Royal Shifters Series

Book 6: Amelie

When I heard the car coming down my road, I thought maybe it was Zayne. I couldn’t sense who it was, so I figured it was Zayne masking his presence like he used to. However, that’s not who showed up.

The second I saw my visitor, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Clasping my hands over my mouth, I slowly walk down the porch stairs. I haven’t seen him in twenty-five years.

“Is it really you?” I say, feeling the tears fall down my cheeks.

Knox smiles and opens his arms. “It’s really me.”

He looks the same as he did all those years ago with his dark brown hair and royal blue eyes. The happiness I feel overwhelms me, and I run into his arms, so thankful to see him again. Knox was never part of the Redwood Pack, but the alpha, Finn Olcan, didn’t say much about me dating a rogue. It was probably because he was about to mate with Tyla; at least, that was the plan before the Sierra Pack attacked us.

Knox hugs me tight. “I went back to your old home, only to find you all gone. So I tracked Finn to North Carolina, and he told me everything.”

Letting Knox go, I peer up at him, wondering what all Finn told him. “So, you know about me mating with Jaret Connery?”

Knox’s eyes flash to his wolf’s for a quick second. “Yes,” he growls. “You have no idea how much I hate myself for not being there to protect you.”

“It’s okay,” I say with a smile. “I got my revenge on Jaret in the end. As you can see, he’s no longer with us.”

Knox smiles, but there’s no humor to it. “Happy to hear it.”

Knox and I were together for a couple of years before he left town in search of his sister. He was my lover and friend. We shared many great memories. He had promised he’d come back, but when the Sierras attacked, and we fled, I never saw him again. We left without a trace.

Knox blows out a sigh and smiles at my cabin. “Finn told me you moved out here and joined the Teton Pack. Although the word around the country is that you’re the new Royal Pack.”

I shrug. “Guess you can say that. We do have a lot of royals.” His focus turns to the woods, and I watch him curiously. “Did you ever find your sister? I hate I never got to meet her.”

“I did,” he says, meeting my gaze. “Kara’s on her way to Wyoming now.”

“What’s wrong?” I ask him. “I can see it in your eyes.”

He nods. “I don’t have much time, but it’s obvious your pack hasn’t told you anything about me.”

Confusion sweeps over me. How would my pack even know Knox? “I don’t understand. What are you talking about?”

With a heavy sigh, he glances over his shoulder again and then back to me. “Amelie, there’s something I’m going to tell you, and I don’t want you to get angry. Just know that there’s a reason why I kept my identity a secret all those years ago. The last thing I want is for you not to trust me.”

I step away from him. “Oh, dear God, what the hell?”

And in that next moment, I feel a blast of energy burst from his body. I know that feeling all too well. Eyes wide, I stare at him in shock. He’s not a normal wolf like I thought he was. What’s crazy is that it all seems to fall into place. When we were together, he never shifted around me. If he had, I would’ve seen that he was a royal arctic instead of a gray like he claimed to be. I never even picked up that he was an arctic because he subdued his power to where all anyone could feel is a lesser wolf. It’s one of the reasons why Finn didn’t mind him being around my old pack; he didn’t see him as a threat. When in all reality, he was the biggest threat of all. Knox could’ve taken over the Redwood Pack if he wanted to.

“You’re a royal,” I whisper.

Regret fills his royal blue eyes. “I am, and so is my sister. We kept our identities a secret because of something that happened two centuries ago. We were banished from our pack.” He holds up his hands. “I wanted you to find out from me before the others told you. They know I’m here, and they’re not far.”

Gasping, I look past him toward the forest; he was right. To my left, Ryker comes into view with Cedric by his side, and over to the right are Sebastian and Colin. And appearing right in the middle of them all is Zayne, his lethal gaze on Knox.

“Two centuries ago?” I say, breaking my gaze away from Zayne.

Knox nods, and my stomach falls. The only wolf in my pack who’s lived that long is Zayne. Judging by the animosity pouring off of Zayne, I have the sinking suspicion that whatever happened with Knox has to do with him as well. If Zayne thought a threat was coming to our pack, why wouldn’t he tell me? It’s obvious the rest of the pack knew.

