Alpha Ascending (Shifter Clans Book 2) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  ALPHA ASCENDING

  SHIFTER CLANS SERIES BOOK 2

  BY TIFFANY SHAND

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  Copyright © 2017 Tiffany Shand

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior written consent of the author, except for brief quotes in reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. People, places, events and situations are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or historical events, is purely coincidental.

  Cover Design by Melody Simmons ebookindiecovers.com

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Afterword

  Excerpt from The Alphas Curse

  Also by Tiffany Shand

  Other Works

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  Christy staggered, her limbs protesting from every movement. She couldn’t stop. She had to keep moving. The moment she stopped, Alec’s men would grab her and drag her back to him. She forced herself to move on, stumbling over tree branches, twigs catching on her clothes and hair.

  Had she crossed the border? She couldn’t remember.

  The first rays of dawn washed through the blanket of clouds.

  She glanced back, thought she heard the sound of running feet behind her. She tried to scent what direction they were coming from, but her senses felt weak, numb, just like the rest of her body.

  Christy tripped, felt herself falling, stifled a cry of pain. She rolled over, feeling the sticky blood the Imperious wolves had attacked her. Exhaustion threatened to overwhelm her as she pulled herself up into a sitting position. She rested her head against a tree trunk, the blood wouldn’t stop flowing and the pack strapped to her back dragged her down like dead weight.

  Stretching her arms, she tore through the straps and let her pack fall. The few meagre possessions and clothes she’d brought with her no longer mattered. The movement sent another rush of pain shooting down her arms, but it didn’t register. Nothing mattered anymore.

  Memories of Alec’s wolves ripping into her father, and seeing her brother go down flashed through her mind as the numbness started to fade. She closed her eyes, trying to block it out. She loved her brother – even her father – despite their strained relationship. Alec – the man she’d been promised to – had done this. She had said no to marrying him and he’d taken her family and her clan from her because of it.

  This was all her fault.

  Magda had probably died too in the effort to help her escape, and Ronan...

  Where was Ronan?

  Christy let out a sob. She wanted to curl up into a ball; let death take her away but another part of her refused to give up. She closed her eyes again, reaching for her inner wolf. If she could shift it might be enough to heal her. Could she even remember how to shift? She hadn’t done so in over a decade. Muscles popped and bones creaked making her cry out from the agony as her body tried to change forms but couldn’t.

  Had she done something wrong? She wondered if she’d forgotten how to do it right.

  Christy gritted her teeth. She couldn’t give up, not now. Not yet. Instead she started to crawl inch by inch. She didn’t have the strength to stand let alone walk, but a new emotion filled her now.

  Rage.

  Alec had done this, and one way or another he would pay for it.

  Twigs and stones cut into her hands as she crawled along the forest floor, blood seeped from her palms but she refused to stop moving. She had to reach the outsider’s camp. Ronan had promised to meet her there. He would be waiting for her. She would not consider the possibility of losing him.

  Hours seemed to pass; she made a way forward, not knowing where or how far her destination was. With the sun high in the sky, Christy finally felt the blackness closing in and gave into it.

  “Christy?” She thought she heard someone calling her name, dragging her along but it faded away.

  When Christy opened her eyes again, she expected to find herself somewhere else. The clans didn’t believe in heaven or hell, just that their souls moved on and became part of the earth. Instead, she found herself inside a dark room. The walls were made from wood and the only light came from a small window.

  “Good, you’re awake.”

  She looked up to see her best friend, Lola, staring down at her. “How do you feel?”

  “Like crap!” she groaned, stretched, feeling her body protest every movement.

  “You lost a lot of blood. I was worried I wouldn’t find you in time.”

  Memories came flashing back, she wanted to weep, to close her eyes and give into oblivion again.

  “You’re going to be okay,” Lola assured her. “Listen, I’m sorry...”

  “Where’s Ronan?” She had to know. “What happened?”

  Lola hesitated.

  “No!” Christy moaned. He couldn’t be dead too. She couldn’t lose him.

  “He didn’t turn up here,” Lola admitted. “I saw them catching him before I got away. I don’t know what happened to him.”

  A ray of light came through the depths of her despair. “He’s alive – I’d know if he were dead.” Christy forced herself to sit up. “Where are we?”

  “The outsider’s camp. Listen, I don’t think you should tell them who you really are,” Lola said. “I’m a mongrel, too – like Ronan. Not everyone here will be welcoming. I told them you worked at the mansion, but I don’t know if they believed me.”

  “Everyone’s dead, aren’t they? My family, my clan...” Tears filled Christy’s eyes. “Magda – did you see what happened to her? She helped me escape.”

  Lola shook her head. “No, but it will take more than a pack of shifters to kill that old girl.”

  Christy let herself break down, cried until no more tears flowed. She lay there, unmoving, refusing to eat or drink anything Lola offered.

  Sleep finally took over.

  First, she saw Magda standing next to her. “Time to get up, Christy,” the old witch told her. “An alpha wouldn’t curl up and hide. That’s what you are now, an alpha ascending.”

