Finding Truth Beneath the Lies
Finding Truth Beneath the Lies
Seaside Wolf Pack
Book 4
By C.C. Masters
Copyright 2017 by C.C. Masters.
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Dedication:
Dedicated to everyone who has supported me along this journey! Special thanks goes out to the Seaside Wolf Pack on Facebook for always keeping me inspired and motivated.
Thank you to Ann Marie Ware, without you I would not be able to keep writing.
Thank you to Ellen Yates for all of your help getting this book ready for public viewing!
Finding Truth Beneath the Lies
Need to catch up?
Chapter 1
Anna
Chapter 2
Anna
Chapter 3
Talen
Chapter 4
Anna
Chapter 5
Anna
Chapter 6
Anna
Chapter 7
Anna
Chapter 8
Mason
Chapter 9
Anna
Chapter 10
Anna
Chapter 11
Anna
Chapter 12
Anna
Chapter 13
Austin
Chapter 14
Anna
Chapter 15
Anna
Chapter 16
Anna
Chapter 17
Anna
Chapter 18
Anna
Chapter 19
Anna
Chapter 20
Anna
Chapter 21
Anna
Chapter 22
Anna
Chapter 23
Jason
Chapter 24
Anna
Chapter 25
Anna
Epilogue
Justin
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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Books by C.C. Masters
Need to catch up?
Here’s what happened so far:
Anna and the guys joined forces with a witch to track down the source of the attacks against their pack. James was shot during the confrontation and just when they thought all was lost, Anna turned the battle in their favor by releasing magic that she never knew she had.
Caleb and the guys went through the bad guy’s hideout to determine who was pulling their strings while Anna was trapped in a magical coma. The blame fell on Austin’s father, who was reported MIA. After Sam stepped in to help, Anna woke up from her coma and things seemed to take a turn for the better. Austin was named temporary council member in place of his father, while Austin’s brother, Justin, announced he would be leading Mr. Zilker’s pack and taking Austin’s ex ,Jessica, as his mate.
Anna meets Arminius, a lamia who claims to have known her mother and had a long history with the white wolves. He invites her to spend time at his estate so that he can share his knowledge with her, but Austin cautions Anna that Arminius may have an ulterior motive.
Anna had unknowingly caught the attention of several fae when she released her power. Her father, Froston, suddenly appears to reveal that he had placed a barrier on her magic to keep her hidden. He takes Anna from the pack and to his world against her will.
The pack is left searching for Anna while she struggles to come to terms with her new identity in a strange new world. Prince Mandrake kidnaps Cody in an attempt to manipulate her but relents when it doesn’t have the intended result. Anna learns that Drake and her father had conspired to bring her to their world and suspects that they orchestrated the circumstances that led to her killing the king of Winter in a battle for her life.
Froston returns Anna to her world while he and Drake focus on the battle for the throne of the Winter Court. He leaves Talen with her so that she can continue to learn about her fae heritage and how to use magic.
Gemma starts to reveal that she may not be what she seems. She claims to be a halfling too human to shift and seeks refuge with the Seaside Wolf Pack while her own pack is in disarray. Austin agrees to let Gemma stay with them because she is from the Canadian pack and might have information about Anna’s mom, the history of the white wolves, and lives in the territory where the gate to the fae world exists.
Is Talen a friend or spy? Is Gemma a victim in need of sanctuary or a snake in the grass? Is Anna safe from the other wolves now that Austin’s father is missing? How will the other wolves react when they find out that Anna is half fae? When they find out they are all descendants of the fae? Will it bring them together or tear their world apart?
Chapter 1
Anna
I gripped my sword tighter and faced down my opponent. Sweat beaded on my face and threatened to obscure my vision, but I was too afraid to take my eyes off my foe for even a second to wipe it away. We circled each other warily, each of us waiting for an opening.
Well, I circled him warily and he watched me with amusement as he kept pace with me. Talen was tall and lithe, like most of the male fae that I had met. His dusky gold skin, dark hair, and flawless features were reminiscent of an Egyptian god. I, on the other hand, had completely missed out on all of the grace and agility that most fae seemed to possess.
All of my other pack mates were already proficient with guns, knives, and explosives, but swords were something new for all of us. Talen had impressed on me the importance of being able to defend myself without magic. I didn’t want to be helpless if I was cut off from magic; I never wanted to be helpless again. The fae didn’t use guns, explosives, or automatic weapons. Their weapon of choice was the sword.
And so I was learning to use a sword. Slowly and painfully.
I wasn’t the only one. Austin had quickly realized that if we didn’t keep Talen busy, he was going to entertain himself by making trouble in the pack. Having Talen work with all of our pack members to teach swordplay was more than just keeping Talen out of trouble. Austin wanted our pack to be able to take on the fae if we had to. He needed all of us to be able to fight on their terms just as well as ours.
