Flicker the storm dragon.., p.20
Flicker (The Storm Dragons' Mate Book 2), page 20
“Bex.” I drew her chin up as her gaze darted from him and back to me. Her eyes were filled with shadows, and her brows knitted in confusion. “What’s wrong?”
“Who is that?” she whispered. Her hands had started trembling. “I think… I think I know him. But I don't know how.”
“That’s Linan Clanguard.”
Like an electric bolt hit her, horror washed across Bexley’s face, her skin turning white as paper as her grip on me tightened. Panic hit me as her eyes closed, tears leaking down her cheeks.
Fuck. What the—
“Jagger,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “That’s the name. That’s the name from the memory. I think…I think that’s the man who killed my family.”
Surge (Book 3) - Available for order!
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Lost: Silver Falls University (Book One)
Preview on the next page!
Five broken alphas. One lost wolf. A fate she never expected.
Silver Falls University. There was no reason for a female bitten wolf like myself to be here. More so, there was no reason that someone who grew up as poor as I did, in an overcrowded pack-house in the South Side of Chicago, should be making her way up north to one of the most prestigious supernatural universities in the country. I truly had no idea what to expect. Something that was my own fault. I didn’t exactly have a lot of experience with anyone or anything. ‘Sheltered’ was an understatement, except to the darkness that came with struggling to survive cruel bullying and incurable loneliness that had formed the woman I was today. The place I had grown up never felt like home. No one had ever felt like home. Well, until I met a man on the way to campus. A man that had me feeling so completely comfortable, yet confused and overwhelmed. There had to be something wrong with me, right? This wasn’t normal. Then again, I should have realized that nothing about my life moving forward would be normal. I just didn’t realize how much was in store for me.
Join Effie Harlow on her journey at Silver Falls University, where she begins to realize that something about her is different. This slow-burn reverse harem paranormal romance features five protective and possessive shifter mates that are bound and determined to keep Effie by their side, no matter what. To prove to her that she is so much more than anyone has ever tried to tell her she was. Will they be able to convince her of her place at Silver Falls and in their life? Or will Effie get lost in the university crowds like she did back home?
Find out in this first installment of five in the Silver Falls University Series. Warning: This PNR university-style RH will contain swearing, adult sexual content +18, elements of PTSD and mention of prior emotional, sexual, and physical abuse, violence, and additional darker themes. Mild cliff-hanger warning - the 2nd installment of the Silver Falls University series, Forgotten, is now available for pre-order.
Lost: Silver Falls University
Chapter One Preview - Effie Harlow
“Next stop—Kirkwall.”
My quiet humming momentarily cut off as I winced. The overhead intercom’s static interference made it nearly impossible to hear which stop we were arriving at. My ears rang uncomfortably as my wolf shifted under my skin, offering me a frustrated look. As if this was somehow my fault!
Luckily, I had heard enough to distinguish the word ‘Kirkwall,’ meaning that I was nearly to my stop. From what I understood about this train system, there was little to no chance of missing the stop since it was quite literally the end of the line. At least, I hoped my understanding was correct. The last thing I needed today, considering I barely had enough money to make it onto campus, was dealing with more train fares and schedules.
My humming once again picked up as I refocused on the southern Wisconsin town that I was now traveling through. This was the furthest I’d ever been from home. Something that was both intimidating and exciting.
This was a good thing.
That was what I continued to tell myself, because if I didn’t, I was liable to freak out, considering the massive change that I was embarking on. Completely alone, mind you. A change that I hadn’t exactly willingly volunteered for, either.
No, none of this, as with most things in my life, had been my choice. I had never considered moving anywhere, let alone three hours north of my South Side Chicago home. More so, the concept of attending a university of any kind, especially one like this, had never crossed my mind. Why would it? I may have been sheltered from the world outside of our pack, but I knew enough to understand that girls like me didn’t get the opportunity to further their education past high school.
Girls like me worked at their pack’s local bar as a waitress and lived with their parents until they managed to attract a mate and pop out their own litter of wolves. Appealing, right? But despite its unsavory nature to me, I had accepted that was my future. Or I had assumed so.
Now, though? Well, now I felt far more free to accept just how much that concept had truly bothered me. I knew mating was necessary to continuing a pack’s heritage and family line, but it had never sounded like something I wanted to take part in. My nose scrunched slightly as I considered the concept of mating with any of the boys that I knew from back home. No. No, thank you.
Was it normal to feel so distasteful about men in general?
Actually, that was a lie. Most men didn’t bother me at all… until they showed themselves to be similar to the man that took me in, Gerald. When those qualities—quick to temper and general disdain for all females—showed themselves, I usually found myself completely disenchanted.
