Bear His Mark: Wylde Den One (Alaskan Den Men Book 1) Read online

  Wylde Den, Book One

  Alaskan Den Men Collection

  TALINA PERKINS

  Bear His Mark

  Copyright © 2016 by Talina Perkins

  Excerpt from BEAR HIS BOND

  copyright© 2016 Talina Perkins

  Excerpt from HEXING THE ALPHA

  copyright© 2015 Talina Perkins

  WWW.TALINAPERKINS.COM

  Edited by Em Petrova

  Cover Artist: Bookin' It Designs

  eBook ISBN: 9781310416989

  All rights are reserved. No Part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the author’s permission.

  NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Introduction to the

  Alaskan Den Men World

  Four Alaskan Werebear Dens, Twelve Shifter Happily Ever Afters…

  The Alaskan Den Men are some of the hottest werebears you’ve ever encountered. These gruff and growling shifters live and hunt in six different dens throughout the backwoods of Alaska.

  And the Alaskan outback has never been so wild! Because these rugged alpha males are about to meet their mates—some seriously sexy and sassy heroines who live to bring out the beast in their men.

  Get ready for four best selling, award winning, and rising star authors to bring you twelve brand-new, sizzling paranormal romances that are sure to keep you up all night!

  Bear His Mark, Wylde Den #1

  When an Alaskan avalanche traps Adam and Aurora together, it will take more than hot sex to survive the bitter cold of Claw Ridge. Aurora is everything Adam doesn't want, but may be exactly what he needs.

  Princess to a diamond empire, Aurora Starr wasn’t your typical girl next door. Sassy, sweet and hell on Adam’s grizzly senses she’s fated to be his mate. Or so he thought. When the brutal death of her mother sweeps Aurora a world away Adam Wylde struggles to forget her sensual curves and sexy green eyes. Now that she’s ventured into his territory once again not even an Alaskan snow storm can cool the fires of the werebear mating season her sudden appearance ignites. Something he hoped to never feel again.

  On a mission to seek out the truth her late father promised, Aurora returns to Claw Ridge one last time before ascending the throne to her family’s fortune. What she finds instead sends her down a dangerous path that leads straight to Adam Wylde, her one and only weakness.

  Can these two lovers survive the perfect storm with their second chance romance?

  Don’t miss an installment from Talina! Sign up for her newsletter here.

  Wylde Den Book 2: Bear His Bond Out Now

  Wylde Den Book 3: Bear Their Secret Coming Soon!

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Title

  Copyright

  Introduction to Alaskan Den Men

  Foreword

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Note From Talina

  Excerpt: Bear His Bond: Wylde Den #1

  Excerpt: Hexing the Alpha: Hex My Heart #1

  The Complete Alaskan Den Men Collection

  About the Author

  CHAPTER ONE

  Aurora Starr stared at her father’s name. The chiseled strokes of his epitaph on the polished granite blurred and the once healed cracks in her heart splintered into tiny pieces. White light filled the mausoleum and complete silence reigned over her father’s service as the priest gave the final rights over the empty crypt.

  Empty because her father refused to do anything the easy way in life, so why should he in death?

  Thunder rumbled in the distance as if the heavens felt her pain. Tears welled along the rims of her eyes to wet her lashes, but she willed them away. Tiny nails pierced the tender flesh of her palms. Slowly, cautiously, she slid her eyes closed and focused on the pain. That she could handle.

  She sniffled and dug into every last ounce of strength in her body, straightened her back as the final prayer for her father drew to an end. For the past hour dozens of eyes had been glued to her every move. Only now did she feel a small reprieve as everyone bowed their heads.

  Tears never helped anyone. We can learn a lot from the diamonds we pull from the earth. Cold and hard. Take a lesson and life will be easier.

  That was her father all right. Cold-hearted and razor sharp.

  But not always. Tears fell for that father. The one that loved the outdoors and loved life. Not the jaded and torn man he became.

  Her father’s words ran chills up the length of her spine as though he stood over her shoulder, ready with one quip or another the second she showed signs of actually feeling something. They’d grown apart over the last couple of years. His bitterness toward her working for the other kind bled into her life until she had no choice but to sever ties. She’d asked for his understanding yet all she got in return was a note on corporate stationary each Christmas with a few crisp Benjamins tucked inside. As if his money would solve everything between them. But still, with him gone now, nothing would be the same.

  As long as she could remember he always wielded a high hand over her life. He’d ruined it once five years ago on the cusp of her mother’s gruesome death. Maybe if she would have played the passive, obedient daughter they could have been happier. It all seemed moot now anyway.

  “Will you be all right, darling? Why don’t you come home with us and stay a while? I’ll make up the spare bedroom.” Her aunt eyed the two trench coats flanking her, their grim faces half hidden behind black tinted glasses despite there not actually being any sunshine to speak of. The raised collars didn’t do much to conceal the earpieces and holsters.

