Alannas calling, p.1
Alanna's Calling, page 1
White River Wolves
Alanna’s Calling
Dawn Sullivan
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by means mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior permission from the author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events are fictitious in every regard. Any similarities to actual events or persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental. Any trademarks, service marks, product names or featured names are assumed to be the property of their respective owners and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement of any of these terms are used. Except for review purposes, the reproduction of this book in whole or in part, mechanically or electronically, constitutes a copyright violation. Published in the United States of America in May 2023; Copyright 2023 by Dawn Sullivan. The right of the Author’s Name to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by them in accordance with The Copyright, Designs and Patent Act of 1988.
Published by Dawn Sullivan
Cover Design: Dana Leah- Designs By Dana
Photographer: Shelton Cole- SC Photo
Model: Christina Gragg
Editors: CP Bialois and Jamie White
Copyright 2023 © Author Dawn Sullivan
Language: English
Contents
RARE and White River Wolves Reading Order
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
A Note from the Author
About the Author
Other books by Dawn Sullivan
For Christina a/k/a Care Bear. Thank you for being the sweet, kind, funny, supportive person you are.
RARE and White River Wolves Reading Order
Nico’s Heart- RARE Book 1
Phoenix’s Fate- RARE Book 2
Josie’s Miracle- White River Wolves Book 1
Trace’s Temptation- RARE Book 3
Slade’s Desire- White River Wolves Book 2
Saving Storm- RARE Book 4
Angel’s Destiny- RARE Book 5
Janie’s Salvation- White River Wolves Book 3
Sable’s Fire- White River Wolves Book 4
Jaxson’s Justice- RARE Book 6
Rikki’s Awakening- RARE Book 7
Alanna’s Calling- White River Wolves Book 5
1
Alanna Miller woke from a deep sleep to the sound of someone banging loudly on her apartment door. She froze, terror filling her at the first thought that came to her. Her brother had found her. Doug was here to take her home, back to the hell she’d endured for years before she’d been rescued by the White River Wolves.
“Alanna,” a deep voice roared. “Open up!”
With a soft cry of fear, she sprang out of bed and to her feet, trying to figure out what to do. She couldn’t return to the life she’d had before. The constant emotional and physical abuse. The name calling and degrading. The bruises, broken bones, pain and suffering. She’d been free of it for almost six months now. She felt safe, something she hadn’t felt in so long; even before her parents passed away in a car accident twenty months ago and Doug took over as alpha of their sleuth.
She was finally able to be herself. Make her own decisions. Be… happy. Or as happy as she could be when she knew what the future held.
Not only that, but she had a purpose in life. A calling that couldn’t go unanswered. She was meant to help others. To take away their pain. Heal them. Save them. She’d seen it in several visions and knew exactly what her reason for living was.
She’d even helped a couple of people in her new pack already. First, it was the alpha himself after he was kidnapped by the General’s daughter, Ebony. Chase Montgomery had been taken, beaten daily, and then shot twice when protecting his mate’s son, Jinx. He had mostly healed on his own by the time she saw him after the ordeal, but Alanna was able to take away all of his pain and discomfort. After everything he’d done for her, she was happy to have the chance to do something for him in return.
Then Alanna healed her new friend, Raven, who had been held by the General for a year. The poor dragoness was in constant agony after being hurt and experimented on for so long. Not to mention her time with a Colombian drug lord before that, who loved to terrorize and torture his prisoners. Helping Raven had put her down for a couple of weeks, suffering more than she would let anyone else know, but it was worth it. She regretted nothing.
It had felt so good to help Chase and Raven with her gift, and to know they not only appreciated it, but that she could trust them to keep her ability to heal others a secret. The only other person in her life Alanna had ever been able to place her trust in was her best friend, Fallon. A woman who was more of a sister to her than a friend.
Alanna had a gift. One she felt it was her destiny to use. People needed her, one person specifically. A little boy who just might be the one to end her existence, but she would go willingly if that happened. Her life for that of a child? She would pick a child every single time. But it wouldn’t be for a while yet. She had time.
Time to help others in need. To live. To enjoy life.
At least, she thought she did. Alanna was never positive on the exact timeframe when visions came to her, but she was sure she had a few months left. Two or three if she were lucky. She could help a lot of people in that amount of time.
Alanna couldn’t let her brother take her away from all the good she needed to do before her time on earth was over. She refused to allow him to.
Not only that, but she wasn’t ready to leave him. The man who should have been the other half of her soul, but who would never claim her if what she’d seen in her visions came true. She wouldn’t allow it. She couldn’t. She refused to leave him alone in the world, shattered when he lost the one person who was supposed to be his world. His mate. And there was a very good chance that would happen.
