Dance of the Hunter's Moon: Sakana Series, #3

CHAPTER ONE

THE NEARLY FULL MOON reflected off the dark crimson puddle spreading slowly beneath the lifeless body lying on the concrete. Wolves of all colors and sizes stood on every interconnecting patio facing out toward the black-pine-studded pool area of the apartment complex.

Considered a solemn honor, we had all stood witness to the challenge ritual.

Brutus stared up at where I stood on my second-story balcony, his hands at his naked hips as he stood over the wolf’s dead body.

You okay? His voice, barely a whisper, was  heard as easily as if he stood next to me.

Yes. No.

His dark eyes squinted. He knew I’d lied. I was so far from okay.

Brutus wasn’t only the head of security, he was also one of my best friends. He’d been there the night I’d witnessed a much more brutal challenge. He knew what I’d been through.

What I’d seen.

What I’d lost.

Like Brutus, I stood naked, my hands braced on the thick, wooden rails lining my balcony. Though I kept my eyes focused away from the blood, the smell drifted on the brisk night air as it mixed with the perfume of the pines, the aroma of excited wolves, and the smoky fragrance of the last of the season’s fire-roasted Hatch green chilies.

Foley had issued the challenge. Sky had no choice but to accept. Then the entire complex gathered to bear witness to a fight that lasted only minutes. It didn’t drag out. The two males hadn’t torn each other to pieces, hadn’t shredded fur and muscle into something unrecognizable. They hadn’t bled all over each other, turning their once-silky coats into a sticky, tangled mess.

This challenge was relatively clean and nothing like the challenge I’d witnessed as a child. This challenge had been quick and to the point, disturbing only two of the many poolside chairs from their positions, as if someone had merely scooted them across the cement to get closer to their neighbor.

Foley’s body lay bent in an awkward S-shape, a few feet from the pool’s edge. The bones of his back had snapped like brittle branches, echoing throughout the enclosed pool area like a shot from a gun. Foley remained in the form he’d died in, a brown and white wolf.

Sky, Luisa’s sakana, did what he’d needed to do—brought a swift and merciful end to the challenge.

As Brutus stood over Foley’s twisted body, he shifted back to his massive, upright Breeder form as a warning to all to keep their distance. With the full moon almost upon us, the base, animal instinct to join the fight had many of the wolves pawing the ground in unspent frustration.

A piercing cry—half agony, half relief—spilled from Luisa’s throat as she shifted back to her human form. Sky shifted as well and pulled her in to his big body as she sobbed. Though Foley had been one of us, a member of our pack, a friend and a student living here in this secluded apartment complex, no one would blame Sky or Luisa for Foley’s challenge.

I couldn’t imagine what Luisa was going through, torn in two directions. She had loved Foley—more than anything—planned to mate with him, spend the rest of her life with him. The sakana bond wasn’t something Sky and Luisa meant to happen. Once found, neither of them could resist the undeniable chemical and physical attraction.

To find your sakana, the one wolf who completed you in a way no other wolf ever could was rare, sudden, and a completely life-changing experience. Even though Foley had marked Luisa as his potential mate, his mark had disappeared the second she’d met Sky.

Still, finding one’s sakana should be a happy time, not one of blood and tears and death.

As Sky guided Luisa into her first-floor apartment, Brutus snarled a warning, ensuring the two lovers were left alone. Once they disappeared inside, Brutus and the other spectators shifted back to their human state. A few moved to help Brutus, carrying bed sheets to wrap Foley’s body with care and reverence.

I held my human form throughout the contest as my personal protest—my way of staying as detached as possible from what was playing out at the edge of the pool. The challenge I’d seen as a child was brutal and bloody and seemed to go on forever. In the end, both males died from the massive injuries they’d inflicted upon each other.

By the next morning, the female the males had fought over lost the will to live, and ended up on suicide watch, secluded from the pack for a few years. Those two deaths left behind family and friends who hid their grief while pretending to the human population that their loved ones had moved away. Other pack members took on the task of settling the two males’ estates, while quietly erasing all traces of their existence.

Though I’d buried them, my memories were as bright and clear as if that deadly challenge had taken place only yesterday.

