Primal Shattering

Primal Shattering PRIME SHIFTER ACADEMY BOOK 2 MELODY ROSE Copyright © 2023 Melody Rose All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the express written permission of the copyright holder, except where permitted by law. This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination, or, if real, used fictitiously. Cover design by Claire Holt at Luminescence Covers Created with Vellum Contents Prologue1. Sunny2. Sunny3. Talon4. Sunny5. Sunny6. Sunny7. Dexter8. Sunny9. Slade10. Sunny11. Baron12. Sunny13. Sunny14. Sunny15. Sunny16. Sunny17. Slade18. Sunny19. Sunny20. Talon21. Sunny22. Sunny23. Sunny24. Sunny25. Dexter26. SunnyEpilogueA Note from the Author PrologueDECEMBER, 1999 A pegasus, as shimmering and white as a layer of fresh snow, lowered his muzzle to examine the nude figure lying eyes-closed on the tile floor of the Capitol building. The creature pressed its velvety nose gently against the figure’s cheek, blowing away a red and orange feather with a gentle breath. Despite his attempts, the phoenix, Wesley, remained unconscious. “He is alive, but barely,” he announced, tucking his grand, feathery wings tight against his back. “I can feel his breath, but it’s shallow and soft.” “I wonder if this whole ordeal would have been easier on him if he had just learned to stay where he belonged,” a tiger hissed in response from across the bloodied foyer where two other bodies, both obviously deceased, lay in gory displays on the perfect tile floor. The beast paced along the walls of the elaborate Capitol foyer, unable to keep still from adrenaline as a low rumble reverberated off of every surface. “I wonder if he even cares that it was his disregard for his position, his selfishness, and his constant need to disappear into the human world time and time again that allowed for this?” “Come now, Pazur.” The pegasus’ voice remained calm and melodic despite the anger and fear radiating from every still-living body in the room. “As painful as this is, the Council cannot—” “It can and it will, Oberon,” the tiger bit back. He was a brutish, nightmarish sight. As he paced, you couldn’t help but notice the bloody, sticky fur along his hackles. “My mate—dead.” In an instant, he transformed into a human, his golden eyes leaking tears down his cheeks and into his dark beard. “Gullog, a third of the Counsel itself—dead. What are we to tell his spawnlings? His good mate? What am I to tell my children?” Pazur’s head turned to the side, forcing himself to look at his mate—the female who had given him the best parts of his life, who’d been thrown to the ground like a ragdoll with her throat sliced open. The rage on the shifter’s face evolved into grief as he dashed to her corpse and pulled her into his arms, heaving deep cries of anguish into her lifeless form. Just beside her was another. Gullog Marshtomper, a portly male with a curly mess of mossy-green hair. He had an expression that, even in death, was warm and at peace. The bullfrog shifter had made history in his life as the first amphibian to act as the Sea Clan leader, and freshwater spirits across Otherworld hailed him as the champion of their often overlooked community. The attack itself felt pulled from a nightmare. It had been so quick, so vicious, and worst of all, entirely unexpected. Deimos was no longer just a name in a history book—he was very real, and worse than anyone could have imagined. To him, the act of trapping the Councilmen in the foyer in an attempt to cut them down in cold blood was no more than child’s play. A game—one that, thanks to the unconscious phoenix on the ground, Deimos had successfully lost. “There are no words I can offer you, friend,” the pegasus said after several moments. “Both their lives will be honored with all the grace and dignity this life has to offer, and the next. You are entitled to your anger, and you’ll be given the time and space to grieve, but Pazur…” “What?” the tiger growled out of the corner of his mouth. “We must take action! There has never been a time where we’ve been more needed to hold tight to the reins of our positions and be the examples of strength and courage to all of Otherworld.” A clear voice of certainty presented Oberon’s argument. “The two of us are the remaining Council members.” The pegasus dropped his head, nudging the injured body before him. “And him, of course.” Pazur didn’t so much as turn to the pegasus in answer. The tiger shifter was already locked in the spiral of darkness that came with losing a loved one, especially losing a mate. To share such a connection with another was to fuse two souls—to be without one was an experience so painful it drove some to insanity. There was nothing to be done in that moment but to allow the tiger to be consumed by it. Hopefully, he could be reasoned with afterward. All at once, as if a mute button had been turned off in real life, the walls began to rattle with a thunderous sound as a multitude of fists pounded against them. The effort was nearly enough to force the heavy oil paintings from their hooks. In the shock of it all, Oberon had forgotten about the dark magic seal that separated the foyer from the rest of the building. The sounds of panicked banging from all sides proved that the cursed seal had finally worn off, producing a swarm of concerned individuals trying to force their way in. “Oberon! Pazur!” “Gullog! What’s happening!?” “Hello!? Hey!” “What’s going on!? Is everything all right?” Tilting his head toward the ceiling, Oberon took a deep breath and noted that even the chandelier was dotted