For everyone who’s ever read a “romance” between an abusive, misogynistic, controlling, manipulative, psychopathic, rapist “alpha” male and the female he bought/kidnapped/forced to marry him, and thought: “I wish she would grow a gods-dammed spine and stab that motherfucker.”
This one’s for you, darlings.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Blood Moon is one of the “wokest” books I’ve written so far. If you’re familiar with my work, you’ll know that’s saying a lot. If you aren’t, then now’s the time to know all my books are pro-LGBTQIA+, pro-feminist, and decidedly ANTI-alpha assholes. So, if shamelessly progressive characters and narratives are not your thing, now’s the time to walk away.
Also, if you are one of those people who clutch their pearls over cursing, you should know there are 422 fucks in Blood Moon and goddess knows how many more profane words. Everybody curses like a sailor. There’s also an unholy mix of American and British English because several main characters are Brits living in North America.
Blood Moon is also the darkest, trigger-riddled novel I’ve published to the day I’m writing this note.
Don’t get me wrong, there is no “dark romance” here.
The romance between Ethan—the hero—and Luna, the heroine, is as wholesome as it can be. He NEVER hurts her. I can’t stomach abusive assholes, even in fiction.
The list of warnings includes: guilt-tripping, gaslighting, verbal abuse, and physical abuse from parents to their child (our heroine, Luna). Forced marriage, domestic violence, intimate partner violence, mentions of rape, explicit attempted rape, and victim blaming, though never from the good guys. Suicide attempt, body shaming, violence against women and females*, explicit torture, aftermath of torture, and psychological trauma. Needless to say, none of these horrible situations are condoned.
*The term female is used in a non-derogatory way in Blood Moon and all my books because the meaning of woman is: an adult female human being, and a werewolf, vampire, or fey female is not human.
Blood Moon is a slow, slow burn. But once it heats up, it heats the fuck up. There are multiple explicit and very fucking consensual M/F sex scenes. There are also spicy but not fully explicit M/M scenes. The M/M spice will be very explicit in the sequel, however. I have zero qualms about writing queer spice. If you don’t like very explicit content, I strongly recommend that you hit that Skip Smut button as soon as you see it.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
There are lighthearted found family moments to balance out the darkness. But I urge you to proceed with caution.
If you’re still here, I hope you enjoy Luna and Ethan’s story.
CHAPTER 1
“There is nowhere to run, little wolf.”
Luna sucked in a painful, hitching breath and spun fast on her naked feet. She shivered, but it had little to do with the biting, pine-scented, damp wind. Her long, curly, ink-black hair whipped at her face and bare arms.
Callum leaned against a massive pine tree, arms crossed over his broad chest. The dark-haired male with icy blue eyes and a perpetual, smug smirk looked Luna up and down, making her feel naked.
She wore a loose-fitting sleeveless white dress that reached just above her knees and green tights, but wished she had at least another ten layers of clothes on her. A light but cold mist coming from the nearby waterfall sprayed her exposed skin, evoking a shiver. She wrapped her arms tightly around her waist.
Callum tilted his head and appraised Luna as if she were an item for purchase, mouth twisted into a mocking smile. His eyes, glowing menacingly under the pale moonlight, reflected a familiar but always disturbing level of lust. “Are you planning on jumping down that cliff and breaking your pretty little skull against the rocks just under the water? You won’t survive that, little wolf. You’re not strong enough.”
Luna’s heart galloped harder than when she’d run out of her father’s house.
She had overheard Father speaking to Mother about her future. What she’d discovered from that wretched conversation had made her stomach turn and sent her running into the woods as if she could escape her fate. But just as Callum said, there was nowhere to run.
She was not suicidal, so she wouldn’t jump off the steep cliff into the roaring river below.
And she was safe only with her family and pack.
Outside of the pack’s territory, there was nothing but danger—humans who hunt down supernaturals with relish, gargoyles, rival packs, and evil vampires awaited just outside of their haven. Those were dangers that Luna wasn’t willing to face by herself. Because Callum was right, she was weak.
At almost twenty-five, she had never shifted into her wolf form.
Most werewolves first shifted when they were toddlers. Some were slower to catch up and changed forms in their adolescence. Few, very few, remained confined inside their humanoid forms like Luna. She had strength, speed, and stamina that went far beyond human capacity and no sweat glands. But she healed slower than werewolves who could shift into their lupine selves.
Normal werewolves could regenerate from virtually any wound that didn’t sever their spines or permanently damage their hearts. Cuts healed in minutes, broken bones, and deep stab wounds in hours. It took Luna days of bed rest to heal from major fractures. And she could do little more than summon claws and lengthen her canines. The raw energy of the wolf buried deep inside her seldom flooded her veins, and when it did, it remained stubbornly trapped within her humanoid form.
“If your father wasn’t the alpha of this pack, you would have been tossed out on the streets long ago, Luna,” Mother had said countless times.
I’m lucky that they’ve kept me, she reminded herself.
Other packs cast out weak wolves like her.
I have nothing to offer to the pack.
She had some—very forbidden—self-defense training, but she was no warrior. She could cook and clean, and she adored sewing. Her mother sold her creations to other packs, but they could barely pay for all the shelter and security she received. Father had reminded her of this many times.
So if marrying the alpha of another pack to establish an alliance was all Luna had to offer, she would do it.
No matter if it made her stomach churn.
No matter if she’d secretly harbored one too many romantic notions after reading many novels and watching every Jane Austen movie adaptation.
Her duty to her family came first.
Right?
Right. Of course.
Luna took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the familiar clean scent of the forest, and then began her way back home on sore feet. She hadn’t noticed how sore they were while she ran as far away from the overheard conversation as she could. The little healing cuts and tender spots hurt something fierce now, but she took them as a penance for her foolishness and kept a steady pace, giving Callum a wide berth.
The male moved so fast that he became a blur and stopped mere inches away from Luna.
She flinched back, barely suppressing a yelp. He loved to startle her. It had been his favorite game since Luna was old enough to stand.
Callum leaned in so he could speak into Luna’s ear. “Your father will be so disappointed to know you were planning on running from your duties.”
Luna gritted her teeth. She knew better than to ask Callum to keep quiet. The price he demanded for her silence wasn’t one she was willing to pay for ever again.
“Just one kiss on my cheek and I won’t tell your father you snuck out after your curfew, little wolf,” Callum had said over a decade ago, a few months after being appointed as part of Luna’s guard.
Luna had hesitantly relented and leaned up to kiss Callum’s cheek. He’d turned in the last fraction of a second and kissed her mouth hard. His breath had been sour with beer back then, just as it was now. His lips had been demanding and his grip on her waist had bruised her flesh as he stole her first kiss.
Gritting her teeth, Luna pushed the memory into its box. She needed to focus on the present and choose between fighting Callum or making a run for it.
“He doesn’t have to find out, though,” Callum whispered, looming inches away from Luna’s face. He laughed at her shudder of revulsion. “Not if you give me a little—”
“If you put one finger on her, I’ll kick your arse,” said an angry male voice.
Relief flooded Luna’s system as she saw the lean, black-clad, ice-blond male appear from behind a tree, his silver murderous gaze on Callum’s back.
Right on time, as always, Alex.
Callum didn’t take his eyes off Luna. “If you attack me, I’ll tell Randolph your dirty little secret, mutt.”
Luna gritted her teeth. Most of the pack called Alex mutt because he didn’t have a long-generation pedigree to boast about. Despite knowing Alex didn’t give a single fuck about the slur, Luna always felt tempted to slap anyone who called him that.
Alex rolled his eyes at Callum’s back. “And what dirty little secret might that be, arsehole?” He came to stand next to Luna. “You haven’t any evidence whatsoever of my alleged dirty secrets. But I do have evidence of what a disgusting fucking pervert you are.”
Luna gulped. The evidence was a video she had recorded two years ago with Alex’s phone. In it, Callum was verbally harassing her in the most vulgar way she’d ever experienced. Callum had intended to escalate from leering comments to the gods only knew what, but Alex had stopped him before he’d done much more than leave a hand-shaped bruise on Luna’s arm. Incensed, Alex had beaten the shit out of Callum for hurting Luna and threatened to show the video to her father. It’d taken some cajoling for Luna to convince Alex to save that video for a rainy day. The looming threat of being outed to Luna’s father as a stalker pervert kept Callum mostly in check.
Mostly.
“What do you think Randolph will do to you for even thinking about defiling his daughter, arsehole?” Alex asked Callum.
For the second time that night, Luna was glad her stomach was empty.
Callum’s nostrils flared. He huffed like a bull, his eyes turning golden as he glared at Alex. “One day I will—”
Alex wrapped his arm around Luna’s shoulders. She breathed easier, leaning into the embrace gratefully.
“But that day is not today, arsehole,” Alex drawled.
Callum flashed his canines at Alex. “Pussy.”
Alex didn’t even flinch. He merely guided Luna away from the aforementioned seething arsehole. Only the barest extra pressure of the blond’s fingers on Luna’s arm gave away his discomfort at turning his back to Callum. Not because Alex feared Callum, but because he knew Callum was a coward, and cowards hit you from the back.
In a fair fight, Callum was no match for Alex despite his few inches and more than several pounds of leverage. Alex was a better fighter in both his humanoid form and his graceful wolf form. Luna had seen the evidence more than once. She’d witnessed the nerve-wracking trial Alex had passed to become her main guardian a decade before. He’d fought Callum in his wolf form and won. Luna nearly had a heart attack watching Alex’s beautiful gray-white wolf fight the brown furry beast Callum could summon. She was certain the worry had given her an ulcer, but her fears of losing her best friend in the trial had been unfounded. Alex was faster, smarter, and downright vicious. However, despite Alex’s victory, Luna’s father had reluctantly given him the main guardian position. He favored Callum for some incomprehensible, gods-forsaken reason.
Callum called Alex some more horrible names and then vanished into the woods in the opposite direction.
Alex looked down at Luna’s muddy feet. “The next time you want to run dramatically through the woods, at least put some shoes on, you knob.”
That startled a shaky laugh out of Luna. “I’ll keep it in mind.”
Alex’s pale pink lips curled up minutely. He took off his black coat and helped Luna put it on. “Do you want me to carry you back?”
Luna shook her head. “I should endure the consequences of my actions.”
He scoffed. “Is this penance? Because if it is, you should leave that to religious people. If it’s masochism, it’s a rather bizarre brand of it. Spanking is more fun, or so I’ve heard.”
Luna shoved at Alex’s shoulder. “You pervert!”
He shrugged, wholly unrepentant. “Are you done being dramatic?”
Luna scowled at him, but placed an arm around his neck all the same. “Yes.”
Alex bent slightly to sweep Luna off her feet and into an effortless, gentle bridal-style carry. They remained in comfortable silence for a few minutes, something they had a lot of practice with. They’d known each other since Luna was ten and Alex was fifteen and they had been inseparable since. Alex spent every hour of the day he could spare with Luna. He had to train with the sentinels a few days a week to keep his fighting skills sharp. And Father often sent him to do inane errands under Mother’s insistence. Mother didn’t precisely approve of Luna and Alex’s friendship. She and Father insisted Luna and Alex’s relationship should never go beyond a guardian protecting his ward. That being friends was unnecessary and problematic.
