I am
thrilled to be hosting a spot on the WOLF MARKED by Alexis Calder Blog Tour
hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to
enter the giveaway!
About The Book:
Author: Alexis Calder
Pub. Date: July 29, 2021
Publisher: Alexis Calder
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 232
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle
Read For Free With A Kindle Unlimited
Membership!
They tried to break me. Now I’m going to break them.
Cursed to never shift, the only thing I was looking forward to about the First
Moon Ceremony was that the magic sealing me into Wolf Creek would break, and I
could finally leave.
Instead, the ceremony reveals my true mate: Tyler Grant, future leader of my
pack and the man responsible for my most recent concussion and black eye. He’s
as brutal as he is handsome and fate is a bitch to put us together.
There’s a rumor that a mating bond could break my curse and just as I’m getting
my hopes up, Tyler destroys them all.
Instead of bonding with my mate, I’m beaten and left for dead.
A hot-as-sin feral shifter finds me and helps me back on my feet. But his help
comes with a cost and I’m not sure I’m willing to pay the price.
With my former pack hunting me down, even an enemy might be a better ally than
trying to stay alive on my own.
This is book one in steamy rejected mate series. This is not a reverse harem
series. 17+ for steam, language, and darker themes.
EXCERPT
The wind rustled the paper calendar hanging on my wall and I
glanced at the crossed off days. Six days left. I was so close to freedom.
Pulling my jacket tighter around me, I walked over to the window and peered
outside. The sky was steely gray and the clouds looked like they might bring a
tornado. It was late spring and the weather this time of year was
unpredictable.
Maybe
I’d get lucky and it would hit my mom’s shitty trailer and I could get out of
here permanently. I had a feeling I wasn’t going to get out of here that
easily. Whatever witch magic they’d used to seal us in pack lands seemed to
also keep the worst weather away. It also prevented us from self-harm. Not that
it kept anyone else from beating the shit out of me.
I
supposed if I really wanted out, I could have pushed Tyler and his entourage a
little more. The penalty for killing another member of the pack was death, but
I had a feeling nobody would mourn me. And it wasn’t like they’d lock up the
next alpha for getting rid of the broken wolf.
I
closed the window. While we were unlikely to get a tornado here, we did get
rain and I didn’t need the water coming in and ruining my few meager
possessions.
The
duffel bag sitting next to the folding table that served as my desk was already
packed. It had been for three months. Waiting until the night the magic would
free me from this prison. On the first full moon after my nineteenth birthday,
I was supposed to shift, and with that magic, I’d gain the ability to leave the
magical border around our town. I already knew I wouldn’t shift, but the magic
should break, letting me finally escape from the hell that was my life.
For
the rest of the pack, that barrier was our savior. It kept us hidden and
protected. Away from feral wolves who hunted other shifters for sport. Away
from humans who would kill us on sight. Most importantly, it kept us away from
witches. At least that was what they taught us. For me, it kept me away from
freedom. I’d take my chances with humans and feral shifters any day over the
shit I dealt with here. Witches and magic freaked me out more, but I’d cross
that bridge when I got to it.
Fucking
magic. Fucking witches. They were the cause of all my pain. The reason I was
trapped in a town where I was abused daily. The reason my mom spent her days on
her back with whatever pills she could find to dull her pain. I didn’t even
know who my dad was but I was sure he was an asshole. Just like my mom’s dad.
He was the one who pissed off a witch, resulting in the curse that follows my
family. No shifting for us. Practically human with a dormant wolf shifter gene.
If only my mom had fled while she was pregnant with me and let us live as
humans. Instead, she’d stayed here, pining over the fucker who knocked her up.
He never came back and I got stuck here.
“Lola,
did you grab cigarettes at the store?” Mom yelled.
“Yeah,
mom. They’re on the table.” I shouldn’t indulge her habits. It was gross and it
cost me a small fortune but it kept her off my case. She didn’t ask where I
went or what I did as long as there were cigarettes on the table and food in
the fridge. All paid for by my after school job at the pack grocery store.
It
wasn’t a glamorous job, but it was helping me save something for when I finally
got free of this hellhole.
I
took a peek in the mirror and gingerly touched the bruises from my latest black
eye. Another gift from the male who would one day be the pack alpha. If Tyler
Grant had treated me with indifference, maybe I’d have stayed here. Instead, I
got daily reminders that I was unwelcome. One of these days he was going to go
too far and I intended to be long gone before then. Huh, how about that? I
guess I didn’t have a death wish after all. My desire to survive was barely
hanging on by a thread. It would be easier to roll over and give up.
Thankfully, I had the reminder of my mom and what her life was like. I refused
to become like her.
I
considered applying some concealer to cover my injury, but it wouldn’t hide it
much. The rest of my classmates would be healed by now, but since I didn’t have
the wolf inside me to aid in that, I healed like a human. The purple and blue
made my eyes look even more green than they were. Apparently, I had my father’s
eyes. Most of the pack had brown or amber eyes. The green in mine was another
thing that made me stand out. Add in the red hair and it was impossible for me
to hide.