I look right into Knox’s eyes. “What did you do?”

He sighs. “My family tried to take over the Royal Pack. After they were killed, my sister and I were banished. We’ve been on the run ever since.”

The breath hitches in my lungs, and I gasp. “This isn’t good.”

So many emotions run through me, but the one that wins out is fear. Knox doesn’t stand a chance against the men in my pack, even if he is a royal. Colin, Ryker, and Sebastian are mated royals which makes them almost invincible. What makes me nervous is all of their emotions hitting me like a ton of bricks. They’re worried, and it grows stronger the closer Knox gets to me.

Slowly, I turn my head, and my eyes lock on Zayne. Knox stands next to me almost protectively. “It’s good to see you again, Lyall.”

Zayne’s eyes flash to his wolf’s, his voice dark and rough. “Can’t say the same.” If Zayne was in the woods when Knox arrived, I’m sure he heard our conversation. And with that, he undoubtedly knows Knox and I have a past together. The problem is that Knox is a good man and would never hurt me. I can’t turn my back on him.

Knox clears his throat, and I watch him look at all the guys. “My name is Knox Channon,” he calls out to them. “By now, I’m sure you know everything about me.”

Ryker steps forward. “Where’s your sister?”

Knox stares straight at him. “On her way here. She’ll be in Wyoming in two days.” All the guys look at each other except for Zayne. His murderous glare stays transfixed on Knox. Holding up his hands, Knox steps forward. “I’m not here to cause any trouble. I’m here to see Amelie. I found her former alpha in North Carolina.”

Sebastian’s eyes widen. “Finn?”

Finn had helped Tyla and Sebastian rescue me when I was with the Sierra Pack.

Knox nods. “He told me she was here. I thought maybe with her help, I could get a second chance. You are the new Royal Pack. Having two more join you would only make you stronger.”

Zayne’s anger blasts through the air, and I stumble back. Knox grabs my arm to steady me, which only infuriates Zayne more. “Fuck that. You don’t belong here.”

Knox lets me go and holds his hands up again. “The last thing I want to do is start a war I can’t win. I’m not stupid enough to go against mated royals. And from the looks of it, your pack has a ton.”

Colin growls and focuses on me. “How do you know him, Amelie?”

It takes all I have not to look at Zayne, so I keep my focus on Colin. Zayne’s going to be furious when he hears what I have to say. “Knox and I met over two decades ago. He wasn’t part of the Redwood Pack, but my alpha trusted him. I trust him. He made a mistake, but that was two centuries ago. People do change.”

Ryker walks up to us and stares Knox down. “You’re on our land, Channon. This is our territory. You won’t be able to go anywhere without one of my men knowing. Either you play by the rules, or you die. It’s as simple as that. We don’t tolerate betrayal here, and we sure as hell don’t trust easily.”

Knox nods once. “Understood.”

Ryker’s fiery gaze turns to me. “You’re free to make your own choices, Amelie. But, if things go sideways, I’ll do what I have to do.”

“Knox isn’t going to do anything to hurt the pack. You all are my family, and I’m on your side. If he hurts anyone, he hurts me.”

I look over at Knox, and he reaches for my hand. “You can trust me.”

The tension in the air skyrockets, and I slowly slide my hand away from him. Zayne’s anger is so palpable I can feel it smothering me. Seeing me so close to Knox isn’t helping matters any. Ryker turns on his heel and disappears through the forest with Cedric. Sebastian goes over to Zayne and whispers something in his ear before leaving.

I thought Zayne would try to talk to me for sure, but he stands back while Colin is the one who approaches us. First, he glares at Knox, but then his concerned gaze lands on me.

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” he asks.

It takes all I have not to look over at Zayne. “I’ll be fine. Knox would never hurt me.”

Colin’s jaw clenches as he cuts his eyes over at Knox. “Are you sure about that? I know you have a history together, but sometimes that doesn’t mean shit. People will still fuck you over.” Knox scoffs but keeps his mouth shut.