Not that I’d ever been ‘enchanted’ with a man to begin with, if we were being honest. I may have found them attractive at first, but upon hearing their cruel language and watching how they treated others? Any attraction had completely disappeared.
Fertility and strength of your mate.
Theresa, Gerald’s wife, and her friends constantly claimed that the ‘fertility and strength of your mate’ was far more important than the substance. Something that not only left me with an uneasy feeling in my stomach, but didn’t ring true. I was positive they believed what they were saying, but I felt like that was more of a lie created to make shifter women think they were happy or content with the mates they had, even if the pairing was far from perfect. Once coming to that realization, my disdain for relationships like that had only grown further.
Relationships where your opinion wasn’t respected.
Relationships where you were blamed entirely for not being able to produce pups.
Relationships where you were essentially a servant in your own home.
I may have been a more quiet individual, but I was far from ignorant. Rather the opposite, and I found myself constantly wanting to stand up for her against Gerald. What went on between the man and woman I had lived with was far from normal, even if it was accepted in our pack. I’d learned my lesson, though—it was far safer to keep my opinions to myself.
I knew, bone deep, that how he treated her wasn’t right.
I knew the bruises he left on her and me weren’t acceptable.
I knew the hatred he spewed about how she looked and acted was why she constantly appeared withdrawn and exhausted.
Yet when I tried to intervene at all, even talking to her in private, I was somehow the one at fault. I was either ‘too young to understand’ or ‘ungrateful to the man that provided a roof over our head.’ The latter was not even factual, because Gerald didn’t have a job, so Alpha technically owned our apartment. But that didn’t matter. Theresa had twisted it in her head so that those elements weren’t important and that they were minor inconveniences that ‘us women’ had to deal with.
After all, you know how men can be.
I hated that phrase. I had heard it time and time again, making my frustration with the situation grow and turn into a general wariness about mating as a whole. Something that should have been impossible, considering I was a wolf shifter and mating was literally second nature to us. But… maybe it wasn’t mating that upset me as much as the concept of being with someone like Gerald.
Why couldn’t your mate be expected to treat you with respect? I knew I was supposed to be submissive by nature, not only as a female shifter but as the type of wolf I was, but everything told me that we weren’t meant to be treated like that.
Relief flooded me as I realized what a bullet I’d dodged. I had truly believed that my only option was for me to mate with someone like that, and now that it wasn’t my unavoidable future? I was both angry at myself for having accepted that fate so easily and also a bit terrified because I had absolutely no idea what my future would hold. It couldn’t be worse than what I would have been going through, though, right? I was praying to the Goddess that was the case.
My fists tightened slightly, nails digging into my palms, as a thread of anxiety began to unravel in my abdomen. Change was not my friend, and there was absolutely no way to avoid it, considering my life was being turned upside down. I was being thrust into a new world, almost literally, and expected to make my way into it with ease? That seemed unfair.
I craved stability. I craved to understand and be able to predict what would come next in my daily life, and right now I couldn’t even tell you where my next meal was coming from. While I knew this change could yield positive results, I was still cautious, because everything about this situation was far from my normal. That didn’t even include all the unanswered questions I had.
First of all, how was I even headed to this university in the first place? Why could no one answer that simple question for me? I mean, my grades were decent, but… It made absolutely no sense.
Silver Falls University.
When Gerald and Theresa had informed me about my ‘change of plans’ a few days ago, I’d thought they were teasing me. They had to be joking, right? I mean, why else would they state it so casually? The only thing that convinced me was when they’d handed me the acceptance letter to a university that I knew I had never applied to.
In fact, I had never bothered applying to any colleges following my graduation the previous spring. No one from my graduating class, with the exception of two students, had chosen to go to university this past fall. It just wasn’t something any of us did. Not only because of the financial hardship it put on the pack, but because, as I said, there wasn’t a lot of emphasis on education overall.
So who had submitted my information for a late start in the spring semester? That was one more question that no one seemed to be able to articulate an answer for. Then again, I didn’t push it very much, especially since we had been surrounded by so many other pack members the past few days, everyone seemingly shocked at the change of fortune.
Despite my unease with change, it was getting me out of a toxic situation. Plus, I’d been awarded a full scholarship, so I would owe my pack and the school nothing.
Do you know how much it took for someone to want to get away from a pack that saved their life? To not want to feel indebted to the people that brought me in when I was cold and stumbling through the streets? A lot. Trust me when I said there were a hundred reasons why I’d needed to get out of there, and half of them had to do with the current bruising on my body.
I healed faster than a human but slower than most wolf shifters. So when a full-grown male wolf shifter like Gerald served out a hit or two? You better believe that it didn’t heal right away. Despite Theresa seeming to accept the mistreatment that I knew was wrong, I would take any way out of such a toxic situation. When I’d been presented with an opportunity, I’d leapt at it.
