Jordan's Marked Mate [The Ward Brothers] (Siren Publishing Allure) Read online

  The Ward Brothers

  Jordan’s Marked Mate

  Riley Harris has been abducted and tied to a tree in a dark forest. She knows exactly why, too. Riley has a mark on her skin that could easily be mistaken for an ordinary scar, but she knows the truth. She is marked for a shifter.

  Jordan Ward and his two brothers are triplet wolf shifters. On their Prime birthday, they are finally allowed to claim their marked mates. Jordan has watched Riley from afar for too long, but when an enemy clan shows up in his forest, it creates more chaos than he needs.

  Riley isn't exactly thrilled about being abducted and claimed by a shifter, even if he is gorgeous. Can Jordan convince Riley that being his marked slave is a good thing? Will his biggest enemy or a painful secret from the past ruin everything?

  Genre: BDSM, Contemporary, Paranormal, Shape-shifter

  Length: 43,260 words

  JORDAN'S MARKED MATE

  The Ward Brothers

  Mackenzie Williams

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  JORDAN'S MARKED MATE

  Copyright © 2017 by Mackenzie Williams

  ISBN: 978-1-64010-436-5

  First Publication: June 2017

  Cover design by Harris Channing

  All art and logo copyright © 2017 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book or print book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at

  [email protected]

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  DEDICATION

  For my husband. For my readers. For my friends.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Mackenzie Williams lives in the Midwest. She grew up in a large family with four younger brothers. Mackenzie went to college to study Education. Shortly after graduation, she married her husband. They still live in the Midwest with their son.

  Mackenzie Williams writes erotic romance because she enjoys reading the genre herself. She finds the genre to be full of romance and emotions, as well as, excitement. When she isn't writing, Mackenzie enjoys listening to music, watching movies, or hanging out at a sports bar.

  For all titles by Mackenzie Williams, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/mackenzie-williams

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Landmarks

  Cover

  JORDAN'S MARKED MATE

  The Ward Brothers

  MACKENZIE WILLIAMS

  Copyright © 2017

  Chapter One

  Riley Harris pulled against the ropes that bound her arms together and huffed out a frustrated breath. The rope was too strong and too tight. There was no way she was getting out of this without help. Her back was against a tall, thick oak tree. Her arms were pulled behind her, halfway wrapped around the large tree. An unforgiving, rough rope tied her arms to each other.

  The bark was scraping the exposed skin on her shoulders and arms. The forest was pitch black, but she could still see her own breath in front of her face because of the coldness. Riley pulled on her arms again, but it was no use.

  She knew why she had been kidnapped and brought here, but that still didn’t make her any less annoyed about it. A band of shifters, triplet brothers to be exact, had just turned twenty-five. When she was a young girl, Riley’s grandmother had told her about the shifters and what it would mean to her in the future.

  Her grandmother had warned her that shortly after she turned twenty, the brothers would turn twenty-five. Riley had turned twenty three days ago.

  When male shifters reached the age of twenty-five, they were allowed to take a slave. Riley had no doubt that she was marked for this and it didn’t make her feel flattered, at all. Her parents had told her to beware of the ones with such powers. Especially these three brothers.

  “Damn it!” She pulled harder on her restraints, but her arms were still bound tightly around the tree.

  Riley opened her eyes wider, searching the forest around her, but it was too dark so see much. The tree cover was blocking out most of the moonlight and stars. A strong wind moved over her body causing her to shiver against the tree. Riley felt the bark leaving more scrapes on her skin.

  A few hours ago, she had been abducted right from her own living room. Two men burst in, wrestled her to the ground, and placed a bag over her head. The whole thing had been quick and terrifying. Some of her fear was now gone and it was replaced with anger.

  Another cool breeze ran over her body and she clenched her teeth. She was freezing out here. During her struggle with the two men, she had lost her sweater. Riley was only wearing a tank top and jeans. She was also barefoot. The dirt under her feet was cold and damp.

  I should have been ready. I knew this was going to happen.

  A noise behind a nearby tree had Riley’s attention back on the present and she held her breath. Twigs were breaking not far away. Someone was coming. She pulled frantically on the rope again in a desperate attempt, but she was only making herself more exhausted.

  “Who’s there?” Her voice quivered, partly from fear, partly from cold.

