Page 107 of Not Your Ordinary Shifter

“A few more days? Of what?—”

“Before she could finish her sentence, the evil, torturous sound crackled across the early morning sky, sending a shiver down her spine. The neigh of horses and shouts of men accompanied the bay of wild dogs, and a horn trumpeted a tune no one had ever heard before.” At that moment, above the firepit, the sky erupted in a beautiful shade of blue-green from the lightning of the coming storm, illuminating the tall thunderheads above them. “Seconds later, the sky split wide and the light show, bathing the town in shades of green and yellow. The stream of colors undulated like a ribbon floating in the air. Dancing to a beat none of them could hear. The beautiful display was breathtaking.”

“What is that?” Hayden asked in a hushed voice.

“Them,” Nico replied.

“Again, thunder shook the heavens. The woman tried to figure out how far away the sound had been, but it was unfathomable. She huffed out a breath and stormed into her home, unable to understand what was happening to their small village.”

Around the house, those Kalkin had asked for help began baying at the moon while Victor clopped his hooves on the heavy ground. The shouts of those outside the fence got louder while the pounding of footsteps grew heavier and more intense. Lightning flashed across the dark, early morning sky. Emma and her cubs roared, adding to the cacophony surrounding the children who’d gathered around the firepit. Kalkin grinned as they huddled together, grabbing on to one another while he settled in for the end.

“From the moment the woman slammed the door on her home, the clatter grew louder, closing in on the village. The man who said he could stop it all, appeared to be a fraud. He hadn’t stopped the noise; it’d only gotten worse. It was badenough some of the villagers closed their shutters to block the wickedness from their sight. Nary a person came out of their home from then on.” Kalkin lowered his voice. “No one spoke. No one sold their trinkets in the market that day or bought their dried meats and fresh bread to trade. It was as if the town hibernated, afraid of what the great clamor had wrought upon them.”

“I hear you, Odin! Leader of the Wild Hunt,” Nico said, dropping his voice to a dangerous level. “How you frighten the villagers. Scare their children. Take me instead. I will join your hunters’ party.”

“The wild dogs cried and screamed while the heavy pounding continued, rising by the second. The thunderous hooves and war-like shouts of the party drew near. The man knew it was time. He looked to the sky. The clear night of twinkling stars became cloudy, heavy and grey, blotting out the full moon, throwing the man into pitch dark. The hunt had finally arrived. He raised his hand to the heavens and didn’t have to wait long. The sky opened and there riding on the wispy tails of those puffy clouds was the God, Odin, and his hunting party.

A great shout of excitement shook the heavens and the earth as the rider grabbed the god’s hand, pulling him into the party and leaving his Earthly body behind. Red eyes and streaks of blue hair greeted him as his steed formed beneath his floating soul. The unbridled wildness consumed him until he was yelling like the others, listening to the howls of the dogs chasing their unseen prey. They blazed a trail through the night sky. Behind them the first flakes of the coming winter snow fell on the tiny village.”

“Is it gone?” one asked.

“Did the man destroy the beast causing us strife?” another question.

“The woman who’d been so frustrated and angry at the man, found his lifeless form near the entrance of the forest. His body left in a peaceful state, like he slept and would wake if only she’d give him a shake. When she told the mayor what she found, they buried the man and enjoyed a feast for the hero in his honor.” Kalkin took a sip of his cider, allowing the story to sink in. “So, when it’s late at night, and you hear the cries of a wild animal and the pounding of unseen hooves, stay inside. Don’t make a noise or else...” Kalkin’s gaze flicked to where Caden soundlessly drew nearer to the children who clung to Kalkin’s words on bated breath...

“The Wild Hunt will claim you!” Caden shouted, grabbing Mikey off the bench and twirling him in the air.

The screams then laughter of the children made the story worth it. Kalkin sat back as Keeley sat on his lap. He wrapped his arms around his mate while a shit-eating grin tugged at his mouth. Caden continued to play with the pups, alternating between throwing them in the air and spinning them in a circle. This was his pack and his family, and he loved every one of them.

“Pretty proud of yourself, huh?” Keeley snuggled into his side.

“Yes, I am,” he replied, kissing the crown of her head. “But a storm’s coming so we might want to take this inside.”

She nodded then stood. “All right children, time to go inside. Like the Alpha said, there’s a storm coming. What do we say to the Alpha?”

A chorus of, “Thank you, Alpha,” rang out in the back yard as each of the children deposited their skewers into the trash and placed their empty mugs back onto the tray Hayden held.

“You’re welcome,” Kalkin answered. “Let’s do this again on Halloween night.”

Chapter

One

Johnathan Lui stepped into the Sheriff’s Department and went straight to the counter. Loraine sat behind the plexiglass partition, taking a call, returning to the place they all knew she belong. Of course, so did Aurora, Mackenzie’s mate. Between the two of them, they ran a tight ship. Keeping even the newest of deputies in line. Loraine’s long dark hair had been pulled back into a severe bun, exposing the twin bite marks on her neck. One from her mate Jace and the other from her second mate Blake. Around them, a swirl of intricate tattoos she’d added over the years. Most of them used to cover the scars from the explosion long ago.

Which was why she’d sat behind the plexiglass partition.

So she’d never get hurt again.

All the upgrades to the Sheriff’s Department had been done with safety in mind. No one ever wanted to see the carnage from that day repeated. Even the walls had a layer of reinforced steel between them to keep them from caving in.

As Loraine made notes on a call log while nodding at whatever the caller said, he wondered what happened to make Loraine write so furiously. It would have been easier to use the computer beside her, but she refused to use the computers. Shecould dispatch and write at the same time and keep track better than a machine could. (Her words. Not his.) Sometimes she caught flack for not using the 9-1-1 system like she should, but at the end of the day, everyone in their little town knew everyone. She could get a deputy to a scene just as quickly by using the radios as she could typing it out on the upgraded system. Loraine left the fancy equipment for the young people. Her statements about technology always made him chuckle. When she hung up the phone, she held up a finger, finishing whatever she’d been transcribing. Then she turned that megawatt smile on him.

“Good morning, Johnathan,” she said. “Sorry about that.”

“Good morning, Loraine. It’s not a problem,” he replied, offering her a genuine smile. “Alpha told me to meet him here this morning.”

“He’s expecting you,” she said as she buzzed him in. “Come on back.”

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