Luna often wondered how Alex endured her constant company. She knew she wasn’t much fun to be around. But Alex never complained, not really. He teased her and called her a knob or some other very British rude names that made her laugh because she knew he didn’t mean it. He’d given her books she was forbidden to read and had taught her how to defend herself, despite knowing it could get them both into a world of problems. He was her only friend and confidant. The other females of the pack thought it was bizarre. Males and females can’t truly be friends, the females often said. But it wasn’t as if they were lining up to be Luna’s friends either, so they could stuff it.
Luna knew the other males—her father included—mocked Alex for their friendship. But Alex had never let anyone persuade him to abandon her, and Luna was grateful for it.
“How mad do you think Father will be?” Luna asked.
Alex sighed. “On a scale of one to ten? About eight.”
Luna exhaled. Eight was manageable. Eight meant a 90% chance of crying herself to sleep. Ten was receiving an hour-long verbal scolding in which Father would remind her of all her shortcomings. That was worse. She couldn’t even have a proper cry when that happened.
All she could do was breathe so fast her head spun, her mind and body otherwise frozen in painful numbness until she lost consciousness. Panic attacks and extreme dissociation episodes, Alex had called them. It had happened several times before. Alex had nearly gone mad with worry the first time he got to witness the mortifying ordeal.
“You should brace yourself for some serious guilt tripping and emotional torture, however,” he warned.
Luna gulped. Her throat was dry. “It’s not guilt tripping if it’s the truth.”
“And therein lies the problem,” Alex said. “Your father’s reminders of your so-called shortcomings and duties to the pack are not the fucking truth.”
Luna flinched and looked around to make sure no one could hear Alex defy the alpha so openly.
“You are a person, Luna,” Alex continued. “A person. Not a bargaining chip or a piece of fucking cattle to be sold.” He growled low. “Fuck. Do you have any idea how much I wish I were rich enough to marry you and take you far away from here?”
Luna’s eyes burned. She sniffed hard, refusing to cry. She didn’t want to start early. “You’re like a brother to me, Alex.”
“Blergh!” he protested. “I’m nothing like your brother. Don’t insult our friendship like that.”
Luna let out a broken chuckle. Alex was nothing like Kai. That was true. Kai had never held Luna while she cried, as Alex had done countless times. Kai had, in fact, made Luna cry plenty and even tried to kill her once. He’d denied it, of course, and Mother had claimed Luna was being dramatic and exaggerating. But since her brother had allegedly confused her with a practice dummy and shot her in the head with a hunting rifle, Luna had done her best to never be alone with him.
“I have some money saved,” Alex continued. “But it’s not even remotely close to the bride price your father is demanding.”
A muscle in Luna’s heart gave a painful tug. “How m-much? I-I didn’t hear that part.”
“Two million dollars,” Alex spat with clear disdain.
Luna shivered. Knowing she had a price made her want to scrub herself clean with bleach.
Alex held her closer, pressing his cheek against her forehead for a moment. “I wish I could save you from this, Luna.”
She clenched her teeth and closed her eyes hard, trying to keep the tears in, burying her nose in the warm crook of Alex’s neck. He smelled slightly different from most werewolves she knew. Like his favorite tea-tree soap, mint, pine, and that electric tang that permeates the air before lightning strikes.
“How presumptuous of you to think I’d say yes,” Luna joked weakly.
Alex huffed. “Why wouldn’t you? I am an accomplished musician, can carry a tune, dance, sketch, speak four languages—”
“Latin doesn’t count,” Luna interrupted, her voice still rough. “It’s a dead language.”
“That only makes it extra impressive, you utter commoner,” Alex quipped. “Where was I? Oh, yes. I can also embroider, and I am devastatingly handsome. So why would you say no, hm?”
“You have no modesty,” Luna observed.
“You have plenty for both of us, darling,” Alex retorted.
Luna laughed, hugging him closer. He rubbed soothing circles on her back with his thumb.
It was a comforting fantasy.
She wasn’t in love with Alex. Once upon a time, she’d had an embarrassing crush on him. It’d been impossible not to. Alex was so different from anyone she’d ever known—wickedly smart, sarcastic, and kind when it mattered, even if he liked to pretend that he wasn’t. And he was right about the devastatingly handsome thing. At least if you liked very pale, lean blonds who looked like Legolas, which Luna did, a lot. And Luna was more than sure Alex had never been and would never be attracted to her. But if she had a choice, she would choose him, selfish as that would be.
If she had a choice.
But she didn’t.
And that was… Well, it was what it was.
Zasha, her mother, had also had an arranged marriage. And their parents loved each other fiercely.
So how bad could her arranged marriage be?
CHAPTER 2
Luna’s mother was waiting by the door wearing that particularly stern expression that made Luna feel about 10 inches tall. She was as impeccably dressed as ever in gray slacks and a white blouse Luna had made for her. Her flawless dark brown skin—unlike Luna’s, which was full of freckles—seemed to glow subtly even under the fluorescent lights that lit up the stone path to the house. A long braid of black, curly hair fell down her shoulder.
Luna had always found her mother beautiful, but right now she could barely stand to look at the clear disappointment on her stark-featured face.
Mercifully, Luna had persuaded Alex to put her down and let her walk before reaching the massive two-story cabin. Being spotted in Alex’s arms would have made her mother furious on top of disappointed.
Luna licked her dry lips. “I—”
Her mother raised her hand, halting Luna’s words. “Dinner will be served in fifteen minutes. Clean yourself up and put on something your father will approve of. Now.”
Luna nodded, keeping her head down, and cleaned her feet on the rug, giving her mother as wide a berth as possible before going inside.
Alex followed, as he always did. He was allowed to be inside her room before her 10 o’clock curfew.
“Randolph wants a word with you, Alex,” Mother said.
Luna peered over her shoulder as she climbed up the first few steps.
Alex’s jaw tensed, but he dipped his chin at Luna’s mother. Catching Luna’s nervous look, he made a mocking grimace behind Zasha’s back before heading down the hall to her father’s study.
Mother snapped her fingers, and Luna climbed the steps two at a time, rushing to her room and locking the door behind her.
She took a shower in record time and changed into a blue dress with short sleeves that covered her knees, pairing it with ballerina shoes. Her brush nearly broke with the hurried, near-violent way she wielded it to get rid of the knots in her waist-length curly hair.
Her heart beating fast with anticipatory terror, she reluctantly watched her reflection. Her freckles looked stark against her brown skin, which had taken on a sickly, yellowish tint. The panic and guilt in her hazel eyes were painfully obvious, and she’d chewed her lips raw. Father and Mother would not approve, but there was little she could do about it. Releasing her teeth’s death grip on her lip, she took a few deep breaths and tried to smile.
“Ugh!” she grumbled. The Joker would have been proud of whatever the Hells she’d done just now.
Okay. No smiling.
Just a blank, calm expression.
She could do that.
Breathe. Just breathe. It’ll be over soon. It always ends one way or another.
Her usual reminders did little to ease her discomfort, but she left the bathroom anyway.
How she wished she could just sit at her trusty sewing machine and make a stress quilt. She gazed longingly at the left side of her room. The organized chaos of shelves full of fabrics, thread, lace, and so much more brought her peace and happiness.
Alex often offered her some input on her designs and once helped her embroider a wedding gown. She smiled at the memory of the blond cursing every time he poked himself with the needle and darting murderous glares at her until she laughed herself breathless.
Her smile fell.
That would never happen again.
Soon, she’d be officially mated.
She’d be expected to cater to her mate’s needs, not her own.
And worst of all, Alex wasn’t allowed to go to Dominick’s home with her.
That had been the most devastating part of the conversation she’d overheard. Her future mate, a male named Dominick, had forbidden Alex from joining his pack. He wanted Alex as far away from Luna as possible, and Mother agreed. It was no surprise. Mother had always called their relationship unorthodox and had frowned with disapproval whenever Luna and Alex slipped and forgot to keep their distance in public.
Alex had hated physical contact when he’d first joined Randolph’s pack.
Luna had been the first person he’d allowed to touch him. And she remained the only one who could do so without getting scowled or growled at.
There would be no more cuddling with Alex.
No more watching movies together, and no more talking about the best fabrics for Greek-style dresses…
Her throat constricted.
How could she bear it?
“Luna!” Mother called.
“Coming!” Luna managed in a croaky voice, leaving her room and going downstairs.
Her legs felt heavier with each step that she took toward the dining area. She could hear her heart roaring in her ears, her footfalls on the gleaming hardwood seemed too loud. Her lungs felt too tight and her skin itched.
Luna bit the inside of her cheek and entered the dining area. The kitchen, with gleaming stainless steel appliances and marble counters, was on the right side of the vast room. And on the left side, there was an oak table that could fit a dozen people. Father used it for meetings with important members of the pack. He always sat at the head of the table.
She made her way to her seat, across from her brother. As usual, Kai was sprawling on his chair as if it were a throne, chin high and amber eyes brimming with mockery as he looked Luna over. He was three years her junior, but was almost half a foot taller and had been able to shift since he learned to walk. Alphas usually passed on their title to their firstborns. But Luna was female, so she wouldn’t ever be considered, not in her pack. Alex had told her other packs had female alphas, but that was dubbed a travesty in Randolph’s pack. So Kai would inherit the title, and he very much enjoyed behaving like a princeling.
“What have I said about hunching?” said her mother as she brought the tray with the roast to the table.
Gulping, Luna straightened.
“An alpha’s daughter must keep her head up,” said her father, tone heavy with disapproval.
“Yes, Father,” Luna said, not daring to meet his amber gaze. Her hazel eyes were one of her many shortcomings, and she didn’t want to remind Father of them tonight.
He was older than Mother by two and a half centuries. A descendant of one of the purest bloodlines, he barely displayed any signs of aging, despite being in his third century of life. Some gray in his straight black hair and trimmed beard, and some lines on his face that only accentuated his severe features were the only things that gave his advanced years away. Even his six-foot-five figure remained strong and imposing.
From the corner of her eye, Luna could see her mother giving her damp hair a disgusted look. She’d said it made Luna look like a wet cat many times before.
Mother cut the roasted meat and served dinner, starting with Father’s plate, where she placed the largest cut of meat. Then she moved to her brother, who got the second largest cut and extra roasted potatoes. Mother hadn’t cooked this meal, she’d been too busy deciding Luna’s fate with Father. Crystal, a female a handful of years younger than Luna, and her mother Angelie, took care of most chores. Luna had rounds of chores to practice for her future mate, for when he required her to tend to him.
Mother served herself and Luna the same amount of roasted beef, sauteed vegetables, and potatoes. And while it was by no means a small portion, it was about half of what Luna’s father and brother had on their plates.
“Eat,” Mother commanded as she sat next to Luna, giving her a disapproving once over. “You look too thin. Your mate will think you’re not strong enough to bear his children.”
Luna felt as if she’d been punched in the gut.
She knew how pregnancy worked, thanks to Alex. He’d been the one to give her The Talk and teach her about sex, pregnancy, and birth control. So she knew what becoming pregnant implied, and it made her feel nauseated.