I understood the reason behind the to-the-death law. Even though we’d taken on the rules of human society, behind closed doors and in our own environments, we were animals and lived by pack law. This particular law was in place to remind male wolves that, in this pack, challenges were serious. From the sporadic number of challenges issued over the years, the law had done well to discourage this ancient rite of possession.

In the end, it didn’t matter who came out the victor and survived the terrible, vicious, bloody battle for dominance. The female had the right to choose, and there were times she chose not to live any longer.

Foley’s best friend choked back tears as he pressed his phone to his ear, and spoke the words that no parent would ever wish to hear while Brutus lifted Foley’s limp body and carried him beneath my balcony and out of sight. I understood, as we all did, that even with all its brutality and rituals, this was our way.

I stepped back inside my small apartment, grabbed my worn nightshirt from the floor where I’d dropped it, and slipped it over my head. My phone flashed on the coffee table next to my open laptop. There was a good chance the news of Foley’s death had spread all over the pack. Because I lived there, someone probably wanted a first-hand account of all the gory details.

If they were calling for details, whoever it was didn’t know me very well.

I grabbed my phone to see my sister’s auburn hair pop up, her text message below her picture.

Right of Refusal at noon. You coming?

Relieved this wasn’t a request for gory specifics, I tapped the keypad.

Wouldn’t miss it.

Flopping back onto my soft leather couch, I let the earthy scent soothe my nerves as I inhaled slow and deep. I stared at my laptop, the words of my latest research paper a watery blur of nonsense I wasn’t in the mood to deal with. I clicked Save again, then dumped it into three different clouds for safekeeping before closing it out. There must have been at least 237 tabs open in my browser, each one having something worth using and citing, and I’d bookmarked each one.

My phone chirped with Sela’s response.

Have you seen him? Taber? He’s a freaking breeding GOD!

A tired laugh bubbled up out of me.

No. I’ve heard he’s the ROCK STAR of Breeders.

OMG! Yes! ROCK STAR=SEXY AS HELL! His brother and his son came along. Maybe we can kick everyone out after the rite and par-tay! You could finally lose your virginity!

I wasn’t in the mood to play this game...not tonight.

Not happening. Research paper due.

You need to cut loose. Have some fun. Get laid.

Sela must not have known what had happened here only minutes before. If she did, she wouldn’t be joking around. I sighed and rubbed my tired eyes.

I didn’t want to be the one to lay the news of a pack death on her. Didn’t want her to go into her Moon Dance feeling as though the life she would conceive might be a replacement for the life lost in the challenge. This new, little life deserved a celebration of its own. Still, the entire pack would assemble with a sense of mourning cloaking their hearts.

I didn’t want Sela to feel as though she needed to comfort me. I knew she would. She was there for me before, when the nightmares seemed to go on forever. Sela was there so many times when I woke up, reaching for my father as he bled to death in front of my eyes. She was one of the people I could always count on to be there while my mother was off in seclusion.

My heart wrenched, and tears burned my eyes as the old memories flooded back in, where they hadn’t been in years.

I tapped out the bad news.

There was a challenge here tonight.

I waited for my message to sink in. No need to tell her a male had died. That was a given. Three minutes later, my phone chirped again.

I’m in the car. Be there in twenty.

I tapped out my thanks, set my phone aside, lay my head on the back of the couch, and let the tears come.

CHAPTER TWO

IN THE DISTANCE, THE aspens painted a fiery, autumn line across the Sandia Mountains reflecting the late afternoon sun. Soon, the colorful leaves would fall, and later, snow would cover the high peaks.

The nights dropped into the low forties, and with so many in Albuquerque stoking up their fireplaces, a thick, hazy blanket of wood-fire smoke had settled at the base of the mountains and all over the city. The view in every other direction from the pack Alpha’s ranch was nothing but flat. And desert-dry.

I huffed out a long sigh. Once I finished these last few classes, I needed to get out of Albuquerque for a while. Born here, grew up here, and with the path I’d followed so far, I would most likely live out my long life here.

Single. A virgin.

I needed a vacation. A change of scenery. The mountains. The beach. Whatever.

I needed to cut loose. Get a life. Get laid.

Maybe.

Not that the wolf inside me wasn’t up for all that, because she totally was. The shy, human side of me couldn’t seem to step up to the plate, much less run all the bases.

