Overlord: A Dark Shifter Romance Read online

  Overlord

  By

  Delta James

  Copyright © 2019 by Stormy Night Publications and Delta James

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  Published by Stormy Night Publications and Design, LLC.

  www.StormyNightPublications.com

  James, Delta

  Overlord

  Cover Design by Korey Mae Johnson

  Images by iStock/sara_winter and Dreamstime/Y Photo Studio

  This book is intended for adults only. Spanking and other sexual activities represented in this book are fantasies only, intended for adults.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Prologue

  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

  Similar Books by Delta James

  Books of the Wayward Mates Series

  More Stormy Night Books by Delta James

  Delta James Links

  Prologue

  The world came apart not from an invasion or war, but from a silent plague that had decimated those who had once ruled. What was left behind were small bands of humans, mutants, and shifters. The wolf shifters had been the first to assert their dominance on the global food chain.

  Technology had mostly been lost, overrun, or destroyed. Wolf packs had returned to a more medieval system as alphas exerted their dominance and ruled as they had more than a thousand years before.

  * * *

  Gareth, Alpha of Ravenscar, crawled onto his bed growling seductively at his mate. He worked his way up from her feet so that his body was parallel over hers, and she opened her eyes, locking gazes with him. Ever so slowly, he lowered himself on top of her, parting her thighs with his own as he lined up his cock with her sheath. He reached underneath her to hold her buttocks in his hands, tilting her hips into perfect alignment with his now throbbing shaft, and sank gently into her wet heat.

  Her body arched up into his, clinging to him as he began plunging into her, thrusting in and out and savoring her response. He had missed this while she was in confinement and then recovering from the birth of their firstborn, a glorious daughter with hair the color of her mother’s—born of a knot and destined for greatness. His mate nibbled his collarbone as he relentlessly plundered her. Feeling her contract all up and down his staff, he drove into her with long, hard strokes. Gareth recognized her need, as he too basked in the fire of their reunion. It was almost as if the flames from each of their souls rose above them and danced together in perfect harmony and rhythm.

  Gareth understood, as she orgasmed again, her nails digging into his back as her legs intertwined with his, that everything that had come before was nothing. His whole existence had led him to this moment with her. In the beginning, his need to mark and claim his mate had been overwhelming. He had not asked for, or received, her consent and she didn’t hate him for it. She gloried in their singularity. Their souls were no longer separate entities; they existed only to complete each other.

  Harder and faster he pummeled her pussy as she began to experience one climax after another until they morphed into a single long, drawn-out orgasm that had her writhing beneath him. He held her close, not allowing her to move, as he fucked her relentlessly. Before her, he had always hated the dark, cold winter nights at Ravenscar that seemed to last forever. Now he looked forward to them as he was most often locked in an intimate embrace—knotted to his fated mate.

  “Gareth,” she screamed as she climaxed again.

  He let his control slip as he began to strive for his own gratification. He felt his cock swell as it filled with cum before he began spilling himself in her as she purred in sexual satisfaction. He nuzzled her and captured her mouth, bruising her lips with his as his cock throbbed and twitched, spurting out the last drops of his essence. Her ability to enflame him and then quench his desire for her seemed to know no bounds.

  Gareth rested on her body. He had no interest in withdrawing from her. His need to be buried deep within her was as profound as his need to keep his spirit bound with hers. She snaked her arms around his neck, joining her body more closely to his as she rubbed her nipples against his chest. Gareth could feel them becoming stiff. He reached under her, grasping her haunches as he rolled to his back, exchanging their positions so that she rested on top of his body.

  She nipped his earlobe and whispered, “You are mine, Alpha of Ravenscar... mine.”

  He rumbled his pleasure at her response; his fulfillment was complete as she lay in his arms.

  “Aye, Mistress of Ravenscar, that I am.”

  Chapter One

  Two years previous

  For centuries, those at Ravenscar had run as a pack in wolf form. Gareth stood on the outcropping of rock in the North Sea, the crashing ocean at his back and the majority of his pack frolicking in the surf or stretched out under the warm sun. With the uncertainty of the current age, the need for armed guards to ensure their safety had been increased. Gareth had been forced to limit the number of warriors who ran with the pack at any one time. Half would participate, while the others stayed at their posts or were on patrol. But still, it did all of them good to shift and race through the fields and along the shoreline.

  “Gareth!” Tyler, his omega, called.

  Alerted by the fact that Tyler was in human form, Gareth caught the eye of Ruari, his beta; both shifted to human form and headed toward Tyler. As he slogged through the surf, Gareth stopped to reassure his pack members with a kind word, a benign smile, or a benevolent touch that they should continue to enjoy themselves.

  “Trouble?” he asked as he reached Ruari and Tyler.

  “I’m afraid so. We’ve had word from Alaric...” started Tyler.

  “Did the bitch run him through?” Ruari asked with a laugh.