She’d never wanted to have sex with anyone, and didn’t think that would change in the near future.
How could she want to have sex with a total stranger? And worse, a stranger who had paid for her? How could she learn to like—no, to desire this Dominick if she was disgusted by him already?
Alex had been her only crush. And it never crossed her mind to have sex with him. She just found him beautiful and interesting and wondered what her first kiss would have been like with him. And they had touched often during the last decade. Luna loved running her fingers through Alex’s hair, and he was all too happy to place his head on her lap and let her do it as much as she liked when they had some alone time. But their shared intimacy had never sparked the lust she’d read about in books.
Crystal often mentioned how bizarre it was that Luna didn’t find Callum attractive. The other females had given her weird looks when she said that none of the males drew her eye. And Luna had believed them when they called her a freak. So much so that she’d repeated some of their comments as if they were true around Alex, and he’d exploded.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” He’d paced around her room like a caged tiger. “Not everyone experiences attraction the same way, Luna. In fact, not everyone experiences sexual attraction. Period. I don’t want to make assumptions, so I’ll get you a book about it, alright? Just be careful to not let the others hear you mention whatever you learn about yourself.” His lip had curled with enraged disgust. He hated having to ask her to keep so many secrets. But they both knew it was necessary. “They’ll wonder where you learned such vocabulary and then you’ll be in trouble and we can’t have that.” Alex never mentioned how he could get in trouble. He’d sighed, shoulders drooping. “Suffice to say, you are not abnormal, darling. You aren’t attracted to looks, but to personalities, to meaningful connections, and there is nothing wrong with that, alright?”
“I—erm, I like the way you look,” Luna had said. Her hopeless crush was no secret to Alex. “I noticed you.”
“Before or after we became friends?”
“After,” Luna had said with no hesitation.
He’d nodded. “There you have it. It was my unparalleled charm that drew you in, not my ethereal beauty.”
Mother snapped her fingers, drawing Luna out of her memories.
Her throat tight, Luna cut a piece of her slice of meat.
“I take it you know what will happen in four days,” Mother started, “since you were spying on us.”
Luna’s mouth flooded uncomfortably with saliva. She drank a few gulps of water and nodded meekly.
The mating ceremony would take place on her birthday. Happy fucking birthday to me, Luna thought acidly.
“Dominick is a strong, wealthy male,” her father said, looking contemplative and a bit proud. “His lineage is impressive. He’s a suitable mate for you.”
Yes, but is he kind? Luna wanted to ask. Will he watch Rom-Coms with me even if he complains about them all the while? Will he hold me when I cry? Will he bring me chocolates when I feel down? Will he laugh at my terrible jokes and listen to me ramble about fabrics?
Kai snorted. “Yeah, but is she suitable for him? I mean, it’s not like she’s much to look at.”
Luna gritted her teeth. Maybe she should be used to her brother’s mocking comments by now, but she wasn’t. Maybe it was childish and unrealistic, but she sometimes wished they had a connection, a true friendship. Such a thing would never happen. Kai detested her. He’d mentioned time and again that he hated how weak Luna was, that she was a stain on their father’s lineage.
“She will be suitable unless she wants to embarrass me,” Father declared. “You don’t want to embarrass me, do you Luna?”
“No, Father,” Luna managed.
“Not after everything I’ve done for you,” Father continued. “I’ve given you food and shelter. I’ve spent a lot of money indulging your little hobby. I’ve done my best to protect you despite your failure to summon your wolf. And you will repay my kindness by being a good mate to Dominick, won’t you?”
Bile crawled up Luna’s throat. Her hands shook. She gripped her fork and knife so hard her palms hurt. “Yes, Father.”
“It’s time to grow up, Luna,” Mother said, her voice like a rusty but sharp knife to Luna’s gut. “You can’t live in your fantasy world anymore. You are a grown female now, and you will act as one.” She cut a piece of her meat as it was still alive and ready to fight back. “Your mate will not tolerate you spying on his private conversations and then having a tantrum. And he will not tolerate you having inappropriate friendships with other males. Friday will be the last day you see Alex in a very long time.”
Tears fell down Luna’s cheeks.
Don’t let them see you cry, Luna. Alex would chide if he saw her cower and pour tears onto her plate. Stiff upper lip.
But Alex wasn’t here.
Soon he would never be.
“She’s always had a little crush on the prissy idiot,” Kai mocked, lip curled and amber eyes full of disdain. “They’re suited for each other if you think about it. Both freaks of nature.”
Luna’s nostrils flared. Pressure built in her gums as her canines began to lengthen. Burning anger flooded her veins, making her feel as if her body were too small to contain it. “I don’t have a crush on Alex.” Not anymore. “He’s my best friend.” She’d said that a hundred times before, but no one believed her. Which was annoying but sadly useful.
Mother scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous. Males can’t be best friends with females.”
“He proved to be the best guardian for you, Luna,” Father said. “But your mother is right. Your behavior toward him is not appropriate for a betrothed female.”
“There is nothing inappropriate about our friendship!” Luna protested. She usually didn’t dare to talk back to Father, but indignation and shaky rage bubbled up inside her like a geyser ready to burst. She felt as if there was a trail of fire running down her spine. The temptation to flip the table and break something, anything, was becoming too hard to resist.
He doesn’t like me that way! He never has. Can’t you see?! How can you be so willfully blind?! She wanted to scream. But she didn’t. Because Alex was safe thanks to her parents’ beliefs that males are friendly to females only if they want to bed them. Because if they knew why Alex had never wanted her like that, the least they’d do would be kicking him out of the pack, and Luna would do anything to protect her best friend.
“Don’t you dare to use that tone with me, Luna,” Father chided, tone icy and amber eyes narrowed.
Mother wiped her mouth with a serviette. “This is the kind of behavior Alex has prompted in her.”
Kai laughed. “I can’t understand why Alex is attached to her ass, though. She’s nothing but a pathetic, flat-chested runt.” He leaned forward in his seat. “Or maybe that’s exactly why he likes you, eh? Because you’re not a proper female—”
Luna launched her fork at Kai with all her speed and strength.
He dodged it at the last millisecond so it didn’t skewer his eye, but it scratched his temple.
Her nails turned into black claws, and her canines grew to their full extent. “You have no right to make comments about my body, you fucking pervert!”
“Luna!” Mother and Father chorused.
Luna barely held back a growl. Oh, she was going to pay for this. Mother would punish her for answering back and cursing. But at that moment, she didn’t give a fuck. Her body felt too tight. Her anger took on a feral edge. She wanted to carve marks on Kai’s mocking face.
“Do you think this inappropriate behavior will be accepted by your mate?” Mother demanded, eyes flashing gold and pearly white teeth bared.
“You know you can’t disrespect the males above your station,” Father thundered, hands fisted and pale cheekbones darkened with anger.
Luna huffed. “What male isn’t above my station according to you, Father?”
Oh-oh.
She hadn’t meant to say that aloud.
Father jabbed a menacing finger in her direction. “Apologize to your brother for attacking him.”
Kai glowered at her. “Stupid, useless bitch.”
Luna’s heart rattled inside her chest so hard it made her shake. Her body felt too tight, as it always did when her caged wolf wanted an out it would never get.
She waited a beat for what had never happened before—for Mother and Father to tell Kai that he had no right to insult her like this. Her shifted eyes darted between her parents.
Their disapproving glares didn’t move away from her. As usual, it was as if they hadn’t heard Kai. Or worse, as if they thought Kai had said nothing wrong.
The aching pressure in Luna’s chest grew. Her temples throbbed.
If you’re going down, do it with style, Alex always said.
So Luna stood in a flash and tossed her chair at her brother’s head.
This time, she didn’t miss.
The chair splintered. Pieces of wood and upholstery flew everywhere, and Kai fell off his chair, landing on his ass in an undignified heap.
Luna felt her lips curl up. She rarely let out her most feral side, but by Celene and Morrigan, it felt good to do it. Like scratching an itch. Like a glass of cool water on a hot day.
It was beautiful.
It was poetic.
For about five seconds.
Mother yanked Luna by the left arm and gave her a slap that made her see stars. “Apologize to your brother!”
Luna blinked back tears. “Only if he apologizes first!”
Kai stood up, shaking with rage. “I’m gonna kill you, bitch.”
Luna growled at him. “Don’t call me that, you bastard.”
Mother slapped her again. “Stop insulting him and apologize!”
“NO!” Luna roared, yanking her arm free from her mother’s grasp. She hissed as her mother’s sharp nails cut through her skin.
Father stood, carelessly nudging Mother aside, and grabbed Luna’s bleeding arm so hard her shoulder almost dislocated. He glared down at her with rage-bright golden eyes, his face an unbecoming shade of crimson. “Apologize to Kai. Now.”
Luna gritted her teeth. “No.”
Father let her go brusquely and lifted his hand. Luna realized what was coming. She could have dodged the blow, but shock and disbelief froze her on the spot.
Father’s heavy hand connected with her face in a backward slap.
Luna fell to the floor, ears ringing, sight blurry, and mouth flooding with blood.
Father had never hit her before.
Mother had slapped her countless times. Hells, Mother had lashed her with the cord of her iron once. Being physically disciplined by her mother was nothing new.
But Father had never laid a hand on her before.
He hit me. He hit me, Luna agonized.
He loomed over her. “Your life will be what you make of it, Luna. You can be obedient and respectful and have a good life with your mate. Or you can be a brat and pay for your impertinence. Which one will it be?”
Father hit me. He hit me.
She knew some males hit their mates and children.
But she never imagined Father would hit her.
She flinched back when he got closer.
“Apologize to your brother,” Father demanded again, voice dangerously low.
Kai crossed his arms and gave her a smug smile from across the table. “Let’s hear it, freak.”
Luna took a shaky breath. “I-I’m s-sorry.”
Mother harrumphed.
Kai laughed at Luna, satisfied and puffed up like a peacock.
Luna’s blood flooded with adrenaline and her head throbbed harder.
Mother snapped her fingers at Luna. “Get up.”
Father offered a hand, but Luna flinched away and stood up by herself. Wiping blood from her chin with the back of her shaky hand, she glared at Kai. “I’m so sorry that you are nothing but a degenerate imbecile with the IQ of a fucking rock.”
Kai’s smug smile fell.
Luna gave him a bloody, feral smirk.
Father slapped her again.
* * *
A cold hand covered Luna’s cheek, yanking her into consciousness.
She recoiled, a cry trapped in her throat—
“Shh, it’s me darling,” Alex said.
Luna blinked, trying to clear her unfocused sight to bring her friend’s face into view. Her pulse was hammering so fast that she was certain she’d be having a heart attack if she were human.
It took her twenty more frantic heartbeats to realize she was in her room, her bed. The lamp by her bedside was on, casting a soft yellow light on the room. Alex was sitting beside her, holding an ice pack, jaw tight with quiet fury that she knew was not aimed at her.
Her sight remained fuzzy, no matter how much she blinked.
Anguish was plain on Alex’s elegant features as he beheld her.
“Is it that bad?” Luna croaked.
His pale throat bobbed. “Your right eye is still flooded with blood and the pupil is unresponsive. I’m fairly sure you’d need surgery if you were human.”
