The Hunt: Paranormal Shifter Romance Read online

  The Hunt

  Milly Taiden

  Latin Goddess Press, Inc.

  Contents

  The Hunt

  About the Book

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Also by Milly Taiden

  Also by Milly Taiden

  Also by Milly Taiden

  Also by Milly Taiden

  Also by Milly Taiden

  Also by Milly Taiden

  Also by Milly Taiden

  Also by Milly Taiden

  Also by Milly Taiden

  Also by Milly Taiden

  The Hunt

  NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR

  MILLY TAIDEN

  About the Book

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  Willow Myers loves Halloween. So when some college classmates invite her to a party, her best friend encourages her to go and have some “fun”. Not a one-night-stand kind of girl, she doesn’t think it likely. Until she sees sexy in a loincloth. He’s tall, big and half-naked. Just what her dry spell ordered.

  Dax Birch hates The Hunt. The shifter event to find mates took his last girlfriend. He's not looking to be mated anyway. But his family lovingly pressures him into attending. He's ready to go home until he hears her. And she's not just funny, she's hot as sin. His attraction to her charm, sarcasm, and curves is instant. Even without his shifter senses, he knows she's special. The Hunt finally gets interesting.

  Willow and Dax are unlikely pair, but they’re ready to give this a go and see where it leads. It leads to lots of time out of their clothes. A lot. The twists and turns keep them on their toes. Willow's life will never be the same boring routine. At least, if she can survive her kidnapping.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real in any way. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Published By

  Latin Goddess Press

  Winter Springs, FL 32708

  http://millytaiden.com

  The Hunt

  Copyright © 2019 by Milly Taiden

  Edited by: Tina Winograd

  Cover: Jacqueline Sweet

  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.

  Property of Milly Taiden

  October 2019

  Created with Vellum

  —For everyone who loves Halloween

  I love it too!

  Chapter One

  At work in the coffee shop, Willow Myers stared at the thick paper invitation just handed over the counter to her with surprise. A young kid with headphones rushed back out, a stack of envelopes in his hand.

  She sighed, knowing exactly what it was for. A Halloween party. She’d spoken to a friend from school who had convinced her to go. Hallow Lake wasn’t a college town, but there was a small private college locals attended, Willow being one of them.

  She wasn’t a typical college student at thirty years old, but it was never too late to get that degree. She’d been unable to get it during her younger years while caring for her ailing mother.

  She glanced at the envelope while filling the order of the next customer in line. It didn’t have her name, but her school friend had told her she’d drop the invitation by. Willow guessed the woman couldn’t be bothered to address it or deliver it herself.

  She didn’t really go out that much. Parties were usually not her thing, so it was already making her anxious to have the invitation in hand.

  “What’s that?” asked Noelle, the owner of the coffee shop where Willow worked. “It looks familiar.”

  Willow frowned, glancing up at the other woman. “An invite to a Halloween party.”

  Noelle smiled wide, her eyes twinkling with excitement. “A party? That’s awesome! You’ll have such a great time.”

  Willow’s gaze took in the orange décor of the paper along with the white words on the black paper. “I don’t know that I’ll go.”

  Noelle rolled her eyes. “But you love Halloween. You’re even wearing a T-shirt that says ‘Bad Witch.’ Yes, you’re going. Before you start complaining, it’s a party. Not the end of the world. You’re thirty years old, Willow. My god, you’ve had one boring ass boyfriend and you really need to live a little. All you do is work, work, work. For someone who loves Halloween, I don’t see any excitement in going to a dress-up party.”

  Willow gaped at her boss. “Noelle, I haven’t been to a party in forever.”

  “This year, you’re going to that Halloween party and you’re even going to have a few drinks.”

  “I am?” Willow asked with a grin.

  “Yeah. I declare you need to have fun,” she grinned. “I swear you have to get yourself to loosen up a little. Have a few drinks. Laugh. Hell, get laid. Do it all, love. You only have one life, child.”

  Willow’s chest went tight. “Oh, god. What am I in for?”

  Noelle laughed at her panic. “Relax, girl. I know you’re not ready for all the craziness I’m suggesting, but I’m always going to suggest a little dirty, dirty,” she winked. “If you know what I mean.”

  Willow’s cheeks burned with embarrassment. “I know what you mean.”

  “Good. Now, promise me you’re going to do whatever feels natural. I mean, if you see a guy you like, flirt like your life depends on it.”

  Willow raised her brows higher if that was possible. “Say what?”

  “Girl,” she giggled, “just make sure you have fun. Wear your sexiest costume.”

  Willow cleared her throat. “Yeah, about that. You see, I don’t really think I have anything, uh, sexy.” She coughed. “Seeing as I feel weird about my legs and all.”

