Temptation of the Wolf: A Silver Moon Novel (Book 1) (5 page)

Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god,
kept repeating in Luna’s head, her thoughts a broken record on a turntable. Sucking in as many deep breaths as her lungs could fill, Luna attempted to calm the raging pulse that pounded throughout her body.

Closing her eyes, Luna forced her body not to collapse onto the ground. She would not fall apart like some little baby; she would rise up above it all. She was strong. Hell, she just fought off a damn mythical creature.

Talking of mythological creatures.

Luna twisted her head in her brother’s direction. Michael was human again, thankfully. His blonde hair covered his face, deep lacerations all over his body, the blood staining his skin and evident even in the darkening light.

Luna held her breath and winced as she lowered herself down to the ground next to Michael. He had not moved since being dropped. Deep purple and black bruises covered most of his torso and a small gurgle accompanied each breath. Behind them the truck continued to billow steam from the radiator, convincing Luna that even if she could get her brother into the truck, it would be useless for getting him the medical attention that he needed.  If the truck would move, she was fairly certain that the bumpy road would jar his broken ribs, possibly into his vital organs. And then there was the whole transforming into a wolf thing. Could he even go to a regular hospital? The thought process made Luna’s head hurt more and she wondered again if she had a concussion. Maybe she’d just been seeing things.

Walking to the main road to try to get help was out because of her injured knee and because she couldn’t leave Michael alone. The sheriff had insisted her father was driving drunk and was responsible for the accident that killed her parents, so calling 911 with a wrecked truck and a naked brother was just asking for more trouble. Luna went through the entire argument in her head a second time as she crawled off the road to the spot where Michael first fell and his cell phone gleamed in the afternoon sun. She was hot, tired, and in pain and not at all certain the stranger wouldn’t be back to kill them both.

Unfortunately, he was also naked. Luna tried to ignore that part.

“Michael, Michael,” she cried. “Wake up. Wake up, you bastard! You’ve got some bloody explaining to do!” She began shaking him to try and rouse him, but Michael just lay there, his breathing deep.

OK, OK, think, Luna,
she told herself.
What should you do? Who can you trust
?

Pierre was thousands of miles away, probably fast asleep in bed. Who else was there? Luna debated with herself whether to call Sheriff Briggs but quickly dismissed the idea. How the hell could she explain what had happened? She had to call someone but who?

Michael’s red pickup truck still stood where they had left it, the metal crumpled with the invisible impact. What the hell did they hit? Her bag should be in there somewhere. She could find her phone and then decide what to do. Hopefully.

It took two attempts for Luna to finally stand up, her trembling legs making it hard to do on the first go, and she slowly began to make her way over to the truck. Stumbling on something, she made contact with the ground but she forced herself back up. Michael’s ripped clothing lay in pieces, scattered in all directions from when he transformed.
At least his jacket survived,
she thought, kicking it out of her path. It wasn’t until she felt her foot hitting something hard that she looked down. Michael’s cell phone she realised.

Bending down, she picked the phone. Now she had it who was she going to call?

Opening it, the first name she saw on the screen was Chase’s. Did Chase know what Michael was?

With trembling fingers, Luna drew in a deep breath to steady herself and clicked on Chase’s number. Convinced he would never let her hear the end of it if she told him she thought she’d seen Michael turn into a wolf, she considered leaving it out of her story. She was still debating how much of the truth to tell him when he answered the phone.

“What’s up, Michael?” came Chase’s voice.

“Chase?” Luna whispered. “Is that you?”

“Luna? What are you doing ringing me?” His voice was laced with suspicion.

Luna had to ask him but didn’t want to be too direct in case Chase didn’t know anything about Michael’s … condition. “Chase, how much do you know about my brother?”

A brief paused seemed to stretch into ages. “What do you mean, princess? Where’s Michael?”

Closing her eyes, Luna continued, shivering in the night air. “There’s been a crash. Michael’s hurt. The truck is completely wrecked. He … changed, Chase. Michael changed. In front of me.”

The sound of Chase swearing rang through her ears. “Fuck. What the hell happened to make him do that in front of you? Is he human yet? Luna? Luna?”

“He’s human,” Luna confirmed, her words barely audible, her brain trying to come to terms with his words. “But he’s unconscious, I can’t get him to wake up. What should I do?”

“He’ll be out for the count for hours. It’s normal if he Changed hard or fast. There should be a blanket in the truck. Keep him covered and I’ll head out there. Where are you? On the property?”

Luna nodded. “Just a little up the road to the house. I don’t think anyone can see us”.

“Don’t worry, princess. I’ll find you. I’ll be there as soon as I can get there”.