“Oh,” Luna murmured.
Alex placed the towel-wrapped ice pack against her sore cheekbone and brow bone with utter care. “Fuck!” He hissed in a near whisper. “Fuck this fucking shit. I should have been there. I should have stopped him.”
Luna swallowed, trying to wet her dry throat, and tasted blood. “If you go against Father, you will lose and you will get hurt. I don’t want that, Alex.”
His silver eyes flashed brighter with his wolf’s rage. “I don’t give a fuck about that right now, Luna.”
“You should,” Luna insisted. “You are…” You are all I have. But that wasn’t true, was it? Luna had her family, didn’t she?
Do you? After what they’ve done to you? Asked a voice in her head. A voice that had gotten louder and louder during the last decade.
Luna licked her dry lips. “You are my best friend, Alex. My guardian angel. I don’t want to see you getting hurt.”
Alex shook his blond head. “Guardian angels are supposed to be there to protect you. I’m a shit guardian, Luna.”
She took his free hand between hers. “You are the best, and you know it.”
“I’m not.” He sniffed roughly, blinking fast, eyes suspiciously shiny. “Look at you.” He grimaced. “No, better not. Not until tomorrow afternoon, at the very least.” His brow furrowed. “What the fuck happened, darling? What did they do to you after your father sent me on a fool’s errand?”
Luna sighed, holding the ice pack by herself as she tried to wriggle into a more comfortable position. Her limbs seemed to weigh a ton.
With firm, but gentle hands, Alex helped her sit against a mountain of pillows and then produced a bottle of grape soda, her favorite. He waited patiently until she took a few gulps to hear a recounting of the worst dinner Luna had ever had.
Alex gritted his teeth so hard that Luna was sure he’d crack one, then cursed in whispers for a whole minute. “That little piece of shit you have as a brother was bragging about Randolph hitting you when I came back. I am going to kick his fucking arse. I swear I will.”
“Not worth it,” Luna cautioned. “And I hit him with a chair, remember?”
Alex growled. “He deserves worse.”
Luna stared at the half-empty bottle of grape soda. “I don’t understand what came over me. I was so angry, Alex. I wanted to hurt Kai. To make him pay for hurting me. It felt as if…” She took a deep breath. “As if my useless, dormant wolf wanted an out. And at that moment, I didn’t care about the consequences of defying Mother and Father.” She blinked back tears. “I didn’t apologize to Kai. No matter how much Father slapped me. I didn’t. Maybe I should have. How will I face them all again after this? They’ll say I’ve disappointed them. They’ll call me an embarrassment. I’ve made things worse—”
“No,” Alex protested. He ran a hand through his hair. “Fuck. I hate seeing what they’ve done to you, and I hate being afraid to tell you this, but I’ll hate myself even more if I don’t.” He grasped Luna’s hand and leaned closer, making sure to have her full attention. “I am so proud of you for defending yourself, darling. I wish you didn’t have to. I wish your family didn’t hurt you this way. But I am so fucking proud of you for not letting them break your spirit.”
Luna’s lips trembled. She sniffed.
Alex cupped the less sore side of her face gently. “You are not a disappointment. You are not an embarrassment. And I am fucking proud of you for breaking your mother’s fancy chair over that ninny’s head.”
Luna chuckled wetly. “You always know what to say. Thank you.”
He shook his head. “Don’t thank me. I should have been there to protect you.”
“You are here now, Alex. That’s more than enough.” Her brow furrowed. “Speaking of that, why are you here? What if they catch you?”
“Meh,” Alex muttered. Removing Luna’s damp cold compress, he took a cloth-wrapped bundle from the nightstand and handed it to her. She unwrapped it and found a turkey sandwich with tomatoes, lettuce, oregano, honey, extra cheese, and pineapple jam. Her stomach grumbled and her eyes itched with unshed tears. Alex had made her favorite sandwich.
“Your father drank himself to sleep,” Alex explained. “Your tosspot of a brother went out to the city with Callum to find some unfortunate female or woman to shag. And your mother is having a little get-together with her usual gossip circle, whining about how hard it is to keep you in line. No one will notice I’m here until dawn.”
Tears fell down Luna’s cheeks. “Thank you for being here.”
Alex wrinkled his nose, wiping the salty drops with gentle brushes of his thumb. “Stop thanking me, you knob. You’d do the same for me.”
Luna sniffed. “I would.”
Alex sighed, fishing out the half-full bottle of ibuprofen Luna kept on her nightstand and giving her a few of the pills. “I know. Now drink these, eat your abomination of a sandwich, and clean yourself up so you can rest. You need it.”
Luna did as he said.
Her eyes threatened to spill over again when she went inside the bathroom and found her mirror covered with a towel. She would have a breakdown if she saw her reflection, and Alex had anticipated that. Of course he had. Patches of her hair were caked with blood and her blue dress was ruined with it, too.
She took calming breaths, undressed, and got in the shower, not waiting for the water to heat, desperate to wash off the blood. Feeling bone tired, she merely dried her hair as best as she could with a towel. Then she brushed her teeth and put on her favorite fleece unicorn pajamas before leaving her bathroom.
Alex was finishing changing her sheets. “Ready for bed?”
Luna nodded and climbed under the blankets, too tired and raw to call him a mother hen, as usual. Her eyes burned again as Alex tucked her in. She grabbed his wrist. “Stay with me?”
He arched a brow. “Where the fuck else would I go?”
“I mean, would you hold me?” Luna asked.
Alex rolled his eyes, kicked off his boots and took off his coat, tossing it on the chair by the wall, and turned off the bedside lamp. “Full of obvious questions tonight, you are.” He lay behind her, carefully wrapping an arm around her waist. “Next thing you’ll ask me if I want to be the big spoon. As if your short arse were big spoon material.”
“I’m five-foot-seven,” Luna protested weakly. “And you like it when I’m the big spoon.”
“I don’t,” Alex grumbled.
“And you like cuddling.”
A warm scoff against her neck. “I bloody well don’t.”
“This is cuddling.”
“No, it isn’t. It’s… providing physical comfort to your convalescent best friend.”
“Physical comfort in the form of cuddles.”
“Shut up and go to sleep.”
“I will go to sleep.” She pressed her back tighter against his warm chest. “I always do when I’m getting cuddles from you.”
Alex growled low.
Luna chuckled, but the sound broke, turning into something ragged and breathy, and soon she was shaking with sobs. The tears she’d tried to keep at bay spilled over, hot and uncomfortable, and she hated it. She hated being such a mess and needing Alex’s arms around her more than she needed air.
“Shh,” he crooned, holding her carefully tighter and kissing the top of her head. “I’ve got you, darling.”
But for how long? Luna wondered, chest churning with wretched mourning already. “I-I d-don’t know if I can d-do this, Alex.” I don’t know if I can live without you. I don’t know if I can let a stranger touch me.
“You shouldn’t have to, Luna,” he said fiercely. “Do you hear me? You shouldn’t have to. This isn’t right. It fucking isn’t.”
Luna knew he was right.
But what choice did she have?
None.
She’d never had a choice.
And no matter how much she wished for it, she would never have a choice.
She would never be free.
All she could do was treasure this moment. Remember what it felt like to have someone who loved her hold her tight and let her cry until she fell asleep.
One last time.
CHAPTER 3
Ethan stalked his prey from the cover of an abandoned building’s shadow.
Not human prey.
Hunting down humans had never settled all that well with him. Blood banks were definitely one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century. Now, that isn’t to say he hadn’t hunted down human predators occasionally. People who prey on those weaker than them were fair game, as far as Ethan was concerned. But he preferred to avoid walking down the slippery slope that could turn him into a vampire vigilante if he could help it.
It wasn’t blood Ethan was after. But money. Ridiculous amounts of it that he hadn’t really needed for almost half a century. But hey, better safe than sorry, right? Best to save for a rainy day and all that.
Ethan’s prey would get to keep all his blood in his veins. And would hopefully remain completely oblivious to Ethan’s machinations until it was too late. Until he was back home, or at least many miles away from the male’s no doubt sharp jaws.
Stealing gave Ethan an unmatched adrenaline rush. The thrill of the hunt hadn’t diminished a bit, even after decades of starting his lucrative enterprise of liberating rich arseholes from the burdens of excessive wealth.
And this particular arsehole was filthy rich. So much so that he was willing to pay two million dollars for a bride.
Too bad I can’t steal that fucking bride price, Ethan mused.
He’d been at a human club a week before, celebrating the closing of one of his legal businesses. There, he’d overheard two sloshed werewolves running their filthy mouths about the transaction taking place inside the rowdy bar he was currently stalking. The blasted, stinky place was crawling with the sort of werewolves who enjoyed ripping vampires to pieces. The sign above the door forbade vampires from entering the smelly facility. So Ethan couldn’t steal the bride price that Dominick—his prey—was paying the alpha of another pack for the male’s daughter.
Now, if paying for a female as if she were a piece of property to be owned wasn’t a fantastic reason to steal from a bastard, Ethan didn’t know what was.
Mate-buying wasn’t that rare among the most backward clans of supernaturals. Hells, even humans still did it in some parts of the world. It made Ethan’s skin crawl.
It was in the nature of some rich people to buy others as if they were merchandise. Ethan knew this all too well. And after being alive and around for over a century, he should have gotten used to it, but nope. It still made him want to set something on fire. Namely, rich arseholes who bought brides and slaves and—
Focus, he commanded himself.
Much as he’d like to set Dominick’s bride-buying arse on fire, he couldn’t.
He didn’t have the position required to murder a foreign werewolf alpha and get away with it. If the International Supernatural Court caught him, and they likely would, he’d be punished, and he wasn’t particularly fond of dungeons and torture.
Not even the Crown Prince and Princess of all vampires—the Davashkov twins—went around torching clans for their primitive, fucking disgusting ways. And Ethan knew it wasn’t because they weren’t sorely tempted. The twins loved some pervert-roasting more than anyone else he’d ever known. And alright, most werewolf packs weren’t as rotten and archaic in their ways. And some changes had to happen organically, Yada Yada. But change came ever so fucking slow to semi-immortal creatures who could live hundreds of years.
Dominick and his entourage of giant brutes left the bar. The black-haired, bride-buying arsehole was the largest of them all, easily six-foot-six, so about four inches taller than Ethan and built like a quarterback. He looked ageless, as most werewolves did at their prime, and had the amber eyes considered a sign of purity among nut jobs who concerned themselves with breed superiority.
Then out came the bastard who was selling his daughter as if she were a Labradoodle. He looked like a human in his early forties, so he was in his late second century of life or thereabouts. Bracketing him were two males. One had the same strong features as the daughter-selling douche canoe but fuller lips and medium dark skin, so probably his son. The other was the dark-haired male Ethan had overheard at the human club. The way he’d talked about the female about to be sold had Ethan seconds away from breaking his fucking neck.
The two pack leaders exchanged a handshake.
“I’m looking forward to meeting my future bride,” Dominick said with the self-satisfied air of a smarmy rich pillock who could buy anything he wanted. He had a Slavic accent.
The other alpha gave him a firm shake, face stoic. “Luna will be ready for you to pick up in three days.”
