Reluctant Mate Read online

  Reluctant Mate

  Shadow Moon

  H Q Kingsley

  Beau LeFebvre

  Contents

  Acknowledgments

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Epilogue

  Excerpt of Kinkdom

  Excerpt of Heal My Heart

  Keep up with HQ

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously.

  Copyright ©2018 Sister Publishing, LLC

  All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  Cover Design by Karma Kingsley

  Editing by Alphabitz Editing

  Acknowledgments

  Beau LeFebvre

  First and foremost I want to thank H. Q. Kingsley for the amazing opportunity of working alongside her. It was one of the best experiences of my life, from the many laughs we shared to the “what the fuck?” moments—even the frustrations.

  Although I have adopted these characters, I have to admit there was a moment or two when I just wanted them all dead and to be done with it. (Not really. I love them too much.)

  To my betas, Theresa Preston and Al Parker, you helped fine tune this world and caught things that may have been missed, and for that I am forever grateful.

  To my small ARC team who was willing to read Reluctant Mate and leave their unbiased reviews, thank you.

  Also a shout out to Rheland Richmond and Skyler Snow.

  Finally, I wish to thank you, the reader, for taking an interest in our world. My hope is that y’all will fall in love with Alpha Elspeth, Iosefa, and their friends, Dimitri and Mishel, as much as I have and get lost in the world of the Shadow Moon Clan.

  Acknowledgments

  H. Q. Kingsley

  Yeah, what he said.

  1

  Elspeth Callum

  “What will we do next, Alpha Callum? There isn’t a clan left we can subjugate and take from.”

  My council of four—led by my Beta, Dimitri—was gathered in my study as we deliberated over our next line of attack. We had a reputation throughout the territories. We were the warriors, the pillagers, the fighters. And anyone foolish enough to stand against us… well, they didn’t live to tell the tale.

  But we were running out of land to cover. We were running out of clans to pillage, and my wolves were counting on me to keep them busy. They were ruthless savages, and savages didn’t do well if kept idle. I knew because I was the most savage of them all.

  “We’ve covered a lot of ground across the southern expanse of the continent,” Dimitri noted, his thick Russian accent dripping over every word. He dragged his fingers along the map, his nails scratching along the wood of the table beneath it before he paused. “There were four clans total in that area,” he said, reaching up to push his dark brown hair behind his ear.

  “And they didn’t put up much of a fight, either,” Alfred added with a grin. He was the aged member of my council, but he still had a hell of a lot of fight left in him. Salt-and-pepper hair spiraled across his head in sporadic patterns, falling into his eyes with every movement of his head. He pushed it to the side with a sweep of his hand as he turned to look at me with a wide, smug grin.

  “And what if any of them plan to retaliate?” Jonah asked, his tiny button nose scrunching in thought.

  I smirked. I’d specially selected Jonah for the council. He was a gentle soul born into the wrong clan, and despite my every effort to harden him, he remained stubbornly docile. At some point, I’d accepted him, even grown to appreciate his delicate nature. He was the little angel on my shoulder… the one I never listened to, of course, but it was nice to get an angelic perspective from time-to-time.

  The council roared with laughter. They had less tolerance for Jonah’s caution. A cup went flying through the air aimed for Jonah’s head, and he quickly ducked with a frown.

  “Let them try,” Mark shouted as he shot to his feet. “The Shadow Moon Clan would love the fucking challenge!” He bared his teeth and beat against his bare chest. It was his trademark. I wasn’t even sure Mark owned a shirt.

  Jonah folded his arms over his chest, his shoulders sagging as he sank into his seat. “I was just saying ‘what if’ you barbarian ape,” he grumbled, and I bit back a smile. Maybe there was a little Shadow Moon in him yet.

  I cleared my throat for their attention and received it instantly. “We’ve attacked nearly every clan in the area—”

  “And all thanks to our dear Alpha,” Dimitri interrupted, grabbing his mug from the table and lifting it. “A true and fearless leader.”

  The others lifted their glasses and roared in agreement.

  I grinned. “If you want to be the best, you need to let everyone know exactly who the fuck you are and what you're bringing to the table.” I shrugged, letting the praise go to my head. I’d had a point to make. I’d gone into the meeting meaning to tell them about the shortage of places left to pillage, but my ego, as always, had gotten the better of me.

  “Here, Here!” Alfred exclaimed before tipping his mug to his lips.

  “Speaking of ‘bringing things to the table,’” Dimitri leaned back in his chair. “Anyone up for a game of poker after this? I want to win back the five hundred dollars I lost last week.” He smiled before pulling a toothpick from his pocket and placing it between his teeth. He was the perfect picture of confidence. Ironic, since he was a shit poker player. I could never tell if he actually had a good poker face or if he simply didn’t understand how the game worked, but he was constantly making bad bets and the man never knew when to fold. Luckily for me, he’d never fold on me, either. He was my right hand. I trusted no one above him, even when he was a pain in my ass.

