Submissive Shifters & Werewolf Alphas 4-Book Bundle

Chapter One: Cat Shifter

Chapter One: Cat ShifterTina heaves a small sigh of relief as she stares around, her blue eyes searching eagerly through the small crowd of people on the pier.

Lilith had promised her that James Castle would be here to meet her, but she couldn't' see anyone whom she thought might fit his description.

She feels a little out of place in a place like this. Then again, she has always felt out of place everywhere. She's a Cat Shifter in a world filled with Werewolves. The Alpha Werewolf whom she had agreed to work under would be in for a surprise when he sees her. Lilith said he had requested a secretary who is qualified and could come as soon as possible without any other prerequisites. Most employers are more careful with their terms and conditions.

Werewolves do not generally play well with Cat Shifters.

She only hoped that Mr. Castle hadn't forgotten about her already. It is only her first day.

Lilith had painted a picture of a big man in his late thirties, tall and dark with his wolf so close to his skin that she would be able to scent him from afar.

With a slight frown creasing her forehead, she turns and gathers up her luggage before scrambling down the narrow gangplank off the boat. It's her first time on a ferry and she's already decided to never repeat that experience ever again. Being surrounded by water when she's fully unable to swim is entirely too frightening.

Lilith promised her an experience, something that would help her forget. She should have qualified what sort of experience it'll be. Exhaustion and terror are the two words that she would associate most strongly with her journey so far. There was a train before this and a long bus ride prior to that.

She's tired and frazzled and she can't decide if it's better that people around her have been offering to help her or condescending. Just because she has ears like a Cat, doesn't mean she's an actual Cat who has gotten lost. She has written down bullet points on where to go.

Moving a short distance from the boat, she drops her cases haphazardly by her side and gazes curiously across the harbor to Archcope. It seems like a small place, with only a few scattered houses and hotels built almost on the water's edge around the bay.

Behind them, she can see high rugged mountains against the skyline. It's breathtaking. So unlike the silver skyscrapers she's used to seeing.

From the corner of her eyes, she notices that some of the cars from off the ferry are already making their way along the narrow road, which, according to her map, leads to Townsberry, where most tourists would be staying. She isn't going that way.

A couple of them linger around, glancing her way as though they have half the mind to come closer and ask if she needs help, a ride or anything of the sort, but are too shy to approach. They don't seem like locals, dressed too colorfully to blend in.

She avoids catching their eyes, wanting to avoid that awkward conversation. They're actually really kind, just wanting to help. She supposes she looks somewhat distressed, what with her ears folded back, fur all puffed up in order to make herself look bigger because this is an unfamiliar place full of strangers.

Aside from the newcomers and newly docked ferry, there really isn't much here. Just the sea and the wind and a small boy fishing, though he has abandoned his tugging fishing lines in favor of staring blatantly at her. She manages a small smile and a wave at the boy, who quickly runs towards her like that's enough permission to get close.

"You're a cat!" he announces the moment he's standing in front of her.

"That's right," her smile is slightly strained now, but he's just a child. He doesn't know it's not polite. "I'm a Cat Shifter," she corrects lightly, though there's not much of a difference.

"Can I touch your tail?"

She tucks her tail under her dress in panic when the young boy tumbles forward, like the question is sure to receive permission.

"Bryan, you're being incredibly rude," a man growls and the boy's eyes widen. He doesn't turn to the source of the voice, instead opting to run back to his fishing lines with a long, "I'm sorry, Mr. Castle!"

It is rather comical, how the boy had gone from having that self-assurance that most boys his age appear to have naturally, to complete panic and cowardice. If he had a tail, it would be curled between his legs as he runs away.

Then again, her eyes catch the stranger coming towards her and she understands a little of that fear. The man is rather sturdily built, muscles bulging impressively as he moves, though not in the way that reminds her of bodybuilders in the city, of the men who appear to coat their skin with a layer of oil that shines and pose for pictures for their social media platforms.

He is tanned from the sun and looks like a man who had muscles because it's required of his work. He has a hidden strength and grace to him as he moves and he is also moving towards her altogether too quickly.

She startles and moves back a step without thinking, her feet almost at the edge of the pier and over-

"Oh!" she gasps when one of those strong arms she had been admiring wind around her waist, tugging her into a firm chest. She lets out an undignified squeak and pushes away, only for him to let out a displeased growl.

"You don't want to fall into the water, do you?" he asks, his tone both amused and patronizing. "I don't think a creature like yourself would know how to swim." She doesn't, but there's no way to him to know that. It is utterly disconcerting, for him to be able to see through her so easily.

He takes a step back, pulling them both into the safety before releasing his hold on her, though she is still so very aware of the warmth of his arm around her waist, the touch leaving a lingering warmth that seems to travel up her spine and through her entire body.

He has a pleasant scent, like the outdoors, grass and earth and wolf.

Cool eyes survey her from under heavy dark brows. She wonders if he's seeing what everyone else sees, a small Cat Shifter biting more than she can chew.

His eyes narrow as he catches the prominent Cat ears atop her head. Most Shifters like her would keep those hidden out of shame. She doesn't think she has anything to be ashamed of.