Tonight I’d do it. After the Moon Dance celebration, I’d hit the dance club with my girlfriends for our monthly catch-up, which they’d never let me get out of, no matter what kind of homework deadline I faced, and I’d do it. I’d choose one of those human males and go for it, lose my virginity.

Human males didn’t react to the full moon the way wolf males did. It didn’t turn them into horny, out-of-control animals who often spent hours having non-stop sex, but they did feel it. I didn’t need hours of non-stop sex. I only needed it once. Just once, to ease the stress of school, and the pressure of being a Breeder who should’ve contributed at least one offspring to my pack by now. As it was, I hadn’t even experienced my first heat yet.

My girlfriends would freak out.

And celebrate.

And probably want to be there to video the damn thing. If I had enough to drink, I might suggest it myself.

But, then again, no video. Just sex.

I breathed in deep, letting the smell of horses, dirt, and smoke fill my lungs. The aroma of hot food and the scent of wolves also invaded my senses. Excited voices came from inside the house, drifting out into the yard. The Moon Dance was a social gathering, a celebration of life. And there I stood, alone, unsociable.

After my long, sleepless night, my eyelids scraped like sandpaper over my still-bloodshot eyes. After wasting hours crying, attending the Right of Refusal ritual was the last place I should be.

I had homework to finish.

Papers to write.

My virginity to lose.

A strange thing to have on my to-do list, but there it was. Another task to complete.

And not video.

A female had to have goals, and losing my virginity had moved to the top of that list.

Nevertheless, I wasn’t planning on working on homework, finishing my research paper, or losing my virginity in the next few hours. Attending Sela’s Right of Refusal was where I needed to be. I couldn’t remember a time when Sela had not been there for me when I needed her. It was my honor to stand with her. Not that Sela needed me. She was one of the most confident females I’d ever known. Even though the Right of Refusal would be her last chance to back out of this breeding without dishonoring Taber, she never would. She only wished to share as much of this new offspring’s conception with me as possible.

Soft footsteps came lightly down the wooden stairs from the house behind me. Jessy Maccon’s scent enveloped me just as her arms came around my shoulders from behind, crisscrossing over my chest in a tight hug.

Not Maccon anymore. Jessy Louvel. Dain’s mate.

I clasped her forearms as our cheeks rubbed together in greeting. She sighed but didn’t speak. Sela would’ve told her what happened last night.

Jessy and her family were the only other wolves in the pack who knew how I had suffered from watching my father fight and die in front of my eyes. When my mother couldn’t care for me, I spent time between Sela’s house and Jessy’s, where her mom and dad welcomed me in and treated me like one of their own offspring. Our roles reversed when Jessy’s mother died suddenly. It was the first time in our lives together that I had seen Jessy cry.

Hey. Jessy gave me another little squeeze.

Hey, back.

I’d never say what I really wanted to say: I miss you so bad I wanna cry all the time. She hadn’t abandoned me, she’d found her sakana. Yeah, I missed her like crazy, but knowing Dain would do anything to ensure Jessy’s happiness made my missing her just a little bit easier.

How’s ranch life?

Freaking fantastic.

Her happiness was contagious and seeped into me. That good, huh?

Absolutely. She rested her chin on my shoulder. I learned to ride.

You did?

Jessy and horses didn’t go together. When we were young, we went out to the Downs racetrack with her and her dad. While I was there to pet the horses, she was there for the males and pretty much nothing else. Mating a cattle rancher who rode every day must’ve given her the incentive to put her butt in the saddle, too.

You ride? All by yourself?

Yep. I heard the secret laughter in her voice as she made the p in yep pop. I’m getting really good at it, too. Ask Dain. You’ll have to try the reverse cowgirl. It’s the bomb.

Reverse...Jess! I closed my eyes and smiled. I’ll try to remember that. And no, I’m not going to ask Dain if you’re good at it. He wouldn’t dare say no.

Maybe I can talk him into another demonstration, though it might be difficult to do on top of the dining room table. Little hard on my knees.

"Yeah, well, even though watching you and Dain make love sprawled out on the dining room table was pretty hot, he didn’t know I was watching until after you two were done. I’ve never seen a male turn that many shades of pink before. I’m not sure performing, on demand, in front of an audience is something he’d be comfortable with."

Jessy laughed that sweet laugh of hers. You could’ve said something.