  Gareth couldn’t help but smile. Rumor had reached them that his brother, Alaric, had chosen to mate Rowan, the renegade she-wolf at Calon Onest, who had proclaimed herself alpha there, instead of the younger, more biddable sister. He didn’t discount the tale as Alaric had never been one to take the easy path.

  “No,” said Tyler, shaking his head, “but Edwyn of Chepstow marches toward them with an army at his back.”

  Edwyn’s brother had been beheaded by Rowan, his brother’s mate, before Alaric had laid claim to her and the stronghold on the coast of Wales.

  “Not all that surprising considering the girl killed his brother,” said Ruari.

  “I’m not convinced the Council or Edwyn ever wanted Alaric to be all that successful. Rowan led her pack and her men into battle successfully for several years...” mused Gareth.

  “A woman in battle, bah!” spat Ruari. “She needed to be claimed and mated before her father’s corpse had a chance to grow cold.”

  “I’m not sure that would have been as easily done as some might believe,” said Tyler. “Be that as it may, Alaric has asked for our assistance.”

  “Which he will have,” replied Gareth decisively. Turning to Ruari, he continued, “Let’s get the pack back to the house and begin to formulate a strategy. We
will gather our men and arms and plan to leave at dawn tomorrow. Tyler, send a messenger back to Alaric on a fresh horse to let him know we ride to his assistance. It’s time the Council realized that both Ravenscar and Calon Onest are forces to be recognized and respected. If they cannot learn to do so, then they will learn to fear us.”

  * * *

  Sloan was still feeling the residual effects of the spanking she had received from Tristan, the pack’s beta, as Edwyn marched on Calon Onest. Sloan had aided their mistress in leaving the castle to ride for help, even though she was forbidden to do so. She exited the kitchen, running into Tristan.

  “Sloan, are you finished with your tasks in the kitchen?”

  Feeling a bit awkward, Sloan replied, “Yes, Beta...”

  “It’s okay, Sloan,” said Tristan reassuringly, “Once you accepted responsibility for your actions and have been punished for them, everything was reset. There’s no need to feel embarrassed or upset.”

  “Yes, Beta,” she said, feeling more sure of herself. “What else can I do to be of help?”

  “Just go to bed and get some rest. We’ll need you tomorrow.”

  Sloan watched Tristan’s broad, muscular back as he walked away and thought how attractive she found Alaric’s beta when he wasn’t angry with her or beating her ass. Shaking her head, she started back to her room. She spied Rowan coming down the main stairs.

  “Ro? What are you doing running around here in the middle of the night dressed only in Alaric’s shirt?”

  “I need to get to the stables and get out of here. Alaric thinks he’s going to send us off to safety. You will need to go with Arielle, but I will not abandon my home, my people, or my mate.”

  “Wait, Ro! There are horses in the back barn. They haven’t been used in the past week. Get one of them. I’ll find some breeches and boots for you, as well as a sword.”

  Rowan grinned at Sloan. “You’ll end up over Tristan’s knee for this.”

  “I didn’t die the last time. And it was always bound to happen again,” she said, returning the grin.

  The two women, one human and one she-wolf, had been friends for years, long before Alaric had claimed Rowan as his mate. Rowan had successfully led their pack for a number of years after her father’s death. Sloan had served her then and hoped to be allowed to continue to do so.

  Rowan sprinted toward the back barn as Sloan rushed toward the laundry to find her something more suitable to wear. Whatever Rowan was planning, Sloan knew she would need her help. She was in luck; a pair of Rowan’s own breeches and a pair of her boots along with a corset had just been cleaned. She grabbed them and quietly made her way to the council chamber just off the main keep.

  There, at the back of the room, was Rowan’s father’s sword. She took it from its place of honor and made her way to the back barn. Sloan had never known Rowan’s sire, but she believed he would have looked down kindly on her having retrieved it to give to his daughter.

  Sloan was glad to discover, as she entered the barn, that Rowan had her horse ready and would only need a few moments to get dressed. She helped her into her corset, tightening the stays so that they could do their job while still allowing her breathing room. Sloan stood holding the stallion while Rowan put on her boots and placed the sword in the scabbard attached to her saddle.

  They heard shouting and clamoring coming from the main keep.

  “They’ve discovered you’re gone,” said Sloan. “I don’t know that they’ll think of the sally port at the southwest corner. Finish getting dressed and then head there. I’ll wait and get it swung open so you can gallop through. Be quick. Be safe.”

  “Safe only until Alaric gets his hands on me. Stay with Arielle and take care of each other.”

  Sloan nodded and headed for the exit Rowan would use. Tristan sounded the alarm when he found Rowan. She watched as Rowan rode straight at him before knocking him out of her way at the last moment. Rowan galloped toward Sloan, veering off momentarily to grab a bow and quiver of arrows. Sloan threw open the gate to the sally port and felt the brush of power that was the charging horse as they burst through the opening. Once they were clear, she closed it behind them.

  She turned to face an angry Tristan, who had managed to regain his feet, as he grabbed her by the arm and started toward Rowan’s very angry mate. Alaric called for Rowan and Sloan felt the peripheral edge of the alpha wave meant for his mate.