I could see Talen start to lose interest in our fight as his attention drifted to where Cody and James were sparring. The clashing sounds as their swords met filled the clearing we were training in. I took the opportunity to rush Talen to try and get a strike in. He quickly countered my attempted attack and my dull blade went flying.
“Ugh.” I wiped the sweat off my brow as Talen laughed.
“At least try to keep the blade in your hands, Anna.”
I shot him a dirty look but stomped after my sword to retrieve it.
Thankfully he turned his full attention to Cody and James. “The sword is not an axe, you dumb brute!” he shouted at Cody. “You don’t use it to hack at your opponent.”
Cody let the sword fall and took a step toward Talen, a deep growl emanating from his chest. Cody was the largest wolf I had ever met - he was close to six and a half feet tall and was all muscle. Most people were intimidated by Cody based on his sheer size, but he had a giant heart to go with his giant frame. Talen had quickly realized that Cody might growl and grumble, but wouldn’t actually hurt anyone on our side. But I was worried that Talen would eventually push Cody too hard with all of his harsh criticism.
“Alright, guys.” I interrupted. “Maybe we should take a break
for some water?”
I placed myself in front of Cody to distract him, leaning on the sword tiredly.
“For the love of the gods, Anna,” Talen cried out. “How many times do I have to tell you that a sword should not be used as a walking cane?”
I rolled my eyes and kept my attention on Cody. “C’mon big guy, let’s go in and I’ll make you a snack.” I reached for his hand so that I could tug him into the house.
Cody’s eyes finally left Talen to rest on me, a small smile on his handsome face. “I am kind of hungry.” He admitted.
I grinned at him before turning to James. James wasn’t sweating at all and didn’t even look out of breath after battling Cody for the last half hour. He stood casually and held his sword comfortably, as if it were a part of himself. He wasn’t as tall as Cody, but was still over six feet. His dark hair and dark eyes matched his all black ensemble that included cargo pants and combat boots. “You want anything?”
James just shook his head at me. “I’m fine.”
James had taken the challenge of learning a new weapon very seriously. He had picked up on it quickly and was one of the few of us who had a chance of landing a strike on Talen. I loved to watch him fight, he was sleek and graceful with his movements and fought as if he were in a dance with death itself.
Talen strode toward James, readying his weapon for the battle. I hesitated but then turned back to the house. Cody wasn’t the only one who was hungry. I was starving. I had been working with Talen on my magic early in the mornings before weapons training, which alternated between swords, guns, and hand-to-hand combat. My afternoons were filled with pack responsibilities, and then my evenings were spent on more magic training. It was exhausting.
Cody and I walked companionably into the house to find Caleb already in the kitchen. “Hey, Anna,” he called to me with a smile. “I thought you would be in soon, so I was making some soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.”
I grinned at him before I stopped to give him a kiss. “You’re amazing.” Caleb was tall and lean with more of a swimmer’s build. He had chestnut brown hair that curled over his ears and brown eyes like melted chocolate. He was the sweetest wolf in the pack and we had bonded over our mutual social awkwardness.
Caleb blushed shyly at the attention as Cody hovered over the griddle to check out the sandwiches. “Were those just for Anna?” Cody asked worriedly, his brow furrowed at the potential seriousness of the food situation.
Caleb chuckled. “I think four sandwiches might be a bit much for Anna to handle, she’ll probably be willing to share one or two.”
I laughed and gave him a shoulder bump. “I’m not sure about that, Cody. I’m pretty hungry right now.”
His Caribbean blue eyes twinkled at me as he wrapped an arm around my waist. “Let the negotiations begin.” I could stare into those gorgeous eyes of his all day, so he wasn’t going to be able to get much of an argument out of me.
My attention was drawn away from Cody as Austin stalked into the kitchen. Austin was tall and muscular with dark blond hair. He had a presence that usually exuded authority, but today I could feel the anger rolling off him in waves. I reached out with the pack bond to try and soothe him.
He gave me a small smile when he felt my energy, but made eye contact with everyone in the room.
“We have a problem.”
I sighed even as my tummy churned nervously. The last couple weeks there had been this tension in the house, where everyone had just been waiting for more bad news to hit us. There was so much that was unresolved, it felt like fate was hovering over our heads, just waiting to start dropping bombs again.
“Are we going to need to sit down for this?” I asked in resignation.
Austin rolled his shoulders. “Might as well.” He looked around the room at the three of us. “I’ll brief James afterward, but I think it’s best if he keeps our fae visitor occupied for now.”
“I can meet with the twins later,” Cody added. “They won’t be back from class until later this afternoon.”
“And they have Gemma,” I tried to keep all the resentment out of my voice, but I wasn’t sure I succeeded. Austin confirmed that suspicion when he focused his attention on me. I squirmed a little under his close scrutiny and went to the cupboard for dishes. I felt like Austin could read my every thought just by looking at my face. “Caleb made lunch, we might as well enjoy it while we chat,” I announced in an attempt to turn his attention to food instead of me.
