A Mate's Touch (Ozark Mountain Shifters Book 5) Read online

  Pride goeth before the fall…

  His grandma preached it to him as a little boy. If only he’d listened maybe he wouldn’t have lost his mate. One fight is all it took for everything he had to be ripped away. Left viciously scarred from battle, Raden has taken to the mountains to live as a lone wolf. He’d like to forget his time in Ozarka. Forget that he used to be a man, worthy of adoration, feared, and respected. But how can he forget the woman with the strawberry blonde hair who brought him flowers that first day? How can he erase the memory of her face as he tore her sister to shreds? And how can he ignore the forgiveness she offered just before he ran away.

  A Mate’s Touch

  OZARK MOUNTAIN SHIFTERS

  Book Five

  By P. Jameson

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  A Mate’s Touch

  Copyright © 2019 by P. Jameson

  First electronic publication: November 2019

  United States of America

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, redistributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in any database, without prior written permission from the author, with the exception of brief quotations contained in critical reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this work may be scanned, uploaded, or otherwise distributed via the internet or any other means, including electronic or print without the author’s written permission.

  The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  P. Jameson

  www.pjamesonbooks.com

  Other books by P. Jameson

  Firecats (Alley Cats)

  All is Bright (Prequel)

  Series

  Ouachita Mountain Shifters

  Series

  Dirt Track Dogs

  Series

  Dirt Track Dogs: The Second Lap

  Series

  Ozark Mountain Shifters

  Series

  Sci-fi Fantasy Romance

  Starwalker (Amazon)

  Breaking the Skin (Amazon)

  ***

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  Chapter One

  It was like holding your heart in your own hands and squeezing until blood dripped from your fingertips. It was the only description that fit.

  Seleka watched from the fringes of the fight circle, chewing her nails to nubs as the battle raged on. The place was surrounded by her packmates and others who would vie for the alphaship of her pack. Some roared for their leader—her own sister—to win. Others cheered for the challenger, Raden. The male was tall and confident and ferocious. And Seleka had come to know him as her intended mate, though neither of them had acted on the urge to claim.

  Her heart, her mate. Her sister, her blood.

  A fist squeezing so tight…

  They faced off in a brutal battle that could only end with one of them dead and the other the alpha of the largest wolf shifter pack in the country.

  How they’d come to be here was simple. Or complicated. Depending on how you looked at it. Avan, a fearsome alpha female, had recently won the leadership of the legendary Ozarka pack and challengers came from all over to try and overthrow her. Raden was one of them, and truly, the only one who really stood a chance at besting Avan.

  But one look… one breath… one shiver of the air between them … and Seleka had known the brutal male who’d come to kill her sister was her mate.

  A whimper escaped while she watched from the edge of the boundary as her heart and her blood battled for their place. Either one losing would ruin her. There was no winning here. There was no happily ever after in her future.

  Today, she would lose her mate or she would lose her family.

  A scream ripped from her throat as blood sprayed across the dust covered ground. Animalistic snarls rumbled the air as a smaller white wolf burst out of her sister’s smooth skin, followed by a much larger gray and black wolf.

  They were down to animals now. It wouldn’t be long.

  Tears streamed down her face without waiting for her to blink. No, no, no. This couldn’t be happening.

  If Raden won, she would never have a life with him. How could she, knowing he’d murdered Avan.

  If Avan won, life in Ozarka would be over for her. How could she stay, knowing she had no mate to give her cubs. To make her useful to the pack.

  Your usefulness doesn’t depend on what a male can offer you, what a male can add to you. You are useful to the pack just as you are. Don’t let the old ways rule your mind just when a new day is dawning.

  The voice of a familiar Elder roared through Seleka’s mind with all the ferocity of a beast and she tried to shake it off. Illia stood on the other side of the circle next to Avan’s brawny mate. Her graying cropped hair should have made her look innocent as a pixie. But her fierce expression and all-knowing gaze made her seem larger than life. Seleka stopped resisting Illia’s voice in her head and started begging instead.

  Please. Please help me. What can I do to stop this?

  Nothing. Have faith. That is all.

  Faith. Faith? In what exactly? How does one have faith when, one way or another, their world was ending.

  In the ring, her sister’s white wolf was taken to the dirty ground, and when the dust settled…

  No.

  NO.

  Raden’s wolf had his jaws clamped around her sister’s throat, ready to deal the killing blow. One snap of his powerful jaws and Avan would be gone.

  Seleka screamed.

  And came awake to the sound of crickets chirping nearby. She sat up, looking around her makeshift shelter, and gasped to catch her breath.

  A dream. One she’d had so many times before.

  A dream… but also a memory.

  She let her eyes focus on details that would ground her to reality. The moon in the night sky above her. The sleeping bag that kept her warm. Her backpack that contained what few belongings she had left. Gradually, she began to calm.

