatened your entire business.”

  Nessa’s head shot up. The woman’s cheeks had turned brick red, her gaze staring daggers that only bounced off Nessa.

  “One, I’m not easily intimidated. Two, Caz Frost is an absolute asshole. If you want that kind of man as a mate, then I pity whatever kind of life you think you’re leading. Go ahead and pursue him, but you won’t do it through my business.”

  Her jaw dropped, a fury blazing through her eyes as her hands clenched in her lap. “How dare you slander a man such as him!”

  Nessa raised a brow. She was tired. Oh, so
tired. She didn’t know how much more of this woman she could withstand. Nessa glanced to the door, trying to think of ways she could ask the woman to leave without being rude. Maybe that ship had already sailed. It was clear the woman wasn’t going to be happy with anything Nessa did.

  “Finding a mate should be the happiest time of your life. It’s finding your other half and becoming whole for the first time ever. I just don’t understand why anyone would think Caz would do that for them.” The words tumbled out unbidden, the truth laid bare.

  The woman shot up from her seat, clutching her purse with both hands. “You’re going to die lonely.”

  Nessa felt the woman’s voice slither across her skin. It made her sit up as the words dug their way into her heart. Her chest tightened, and she looked up at the woman as it grew increasingly painful. The client spun on her heel. Each step punctuated the air, driving a pin in Nessa’s heart until the footsteps faded away.

  She was left breathing heavy over her desk. Sweat beaded on her forehead. She clutched her chest, fingers digging into her blouse. The pain receded, little by little, until it was as if it had never happened. Yet, it had. There was no denying that… She scanned the profile on her desk for a name.

  Hillary Housel’s voice had caused Nessa physical pain.

  No shifter who Nessa knew of had such an ability. Either Nessa had imagined it, a bubble of gas that rose to her chest at the wrong time, or Hillary was more than she seemed.

  Either way, Nessa could only shake her head and get back to her day. She swept the profile folders on her desk into one pile before cramming them into a drawer. There was a day job waiting for her. Perhaps a stop at the coffee shop, too.

  ***

  Caz Frost tightened the last lug nut on the tire before motioning to a shifter behind the hydraulics controls. Air popped, whistling as the car lowered itself back onto its own tires. A short woman gripped her children’s shoulders behind the glass window, her eyes trained on the old junker car that she probably relied on to get her children to school and the groceries back home.

  He didn’t tell anyone, but while he’d been replacing the popped tires, he’d fixed a few small things under the chassis, too. Her muffler had been sinking low, a simple fix that would keep her from running into the cops and getting a pricey ticket later. He wouldn’t charge her for it. She already looked as though she had enough on her plate.

  Caz wiped his hands on a rag already covered in grease. It did little to erase the grime laid into the creases of his palms. A young shifter, a man with his hair shorn close to his head and shoulders already growing wide, ran up to Caz. He held out the clipboard in his hand, Caz’s minor adjustments already noted on the bill.

  The bear roared through his ears, so loud he could hear nothing else. Not the whirr of the drills that tightened the lug nuts nor the popping of the hydraulics release. A growl slipped from him, rumbling through Caz’s ribcage and vibrating through the air. Before he could stop himself, he smacked the young man in the back of the head, gripped him by his shirt, and dragged him to the back of the shop.

  The bear’s roars dwindled just enough for Caz to string a few words together. “Did I tell you to list those?”

  The man’s mouth worked, like a fish gasping for air. Fear flitted across his eyes, but only for a second. He straightened and met Caz’s gaze with an open challenge. Caz wanted to tear his head from his body. The child was defiant, a speck on Caz’s perfect garage.

  “She can’t afford it and didn’t even ask for the work in the first place.”

  The young man’s lips pressed together before he spoke. “If you keep doing free work, the garage is going to fail.”

  He knew.

  Of all the people who worked here, Caz knew best of all. The number had been steadily moving from black to red over the past few months. Money was slipping through their fingers, and Caz had no idea where it was going. He knew that the brand name garages that had opened nearby were drawing much of his regular traffic, but there were still numbers that didn’t quite add up.

  “Take advantage of the guys that bring giant trucks and little sports cars. Not the women with four children who fear they won’t make it home some days.” Caz meant for the words to sound nice, but they entered the world as a ferocious growl.

  The young man let out a long sigh, holding Caz’s gaze. “This is going to be the end of you.”

  Caz’s lips pulled back from his teeth, but the young man had already slipped away. He watched as the young man dragged a black marker over the services Caz had provided, but not all. It was a fine compromise for the time. Later, Caz would teach the young man to behave. The lesson would be long and arduous for the both of them, but it needed to be done.