  Alpha. The word swirled around her mind.

  Echoes of her brother’s screams and being covered in her father’s blood haunted her until she found herself swallowed by darkness.

  Christy blinked, found herself sitting inside a cell. She shivered as cold seeped into her bones, water dripped from the wall. Was this punishment for her family’s deaths? Had she ended up in the hell humans referred to?

  “Christy?”

  At the sound of her name, she turned to see the man she loved. His dark curly hair looked matted, he had dark circles under his eyes.

  “Ronan!” She threw herself at him but her arms failed to connect with solid flesh. “Ro, what’s going on? Where are we? Did you...” She couldn’t bring herself to say the last word.

  “No, I’m not dead, but you can’t be here. Go!”

  All happiness faded. Why was he pushing her away?

&nb
sp; “What...” she started to ask.

  “Christy, listen. You can’t be here. It’s not safe. Go!” His blue eyes flashed.

  She shook her head. “No, I won’t leave you. I’m safe, I’m with...”

  “Go, but be careful who you trust there.”

  Christy opened her eyes. All sadness faded, replaced by anger. She hadn’t killed her family – Alec had. Now he’d imprisoned Ronan too.

  One thing she knew for certain. Ronan had survived.

  After a couple of days more rest, Christy felt strong enough and more than ready to get out of bed. “I want to meet the other outsiders,” she told Lola.

  “That’s not a good idea, Chris. If they find out...”

  “Lola, take me to the mongrel leader. I’m healed, and we have work to do.”

  Lola’s eyes widened. “Work? Christy, Alec either killed or imprisoned your clan. You can’t expect the mongrels to stand and fight with you.”

  “I don’t – at least not yet.”

  “Listen to me. You’re a Stargaza princess in a camp full of people who hate the clans. I’ve made plans to get us off the island,” Lola told her. “You can leave. Get away from Alec and start a new life somewhere safe.”

  Christy stared at her friend in disbelief. “Lola, Ronan is alive. I won’t leave him there to die. Take me to your leader.”

  “It can never work between you and Ronan. Alec is the alpha of both clans now.”

  “Now, Lola,” she snapped.

  Lola opened the door and Christy stepped out into the unknown.

  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Lola muttered. “And don’t call them mongrels to their faces either.”

  Chapter 2

  Ronan rested his head against the cold stone wall. He couldn’t remember how long he’d been trapped in Henric’s dungeon. Had it been a week? A year? Time blurred together. He felt so tired but couldn’t sleep. If he did, he risked connecting with Christy again. He wanted to find her more than anything. But he wouldn’t let that happen. He’d protect her with his dying breath.

  The blackness of the cell felt like it had closed around him, the air hung thick with the stench of waste and the only light came from the flickering white light on the wall outside the cells.

  “You alright, boy?” Magda croaked.

  He glanced over at the old witch as she stared at him through the cell bars. “Tired,” he muttered.

  “Get some sleep. I’ll shield you.” Her brows drew together. The strain of fending off constant attacks had taken a toll on her. “No, you rest.” He reached out, squeezed her gnarled hand. “I’m fine. Stop trying to protect me.”

  Magda brushed her long matted grey hair off her ashen face, rubbing at the dark smudges under her eyes. “Can’t stop – I won’t let them use you to find Christy.”

  “How can they?” Ronan asked. “Why do they think I know where she is?”

  “You’re an outsider. Oren senses the bond between you and Christy.”

  “Bond?” He frowned. “What bond?”

  He had heard stories of the legendary bonds between male and female shifters, but everyone dismissed it. “Bonds are just a myth, Mags.”

  She let out a snort. “There’s more magic in your world than any of you shifters can imagine, my boy,” she rasped. “You’ve always felt connected to Christy, haven’t you?”

  He shrugged. “She’s the only real friend I’ve made here – aside from you.”

  Magda’s green eyes looked black as they flashed with anger. “Ronan, stop pretending you don’t have feelings for her. You’re going to need them and the bond to get through this.”

  “I gave into my feelings and look what’s happened! If I hadn’t...” He sighed. “I should have gotten her out of there.”

  “She escaped. That’s what matters,” Magda said. “The bond...”

  “Enough, Mags! I don’t care about any bond!” His hands balled into fists. He’d stay away from Christy if it meant keeping his safe from Alec finding her.

  The old witch sat up, gripped the bars so hard her knuckles turned white as her gaze bored into him. “Ronan Walker, you listen to me right now. You do not get to give up. You’re a beta, a clan leader, betas don’t give up on their mates or clans.”

  Ronan folded his arms, straightened up against the wall. “Magda, my clan was wiped out a long time ago. I’m no beta, and how the hell can Christy ever be my mate?”

  She let out a breath. “You must believe. Christy will need your strength too – just as you need hers,” she rasped. “You’ll both have to work together. It’s the only way to save the future of the clan and the island.”

