The Phoenix Pack Series #1

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Disclaimer: I have read this book of my own volition.  Any and all opinions and interpretations contained herein are my own.

The Spoiler Report is a recounting of the major events of the novel mixed with my own interpretation of the meaning and symbolism of events, emotions, and actions. Reading this report is NOT a substitute for reading the actual novel and should not be taken as such. Not every single detail, feeling, and event is divulged within. It is essentially a lengthy outline of the story. Many details and all dialogue have not been included. This report is for those who appreciate knowing what happens or feels they may miss things when reading, or just want to have a detailed overview of a book before, or during, reading.

****THIS REPORT CONTAINS SPOILERS****  

This is not a book review. For the full review of Feral Sins please visit this post.

One last warning: SPOILERS AHEAD!

Taryn, a 20 something’s shifter, wakes to find that she has been kidnapped. Taken to a luxurious bedroom built into an elaborate cave system. Not completely unheard of for a wolf pack, but not what she expected.

After it is discovered that she is awake, a large shifter takes her to his alpha, Trey Coleman. A man with a reputation – scary, strong, imposing, and hot.

Taryn’s wolf immediately approves which annoys her.

Adversely, she is not what Trey had expected. He cannot detect any fear coming from her. A calming reaction to his presence. Her attitude, presence, and body immediately turns him on. After feeling her out and learning a bit more about her situation – the latent daughter, and only child, to a prominent alpha, being forced to mate Roscoe, an alpha with his own reputation. One that includes beating woman, preferring submissive partners, and chasing power.

Trey offers her a deal. His uncle, Darryl, wants to unite their packs. Aligning with Taryn’s father’s pack would give him the numbers he needs to meet the challenge. Even though Trey is convinced Darryl lacks the conviction to see the challenge all the way through to an all-out battle. But he needs access to Lance, Taryn’s father, and his allies and numbers.

Proposing Trey and her stage a ‘claiming’ in public, showing that they are true mates. Both  have supposedly lost their true mates earlier in their lives; neither looking to actually mate anyone at the moment. But doing this would prevent the forced mating between her and Roscoe. Someone she despises.

Taryn is understandably skeptical. Especially since her wolf already highly approves of Trey. Despite possible repercussions the temporary mating could have on their wolves, Taryn agrees.

The plan is set to happen in four days.

Taryn arrives back at her home to have Lance Warner, her father, scream at her. Roscoe is set to attend that night’s evening meal.

All other attending wolves fall victim to Roscoe’s charms during dinner. Taryn is disgusted and literally knocks him on his ass.  Having an unwanted talk with Roscoe, alone, his true motives for wanting to mate her come to light. Breaking someone as strong-willed and dominant as Taryn is too sweet a temptation for Roscoe to deny for himself. That sick bastard. He is practically salivating at the chance to own and dominate Taryn. Turning her into his nice, obedient, submissive mate.  Roscoe is only sadistically spurred on by her vehemence toward him.

Sitting at the bar at Pulse, an exclusively shifter bar, with her two best friends, Shaya and Caleb. Taryn tries hard not to look for Trey. Her anxiety is interrupted when another member of her pack needs her help as the pack healer. Taking the drugged packmate to a back room, Taryn heals her in her own unique way. Very reminiscent of The Green Mile. But instead of exhaling green fireflies, Taryn rids herself of the ailment as a black smoke-like substance.

Trey and his wolf are waiting impatiently for Taryn as she emerges from the back of the club. As she passes him, Trey sets the plan in motion. Lustfully claiming her, breaking the pack connection she had to her father’s pack. Both Trey and Taryn are surprised how natural and responsive their bodies, and wolves, are toward one another.  Both decide to ignore the obvious.

After having to defend his claim against her friends and father, Trey leads his mate out of the club.

Back at Bedrock, Taryn’s name for Trey’s territory, she fights him despite her body and wolf wanting him to consummate the claiming. Reluctantly, she gives in – mostly. They both have the most earth-shattering sex of their lives.

The next morning, Taryn meets the rest of the pack. Mostly warm and welcoming. Some are not on board with Trey’s plan for various reasons. Especially Selma, who slept with Trey once, a year ago, and now feels she had some type of claim over him. But Taryn quickly puts her in her place. Not that she will stay there.

