Nikolai’s Wolf: Chapter One

“Shannon! Shannon! Where the hell are you?”

The door closed with such force, it rattled the whole house. Shannon rolled her eyes and kept logging figures into her spreadsheet. He’d find her soon enough. She was in the same spot every day.

Her brother, Rory, stormed into the office. “I just spoke to MacDougal. He said you turned him down. That’s the third one this week!”

She didn’t even glance away from the computer screen. “If you would stop setting them up for failure, we wouldn’t keep having this problem.”

He pounded his hand on the desk, causing the monitor to shake. “I have to do something. If I left it up to you, you’d never take a mate. You’re twenty-nine. Most females your age are mated and have several cubs.”

Oh, great. Time for another one of those discussions.

Shannon sighed, saved her spreadsheet, and finally turned to face him. “I’m not most females my age. If I decide to take a mate, it will be one of my own choosing. Stop shoving men at me. All you’re doing is pissing me off.”

Rory growled in frustration and began to pace. “Shannon, you have a responsibility to mate and produce pups. It’s for the continuation of our species. As the alpha-fem, you have to set an example for rest of the females, no matter how few of them there are.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Cut the crap, Rory. You could care less about ‘the continuation of our species.’ Don’t you mean the continuation of our family line? God, I never thought I’d hear myself say this, but you’re starting to sound just like Dad.”

“Well, he was right about this at least. We are the last of the McFelans. If we don’t have pups, the line will die with us. Then who’s going to lead the pack? Do you want that to happen, Shannon? Do you?” He planted his hands on the desk and leaned forward aggressively, getting into her space.

God, he is laying it on thick. Shannon relaxed back into her chair and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Rory, quit trying to lay a guilt trip on me. It’s not going to work. If you don’t want the McFelan name to die out, produce your own pups.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she inwardly winced.

Her brother had been spreading his seed around like water since he was old enough to know what to do with it. As far as she knew, there wasn’t a female in the pack over the age of consent he hadn’t fucked. None of it had taken root. He had to be thinking he was the first infertile McFelan in generations. Maybe that’s why he was becoming obsessed with her lack of a love life.

Rory grew completely still, and his face turned red, then white. Supernatural power spiked, raising the hair on her arms. His flesh rippled, and his eyes turned golden. Crap! His wolf was rising to the surface.

Shannon eased away from the computer, calling forth her wolf as she did. She didn’t let it out but held it ready, waiting to see what he would do next. She didn’t want to fight with Rory, but she would if his wolf attacked. She wouldn’t be dominated by anyone, not even her beloved big brother.

Minutes passed as he visibly struggled with his beast, trying to push it back down. Finally, he regained control of his temper. “I don’t want to fight with you. You will take a mate. I’ve called a gathering for tonight. Be there, and for once in your life, try to remember you’re supposed to be a bitch, not butch.”

The door slammed behind him as he left.



A big, bright, and full yellow moon dominated the night sky. Despite making her best effort to get there on time, Shannon was one of the last to arrive. The gathering place, little more than a large clearing in the woods a couple of miles outside of town, was already packed.

The minute she joined the others waiting, her gaze connected with Rory’s. Oh shit, he’s planning something. Something Shannon knew in her bones she wasn’t going to like. A glance at the other members of the pack showed they sensed it as well. They stood in groups, talking quietly, throwing uneasy glances at their alpha.

As Rory climbed the natural raised platform in the center of the clearing, his red hair glowed in the moonlight, and his power flowed outward like waves. All around him the silence grew and swelled with expectancy.

No longer was he her brother. The McFelan, alpha of the Sparrowhawks, stood before them. Allowing his power to continue to rise and surround him like an aura, Rory began to speak. “Tonight, we hunt!”

There were gasps and murmurs all around. Shannon stood still as shock waves rippled through her body. He’d called a hunt. Sneaking, conniving, manipulative bastard.