Outcast by R.L. Caulder @XpressoTours

Outcast
R.L. Caulder
(The Pack Prophecy, #1)
Publication date: March 12th, 2021
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance

“The arrival of the Prophetess will bring both hope and destruction for the wolves of the world.

She alone will be able to save them–or damn them.”

The dark prophecy that has been passed down since the first pack of shifters is coming to fruition– and I am at the center of it.

An orphaned human taken in by a pack of wolves. The fate of their existence in my hands.

I’ve been treated as the dirt beneath the pack’s paws for years.

Will they be able to accept my new role when my powers surface? Will I be able to forgive them enough to help them?

The bright spot amongst all the turmoil…finding my three fated. Until one of them rejects our bond.

The one thing I know for sure…death is coming for us all, soon, and the person responsible for it? Their betrayal is going to alter the shifter world forever.

I’ll conquer my powers, protect the packs, and live happily ever after with my men, right?

Wrong.

No one is prepared for the vile truths of my visions to come to light.

***

Author Note: This book has a 18+ warning and is intended for mature audiences. It is book one in The Pack Prophecy series which will end in a cliffhanger.

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EXCERPT:

When I was abandoned by my parents and taken in by a pack of wolf shifters at the age of four, I’d never have imagined that this was where it would lead me. Hunched over on all fours, cleaning the blood-covered, rough stone floor of a prisoner cell.

At least, I thought the thick, black, tar-like substance was blood. I glanced down at where the black matter clung to my fingers and grimaced when it made a thin web as I spread them apart.

Sighing deeply from exhaustion, I wrung out my rag into the bucket of water that was now a murky grey color. I repeated the process what felt like a thousand times, until the floor was clear of the blood-slime, and ambled to my feet gingerly.

My back groaned in protest as I straightened, feeling stiff from the cold air blowing through the network of underground cells, in combination with being hunched over for so long. A dull ache thrummed through my lower back and into my tailbone, making me wince.

“I will never understand why you put up with the shit they make you do, Kira. You’re not a torture clean-up crew. You’ve been down here practically all day.”

How did he manage to always sneak up on me?

The deep rumble of Milo’s voice behind me made that ache in my back disappear, and then reappear between my legs for an entirely different reason. Him acting protective of me was quite possibly the sexiest thing I’d ever experienced. Okay, no—it definitely was.

Turning around, bucket in hand, I slammed into a stone wall of muscle, not expecting him to be that close, and the breath whooshed out of me on impact. His scent lingered, swirling around me while teasing that ache and turning into an insistent throb of need. He always managed to smell like a bonfire, the smokey wood scent making me want to curl up in his lap on a cold night—or anytime really.

Neither of us moved, both hesitant to even breathe. We had toed the line of this attraction between us for years, and I’d likely combust soon with the amount of sexual tension that sizzled between us incessantly.

Daring to tilt my chin up, I found his large blue eyes, framed by dark lashes thick enough to make any girl jealous, staring deep into my own. It always felt like we were looking past the surface in these moments. Like we could sense each other’s fears, hopes, and insecurities. As if each of our deepest secrets were suddenly on display for the other to bear witness.

Willing myself to find the words to once again express why I felt it okay to be the pack’s grunt, even though he’d never accept my reasoning, I reached up with my empty hand to lay it against the dark stubble of his sharp jawline.

I’m the outcast here. The human taken in by a pack of wolves. I was just a child when I was found, close to death with hypothermia overtaking me. I didn’t have many options.

After thinking about it, I refused to give him the spiel again. He’d heard it a million times. “You know why. I’m the only human here,” I looked at him imploringly so he’d drop it.

He leaned his forehead against my own and whispered to me. The ends of his short curls tickled my skin, making me shiver.

“You still deserve better. Human or not. You are not any lesser than us, despite what they’ve made you believe.”

Author Bio:

R.L. Caulder is the author of The Pack Prophecy and Darkness Rising series. She lives in her writing cave away from the intense heat of the Florida sun with her husband and pets keeping her company.

If you're looking for ways to interact with R.L., you can find her on facebook in her group:
The Cauldron: R.L. Caulder Reader Group

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