The phone clicked off and Luna was alone again. Acting on autopilot, she searched the truck for the blanket Chase had told her about. Finally locating it under the passenger seat, she rushed back to her brother and covered him.

True to his word, Chase was there in less than ten minutes. His black four by four was barely visible in the darkness but it took all her might not to rush up and fling herself at him. He was here. He would know what to do.

Jumping out of the car, Chase took in the sight of Michael lying naked on the ground, covered with the blanket and cuts covering Luna’s body. She watched him sniff the air.

“Are you one, too?” The words were out of her mouth before Luna could stop them.

Chase cocked his head, venturing closer to them. “Yep. Don’t worry though, princess, I’m not going to eat you. Although I reckon you’d taste sweet”. Chase kneeled down and sniffed his friend. “He should be fine. He’ll be out of it for the rest of the night. He’ll be fine in the morning”.

Luna frowned. “Doesn’t he need a doctor or something? He was hit really bad”.

Chase looked over at her, his eyes dark and narrowing. “What happened, Luna?”

Taking a deep breath, Luna recounted how they had left the sheriff’s office and was on their way home when the Fae had attacked them, about how he demanded this artefact their family had stolen from him. How he was going to kill them all until it was returned. It wasn’t until Luna described how she had driven him off that Chase’s eyes showed surprise for the first time. He looked at her more closely, as though seeing her for the first time.

He looked impressed.

The sigh which escaped from his mouth reverberated around the night air. “You’ve got to be the first human woman that’s impressed me, princess. C’mon, let’s get you both home before anything else comes along. Can you walk?”

“Yes. But how are we going to get Michael home - oh. Never mind”. Luna watched Chase pick up her brother in his arms, cradling him the way one held a baby. “Werewolves are strong, then”, she muttered under her breath.

Chase winked at her and began to stride down the road. They had at least a mile to walk. “You might want to pick up his jacket. Michael will be pissed if he loses that one. It’s his favourite.” Without thinking, Luna bent down and grabbed it. The other clothes were useless, shredded beyond repair. 
If he wants them he can get them himself
, she thought.
It will be his punishment for keeping me in the dark for so many years
.

The walk down to the house was quiet. The sounds of the forest seemed more intense, the air thick and heavy enough to cut with a blade. Not half an hour ago, the forest had seemed alive, pulsating with an energy which vibrated throughout her entire body. Now, it was just quiet. No birdcalls echoed throughout the trees, the rustling of nocturnal animals had been silenced. Only the sounds of their feet pierced the heavy hush.

Chase was ahead of her, her aching knee slowing her down. The weight of Michael seemed to be nothing to him. Her brother’s face was hidden in shadows, but his golden hair gleamed through when the shadows started to dissipate as the house came into view.

Inching towards the house which had been in her family for generations, Luna wondered if there had always been werewolves in her family or whether Michael was the odd one out. Or was she the odd one out? It would make sense, to send the non-werewolf away from the others who were. Perhaps her family just didn’t want a normal human child when they had another child who could transform into a supernatural creature.

A solitary tear rolled down her cheek. Luna wiped it away as she watched Chase head up the porch and inside. A moment later the porch lights went on, followed by another inside the house. Luna’s body continued to ache from the fight earlier. Her neck felt stiff and her legs still trembled, although not quite to the extent they had been.

“I need tea”, she muttered under her breath as she walked through the door.

She found Chase upstairs in Michael’s bedroom. Chase had laid him out on the bed and was wrapping him up in several blankets as Luna watched him from the doorway. “Will he be OK?” she asked.

Chase nodded shutting the window. “He’ll be alright in the morning. I’ve wrapped him up with as many blankets as I could find. Werewolves heal better when we’re warm. If you ever find us in a healing sleep, try to keep us as warm as you can”.

“I’ll remember that. No doubt I’ll run into another werewolf at some point”, she remarked drily.

Chase turned towards her, an intense look in his eyes. “C’mon, princess, let’s get you cleaned up. I can smell the blood on you”.

Luna’s eyes grew large. “You can
smell
the blood?” she whispered as he took the two steps which divided them.

Nodding, Chase’s voice was low and thick when he next spoke. “Yep, and I don’t suggest you bleed a lot around werewolves. Most of us have control over our beasts but it’s getting close to the full moon, I’ve not eaten tonight and you smell good. Mind you, I’d suggest you don’t bleed at all. Especially around vampires. Those bloodsuckers have no control at all”.

Luna felt her face pale. “There are vampires?” she asked, her voice rising in shock. “Are there any around here?”

Chase took her by the arm and led her downstairs. “Not now. One or two will pass through on their way to whatever city they’re headed to. But for the most part they stay out of our territory. Vamps and wolves don’t mix. You’d be surprised at what’s out there, hidden in the shadows”.