After a run and a wander, Taryn finds herself befriending Trey’s head enforcer – Tao. That makes Trey the man happy to see her fitting in. It makes Trey’s wolf want to gut his enforcer.  

Even though both Trey and Taryn’s wolves missed each other, neither human relents to their urges to be close and touch their mate. Ignoring the seriousness of their developing bond deep in the throes of denial. Expect, of course, when they have to uphold the image of being true mates.

Taking Taryn along to a meeting with his challenging uncle and the mediator, as any mated pair would. Darryl is a slimy coward who believes himself alpha of the world even though her knows he is not that powerful.

Naturally, the meeting went as expected. Darryl is hell-bent on acquiring Trey’s territory and pack. Longing for his nephew’s submission. Convinced he cannot lose, Darryl extends a challenge. Trey accepts.

Taryn’s physical presence by Trey’s side gives him a small sense of calm he hasn’t had before. A control he didn’t realize he needed.

Back at Bedrock, Taryn meets Greta, Trey’s psychotic grandmother.

When Trey enters the kitchen, his mate and grandmother are in the midst of a verbal battle. Taryn calmly condescending Greta’s insults. Trey, of course, defends his mate. Taryn proves she doesn’t need his protection as she lets loose a wave of her alpha vibes.

Roscoe shows up at Trey’s territory to fetch Taryn. He brings along an obscene amount of backup – small penis syndrome. A ridiculous amount of men stand at his back that don’t outwardly appear to actually support Roscoe past their physical presence.

Knowing that Roscoe forced his claiming bite onto her and hearing how he intends to break her, Trey challenges him to a battle to the death. It doesn’t take long for Trey’s wolf to go feral and kill Roscoe.

When it is clear that Trey’s wolf had no intention of slowing his attack even though the other wolf was dead, Taryn knows she has to do something.

The other pack members assure her that the only thing to do is wait until his wolf has tired himself out. That is unacceptable to her. Trey is injured and she is unable to heal him while he’s still in wolf form.

Against all odds, Taryn is able to calm the feral wolf. Banking on the hopes that mate would recognize mate. Once Trey’s wolf is placated, Taryn focuses on the pack Roscoe dragged along with him. Brokering a temporary alliance until a more permanent one can be agreed upon. Turns out, unsurprisingly, none of the wolves are that loyal to the ass and readily agree.

Coaxing Trey back to his human form, Taryn heals Trey, astonishing the pack. Nine members of the pack surround Taryn as she rests after healing their alpha, guarding her.

This pleases Trey, and his wolf. But it also gives him time to overthink and deny the implications of Taryn’s actions and his feelings toward them and her. Passing them off as mating instincts. But she calmed his feral wolf. That should not have been possible. He worries about what will happen when their arrangement ends in three months.

Consequences of imprinted couples separating are both physical and mental. Case in point, his mother. Something similar happening to Taryn frightens him more than anything. Especially when his wolf has already become completely smitten. Moreso, Trey is beginning to crave her presence. The balance she brings to him. Strengthening his resolve not to give into his mating instincts and urges. He will only touch her when absolutely necessary to uphold their farce of being true mates.

Going as far as to assign her a bodyguard, Tao, so he won’t have to spend as much time with her. Appeasing his need to protect her. Tao takes the position with honor.

As Taryn lays in bed, alone, she begins to stew over Trey’s new behavior. He has been short and distant with her. All warmth and contact abruptly gone. Coming to the conclusion that now that the threat of Roscoe has been eliminated, his wolf and the mating instincts have gone glacial. That without the mating instincts, Trey would have no personal interest in her at all.

Her insecurities are highlighted by the fact that when Trey finally does join her in bed, after spending hours of him denying his urges to go to her, he silently crawls into bed and gives her his back.

Taryn is even more disappointed at how much she was anticipating his attention.

Still not completely convinced that the mating is real, Shaya and Caleb accept Taryn’s invitation to see for themselves by visiting her and Trey. They promptly try to get Taryn to see reason – Trey is dangerously unhinged and she doesn’t belong with him.