  “Why? So you can cheat again?” Alfred said, his eyes narrowed in accusation.

  “Alfy...” Dimitri gave an exaggerated gasp and placed a hand on his chest. “I would never cheat with our great Alpha watching. How could you even make such an accusation?”

  Alfred snorted and shook his head. “And that’s why you lost last week, huh?”

  “Let’s just keep Dimi away from any card games,” Jonah said.

  The smile on Dimitri's face faded. It had been a while since I’d heard anyone call Dimitri by his childhood nickname, and by the look on his face, he didn’t seem to appreciate it. Who could blame him? The last person to use it was probably...

  “He still owes me $500 from a month ago,” Jonah finished.

  “And he still owes me from two months ago,” Mark added.

  I chuckled, shaking my head as I watched them gang up on Dimitri.

  “Woah, Woah.” Dimitri held up a hand as he straightened in his chair. “I can’t owe you all something...” He whipped his head around to look at me. “Alpha, help me out here.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t want to get involved.” I reached behind my head, gathering the wild, curly strands of my hair and tied it into a tight bun.

  I brushed away the few lo
ng red fly-away hairs from my shoulders and grinned. “But, if I may,” I said, holding up a finger. “You owe the same amount to me.”

  “Damn it!” Dimitri threw his hands up. “That’s just great.” He put his fingers to the bridge of his nose. “Mishel is not going to like this.”

  I swallowed down a laugh knowing just how much trouble Dimitri would be in if his mate found out he was losing bets left and right. Mishel was barely half Dimitri’s size, but boy, did he know how to keep Dimitri in line. It was almost comical to watch Dimitri, built like a tank, get laid into by Mishel, who was all of 150 pounds, at best.

  I let out a long breath. Speaking of keeping people in line, I needed to find a clan to attack for the sake of my people.

  I dropped my gaze back to the map on the table, scouring every inch of it. There had to be someplace that we were overlooking.

  I dragged my finger across the map, passing over the dozens of spots marked with a black X to signify where we had already conquered. Come on, come on, come on.

  I rubbed my jaw while trying to decide on a plan of action, wondering if maybe it was time to consider an early retirement.

  I sucked in a breath when I finally saw it—a small island several miles offshore.

  I furrowed my brow. How the hell had we missed that?

  “Hey, Alpha.” Dimitri climbed to his feet and flanked to my side. “You good?” he asked, clearly aware of the change in my demeanor.

  “This island right here... do any of you know of it?” I tapped on the small green and brown landmass.

  Dimitri leaned in and shook his head. “Alfred?” He shifted his gaze to the oldest member of the council. If anyone was going to know, it would be Alfred.

  Alfred craned his neck and his face lit up. “Oh, yes.” Alfred nodded. “That’s Maehelio.”

  He looked up at me as if I were instantly supposed to know what he was talking about.

  Alfred rolled his eyes when I didn’t respond. “It’s run by the Oceania Clan. It’s a backwater clan, and that’s putting it kindly. Simple folk.” An evil grin pulled at his lips. “I imagine they’d be pretty easy to take from.”

  “And also pretty illegal,” Jonah interjected. “Maehelio is protected land, as is the Oceania Clan itself.” Jonah met my gaze. “We can’t go there,” he insisted, but just in the act of telling me we couldn’t go, he’d sealed the fate of the Oceania Clan.

  “Protected by whom?” Dimitri asked, obviously a little less stubborn than I was.

  “The Conclave of Clans,” Jonah answered.

  Dimitri cackled. “Is that all? We’re a rogue clan, Jonah. The CoC doesn’t tell us what to do.”

  “They’re growing more powerful,” Jonah insisted. “They’ve looked the other way for a long time because we haven’t attacked anywhere that would affect them. But the Oceania Clan exports goods to the mainland, namely the rare pearls that are only found in their waters. Maehelio is important to them. There will be repercussions if we attack.”

  I met Jonah’s big, brown eyes, pleading with me to make the smart choice instead of the reckless one he already knew I would make.

  I sighed. “Well, this is a council meeting. You’re my advisors, here because I trust you and your opinions.” I nodded to each one of them, even Jonah, though he’d clearly been hiding this island from us. “What do we think?”

  “Fuck the CoC,” Mark roared, pumping a fist to his chest.

  I chuckled. “I second that vote.” I shot Jonah an apologetic look.

  Alfred cleared his throat. “What if there are more than two options?” Alfred offered.

  My brows knitted together. “What do you mean?” In my experience, there were only ever two options—attack or don’t attack. Kill or be killed.

  Alfred stood up, stroking his chin as he circled the table. “What if we just ask for the island?”