  This was her new truth. She was on a mission to find her mate. And she was getting very close.

  Raden was in these mountains. Instinct told her to go north from her pack’s land, and it paid off. She’d finally picked up the barest trace of his spicy scent just before dark. She’d meant to get a few hours of sleep before continuing her search, but now she just wanted to find him.

  Find home, her wolf purred.

  Yes. Home.

  Raden was where she belonged. Not the Ozark camp. It was why she left her sister and Mama crying on the steps of the alpha’s lodge. They begged her not to go, and she’d been proud of herself for sticking to her guns. But she was done with this vagabond existence. Done with feeling lonely and out of place.

  It was time to be happy.

  And in order to do that, she had to keep moving. Keep moving until she found her other half.

  Dawn was painting the sky pale by the time she finished packing her things, and as the stars turned into daylight, she headed for the mountain that could be her redemption.

  Chapter Two

  Raden carried another load of firewood to the back porch of his tiny log cabin, stacking the split logs neatly in a row by the door. It was almost full, and when it was, he intended to chop more. He’d have three stacks total by the end of the day. One on the porch and two others stowed under heavy tarps to keep the rain off th
em. One day of work to keep him warm for the entire winter.

  But he wished there was more work to do. Something to keep his mind from drifting to the past. To the day his life took the left turn of all fucking left turns. He’d take any sort of distraction at this point. Anything to keep his mind from thinking about her. From wondering if she was well or if she hated him beyond measure. From wanting her scent in his lungs again. From wishing he’d touched her more than the few brushes of her cheek with his thumb.

  He remembered exactly how her skin felt. Soft like a rose petal. And it turned pink like one when he was near.

  With a grunt, Raden brought the axe down on a hunk of wood.

  He’d played the fuck outta some Solitaire. He’d read every book he owned more than twice. He’d actually give his left nut for some cell service or internet connection so he could read some of those ebooks. Wouldn’t that be nice to have on hand. Any book in the system at the tip of your fingers.

  But he’d wanted seclusion. Still wanted it. Wanted it more than he wanted an ebook. He and his wolf weren’t in agreement on that.

  Go back to mate. Claim her. Mine.

  Never. He was never returning to Ozarka, not even for his mate. He’d already sacrificed enough for her.

  Not true. Everything for mate. Anything for mate.

  But that instinct was what got him here in the first place. It was how his life got fucked. All his wild dreams that could have come true… they wouldn’t now. Because he’d chosen her over every fucking thing.

  Now all he had was this cabin in the woods and a mangled face to show for it.

  With a growl only the forest creatures could hear, he slammed the axe down once more, kicking the chunks of wood aside and reaching for another log.

  He’d intended on claiming his mate once the fight was over and he had control of the pack. After she could see how much power he had. How much worth. She would be mate to the most powerful shifter in America. The envy of every female. Who wouldn’t want that life?

  Yeah. That’s what he’d thought way back then. He’d been so full of pride he couldn’t see how wrong that line of thinking was. Roar and rip his way to the top. That was how he’d been raised. Be brutal. Plunder. Take, take, take. And every good and perfect thing would find its way to you.

  Just as his mate had.

  Seleka.

  But it all went wrong when her terrified scream jerked him out of a blind rage, just when he was about to end the battle and take the pack.

  That scream. He could still hear it at night in the deep darkness of sleep. He never dreamed of her face. Just the horror that had clawed its way out of her throat to stop him from killing her sister. That scream had changed him in a split second. Turned him into a whole different man. A broken one. With no pride, no future, and no hope.

  He lifted the axe high for another swing, but froze when he heard a faraway screech that sounded oh so familiar.

  Raden shook his head, easing the tool to the ground and leaning on the handle to catch his breath. He needed sleep. The kind that actually lasted more than an hour and was free of nightmares.

  Another fearful scream, so far away it was soft as a whisper. But it wasn’t real. It wasn’t her.

  He squeezed his eyes closed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

  Maybe the solitude was getting to him. Maybe it was making him crazy.

  Well, tough shit. Because his situation wasn’t changing anytime soon. Or ever.

  Another scream, and Raden went stiff with warning, lifting his head to scent the cool autumn air. This one sounded like the word help and brought his inner wolf rising to attention.

  He dropped the axe to the ground and cocked his head to the side favoring his good ear so his animal could listen better.

  “Helppppp! Help! Please!”

  It was still so faint but it was…

  Real, his wolf urged, pawing at his chest. It wasn’t his memory rising up to sicken him. It wasn’t his mind crazed from too much solitude. It was real.

  And familiar. Too fucking familiar. He knew the voice. Knew the exact timbre and tone. Knew it when it was scared, panicked, hopeless. Just like it was now. How was this possible?

  Didn’t matter.

