PNR/Shifters - Primitive Wolven/Lycan village - Strong human heroine
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1brittywitty
I read this book several years ago (2017-2018), but it could have been printed any time in the 30 years previous to that...Some things in the story I'm certain of, others I'm not sure if I'm misremembering or confusing with other books.
The book mostly takes place in the "world" of the hero, he and his people being a sort of wolf shifter or other lycanthrope. If my memory is accurate, they are a bit different than the shifters usually found in shifter books in that even in human form they have some wolven qualities (tails, etc.)...but I'm not certain of this. They live in what I'd describe as a primitive village/clan/pack...sleeping in caves on furs, curing/prepping skins, surviving as hunter/gatherers. I kinda believe this is a place isolated from the rest of the modern-day world but it's possible it's another planet or maybe even a dystopian-type Earth. The heroine is a strong survivor-type of a human woman....maybe (or maybe not) with a military or similar background. I also cannot recall exactly how she came to be found and brought back to the village...its possible she had a few other humans with her (one of whom may or may not injured? lol)
The hero is "top-ranked," maybe even the leader's second. I don't think they used terms like Alpha or Beta...in my mind I think the word Chief when I think of the leader, but I likely think that term just because of the tribal-esque nature of the village I remember rather than my memory of the actual words used in the book. Though the hero himself is unmated (despite several females showing their interest and trying to impress him with their skills with skins, furs, clothes and the like), the top-ranked males often have several mates, however many they want and have the resources to take care of. The "first-mate" is not the literal first, but rather the favored mate. The leader has several, and his "first-mate" is a young and beautiful but very selfish, spoiled, lazy, and demanding bully of a female. Eventually the leader grows tired of her nastiness and turns her out, so to speak.
At some point, the heroine of the story is in the wilds outside the village (I believe hunting...and, if memory serves, with a slingshot of sorts) when she is attacked by the male who took in the leader's former first-mate, who herself is around also when the attack occurs...but, of course, doesn't get help like she should. After killing the male (with a rock?) and returning to the village, the village males are shocked and in disbelief at the claim that she, a human, killed one of their wolven males. She also confronts the leader's former first mate, who has returned to the village after leaving the heroine to fend for herself and not alerting anyone she was being attacked. The leader himself, when speaking to his former first-mate in front of those gathered, blames himself a bit for who she is, saying something almost if not word-for-word like "You were pretty, so I let you be lazy. You were pretty, so I let you be cruel." He goes on to say no other top-ranked male will have her now (or something to that effect), and, I believe, indicates she should return to the village she came from. He consults the heroine regarding punishment, as she has been harmed by her, and the heroine suggests she be allowed to redeem herself by learning to hunt and provide for the village. The former first-mate refuses out of pride, believing she should be above such things, but says she doesn't want to return to the village she came from as she will be shamed. The non-top-ranked wolves live a far more feral existance (I think of it as a "pit") and she chooses instead to go to them, where she will basically be...used...by all who, in return, will hunt for and feed her. Somewhere in all this I think the leader's son, who is already in line to lead next, has conspired with others to overthrow the leader sooner than would otherwise happen...?
LOL anyway! Can somebody help me?? =) I'm usually pretty good with full-text and/or internet search engines...but I've taken stabs at this several times over the past year and regret to say I must throw in the towel and ask for help lol...
The book mostly takes place in the "world" of the hero, he and his people being a sort of wolf shifter or other lycanthrope. If my memory is accurate, they are a bit different than the shifters usually found in shifter books in that even in human form they have some wolven qualities (tails, etc.)...but I'm not certain of this. They live in what I'd describe as a primitive village/clan/pack...sleeping in caves on furs, curing/prepping skins, surviving as hunter/gatherers. I kinda believe this is a place isolated from the rest of the modern-day world but it's possible it's another planet or maybe even a dystopian-type Earth. The heroine is a strong survivor-type of a human woman....maybe (or maybe not) with a military or similar background. I also cannot recall exactly how she came to be found and brought back to the village...its possible she had a few other humans with her (one of whom may or may not injured? lol)
The hero is "top-ranked," maybe even the leader's second. I don't think they used terms like Alpha or Beta...in my mind I think the word Chief when I think of the leader, but I likely think that term just because of the tribal-esque nature of the village I remember rather than my memory of the actual words used in the book. Though the hero himself is unmated (despite several females showing their interest and trying to impress him with their skills with skins, furs, clothes and the like), the top-ranked males often have several mates, however many they want and have the resources to take care of. The "first-mate" is not the literal first, but rather the favored mate. The leader has several, and his "first-mate" is a young and beautiful but very selfish, spoiled, lazy, and demanding bully of a female. Eventually the leader grows tired of her nastiness and turns her out, so to speak.
At some point, the heroine of the story is in the wilds outside the village (I believe hunting...and, if memory serves, with a slingshot of sorts) when she is attacked by the male who took in the leader's former first-mate, who herself is around also when the attack occurs...but, of course, doesn't get help like she should. After killing the male (with a rock?) and returning to the village, the village males are shocked and in disbelief at the claim that she, a human, killed one of their wolven males. She also confronts the leader's former first mate, who has returned to the village after leaving the heroine to fend for herself and not alerting anyone she was being attacked. The leader himself, when speaking to his former first-mate in front of those gathered, blames himself a bit for who she is, saying something almost if not word-for-word like "You were pretty, so I let you be lazy. You were pretty, so I let you be cruel." He goes on to say no other top-ranked male will have her now (or something to that effect), and, I believe, indicates she should return to the village she came from. He consults the heroine regarding punishment, as she has been harmed by her, and the heroine suggests she be allowed to redeem herself by learning to hunt and provide for the village. The former first-mate refuses out of pride, believing she should be above such things, but says she doesn't want to return to the village she came from as she will be shamed. The non-top-ranked wolves live a far more feral existance (I think of it as a "pit") and she chooses instead to go to them, where she will basically be...used...by all who, in return, will hunt for and feed her. Somewhere in all this I think the leader's son, who is already in line to lead next, has conspired with others to overthrow the leader sooner than would otherwise happen...?
LOL anyway! Can somebody help me?? =) I'm usually pretty good with full-text and/or internet search engines...but I've taken stabs at this several times over the past year and regret to say I must throw in the towel and ask for help lol...
