Royal Shifters Series

Book 3: Cedric

I've been at it all day, trying my best to bury myself in work, but nothing's working. I was supposed to meet Bethany at her house after the party, but she’s the farthest thing from my mind now. The desire I once had for her is completely gone, like it never existed. I can't think of anything but my mate; only I don't know who she is. Or do I? Deep down, I have a feeling I know who she is, but it can't be right.

"Hey, Convel!" Ryker shouts.

"Yeah," I holler back, gritting my teeth as I grip the fallen tree in my arms and throw it off the trail. Ryker and I are park rangers for the Grand Teton National Park. The winter is slow with tourists, but we still walk the paths to clear out any fallen trees that would hinder hikers. It's the perfect job for someone like us.

Ryker joins me, and his brows lift when he sees the tree I just threw. "Damn, Hercules."

Chuckling, I brush the snow off my uniform. "What can I say?"

Ryker narrows his gaze further down the trail. "It's getting late. I don't think there's anything pressing we need to handle as far as I can see. We can pick back up tomorrow. I think there are more trees down this year than I've ever seen before."

I nod. "Agreed."

We have three miles until we get back to the trail entrance. The snow is about a couple of feet deep, and there's still more coming down. Ryker and I always take the more challenging trails over our human co-workers. Before we came along, there were casualties left and right.

Ryker clears his throat. "So … I noticed some tension between you and Colin last night."

My teeth clench, and I try my best to tamp down my anger. "He doesn't like that I'm friends with his sister."

Ryker shakes his head. "That may be part of it, but he's also jealous of you."

I scoff. "Why? I'm a simple gray wolf. Not a royal or an arctic like you guys."

He's royal now because he bonded with Bailey. If I were to mate with a royal, I would become one too. Ryker stops in front of me; his expression is serious. "Colin is jealous of you. That's his problem. He sees the way the entire pack respects you. They look to you more so than him." He places his hands on my shoulders. "You've always been an alpha, Cedric. That's why I trust you with our pack."

We continue on our way, and thoughts of my mate come flooding back. I've tried not thinking about her, but my wolf is impatient. Jealous even. It pisses me off thinking of her being around other men.

"Care to tell me what's on your mind?" Ryker asks. "I can feel your anger."

With a heavy sigh, I keep my focus on the trail. "There's something I haven't told you."

"What is it?"

I stop and face him. "Last night at the party, I felt my mate. She was there."

Ryker's eyes widen. "Holy shit, you're serious?"

"Yeah, but I don't know who she is. I just know she was in the building."

Ryker throws his arms around me. "Dammit, brother, this is awesome. We'll find her. It's obviously someone you've never interacted with, or else you would've known." I thought about it, and there's only one female who comes to mind. Laila. She's the only female I have yet to actually meet face to face. I feel fucking stupid even thinking it. There's no way someone like her could be my mate.

Ryker's phone rings, and he pulls it out of his pocket. He looks down at the screen, brows furrowed. "Hey, Zayne."

I can hear Zayne through the phone, saying something happened to Laila. The mention of her name sparks something inside of me. Protect her. I'm on full alert, my wolf just underneath the surface. I want to go to her to see if she truly is my mate. If she is, I want to claim her in every way possible. I want to keep her safe. What makes it worse is that I know it won't happen like that. She's different; a royal and half-fae. I'm a former rogue and a simple gray. Not worthy of her.

"Meet us at my house. Cedric and I will call the others." Ryker huffs and slips his phone into his pocket. "We have to go. Now."

We run the rest of the way down the trail, which only takes a couple of minutes. Once in his truck, we head on our way out of the park. "What the hell's going on?" I growl.

Ryker blows out a sigh. "I don't know what it means. Zayne said that Laila and Faith went out for a hike. They were just a few miles away from us, but too far for us to sense them."

"And?" I snap impatiently.

His eyes snap to mine. Judging by the knowing look on his face, he knows. I knew I wouldn't be able to keep it from him. "You think it's her, don't you? Laila."

I shrug. "I don't know. She's the only female I haven't officially met. Everyone else, I've been around."

Ryker sighs again. "If she is your mate, you won't like this. Zayne said a winter fae approached her in the woods. He didn't say what he wanted."

"Fuck," I growl, running a hand through my hair. "Nobody knows jack shit about the fae. What if they try to take her away?"

I don’t know of anyone who has met a fae other than Laila, and she's only half-fae. I've heard about her powers and what she can do with them. Shifters are magical beings too, but that's only in physical strength. The fae are on a different level. They have powers that go beyond ours.

Ryker looks over at me, concern written all over his face. "That's what we need to figure out. Right now, we have to call everyone."

I pull out my phone. "On it." I call all of the men in the pack, except for Colin. I'll leave that to Zayne.