After a moment, the expression disappears and a smile touches his firm mouth. "You must be Miss Tina Wineford, my new secretary." When she nods awkwardly, her cheeks still pink from the little mishap and their proximity, he continues smoothly. "I'm James Castle."

She feels curiously at a disadvantage to have him staring down at her and says with as much sincerity as she can manage, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm sure," he hums, leaning down to pick up her luggage without any difficulty. She had not brought much with her. There isn't much to bring. "Let's go, then," he says, walking them towards a bright red truck.

She grimaces when he throws her luggage to the back and then waves at her to climb into the passenger seat. She opens the door and wrinkles her nose at the mess in the car, the conglomeration of articles littering the floor like a makeshift floor mat. The backseats are even worse, pickaxes and drainpipes on the cushions. Her luggage sits on top of a bale of straw.

"Not the luxury you were expecting?" he asks as he climbs into the driver seat beside her.

"I wasn't expecting anything," she says honestly. It had been a spur of a moment thing, accepting this job. She needed a change and this provided one that is just drastic enough.

"Did you have a good journey?" he asks as he reversed the truck off the pier into the road, driving with casual ease.

"Yes," she lies.

At least the car did not smell as terribly as the rest of her journey. The strongest scent here belongs to the owner, the Alpha, as well as the barrel of oil that rolls around in the back of the car, occasionally giving her a whiff that reminds her of a gas station.

"If you sat back in your seat, you might be more comfortable."

She has a feeling he's teasing her, but that doesn't stop her hackles from rising. She huffs and deliberately does not lean back. He turns away, as if to hide his chuckle, but does not laugh out loud. She forgets to be nonchalant and leans forward when he slows the car to allow some sheep to cross the narrow road. "Oh," she gasps. She has never seen sheep before. The city has no place for such creatures.

"I must admit, it takes a bit of getting used to," he hums as they wait for the last of the sheep to cross. "What's a little thing like you doing in a place like this, if I may be so bold to ask."

She bristles a little, but takes a few calming breaths and reminds herself that it's a valid question. Most Cat Shifters marry as soon as they're able and enjoy a cozy, peaceful life. She isn't most Cat Shifters. "You asked for a secretary," she points out, showing too many teeth.

His eyes seem to shine with the answer. "I wouldn't have thought the ad would attract something like you. A young girl with your looks normally isn't interested in quiet islands without internet."

"There's no internet here?" she gasps, sounding completely put out and dismayed. At the look of pure exasperation on his face, she grins. "I'm just teasing you, Mr. Castle. I know what I'm getting into," she says after a beat. "I like that there's no way to get in touch with the world here," she hums. "Other than by mail, of course. And the ferry," she waves in the general direction of the pier.

He side-eyes her. "If you're running away from something-"

"I'm incapable of running away from anything," she is bristling now, fur sticking up, exposing her sharp teeth.

"I'm not your enemy," he says and she has a feeling he would raise his hands in mock surrender if he didn't need both hands to steer the wheel. "You just seem really out of place here. Did you let anyone know that you're coming here?" It is a valid question and he is smart to ask. He could get in a lot of trouble.

She settles a little but she isn't going to apologize. "I'm tracked," she says, keeping her voice level. Having a tracker on her means certain things and has always been a source of humiliation for her. She continues quickly when he looks like he means to ask her to elaborate, "They know where I am."

They, being the government organization that tracks Shifters.

"I've signed all the paperwork before coming here. If there's anything they need from me, they'll be able to find me." Not that they would be asking anything of her anytime soon. She had rejected the last dozen proposals they sent her without a second glance. She doesn't want to settle down with a nice man and be a good little House Cat.

"You misunderstand me."' His gaze leaves her and swings front again. "When I put up the ad, I asked for someone... with more experience."

"I have all the experience you requested," she says primly.

He shrugs. "You probably seem too young because I'm older than you are."

Lilith said he's thirty nine, not sixty. She's beginning to wonder, though. She squints at the man and shakes her head. "I can assure you that my age will not be a problem. Before this, I was employed with Marley Johnsons, one of the senior partners at the firm, and then after that, I worked with Scot Fraser. I helped him handle his importing business and settle matters at his estate. I understand that you have a cook and housekeeper, but you require someone to manage the new property that you had inherited and you only need someone here for a month or so. Of that, I am more than capable," she says with confidence, aware that she's puffing her chest up a little bit with pride, but fully unable to stop herself. She started working when she was sixteen and never found the reason to stop after that.

He looks at her with easy amusement, as if her qualifications tickled him. Instead of addressing her monologue, he says, "I might not be here for the whole duration of the project. My main business is elsewhere."

"I'm aware," she says. She didn't come in here completely ignorant. He's an exporter as well, something that Lilith thinks would make her more helpful for him given that she had prior experience with that as well. There's a lot of work to be done. It would be enough to keep her distracted from her thoughts. Lilith is a good friend.

