Beautiful Creatures Series

Aspen Colorado…

Katelyn shuffled along as her fiancé Nigel walked her through the house he had bought them. He had wanted it to be a surprise, and this was the first time she saw it. He had secured the mortgage and furnished it with all new furnishings before even telling her he had bought it. They had been dating since she was eighteen and engaged for the last year. She had been living at home with her parents until now. Nigel insisted they move in together.

He had landed a new job as the head manager of the most prestigious hotel in town. He was now making money hand over fist, and he had promised to finally give her the lifestyle she deserved. Of course, this new responsibility meant his work schedule was heavy, but he promised her she would adjust to it.

Nigel had blindfolded Katelyn when he picked her up. She got in the car, and he had instantly covered her eyes. They had driven some distance, so she was pretty sure they were out of town. Living out of town was fine with her. Aspen was far too touristy for her liking anyway. Plus, she was a wildlife photographer. She sold her pictures to various stock photo websites and collected them when someone leased one of her images. Living out of town would give her ample stomping grounds to explore and photograph.

Nigel held on to her arm as he coaxed her to follow him. They had gone up a few steps, and through a door, she suspected they now stood inside the house. “Ok, you can take the blindfold off,” he told her as he stood behind her.

Katelyn took off her blindfold, and she looked around. Her brow furrowed as she looked around. There was some furniture which was mostly covered in dust covers. There were workbenches and tools, along with various stacks of supplies. To her left was the kitchen table, and to her right… no kitchen. The cupboards were off the wall, and the granite counter was leaning against a wall. The drywall was missing, there were no appliances, and the kitchen sink was still in a box.

Katelyn went silent as she looked around. “Now I know it doesn’t look like much,” Nigel said, coming around her when he saw the horrified look on her face. “The kitchen was seriously dated, and I had to gut it,” he explained. Katelyn turned and walked into the living room. It was all covered to protect it from the dust from the construction. “The guy is going to gut the bathroom and the laundry room also, and…” He said, jumping in front of her. “I’m going to have him build you a walk-in closet,” she nodded, not as stoked about their new home as he was. “It is only going to take a few months. I promise Kate when this place is finished. It is going to be the house of our dreams.”

“You want me to live here during construction?”

“It is not that bad. The guy will just work around you,” she was not impressed. Nigel took her hand and dragged her to a set of glass sliding doors. He slid the door open and dragged Katelyn out onto the deck. “Look at this view.”

Katelyn looked around. They were surrounded by trees and wilderness. Down in the middle of the yard was a huge water feature which she had to admit was very pretty. She supposed the place had potential. “Only a few months?” She asked.

Nigel grinned. “Five tops,” she scowled. “But, I’ll offer him a bonus if he completes the job sooner,” he promised. Katelyn looked at his hopeful boyish grin and the light in his dark eyes. Nigel was a good-looking, clean-cut business type. He was almost always in a suit, and he spent more time primping in the mirror than she did. Always making sure his dark hair was just right, and his shaving job was perfection. She supposed it was what made him so successful.

Kate rolled her eyes and gave in. “Ok, I suppose I can tough it out for a few months. Did you at least research this contractor before you hired him? Is he reliable? Competent?”

“He came highly recommended.”

“Where did you find him? Website? Phonebook? Sign on a bus?”

“No, I was talking about the job at work, and one of the desk clerks said that he had worked on her house and that he was very good. I contacted him and, of course, checked his references. Everyone had rave revues.”

lying their asses off for him?” Nigel went silent as he thought about her argument. Katelyn closed her eyes and sighed. “I swear

the last week, and frankly, so far, he has been doing a fantastic job. Give the guy a chance,” fine. She supposed she could just go with it. At this point, the house

“Alright,” she sighed.

going to shower, and we will have dinner. But it

***

Feral Colorado…

whipped through his fur as Darrell Savage raced through the woods. He leapt over some raised roots and pushed off a large boulder with his hind legs as he rounded the tree, his prey mere feet ahead of him. The deer had

breaking the animal’s neck effectively, putting it down. His pulse was pounding as Darrell took a step back and relaxed as the rest of the hunting party joined him. The moonlight filtered through the branches of the canopy above. The wolves circled their kill with a few snapping at one another still worked up from

A low growl rumbled in Darrell’s throat, putting an end to the squabbling. Darrell was a young would-be alpha wolf among omegas wolves. He did not run the pack yet, but he was next in line. But even now, the pack followed his lead, and as the future alpha, he had first picks of everything. With his blood still burning from the rush of the chase, Darrell howled at the moon,

change shape at will. From man to beast. Like wolves, they stood four feet tall and nearly six feet from snout to tail. With the exception of the polar bear, they were the largest land predators in the world. They lived in secret, having

lived as men, the moon still held its sway. When the moon was full, it was difficult to keep the beast at bay. When the moon was full, they slaked their bloodlust. In the past, they had to hunt to survive, but in the modern world, with food so readily available, they only hunted for

Aspen, Colorado, they congregated in a large pack. There had not been a

Hamlet (a community of less than 100 with only a few buildings besides private homes). To the world outside their community, the community of Feral and its residence were unfriendly to outsiders, and given they had limited services, not too many outsiders would visit. Hell, they were not even on the map. It was a place to be feared and avoided at all costs, but to

bring together their people, and over the years, Lycanthropes all over the world immigrated to Feral to find others like themselves. Darrell

Lycanthropes. A place where they could be themselves. A place where they could be comfortable and live without hiding. Where they could nurture their cubs and teach them to master their powers without the fear of being discovered, outsiders were not welcomed, and those that did stumble on their property were runoff and, in some extreme cases (if they were Lycanthrope hunters), killed to protect the pack’s secrets. They did not like to kill mortals, it raised too many questions, but when it came down to the mortals’ lives or the safety of the pack, they were not above shedding some blood.

Gordon Wilder had taken an interest in Darrell moulding him for leadership and the day Darrell would takeover. Still, a lot

abandoned earlier that night when he had changed for the hunt. He was zipping up the

belt. It was a hot summer’s night, and after that workout, he was already hot and sweaty and did not feel

“Hey, Charlotte, you want to cook this up?” Teased Lewis Hall, one of the men Darrell called a friend. As a man, Lewis stood six feet even with short brown hair and a nose that looked like a beak, which led his friends to call him

your personal chef,” Charlotte snapped back. She was a pretty little thing with long blond hair and a

He had stolen Darrell’s girlfriend from him last year. Darrell did not hold grudges. He had only been playing with her anyway, so when she left him for Kenneth, he had been fairly ok with it. Besides, he liked single life better

You clean it,” Darrell said as he stepped into

with an abrasive personality. He was not friendly by any means, but despite his many faults, he and Darrell were friends. Stanton was not so bad. He was an intimidating sight with

you are done with that, let’s go into the city. I feel like dancing,” Darrell said, taking Charlotte in his arms, leading his sister in lively music

arms, and they started to walk away from the hunting party. “The Mausoleum?” Charlotte suggested as they strolled through

He smiled.

the girls,” Charlotte said, leaving her