Me? I was the one standing in your kitchen so hypnotized by the two of you acting out your sexual fantasies on the dining room table that I didn’t even notice the hot chili dripping down my arm.

Mesmerized.

What?

That’s the word you used before, ‘mesmerized,’ not hypnotized.

Whatever. I laughed. Damn, Jessy, I couldn’t even clear my throat, much less speak. Remember? And why is it that we always end up talking about sex, anyway?

Hey, sex is good stuff. I love it. It’s good for you. That reminds me, I brought you some books.

Sex books?

Yep. Even found a pop-up Kama Sutra I think you’ll get a kick out of.

Jess! No!

Her breath hit my ear. I can feel you blushing.

Yeah, I bet. I giggled as heat flushed my face and neck.

One thing I knew, to lose my virginity, I needed to conquer this stupid shyness. Looking over Jessy’s books on sex might not be such a bad idea. I was ready and willing to experience a sexual relationship, but none of the males in my pack seemed interested in me. I didn’t blame them. They’d seen me naked. Everyone in my pack had seen me naked at some point, just before or after shifting. If my pack members were waiting for me to grow up, they were out of luck. And so was I.

Accidentally witnessing the way Dain made love to Jessy made me realize that no matter how much I might wish that kind of love and devotion for myself, the chance of finding it was, basically, never going to happen. Ever.

Though we’d grown up together, I was the complete opposite of my best friend. Jessy and Sela were more like sisters than Sela and I. Where I was the silent, serious sidekick, Jessy was bubbly, funny, social, and not afraid of anything. And like Sela, Jessy had always been beautiful, and openly sexual.

With all Jessy had been through, she deserved to be treated as a strong, beautiful, precious female. Dain gave her all that and more.

About last night—

I’m fine. Not really, but I would be.

"I know you think it was weak to break down like that, but you are not weak, she whispered. You’re the most decent, moral, noble female I’ve ever known and your sense of honor makes you stronger than I will ever be."

The sting of tears burned my eyes. You’re going to make me cry.

Good, because you know what? I’ve really missed you, and I hope you’ve missed me just as much.

I burst out laughing as the tears dripped down my cheeks. Yes, yes I have.

Jess, Jules. Dain’s deep voice drifted out from the house. They’re on their way.

CHAPTER THREE

GIVE US A MINUTE, Jessy answered back to her mate.

I’m fine. I twisted out of Jessy’s arms and turned to give her a full-on hug. I’m so glad you’re here. I looked up at Dain, his huge, male body filling the doorway. His long, black hair hung loose, his dark eyes blinked back at me as I offered him a smile. You too.

He flashed those dimples I knew Jessy loved, then nodded as we moved to make our way into the house.

Breeders were treated like royalty when actually they were closer to star athletes than anything else. The pack had an agreement with the Sandia Resort and rented one of its super suites to accommodate any visiting Breeder while they were here visiting, breeding, whatever. If Taber, his brother, and his son were on their way, they didn’t have far to drive. The resort was only a few miles south on Interstate 25.

I hope I don’t look half as wiped as I feel, I whispered to Jessy.

Hey, you look like crap. Her arm tightened around my shoulder.  But that’s because I’ve seen you at your best and most beautiful.’Well, thanks for that."

Not to downplay your gorgeousness, but you know how it is. Sela’s heat and the full moon just hours away will have every male in the house focused on their dicks. They can’t help it. I’ll be shocked if the mated males make it through lunch without grabbing their female and heading off to some other part of the ranch. Jessy reached out and brushed her hand across Dain’s chest as we passed. A stifled growl rumbled out from him, making Jessy laugh. See what I mean?

I smiled and shook my head. Females felt the sexual pull, too, but nothing compared to what males felt. The full moon was a bitch that way. The pack would lock the unmated males up in the caverns for the night. Keep them away from the human population. Control of the overwhelming sexual urges was achieved only with age and wisdom, not something young males were ever trusted with. Pack law. How we protected our males. How we stayed hidden from humans.

Jessy leaned in close. Seff will be here. He’s single. Her breath whispered in my ear. And he’s pretty damn hot. He’s got these eyes—

Dain let off another low growl behind us, making Jessy giggle and almost stumble.

I hadn’t met Seff Weylan, but I knew of him through Jessy. So, you and Seff have made peace?

