The Offering (Wolves of Wereduin #1) by Rosary Deville

Right. So. I might have a bit of a soft spot for MM shifter reads. Or, more correctly, they’re a guilty pleasure of mine. And then I saw The Offering recommended. I read the blurb, I read the warnings, and I still bought it. Maybe I shouldn’t have.

Anyway. The story takes place in a universe where completely different rules and morals than our own apply. It’s truly the world of the strong. The weak are used, enslaved, or even outright killed. It’s also a world where, among the wolves, you’re either born to be a dominant or a submissive. Pretty crappy odds for the submissives in other words.

In this cruel world, Fern – a beta wolf – is forced to go through with The Offering since he’s now come of age. In The Offering, alphas hunt for slaves or a mate, and the betas can do nothing but submit or die. Donovan, the alpha pursuing Fern, is determined to break him, and he uses every trick he knows to bring out Fern’s submissive beta nature. Mostly, that entails Don fucking Fern through the mattress, abusing him, and humiliating him in all sorts of ways.

Now, I tried to keep an open mind as I read. I tried to stop myself from expecting Fern’s alpha to behave like a decent person. But of course I failed. I’m not one for dark reads. I want consent, mutual respect, and happy endings, and this is just not that kind of story.

And yet, I was intrigued.

Most of the time, however, I was just outraged and downright pissed at Don on Fern’s behalf.

It’s a very well-written story, despite the content not being my cup of tea. And I felt for Fern so hard. How he tried to keep himself from being diminished and overtaken by his beta instincts. How he fought to keep his own will and personality and not just mindlessly submit to his alpha. And I devoured the story, needing it to go Fern’s way. And when it ended, I immediately bought the second book. So I was entranced. Disgusted and enraged yes, but completely hooked.

I was disappointed, however, that I didn’t get to see more of the society outside of the weird and violent wolf / Werduin customs. Fern’s best friend is a zombie. And they both play in a band whose other members consist of a vampire and a human. And again, zombies! So bloody awesome! I would have liked way more clashes and interactions with them. As it were, almost all the focus was on how Don tried to crush Fern’s free will by using his dick.

The Offering is violent, bloody, and gory. There’s humiliation, and subjugation, and way more cum than should be legal. But within it’s genre, it’s a 4-star at the least.