Pick up. As if she were a goddess-damned puppy.
Ethan ran a hand through his dark blond hair and barely held back a frustrated groan. Don’t set them on fire. Don’t set them on fire. Don’t set them on fire.
“Make sure that she is, Randolph,” Dominick said, leaning closer to the other male. “You don’t want to disappoint me.”
Randolph gritted his teeth but said nothing.
The males let go of each other at the same time and went to their cars along with their guards.
Randolph and his lot got inside a black pickup truck.
Dominick slid into the back seat of a luxury sedan that was worth more than the average income of three middle-class families.
I am stealing that car and then selling it for parts, Ethan promised to himself as he climbed on his hydrogen-powered motorcycle and waited to follow Dominick within a prudent distance. Ethan kept the black motorcycle lights off. That, combined with his head-to-toe black outfit and the necklace that held a mild eye perception spell, made him practically invisible in the night.
The chase was on.
* * *
Dominick’s lair was… well, not a lair.
It was a white mansion set upon the very edge of a mountain that seemed to gleam under the moonlight. Part of the right side and the back of the property faced a massive cliff with a roaring river at the bottom, while the left side had a massive garden that melded into the forest. Spying through the front was not possible, thanks to the armed sentinels stationed on the roof and near the entrance. Despite the cloaking spell in Ethan’s necklace, he didn’t want to risk being shot at. Fortunately, the garden was unkempt, full of tall grass and beds of wildflowers. So it was no hard task for Ethan to hide behind the treeline and spy through the massive glass windows with his binoculars.
Not for the first time, he was glad that Dandelion—his oldest friend who would be very pissed at him if she knew what he was up to—was so skilled with cloaking spells. He wasn’t a vampire-born, so his aura of power wasn’t overtly scandalous, but werewolves, especially the alphas, could pick up a vampire’s presence this close.
Inside the mansion, there was a celebration.
Dominick’s arse-smooching lot were toasting to their leader’s new bride.
Ethan rolled his eyes.
Going inside the mansion while it was full of drunken werewolves was not a good idea. Coming back during the daylight wasn’t the brightest choice either. Like most fair-skinned vampires, born and turned, he was allergic to UV light. Not to the point of lighting up in flames or turning into ash like in the movies. It was bearable with extra strength sunscreen and contacts. But it still put him at a disadvantage if he were to be chased down by angry werewolves.
Vampires were stronger than werewolves by general rule in their humanoid forms. But there were about two dozen werewolves in that mansion.
He’d have to return another night then.
Heaving a disappointed sigh, he turned away from the mansion to make his way back to where he’d left his motorcycle—
A zing of alarm raced down his neck as his eyes landed on a pair of bright amber eyes.
Ethan knew who the male was even before he stopped hiding beneath the shadow of a tree and approached.
How the fuck? Was Ethan’s first thought as Dominick straightened to his full height, puffed up his chest, and prowled closer, forcing him to back down into the overgrown grass of the garden.
Dandelion’s magic still buzzed from the jade pendant over his collarbone. So how the fuck had the werewolf felt his presence?
As if sensing Ethan’s silent question, Dominick lifted his hand to show him a gold ring with a glowing red stone.
The werewolf’s eyes shone with dark amusement. “I always know when someone bearing magical objects enters my property. I’ll ask this only once: what are you doing here, vampire?”
Ethan was certain that no matter his answer, he was very fucked indeed. So why not have some fun on the way to his potential grave? “Why, I was taking my nightly constitutional, of course,” he drawled, exaggerating the posh RP English accent he’d perfected so long ago. It was a surefire way to piss off certain kinds of males.
And it worked just like a charm on the werewolf.
Dominick growled, his breath turning into a white fog in the chilly air. He drew closer. “This is my property. Vampires are not allowed on my property.” His nails morphed into black claws.
“Oh, gosh,” Ethan said, placing one hand on his chest and sliding the other under his jacket to extract his favorite dagger, a birthday present from Crow. “I am ever so sorry to intrude. I shall see myself out then, yes? And then we can both go on our merry ways.”
Dominick growled again, nostrils flaring.
“Is that a no?” Ethan asked innocently, widening his eyes.
“This is my property,” Dominick snarled, advancing one more step.
Werewolves were known to get a tad territorial.
Ethan backed down again. “… I believe you mentioned that before, yes.”
“Then why are you here, vampire?”
“Tsk tsk. I thought you said you were going to ask only once.”
The werewolf growled again and went for the obvious clawed strike to Ethan’s face.
The vampire dodged and punched Dominick in the solar plexus, leaping back before another strike could come.
Dominick snarled some more, barely affected by the blow that would have destroyed a human’s diaphragm. His eyes turned bright golden as he launched swipe after swipe, aiming to claw open Ethan’s chest and neck.
The vampire blocked a neck grab with his forearm and sank his blade right into the werewolf’s kidney. Such a stab would slow down most werewolves in their humanoid forms—
But not this werewolf.
Dominick growled and swiped at Ethan’s face again.
Ethan dodged most of the blows.
Most.
The sting of claws opening shallow gashes across his jaw, neck, and collarbone was fierce.
And the bloody werewolf plucked the dagger out of his body as if it were a minor nuisance, huffing and puffing like a bull.
What the fuck? Ethan wondered for the second time that night.
He dodged more swipes and blows and kicks, and not for the first time he was very grateful indeed that Crow had deigned to spar with him. The werewolf was taller and heavier than Ethan. Size was usually completely irrelevant in a fight for a vampire. Their supernatural strength generally had more to do with their lineage and age. Ethan had learned this the hard way after getting his arse handed to him by a vampiress a whole foot shorter than him. But there was nothing usual about this fight.
Plucking out another dagger from his boot, Ethan sliced mercilessly at Dominick, slashing at whatever part of the werewolf he could reach. Blood splattered Ethan’s face after landing a particularly deep stab on the other male’s shoulder. The tang of it was heavy and downright nauseating. Werewolf blood wasn’t as appealing to vampires as human or fey blood, but Dominick’s blood was bloody disgusting.
Why hasn’t he turned? Ethan wondered. Not that he was complaining, mind you, but it was bizarre. Especially since the werewolf was finally starting to flag. And a good thing too, because the slashes that had cut through Ethan’s thick leather jacket, along with the ones decorating the left side of his face and right leg, were healing half as fast as they should have.
That was also unusual.
He’d gotten scratched by werewolves before. It was rather unavoidable when he sparred with Mike, his redheaded werewolf friend. Mike’s scratches had never slowed his healing.
“You fucking leech!” Dominick roared. “I will break all your bones!”
“Promises, promises,” Ethan panted.
Fuck. He was short of breath and the blood loss was starting to make him dizzy.
He had to finish this.
The werewolf launched another attack.
Ethan wielded the dagger with his left hand, changing his stance, and moved as fast as he could. Block-slash-kick—what is this blasted bugger made of, for fuck’s sake?—block-roll-slash… stab.
Ethan tackled Dominick with every ounce left of his vampiric strength. He straddled the werewolf, pinning his right forearm still with a blood-sticky hand.
Dominick roared, sinking the claws of his free hand on Ethan’s shoulder. The vampire gritted his teeth, bearing the pain as he pushed the dagger deeper into the werewolf’s chest. The blade sank between Dominick’s ribs, almost in his heart. His wide, rageful amber eyes focused on Ethan’s face, promising bloody vengeance.
Ethan plunged the dagger deeper, striving to cut through the werewolf’s heart. Almost there. Stabbing Dominick’s heart wouldn’t be enough to kill him, but it would put him out of combat for a while.
Not to mention that the idea of killing Dominick was very fucking appealing.
On the one hand, it was self-defense. Ethan had done nothing to justify Dominick’s little murder attempt. Not yet, anyway.
And, if the bastard died, then the bride he’d bought—Luna—would be free. At least until her wretched father found some other arsehole to sell her to.
Ethan spared an idle thought at his resolution to not become a vigilante.
Eh, one arsehole every few years hardly counts as vigilante-material…
A dreadfully familiar pop-pop sound reached Ethan’s ears before he registered the shock of burning pain on his left arm and shoulder blade.
Dominick heard the sound too and tried to wiggle free, but Ethan wasn’t going to let him go that easily. Firearms are such a cop-out in a fight between supernaturals, he mused. So gauche. So bloody American… Oh.
His head was spinning. The grip he had on the dagger loosened involuntarily. He blinked hard. His tongue tasted of sickeningly sweet almonds.
Oh, buggery fuck. Cyanide and deadly nightshade? Are you fucking kidding me?
More colorful expletives exploded in Ethan’s mind as Dominick recovered enough to toss Ethan’s half-listless body onto the grass—how?—and he heard steps approaching.
“Alpha Dominick! Are you all right, sir?” a male voice called.
The worried male got a growl from Dominick as a response, while Ethan got a kick to the guts. He barely felt it, but it left him coughing nonetheless.
Dominick’s angry mug took over Ethan’s fading eyesight. “I will make you scream, vampire.”
Regret and poison ran through Ethan’s veins, chilling him to the core.
I’m sorry, Dandelion, he thought as he drowned in darkness.
CHAPTER 4
Her family’s chosen method of dealing with what happened that horrible night had been the standard: pretending they’d done nothing wrong and punishing her.
The ever-present knot in Luna’s stomach had turned suffocating. Every tick of the clock ached like a punch to the chest. Every minute that went by got her closer to Friday afternoon—when the mating ceremony would be celebrated.
Her usual distractions—sewing and reading the books stored in the old e-reader Alex had secretly gifted her years before—were no longer an option.
Mother had removed her sewing machines, along with every scrap of fabric and thread on her shelves. They stood barren now, a husk, a reminder of everything she’d lost.
Her e-reader was still hidden beneath the loose board under her bed, but Luna couldn’t bring herself to unearth it. Both because it could easily be traced back to Alex, and she didn’t want to get him in even more trouble. And because her mind was too numb for reading.
She spent most of the time locked inside her bedroom.
Alone.
Her father had forbidden Alex from entering the property.
Luna hadn’t seen him since he’d held her until she fell asleep during That Night.
Her chest ached as if someone had removed her heart. The gnawing hole left behind made her feel constantly lightheaded and numb.
The numbness isn’t bad, really, Luna mused.
It was certainly helping her cope with Mother and Angelie’s hands roaming all over her as they pinched the flimsy fabric of her white mating gown. She hadn’t sewn this one herself, thank Celene. It would have been like impaling my heart with a knife, Luna thought.
She did her best not to gaze at her reflection in the massive ornate mirror Mother had placed against her barren shelves. The dress was too revealing. The round cleavage left the top of her breasts on display. They rose whenever she breathed as much as she could with the gods-awful corset that squeezed her waist to make her hips flare more dramatically. The hem barely reached her knees.
She wanted to set it on fire.
“Maybe if we take it in here half an inch…” Angelie pulled at the fabric across Luna’s shoulder blades, lips twisting in contemplation. The blonde female was a few inches shorter than Luna’s mother and had the generous curves werewolves considered a good sign of fertility. She’d passed on her light brown eyes and beautiful figure to Crystal, who was also in the room for some reason Luna couldn’t comprehend. Worse than that, she was sitting at the foot of Luna’s bed, appraising her with a false smile and jealous eyes.
