Finding Shadow BOOK ONE
A mother's sacrifice

Something heavy was on her legs. It was warm and hairy, slightly sweaty, and as Isabella followed its natural curve with her hand, she found that it was attached to a giant penis. Now she remembered.

A deviant grin blessed her features as Isabella reveled in their incredible night of passion. Shadow had proved insatiable, taking her in different positions in every room of their new home, insisting that they had to mark their 'territory.' After a quick count up, Bella snorted, realizing they had 'marked their territory' twelve times in eight hours, no wonder she was a bit tender downstairs. And a quick glance to her left confirmed that her man was out like a light. After Shadow had had his wicked way with her, it was Malik's and Mazlyn's turn.

Needless to say, the bed had no legs, and the duvet was in shreds after the wolves had marked each other, and Isabella had vague memories of being bitten by the scruff of her neck while she was pummelled savagely from behind. Mazlyn's memories, not hers.

No wonder the poor Alpha was so tired, and Isabella thought she might treat him to pancakes in bed if the ingredients were in the cupboards, so she carefully removed his leg before climbing out of bed.

Thankfully the carpet was soft and plush because Isabella's legs decided to make like jelly, and she quickly found herself on the floor in a heap. Shadow wasn't kidding when he had promised to make it impossible for her to walk the next morning, but she wasn't complaining. In fact, as soon as he was ready, she intended to entice him into another go-round. Slightly embarrassed, Bella crawled to the bathroom to do her business and give her legs a stern talking to before standing gingerly as she made her way down to the kitchen.

'Success!' The pantry was stocked to near bursting, and the fridge was the same, so after admiring the beautiful workmanship that had gone into the natural wood paneling and modern appliances she found in the cupboards, Isabella was soon flipping pancakes over the hot oven.

When the last pancake was done, and the bacon was crisp, Bella grinned proudly, turning off the oven.

"Well damn, that's a sight a man won't tire of." A deep voice whispered in her ear, nibbling at Bella's earlobe as Shadow wrapped his arms around her from behind.

His arousal was obvious as he pressed his hard dick between her arse cheeks, molding her body against him as she felt herself instantly become wet with need."I hope you're not too sore?" Shadow questioned, rubbing down her arms, and Isabella turned, jumping into his arms, wrapping her naked legs around his hips, and kissed him greedily, all thoughts of breakfast forgotten as he grabbed her butt, kneading it with his giant hands as he strode towards the big oak table that would one day seat their whole family.

Laying Isabella down, Shadow quickly covered her body with his own, plunging deep inside her, "Don't be gentle." His little wolf ordered, and he lost control, hammering himself into her hot tight pussy, enjoying her screams and adding groans of his own.

Standing in the doorway, half-hidden by the mangled remains, an unseen visitor watched, seething with fury.

Camille was finally released from the wretched hospital, after a myriad of blood tests failed to find the reason behind her constant fatigue after Isabella had knocked her out, Dr. Packard had agreed to release her. Though she would miss the cups of tea that Raeann bought her every afternoon, surprisingly, when she woke up this morning, she felt more energized than she had in a while. There was something to be said for sleeping in your own bed, Camille guessed. After stopping by Shadow's office and finding it empty, an Omega suggested she try him at his new home.

It was so frustrating being out of the loop while she had been in hospital, even Papa's visits were few and far between, often just a quick head through the door to tell her the plan was almost ready to execute. So Camille wasn't really surprised to hear that the Alpha had built himself a new home. It must have been weird living in his old home with only the past to keep him company.

As she marched up the track in the warm morning breeze, Camille allowed herself to fantasize that she was heading towards the home they would share as a married couple. Seeing the door hanging by its hinges as she rounded the corner, the Beta female rushed up the stairs, ready to shift if the Alpha was in danger.

Instead, she came face to face with Shadow's bare arse as he repeatedly rammed himself into her sister. Judging by the lusty moans of pleasure coming from the couple a bomb could've hit the house and they'd still be too lost in sex to notice.

When Camille couldn't stand the smell of their mingled scents any longer, she slipped quietly back the way she had come, with the burning need for revenge branded into her mind.

Coldwater was tipped over Valenar, waking him from his drug-induced slumber, and it took the wizard a moment to realize his hands were cuffed with a familiar set of crystal manacles. 'The sorcerer's bracelets' he thought, panicking.

With them on he was completely cut off from his magic, which was ironic, considering he was one of the twelve wizards to create the infernal things.

The putrid stench of human feces offended his nostrils and Valenar looked up to see who the barbaric imbecile was that had decided to capture him. What he saw made his stomach twist in reaction to the hatred the man was staring at him with.

