Shifter Untamed by Ambrielle Kirk Read Free Book Online Page B

question?”
    Dane shifted in his seat and the corners of his lips twitched downward in a frown. “I’m a shifter. And as you know, we’re not entitled to certain things.”
    “I’m fully aware of the inequalities in the law for the shifter species,” she said.
    When shifters were first discovered just decades ago, half of the world revolted in chaos and the other half sided with them. Animal activists group came out of the woodworks fighting for the rights of the wolves even when they could clearly fight for themselves. These weren’t just wolves; they had the ability to take the form of human and animal at will. This ability to shift didn’t sit right with everyone and struck fear in some humans. But apparently the shifter species had been living in secrecy for centuries without causing trouble.
    Back then, the government only hoped that the public outing wouldn’t create mass problems. For the most part, they found this to be true when the shifters were given their space and privacy. Inside the packs they were governed by shifter laws, but on human territory they were held to abide by human laws. All the laws were said to be applied the same, but somehow the rights were never laid out equally. So Trina could understand Dane’s statement.
    “What certain things are you referring to?” she asked.
    “I’m a half-blood, but I’m a wolf shifter nonetheless. My mother was a human. My father, a full-blood shifter. When they passed on, the will they began was never fully endorsed or recognized by the human courts so now I’m being challenged for the land and home that once belonged to my mother.”
    “This home?” Trina looked around at her surroundings. They’d met in what looked like his study or a home office. It was spacious, just like the rest of the home, with the bare minimum—desk, chairs, bookcases. Almost no clutter at all.
    “No, this land I refer to is farther west. Near the mountains,” he said. “The estate here is where I stay when I conduct business not related to the pack.”
    Pack. So he belonged to a wolf pack. From what she’d heard, most shifters were loners that never identified with a pack. Some humans were threatened by the wolves’ ability to run together and form their own unions and alliances. They feared that one day the wolf packs would rise up against them. After all, one of the goals of a wolf pack was to multiply in numbers and expand territories.
    “And where do you conduct business related to your pack?”
    “At my pack home,” he answered bluntly.
    “So let me see if I got this right. You need to marry a human to get your mother’s land back?”
    Dane cocked his head to one side. “Right. The property won’t be deemed shifter territory until I do so.”
    “So what happens after six weeks? You take our marriage papers to the courts?”
    “Exactly. When we are legally married, my mother’s land will be safe from government seizure. You and I own the land on paper for six weeks. After six weeks is up, we will dissolve the marriage and you will release all rights to me. The land will then become territory of the Aspen Valley Pack as it should be.”
    “You’ve got this all planned out perfectly. What’s your Plan B if things don’t happen that way?”
    He bit into his bottom lip. “This is the only way to get my mother’s land back. I will make it work. A Plan B would mean I’ve failed to gain my territory.”
    “This is a very underhanded deal? What if the authorities find out?”
    “They will only find out if you tell them,” he said. “That’s why it has to look like a real marriage for the next six weeks.”
    “There’s danger involved with this. I can go to jail for aiding and abetting this type of deal.”
    He grinned. “Well something tells me there’s a story behind why you’d reply to an ad like this.”
    She swallowed. “I need the money. And I need it quickly.”
    “For?”
    “My dad’s surgery. We have no health insurance and medical