By the time we get to Ryker's house, everyone is in the front yard waiting on us. Out of our entire pack, we have about twenty men now that we've included Zayne, Sebastian, Micah, and Colin. All of them are in the yard except for Micah. He's Faith's protector, so I can only assume he's with her and Laila. Someone better be there.

Ryker and I get out of the truck and join them. "Tell us all what happened?" Ryker says to Zayne.

The pack makes a circle around him, and he glances at us all. I want to know what's going on. My wolf is restless, and it's taking every ounce of energy I have to keep my feelings hidden. I don't want anyone knowing about the bond until I'm sure it's with Laila. If she knew already, Faith would've told me.

"Micah and I were following Laila and Faith on the Taggart Lake trail," Zayne explains, "when a winter fae appeared in the woods. As you all know, Laila is half-fae. Her mother was part of the summer court. I'm not familiar with the winter fae, but that's what the man was."

Ryker holds up a hand. "Did you sense any danger?"

Zayne sighs. "No, but I didn't want him getting close to her. He looked at her in a way I can't explain. Almost like he knows her somehow and cares for her."

Hearing those words infuriates me. I can feel my fangs lengthen behind my lips and my claws dig into my skin, drawing blood. Ryker jerks his attention to me and places a hand on my shoulder, stepping in front of me so nobody else can see my glowing eyes. "Calm down, brother."

Taking a deep breath, it only takes a couple of seconds for everything to go back to normal. I've never lost control like that before. When Ryker moves to the side, several wolves stare curiously at me, mainly Sebastian and a couple of the older wolves who are already mated. They know what it's like to feel the way I do.

"What all did the fae say to Laila?" Ryker asks Zayne.

Zayne's jaw clenches. "His name is Beck. He said he's been waiting for her to get away from the Sierra pack. He also said that he promised her mother that he'd come for her."

"Come for her, how? As in taking her away?" I question, hoping like hell I don't lose my shit. If the fae wants to take her away to his realm, he'll have to go through me first.

Zayne closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "Laila is part fae. I love her more than anything in this world. It's her right to go to the Land of the Fae if she wants to. I won't stop her." He opens his eyes, and they glow. "But if any of them try to force her, I'll kill them all."

I will gladly do the same, but that's not my concern. His words haunt me. It's her right to go to the Land of the Fae if she wants to. What if she does? What if she leaves and never comes back? Unfortunately, I know what'll happen to me if she does, and it won't be pretty.

Ryker joins Zayne in the middle of the circle. "I know you're Laila's protector, but I want some of my wolves to help you."

Zayne nods in agreement. "The more, the better."

"I'll help," I say quickly. "I'll do whatever I can."

Ryker knows why I want to be there. Everyone else agrees to take shifts, but I know I'll be there no matter what, especially if it turns out she's my mate. I refuse to let anyone protect her other than myself, except for her father.

Colin glares at me from across the yard, but Sebastian walks over to him and says something that sends him inside Ryker's house. Once he's gone, Sebastian comes over to me and glances over his shoulder to make sure no one else is around.

"Well, well, I have a feeling something happened to you. Am I right?"

Usually, I'd come up with a smart ass comment, but I'm not in the mood. "You tell me," I reply.

Sebastian chuckles and stands beside me. "Trust me. I know what it's like to have the jealousy, the need. I went through it with Tyla. She fought against it just to piss me off, and it about killed me."

He can joke about it now, but I remember how volatile he was. "I know," I reply, my voice low. "I thanked God every day I wasn't in your shoes."

"But now you are. And from what I'm gathering, it's with Laila."

"I don't think she knows," I confess. "Even I'm not fully sure. I felt the bond at the party last night. The only female I wasn't around was her."

Sebastian smiles. "You'll find out soon enough." Then his smile disappears. "I'm just sorry it's under these circumstances. I know Laila's mother, Alina, was a good fae, but like all creatures, there's always evil ones."

I scoff. "Exactly. What if I can't protect her from them?"

He squeezes my shoulder. "We all have that fear, Cedric. Laila's strong and an amazing fighter. She's put me on my ass plenty of times."

Zayne beckons for Sebastian, and he pats my shoulder. "Take it easy, Convel. Things will work out."

Somehow, I don't know if I believe that. Ryker speaks to more of the wolves and then comes over to me when he's through. With a heavy sigh, he nods toward Sebastian and Zayne. "I take it he knows?"

"Yep. He figured it out."

"Come on. I'll take you back to headquarters to get your truck." The pack starts to disperse, so we hop in his truck and head on our way. "Tomorrow is the full moon. Everyone is going for a run. Since Laila can't shift, she'll be by herself. Zayne will be around her, but I figured you'd want to be close as much as possible."

I want to be there right now. There's this overwhelming sensation in my gut that feels like it's pulling me in her direction. I'm so used to being in control, but this bond is testing my resolve. I don't want to lose my shit like Sebastian did. I can't. Scaring Laila is the last thing I want to do.

"I'll be there," I say. Just like I'll be there every night from here on out.