Luna’s mother hummed. “Maybe.”
“No matter how tight you make it, my tits aren’t getting any bigger,” Luna said, voice creaky with disuse. It was the first thing she’d uttered in three days.
All three females turned to look at her as if she had just come out of a spaceship.
Luna would have smiled if she weren’t feeling dead inside.
“It won’t hurt to put your best foot forward,” Mother said, pulling tighter at the fabric.
“Best foot or best tit?” Luna asked, voice deadpan.
Three pairs of eyes settled on her with open disapproval.
Mother’s nostrils flared, jaw tightening. Her eyes met Luna’s in the mirror. “Take it in half an inch, Angelie.”
The female nodded. “Yes, Zasha.”
“And maybe you could tighten the stays to make her hips look fuller,” Crystal suggested innocently, twining a lock of blonde hair around her forefinger.
“Excellent idea, Crystal,” Luna’s mother agreed, her amber eyes still on Luna’s. “I don’t understand why you haven’t gained some more weight with the extra portions.”
“It’s called genetics,” Luna blurted. Her knotted stomach dropped. Oh, Hells.
It was true.
Her mother’s figure was fuller than hers but not by much, and it had been even slimmer before she had Luna. The old photographs didn’t lie.
But saying it aloud was wrong.
Luna regretted it as soon as the words sailed through her lips. But it was too late to take it back.
Mother wrapped Luna’s braid in a tight fist and pulled, forcing her neck to arch. “You better learn to watch that tone, Luna. Your mate is an alpha, and he won’t tolerate you talking back to him.”
Tendrils of fear tightened Luna’s muscles. Mother’s rage saturated the room. Her wolf’s menacing presence could be felt despite her keeping her humanoid form. Distantly, Luna noticed Angelie’s alarmed expression and Crystal’s wide eyes and paling visage.
She opened her mouth to utter her usual ‘yes, Mother,’ but the words turned to ash under the fire roaring down her aching spine. Heat flared in her stomach as rage overrode the fear. Her irises enlarged and went from hazel to bright gold decorated by the barest tendrils of pale green.
“Sounds like his problem, not mine,” Luna hissed.
Mother pulled harder. “Apologize, or—”
“Or what?” Luna panted, hair roots and neck burning with pain. “I have nothing left to lose now, but you do. It took two days for the bruises to vanish last time. The mating ceremony is tomorrow. What happened to ‘you must look perfect for your mate, Luna,’ eh?”
Mother growled and pressed Luna’s face against the icy surface of the mirror. “You will dress as I say and you will behave respectfully with your mate.” Her golden eyes blazed with undiluted fury as she leaned closer to Luna’s ear. “And are you so sure you have nothing left to lose? Not even a certain blond mutt that’s been attached to your backside for a decade and a half?”
All the air escaped Luna’s lungs. Horror sank its claws into her battered heart.
Mother’s mouth curled into a small, blood-chilling smile. “I warned Randolph that his company would corrupt you, and he didn’t listen. But now, what use do we have for him here? He’s not your guardian anymore, and he’s the most useless member of our pack right after you. So, what will it be, Luna? Will you behave or will you make me prove to you that you do have something to lose?”
Quiet sobs shook Luna’s chest. Tears streamed down her cheeks. The golden glow in her irises vanished. “I will behave,” she promised. The words tasted bitter in her mouth. She felt as if a sliver of her very soul had cracked.
Mother released her.
Luna held onto the mirror so as not to fall, her knees quaking.
“Take off her dress before she ruins it,” Mother barked.
Angelie hurried to comply with shaking hands and wide eyes.
A beeping sound exploded in Luna’s ears, fading slowly and leaving behind a thick invisible barrier that muted most sounds.
She closed her eyes, feeling as if she were underwater. The ache in her chest was so oppressive that she wasn’t sure if she was breathing. She had to be, though, because she was still wretchedly conscious.
She was barely aware of Angelie removing the wretched dress and helping her put on her fluffy robe.
Her eyes opened in time to see Mother leave the room, followed by Angelie. Crystal lingered by the door.
“You are so privileged and you don’t even know it,” Crystal said. Her jaw was tight. She was still pale, but her brown eyes flashed with anger and disdain. “Some of us can’t even dream about mating with an alpha, and you act as if it’s a punishment.”
“Does this look like a bloody dream to you?” Luna asked, voice hollow and barely above a whisper.
Crystal huffed. “It would be if you weren’t such a brat. What does Alex have that Alpha Dominick doesn’t, anyway?”
Luna’s body shook. It took her a moment to realize she wasn’t crying and that a rueful, broken laugh was coming from her chest. “Why don’t you answer that, Crystal? You used to make moony eyes at Alex if memory serves.”
The blonde growled, teeth flashing.
Luna felt something dark and thorny twist inside her as she turned to face Crystal. “Had you forgotten? I didn’t. But then again, you are as fickle as they come, aren’t you? Who is the object of your desires this week, hm? Callum? My idiotic brother?”
Crystal’s eyes blazed yellow. “Let’s see if you keep being so mouthy when your mate teaches you a few lessons.” She slammed the door after her.
Luna scoffed, satisfied to make someone else feel as angry as she felt.
The vindictive feeling didn’t last.
The crushing pain in her chest quieted her. She didn’t sob. She didn’t cry. No amount of bitter tears could fill the widening abyss inside her.
She wondered what she’d do if only her own life were at stake.
Probably kicking, screaming, and scratching her way down the cursed aisle.
But she couldn’t risk Alex’s life.
She couldn’t lose her best friend.
She’d rather lose herself first.
* * *
A celebration was held the evening before the mating ceremony.
All the members of the pack stood outside their cabins, waiting to greet Luna and her family as they made a full-circle parade around the colony’s plaza. Pieces of dry wood were piled high on the pit at the center of the square, ready to be lit to signal the start of the revelry.
“Look proud and happy,” Mother had commanded before they left the house.
Luna had settled for emotionless and straight-backed.
She hated very few things as much as being ogled by the pack. Males and females alike raked their eyes from her black curls to her ballerina shoes, assessing her and finding her wanting.
She was forced to make stops at the entrance of every home where families, couples, and the few unmated pack members awaited. Each household was to offer a white flower, a symbol of her last night of purity, and words of encouragement.
Luna had nodded and floated around the first few homes, half numb. The invisible padded barrier dulling her awareness was still present.
“Smile,” her mother hissed in her ear as they reached the next family. Callum’s family.
Oh, goody.
Anabelle, Callum’s mother, handed Luna a white rose. The dark-haired female with soft features and a mild temperament used to babysit Luna when she was little. “Be patient and kind to your mate and your happiness will be assured.”
Luna nodded and thanked her without blurting out, ‘Yeah, and will he be kind and patient with me, you think?’
Callum’s father, a male who had passed onto his son his height, square jaw, and calculative blue eyes, met Luna’s gaze. “Submission is the key to a happy mating.” He put his arm proprietarily on his mate’s shoulders and, to Luna’s great confusion, she smiled at him as if he’d said something brilliant.
Callum, standing to his father’s right, gave Luna a once-over. “You better practice saying ‘yes, sir,’ little wolf. It’ll be your most used phrase from now on.”
Luna felt as if her entire skeleton was too tight and confining for the rage burning in her very core.
She gritted her teeth and swallowed back the growl rising in her throat.
Father and Mother thanked Callum’s family for their wisdom, and then they moved on to the next family.
The Williams family.
The male, Braun, wasn’t very tall, but he was stout and vicious in a fight. Built like a Pitbull, that one is, Alex often said.
The female, Karen, was smaller than Luna and had an ever-present pinched expression. She placed another white rose on the top of the pile Luna held with both arms. “Respect your mate.”
Karen said this in the same tone she’d levelled, ‘respect your elders,’ at Luna whenever Luna didn’t indulge the female’s comments about her figure.
Shawn—Braun and Karen’s son—gave Luna a dark look, but kept his mouth shut. He’d been part of the group that had beaten Luna when she was fifteen to try to ‘kick the wolf out of her.’ It’d been ten of them—some older than Luna, some closer to her age. She’d fought them with all she had, but she didn’t have training back then, and it would have been useless, anyway. Alex had saved her, as he always had. He’d fought them in humanoid form and shifted too, tearing tendons, ripping pieces of whoever dared to try to keep attacking Luna. Her memories of it were blurry, she’d been practically paralyzed from the pain. But she remembered the scent of mud and blood and the sounds of her best friend tearing through the mob that had almost killed her. She remembered Alex’s warm body shielding hers.
Father and Mother had pretended nothing had happened back then, too.
Alex had started teaching her all he knew about self-defense as soon as she’d been able to stand.
Braun appraised her as if she were a mare. “You are lucky a male of worth wants you. Remember that.”
Luna’s anger burned hotter.
She wanted to curse them all and then set something on fire.
Think of Alex, she reminded herself. They’ll hurt him.
She took a deep breath and pasted a sweet smile on her face. “Thank you for your wisdom.” Alex would have been proud of the level of sarcasm dripping from every word.
The Williams were too dumb to notice.
Her parents weren’t.
Luna’s Mother pinched her waist. Hard.
Luna didn’t give her the satisfaction of seeing her flinch.
“Strike one, freak,” Kai whispered at her back.
Luna could feel Father’s amber eyes on her face. His disapproval made her skin itch. She kept her gaze ahead. She hadn’t laid eyes on him since That Night, and she had no intentions of doing so now. At the very least, it would send her into a panic attack.
Somehow, she made it to the end of the ridiculous parade, and now she found herself standing between Mother and Kai near the pit as Father gave his usual speech.
“Fifty years ago, I built this pack with my bare hands,” Father started, chin up, pride buzzing from him. “I created a community, a family, a refuge for several of you, and together, we welcomed many more.” The people clapped. “Then, two and a half decades later, I met Zasha, my mate, who gave me the most precious gifts a male can have. A son that I’m proud to call my heir.”
Kai puffed out his chest.
Luna held back the impulse to gag.
Kai’s gang—Callum, Shawn, and a few more—woofed.
Father continued. “And my daughter, Luna.”
Hearing Father say her name made Luna’s hands shake.
The polite, if insincere, clapping barely reached Luna’s ears.
Father kept speaking. “Luna will soon bring honor to my bloodline by becoming the mate of a worthy male…”
Mother all but pushed Luna towards Father. His heavy, hot hand landed on her shoulder in a half embrace.
The fine hairs at the base of Luna’s neck rose. Saliva flooded her mouth, and she swallowed hard. She wanted to hide under a rock and never emerge.
Memories of That Night flashed in her mind’s eye.
“Apologize to your brother!”
“NO!”
Slap.
“He is your superior! I am your superior, and you will obey me! Apologize to your brother for disrespecting him!”
“Make him apologize for talking about my body and insulting me first!”
Slap.
“APOLOGIZE!”
“GO TO HELL!”
Father’s fist slammed against her cheekbone. Her ears rang. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t see.
“Apologize.”
“N-no.”
Father raised his fist again, and everything turned dark.
