The Wolf Who Hatched an Egg

Mate or Meal 2

The Wolf Who Hatched an Egg

Snack or sweetheart? Definitely sweetheart. Or so werewolf Liam thinks when he meets swan shifter Shiloh. Shiloh is everything Liam’s soul yearns for, a gorgeous, feisty spitfire who turns his blood into flame and makes his entire being sing. But Shiloh is reluctant to believe in Liam’s good intentions.

Shiloh has been searching for The One for as long as he can remember. In his quest, he made several mistakes, and now he is reluctant to believe again, especially in a wolf. After all, wolves prey on his kind. How could he possibly entrust his heart to one?

As they struggle through misunderstandings and try to build a relationships, a third member joins their little family—a mysterious swan egg abandoned in front of their door. Will it strengthen Shiloh’s bond with Liam or will it separate them forever?

Genre:
Alternative (M/M or F/F), Paranormal,

Vampires/Werewolves

Length:
40,703 words

THE WOLF WHO HATCHED AN

EGG

Mate or Meal 2

Scarlet Hyacinth

EROTIC ROMANCE

MANLOVE

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

IMPRINT: Erotic Romance ManLove

THE WOLF WHO HATCHED AN EGG

Copyright © 2011 by Scarlet Hyacinth

E-book ISBN: 1-61034-964-4

First E-book Publication: November 2011

Cover design by Jinger Heaston

All cover art and logo copyright © 2011 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

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PUBLISHER

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers

Dear Readers,

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The Wolf Who Hatched an Egg
by Scarlet Hyacinth from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

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For my dad, who first made me see the innocence in the souls of animals and taught me how to love them as much as he does. Thank you for all your amazing support.

THE WOLF WHO HATCHED

AN EGG

Mate or Meal 2

SCARLET HYACINTH

Copyright © 2011

“Shiloh, it’s high time you found a mate.” Shiloh’s mother took a deep inhale from her long cigarette and blew out the smoke. “You’re at the perfect age for it.”

Shiloh suppressed a grimace. He didn’t know how his mother managed to make even smoking look elegant, but she did. Shiloh was no ugly duckling, but he didn’t have the effortless grace she boasted.

Then again, Shiloh was not many things, and his parents never ceased in pointing that out.

His father nodded at her words. As if to confirm Shiloh’s thoughts, he added, “Norma is right. It’s not normal for you to keep this lifestyle. Charles cares about you. You should think about settling down.”

Shiloh mentally groaned. Charles Meyer had been a mistake with a capital
M
. Shiloh still couldn’t get over his own stupidity of giving his virginity to the man. He’d trusted Charles, believing him to be a good man, the perfect mate he’d been looking for. But he’d been oh so very wrong, and Charles had proven it to him by trying to control his every move, forbidding him from seeing his family, and even hitting him.

The Wolf Who Hatched an Egg

9

Shiloh had finally managed to break things off with Charles, but alas, he’d never dared to tell his parents about the man’s abuse. He was too ashamed. Now, his parents wanted to marry him off to the dreadful man. Ironically, they didn’t have a problem with Shiloh being gay. With swans, it wasn’t all that unusual for two males to partner up, and they’d been quite supportive of him, even if not thrilled with it. His continuous refusal of every eligible bachelor they’d chosen for him had upset them, and they’d been pleased when Shiloh seemed to have settled for Charles. Shiloh didn’t have the heart to tell them the truth about what really happened.

“Look, Mother, Father, I appreciate your concern, but Charles and I aren’t as close as you think.”

His mother extinguished her cigarette in a crystal ashtray and sighed. “I simply cannot understand you, Shiloh. Why is it so hard for you to settle down?”

Shiloh would have liked to know that as well. He saw many swans his age get mated every day, and couldn’t understand why he was different. Why couldn’t he find his own soul mate? Was there something wrong with him or what? Had Charles been right in kicking him around? No, that couldn’t be it. God, he needed a break, to not think about this.

“I just need to find to right man,” he told his mother. Knowing that wouldn’t satisfy her, Shiloh added, “Thank you for your advice. I need to go fly for a half an hour.”

His parents didn’t protest, as Shiloh had known they wouldn’t.

After shaking hands with his father and giving his mother a brief kiss, Shiloh headed to his room. He took off his clothes and abandoned them on the bed. At last, he went outside, onto the balcony, changed into his swan form, and launched himself into the air.

The sky was clear and sunny as Shiloh’s wings carried him over the valley that had housed him and his ancestors since time immemorial. Shiloh flew, simply losing himself in the sensation and the motions that came to him as naturally as breathing. The music of
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the wind soothed him, making him feel much better about the fiasco of his low life.

But his relaxation vanished in a flash when he felt another swan approach. For a few moments, Shiloh considered continuing his flight, but he decided against it. His oasis of relaxation was no more, anyway.

Inwardly sighing, Shiloh landed below and shifted back to his legged form. He looked over the beautiful pond and took in the scent of the forest and of the water. Like most bird-shifters, swans didn’t have an acute sense of smell, but even with that, he still felt soothed by what he did perceive. Perhaps it would help him prepare for what would be a very unpleasant conversation.

Indeed, moments later, another swan landed next to him and changed into Charles. “Hi, Shiloh. You look great.”

Shiloh grunted, for the first time in his life regretting that shape-shifters always ended up naked when changing from one form to another. “What do you want, Charles?”

“Your parents said you mean to refuse me,” the other man said.

“Shiloh, you can’t do that.”

Irritation coursed through Shiloh. “What makes you think you have the right to tell me what to do?”

Charles offered him what was probably supposed to be a seductive smile. “All those wonderful nights we spent together.” He grinned as he stepped into Shiloh’s personal space. “I can’t stop thinking about it, about how you moved, how you felt around my—”

Shiloh felt a little sick now, remembering his time at Charles’s side. Ironically, he’d even enjoyed those first few encounters. Charles was hot, and he hadn’t begun to show his real face until after he’d started bonding Shiloh to him. “Stop, Charles, just stop,” he said before the other swan could continue. “Do you even hear yourself?

Good sex does not a relationship make.” He took a few steps back, feeling better without Charles so close. “You don’t want me to be your mate, not really.”

The Wolf Who Hatched an Egg

11

Charles’s pleasant expression didn’t change for a moment. “Of course I do. Shiloh, I love you. We’re perfect for each other.”

Shiloh rolled his eyes at Charles’s words. He very much doubted the other man’s words. Perhaps he’d have believed them once, but he could see Charles for the cruel man he was now, and not the ideal partner Shiloh once willed him to be.

“I’m sorry, Charles,” he replied. “I just don’t agree with you.”

He intended to end the conversation there. Charles’s next question stopped him in his tracks. “You want a family, don’t you?” the other man said.

Shiloh gritted his teeth, hating the low blow. Of course he wanted a family. He wasn’t so out of touch with his roots as some people thought. In fact, he wanted a partner and children more than Charles could imagine.

Shiloh was tired of being nice. If Charles couldn’t take a hint and leave him alone, Shiloh would just have to say it outright. “Yes, I do,”

he answered, “but not with you. I’ll never, ever be your mate.”

Without further ado, Shiloh shifted into his swan form again and took flight. Beyond the valley, the open road loomed. A thought flashed through Shiloh’s mind. Perhaps, all this time, he’d been looking in the wrong place. Perhaps his destiny lay away from the swans and with another man, still waiting to be found, living with other shifters.

Behind him, he heard Charles laugh. “You’ll change your mind, Shiloh. You’ll see.”

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Scarlet Hyacinth