Yep. He redeemed himself in the eyes of the pack. I have no idea what would’ve happened if he hadn’t taken the risk to come back to warn Gunner about Rule’s tracking party. And he found Blaze left for dead in the middle of freaking nowhere. That male certainly has a nose on him. Dain and I had completely lost Blaze’s scent. I couldn’t stay pissed at him after all that.

I’m glad. Negative feelings. I looked up at her. We’ve talked about that. Jessy had a ton of negative feelings she needed to work through, and she was getting better. Forgiving Seff is a big deal.

Jessy stopped, nodded to her mate to go on without us. Her golden eyes were soft as she looked at me.

Sadness is a negative feeling, too.

She always found a way to get her say in. Dammit. I couldn’t hold her amber gaze, so I looked away.

I’m not sad.

Then what do you call it? You can’t even look me in the eye when you say that. We’re like sisters. We’ve got this thing, you know—a connection. I don’t feel sadness coming off you all the time, but I do feel it, and it breaks my heart, sweetie.

Resigned. I sighed. That’s what I call it.

Resigned? Resigned to what?

"You’ve known me all my life, Jess, but I don’t think you really see me. Yes, you see the me inside, the female you call noble and honorable and whatever else it is you think about me, and I do appreciate it, but... I took a step back from her. Do you really not see me?" I waved my hands up and down to emphasize my point.

Jules— Confused, she shook her head.

Crap.

I’m sorry, I’m just emotional. I hugged her tight. I’m such a bitch. Damn the moon, and Sela’s heat.

If you were a bitch, I wouldn’t love you as much as I do, she whispered. I don’t see whatever it is you think I should see. I can’t. I just want you to be happy.

I love you too. I smiled. And thanks for that.

In the huge living room, wolves had gathered for the rite. Anton and Voril, our Alpha and his mate, and Sela and two of her three offspring, Delton, and Tatiana. And my mother, who always seemed happy until her eyes lit on me and turned sad. I had my father’s coloring, and when I shifted, my coat had the same gold and brown pattern as his. Not only did I have his coloring, but I’d also inherited his dark, coffee-colored eyes and his facial features. I was a constant reminder of what my mother had lost.

I sighed and looked away, letting my gaze sweep across the pale tan granite tiles of the living area. I smiled at Gunner, the Comfort pack’s Alpha, and his new mate, Simone, who I had seen only for a brief moment at Jessy and Dain’s wedding four months before.

Simone looked a hell of a lot better than when I’d seen her standing in Jessy’s bedroom with a towel wrapped around her run-beaten, almost emaciated body. She’d put on weight, and filled out the curve-hugging red dress on her tall frame. Her amazing, two-toned blue eyes glowed with happiness and excitement.

Simone’s genetic defect hadn’t kept her from finding her sakana. Her deceased father, Rule, Alpha to the San Francisco pack, had broken ancient wolf laws in an attempt to keep his pack pure. Bound by wolf law, the members of his disbanded pack were forbidden to breed, lest they pass their inbred defects to their offspring. I didn’t know if Simone had even wished to carry Gunner’s young, but the thought—that her choice had been taken from her because of the actions of her father—made my heart ache for her and the members of her former pack.

Though my birth defect was just as obvious, there was nothing biologically wrong with me. If I had come into the world in ancient times, or even as far back as only a hundred years, because I had been born prematurely and needed extensive care, my death would have come quickly and mercifully by the pack Alpha’s own hands.

I had no problem holding my smaller-than-normal Breeder form, but my five-foot, three-inch human frame pegged me as a runt. No one had ever teased me about my size, but then again, my claws were sharp enough to inflict quite a bit of damage if I took offense. I fit in perfectly with the human population, but as far as wolves went, no male—Breeder or not—would want to pass my defective genes onto his offspring.

I didn’t blame them.

Mother Nature, on the other hand? I blamed the hell out of her.

The sound of gravel crunching under tires came from the front of the house. Heavy footfalls traveled in through the open front gates outside of the wide foyer. Sela crossed the room and grabbed my hands, excitement radiating from her body as if this Moon Dance were the first time for her.

Her tanned skin flushed with her heat. Her hands felt ten degrees hotter than mine.

They’re here. Her exhilaration sucked me in, as it always did.