Luna’s ears rang. She watched, as if from outside her body, how the flowers were taken from her arms by Angelie. She watched as Mother gripped her forearm and took her to one of the logs that served as seats. Luna did nothing but watch as if from behind a foggy glass as the fire roared in the pit, its heat somehow not enough to warm her.
The scent of food didn’t penetrate the sense-memory of the smell of her blood. The music didn’t drown the repeated screams of ‘APOLOGIZE!,’ echoing in her head. The light fabric of her white, long-sleeved dress seemed so heavy.
Frozen. Aching. Lost.
Help. Help. Help.
* * *
Luna found herself being all but dragged back to her house.
She blinked, certain about one thing at least amid her fuzziness: she hadn’t fallen asleep.
This wasn’t a nightmare.
It was reality.
Her reality was a nightmare.
Her skin prickling all over—as if her entire body had been numbed—Luna lifted her head to see Callum’s indecent eyes on her.
Her brow furrowed.
They were at the entrance of her house. Callum was gripping her arm so hard his knuckles were white.
He grinned at her. “Ah, there you are, little wolf. This wouldn’t be half as fun if you were still off to fairyland.”
This? Luna wondered.
He closed the front door behind them and shoved Luna against the nearest wall. One of his hands clamped down around her neck as the other forcefully slid between her thighs. “I can’t ruin that tight little pussy for Dominick, but I’m sure I’ll find an alternative.”
How the Hells am I alone with this beast? Luna wondered, her stomach curling with disgust.
The vague memory of Mother hissing at her for not smiling made its way through the receding clouds in her mind. Mother had asked Crystal to take Luna back home so she could rest for her big day.
Not Callum.
So when had he shown up?
That wasn’t important. The pressure of Callum’s grip around her neck and the forceful glide-up of his hand under her dress were like a bucketful of cold water.
Not for the first time, Luna wondered why the Hells Father and Mother trusted the bastard.
Alex’s instructions echoed in her head. “Eyes, nose, larynx, solar plexus, balls, and rip off an ear if you can. That hurts like a motherfucker.”
Luna sent her palm up with all her strength, breaking Callum’s nose. He released her at once, blood gushing down his face. She tossed her fist against his larynx, making him cough violently, and bend just at the perfect height for her to hit his solar plexus with her knee.
Luna kicked him in the balls for good measure, too, and then dashed toward the kitchen to grab the biggest knife available.
She was going to spill his fucking guts if she could.
Her feet skidded on the polished wood, and she all but crashed against the counter. Her shaky hand closed around the handle of the biggest knife in the rack, just as an arm wrapped around her neck.
“You psychotic whore!” Callum screamed in her ear, twisting her wrist so hard that her hand opened automatically, and she lost her grip on the knife with a muffled cry. “I’m going to make you pay for—” A wet, crunching sound came from his throat, and then he released her.
Luna turned around, a growl trapped in her throat as her eyes landed on—
“Alex?” she choked out.
CHAPTER 5
The blond was panting. His lip was split, and he had a cut on his forehead. There were leaves and little sticks tangled in his mussed ice-blond hair. “Are you alright, darling? I’m so sorry I’m late.”
A hysterical laugh escaped Luna. She stepped over Callum—neck broken and completely out on the floor—and flung her arms around Alex’s waist. “You are just in time, as always.”
Alex held her tightly, his warm exhale tickling her neck.
He was here. He had saved her. Again.
NO! He can’t be here!
Luna pulled back and placed her hands on Alex’s chest, pushing him away. “You have to go! You can’t be here. Mother will have you killed!”
Alex frowned. “What?”
“She said she’d kill you unless I go through the mating, Alex! You have to go!” Luna cried.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” Alex grabbed Luna’s hand and led her toward the back exit. “Shawn was playing sentinel to Callum. I put him out of combat, but it’s just a matter of time before someone notices they’re gone. We have to move.”
Luna shook her head and tugged her hand free. “No, Alex. I can handle it, okay? I’ll go through the mating. You can’t die for me.”
Alex cupped her face in his hands. “Luna, darling, you can’t go through that bloody mating. That bastard they sold you off to will force himself on you just like Callum was about to do. He’ll hurt you, Luna. And if I can’t live with that, you sure as hell can’t either.”
“But Mother said—”
“To Hell with your mother and your whole fucking family!” Alex screamed, his eyes flashing bright silver and his hands shaking. “I won’t die if we run away together. And you won’t have to become the property of some psychopathic fucker. Come with me, Luna. Please?”
“Yes,” Luna said with no hesitation.
Alex let out a relieved breath and grabbed her hand again.
They left the house and ran into the woods.
* * *
Luna hadn’t noticed the bag tied across Alex’s chest until he pulled out leggings and boots for her to wear. She put them on fast with his help, and then they ran some more.
He held her hand, refusing to let her go.
They’d run like this several times before, so it wasn’t hard at all.
Not for the first time, Luna had the feeling Alex had been training her to run away for a very long time.
Night had fallen, but to a werewolf’s eyes—even to Luna’s—the dark forest was perfectly discernible. Patches of weak, white moonlight filtered through the canopies, giving their escape an eerie feeling.
Alex brought them to a stop after five minutes.
“What is it?” Luna asked. Her breaths were fast, but she could keep going, and so could Alex, who ran ten miles every morning.
Alex pulled out a necklace from his jeans pocket. The design was intricate and beautiful. It seemed made of the purest silver and glowed. “Do you trust me?”
“I am running away with you in the middle of the night,” Luna reminded him.
He gave her a rueful half-smile. “Point taken. May I?”
Luna nodded.
He put the necklace on her with practiced ease… and then recited an incantation in Latin that turned the delicate chain invisible. His silver eyes locked with hers for a handful of seconds that seemed to last forever.
Luna blinked. “M-magic? What?”
“Elven magic, to be precise, if the seller is to be believed,” Alex explained as he extracted another piece of jewelry from his pocket and placed it around her wrist. The thin silver chain shone and then vanished from sight, but Luna could feel it, just like the necklace. “Elven magic is virtually undetectable, even to supernatural senses and witch magic,” Alex continued. “The bracelet can summon a dagger if you say these words.” He proceeded to recite another spell. “Repeat it.”
Luna did.
Alex intoned it again, slower.
Luna repeated it, and a silver dagger materialized in her hand.
“Repeat it to hide it,” Alex instructed.
Luna obeyed him.
Alex nodded, satisfied, but still nervous.
“A-and the necklace?” Luna asked.
His throat bobbed. “I hope you never have to find out what that necklace is for, darling. But it will protect you if I’m not there.”
“Where did you get magicked jewelry?” Luna asked. Magic was dangerous, evil. Forbidden in the pack.
Alex’s throat bobbed, his eyes never leaving hers. “Darkwood.”
Luna shook her head to try to clear it. “The Darkwood? As in the depraved city commanded by the Crown Prince and Princess of vampires? And Elven magic? Elves are real? Magic is dangerous—”
Alex grabbed Luna’s hand, tugging gently, and they broke into a run again.
“‘Magic is evil,’” Alex recited, monotone, despite the slight agitation caused by the run. “‘Werewolves must stay away from magic.’ Blah blah blah. Darkwood is not depraved. And magic is not evil—” They jumped over a fallen tree as one. “Some people are evil and they weaponise magic. This magic will keep you safe.”
They crossed a creek, using rocks to avoid the rapid-moving icy water.
“Do you remember what I’ve taught you about stabbing hearts?” Alex asked, pausing to meet Luna’s wide eyes.
She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I remember everything you taught me.”
He pressed his forehead against hers for a second and then led them into a run again. “I have a motorbike parked nearby. Couldn’t get it any closer.”
“Where are we going?” Luna asked, but she knew the answer already.
“Darkwood,” Alex said. “We can ask for asylum there.”
Darkwood.
Luna’s heart raced harder, but not from the running speed that could put an Olympic runner to shame. Darkwood wasn’t a den of depravity? Magic wasn’t evil? She wouldn’t have believed that coming from anyone else. But she trusted Alex with every drop of blood in her veins. He would protect her. Luna knew this just as she knew the sun would rise again. And between facing the great unknown with Alex and staying to be broken by her parents or her future mate, the choice was clear.
They reached a small clearing and came to a stop. Alex tugged at a large piece of camouflage fabric, uncovering a black, all-terrain motorcycle. He met her gaze. “There is a whole world out there, Luna. You deserve to see it.” His lips twitched in the ghost of a smile. “And I can’t wait to show it to you.”
Luna got on her tiptoes and gave him a closed-lip, chaste peck on the mouth. Something she’d done a few times before when he’d brought her chocolates to cheer her up after receiving a beating from Mother. Something Alex sometimes did too when they’d survived a particularly horrible day and Luna was holding him close.
“Let’s go then,” Luna said.
Alex smiled, returning the peck, and got on the bike. “Your chariot, my lady.”
Luna huffed and climbed up behind him, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.
Alex kicked the bike into roaring life, and off they went.
The way was bumpy, but Alex knew what he was doing.
Luna held onto him for dear life as he jumped over a fallen tree.
“We’ll reach a road soon,” Alex promised.
Luna gave his waist a squeeze as a response. She didn’t trust her voice at the moment. Werewolves who shifted could survive many things that would kill or permanently maim a human. But Luna couldn’t shift. Her healing was slower, and if they crashed…
No.
They wouldn’t crash.
Alex would protect her, as always.
Luna launched a quick prayer to any goddess who would hear her, pressing her nose against the nape of Alex’s warm neck. His familiar scent comforted her. She focused on inhaling and exhaling steadily, ignoring the bumps and leaps.
A chill ran down her spine.
Luna knew that sensation all too well.
She turned to look over her shoulder and saw two massive werewolves in their shifted forms catching up with them.
Luna whimpered. “Alex—”
He cursed soundly. “I know.”
“How did they find us?” Luna asked.
“I don’t know,” Alex said, making a sudden turn and speeding up.
Luna looked over her shoulder to see the wolves swerving and following with no hassle.
The familiar roaring sound of the ATVs speeding through the forest reached her ears. The sentinels used those vehicles to patrol the pack’s territory.
Alex heard it too. He cursed some more and tried to go faster, but the forest’s uneven ground restricted his speed.
Luna felt something tug uncomfortably in her chest. Her whole body trembled. If they caught them, they would kill Alex. If they caught them, she’d never be free.
The first possibility haunted her more than the last.
She’d never been free, after all.
The wolves gained in on them, getting closer and closer.
Alex cursed and took a sudden turn.
Luna gasped as she saw two more wolves coming at them from a different direction.
Multiple howls rose into the chilly night air.
Luna shivered.
They were surrounded. She could feel it. The oppressive, insidious sense of being watched, of being prey.
A black wolf jumped at them. Alex swerved and inclined the bike, sliding under the massive furry beast. He righted the motorcycle and kicked the pedal—just as another wolf crashed into both of them, knocking them off the motorcycle.
Alex stood faster than Luna, dagger in hand, and launched the blade at the wolf that had knocked them off the bike. The dagger sank into the neck of the wolf, taking him down at once.
Not dead, but out of combat for a while.
Luna got to her feet, feeling her right ankle throb, but she ignored it, nearing Alex as he straightened the motorcycle—
Another wolf, smaller but stouter than the one who knocked them down, entered the clearing in a blur. Alex growled, tossing a dagger at the wolf. It hit the mark, striking the wolf’s shoulder, but it didn’t stop him from sinking his jaws into the motorcycle’s rear tire.