Colin glares at him one more time and backs away. “We’re watching you, Channon. Don’t forget that.”

Colin moves back to Zayne, and the way Zayne and Knox glare at each other makes me tremble. There’s a dark history between them, and it’s volatile. I feel as if it’s going to explode any minute. Luckily, Colin whispers something to Zayne, and he turns his back on us before taking off into the woods. Confusion sweeps over me, and I don’t know what to do. After last night, I felt connected to Zayne in more ways than one. But today, I couldn’t feel further apart.

Once Colin and Zayne are gone, Knox turns to me and smiles. “This wasn’t exactly the Christmas I imagined when I decided to come here. At least I found you though. I can’t think of a better way of spending the holidays than with you.”

He reaches for me, and I hold up a hand. “That Channon charm you used to use on me doesn’t work anymore. You have a lot of explaining to do.”

With a heavy sigh, he nods. “I do.” Then he looks over at my cabin. “Can I come in and tell you all about it?”

I’m curious to hear what he has to say. The others looked at him as if he was a dangerous beast. Never once have I gotten that feeling from Knox. But then again, I’ve been wrong before, and it almost killed me.

I flourish a hand toward the porch. “Let’s go. I need to know what I’m getting myself into.”

Knox strolls up to the porch, but I stop and peer over my shoulder toward the woods. I can’t feel Zayne’s presence, but I know he’s there. It’s times like now I wish we had the blood connection. That way, I could hear his thoughts. Right now, I have no clue what’s going on.

Am I inviting the big bad wolf into my home, and I don’t know it?

One way or another, I’ll find out.

===

Zayne

The anger became too intense to the point I had no choice but to shift. I could feel the rage just underneath the surface, taunting me to lash out, to take what’s mine. Seeing Knox touch Amelie was more than I could bear. All I could think of was ripping him apart.

Running as my wolf always used to clear my head, but it didn’t help this time. The second I get back to my house and shift, the rage is still there. Kami walks out onto the porch with a set of clothes in her arms. She hands them to me and backs away, clearly sensing I’m on the verge of losing control.

Once I’m dressed, Colin comes up behind me and sighs. “When were you going to tell me you’ve been feeling the rage?”

Kami’s head jerks my way, and I look away. “Not long,” I hiss through clenched teeth. I can still see how Knox stared at Amelie and the way he touched her in my mind. “Seeing Knox with Amelie didn’t help. I can’t leave her with him. She has no idea what he’s capable of.”

“It’s her choice, Z. It’s obvious they have a past. I saw the way he looked at her.”

“Which is?” I snap, feeling the anger well up in my chest even more. Turning around to face him, I can’t stop my hands from shaking. I won’t be able to rest until I know Amelie’s safe.

Colin glances over at Kami, and his expression saddens when he focuses back on me. “He cares for her, Z. I know you don’t want to hear that, but they have history.” He holds up his hands. “Now, don’t get me wrong, I know he’s a dangerous wolf. I’ll kill him in a heartbeat if I have to.”

“No,” I growl. “Knox is mine.”

Colin blows out a sigh. “And I understand that. I could sense some darkness in him. That’s why I know not to trust him, and neither should the others. We’re not going to let our guard down.” He steps toward me. “The question is … what are you going to do?”

The full moon is tonight, and my mate is with another man. That thought alone makes me want to kill someone. “I need to call Laila.”

Colin reaches into his pocket and pulls out my phone. “Then you might need this.”

When I shifted, it had flown out of my pocket when my pants ripped. I take my phone and press Laila’s number.

“Hey,” she answers. “Cedric just got back. I heard what happened.”

“Which is why I need your help.”

She sighs. “Anything. What do you need?”

“I need to get Amelie away from Knox tonight; it’s the full moon.” If he were to force himself on her, they’d be mated even though she’s mine. I can’t take any chances.

“Done,” she says. “Come over to my house, and we’ll plan our attack.”

“I’m on my way.”