A mysterious scholarship to one of the most prestigious universities in the Midwest was not something I was going to question. Especially if no one else was. Something that I should have found suspicious, but at the time I’d been just wanting an escape. Now though, as I sat on this train overthinking the massive change I was making, the unease and anxiety was making itself known once again.
Had they truly wanted me gone that bad? Was that why they had jumped on it? I hadn’t thought I was that much of a problem, considering I normally kept to myself.
More so, was this a bad idea?
Or a dangerous situation?
Want more? Pick up Lost today!
Lost: Silver Falls University (Book One)
Series Within DIA Universe
Monarchs of Hell (Completed Series) by R.L. Caulder and M. Sinclair
Insurrection: mybook.to/Monarchs1
Imbalance: mybook.to/Monarchs2
Inheritance: mybook.to/Monarchs3
Dark Imaginarium Academy Series
Phases of the Moon by M. Sinclair
The Creatures We Crave by R.L. Caulder
The Storm Dragons’ Mate by M. Sinclair
Blood Oath by R.L. Caulder
M. Sinclair
USA Today Bestselling Author
M. Sinclair is a Chicago native, parent to 3 cats, and can be found writing almost every moment of the day. Despite being new to publishing, M. Sinclair has been writing for nearly 10 years now. Currently in love with the Reverse Harem genre, she plans to publish an array of works that are considered romance, suspense, and horror within the year. M. Sinclair lives by the notion that there is enough room for all types of heroines in this world, and being saved is as important as saving others. If you love fantasy romance, obsessive possessive alpha males, and tough FMCs, then M. Sinclair is for you!
Published Works
M. Sinclair has crafted different universes with unique plotlines, character cameos, and shared universe events. As a reader, this means that you may see your favorite character or characters… appear in multiple books besides their own storyline.
Universe 1
Established in 2019
Vengeance
Book 1 - Savages
Book 2 - Lunatics
Book 3 - Monsters
Book 4 - Psychos
Complete Series
Vengeance : The Complete Series
The Red Masques
Book 1 - Raven Blood
Book 2 - Ashes & Bones
Book 3 - Shadow Glass
Book 4 - Fire & Smoke
Book 5 - Dark King
Complete Series
A Raven Masques Novel - Birth of a Raven
Tears of the Siren
Book 1 - Horror of Your Heart
Book 2 - Broken House
Book 3 - Neon Drops
Book 4 - Snapped Strings
Book 5 - Fractured Souls
Descendant
Book 1 - Descendant of Chaos
Book 2 - Descendant of Blood
Book 3 - Descendant of Sin
Book 4 - Descendant of Glory
Book 5 - Descendant of Pain
Book 6 - Descendant of Victory
Reborn
Book 1 - Reborn In Flames
Book 2 - Soaring In Flames
Book 3 - Realm Of Flames
Book 4 - Dying in Flames
Book 5 - Ruling in Flames
Complete Series
The Wronged
Book 1 - Wicked Blaze Correctional
Book 2 - Evading Wicked Blaze
Book 3 - Defeating Wicked Blaze
Complete Series
Lost in Fae
Book 1 - Finding Fae
Book 2 - Exploring Fae
Book 3 - Freeing Fae
Universe 2
Established in 2020
Among Shadows
Book 1 - Court of Betrayal
Book 2 - Court of Deception
Paranormal & Fantasy Series
These series are not currently affiliated with a specific M. Sinclair universe.
Phases of the Moon
Book 1 - Lunar Witch
Book 2 - Blood Witch
Book 3 - Shadow Witch
Book 4 - TBA
The Storm Dragons’ Mate
Book 1 - Blitz
Book 2 - Flicker
Book 3 - Surge
Book 4 - TBA
The Dead and Not So Dead
Book 1 - Queen of the Dead
Book 2 - Team Time with the Dead
Book 3 - Dying for the Dead
Complete Series
Silver Falls University
Book 1 - Lost
Book 2 - Forgotten
Book 3 - Discovered
Book 4 - Pursued
I.S.S.
Book 1 - Soothing Nightmares
Book 2 - Defending Nightmares
Book 3 - Defeating Nightmares
Book 4 - Loving Nightmares
Universe Standalone Novel - Mating Monsters
Contemporary Universe
Established in 2021
The Shadows of Wildberry Lane
Book 1 - Perfection of Suffering
Book 2 - Execution of Anguish
Book 3 - Carnage of Misery
Complete Series
Complete Collection: The Shadows of Wildberry Lane
Their Possession
Book 1 - Sheltered
Book 2 - Searched
Standalone Novels
Peridot (Jewels Cafe Series)
Time for Sensibility (Women of Time)
Willowdale Village Collection
A collection of standalone novels about the women of Willowdale Village.
Voiceless