  I laughed. “Just ask? And what? They’ll hand it over, just like that?”

  Alfred shrugged. “Possibly. Once upon a time, in my youth, I visited Maehelio. They’re a peaceful people. Completely ignorant of the way the world really works. They have no army, no combat training. Why waste the resources when we could just ask and receive?”

  I frowned. I rather liked wasting the resources. I liked the fight and so did the clan, but Alfred had a point. There would be another fight another day. And to have an island on which to fortify ourselves would certainly come in handy for that fight when it arrived.

  I turned my gaze to Dimitri. I valued the opinions of my entire council, but his was the one I trusted above all others.

  “What do you think?” I asked him.

  “I think we should take a trip and ask the question. What’s the worst that can happen? If they refuse…” He gave a ruthless smile. “We do what we do best.”

  I nodded. “It’s decided then. We’ll have a word with Oceania’s Alpha at first light tomorrow. Jonah, send a communiqué notifying him of our impending arrival.”

  Jonah nodded, and I looked around at my council.

  “Is there anything else that needs my immediate attention?”

  I scanned the room and was met with silence.

  “Good,” I started. “Then this meeting is adjourned.”

  2

  Iosefa Henare

  I straightened as I heard my father calling me from the kitchen, no doubt to tell me that my brother and his family had arrived.

  “Ou Sau!” I called back. Hopefully, he would be able to hear me.

  I yawned, stretching my arms above my head as I forced myself out of bed.

  I’d slept later than usual, but it was long overdue. Over the past week, I’d barely gotten an hour a night. There was this constant pit in my stomach, an aching gut instinct that something terrible was coming.

  I’d told my father about it, and in his usual calm and authoritative fashion, he’d told me to relax. That if anything were to come, he would protect me, as he had my whole life.

  It had given me some comfort, apparently more than I’d thought since it was nearly noon and I was just climbing out of bed.

  I pulled at the band holding my long, dark-brown hair in its usual ponytail and let it fall down my back before pulling it all to one side to rest over my shoulder.

  I slipped on my favorite jeans, picking at the slight hole in the left knee before I pulled them all the way up. They fit just right to my frame, unlike my other jeans. These were made for men with big muscles and fat asses. They settled just at the hump of my ass, making me feel like an even amount of scandalous and covered, all at the same time.

  I pressed open the flimsy wooden door of my room and could immediately hear the sounds of my family echoing from the kitchen, the soothing ring of laughter and conversation. And if I listened closely enough, I could hear the clatter of something breaking as my little cousins ran wild through the house. I shook my head and smiled as I stepped into the kitchen. I loved my family. They were loud and over-the-top in every way, but they were blood, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  “Sefa!” Hawea called out to me from the stove.

  I turned to him, watching as he stirred a pot of something that smelled incredible. His broad shoulders made him look like a giant in our tiny kitchen, but he didn’t seem to notice. But that was Hawea. Massive and oblivious. If it weren’t for their Father, his children would get away with murder, just from the simple fact that Hawea wouldn’t notice when they were being demon-spawn.

  “Brother,” I said, smiling as I nodded to Hawea before taking a seat at the table.

  “Taeao lelei, tama.,” I said as I leaned over and placed a kiss to my alpha father Hamuera’s cheek in a good-morning greeting.

  He smiled, letting go of my omega papa Mako’s hand for a quick moment to reach out and give my shoulder an affectionate squeeze.

  He settled his hand back into my papa’s, and the two of them exchanged a long, loving glance before Father returned his gaze to his paper.

  The two of them had mastered the art
of being affectionate without making everyone else in the room uncomfortable. “Did you get enough sleep, Sefa?” Papa asked, lowering his paper once more and turning his gaze back toward me. His hair, dark but with gray flowing from his temples, was slicked back into a ponytail that reached all the way to his lower back. I took great pride in my long hair and had always felt that it had come from his side of the family.

  “Yes. Yes, I did, Father.”

  “Good.” A satisfied grin spread across his face. “Our talk helped then?”

  I nodded. “It did. Thank you.”

  “You know, as an omega, you need to be healthy and full of energy for whenever the time comes for you to have children,” My papa chimed in, focusing his attention completely on me and I tried not to roll my eyes.

  “Yeah, I know, Papa,” I groaned.

  There were no available alphas on Maehelio—or even betas for that matter. We were a quiet island that had limited contact with the mainland.

  Everyone was already mated up. Everyone but me, that is. At this point, I was starting to think I would be the outcast and live with my parents forever—not that it was a bad thing. But the way my parents looked at each other, and the way Hawea had changed when his children were born, I wanted that. I wanted to know what it felt like to be held in the arms of my mate.

  Hawea’s large arm wrapped around my neck and his ponytail braid whipped around and slapped me on the side of the face.