Sela loved the show, the ritual, the honor of bringing new life into our pack. Most of all, she loved the animal side, the letting go, the freedom, the hours of crazy wolf sex in the hidden caverns at the base of the Sandias, with her entire pack in attendance.

Sela tugged at my arm. Stand by me.

I’m fine right here, I argued softly.

I’m glad you’re fine, but I’m not.

Sela pulled, and I gave in and followed to take my place next to her. She hadn’t witnessed the challenge the night before, but it still touched her. She’d been there for me. It was my turn to step up and be there for her.

Anton stood at her other side. His Alpha height and width made me painfully aware of my runty size. Then again, any female near him appeared petite by comparison.

The cool, October breeze kicked up and brought the scent of male into the house. My mouth watered and gooseflesh rose all over my skin. I inhaled deeper, tasting something enticing on my tongue—rain and dark green trees.

Booted footfalls hit the tiled foyer and moved through the house to where we gathered. Two males entered, both with grins spread wide across their faces. The enormous Breeder, Taber, moved his massive body with predatory grace. His raven-black hair, touched with tiny silver threads at his temples, set off his unique, dark-rimmed white eyes. He shined, with a handsome, roguish grin spreading across his face as his gaze locked on to Sela. Close behind Taber was a much younger male, with thick, wavy brown hair hanging a couple inches past his shoulders. He gave a short chin lift to Dain and a dazzling smile and wink to Jessy. This had to be Seff. And yes, with his long, bouncing hair, short beard, and mustache, he was just as gorgeous as his father.

On my next inhaled I caught the rain and dark green forest scent and let it fill me. I could almost feel moisture mist over every inch of my suddenly over-sensitive skin.

The scent making my mouth water didn’t belong to either Taber or Seff, though I could pick their new scents out quite easily. Every other familiar smell in the house seemed muted, buried beneath the one scent that overwhelmed my senses.

Someone was speaking next to me.

Jules? Jules?

I heard my name, but the words were an echo from far away.

Juliana. Anton’s commanding voice broke through my preoccupied thoughts.

I looked up and up into Taber’s white eyes, swallowing hard past the odd tightness in my throat...feeling a strange tingling in my breasts...and a sudden burst of heat between my legs.

Juliana, you feeling all right? Taber’s deep voice and soft eyes broke me out of my stupor.

I licked my lips and tasted the rain there.

Yes, I answered honestly.

Sela’s arm came around me, her eyes full of concern, Do you want to lie down?

Crap, she must’ve thought the challenge I’d witnessed the night before was too much. My mouth wouldn’t work to tell her otherwise. I stared into my sister’s face and did not like what I saw reflected back at me. Weakness. Frailty.

And that was so far from what I was.

That rain and dark green forest scent took my breath away as it twisted my insides, kicking up my heartbeat, swelling all my female parts to an almost painful degree. And because whatever was happening felt so good, and so right, I didn’t want it to stop.

I looked into my sister’s worried eyes. I’m fine, Sela, really. I turned to Taber and held out my hand, which he grasped softly as his white eyes roamed my face. I licked my lips and gasped as a sudden surge of sexual power raced through me.

What the...

A deep, rumbling hum came from Taber as his hand squeezed mine a little tighter. You’ll be there tonight?

Yes.

He grinned. Little laugh lines spread out from the corners of his eyes before he released my hand and focused his attention on my sister.

I looked to Anton, a question poised on my tongue, but he nodded...as if he knew what I would ask.

Go ahead. He lifted his chin toward the foyer and smiled.

Somehow, I made my feet move and carry me toward the front doors and to the freedom of the outside. Jessy called my name as she followed behind.

Jules, what’s wrong? Please stop.

I couldn’t stop. I have to go. The scent of rain and forest had caught me like a silken net and dragged me forward.

Was it something I said? I didn’t mean to—

No, Jess, I just need...

Hey, talk to me. Her hand touched my arm. Dammit, would you stop for five freaking seconds and tell me what’s wrong?

I glanced back at my best friend in the world, her mate directly behind her.

Nothing’s wrong. No, everything seemed very right. Can’t you smell it? It’s like...

My feet carried me out the front doors. A low gasp came from a few feet away. I turned to look. The rain and dark green forest scent hit me like a tidal wave crashing over me, causing me to stumble.

