Nightfall (The Huntsman Clan Book 1) Read online

  Nightfall

  Rose Alexander

  Contents

  Prologue

  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

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Links

  ©Rose Alexander, 2018

  All rights reserved.

  Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the copyright owner is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  Cover Artist: Bound2Be

  Editing: Muddy Waters Editing

  I dedicate this book to all the bratty kids who keep asking me to write a book they can read. You know who you are and I love you all dearly.

  Prologue

  A woman wearing a dark red cloak hurries down the empty street. It’s just past midnight, and she’s carrying a wicker basket covered with a light pink blanket, holding it close to her body, trying not to disturb the contents within. It's a cool spring night, the daytime not quite warm enough to take away the chill of the night. She stops on the steps of an orphanage and bangs on the door. An old woman answers the door, half asleep.

  "Please take my baby. I can't keep her safe," the cloaked woman pleads with a quivering voice and tears shimmering in her eyes.

  "What is she?" the old woman asks, squinting, confused, and half asleep.

  "She's a bear shifter."

  "Let me have her then," the old woman replies with a sigh, holding out her arms for the baby.

  The cloaked woman hands her over then rushes off into the night without another word.

  Chapter 1

  “Amelia! It’s time to go!” Mom shouts up the stairs.

  "Coming Mom!" I holler back, bursting with energy.

  I'm so excited, today is my sixteenth birthday. That means, as a bear shifter, I get to join my clan for my first shift. I look in the mirror one last time. My ceremonial robes fall nicely around my body. I look nothing like my family. I have light blonde hair that's wavy and almost to my butt, with dark brown, almost black eyes. A Roman nose with full lips and high cheekbones finish off my face. Everyone else in my family has dark hair and light brown eyes. I've always felt different, while my family is into music and aren’t very athletic, I’ve always been into sports and enjoy being active. Just little things like that we don’t have in common. They’ve always treated me the same as my little brother so I don’t know why I feel so different sometimes.

  "I said hurry up," Mom calls up the stairs, her tone raising in pitch with her frustration.

  I come running down the steps, with my cellphone in hand. My mom plucks it out of my grasp before I even notice what happened.

  "No fair, I wanted to text Amanda and Tess before we got there," I pout, crossing my arms across my chest.

  "You'll see both of them there, sweetie; they've already had their first runs," Mom reminds me, gently rubbing my cheek.

  "I know, I'm just excited. I can't wait to see what my bear looks like," I sigh, pulling away from her touch.

  "She will be beautiful just like you," she replies kissing my forehead then lightly swats my backside. "Now scoot."

  I follow her to the car where my dad is already waiting. My brother watches from his bedroom window, sulking. I remember feeling that way a month ago when the first of my friends turned sixteen. He has two years to go yet.

  I'm a ball of nervous energy. My leg won't quit bouncing up and down.

  "Settle down back there," my dad teases, waggling his eyebrow letting me know it’s lighthearted.

  "You know she won't until she shifts. Her bear is waking up," my mom gets after him, lightly smacking his shoulder.

  "I can't wait. Will it hurt when the alpha forces my bear out?" I ask nervously, chewing on my bottom lip.

  "Everyone has a different answer to that question. I don't remember it hurting at all," my dad replies; my mom tries to hide a giggle. "What?"

  "You complained for a week after your first shift," she reminds him, giggling to herself.

  "Don't scare our girl. She's exaggerating," he winks in the mirror.

  "Don't worry, sweetie, it'll be great," Mom smiles, trying to reassure me.

  We arrive at the clan building and my skin starts tingling. The clan building doesn't look like much from the outside, just a large rectangle concrete building in the middle of nowhere, but inside it's set up for the whole clan to gather. It's also located here so we can shift and run, well those of us that can shift. The kids stay behind in the building when they're allowed to participate, like at clan meals and holidays. It's really like a huge extended family. I can feel my bear prowling under the surface, pacing back and forth. She knows it's almost time to come out, too.

  We walk into the building, and I feel like I'm bursting from the inside out. It seems the more shifters I'm around, the more restless my bear becomes. I'm full of nervous excitement. I can't wait to meet my bear for the first time. This past week, I began to feel her slightly and each day she’s grown stronger. The large meeting room is full of long tables for the clan to eat together and congregate. At the far end is a raised stage for special occasions and ceremonies. The alpha is already standing on the stage, and it appears we're the last to arrive. Amanda and Tess run up to me and we hug as a group.

  "I can't believe you are finally here!" Amanda exclaims, jumping up and down.

  "This is going to be epic," Tess grins, her smile almost reaching both ears.

  A man clears his throat behind me. I turn to look and the alpha has walked up while we were talking. I drop my eyes in submission, not wanting to upset him further.

  "Join me on stage now, Amelia," he orders, leaving no room to argue.