Cody went to the drawer for silverware while I brought the plates and bowls over to Caleb. “I’m almost afraid to ask,” I said hesitantly as I turned to look at Austin. “But is this fae-related news?”
He walked up to me to take the bowls of soup as I ladled them out. “No, that’s one issue that’s still on the back burner for us.”
I had taken down the king of the Winter Court a few weeks ago and my father had brought me back here so that I could escape the fallout. I wasn’t naïve enough to think that the fae wouldn’t come after me, but I was hoping that the battle to determine who would be their next king would hold their attention for some time to come. I was also hoping that they were too cautious of my magic turning on them to try and use me in their struggle.
“Whatever it is, we can handle it,” Caleb told me with warmth in his brown eyes. He plated the sandwiches and the four of us sat at the table.
“Okay, I’m ready,” I told Austin as I picked up my sandwich. “Lay it on us.”
I saw a twinkle of amusement in his eye before his look faded to seriousness. “The witches are calling in their favors.”
I took my first bite of the grilled cheese that was toasted to the most perfect golden shade of brown, but I was too nervous to really enjoy it. Wolves usually stayed far away from the witches, but our pack had used their services more than once recently. We had used a witch to get a tracking spell the last time we were attacked by a bomb, and Austin had used them to try and find me when I was taken from the pack.
“What do they want?” Cody grumbled.
Austin’s eyes flicked to me and I felt a sinking sensation in my gut. However, it was my fault that we owed them in the first place, so I sat up in determination. Whatever they wanted from me, I could handle it.
“They want to take Anna, for one month,” Austin said with a tightness around his eyes.
“No,” Cody said. “Absolutely not.” Cody stopped eating and let his spoon drop into his empty bowl with a ping.
I patted his arm reassuringly and he turned to me with concern in his eyes. “We just got you back, there’s no way I’m going to let anyone take you again.”
“I haven’t spoken with them directly yet,” Austin said. “But that was the message that was passed to me. Obviously, I plan on negotiating.”
I sighed and sat down my sandwich. “You think it’s because of what Jade found when she did the spell?” The witch was the first to notice that I wasn’t a ‘normal’ wolf. When she did the tracking spell, she had used my magic to fuel it. She had been surprised to find that I had more magic than five alpha wolves put together, but that it was out of my reach because of a barrier. I ended up shattering that barrier later that night, but did the witches know that? Or did they think that they could just siphon magic off of me like I was a clueless magic fountain?
Austin nodded with regret. “I never would have agreed to let her involve you in her magic if I had known what you really were.”
I tensed and looked at him carefully. I hadn’t fully discussed the revelations about my fae heritage with Austin yet. I think a part of me was still terrified that he would reject me or think less of me now that he knew that I wasn’t a full-blooded wolf.
Austin hadn’t been around much since I had been back. The shifter world had been filled with rumors after so many packs had been approached by fae who attempted to purchase their females. Austin had convinced the council to stop hiding what they truly were, and announce to the community that we were all descendants of the fae. r />
The news had sent shockwaves through our community and not everyone was having an easy time accepting the existence of fae and our history with them. Austin and the rest of the guys had convinced me that it was best to keep quiet about who my father was for now. Only a select few in the pack knew Froston was my father, and that I was half-fae. Well, more than half really, but it seemed like most of the wolves were still going to consider themselves a completely different species.
While I understood that Austin now had an important role in our community as an influential member of the council, a part of me just wanted him to stay here with me in Seaside. All the unspoken words between us was causing frustration to build up inside of me. I kept telling myself that I just needed to wait for the right time, but what if that never came?
I cleared my throat. “We do owe the witches for their help, and I’m willing to fulfil that debt. But I’m not willing to walk into a situation where I’m not in complete control.”
Caleb looked at me quietly. We had talked a lot about how I was determined to learn to use my magic and never helpless again. I was adamant that I would never again place myself in a situation that made me a victim.
“What are you thinking?” Austin asked thoughtfully.
Cody opened his mouth to protest, but I gave his arm a squeeze before speaking. “I’m guessing that they want to use my magic to fuel their spells.”
“I agree,” Austin said unenthusiastically before he took a bite of his soup.
“I’m not opposed to working with them if they intend to use my magic for good. But I decide what spells I’ll participate in and how much magic I’m willing to donate.” I was proud of myself for sounding confident and self-assured as I made that statement. But deep down I was worried. Had the witches realized what I was? Would they recognize that I had fae magic from Jade’s description? Would they recognize it if they came face to face with me now? The fae had been banished from our world for at least a thousand years, but they obviously hadn’t respected that banishment. It was possible that the witches had run into them over the years.