Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Valley of Shadows: Custodians of America Series, #1
    Valley of Shadows: Custodians of America Series, #1
    Valley of Shadows: Custodians of America Series, #1
    Ebook81 pages1 hour

    Valley of Shadows: Custodians of America Series, #1

    By Melissa Bell

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Steeped in centuries of tradition and in accordance with the Laws of Lupine. When the daughter of an Alpha comes of age, she stands before her pack as the prized female. Held in the Valley of Shadows, on All Hallows Eve is a twisted game of survival. Only the eldest unmated son of the Alpha's may compete for if they fail it means they are dead. It is part of an ancient ceremony one that will bring packs together from far and wide. It's an honor to be chosen to run the gauntlet, and a disgrace not to accept.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMelissa Bell & Jordin Thiele Inc.
    Release dateOct 28, 2018
    ISBN9781386885863
    Valley of Shadows: Custodians of America Series, #1

    Read more from Melissa Bell

    Related to Valley of Shadows

    Titles in the series (1)

    View More
    View More

    Related ebooks

    General Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Sienna’s Monster

      Mar 10, 2021

      Sienna lived with a monster, but no one else knew it. The first time Sienna realized that her monster wasn’t like the rest was in 4th grade. The whole grade assembled in the auditorium. A police officer watched them enter from his place on the stage.

      26 min read

    • Article

      Wounds That Won’t Heal

      Oct 30, 2017

      Wounds That Won’t Heal
      7 min read

    • Article

      Sienna’s Monster

      Sep 10, 2023

      Sienna lived with a monster, but no one else knew it. The first time Sienna realized her monster wasn’t like the rest was in fourth grade. The whole grade assembled in the auditorium. A police officer watched them enter from his place on the stage. H

      27 min read

    • Article

      Stay and Fight

      Jul 9, 2019

      Stay and Fight
      16 min read

    • Article

      The Education of Mrs. R.

      Sep 6, 2022

      An adolescent shriek woke her. Cockerels, she thought, cockerels, with a wry twist to the word. She lay in the dark listening. There was no use in covering her head; the screaming still came through. The soloist was suddenly submerged in the chorus.

      13 min read

    • Article

      Left To Lose

      Jul 10, 2022

      Around the time she gives up her name, it starts to feel like this entire revolution isn’t worth it anymore. The world is probably lucky that Kelian—she still remembers Kelian, in spite of everything—is there to pick up the pieces, the way he always

      11 min read

    • Article

      The Diana ’ I KNEW

      Jul 6, 2021

      For me, as I’m sure for many others, it seems almost impossible to imagine Diana, Princess of Wales, at the age of 60. Her image remains frozen in time, an elegant, glamorous 36-year-old global icon. She was someone who dominated my life for more th

      3 min read

    • Article

      Flying Latkes

      Dec 4, 2019

      My twin sister Rachael definitely wasn’t human. She was a giant onion and potato-filled latke. That’s my favourite food, if you want to know. I could eat latkes morning, day and night. Latkes are one of the very best things about Hanukah. Well, that

      8 min read

    • Article

      Helen

      Jun 5, 2023

      She was a friend of my family—the Carlins, as I have chosen to call them. She and my father met in the fifties through the editor of the architecture magazine where she began her career. My father had taken her out a few times. They were never lovers

      30 min read

    • Article

      The Chicken Line

      Mar 4, 2024

      The Chicken Line
      14 min read

    • Article

      Awa’s Story

      Dec 6, 2022

      Awa’s Story
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Bridle

      Oct 10, 2021

      Saliva pooled on her tongue beneath the rusty depressor. She endured a constant urge to swallow, afraid of choking on her own fluids. The taste of metal and blood are so akin, it is easy to mistake one for the other. This early in the day, blood was

      11 min read

    • Article

      Best Of The Best

      Oct 29, 2022

      Best Of The Best
      8 min read

    • Article

      Reading Corner

      Sep 25, 2023

      An antenatal group solves bumps in the night! Book of the week Hilarious and wildly improbable, there is so much to love about this novel. With a Midsomer Murders vibe, it’s a mashup of chick-lit and crime. The story follows a group of heavily pregn

      2 min read

    • Article

      Fiction

      Jan 20, 2023

      Fiction
      3 min read

    • Article

      Glad Tidings

      Apr 10, 2024

      I unwrap my grandmother’s tinkling candle carousel without incident. We’ve used the same bubble wrap for years, and I’m not sure what good the airless plastic does to protect it, but anyway, the metal is tarnishing. Next, I arrange the poinsettias my

      12 min read

    • Article

      Our Lady Of The Rockies

      Aug 7, 2023

      Our Lady Of The Rockies
      13 min read

    • Article

      On Making Friends With Raina Telgemeier

      Aug 26, 2019

      Our kids' books columnist Juanita Giles says the cartoonist Raina Telgemeier is almost like a personal friend to her own children, who fight over tattered copies of Telgemeier's graphic novels.

      4 min read

    • Article

      Kawa + Dee

      Aug 1, 2018

      Kawa + Dee
      16 min read

    • Article

      South Africa, My Home

      May 20, 2021

      Her company Diana Ferrus Publishers publishes the work of writers from previously disadvantaged communities. In association with the University of the Western Cape, she has published the life stories of former activists and unionists: Liz Nana Abraha

      2 min read

    • Article

      The Wisdom of Women Shines in Najla Jraissaty Khoury’s ‘Pearls on a Branch: Oral Tales’

      Oct 22, 2018

      Long, long ago These things happened or maybe no. Let’s start with the image on the cover. Three women sit in a courtyard. One holds a long-handled pan over a coal brazier; the other two, one of whom has her back to us, hold small cups. They wear ide

      7 min read

    • Article

      The Family Plot

      May 7, 2020

      The Family Plot
      10 min read

    • Article

      “She’s Losing It”: An Excerpt from ‘The Autodidacts’

      Oct 10, 2022

      "She stares at the Walkman, assumes an attitude of prayer, makes a wager, presses play." The post “She’s Losing It”: An Excerpt from ‘The Autodidacts’ appeared first on The Millions.