  “Which clan? The Stargaza is gone – just like my people were erased too,” he snapped. “You’re talking nonsense. I can’t reach Christy from in here.”

  “You’ve seen her in your dreams, haven’t you?” Magda raised her chin, giving him a questioning look.

  “Even if I have, I can’t control them, and I won’t dare risk leading Oren to her.”

  “Focus. You have power too.” Her eyes shot to the end of the passageway.

  The sound of the door creaking open banished all fatigue. Ronan sat up, heart pounding. Was Magda right? Was that how he saw Christy in his dreams? Maybe that was why Oren kept torturing him with visions.

  Oren entered the dungeon, the orange rays from the torch chasing away the shadows. Oren’s dark eyes glittered as he wrenched the cell door open. “You look tired, boy. Haven’t you had any rest?”

  Ronan glared up at him, feeling rage heat his blood. His inner wolf demanded revenge. This man had taken everything from him. His family, his clan. He remembered being a five-year-old boy, watching Oren. Smoke filling his lungs, the flash of red as fire had engulfed his home when Oren had burned it to the ground.

  “I won’t sleep,” he snarled. He let the wolf gain control, felt his muscles start to shift – and doubled over in agony. “What did you do to me?” Ronan demanded.

  “I bound you so you can’t change shape. You’re strong – powerful too.” Oren grinned. “I look forward to taking your magic from you.”

  Oren raised his hand, forcing Ronan’s eyes to snap shut.

  “Stay strong, Ronan,” Magda hissed. “I’m with you.”

  “Quiet, witch!” Oren snapped.

  Blackness swallowed Ronan up, he tried to resist, knew it was pointless. Instead, he found himself standing inside the kitchen of the flat he’d shared with Christy in London. Bright rays of sunlight glared through the window, the groan and snarl of traffic echoed in the background, just the way he remembered it.

  Oren enjoyed tormenting him with this memory of the place he and Christy had been happy in.

  “Hey, what you standing about for?” Christy came in, hooking her bag over her shoulder. “Let’s go.” Dressed in her usual red leather jacket and jeans, she looked as real as his surroundings.

  “Go where?” He frowned.

  “To see the others. Come on, Ronan.” She reached up, kissed him. “They’re waiting for us.”

  “Who?” Ronan glanced around the room, the white cupboards started to blur. “This isn’t real.”

  She laughed. “Ronan, come on. Stop being silly. The other outsiders are waiting for us. Show me where they are.”

  “No!”

  Ronan forced himself out of the dream. His temples throbbed, head pounding. The dungeon’s gloom swam back into view, along with Oren’s curses.

  “You can’t keep her location a secret forever, boy.”

  “How many times do I have to tell you? I don’t know where she is.” He clutched his head, wincing from the pain.

  “You’re a mongrel, you know where the other mongrels are on this island,” the warlock said. “You’ll give up their location, but first...” He turned to Magda. “Enough of your meddling.”

  Magda screamed, doubled over in pain, hands on her stomach.

  Ronan scrambled up, forced back by an invisible power when he tried to grab Oren through the bars.
“What did you do to her? Stop it, you bastard, or I’ll kill you!”

  Oren laughed. “You have no power over me, Ronan Walker. The witch’s powers are bound now. She can’t shield you any longer. I’ll be back later. If you don’t feel like talking...” He glanced at Magda. “She’ll suffer for it.” He turned, stormed out.

  “Magda, are you alright?” Ronan put his arm through the bars, touched her knee.

  She took a few deep breaths, nodded. “I’ll live – you have to start using your own power. Oren can’t touch it since you’re a beta – but that strength won’t last much longer.”

  Ronan looked away. He didn’t have power, not real power. Sure, he knew a bit of magic, but nothing like Christy or Magda could do. It hadn’t saved his family either. “Magda–”

  She gripped his wrist. “Do you want to see Christy again?”

  He thought of the beautiful brown-eyed brunette he’d loved for so long. “Of course.”

  “Good, then you need to use power inside of you.”

  “What about the curse? I can’t use much magic,” he pointed out.

  “Your connection to Christy lessens the curse’s effects.”

  Ronan thought for a moment. If using this so-called power meant he could see Christy again and save Magda he’d use it. “What must I do?”

  Magda started by teaching him to form a mental shield with his mind. “A basic shield will stop Oren from taking complete control. It allows you to know when something is a trick – like you did earlier,” she explained. “Imagine it forming.”

  Ronan closed his eyes, tried imagining a shield. Nothing happened. What kind of shield? What’s it supposed to look like? Shields can look like a lot of different things.

  “Imagine a shield of energy surrounding you, protecting you,” Magda continued.

  He gritted his teeth. “I told you I’m no good with magic.”

  “You can create fire – that takes strength and skill. Concentrate.”

  After what seemed like hours, he slumped back against the wall, feeling exhaustion overwhelming him as he closed his eyes.

  The dungeon faded as Ronan found himself back in the flat’s kitchen. It looked just as it had earlier.