SOLVED. Fantasy series with M/M relationships - 1st book begins with magic user detective meets werewolf alpha, who recognizes him as his mate, while investigating murder in pack's bar. Read as Amazon ebook 2013-2018.

[Chrystal]

A fantasy series of 3-4 books (pretty sure) with M/M elements and relationships. Adult but I can't remember if it would be considered erotica at all - I don't think so, it was very plot heavy - investigating and solving these crimes.

Plot of the first book revolves around the magic using detective and his werewolf mate. Set in a world where shifters (seemed like mainly werewolves but there were others,) magic users, and fae/fairies live divided by magical barriers. The barriers can only be legally crossed at certain points and are guarded on either side. Each zone has a person in charge of it, like the Queen (I think) of the Fae, and they all sit on a council together and make the laws, trade agreements, etc.

The MC is a detective for the police force for the magic users and it was a big deal for him to be allowed into the shifter territory in the first book to investigate the murder (and only because it involved magic.) The other MC is the Alpha (I think) werewolf and he wasn't thrilled to find his mate was a magic user.

The bar where the murder occurred was described as being like being outside in the forest - realistic looking stars, waterfalls, streams, etc. It could've also been a nightclub or a nightclub/bar. There's a scene where there's a room where you can go in and have a liaison in the dark in a forest-like environment, maybe a full moon thing?

Later books deal with smuggling of magic artefacts or talismans across the borders, smuggling something through the middle of a mountain range, via tunnels, and the MCs sneaking into the fae zone via water - I think they dove into a pond or pool and ended up surfacing in the middle of the ocean in the fae zone.

Fae zone was very beach/island and had the fae being very vain and self-absorbed and concerned with being invited to and seen at parties, etc.

Shifter area, I remember being very woodsy and misty and natural. Cabins but not a lot of development.

Magic users had cities and sidewalks and shops, seemed very urban over most of it. Magic users could save magic in objects to use as protective talismans, etc and those were sold and traded. I feel like the magic user MC made a talisman of some sort for his werewolf mate but don't remember what it was for (maybe protection?)

[Chrystal]

Solved! This ended up being a merging of 2 series by the same author, set in the same universe. They're "The Worth Series" and "Three Courts Series" by Lyra Evans.