Lucious ‘Lux’ Lynch is who I am. I’m the most feared man and shifter in North Texas. I’m ruthless, brutal and unforgiving. I will end your life in the blink of an eye. I have no shits to give. You fuck with me or mine, you will pay the ultimate price that’s bonded in blood. I’m not a nice man, but I’m loyal. My brothers will always be protected; even if it means giving my life to ensure it.
I’m unique as a shifter, with an abnormality in my genetic make-up that ultimately cost my father his life. Even when in human form, I have supersonic speed courtesy of my dad. All my life, I’ve had to work hard to appear ‘normal’ which has imbued me with patience. Right now, though, that patience is being sorely tested thanks to Helga. She dropped a bomb on me last week, one that still has me reeling. It seems that somewhere, out there, I have a mate. Me, a motherfucking mate. I’m not one who is driven by my emotions but finding out that on my twenty-second birthday my so-called mate and I will be telepathically linked has my world spinning on its axis. I’ve always been fine with the bitches at the clubhouse when I need a release, so when Helga told me that tidbit of information, that I was basically committed to someone that I’ve never met or crossed paths with, all I could think about was the fact that my easy pussy was going away; and that pisses me off. One of the best parts of being in this club, aside from the brotherhood and the fucking awesome bikes, is we have access to pussy, morning, noon, and night. I’m not sure I’m wired to fuck only one woman for the rest of my life and I resent the fact that Helga is putting a crimp on my lifestyle. What more does a man like me need? I’ve got my bike, my brothers, more money than I can spend in one lifetime thanks to our dealings, and pussy on tap.
I need to shift and run to let off some of this aggression that is thrumming through my body. My leopard is relentlessly pacing in my mind, demanding the freedom of a good long run—his legs need to be stretched. He needs to shed my human skin and own my body for a while. I’m willing to let him do so, needing to let my mind go. I stormed away from Helga when she shared my destiny with me, but my gut is screaming she left out pertinent information that I’ll be discovering as time passes by.
As I leave my office and make my way into the main room of the clubhouse, I see several of my brothers lounging around. “Going for a run if anyone needs me for anything.” I don’t wait for a response. Instead, I head out the back door and quickly strip before I shift, knowing that my clothes will be safe where I drop them. No one dares to fuck with me or any of my possessions.
The trees fly by as I let my leopard take the reins. I can smell prey nearby, but have no desire to track and hunt right now. Maybe later, but right now, I need to feel the breeze through my fur as I run with bursts of speed that cannot be seen by the human eye. It feels good to let my ‘human’ responsibilities go for a while and just be, especially after Helga’s news. I’m still stuck on the fact that she kept secrets from me. My life’s focus had been on one thing, only for her to pull the rug out from underneath me.
Miles pass as I continue digging my paws into the ground with my run, still no calmer than I was when I left. I stop briefly at a lake and slake my thirst before I start sprinting through the wildlife in the woods again. I don’t want a mate. I don’t want to be responsible for another person outside of my brothers and my club. I don’t want this! Feeling distraught at the thought that there’s no way for me to stop fate from gripping me in its clutches, I yowl out a fierce roar. You can feel my anguish, betrayal and annoyance about my so-called destiny. Fuck the goddamn fuckers above who choose our mate for us. You can all kiss my tail!
Shelbi
“Say that again,” I demand of Olga, my guardian. “Did you just inform me that when I have my next birthday that my life is basically no longer my own?”
“Watch your tone with me, young Shelbi. I’ll cast a spell and give you a zit the size of the Grand Canyon.”
“You wouldn’t!” I protest, ready to shift and get as far away from her as I possibly can. The fucking wicked witch has pissed me off. “Why me? What did I do so wrong in life that I end up with you and am forced into a mating that I don’t want? I’ve always enjoyed my solitude; I don’t want a damn alpha leopard needing to know all of my comings and goings.” The most contact with another being that I want is while I’m working. I’m a waitress at ‘Grab Your Grub’, our town’s local diner. The name sucks, but the staff is friendly and mind their own damn business. The owner is more of a passerby than an actual boss. He comes in, grabs the receipts and money, makes out the next week’s schedule and disappears. Just like everyone else in my life, other than this witch bitch. I tolerate her just fine, but she’s a busybody, always making me sit down and read lessons. I’m fucking twenty-one years old and still sitting at a desk as if I’m still in high school. I’m not a witch, why do I need to learn spells and their meanings? I couldn’t care