  “Oh, hush,” Noelle said, waving her hand in dismissal. “You have great legs.”

  “They’re huge. They look like elephant legs.”

  Noelle gasped. “Don’t you do that. Don’t put yourself down. You have thick thighs and a curvy figure. It works. Own it. It’s the only body you have.”

  Willow sighed. “I do like my body, mostly. It’s my legs I’m self-conscious about. I feel like they’re huge, but overall I think I’m kinda cute. But I don’t think I should wear anything sexy. Maybe I should get a nun costume.”

  Noelle shook her head. “Not for this Halloween party you won’t. I see the wistful look on your face every time you see couples come into the shop. You want that for yourself. You know you do. So give yourself the opportunity to meet someone. You’ll go to that party and have fun. End of story. I won’t take no for an answer.”

  Willow licked her lips and didn’t bother arguing. Once Noelle got something in her head, there wasn’t a chance in hell she’d forget about it. “It’s not your party.”

  Noelle laughed. “No, but you’re going to go because you know I’m right.”

  That night, Willow stare
d at the beer she never drank in her fridge and sighed. Did beer have an expiration date? She glanced all over the six bottles but found nothing. She needed something stronger, but fuck it, it would work.

  Her doorbell rang just as she popped the top off and took a gulp. Yuck. That shit was so nasty. Why did she think this would help her? She put the bottle on her coffee table and went to open the door. The only person who’d visit at such a late hour would be her neighbor and lifelong friend, Amy. As a high school guidance counselor, she always had some drama to share.

  “Hey!” Amy grinned, her hair up in a ponytail and a pizza box in her hands. “I brought dinner.”

  Willow glanced at the box. She’d been so good all week, counting carbs and all that crap. One of her biggest struggles was food. Not to be confused with her weight. Yeah, she was curvy with extra pounds, but she was more than okay with that. Food, on the other hand, was the biggest stressor for her. She loved eating and when she had anxiety, she could eat until she got sick. She worked hard to control her cravings.

  “Come on in,” she sighed, opening the door wider. She watched Amy place the pizza box next to her low-carb beer.

  Amy frowned and picked up a bottle, her features full of disgust. “Are you seriously drinking this crap?”

  She shrugged. “I made a poor attempt, but it’s not for me. I’ll get a diet soda.”

  Amy shook her head. “I got it. I’ll get rid of this offensive thing while I’m at it.”

  She sat and opened the pizza box with a frown. God. Pepperoni. Her favorite. Fuck it. She hadn’t had pizza in almost as long as she hadn’t had sex. That was one thing she wasn’t going to be enjoying any time soon, so she might as well enjoy the food.

  The first bite was heaven. She groaned and moaned and chewed slowly, savoring the sauce and cheese with that dough her body loved hanging on to.

  “Girl,” Amy laughed as she placed two glasses filled with ice and diet soda on the table, “you really need to get laid. Gerard’s Pizza isn’t that great.”

  She swallowed and sighed. “This is delicious. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She took another bite, bigger this time, and munched happily before pushing the box toward her friend.

  “Geez, thanks,” Amy snorted. “I was afraid if I reached for a piece you might bite me.”

  “Grrr,” she growled and then laughed at Amy’s wide eyes. “Relax, and eat or I might just finish this all myself.”

  “So,” Amy started, sitting next to her on the curved sofa, “what’s new with you?”

  “I was invited to a Halloween party,” she mumbled between bites. “I don’t know that I’ll go.”

  Amy chewed thoughtfully before replying. “Why not? Don’t you know the people?”

  She shrugged. “I do. It’s some school friends. They’re really nice and all, but they’re so young. I’m worried I’ll feel out of place. They’re all in their early twenties and here I am, old enough to be…old.”

  Amy laughed, choking on her food and then sipped her soda. “You’re so silly. You’re thirty. That’s not old at all.”

  “Feels like it. I have no education, no real job prospects.” She raised a hand to stop Amy from debating. “You have a career. The coffee shop job is nice for a teenager. What the hell am I doing working there at this point of my life?”

  “You’re about to get a degree in education, Willow. For fuck’s sake, give yourself a little credit. You don’t see what you’ve done so far. Girl, who stops going to school to dedicate themselves fully to a dying parent? And you did that for so many years. At such a young age.” Amy pressed her lips into a line and her gaze softened. “So what that it’s taken you a little longer to get your degree. You’re doing it. Most kids that stop never go back to finish.”

  “I promised my mom I would get my degree. She wanted me to.”

  Amy sighed. “That’s incredibly commendable of you, but you have to stop looking at yourself like you’ve missed the boat on life. Girl, thirty is the new twenty.”

