Running With The Pact

Love is a Deadly Distraction. Adira "Addi" Elm, a sharp-tongued teenage shifter-trainee with shaky impulse control focuses on one goal: survive her final test. The test: Renew a four-shifter clan pact to face world-ending shifter threats. The renewal is in the bag. All Addi has to do is play nice, listen well, and watch her mouth. The reward: the secret ritual that can transform Addi from a human into a shifter in a world where shifters aren't born, but made. And Addi's plan is, like, totally going to work. Forget that the hotel is some random Marriott on the outskirts of Atlanta, instead of a ski lodge getaway like the last conference. Don't mind the tiny conference room sandwiched between a breast-feeding conference and a Polish wedding instead of an entire freaking ski resort. And sadly, the enemies staring at Addi's "sweater" during the opening ceremonies can happen anywhere. Like, this is a slam-dunk. What complete and utterly clueless moron could even screw this up? Addi. Her plan crumbles the moment she lays eyes on Heinrich Vulfhorst, future alpha of an allied clan. Heinrich is the golden child, the possessor of an iconically hot face, and sinfully beautiful sunflower-yellow eyes. But, most important to Addi, chivalry that forces him to intervene against Addi being ogled. By quoting Full House. Now Addi's staring at the gorgeous shifter slack-jawed, shooting her mouth off, and offending half the shifters in the room. Heinrich, proud dutiful son, was honored to represent his clan at the conference, knowing it was his chance to finally earn his father's approval. Addi is the loose cannon no one wanted, the crumbling pact can't afford, and an atomically-hot distraction he can't get out of his mind. The more Addi and Heinrich try to push each other away, the harder their chemistry becomes to fight, the deeper their bond grows, and the more obvious it becomes. That's when an enemy will use the tightening bond to force Addi into a choice no one should ever have to make. RUNNING WITH THE PACT is a late-1990s Paranormal Romance/Urban Romantasy with all the cringe lingo Millennials wish the world would forget, a story with a few laughs and a full heart where: love destroys the best laid plans, two stubborn people stop trying to live up to others' expectations, and become who they were meant to be. This story contains mature themes, smoking and alcohol use, fighting, and violence against women (non-graphic) that happens both on and off page. Expect: - A slow-burn monogamous romance between a spunky shifter-trainee and a proud Future Alpha. - Shifter clan politics and supernatural fights. - Strong sibling dynamics. - Immersive dual first-person point of view with in-line world-building. Don't Expect: - Glorification of smoking. - Excusing of violence against women. - A completely safe story. Updates post on Thursdays. Cover by Author. Advance chapters available on Substack.