  She narrowed her eyes at them and mentally tacked on another thing to her massive to-do list.

  “I know you love spending the spring there. It’ll help take your mind off of everything.” A soft, weathered hand to her arm brought her head around and the second Father Gracing slid his Bible closed, her unassuming aunt pulled her into a heartwarming bear hug. All five-foot, one hundred pounds worth of little old lady made everything better with her Aunt Bea worthy apple pies and kind soul. Don’t forget the chicken soup. A nice big bowl of that would be ten times better than what she had to do now.

  Beyond the doors, limos lined the gravel road that led to the private Starr mausoleum. Another reminder of her arranged fate as the assessor of her father’s company.

  Three generations of her family rested here. Uncles, aunts, her mother, and now her father. If only in spirit. All had a hand in building Starr Gem Global, the diamond empire that would be hers within a week whether she wanted it or not. From diamond princess to ice queen. Or, as her father would say, from the gutter with the animals to the leaders of the modern world.

  Jaded and bitter didn’t begin to describe her father.

  Butterflies brushed against the soft interior of her stomach. Her breath quickened.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a tall, stocky man who towered over several grievers, hi
s eyes glued on her. News crews waited along the gate, their cameras at the ready.

  It all came at her at once. He was gone. She’d take anything over the silence eating at her insides.

  She scanned over the room. Not one person beyond her aunt and uncle looked familiar, but everyone knew her. Maybe she wasn’t cut out for this.

  With a gentle squeeze, Aurora pulled back from her aunt and looked down on the icy blue eyes of the woman that helped raise her after the passing of her mother. How long before she’d leave her too?

  “I... I have to go. I’m sorry. I can’t right now.” No matter how tempting hiding out from the ugly world appealed to her, she had a promise to keep before... before whatever happened after losing her father and gaining an empire in the expanse of a week.

  “Are you sure, darling? Your father would be so disappointed.”

  Aurora dragged out a smile and slipped it on for her aunt’s sake. “I have to do something for him.” And herself, depending on how you looked at it. Either way, it would take her away from here if only for a little bit. “You know how Father is—was—with a promise.” She swallowed hard. The time away would help clear her head.

  “Child, you’re too hard on yourself. Is it something I can help with?” The understanding and kind heart her father lacked, her aunt made up for in spades.

  Something warm and wet hit her hand where her aunt clasped her close. Oh! One more teary-eyed plea and she’d have no more willpower to say no or leave her aunt to grieve the passing of her brother alone.

  Rumbling split the skies once again, this time promising to make good on its threat.

  “I won’t be gone long. A day or two, tops. Promise.”

  “Things are about to change, Aurora. You have to be ready.”

  Her aunt’s eyebrows shot up and her eyes turned a shade of blue that denoted determination. All the Starr women had it. Her father called it the Starr-pointed look.

  Aurora crossed her heart and tucked away the invisible key in her pocket like they used to do when she was a little girl. That seemed to do the trick. Her aunt graced her with a smile and patted her hand.

  “Go, child. I’ll cover for you.”

  Bless her sweet heart.

  A familiar, deep, level voice carried over the crowd. Angling her body toward the parked cars, Aurora took a step back one last time. Shit. Her uncle was headed their way, most likely to take her aunt home and with him came another set of stiff, by-the-book trench coats.

  “I’ll call you when I land.” Her aunt shoved a set of keys into her hands. With a quick peck on the cheek, Aurora waved at her approaching uncle and ducked around a few distant relatives huddled under several black umbrellas on the steps. From the few words she caught, someone thought the tainted past of the late Starr and his troubled daughter served as a hot topic to whisper about. The chilled wind carried faint notes of one of them and words like untrustworthy and tainted.

  Anger bubbled in the pit of her stomach until a bitter taste entered her mouth. Not that she wanted to give any excuses, but at least her father had a reason for hating otherworldlies—humans born of both shifter blood and human.

  She might only have human hearing, but even the dead could pick up on the shameful tone tossed at her for being a shifter lover. Once tainted in the eyes of the high and mighty of her father’s inner circles there was no going back. Money didn’t make you a decent human being. These people were more savage than the shifters they held prejudice against.

  Trying not to catch the tip of her heel on jagged bricks of the walkway, she didn’t bother to acknowledge any of the old hens mixed up with a few well-creased suits. No one had time for that crap or the fake sentiments. She risked a glance at her watch as she reached the graveled road.

  With a double click, the doors to the Town Car flicked open and she slid in and not a moment too soon. Several trench coats were already weaving through the crowd to catch up. “Sorry.” She hit the lock switch and turned over the motor. “Not this time, boys.”

  Having Starr as a surname and being a top executive assistant for the second highest precious gem mining company made bodyguards one more thing she had to deal with on a regular basis.