  “You know, those goddamn dogs know what they’re doing.” The two men that had taken her came out from behind a tree.

  After they had thrown her into the back
seat of a smelly car, they had taken a short drive, dragged her here, tied her up, and then left her alone in the dark and cold. Riley wasn’t sure where they had gone or how long it had been. Maybe thirty minutes.

  “Right. If I was going to take a slave, she’d be at the top of my list.” One of them let out an ugly chuckle.

  Both men strolled closer to her. They were young but certainly all human. Riley wondered if the shifter brothers had paid the men to do their dirty work. Riley struggled against the tree as the men continued to walk toward her.

  “Stay away from me,” she called out.

  “Aahhh, is the little bunny angry?” The men stopped in front of her.

  The taller man lifted his hand. Riley leaned as far away from him as the tree would allow. She closed her eyes as the man touched her cheek. He ran his filthy hand down her face and then down her neck. She had the urge to turn and spit in his face, but with no escape, she was too afraid of his reaction.

  The other man spoke just behind his partner. “Man, don’t get too fresh with her. If those dogs think you’ve tainted her, they won’t pay us.”

  “Shut up. They’re not here.” The man continued to move his hand, now to her bare shoulder.

  Tears started to wet her eyelids as his hand changed directions, heading toward her cleavage. She squeezed her eyes shut even tighter as the man leaned in closer to her face. His breath smelled of stale beer and cheese.

  “I wonder if we have enough time for a game before we turn you over.”

  Riley whimpered and then the whole forest changed violently. There was a large cracking sound and Riley opened her eyes just as a tree split in half. It fell several feet from the three humans, shaking the ground under them.

  The man with roaming hands swiftly stepped back from her just as an eerie blue light lit up the surrounding trees. Riley squinted her eyes from the intrusive light, but it soon dimmed, not completely leaving, though. She studied it for just a moment. It looked like a floating, blue lightbulb.

  The shorter man stumbled back a step. “What the fuck?”

  “Are we paying you assholes to violate women now?” The voice was deep and it seemed to come from the downed tree.

  Riley groaned as she tried again to free herself. The two men in front of her whipped their heads from side to side, trying to see who was talking. Just then another voice, sounding much like the first, boomed on the other side of them.

  “I told you, brother. These two human males are no good.”

  A third voice came from behind the tree Riley was tied to. “Yep, maybe we’ll just kill them instead of pay them. Seems fair to me.”

  Riley tried to still her body, but a tremble ran down her back and into her legs. Her knees knocked together and she inhaled sharply. She didn’t hear any movement from the voices but sensed the beings around her. The air seemed thicker and it smelled strangely sweet.

  The two men in front of her were spinning in different directions, desperately trying to get a glimpse of the creatures now stalking them. The tall man finally stopped moving and reached into his coat pocket. Riley pressed her back up against the tree when she saw him pull out a gun.

  “Assholes! We did what you told us to. If you weren’t too chicken-shit to go into Broken Willows then you wouldn’t need us.”

  One of the phantom voices growled and then spoke nearby. “We’re not cowards. We are forbidden from entering that town.”

  “I don’t give a shit what your reasons are! We got the girl, now pay us.” He held up the gun, pointing it in the direction the voice had come.

  The voice from behind her spoke again, but it was much closer now. Riley felt hot breath but saw nothing.

  “Why is she half dressed? It’s freezing out here for full humans.”

  Another shiver went through her but not just from the cold weather. That hot breath again ran down her arm. Why can’t I see him?

  The shorter man stepped back again. “Look, your requirements were simple. Bring her here as pain-free as possible. She’s barely scratched.” He looked at Riley. “Maybe a few bruises, but come on.” He turned back. “Can we please get the hell out of here?”

  The creature that must have brought down the tree then showed himself. In the faint blue glow, Riley saw a split second of white fur before the being was completely back to a human form. He strolled out with his head high and his eyes narrowed on her.

  Riley couldn’t breathe. Her chest started to tighten and she was unsure of exactly what was causing it. Was it their magic, or simply the sight of this obviously powerful man? His eyes were entirely black, like a shark. As he got closer, they gradually faded into normal human eyes.

