Shadowed Radiance

SHADOWED RADIANCE Book 1 of St. Louis Shadow Wolves A “Why Choose” Paranormal Romance by Kasey Mackenzie Copyright © 2023 by Heather Faucher. All rights reserved. Cover design by Camila Marques at Open World Cover Designs. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. CONTENTS 1. Ava 2. Shea 3. Ava 4. Ava 5. Connor 6. Shea 7. Ava 8. Ava 9. Ava 10. Shea 11. Finn 12. Ava 13. Connor 14. Ava 15. Ava Acknowledgments Connect with Kasey Online Also by Kasey Mackenzie Biography AVA Few things in life satisfied me as much as a job well done, whether something so exhilarating as crushing an enemy with my magic or so mundane as launching a successful marketing campaign. Fortunately enough, my exile from the family headquarters in Boston allowed me to enjoy both. Being 1200 miles away from my power-hungry grandmother and her obsession with me following in her magical footsteps was just a bonus. Despite what everyone around me assumed, serving in my baby sister’s shadow since I’d been unofficially banished had never bothered me the way Grandmother hoped. Kayleigh’s perfectionism that rivaled our family matriarch’s, on the other hand? That was an absolute pain in the ass. Kayleigh frowned at the laptop currently displaying the success of our recent PR blitz. Her frown was completely unnecessary as far as I was concerned. Numbers didn’t lie, and my campaign was helping calm the public’s fears after years of turmoil plaguing St. Louis. I fought to keep my tone calm. “What’s wrong? You approved all of the images, videos, and content. And the results are clear: People are responding positively to all three.” Kayleigh pushed back in her chair and made a blandly disapproving face that had her so resembling Grandmother, I did a double-take. “I’m just not sure how wise it is to focus on Maddox’s cousins and not on him. On how hard he’s worked to rebuild this Pack and St. Louis’s economy.” Something he’d been forced to do after his mother exchanged fatal blows with a challenger five years ago. An event that set off a bloody War of Succession and left only Maddox and his three cousins—brothers with rapier wits and six-pack abs who haunted my dirty dreams—with sufficient alpha strength to lead this city’s Shadow Wolves. Now it was my job to prove in the court of public opinion that peace and prosperity had returned. Oh, and to pretend that drunken orgy with his cousins had never happened. I forced every ounce of irritation deep beneath the surface. “Which is exactly why we’re focusing on his current successors in this campaign. Your children are too young to even think about succeeding just yet. We’re not even sure whether they’ll inherit his magic or yours. It’s critical the public develop faith in the stability of this Pack.” Kayleigh sighed and gave a reluctant nod. “I know you’re right, Ava. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.” I wanted to roll my eyes and drawl, “Welcome to my world, Baby Sis.” But someone like her would never understand constant disappointment. As much as I loved her, she enjoyed the power and prestige that came from being a Radiant caster: magical triple threats who could harness Shadow energy tied to the moon, Solar energy tied to the sun, and the intoxicating Radiant energy that blended both. All without losing the ability to shapeshift into our animal forms. But that power did come with a catch. Multiple catches, actually, but the one that ensured I’d remain the family outcast as long as possible was being forced to live, work, and even marry as the Circle of Dawn and Dusk—guided by the iron fist of our grandmother—chose. Which was how I’d come to be banished to magical obscurity in St. Louis, serving as my sister’s Understudy and glorified assistant. Why Grandmother couldn’t have tapped golden child Kayleigh to inherit the Boston Beaconship was beyond me. My lips twisted when honesty forced me to admit, at least to myself, You know damned well Grandmother never does anything without an agenda. She had to know the secret I’d fought so hard to keep from everyone. Sometimes even myself. Kayleigh misinterpreted the reason for my sour expression. “Well, no use in dwelling on the past. Grandmother wants us to clean up this little mess and restore St. Louis to its former glory. So restore it we shall.” I somehow managed to keep a neutral expression rather than gag. My sister glanced at her smartwatch and sighed. “Speaking of Maddox’s cousins, they’re due to arrive at the airport in two hours. I have a few more…things…to prepare before tonight’s reception in their honor.” I stiffened as her voice took on a wheedling tone. “Rory and Sorsha are thrilled at the thought of meeting their favorite cousins at the airport. And I obviously can’t send them alone with just their guardians and the driver. Would you pretty please be a dear and…” Her voice trailed off expectantly, and I fought the urge to scream. We both knew she could make this seeming request an order if I refused it. And she knew I loved my nieces too much to disappoint them even if I were willing to defy her. No matter how much the thought of being stuck in a limo with those three wolves had butterflies stampeding across my stomach. “Kayleigh…I still need to dress for the reception myself.” She rolled her eyes. “Please. You’ll throw on a gown with too little fabric to deserve the name, finger-comb that gorgeous blonde