Trey may not be her true mate, but she has truly found a family with the rest of his pack. Well, most of them.

At one point during their visit, Trey joins Taryn and her friends. They have to keep up pretense. Both revel in the rare physical contact. But he retreats to his office before Shaya and Caleb drive their car out of sight.

Needing some food therapy, Taryn suggests that Tao goes with her into town for some pizza. Trey is furious when he emerges from his office to find her gone and with another male. But even after confronting the pair of them, he still goes back into his office to hide. His behavior is now even more confusing to more than just Taryn.

Bringing her mood to confused, lonely, and slightly rejected, the guys lead her to the garage. Her car has been vandalized.  It’s Tao that comforts her. Even though it is killing him to see them together, Trey doesn’t touch Taryn. Her wolf isn’t the only one beginning to crave the other. Truth be told, Taryn is still a woman and she wanted her man.

Dante, Marcus, and Trick confront Trey about Taryn. It was as if she has had a personality transplant. Nearly mute and obsessively cleaning, Taryn is a far cry from herself. Trey tries to shrug it off. Dante, having had enough of Trey’s award-winning denial, lays into his alpha. The neglect he is showing Taryn not only as a woman but as her mate.

Almost reluctantly, Trey goes to try and break Taryn out of her mood. But she is in too deep and has too much bitterness toward him. Especially on this day, her mother’s birthday.  It just reminds her of the accident that took her mother and Joey, the boy everyone thought was Taryn’s true mate.

After being pestered, Taryn escapes to the river in the woods, giving her the space she needs to think and grieve.

Because Taryn never approached Trey, he assumed that she or her wolf were not experiencing any difficulties with the distance he was putting between them. It never occurred to him, until it was pointed out, that she was just as stubborn as him, if not more. The last thing she would do was come groveling to him.

Leading them on a wild goose chase once she realized Tao had followed her to the woods, Taryn gives herself the time she needed to be alone with her pain.

Trey follows her scent into one of the guest rooms where she has fallen asleep while holding a shoebox of memories. Looking through the memorabilia, Trey understands what today was truly about. Laying beside her, holding her as she sleeps. Giving him time to reflect on what a colossal asshole he has been toward her.

Waking to find Trey wrapped around her soothes her and her wolf. He is softer and genuine as he apologizes for his words and actions. Trying to set things right with her. Spurring them to confess their own painful pasts, revealing their similarities.

Joining the rest of the pack, most are smiling and happy to see they have reconciled, loudly. Tao is not as smiley. It’s not until later that night that Taryn is able to confront him about his mood. Tao had planned on leaving the pack with Taryn after her and Trey’s arrangement ended – if she would have him. Seems everyone knew how Tao felt toward her except for Taryn.

Dante, Trey’s beta, takes it upon himself to play Devil’s Advocate with Trey. Planting seeds or awareness in his mind hoping they will grow big enough to break through his stupidity. Forcing him to realize the truth sooner rather than later.

Trey and Taryn meet with Lance, her father, to discuss an alliance. The initial reason Trey wanted the mating with Taryn. The meeting is instantly rife with tension. Which only worsens when an old female rival comes to antagonize Taryn. Mistaking her latency as weakness as she always has. Only Taryn exerts her alpha power, drowning and dominating them all. Not even her father was aware how strong an alpha she is.

Trey and Taryn attend a mating ceremony at her uncle’s pack. Hoping to get in with the alpha with the intention of joining that pack when she leaves Trey’s. Trey is immediately upset by how welcoming everyone is. He had hoped Taryn would hate it and want to stay with him a bit longer. His feelings force him to concede that it is no longer just his wolf that wants to keep her around.

Don, Taryn’s uncle, isn’t convinced the mating between his niece and Trey is real. That skepticism brings Trey and Taryn closer – internally. Both too scared to say anything to one another.

Trying to stir the pot some more, Dante tries to lead Trey by the metaphorical hand toward the truth. In the end, Trey settles his mind. Harshly telling Dante that all the feelings he has toward Taryn are due to their deal and nothing more. A confession that Taryn overhears.