  “I’m sorry, Alpha. She knocked me down and got past me,” Tristan said.

  “You!” Alaric thundered at Sloan, who would have been knocked flat by the angry alpha wave now directed at her had Tristan not been holding her up. “Bryan!” he called to his omega.

  “Yes, Alpha.”

  “You will take this miscreant, Rowan’s sister, and a small company of men and head for the ships. Make them ready to sail for Ravenscar. Gareth’s people know you and will take you in. Have Lucien get the rest of the women and children loaded. Send enough men that they can man the boats, be ready to weigh anchor and get them to safety if need be. Tristan, send two men to see if they can’t find my mate. If they can, get her to the boats; I don’t care if they have to hogtie her to do it.”

  Knowing that his orders would be followed, Alaric stormed off. Once they were out of earshot of their alpha, Tristan stopped and turned to Bryan.

  “Get Arielle and the other women and head down to the boat. Before this one gets on board, she and I are going to come to a meeting of the minds about appropriate behavior for female pack members.”

  Sloan hated the way Bryan grinned at him.

  “Yes, Beta. We will be at the boat when you have finished seeing to her punishment,” Bryan responded before heading back to the keep.

  Turning to Sloan, Tristan said angrily, “Explain yourself, human.”

  “Rowan seemed very intent on leaving. As I have always done so in the past, I helped her in whatever way she needed.”

  He growled and pulled her to him. “You’d best pray to whatever gods you believe in that your actions do not cause any harm to befall our mistress.”

  Tristan turned on his heel and began to drag a very reluctant Sloan back toward the stables.

  Although she had made light of it to Rowan, she was not looking forward to finding herself face down over Tristan’s knee again. She tried to resist being urged forward, but the pack’s beta was far too strong and far too determined. He seemed to grow tired of her trying to dig her feet in to make a stand and turned back to her, tossing her over his shoulder before she could do anything at all to stop him.

  While it was very infuriating being flung over his shoulder and carried upside down, Sloan’s main concern was for what he planned to do once he put her down. Her only consolation was that Tristan’s strap was, she presumed, still up in the main keep.

  Sitting down on a bale of hay, Tristan pulled her across his hard thigh, rucked her skirt up to her waist, pushed her knickers to her knees and bared her bottom. He trapped her legs between his and positioned her so that her ass was the highest point of her body.

  “I don’t know what the hell you were thinking, Sloan, but when I’m done with you, you will think twice before helping Rowan in any more of her wild schemes,” scolded Tristan as he raised his hand and brought it down on her backside with a resounding whack.

  “Bastard,” she yelped.

  “Not hardly, but also not relevant. I understand you haven’t been pack for very long and that in this pack, females have not been disciplined appropriately, but that ended the day our alpha took Rowan to mate.”

  Tristan began to spank her and reignite the burn he had given her when she and Rowan had tried to escape several days before. Alaric had claimed Rowan and Calon Onest despite Rowan’s unwillingness to acknowledge his claim. Tristan had taken his strap to her that time and had left raised marks that had continued to be uncomfortable. Now he swatted them, giving the new spanking the added benefit of the previously inflicted one. Sloan kicked her legs as best she could and tried to s
quirm away, but the beta of the Calon Onest pack continued to steadily rain blows down on her behind.

  Sloan bit her lip and tried not to give him the satisfaction of either crying or at least begging him to stop, but the increasing strength of the strikes he was delivering began to erode her resolve rather quickly.

  Tristan was right. Finding herself face down over a man’s knee was new to her. The fire that spread across her backside was intense and not something she’d ever had to endure. Her time with Rowan’s pack had not been under male domination and Rowan had forbade the women of her pack being subjected to any kind of physical punishment. Sloan knew her face was getting red but knew her backside was becoming an even deeper hue of that color as Tristan’s hand descended relentlessly all across her bottom before including her upper thighs and sit spots. As he engaged the latter two, she yowled in pain.

  “Tristan, shit! That hurts, damn it! Stop!”

  “That, little girl, is not the way to ask your beta to think about curtailing the punishment you have earned yourself. I suggest you learn to behave before Alaric decides you’d be better off with a mate to see to your unruliness.”

  “Rowan would never let him force me into a pairing...”

  “She would have little to say about it. It is not Rowan who is alpha here; it is Alaric and he alone will decide what will serve you and the pack best. Rowan is having enough trouble staying on her mate’s good side and off of his knee. I ought to take my sword belt to you and stripe the backs of your thighs and sit spots. But as you go from here to the boat, I’ll let this be the end of it, provided you apologize right now.”

  The idea of apologizing for something she wasn’t sorry for rankled, but she had learned the last time that it was best to take advantage of any opportunity given to get Tristan to curtail a spanking.

  “I’m sorry, Beta.”

  Tristan surprised her by chuckling. “But for what, I don’t think I’ll ask as I highly doubt it is helping Rowan. This had best be the last time I have to put you over my knee for it, understood?”