  "Yes, alpha," I reply, looking down so not to meet his eyes.

  The alpha is a large man, built of solid muscle. He's nearly seven feet tall with dark hair and a full beard. I would feel sorry for anyone who decided to mess with him. I follow him on the stage, my bear even more restless in his presence.

  "Well met clan members, well met," the alpha booms.

  "Well met alpha," the crowd says in unison.

  "Tonight another shifter joins our ranks. Let's wish Amelia a happy birthday and join her on her first shift," the alpha announces.

  He heads towards the door, and we follow him outside. It’s not safe for a first shift to happen inside. Once we arrive to the second ceremony stop, cheers come from the crowd. I can hear my friends and family shouting the loudest. It's time for my part of the ceremony to start. I step forward and remove my robe so I don't destroy it during the shift. Shifters have a very open policy about nudity, unlike humans. It's just a normal part of life for us. I stand in front of the crowd, nervous about the alpha forcing my shift, but excited as well.

  The alpha approaches me, and I can feel a pressure building inside of me, like my skin is going to explode. It's not quite painful, but not comfortable either. Sudd
enly, I burst, and I'm no longer standing on two legs but down on all fours. The crowd gasps then goes silent. I look around for the source of their shock and realize I’m way lower to the ground than I should be as a bear shifter. I look down and I have a black cat paw. I start to panic, which isn't good in animal form. My mind is racing; how can I be a cat instead of a bear? My muscles are moving in strange ways that feel foreign and familiar at the same time. I'm pacing back and forth and can feel my tail swish, which causes my panic to heighten.

  “Calm sister, it’s me Kylah, your panther spirit. I don’t know how you ever thought we were a bear,” my panther speaks in my head.

  “But, I was raised to be a bear,” I sob to her, heartbroken that my family lied.

  “We are so much more than a bear, calm sister,” Kylah purrs.

  “How can this be? I don’t want to be a panther,” I cry.

  “We are what we are, you can’t change that. I’ll be here waiting for you to accept that,” she huffs.

  I need to get out of here. I start to run but the alpha uses his ability as alpha to force me to change back. I feel every bone and muscle move and reform. It's agonizing and I scream, which comes out as a cat howling then turns into my human scream. I end up lying on the ground sobbing, everything hurting so badly. It didn't hurt at all when he called my animal forward, so it was a bit of a shock that it did when he forced her back in.

  "In light of recent developments, the run is canceled. There is an emergency meeting of the elders now," the alpha orders. He turns to me and speaks softly, "I'm sorry I had to force you back. I know that was painful, but we couldn't risk anyone with a panicking shifter."

  "Ok," I sob, still trying to recover from the forced shift back.

  “I wasn’t panicking. That was all you sister,” Kylah states, before laying down in the back of my mind.

  I'm so confused right now; no one will look at me, not even my friends or parents. I crawl slowly over to my robe to put it back on.

  My achy muscles finally obey, and I'm covered up. I look around and the clearing has emptied of everyone but my parents. My mom is sobbing on my dad’s shoulder and his face is in anguish. Now that my head is clearing, I finish putting the pieces together. I'm adopted and they never told me. I'm so angry I want to scream. How could they do that to me?

  "How could you!" I scream, angry tears streaming down my face.

  "They assured us you were a bear shifter. When you were left at the orphanage, they talked to your birth mother," my mom sobs louder.

  "Joke’s on you, then," I snarl, then run out of the clearing.

  I don't know where I'm going, except away from my parents. It's too far to run home, so I collapse against the building and sob. I can't believe no one told me. I knew I looked different, but I never imagined I wasn't theirs. I guess this explains why I always felt different. I sit sobbing for a while then feel someone sit down next to me. I look up, and it's the alpha. I freeze, scared of what will happen to me next.

  "Relax, I'm just here to talk. You've been through a lot tonight and I thought maybe you would need a shoulder to lean on," he says softly.

  "I'm not in trouble?" I stammer, scared about being the wrong shifter.

  "Why would you be in trouble for being yourself?" he asks his brow furrowed.

  "Are my parents in trouble then?"

  "They did nothing wrong but love you."

  "How can this happen? I grew up thinking I was a bear, and now, I'm a panther.”

  "You're not just a panther."

  "Because the only black panthers are Royals," I reply, my stomach in my throat. That Huntsman clan are the rulers of all the shifters, which is the only clan that has black panthers in it.

  "Exactly."

  "What's going to happen now?"

  "I don't know. We have to contact the Huntsman clan and see what they say."

  Kylah perks up at hearing this, but stays quiet. My panther wants to see other big cat shifters it appears.

  "They won't hurt me will they?" I ask, beginning to panic again.

  "We won't let them hurt you, little cub. You're still clan even if you look different," he replies, putting his huge arm around my shoulders giving me a squeeze. "Now, go apologize to your parents. Their only crime was loving you too much."