Quickly,
I pulled my hair into a low ponytail to get it out of the way. I grabbed my
backpack and slung it over my shoulder. Six
more days. That was all I had to do. Just a few more days of school, a few
more days of work, a few more days of ignoring the over-acting of my mom’s
moaning through the paper-thin walls of her bedroom. I shuddered. No kid should
have to hear their mom engaging in that. I didn’t judge how she earned her
money but I sure as hell didn’t want to listen to it.
With
one last glance at my packed bag, I left my room. The thought of leaving was
the only thing getting me through the motions. Chin high, I reminded myself
that I was almost there. I’d made it this far. I could make it six more days.
Students
mingled in the grass in front of Wolf Creek Community College when I arrived. I
glared at the building, which was right next door to Wolf Creek High School.
Sometime when I was a small kid, they’d expanded the school requirement to make
all of us take at least one semester of college while waiting for our first
full moon. Most kids who grew up here dropped out as soon as they had their
first shift and settled into some mundane job in town. Few left because we all
knew being a wolf without a pack was challenging. I wouldn’t ever turn into a
wolf so I wasn’t worried. Being alone would be better than being here.
It
was the twenty-fourth of May and there were only a couple weeks of school left
before summer break. But I wouldn’t be here to finish the year. My birthday was
last week, which meant the full moon in six days was my ticket out. I was so
close, I could taste it.
As
I neared the entry, I realized that a small group of guys was waiting by the
front doors. My heart pounded and I froze. Tyler and his crew were gathered
there despite the fact that most of them had already had their first full moon.
Tyler was one of the few wolves who stayed enrolled in school after his first
shift last month. I figured for sure he’d be out of here since his future was
set. As the next alpha, it didn’t matter if he had any actual skills aside from
being able to throw people around. He could do whatever he wanted and nobody
would bat an eye.
Quickly,
I changed direction and started walking toward the side of the building. There
were other doors I could use and I wasn’t in the mood to get the shit beat out
of me today. It wasn’t like I was a pushover but there was nothing fair about
three dudes against one non-shifted chick.
I
slipped into the side door and walked down the tile hallway. Kids I’d known my
whole life glanced at me and quickly looked away. That was how it was for me.
When I was younger, it hurt that I was so alone. Now, I was grateful for their
indifference. Ignoring me was better than the alternative.
When
I finally took my seat in my Calculus class, I breathed a sigh of relief. I’d
made it in without sporting a new black eye. Six more days.
Professor
Ortiz started writing on the white board and the four other people in the class
were already taking notes. I had no deep love of math, but I was good at it and
Tyler wasn’t. Another not as proud moment. My schedule was based on things
Tyler hated. I reminded myself that it wasn’t like I’d even get the credit for
the class since I’d be out before the term was over. It was pure survival at
this point.
Soon
enough, I was sucked into class, too focused on the numbers to worry about
anything else. Okay, so maybe I liked that about math. It forced me to shut out
my other worries.
I
went through the motions for the next two classes, doing enough to keep the
professors from noticing me and not engaging enough to draw attention to
myself. It was a balancing act I’d perfected over the years. Keeping to myself
and making myself nearly invisible were the only ways I’d made it this far.
The
hallways were packed. There were only a hundred of us in this school, but since
we all had the same lunch, it got busy when it was time for a break. I walked
into the crowd, keeping my gaze down to avoid confrontation. It was especially
important this close to a full moon.
Someone
ran right into me, their shoulder slammed into mine, shoving me aside. I looked
up, ready to find a way out, but when my eyes met Tyler’s I knew I was fucked.
“Where
have you been hiding little wolf?” He stared at me with his amber eyes, a
vicious smile on his lips. His fingers dug into my bicep as he held me
tight. “I waited for you at the front
door but you didn’t come. I thought maybe you were playing hooky.”
“What
and give someone else the chance to beat the shit out of me? You know we’re
exclusive.” Missing school was worse than attending. Tyler and his friends
might use me as a punching bag, but the torture that came with being truant was
far worse. I’d tried a few times in high school, but it wasn’t worth the pain.
He
pushed me forward into the women’s bathroom. The door swung open and two girls
standing by the sinks screamed.
“Out.
Now.” Tyler growled.
“I
don’t know why you waste your time with her,” Tenny, a tall blonde who was a
few months older than me said.
Every
female at school wanted Tyler. He was going to be the next alpha, after all.
Even without the promise of power, his looks would buy him a lot of attention.
He was over six feet of solid muscle. With wavy black hair, piercing amber
eyes, and a strong masculine jaw, he was like a walking wet dream. Thankfully,
his good looks were wasted on me. He’d been an awkward kid and by the time he
resembled a fucking Greek God, I knew what kind of person he was.