      2 min read

    • Article

      The Wolf

      Nov 6, 2018

      The Wolf
      12 min read

    • Article

      Announcing The winners Of Our FLASH CONTEST

      Feb 29, 2020

      I sever the first two fingers of my left hand on a Tuesday. They fall to the ground at my feet, causing a momentary confusion as I wonder what tree has dropped this odd fruit. Then I see the crescent scar left behind by a fish hook and know that thes

      8 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Valley of Shadows

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Valley of Shadows - Melissa Bell

      CHAPTER 1

      30TH OCTOBER – COLORADO.

      W hat the hell do you mean I don’t get to have a say in anything? Rainah abruptly lifted her head and stared at her parents. She pushed her untouched plate back away from herself, her stomach suddenly rolling with nervous cramps.

      Her father Draven, slammed his fist down on the table causing the plates to lift then chink as they landed on top of the table again, Enough!

      Rainah’s mother Willow, gently placed her hand over the top of her mate’s clenched fist which remained on the table, Sweetheart, she looked at her daughter’s horrified expression. We understand this all comes as quite a surprise to you, but this is how it has always been. It is an ancient tradition and one that we must follow. The Wardens of the North, South, East and West have all been keeping an eye on you. Willow stated.

      Rainah felt a shiver travel down her spine, Well that just sounds creepy. She curled her upper lip in a show of distaste.

      Your father spoke to the wardens, and after many heated debates, he successfully won you the right to attend college. However, you have now graduated, and there is no further excuse to postpone the ceremony.

      Mother, arranged marriages are barbaric to say the least. Rainah crossed her arms over her chest, I want a mating built on a love match, not a… a… cockfight.

      Draven growled and stood so fast that his chair flew backwards and clattered to the floor. You will honor your family. The topic is closed. When Willow tried to soothe her husband, he pulled away from her. You deal with her, she’s your daughter. I’m going for a run. Draven stomped out through the front door slamming it closed behind him.

      Rainah, if you denounce your roll as the alpha’s daughter, you will bring great shame on your father. Willow explained to her daughter, It’s a matter of pride and honor, and you know as well as I, those are to essential elements that your father stands by. If you walk away from your duty, Willow sighed sadly, You will be walking away from everything, your family, your pack and your heritage.

      Yes, but at what price mother? Rainah asked.

      You will meet all the prospective mates as they arrive for the feast of All Hallows Eve. Try not to display your temper in front of them. It will only encourage them to fight harder, they will want to win just so they can be the one to tame you when they claim you as their mate.

      Like I said mother, at what price? Am I not allowed to find my own happiness, simply because I was born a girl instead of a son to be the packs future alpha?

      I’ve never hidden the laws from you. Willow reminded her daughter.

      No, but you did make them sound like fairy-tales and sweet dreams. Rainah began to pace back and forth. You told me about a prince charming, the one who would love me before all else. She flopped down in her chair again to pick at her now cold food. She should have known something wasn’t right when she walked in and found the table set and the smell of spicy chicken throughout the house. It was the one thing her mother cooked when she was trying to win Rainah’s confidence on an issue.

      Even cold, the damn chicken tasted delicious, only it was washed down with a huge helping of ‘what am I going to do?’ Within minutes of finishing her dinner, Rainah felt extremely exhausted. Unable to keep her eyes open or to even focus on the dancing flowers on the tablecloth. Willow quickly pulled the empty plate out from in front of her daughter as Rainah’s head lolled forward and her forehead bumped the table. Mother?

      It’s for your own good sweetheart. Willow replied softly as she moved around the table to run her hand over her daughter’s silky hair. Even in her present state of numbness, Rainah knew her mother had baited her. Ultimately taking away any chance Rainah had of running away before the up-coming event.

      Willow whistled for Rainah’s father to come back inside, Carry her to the chamber where she will be prepared for the ceremony.

      This does not sit well with me, Draven growled at his mate. She will hate us if this doesn’t end in her favor.

      She inherited your stubbornness, so you have no one to blame but yourself. I am simply abiding by the laws of the ritual. The same laws that our ancestors followed. Willow lifted her chin, It doesn’t mean I love our daughter any less than I would if she’d been born a son.

      Maybe…

      Maybe she will learn to love the one who wins. I hope for the sake of the mating that he will be honorable and respect our daughter when all is said and done.

      You are right my mate, Draven carefully lifted his daughter into his arms and walked out of the house accompanied by Willow.

      What will we tell them at the banquette when Rainah is not present to greet the challengers for her mateship?

      A night in the cave may be all the persuasion she will need to convince her to behave.

      And if she is as stubborn as you say, it may not budge her an inch on the subject. Draven argued.

      Regardless, if she is changed, she cannot run away from her duty as the alpha’s only daughter.

      You make it sound like it is my fault that you bore a girl child instead of a son. Draven accused his mate.

      Not at all my beloved, I am the one who carries that burden. It is I who could not produce a future alpha after Rainah was born.

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1