A confession that feels like a knife straight to her heart because she realizes that she loves him. Devastated that she has fallen for someone that didn’t care for her more than what he can gain from her.  Trying to staunch the heartbreak, Taryn plays it off as no big thing. Knowing there is no way she can let Trey know about her feelings for him.

Chasing her down, Trey just wants a chance to explain. Taryn wants to hear none of it. She has heard enough of what she has already suspected. Trying to hide the hurt even though the whole pack can feel the divide and supports their alpha female.

That divide hurts Trey more than he was expected, driving him crazy. Until he realizes that this is what Taryn must have been feeling when he treated her so coldly. Getting a taste of what it would be like without her. Quickly resolving that he will do anything to keep her.

When Trey finds he gone from his bed in the morning, he hunts her down and takes her in the forest. Taryn is enraged that her body won’t, can’t deny him. After emotions and heart rates calm, Trey offers her a proper apology. In so many words, finally telling Taryn that he feels the same way about her.

Taryn finally marks him for the first time, instigating a bond stronger than a simple imprinting – a true mate bond.

Taryn is still scared that Trey doesn’t care for her beyond their mating and arrangement. With the bond now bridging them together, Taryn can feel what Trey does. He can’t say the words as he has never truly experienced love until now and has no idea if this is what it is. Now armed with understanding, Taryn finds peace and patience.

As expected, most of the pack is not surprised that they are true mates and are more than ready to accept her as their true alpha female.

Trey is called away to the guard shack at the compound’s main gate. Taryn roams the caves in a rare feeling of bliss when she is attacked. Vision blurred from a head injury, she can’t see who is trying to drag her away before she is saved by Trey and the others.

Now Trey is annoyingly protective. Not even wanting to let her go shopping, something he hates, with another pack mate, Lydia. His paranoia had good reason. Taryn is attacked as she packs the trunk of the car with their purchases.

Lydia and her wolf are too submissive to leave the safety of the car to help fight off the two attacking shifters; as dimwitted as they are. Sent by Darryl to send a message to Trey. But they are complete morons and Taryn is powerful. Proving it by kicking their asses. But not before she gets them to tell her that Darryl has an informant in Trey’s pack.

Determined to get Trey out of his sulking, Taryn submits to him the only way she has yet to. An act that causes their bond to advance further.

Don, Nick (Don’s Alpha), and Nick’s enforcer visit Taryn and Trey to apologize for Don’s behavior at the mating ceremony.  Reconciled and forgiven, their visit is welcomed and enjoyed until ten members of Darryl’s pack stop by.

Darryl and the two wolves that attacked Taryn at the mall had been weaving tall tales that didn’t add up. They had to come see if Taryn was as injured as they had stated.

Everyone who showed has some connection to one of the members of Trey’s pack. Parents, brothers, aunts, and uncles. Including the mother of the baby girl Trey was led to believe was his true mate.

Taryn wakes to find her scent has changed again. She’s pregnant and freaked out trying to predict Trey’s reaction. After chiding himself for acting like an idiot, he proves Taryn had nothing to worry about. Except when his already overzealous proactive instinct goes into overdrive.

To add to the situation, Darryl has not yet backed down from his challenge. The twelve weeks are up and the battle against him is set for the next day. Trey has not been able to get the numbers he had hoped for.  At least that is what Trey wants the informant to believe.

Taryn, left to sit in the caves with a few other members of the pack, quickly discovers who Darryl’s informant is.  Giving himself away as he drugs and kidnaps Taryn to deliver her to Darryl.

Once Trey, in his feral wolf form, realizes that Taryn is not in the house where he left her, and that something else is wrong, he tracks her down into the woods. The fighting comes to a halt as Darryl holds Taryn hostage, threatening her unborn child.

Seeing her in such a precarious position, Trey finally realizes that what he has been feeling for her is in fact love. Upon this epiphany, the mating bond fully snaps into place, giving Taryn the extra strength to heal. And the extra boost she needed to overcome her latency and shift for the first time.

Trey’s and Taryn’s wolves meet each other for the first time after defeating Darryl.

Three weeks later Trey and Taryn have their own mating ceremony. Trey is finally able to say the words he never thought he could.