The male leaning against the big, shiny black car stood more than a foot taller than me, his face the mirror image of Taber’s, though his coloring was completely different. I tried to speak, but ended up just staring, and doing not a damn thing to keep my eyes from roaming shamelessly up and down his long body. In his white button-up shirt, he was all broad shoulders, narrow waist, hips that spread his khaki dress slacks perfectly and framed a nice package between thick thighs on long legs.

I moved my gaze slowly, drifting back up his body until I locked on to bright copper eyes that seemed to peer right into my soul. I tried to speak, but couldn’t catch my breath.

You okay? Jessy’s voice broke the silence. Do you want me to take you home?

No. The male spoke in a low whisper that made my entire body tingle as if he’d whispered that one word in my ear.

Hey, Sorin. Dain walked past me and held out his hand. How’ve you been?

Sorin took Dain’s hand, shook it. Been good.

He smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes.

The wave of sadness and confusion that hit me contrasted with his comment. He wasn’t good. Hadn’t been good. And somehow, I knew he was hurting.

Hey, Sorin, been a long time, dude. Jessy stepped to Sorin. Her arms went around his waist to offer him a hug. My already racing heart picked up its beat. My gums throbbed where my canines threatened to burst through, and I almost came unglued at the sight of her touching him.

Forcing myself to look away, I clenched my jaw, shoved all those crazy, jealous feelings down deep and held them tight.

What the hell is wrong with me?

The damn full moon.

I can control this. I’m stronger than the moon, or any other outside force.

Juliana? Jessy touched my arm. Let me give you a ride home.

No, Sorin spoke up again, and both Jessy and I turned to stare up at him.

His big, male body dwarfed mine as he stood within inches of me. His copper eyes sparkled down at me, the sadness and confusion wiped away with his genuine smile.

Juliana, I’m Sorin Campion. It would be my honor to drive you wherever you’d like to go.

CHAPTER FOUR

JULIANA.

My name had never sounded so exotic coming from any other lips.

The four little syllables he spoke created sound waves that fluttered across the surface of my skin, vibrating a gentle rhythm through every cell in my body. My pulse sped up. My hands began to tremble.

Havarr, I blurted out.

Sorin’s head cocked to one side in question.

My name. Juliana Havarr.

He smiled and opened the passenger door as if he had no doubt I would accept, and I did. I slid right in on the soft leather seat, just like I belonged there in that luxury car with Sorin, and no one else.

Sorin Campion.

The human in me wouldn’t shut up with the What are you doing? and the You don’t even know him! The wolf inside me crushed those questions.

I looked out the window at Jessy, waiting for her to lunge at the car and yank me out. She didn’t move. She only stood there, with the biggest grin I’d seen on her face since the day she’d worn a white wedding dress, looked into Dain’s eyes, and said, I do.

Sorin slid into the driver’s seat, and we sped off, rolling down the long, dirt road that would take us to the highway, and only the ancient gods knew where, because I certainly couldn’t care.

As long as we were in this car, Sorin Campion was mine.

All mine.

His earthy scent filled my lungs. I tasted him every time I licked my lips, which I couldn’t stop doing. I thought about fighting the urge to stare at his profile, but my gaze kept drifting from the road in front of us to his face, so I gave in.

That took about a minute. Maybe less. Thirty-seven seconds, tops.

Thick, dark lashes framed his beautiful copper eyes, and the almond shape was almost too pretty for a male, but absolutely perfect for him. His dark golden hair carried the same waves and swirls as Taber’s, with a few curls dropping over his proud forehead, nearly touching his long eyelashes. His lips twitched into a small smile, and even that little bit of movement lit up his face.

You’re staring. His deep voice melted something inside me.

Yes, I am. The purr that came from my throat was a surprise. Do you mind?

With a smile and a little flash of teeth, he shook his head no.

A long, slow sigh slipped from my mouth as I settled farther into the soft seat. Slowly, I took in every inch, fascinated by the sheer size of him.

I sighed again, then shifted my concentration to his face, taking a moment to memorize his perfect masculine features. Once I left this car, I wanted to remember the placement of every single hair on his head, how those few curls fell to his eyes, as well as the ones that curled around his ears and down the back of his neck. He was just...so gorgeous.

I released another deep sigh as tingling waves of desire rushed through me and settled in my breasts and between my legs.

Holy crap! Where did that come from?