  "Yes alpha," I mutter, getting up slowly.

  I'm not ready to face them, but I do as the alpha says and slowly walk back to the clearing.

  I think of what to say to my parents. Why didn't they tell me that I was adopted? Then it hit me; they didn't want me to think they loved me less. Now, I feel guilty for the way I acted, almost. I walk back into the clearing where I left my parents and they both look defeated, and older.

  "I'm sorry for yelling," I say, feeling ashamed, seeing how devastated the look.

  "You had every right to yell," my dad sighs; the lines in his face aging him ten years. "We should have told you before today, just in case the orphanage was wrong."

  "You've always been ours. We adopted you when you were just a baby. We didn't think it would matter," my mom sobs.

  "I'm confused and scared," I reply, bawling. “My panther knows this isn’t us, but I still feel like I’m supposed to be like you.”

  Mom wraps her arms around me, and I lean into her and cry, my chest hurting. I feel like my heart is breaking for a family I never knew, even though I have a family right here.

  "The alpha says I'm still clan, but what if they try to take me?" I ask, biting on my lip.

  “We should be with other cats,” Kylah yawns, uninterested in my feelings.

  "We'll cross that bridge when we get there," my dad replies; his face bunched up in anguish.

  "Let's go home," Mom decides, looking tired and defeated.

  The ride back to the house seems to take forever. I can't stop thinking about the what-ifs. What if no one accepts me now that I'm not a bear? What if I'm forced to leave? What if the Huntsman clan wants me punished for existing? I’ve never heard of a panther existing outside of their clan, so I have no idea what they’ll do.

  "Hello?" my mom answers her phone.

  "I understand," she replies to whoever she's speaking with. "How soon?"

  "I understand, alpha, goodbye," she ends the call.

  "What was that about?" I ask anxiously.

  "We'll talk about it when we get home," she answers sadly, her shoulders slumped.

  We arrive back at the house, and I'm ready to confront my parents first thing, but they take off to their bedroom, not allowing me the chance. I grab my cell phone off of the table where my mom left it and run up the stairs to my room. I call Amanda first.

  "Lia, I'm not allowed to talk to you. My parents won’t let me," Amanda whispers.

  “But the alpha said I’m still clan,” I reply, my heartbreaking.

  “My parents don’t want anything to do with a Huntsman,” she whispers back then hangs up.

  My stomach drops. Amanda and I have been best friends since we were in diapers. I can't believe her parents would shun me like that. I nervously dial Tess's number. I would just text them like normal but this is too big for texting.

  "Lia, you can't call again. You're not one of us," she hisses then hangs up.

  I'm alone and abandoned by my friends. I cry myself to sleep.

  Chapter 2

  "Wake up," Mom gently shakes my shoulder.

  "No," I pout then roll over and put the pillow over my head.

  "We need to talk," she replies firmly, leaving no room for argument.

  I take the pillow off my head and sit up, still in the robe from my ceremony, my hair a tangled mess.

  "You can get cleaned up then meet us downstairs for a family meeting," Mom orders gently.

  She leaves the room, closing the door behind her. I crawl out of bed, put on the first clothes I see, and run a brush through my hair. I’m so confused and hurt. I never would have imagined I was adopted, and it hurts that my parents never told me.

  “You need to accep
t that I am you and you are me,” Kylah says, stretching from the back of my mind.

  “I don’t want to accept that I am a panther,” I reply, taking a deep breath trying not to get upset.

  “It’s who we are. We may share a body, but we also share emotions, desires, well pretty much everything. You will see in time,” she says before laying back down.

  I choose to ignore her. Everything that happened the night before replays through my mind like a nightmare I can't wake up from. How did I never realize the animal inside of me wasn't a bear? Twenty-four hours ago I was on the verge of a life changing event, one that was supposed to be joyous and exciting. But instead, I watched everything I ever thought to be truth implode in front of me in a moment. Today, I get to deal with the fall out of that implosion. I take a deep breath then go down to the family room to face the meeting.

  "Why did I have to get up early?" my little brother whines from behind me.

  "This affects all of us, so you need to know what happened last night," my dad snaps as he puts his hands over his face, dragging them down.

  "He doesn't know yet?" I ask, shocked.

  "We went to bed when we got home," Mom whispers, looking away refusing to meet my eyes.

  "I received a call from the alpha this morning. There will be a representative from the Huntsman clan visiting today," Dad explains, picking at the skin on his thumb.

  "Why?" my little brother asks confused since he didn’t get to witness any of last nights drama.

  "Because I'm not a bear shifter; I'm a black panther!" I snap, almost growling, waking Kylah up causing her to yawn in the back of my mind.

  "How can that be? We're all bears?" he asks confused.