"Good to see you're awake you filthy unicorn fucker."The gravel in the man's voice indicated that he was at least in his sixties, and judging by the physical similarities, it wasn't hard to guess that his captor was none other than Santos Romano. Which meant the jig was up. Unicorn fucker was an insult he hadn't heard before though so of course, Valenar laughed, earning a deeper scowl from the burly man.

"Santos, we meet at last." The wizard drawled, amused to see the old wolf look quickly at him. "I take it you know why I'm here?"

Santos took his time answering, forcing Valenar to breathe in more of the putrid stench. That, along with the anguished screams two doors down and the rats roaming freely between cells, led Valenar to guess he was currently enjoying the hospitality of the pack's underground dungeons. Charming.

When he finally spoke, Santos' voice was filled with menace, letting the wizard know his wolf wasn't far from the surface.

"Tell me what you know about my plans."

'Ah, light bulb moment' Valenar thought privately, 'Santos is definitely the traitor.'

"What plans?" The young wizard dared...

His reward for the blatant insolence was a jaw-breaking jolt shooting up from the souls of his feet, and Valenar belatedly realized that his legs were also cuffed. Santos waved a remote controller in his hand, "Let's try that again." He grinned evilly.

And before long Valenar was learning what it was like to be tortured by a mad man.

MARIA

The Alpha couple looked incredibly happy, as Raeann and Maria paid them a visit in the late afternoon. She had never seen Isabella glow so brightly, and young Shadow looked like the wolf that got the cream, sitting with his arm around her eldest daughter, both lounging on the dark blue couch in the living room.

Raeann gushed over her sister's new mate mark, and Shadow's chest puffed out with pride every time she looked his way. It was clear to see that they were madly in love.

Maria had taken it as a given that they would end up together. It was obvious from the moment four-year-old Shadow clapped eyes on two-year-old Izzy that the Moon Goddess had paired them together and Maria was only surprised that no one else seemed to notice.

She intended to make sure that they stayed happy, and continued on to raise a family and rule the pack, the way they were always meant to, no matter the cost.

Maria had stumbled upon Santos' crazy scheme quite by accident this morning when she found a consignment notice for a sculpting company in his breast pocket. Curiously, she called the number on the form, and after quoting the reference number, the company freely told her that they had a large order for a life-sized sculpture in honor of Alpha Santos Romano, scheduled for delivery in three days time.

From there it hadn't taken much for the determined tracker to flesh out a few more things, and with a sick realization, she came to the conclusion that Santos intended to challenge for the Alpha title. If the sculpture was due to be delivered in three days, then by the process of elimination, Santos would announce his challenge in two days' time. The selfish bastard.

Even if he didn't feel that Shadow was up to leading the large pack, the young Alpha was newly mated to their daughter for Goddess's sake! He hadn't even given Isabella's feelings a second thought.

Which ultimately, was the reason for her visit today.

Maria Romano was saying goodbye to the people in her life that mattered to her. Firstly she spoke with Mikhail, assuring herself that he was loved by his mates, although things were still new and awkward, and he was young, Maria had faith that Elena and Ethan would support Mikhail in his journey through life. Next, she had called in on her youngest daughter, interrupting Raeann's typical bustling around the clinic, and whisking her off for a mother-daughter spa treatment. Raeann was a strong, dedicated young woman chasing her career, and recently she had revealed to her mum that she had managed to make a male friend while they were here. Judging by the way Raeann lit up whenever she talked about Valenar, Maria was sure she would be just fine too.

Which bought her here, to see her eldest daughter. Despite how hard Isabella appeared on the surface, and the ridiculous nickname she'd been given by her peers, she was the most fragile of Maria's children, often feeling things too much.

Isabella needed a strong mate by her side, one that would keep her safe, be loyal, and never give her cause to doubt his fidelity.

Shadow was perfect.

Forcing a smile to her face, Maria stood, "I'm so happy for you both, Shadow, promise me you'll take care of my daughter."

Shadow also rose, giving his mates mother a hug, "I promise Mrs. Romano." He replied, using the name he called her as a child, and Maria wondered if he could sense the finality in her voice. Pulling away, she reached down and grabbed Isabella, giving her daughter one last hug goodbye, "Always remember how much I love you, sweetheart." Maria whispered, avoiding Isabella's searching eyes as she motioned to Raeann that they were leaving.

After dropping Raeann off at the packhouse, Maria had one last stop to make. The sun was slowly setting as she pulled into the old country property at the edge of town when the elderly couple who lived there answered their door, they opened their arms wide and Maria pulled them close. "Hello Mama and Papa, I really need your help."

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