“Ditch
the loser, Ty,” Tenny said in what was probably supposed to be a seductive
tone. “We haven’t had a tumble in my back seat in a while.”
“I
said, out,” Tyler repeated.
“She
probably doesn’t even know what you like,” Tenny whined.
“What
exactly do you think he’s doing with me?” I asked. “Because I promise you if he
put his dick anywhere near me, I’d bite it off.”
Tyler’s
hand made contact with my face, slapping me so hard it nearly knocked me on my
ass. The sting made my eyes water and I forced myself to clench my jaw and hold
my breath rather than cry out. I’d learned long ago that when I reacted, it
made things worse.
Tenny
giggled. “Well, since she’s not meeting your needs, you know where to find me
if you want a real wolf.”
“Out,”
Tyler repeated.
The
girls left the bathroom and I pulled free of Tyler’s grip. “What do you want,
Tyler?”
“You
shouldn’t be here,” he said. “My father should have kicked you and your whore
of a mother out the day your grandfather crossed that witch. Better yet, he
should have let you starve in the caves.”
I
swallowed hard. The worst punishment in our pack was being locked in the caves
on the south end of town, right near the border. Locked in without food or
water with other criminals meant that wolves often went feral and fed on each
other. It was gruesome and had only been used once in my lifetime, but the
threat was always there. Only, this was the first time Tyler mentioned it. He’d
told me I shouldn’t be here in previous encounters, but he’d never talked about
the caves. Ever since his first shift, he’d been more emotional and less
stable. I was grateful he wasn’t the alpha yet.
“Don’t
worry, I’ll be out of here soon and you’ll never have to look at me again.” I
glared at him.
Before
I saw it coming, his hand was around my throat and he pushed me back, slamming
me against the wall. I heard the cracking of my head as it made contact and
hoped it didn’t mean I had another concussion. Pain blurred my vision and I
winced despite myself.
He
was faster and stronger than he was before his first shift. When we were
younger, I had a chance against him. As we got older, he got stronger, feeding
off the energy of his wolf. I didn’t have that advantage. It was hard to tell
if the beatings had gotten worse or if he’d gotten stronger.
When
we were in elementary school, he teased me but by middle school, things turned
physical. In the last year, I had learned I didn’t stand a chance fighting back
anymore. What I wouldn’t give for some of the strength and power that came
along with a shift.
Tyler
scowled at me. His expression reflecting pure hatred. I never knew what I did
to make him so mad, but it had gotten worse recently. Beating me up had always
seemed to be a sport, something he did with a laugh to show off to his friends.
That’s
when it hit me that we were totally alone. My heart pounded faster. In all the
years of dealing with Tyler, he’d always had others with him. There were always
witnesses. He liked the audience and there was always someone to pull him back
if he took things too far. We’d never actually been alone before. For the first
time during one of our little torture sessions, I was worried. This wasn’t just
a game anymore.
“Let
me go,” I demanded.
“Like
I said, you shouldn’t even be here, little wolf.” He squeezed harder, making me
gasp for air. My vision blurred, growing darker around the edges. For a moment,
I wondered if this was it. If he took me out, I would be free of this place,
done with the pain. I considered it for a heartbeat. A flicker of anger urged
me forward, I wasn’t ready yet.
Risking retaliation, I kicked Tyler right in the nuts. He let go, groaning, as he grabbed his manhood. I sidestepped him then bolted for the door, sucking in air as I fled. The hallway was empty. His friends nowhere in sight. Whatever Tyler had been after, he didn’t want any witnesses. If he hadn’t already had his mind set on murdering me, he probably did now. I might have just signed my own death warrant. Fuck. Surviving for the next six days was going to be harder than I thought.
About Alexis:
Alexis
Calder writes sassy heroines and sexy heroes with a sprinkle of sarcasm. She
lives in the Rockies and drinks far too much coffee and just the right amount
of wine.
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Giveaway Details:
1 Winner will receive a $10 Amazon GC, International.
a Rafflecopter giveawayTour Schedule:
Week One:
|
7/26/2021 |
Excerpt |
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7/26/2021 |
Excerpt |
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7/27/2021 |
Excerpt |
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7/27/2021 |
IG
Post |
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7/28/2021 |
Review |
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7/28/2021 |
IG
Post |
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7/29/2021 |
Excerpt |
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7/29/2021 |
Review |
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7/30/2021 |
Review |
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7/30/2021 |
Review |
Week Two:
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8/2/2021 |
Excerpt |
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8/2/2021 |
Excerpt |
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8/3/2021 |
Review |
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8/3/2021 |
IG
Post |
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8/4/2021 |
Review |
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8/4/2021 |
IG
Post |
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8/5/2021 |
Excerpt |
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8/5/2021 |
IG
Post |
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8/6/2021 |
Review |
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8/6/2021 |
Review |
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8/6/2021 |
Review |
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