Alex cursed something colorful, even by his standards, and readied another dagger.
Howls echoed all around them, and six more wolves came into view.
A panicked cry escaped Luna’s mouth.
They were done for.
Alex was a great warrior, no matter what Mother said, but he would not win a fight seven-to-one. Not against the sentinels.
Alex shielded Luna with his body, sliding a dagger into her hand.
The wolves pressed in closer, teeth bared and golden eyes bright with bloodlust. Their hungry, heavy breaths turned into white fog with the night’s bone-deep chill. They surrounded them from every angle, closing in but not attacking, waiting.
The sounds of the ATVs got louder.
Luna’s heart raced. She turned toward the sound, placing a hand on Alex’s waist.
She knew who was coming.
Alex knew, too. His free hand found hers, and he held on tightly. Words were unnecessary. Luna could feel his silent apology, regret, and rage as she could feel her own. An undercurrent of fear ran through both of them. Not for themselves, but for each other.
Two black ATVs entered the clearing.
Luna’s father and mother drove them.
Kai was in the back of Father’s vehicle.
He gave Alex a smile that seemed to say, ‘I knew you’d do this. I knew you’d fail.’
Mother, Father, and Kai got off the ATVs and approached. The sentinels opened a path so they could reach Luna and Alex.
“You treacherous bastard!” Father snarled at Alex.
Mother snapped her fingers at Luna. “Come here.”
Luna gritted her teeth and didn’t move an inch.
From the corner of her eye, Luna saw the smaller, stout wolf make a move to jump on Alex.
A low growl reverberated in Luna’s throat. She watched the dagger fly from her hand before it registered that she’d thrown it. The gleaming blade sank into the stout wolf’s flank, sending him staggering and heaving for breath.
I did that.
I hurt someone.
Why am I not sorry?
Luna’s face prickled uncomfortably with awareness.
Father, Mother, and Kai were gaping at her as if she were a stranger.
Father recovered first. His glare fell on Alex. “This is your doing! You’ve corrupted my daughter!”
“Teaching her how to defend herself is not corrupting her, you old fool!” Alex growled.
Mother gasped with exaggerated outrage.
The six standing wolves around them growled menacingly.
Luna shivered.
Alex didn’t even flinch. “You’ve kept Luna locked up as if she were a princess in a tower,” he snarled at Luna’s father. “Only to sell her off to some rich, repugnant fucker. You’ve done your very best to break her spirit, and why? Because you are disappointed that she, your firstborn, wasn’t male? Or maybe because you know she’s a million times braver, smarter, and more worthy than that spoiled, pathetic little puppy you call your heir?”
“How dare you?” Kai demanded, huffing like a bull.
Mother snarled at Alex. “Close your filthy mouth, you ungrateful mutt.”
Alex growled back at her. “Oh, and you. I thought I’d met shitty mothers before, but you take the fucking first place, no contest whatsoever. Is it jealousy that makes you so cruel to your daughter?”
Mother growled.
“It is, isn’t it?” Alex needled. “You want Luna to suffer as you did instead of protecting her from the same cursed fate you had because you envy her, don’t you? You can’t stand to see how intelligent and talented she is.”
“Randolph!” Mother cried. “Kill him!”
Luna tried to stand beside Alex, but he pushed her back with a hand on her stomach. “Oh, and darling?” Alex said, squeezing Luna’s waist gently. “I found out a couple of days ago that your lovely mother here has been selling your designs for hundreds and even thousands of dollars. All to help your father cover the massive hole left in his finances after your fucking moron of a brother lost millions in a fool’s investment.”
Luna sucked in a breath. Mother had said she sold Luna’s dresses for 50 dollars at most. She’d claimed that the money Father invested in Luna’s supplies was far more than the money earned by the sales.
Luna had sewn hundreds of designs over the last decade.
“I gave you everything,” Luna’s father snarled at Alex, his eyes golden and lupine and his tall frame shaking with fury. “I rescued you from those hunters and gave you a home. You owe me respect and loyalty!”
Alex laughed ruefully. “It’s been more than a decade since I felt any loyalty to you, Randolph. And don’t flatter yourself so much. You gave me scraps.”
“I’ll kill you for turning my daughter against me, mutt,” Father spat, advancing closer to Alex.
“How unpredictable,” Alex drawled sarcastically. He gently pushed Luna back and took several steps forward, gripping the dagger with the blade down, knees bending in a ready-for-combat pose.
Luna felt as if her heart were going to burst. “No, Alex. No!”
Father summoned claws and swiped at Alex’s face.
Alex dodged so fast he almost turned into a blur, slashing with the dagger at Father’s stomach.
A choked cry left Luna.
Father looked down incredulously at the shallow cut staining his blue shirt crimson.
The other wolves and Kai growled at Alex, ready to jump on him.
“NO!” Father barked, his golden eyes bright with hatred as he stared down at Alex. “He’s mine.” He lunged at Alex again, turning into a whirlwind of brute force and murderous rage.
Luna pressed a hand against her stomach. Everything inside her ached. She couldn’t move, couldn’t scream, could do nothing but bear witness as her best friend fought against her father.
Alex was faster. He moved with a dancer’s grace and dodged most of the blows and slashes Father launched at him. But Alex wasn’t as strong as Father.
Alex’s mother was human, he’d admitted to Luna long ago. He had no idea what his werewolf lineage was.
But Father came from a long line of pureblood werewolves. He was larger and stronger, and he was vicious. He was angry, so angry at Alex…
Father landed a kick on Alex’s chest. The sickening crack of his ribs reached Luna’s ears.
Alex flew back and fell hard to the ground.
Father kicked the dagger out of his hand, and Kai gleefully picked it up. Father lifted his booted foot to stomp Alex’s chest.
Alex rolled, springing to his feet, and landed a blow on Father’s face with enough strength to break his nose.
Blood dripping down his face and eyes bright with ire and pain, Father blocked Alex’s next blow and clashed his fist against Alex’s cheekbone so fast that Luna barely saw it.
Another sound of cracking bone reached her ears.
Alex crumpled to the damp ground.
Luna couldn’t breathe.
Do something. Do something. DO SOMETHING! She cried at her useless, trembling body.
Snarling, Father bent to wrap his massive, clawed hand around Alex’s neck and lifted him off the ground. “You ungrateful little mutt!” He shook Alex, squeezing harder, drawing blood from Alex’s pale skin. “How dare you disrespect me? How dare you betray me?!”
Alex clawed at Father’s arm, to no avail.
Luna saw Mother smile with satisfaction from the corner of her eye.
“He stabbed you in the back!” Kai exclaimed, and in a flash, he sank the dagger into Alex’s flank.
A roaring cry reached Luna’s ears.
One second, she was standing—a useless observer frozen by fear—and the next, she’d tackled Kai to the ground. Her throat ached, and she realized she was still screaming, but she paid that no mind. Her fist crashed against Kai’s face over and over again, drawing blood. Heat coursed down her spine, and fiery rage boosted her strength. She’d never been more enraged in her entire life. Not when she’d been beaten to the brink of death. Not even when Callum had stolen her first kiss. She’d been terrified then. She was beyond rage now.
An arm wrapped around Luna’s neck, yanking her off Kai. She growled like a wild animal and landed a kick in Kai’s stomach on her forced removal. She was vaguely aware that Mother was the one grappling her into submission. Her eyes landed on Alex and Father again.
“You turned my daughter against her own family!” Father cried. Tossing Alex to the ground, he stomped Alex’s chest and lifted his boot again to stomp his head.
“NOOO!” Luna roared. She lifted her legs, and brought them down hard, tossing Mother off her, and then sprinted toward Father with all her speed, tackling him and going down with him.
Father’s golden eyes widened in shock and outrage.
Luna scrambled away from him and covered Alex’s prone body with hers. Her canines snapped down, and her nails shifted into black claws. She barely recognized the growl that shook her full frame as her own.
Father stood, his hands curling into fists.
Kai stood, nose and lip broken and bleeding, clearly intending to jump on Luna.
She was faster than him and kicked him in the gut so hard he flew back a few yards before landing on his ass.
Mother tried to approach, and Luna flashed her claws and growled at her. “Don’t you dare!” Whatever it was Mother saw in Luna’s face stopped her in her tracks, but it wasn’t enough.
Luna knew she didn’t stand a chance against them. Shock at seeing her defend herself had given her a momentary advantage, but that wouldn’t be sufficient to fight them all and save Alex.
She couldn’t fight her way out of this mess.
But maybe she could bargain.
Luna breathed hard, her eyes zeroing in on Father. “If you kill Alex, I won’t stop fighting! If you kill him, I will claw and kick my way down the fucking aisle,” she vowed. “I will spit on my so-called mate’s face. I will embarrass you. I will take you down with me.” She swallowed hard. “If you let him live, I’ll do what you want.”
“Luna, no,” Alex croaked. “Don’t do this. Not for me, Luna.”
For whom else? She wanted to ask, but settled for placing her clawed hand on his shoulder and squeezing, her eyes still on her father’s. “So what will it be, hm? Will you give Dominick his money back? Will you go back to being broke and lose your honor? Will you sacrifice my brother’s inheritance? Or will you leave Alex be?”
Father growled at her.
Luna returned the growl, ignoring the shivery fear entwined with her rage. “Do we have a deal, Father?”
Father’s face contorted with disdain. “You are the biggest mistake I’ve ever made.”
Luna’s stomach twisted violently, and her eyes burned. She hated herself for that reaction.
“I’m keeping him as a guarantee,” Father said, aiming a finger at Alex.
“No,” Luna said. “You’ll let him go.”
“No, I won’t,” Father snarled. “If he’s gone, I can’t trust you’ll behave. I’m keeping him until you’re mated. If Dominick doesn’t send you back after the mating night, I’ll let the mutt go. But not before.”
Luna wanted to argue, but what other option did she have?
“Luna,” Alex whispered. “He’ll break… his word.”
Luna narrowed her eyes at Father. “Swear it on Kai’s life.”
“How dare you?!” Mother cried.
Luna didn’t bother looking at her. “Swear it, Father!”
Father’s face scrunched up in disgust. “I swear it,” he spat.
Luna turned to meet Alex’s gaze, fearing to find disappointment there too, but what she saw was worse. Alex’s silver eyes were bright with tears. The left was half shut with swelling and flooded with blood. He was wheezing. “I’m not worth it, Luna.”
“Shut up,” Luna protested. “You are more than worth it.”
The tears slipped down Alex’s temples, mixing with blood. “I’m sorry. I tried.”
Luna sobbed, burying her nose in the crook of his neck. “I know you did. I love you, Alex. I love you.”
One of Alex’s trembling hands landed on her waist. “I love you, too.”
Luna pressed a kiss over his pulse point just as something hit the back of her head. The brutal force of the blow made her teeth clash.
She fell fully on top of Alex, her ears ringing. Alex let out a choked sound, holding her tighter. Using the last dregs of her strength, Luna turned over to see Mother holding a rock dripping with her own blood.
* * *
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