  She groaned and sat back, having finished her second slice. “I don’t believe that. I don’t even like any of the stuff twenty-year-olds are doing now.”

  Amy chuckled and lifted a slice to her face. “That’s not something you can use in court, missy. You have never been the typical teen or young adult.”

  She was right. “I guess.”

  “So about this party. I want you to go and have fun. Get out there and meet more people. You have been too focused on school and work. How the hell are you going to meet a decent guy locked in this apartment?”

  She had very little luck in the decent guy department. At one time, she thought she had found a man who loved her. He had turned cold and he’d refused to understand her need to care for her mother. That had killed any romantic notions.

  “I know what you’re thinking, but there are worthwhile men out there. A thousand times better than that asshole, Brett.”

  “Brett was just honest.”

  “There’s honesty and then there’s being a total insensitive prick. He could have worded things differently.”

  That was true. He seemed unconcerned with her feelings at the time of their breakup, telling her he couldn’t see himself with her any longer. That a woman with no career and no prospect for growth was only going to hold him back. That wasn’t the part that had hurt her.

  It was when he told her she should just put her mother in hospice care and go on with her life that she knew she couldn’t keep seeing him. How could she just forget the woman who had dedicated her life to making sure Willow had happiness and stability? Who could do that?

  She’d seen the cold-hearted monster then and knew it was time to say goodbye. She didn’t care that he was a big land developer. She didn’t care that he was an eligible bachelor. That’s probably what annoyed him the most. Her dumping him in the middle of a crowded street during the holidays had really bothered him. His image was so important to him. She snorted. If only she could go back and break things off before wasting a year of her life on him.

  “So what are you going to wear?” Amy asked, bringing her back to the present and her gaze back to the pizza.

  “I don’t know. I don’t really like dressing up.” She curled her lip and scrunched her nose. “Maybe I’ll wear my coffee shop uniform and that’ll be good enough.”

  “Oh, hell no,” Amy exclaimed. “No. Just, no. I know this great seamstress. She’s a cosplayer and she designs the coolest costumes.”

  She tensed. “I don’t know. I don’t want to spend a lot of money on something I’ll only wear once.”

  “It doesn’t matter. You know you’re not even broke. I know you’re really careful with money because that’s how you were raised, but you have like a whole inheritance in the bank along with your mom’s life insurance. Don’t you think she’d want you to enjoy yourself a little?”

  Had she been alive, her mom would’ve been out the door ready to drag her shopping for a costume, no matter the price. “Okay. I’m convinced, but I still don’t know what type of costume I should wear.”

  “I don’t know. Let’s think. Wonder Woman?”

  She shook her head. “Too naked.”

  Amy rolled her eyes. “Great. I already see how this is gonna go.”

  “A pirate?” she suggested.

  “Too overdone.”

  “Snow White?” Amy asked. “Never mind. I already see the refusal in your eyes. You can’t dress up as someone who had an orgy with seven dudes.”

  She laughed and friendly tapped Amy’s knee. “You’re terrible.”

  “Oh,” Amy grinned evilly. “I know just the one. I won’t even tell you. You’re just gonna wear it.”

  “I don’t think—”

  “It won’t be anything half-naked. Probably more clothes than anything else we can come up with, short of a nun costume.”

  She raised her brows but nodded. “Fine, but if I don’t like it, I’m wearing my uniform.”

  Amy glared at her. �
��I will burn that thing before you go to a party in it.” Then she grinned. “But this costume is going to rock, so no need to worry about you going to work naked.”

  Chapter Two

  Dax Birch turned to his sister with a frown. Her beautiful auburn hair curled down her shoulders, perfectly showcasing the pale tone of her skin. She smiled hopefully at him.

  “No.”

  Ella pouted. “Come on, Dax! You can’t say no. It’s a pack thing.”

  She loved that line. So much so, she’d had all kinds of merchandise made with the saying and made a bunch of money off it on her online store.

  “Why, Ella, why would I want to go to a party?” He hated parties. He socialized enough by helping his ailing father lead the pack.

  As the son and heir of the alpha, he knew people needed to know and trust him. He’d been bred for this. Like the human royals, the packs had their own hierarchy. At the top was his father, and next to take the throne was him.

  “Because it’s time to find your mate. Or at least someone you can spend some time with until she shows up,” Ella told him, her arms crossed over her chest. “I hate to tell you, big brother, but you need to get laid. You’ve been in the shittiest mood ever lately.”

  He growled but shook his head. Trust Ella to be so blunt. He loved that about his little sister. She was sweet and strong, but open and honest at all times.