  Caz hadn’t held the role of Alpha for seventeen years without getting his hands dirty. There were always young upstarts who thought they could challenge Caz’s position. He’d built everything they had with his own two hands, and he wouldn’t let any idiot with aspirations take it from him.

  The missing money was weighing on all of them, he knew that. Not everyone was aware of the issue, but they all could tell there was something wrong. Caz had resorted to buying cheaper parts. They were clinging to tools that should have been replaced long ago. Caz tried to keep the doors open for everyone who needed it, tried to keep positions open for shifters who needed a steady job. He wasn’t sure how much longer it would last.

  He stepped out onto the street. The California sun beat down on him. Heat rose from the pavement to distort the air around him. Sounds of people filled the air. Engines rumbled around each corner. This was his home, for as long as he could remember.

  He wasn’t ready to give it up.

  Hands curling into fists inside his pockets, Caz turned toward his office. While the other shifters handled the dirty work inside the garage, he pored over the numbers a few more times. Each time he did so, he adjusted his own salary. His profits dwindled as he reassigned wages for his shifters.

  When he was finished, he shoved his chair back and let out a roar. The sound shook the drywall above him so that particles rained down in a dusty cloud. Tension rippled through his shoulders and into his arms. His fists tightened until his nails pierced the skin of his palms. Caz was about to put his fist through a wall when the office door slipped open.

  He spun on what he thought was a shifter, come to check on him. Instead, a familiar face smiled at him. Her hair was falling free of her signature topknot and her eyeliner was smudged in one corner.

  “Hillary,” he growled. “You aren’t supposed to be here.”

  Against his wishes, she glided toward him. Her supple arms swayed like a sapling in the wind. With her, she brought the smell of earth, of dead things long rotted to nothing. He backed up, lip curling.

  Never trust a witch.

  Caz sank into his desk chair. Hillary moved to stand behind him, her hands already on his shoulders. Her touch loosened the tension that had been building, sinking deep into his soul until he let out a sigh of deep relief. The smell of musty herbs clung to his nose and, as his eyes drifted shut, a vision of something dead flashed in his mind.

  He shrugged her away, his mind slowly clearing away the fog that she’d poured into him. His vision was hazy, but the beast inside him clawed for release. It growled and roared at her. She’d cast another spell on him. He shouldn’t be surprised.

  Hillary took a step back, grabbing the bag at her hip. Her smile never fell, but the confidence in her eyes wavered. Caz moved to put the desk between them. He could never be too safe when Hillary was involved.

  “To what do I owe the visit?” He wiped his hand over his beard before remembering it was still caked with grease.

  “I missed you,” she said with a pout. “I can’t stop thinking about you, Casimir.”

  He grimaced. “Don’t use my full name, witch. It sounds awful in general. In your mouth, it’s even worse.”

  “That’s not what you used to say. You used to ask me to scream it. Don�
��t you remember those times?” Her voice was a purr, dredging up memories Caz had buried deep.

  His mind was filled with images of her naked, back arched before him and breasts pointed in the air as she screamed his full name. Over and over, in every position, until Caz shook his head. As he remembered, each time had been a lust filled haze of enchantment, and not the good kind.

  Hillary was a drug. She was the worst kind. For months, he’d been in deep. His human mind had been addicted to the high only a witch could provide. He lost the bear, lost the roaring voice that drove him to rage each time he looked at his shifters. Days flew past him. They were nothing more than a blur of sex and euphoria.

  They were days Caz didn’t want to relive.

  His business had taken the first hit when Hillary entered his life. It’d been the first foray into the red and he’d been struggling ever since to make up for it. For leaving his shifters to pick up the slack, to make schedules and order supplies. He was not only their Alpha, but their boss. He couldn’t do that to them again.

  “Get. Out.” He pointed to the door, not daring to take another step toward her. He firmly believed she tainted the air around her with poison.

  “The matchmaker said we were fated mates,” Hillary crooned. “Don’t ever think the world has given you anything else, darling. I’ll be waiting for you when you realize you’re never going to get any better than me.”

  Chapter Two

  The beach house was crowded. Alphas from almost every pack in the area filled the space with their mates as they looked upon Lia and her newborn babe. Nessa hung back, letting everyone else cluster around her sister. She wanted to shove her way to the front and smother her sister with love and praise, but Nessa didn’t feel like she belonged.

  Regina clung to Oscar’s waist, a strange couple if Nessa had ever seen one. It’d been a daring match. Pride filled her when she saw the results. Beside them stood Monica and Nikolai, the laughing pair that never stopped smiling. She could see their hungry gazes, how badly Oscar and Monica wanted what Lia was holding.