While the vision of the child she would save someday was somewhat cloudy, she knew it was coming, and the outcome would very likely be death. Her death.
Unfortunately, no matter what she did, Alanna couldn’t stop thinking of him, even though she knew he would never be hers. Dark hair, deep brown eyes with the most stunning flecks of green in them, and a cocky, sexy grin that took her breath away whenever she was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of it.
She’d spent the past five and a half months avoiding him, not wanting him to get the chance to scent her. Even in the very beginning when he came with the rest of the pack to rescue her from the hell she was enduring, he was never near enough to discover they were mates. At the time, it wasn’t her doing. She didn’t even realize that her mate was there. He was never near her when Chase and his team first made contact and they rode in separate vehicles on the way back to the pack lands. It wasn’t until they arrived and she felt the connection to him when he exited the SUV he was in that she realized who he was to her. He was too far away to scent, but she knew him. Felt him. And every time after that when she saw him somewhere around the White River Wolves compound, she did everything she could to avoid him.
Alanna watched him from a distance. She couldn’t help herself. If he was gone for any length of time, she listened closely to the others in the pack for news on him, absorbing everything about the gorgeous cat that she could. Even though they would never be together, she needed to know he was safe.
Her cat. A fierce tiger. One she had no doubt would protect her, would give his own life for her if it came down to it. She couldn’t let that happen. While she was willing to die for the young boy in the future, there was no way she would put her mate in danger for anyone, no matter who they were. It was better to just keep her distance and never let him know who she was to him.
It probably would have been easier if she’d let the council place them somewhere else when she and Fallon were rescued, but she couldn’t resist the chance to see him. To watch over him. Even if it was only for a short time. She just made sure she was very careful not to ever be near enough for him to inhale her scent. So far, it had worked. He seemed oblivious to what they were to each other. Sadly, he’d probably forgotten all about her after the rescue mission.
“Alanna!”
She was torn from her thoughts at the yelling of her name and the pounding that was getting louder. Alanna heard Fallon moving around in the bedroom next to hers, which was enough to break her from her thoughts and make her realize it couldn’t be her brother at the door. There was no way he would be knocking if it was. Not with the entire apartment building full of shifters who would do everything within their power to protect her since she was now a part of their pack.
“Alanna, please, I need you! Please!”
There was so much pain and desperation in the voice this time and shock raced through her when she finally placed it. Phoenix Maddox of RARE. He was a complete alpha male. Not one to beg for anything. But here he was at her door, and now that she was finally wide awake and coherent, she could smell the overwhelming scent of his fear all the way in her bedroom.
It could only mean one thing.
Alanna was out of her bedr oom and had the front door opened before Fallon made it to the living room. “Where is she?” she demanded, as she took in his haggard appearance.
Phoenix stared at her from dark green eyes full of agony and despair, tears streaming down his cheeks. “The hospital,” he rasped. “It’s the baby. Something’s wrong with her. She… she isn’t breathing.”
Alanna didn’t wait to hear more. Ignoring the fact that she was dressed in just her sleep shorts, a tank top with her favorite superhero on it, and no shoes, she raced out of the apartment.
No! This couldn’t be happening! This wasn’t something she’d foreseen. All she’d ever felt was peace and happiness from the baby whenever she was near Serenity. A love already building for the parents who talked to her daily. For the daddy who sang to her, and the mommy who read her books at night. No duress. No struggling. Nothing to make Alanna suspect there was any issue with the child at all.
She was aware of Phoenix right behind her, but she didn’t take the time to say anything else. She was running up the hospital stairs and clearing the doors within two minutes. Alanna didn’t even pause when she saw what appeared to be Phoenix’s team, along with several others, in the waiting room.
There was a loud, keening wail coming from the back of the building; the sound of a mother crying out for her child. Alanna’s heart jumped in her chest as she streaked past the receptionist area, her long, brunette hair flowing out behind her.
“Wait! You can’t go back there!”
Not bothering to respond, Alanna continued down the hall and pushed open the doors to the Emergency Room. Serenity lay in a hospital bed, clutching tightly to Angel, her eyes glued to where Doc Josie was doing everything she could to save her daughter’s life. Chase stood off to the side, his clear blue eyes dark with worry, his gaze also on the baby.
Alanna could feel the doctor’s panic and helplessness as she barked out orders to her nurses, but the woman never stopped fighting. Unfortunately, she knew nothing the doctor did now would save the little one’s life. Her spirit was already preparing to leave her body. She could see the pure white essence of it as it began to shimmer and rise.
