Shameless Mate: A Second Chance Small Town Shifter Romance (Mystic River Shifters Book 4)

## MARK rom a distance, a lone arctic fox sat on a rock outcropping, the frigid wind bristling his fur and forming tips of ice on individual hairs. Mark Hadley listened as in the distance the sound of a lynx being claimed by her mate echoed through the mountains. They had been friends most of their lives, and Mark was glad Kyra Reynolds was no longer alone. He didn't envy Scott Hardaway, or Ewan MacLean as he had once been known, such a spirited mate... or did he? Mark hoped there would come a day when he could explain to Kyra why he'd left Mystic River at a time she needed a good friend to stand with her, but it would have to wait. Right now, his focus was on the survival of his own people. They were in danger and their current alpha was at best a dupe, but most likely in collusion with those who threatened them-the Shadow League. Their skulk's alpha had strong ties to the Shadow League. The rest of the skulk might not know it, but Mark sure as hell did. The League's insidious poison had begun to branch off into new and dangerous territory. The Ruling Council still thought they controlled them. The Ruling Council was wrong. Somebody had to stop them. Mark was convinced that he was one of those born to fight those who sought to rule from the shadows. There would be a fight, which might even devolve into a war, but there was no way to avoid it. He would need to put things right within his own skulk and then recruit others to his cause. Mystic River was an isolated community on the remote island of Kodiak, off the coast of Alaska. It seemed to be as good a place as any to raise and train an army of warriors. When the time was right, he would recruit Scott and the others to join them, for this wouldn't be a fight just among foxes but would spread to encompass all of the shifters and perhaps even mankind. Mark had grown up believing his destiny was to lead those at Vulpecula, the skulk's estate-so named for the constellation of the fox-outside of Mystic River. To do so would mean a challenge and fight to the death with the alpha. His parents believed he lacked both the strength and moral fortitude to win and had all but begged him to leave after he had been banished by the alpha. Mark knew they were wrong; he should have challenged Nova's father and been done with it. If they were wrong then, they were sure as hell wrong now. His plan to return was still in motion-there were still too many variables at play, but the first step was to slip onto Kodiak Island with none being the wiser. The second was to challenge Fenrick for leadership of the clan and to claim his daughter as his fated mate. The details of his plan might be in question, but he knew in the end it would be direct, brutal, and violent. Defeating Fenrick was a foregone conclusion, Mark had spent his time learning to fight and to win. Claiming Nova was another matter altogether. It might prove to be the most dangerous gambit of all.