  But not today. Aurora hit the little green button on her cell phone before the first full ring finished. “Ms. Donavan’s—” she quickly caught her slip. “Excuse me. I apologize. Ms. Starr speaking.” Breaking the habit of answering the phone as an elite Donovan assistant for one of her father’s competitors would take a little bit. A long pause carried over the speakerphone. “Hello? Can I help you?”

  “Yes, Ms. Aurora Starr, I’m calling about your travel arrangements.” Curt and to the point. Her father’s secretary never cracked a smile or, God forbid, exchanged pleasantries.

  “Yes, Ms. Chadwell.” With the phone tossed to the passenger side, Aurora craned her neck around to check for passing cars, not that there would be many on a single lane cemetery road, but hey, one tended to be a little more careful when the view out the windshield was acres of stone slabs in a variety of sizes.

  “I’m calling to confirm your flight times. I have you for an eleven-thirty departure.”

  How could she forget? “I’ll be there. Thank you for the reminder, Ms. Chadwell.” With a flick across the smooth glass, she ended the call and stuffed the phone back into her coat pocket, mentally adding a note to pick up something on her trip to smooth the rough edges of her soon-to-be assistant.

  Just the thought of dealing with Chadwell on a daily basis made her pulse plummet.

  She had one more stop and then she could be on her way. Executing her father’s last wishes in secrecy took some finagling, but the end was in sight.

  The drive passed in a blur and within minutes of stowing her single carry-on, the skies opened up and drowned out the shrinking skyline of New York City.

  CHAPTER TWO

  “Home sweet home.”

  Aurora shut off her rental car and took in the sight of the one town on earth her father vowed she could never return to. Vowed until he lost all color to his face that over his dead body would any kin of his ever return to Claw Ridge, Alaska.

  Why he picked it as his final resting place still sat heavy on her mind.

  Hard to believe that twenty-four hours ago her surroundings were gray and colorless compared to the postcard worthy view beyond her windshield.

  Snow-tipped mountains gave way to a crystal clear sky so blue it made the world look like it glowed with an invisible energy. Cold air filled her lungs and she tilted her head back to catch the first rays of Alaskan sunshine as the midnight sun gave away to morning. As precious as the stones her father pulled from the frozen ground. More so in her opinion, but no board member could pocket that value.

  “Hey sweetheart, you lost, or in need of a little help?” A deep craggy voice shattered her moment of Zen. Aurora shot the intruder a sideways glance and returned her attention to the gas pump.

  Squinting, she held up a hand to block the rays angled just so to hit her square in the face.

  Ash-blond hair caught the rays of morning light momentarily hiding his face. Before she could blink, he towered over her. By then, it was too late to make a fast withdrawal to the safety of her car or the store. He appeared out of nowhere that she could see and covered the distance of the small parking lot in a handful of strides.

  She shifted positions and placed the sun at her back. Smeared grease covered most of the coverall, and the grungy orange material looked faded and tattered in places from prolonged use. A small, white logo stood out on the sleeve, marking him as a mechanic from the shop around the corner. He must have been watching to catch her all the way over here.

  With a tilt to his head, he performed one of those one-sided elbow leans on the gas pump probably thinking it made all the chicks dig him.

  She huffed her surprise as she flipped the lever to the gas pump. “You have to be kidding.”As misinformed as he may be, it might have worked if he didn’t ooze massive amounts of c
reepy dude vibes and rock a half-torn wife beater like they weren’t standing in on the fringes of the Arctic Circle.

  That meant he was shifter. Only they could run around as if it was summer all year long and not be affected. One that could tear you limb from limb in a blink, just like your mother. You can’t trust them. Aurora forced down her father’s voice echoing in the back of her mind.

  With him propped up on her gas pump, she had no choice but to reach around him to return the nozzle.

  She needed to get going if she had any hopes of making it off the mountain before nightfall. Who knew, if lucky, maybe she’d be out of here before then. Keeping her promise to her aunt might score her a twofer—apple pie AND her award-winning chicken soup.

  A girl needed her comforts.

  Aurora flipped the lid to her rental car’s gas tank closed and stepped around the wall of a man who couldn’t find a clue if it were taped to his forehead apparently.

  In her line of work, getting bullied by entitled pricks and hit on all in the same hour happened to be another day at the office. “After the week I’ve had, buster, don’t. Just don’t.” She sliced a hand through the air and put several feet of cracked cement between them.

  “Come on, let me make it better.” He reached out and caught a strand of her air between his fingers.

  Ugh. Aurora stepped back with her hands up. “Look, I’ll go my way, you go yours, Gigantor.” Don’t antagonize the man, smart-ass. The lopsided smile that pulled at the corner of his lips made her stomach do a chug and heave.

  “You haven’t seen big yet, baby.” In a sleazy glide he wrapped his hand around his crotch and cupped his bulge.

  Seriously? The man had the looks to land any girl, but his method needed an overhaul. Her heartbeat rattled around in her chest and almost made her lose her step as she rounded the trunk of her four-wheel-drive.