"My uncle's death came as a bit of shock to me, I'm afraid," he hums. "And I did not realize how much he had let things go until I came to sort out his affairs. There is something else I must warn you of." His expression darkens and she prepares herself for the worst.

"What is it?"

"My cousin, Jason," he says, his expression a mixture of resignation and impatience. "He is only eighteen and is supposed to be left in my care. He is rather resentful of that."

She has half the heart to say that it doesn't sound too bad, but he continues.

"He is enrolled in University, here for the summer, but he appears to have gotten himself involved with a rather wild set since our uncle is no longer around to advice him. I have been too busy and he isn't interested in business matters."

"It's just a phase," she suggests tactfully. "He's young," she says, turning her gaze from his frowning face to where his hands lay lightly on the steering wheel.

"Spare me the platitudes," his face is cynical. "You don't know my cousin. He doesn't go through phases. He thinks he knows all the answer, yet manages to remain completely irresponsible. At the moment, he imagines himself in love with a penniless artist and is determined to find work here and marry her instead of continuing his studies."

Her eyes swing back startled to his face. "Is that so terrible?" she asks. Was it the career or the financial status that he disapproved of?

"You do not know the half of it," he says, catching her eyes. He seems to relax a little upon catching her wide and unguarded gaze on hers.

"I only know what I've been told," she murmurs.

"Then, you don't know anything at all," he says and grimace. He probably did not mean to sound as derisive as he does. "No one here knows anything about this particular girlfriend. She is only here to recover from an operation, or so she says. I hope that having you here will be enough of a distraction for him."

"So you've met her?" she asks, ignoring that last part because that's just insulting.

He deals with her query decisively, his eyes narrowing over her. "She only started having an interest in him after word got around that our uncle had left him with a reasonable sum," he says. "I hardly think she will continue being interested once she has convinced him to spend all the money on her art."

She frowns, still not convinced. It all sounds a bit too melodramatic, like a tale of forbidden love. She's sure a more sympathetic approach would be better than telling teenagers what they're not allowed to do. "Perhaps they really are in love," she suggests.

"I've already told you that it's impossible." His voice is clipped short, his whole attitude inflexible. "Will you do as I ask?"

"Be a distraction?" she asks, baring her teeth, hoping her tone and expression are enough to convey just how terrible she thinks his suggestions are. When he doesn't reply immediately, she turns the full force of her glare on him. "How do you think I should do it? Perhaps I should sit pretty and meow. If that's not distracting enough, I could use my tail, hm? Come onto him, get his eyes on me?" She flicks her tail out from her dress and brushes it up against his fingers for a second, enough to elicit a shiver from the man before pulling it back. It feels intimate and she regrets it the moment she does it. She imagines his skin tickling where she had touched him, imagines leaving her scent on his skin.

"Don't be ridiculous," he barks. Exasperated, he runs terse fingers through his thick dark hair, as if irritated by the whole situation. He brushes the fingers that she had touched against his lips and she imagines that he's picking up her scent, but he merely wipes his chin and settles the hand back onto the steering wheel. "I expect having another pretty little thing around would be enough of a distraction for him," he says, flicking his eyes over to her.

She feels her claws dig into her thigh. "Is that what I am, then?" she asks, her eyes sparkling with indignation.

He turns to her, like he's seeing her for the first time. "What?"

"A pretty little thing," she echoes back to him.

He hums. "I suppose you are that, yes," he says, looking distractedly at her, his brows furrowing, something in his eyes darkening.

He looks distracted, but there really isn't anything to distract him with. Is there something wrong with her face? There's, annoyingly, nothing wrong with his. She wants to scratch up his perfect face until he apologizes to her. She wants to remind him that if she's a thing, then he must be too. Werewolves aren't that much different than Cat Shifters. Then again, she was the one who told him she has a tracker. He must be one of those people who thinks themselves above others. She had not forgotten that he's an Alpha.

"I just want you to keep an eye out on him," he says after a long pause, shaking his head and turning his attention away from her. "If there is anything, I expect you to tell me."

"And if I should disagree?" she asks, feeling mutinous.

"I don't employ you to disagree with me," he shows his teeth- his fangs. Bigger and stronger.

She knows intuitively that no one has openly defied him before. She is tempted to keep going down this route, see how far she can push it. But then, she hears a voice, her own. "I'll do what I can," she says.

"Good." Now he's smiling, the smile of a man who's used to getting his way. He's prepared to be generous and disregard her unaccountable behavior. "I think you'll find that there won't be much to do in that regard. I expect his attention to be distracted quickly enough once he has laid his eyes on you."

If her looks could burn, he would be ashes. She's stung both by his words and his manner, but decides to ignore his insulting words. If there is a compliment in there- somewhere- she is too angry to see it.

"In the meantime, there is quite a lot for us to do," he says.

"Of course." It takes an effort, but she concentrates her thoughts on not shredding him into a million bite-sized pieces in her head. "I'm used to long hours and hard work."

"You'd better be." His eyes lick over her sharply and she stares at his dark profile with helpless intensity.

She couldn't remember being so aware of a man before. Everything about him so vibrantly noticeable, demanding her full attention. She is the first to turn away.