  He stopped in front of the two men, and a harsh breath rushed from Riley. Her legs shook and she slumped against the tree, trying not to fall to her knees. She knew she wouldn’t last much longer, however. Her body was weak from the fight with the men, but that wasn’t all. Her body was weak from the man standing in front of her.

  Chapter Two

  The taller abductor held the gun up, pointing it at the man still slowly walking toward them. As he neared, Riley took him in. He had coal black hair which made his storm-gray eyes seem brighter than they should. His dark hair lay perfectly as if he had just styled it, even though she knew that moments before he had been a white wolf.

  He wore all black, making him look ominous, not that he needed the clothes to do that. His expression alone could bring most men to their knees. Power and strength seemed to come off his shoulders in waves.

  The tall stranger still held the gun up, but his hand was shaking uncontrollably now. Riley flicked her stare back and forth between the trembling weapon and the magical creature.

  “Don’t come any closer! I’m not joking.” The tall man whipped his arm holding the gun toward his left as a second brother emerged from the darkness.

  The shifter mirrored his brother. He also had coal black hair, looking perfect. His eyes also started out as black as the night, but as he neared, they morphed into normal human eyes. His eyes, however, were bright blue. They were bluer than any sky or sea Riley had ever seen. They almost glowed brighter than the magical orb which was still hovering nearby.

  The second brother spoke. “Or what?”

  Riley gasped as the voice behind her spoke again. “I’m getting bored with this game.”

  The air around her heated instantly as the shifter walked out from behind the tree she was secured to. Again, this brother looked just like the others except his coal black hair was slightly longer than the other two’s. His hair lay more haphazardly across his forehead than his brothers. Riley didn’t know why, but this gave her the feeling that he was the youngest. Yes, they were triplets so they all had the same birthday, but he was born last. She was sure of it.

  The third brother gave her a brief look as he walked toward the others. His eyes slipped from pure blackness to emerald green human eyes. Riley had never seen eyes this shade of green before. Her breath caught in her throat as he turned away from her. The heat from him lingered for several seconds.

  The three shifter brothers then surrounded the full human men. Her breath rushed from her and her whole body shook. This was a defining moment in her life. Riley knew this like she knew the sky was blue.

  “J-just give us the money,” the tall man shouted, still shaking.

  The brother with gray eyes stepped closer still. “If I wasn’t a man of honor, I’d just kill you both for her scratches and bruises alone.”

  Riley surprised herself when a sarcastic huff came from her mouth. All three shifters turned their eyes on her immediately. A shudder went down her back and legs as their stares captured her. The man with blue eyes spoke to her then.

  “What is that, sweet?” His lips curled up into a smirk.

  Riley could barely breathe, but her words flew from her. She wasn’t even entirely sure why, but they did. “Honor? You had me kidnapped!”

  The brother with green eyes chuckled, but his brother with the
gray eyes did basically the opposite. He clenched his jaw tightly, narrowing his eyes. Riley felt like a child who had just spoken out of turn.

  The gray-eyed man spoke in a tone that had her knees almost giving out. “Slave, you will see that this was your path, always. Kidnapping was a necessary evil.”

  Slave? Had he just revealed that he was the shifter she was to “belong” to? Riley shook so violently then that her legs could no longer hold her up. Her knees buckled and she went to the ground. Her body slumped forward but was held up because of the rope around the tree.

  The shifters all growled in unison. It was the scariest and most beautiful sound she had heard, wrapped into one. The abductors were looking back and forth nervously. Finally, the brothers returned their attention to them.

  The brother who had declared himself her Master gracefully reached up and took a swing at the tall man’s outstretched arm. The gun went flying off into the woods. The man inhaled sharply before grabbing his hand, rubbing it.

  “Fuck honor. Let’s kill them.” The youngest brother cracked his knuckles.

  Riley’s Master lifted his hand. “You’ll get half your payment and leave immediately. Any protest will result in your death.”

  “Please protest.” The youngest brother clapped his hands before rubbing them together.

  The shorter kidnapper took a nervous step backward. “Yes, fine. Just get this over with.”

  The taller one was obviously greedier and dumber. “Half?”

  The shifter with blue eyes stepped forward, but it was much faster than any human could have. It was as if he transported the few feet to be right in the man’s face. Riley leaned forward, the skin of her wrists now raw and rope burned. Her arms were outstretched behind her body. Her bare feet felt like ice.