Read Werewolf's Way [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 1] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove) for Free Online Page B

crumbling around him. He realized now that, with his fiancé returning, there was no way he could possibly handle this on his own. He disliked the idea of involving someone else in this, but he had no choice.
    He had to get out of here to contact the one person who could help. But how? How could he bow out of the conversation without sounding rude and drawing unwanted attention to his actions?
    Shockingly enough, his mother was the one who provided him with the chance he needed. “Caelyn, you should go get ready. You have to look your best for His Highness’s arrival.”
    For once, Caelyn was happy to comply. Getting up, he said, “Of course, Mother.” Turning toward Prince Hareematek, he bowed slightly. “Thank you for receiving us and for being so hospitable. I’m truly humbled by your generosity.”
    Hareematek waved off his words. “My brother needs a mate, and you’re perfect.”
    There was something in the way the prince said those words that unsettled Caelyn, but he discarded it as irrelevant. “Thank you,” he answered.
    With one final bow, he fled Hareematek’s quarters and headed for his own. It seemed to take forever until he reached the guest wing. Finally, he slipped inside his room and closed the door behind himself. With trembling hands, he reached for his phone and speed-dialed a number he should have used a long time ago.
    The person he was calling didn’t immediately reply. Caelyn wasn’t really surprised. His friend often tended to get lost in his own world and his numerous tasks.
    Caelyn tapped his foot impatiently, praying that Sari hadn’t forgotten his cell phone in his room yet again. Fortunately, Jenarra must have heard him, because the call finally connected and Sari’s face appeared on the screen.
    Caelyn didn’t even bother to greet his friend. “Sari, I need your help.”
    “You have it,” Sari replied automatically. “Tell me.”
    Caelyn let out a breath he hadn’t even known he was holding. The fact that Sari had agreed to assist him so readily humbled him, but also gave him great relief. Still, he didn’t know what Sari’s reaction would be when he actually heard what Caelyn needed. “Don’t promise anything just yet.”
    “You’re upset,” Sari replied, looking concerned. “That’s enough for me. Now stop stalling and explain so I know what I have to do.”
    Sari was a fae, and the direct descendent of Ivenian Prince Talrasar, one of the men who’d sacrificed themselves for a peace that hadn’t really lasted. Therefore, his natural instinct was to heal and to shield people from harm. Since the Ivenian fae and the Elusian sprites were, in some respects, sister nations, he and Caelyn were cousins of sorts, in a very distant way.
    Caelyn and Sari had always been great friends, and growing up, Caelyn had been among the few people Sari had been allowed to hang around with. Unfortunately, that had changed as both of them had reached marital age. Sari’s unique position kept him mostly isolated in the palace of his father, the Ivenian king.
    It was a small mercy that they were even allowed to communicate this way. Probably only the insistence of Sari’s mother had made it possible. Either way, Caelyn was more than grateful for it because there was no one else Caelyn could trust with this.
    “I’ve found my mate,” he blurted out. “He’s a werewolf, and he’s a prisoner of the draechen.”
    Sari released a soft gasp, his eyes widening in something like… realization. “Did you already know?” Caelyn asked.
    “No…” Sari replied. “My mother mentioned you yesterday, but you know how she is. You can never make heads or tails of what she says.”
    Caelyn did understand what Sari meant. Sari’s mother wasn’t the Ivenian queen, but the High Priestess of Jenarra, Eanera. From time to time, the goddess granted her strong visions, although Caelyn had never understood how it worked. He’d only met her once, when he’d been a child. She struck him as