  Go! roared his animal, and Raden took off in the direction of the sound, his heart thundering in his ribs. He shifted on the fly, letting his beast come forward, his skin ruffling into the thick shaggy fur of his coat that was already prepping his body for winter. His fingers became dagger-sharp claws that dug deep into the moist leaf covered ground to propel him forward faster and faster with every powerful ripple of his wolf’s muscles.

  Get to her. Help her.

  It was all that mattered in this moment. Not the past, not his need to be alone. Nothing. And for once, he and the wolf were on the same page. He wasn’t battling the thing back, he was depending on it. To scent out the female and reach her quickly.

  Seconds ticked away and he still wasn’t close enough. Not fast enough. Fury and fear had him feeling like he was running through sand.

  Finally, he found her south of the river. Just under a mile from his place, which was hidden by a natural formation of round boulders that reminded him of two bears fighting. Bear Rock, he called it. And he was shocked as hell he heard anything from the other side of it.

  Lucky.

  But he only had the smallest second to think about it because his mate was still so far away and she was trapped in her human form by two unruly hunters. One was big and burly with a beer gut to match his personality. He laughed a greasy snicker as he chugged what was left of his drink before tossing the can in the river. The other was tall and broad with a mean glint in his eye. He had Seleka by the arm, gripping her so hard it looked like it hurt. And she was wearing only her… shit. Her bra and underwear.

  Raden couldn’t hear the ugly things the hunters were sneering at her, but their intentions were clear. And that was all he needed to know.

  No one touches mine. No one touches mine… and lives.

  Chapter Three

  “You can’t be out here, girl. Dontcha know not to trespass on other peopppulz… uh, probery. Propulty. Prop…er… ty. Damn.”

  Seleka’s inner wolf panicked. The two men wouldn’t let her go.

  She’d gone for a dip in the river because she’d been hiking the woods for days with no sign of the man she was looking for and she’d needed to clean up. She’d started doubting if she was even on the right path. These were the mountains Raden had talked about when he was at the Ozarka camp, but maybe he wasn’t here. Maybe she’d imagined his scent. She had no idea, and now maybe she would never know.

  Instead, she’d found these drunk hunters who wanted a “piece of that sweet ass” in return for trespassing on their land. But…

  She blinked her tears away, gathering enough courage to speak up. “I-I’m not trespassing. This land doesn’t belong to you.”

  Both men paused to take in her words before the fatter one burst into another slithery laugh.

  “Sure it does,” the meaner one said as his grip on her arm tightened. “We here, ain’t we? Our hunting spot since the owner don’t ever come down off the peak, that means you’re trespassing. And that…” He brought his mouth to her jaw, and she flinched as his wet tongue took a quick lick. No, no, no. All wrong. “… means you owe us. Now let’s see those little titties a’yours, girl.”

  “No!” Seleka cried again as the other one started pawing at her bra strap.

  She could shift and save herself. Her animal had never killed anything but it knew how to hunt rabbits and squirrels for food. Living in the Ozarka camp, secluded as it was from civilization, had allowed her to be sheltered. Everything was provided for her. The pack took care of their own, and in return, the members gave back by serving their purpose. For females, it was to grow the pack. Give them cubs.

  But Seleka had no mate to do that with.

  Taught to hunt but never made to. That’s where she was right now.

&nb
sp; Still, she could do it. Shift and stop all this. Maybe. Perhaps.

  The men had guns. They might shoot her. Could this be how the creator intended for her to die?

  Or maybe if she turned wolf they’d get scared and run away. But then she’d be breaking the only shifter rule that was a life and death matter. She’d be betraying her people.

  Never shift in front of humans. Their rule number one. It existed to keep them secret. Being secret kept them safe. If people knew that approximately one quarter of the population shared their bodies with animals… chaos would ensue.

  “Please, please!” she begged, twisting to get free. But the man held on tighter until she felt her fingers go numb from him cutting off her circulation.

  “Oh,” he breathed against her cheek. His breath was rank. It smelled of beef jerky and sour beer. “We just love it when they beg. Don’t we, Frank?”

  “Mm hmm.”

  Seleka looked over to find Frank had unzipped his grimy pants and had his… thing out. It was half flopping there, but he gripped it and started moving his hand on it, letting his eyes roll back in his head.

  “Beg some more, darlin’.”

  No. No way.

  Seleka squeezed her eyes closed and tried to channel her sister. Avan was the most badass female she knew. What would Avan do right now?

  Kill them, her meek wolf said.

  It was true. Avan would kill them so hard and leave the bodies for the vultures.

  But despair choked her.

  She wasn’t Avan.

  She wasn’t tough like leather. She wasn’t fierce. Not a fighter. She couldn’t even look these men in the eye. Not for the first time, she wished she hadn’t been given such a timid and quiet wolf.

  But here she was. It was fight or be violated. She had to try.

  Fight, her wolf growled, and it was the fiercest she’d ever heard it. Shift, and don’t leave either alive to tell about our people.