Though I’d never had this reaction to a male in my entire life, especially a male I’d just met, I could only assume my body’s response was because of the full moon, and nothing more. And it didn’t matter. I would enjoy this feeling as long as it lasted. If Sorin asked to come up to my apartment, I wouldn’t refuse him.

No way in hell would I refuse him.

I’d enjoy that too, because, yeah, that was my goal tonight, right?

The strangest feeling hit me—deep down inside. Sorin would be the one, the only one, I would ever give myself to. Body. Soul. Everything.

Uh... He cleared his throat. Juliana, where do you live?

Where do I live?

If I said Alaska, would you drive me there?

In a heartbeat, he answered without hesitation.

My heart stuttered, then picked up a new pounding rhythm I was sure he heard.

He smiled and turned his face toward me. But, I think we’re heading the wrong direction.

I looked out the windshield to see the last off-ramp going out of the city. We were much farther south than we should be.

Oh crap! I threw a hand up over my mouth. We’d been on the road for over an hour. I live right by UNM. I started laughing. We passed the off-ramp about thirty-five minutes ago.

He didn’t reply, just took the off-ramp, drove under the bridge, and got back on the highway heading north.

I guess I should’ve said something before you drove all the way through town.

You were busy. He graced me with another beautiful smile. And I don’t mind.

I smiled back, my heart fluttering wildly behind my ribs. I’m sorry. I’ll try to pay more attention to the road this time.

Something squeezed painfully inside me. I didn’t want to leave this car. Ever. I didn’t want to go home. At least not without Sorin Campion.

The pleasant mood in the car suddenly changed as Sorin sighed. The sadness I’d felt coming off him before was back, and I didn’t like it. Not at all. His shoulders hunched over and even his handsome profile changed. The corners of his mouth turned down as he blinked and slowly shook his head from side to side.

Whatever he was going through was extremely painful and hurt my heart to watch. Was that why he’d been outside?

Why didn’t you come inside with Taber and Seff? Why were you waiting out by the car?

He took a deep breath and sat up a little straighter. I’ve attended this part of the breeding more times than I can count. I’ve been Taber’s Second for fourteen years. I know how it works.

But...it’s an honor.

His big hands tightened on the steering wheel, then relaxed. Yes, yes, it is.

Seconds were the male who fought at an Alpha’s weak side or managed a pack if the Alpha was incapacitated for some reason. A Second also stood with a Breeder during many of the rites a Breeder might perform. Therefore, only other Breeders could hold that position. An Alpha’s Second was permanent, but a Breeder’s? It had always seemed to me more an honor they accepted on an as-needed basis.

Curious, I asked, Male Breeders have permanent Seconds?

Sorin’s jaw clenched for a moment before he spoke. It’s not a common practice.

Does he serve as your Second all the time, too?

For some reason, the thought of Sorin out there breeding, sharing his body with another female, felt like a sharp stab in the gut. And I didn’t like that, either.

He shook his head. I don’t... He lifted his left hand to rub across his forehead. In that quick flash, his palm looked different—not smooth and soft, but shiny, wrinkled—damaged. He spoke again before I could open my mouth. "Why did you leave?"

I swallowed hard, remembering exactly why I had left.

I left because... Because of him. His scent had hit me, and nothing would’ve kept me in that house. Nothing. Admitting he was the reason I’d left my sister’s side? No way. There was a challenge at my apartment complex last night.

I heard about that this morning. His voice dropped low. You were there? You watched?

Yes.

I looked away, down the highway. Witnessing a challenge was just as much an honor as it was to attend the Right of Refusal. Honor or not, it didn’t make watching two males tear each other apart any easier.

I’m sorry. Some rituals are not as pleasant to witness as others.

I nodded then mumbled, That’s for sure.

I know Sky. He’s a good male. If there were any other way—

I don’t blame Sky for what happened, I interrupted. I wanted to take his hand and through my touch, let him know he didn’t need to justify what had happened. But I didn’t. If I touched him, I wouldn’t want to let go. No one blames Sky. Pack law made it impossible for him to do anything other than what he did, and he did it in the most honorable way. I get it. I gazed out the window again. Unfortunately, I get it better than most.

My off-ramp came up much too quickly. Within a few minutes, we pulled in to the gated entrance to my apartment complex. Brutus