Alanna had seen something like this before. At the time, she’d been unable to try and help the man who was one of her brother’s enforcers. Someone who challenged Doug for his title as alpha and lost. He died an agonizing death; one she’d had to sit and watch, unsure anything she did would save him even if two other enforcers hadn’t been holding her back. Not only that, but her brother didn’t know the extent of her healing abilities. She’d kept as much from him as possible when it came to her gifts. If she’d tried to help the man and succeeded, who knew what Doug would have done to her.
She’d watched as the enforcer took his final breath, and a few minutes later his spirit left his body. It wasn’t the pure white light of the baby in front of her, but had more of a tarnished, tan color to it. Still, that tan light rose to the heavens above, until there was nothing left to see after the Gods accepted him.
Alanna refused to sit back and watch the same thing happen to Phoenix and Serenity’s daughter. She might not have had a choice before because of her brother, but she did now. She was going to fight like hell to give that little girl the future she deserved. Alanna had known for years now that there was a huge possibility she would give her own life for that of a child’s. She just didn’t expect it to be this child.
There was another one out there. A little boy who needed her, who may not be given the same chance at living that Alanna was about to give this baby. That thought broke her heart, but she couldn’t think about it right now. There wasn’t time.
Crossing the room, Alanna laid a hand on Josie’s arm, squeezing it gently. When the doctor barely spared her a glance, she said, “You’ve done all you can do, Doc. It’s my turn now.”
Doc Josie’s eyes widened, filling with tears as she shook her head. “No. I won’t give up! I can do this!”
“Give me the child,” Alanna said quietly, blocking out the sound of Serenity’s harsh sobs. Phoenix had come to her for help, and she was going to give it to him. It didn’t matter what anyone else in the room thought.
“Alanna, no, it’s too much to ask,” Angel cut in, her voice filled with apprehension.
“Angel…”
“No, Phoenix. It could kill her!”
“Angel’s right,” Chase said, moving over to put his arm around his mate. “I don’t know how Alanna’s gift works, but I do know that she was down for weeks after helping Raven. It could kill her.”
“If she doesn’t help, my baby will die!” The words were torn from Phoenix’s throat as he held Serenity close.
“Let me!” Serenity cried, reaching for the little girl. “Let me save her. I can do it!”
“You can’t, mate,” Phoenix rasped, his voice heavy with sorrow. “You’re too weak after having her. I can’t lose you both.”
Ignoring it all, Alanna stepped forward and slid her arms under the baby’s still body. Lifting her gently, she walked over to a chair in the corner of the room and sat. Placing the little girl’s chest over hers so they were heart to heart and lowered her head and closed her eyes.
It took a moment, but then she heard the faint beat, showing her the baby was still alive. She was a fighter and she wanted to live, but was in so much pain. Blocking out everything around her, Alanna focused on that heartbeat. She felt a peace enter her that came without fail, right before the healing began and the pain hit.
She always told people when they asked if it hurt her to use her gift that what she felt was nothing like the pain the person she was healing endured. It was a lie, worded in a way no one would be able to scent the acrid smell of it. Technically, it really wasn’t anything like the pain they were feeling… it was so much worse. The thing was, it never hit her hard right away. It would creep up slowly, and then consume her about an hour or so later. After that, she would be down for days, in blinding agony. Stuck in darkness and horror, unable to communicate even though she was aware of what was going on around her, until she was finally able to claw her way out.
Not even Fallon knew how much she suffered. It was the only lie she’d ever told her best friend because she knew the other woman wouldn’t be able to handle the full truth.
“You don’t have to do this, Alanna.”
Alanna heard Chase, but she didn’t acknowledge him. Her full attention was now on the baby and keeping the little one tied to earth.
Sweet baby, she whispered from her mind to the child’s as she flooded her with love and healing power, it isn’t your time just yet. You are needed here, with your parents, and all of the ones who love you. You have a purpose, a destiny to fulfill.
The first thing she needed to do was to somehow get the baby’s spirit back fully into her body. To accomplish that, she was going to have to lessen the terrible pain she could feel surrounding the child. It was everywhere, starting with the way her skin was so sensitive to anything that touched it. It was hot, with pinpricks of agony everywhere. And then there was the way her heart felt as if it was being squeezed tightly in her chest, causing unbearable agony. The way her lungs almost felt as if they were being crushed, which would explain why she couldn’t pull air into them.
There was so much misery and suffering. The little one was struggling to choose to fight for a life with her parents or to move on into the afterlife. As far as Alanna was concerned, there wasn’t a choice. The child was meant to be a warrior like her father someday. Protecting the innocent and saving the ones who could not save themselves. Failure was not an option.
That excruciating pain had to go. Now.
Taking a deep breath, Alanna opened herself up fully to the child, stifling a moan when the first bout of fear and agony touched her. The baby was terrified, hurting so much she was ready to just let go. Reaching for a peace that was being promised to her from the Gods above.