“At the moment I wouldn’t be too surprised if there was a man-eating giant hidden in the woods”, she muttered under her breath. “Was that man really a god?”

“No, not a god, even if he said so. You said he called himself a Fae. If he’s got the really long girlie hair to his ankles then he’s an old one. The Fae are from England and Ireland, creatures of the elements. They possess great magic but they’ve got a bad reputation for jealously and taking things – and people – without permission. Not much can hurt them, but iron can. That’s why his skin burned when you hit him with car iron. Clever girl but next time you’d better run. I’d rather face a vamp than a Fae”.

“Why don’t werewolves and vampires get along?” she asked as they made their way into the living room. Sitting down on the couch, Chase began piling a stack of wood into the fireplace. Flames licked the wood and it wasn’t long before the warmth circled the room. Chase didn’t say a word, just left her sitting there and headed out the room. When he returned he had brought a first-aid box and a bottle of vodka.

Opening the box, Chase rummaged through the contents until he found what he was looking for. A tub of antiseptic wipes were placed beside her along with some gauze. Pushing back her hair, Chase commenced with the task of cleaning the blood and scrapes with a wipe. “Well”, she heard him say. “Werewolves and vamps don’t get on because we’re both dominant creatures. We’re both formidable hunters. They say that we used to be friends, partners. Hell, some legends claim that the first werewolf and vampire were actually brothers. How much is true and how much is myth? Couldn’t tell you honestly. All I know is that there’s a long history between the werewolves and the vampires and it’s not likely to end anytime soon”.

It was surprising how gentle he was, wiping away the stains of blood and dirt. Chase began talking again as he shifted his attention to Luna’s trembling hands. “You want to know about your family?” Seeing her nods, he continued, talking low and soft. “There have been werewolves in your family and mine for centuries. Don’t know when it began exactly but certainly hundreds of years, if not thousands. Michael is a werewolf because he is the first-born child of a werewolf. Your father was a werewolf, too”.

“Why am I not one?” asked Luna, trying to ignore the sensations he was stirring under her skin.

“Only the first child of any werewolf becomes one. You were the second child, princess. Means you’re completely human. Your father was the first child of a werewolf. It doesn’t matter if you’re born male or female; it’s the first child that gets the curse”. Grabbing another wipe, Chase turned his attention to her right hand. His strokes were soft and slow. “My father was a werewolf. Mom ran away from him when she found out and brought me here. Your father was the pack leader, the alpha, of the Silver Moon Pack here. As soon as he met us he knew what I was. He offered to help train me when my beast emerged”.

Luna let out a small yelp as Chase wiped over a particularly tender spot. Looking down, the skin had been scraped off, leaving a nasty looking graze. Taking up the gauze, Chase wrapped it up for her, his fingers gentle.

“The wolf begins to emerge when you hit five or six. It’s hard to control at first. You’re so damn hungry all the time and when you turn back human you’re exhausted. The Change takes a lot out of you. We tend to eat a lot. Especially meat”.

“Michael loves his steak blue”, Luna remarked, remembering all the meat still dripping blood on his plate.

Chase nodded. Seeing that Luna was all cleaned up, he started putting everything away before opening the bottle of vodka and taking a large swig.

“Yep, we all like it that way. Even as a kid, Michael liked it that way. Reminded him of hunting with the rest of the pack. Of course, you used to try and follow him into the woods with the rest of us after dark. Found us Changing one time. He ran over to you and started licking your face. You screamed. I swear you gave your father a heart attack then”, Chase chuckled, the sound rich and dark to her ears.

Handing the bottle to Luna, she took a swallow. The liquid burned her throat as it went down, causing her to splutter. She wasn’t much of a drinker usually, normally sticking to wine when she went out to dinner but after the events that night, she needed something stronger.

So much was beginning to make sense. As a child, Michael and their father had spent much time in the woods whilst Luna would spend time in the house with their mother. Endless hours of baking, colouring, arts and crafts. Now she thought about it, she could vaguely recall howling coming from the woods at night.
It must have been them
, she thought.

Still clutching the bottle, weariness descended upon Luna as though it were a boulder and she a feather. Closing her eyes, she leaned against Chase, her head resting on his broad shoulders. Instead of pushing her away, Chase pulled her closer, as though somehow understanding that she needed contact.

The warmth from Chase’s neck seeped into Luna’s skin, the heat travelling from the point of direct touch and travelling throughout her body. Lifting her gaze, Chase’s eyes never let hers as his face drew closer. His lips touched hers, gently, feather-light, before applying pressure. Chase devoured her mouth, possessing it completely. Luna surrendered to the passion, giving into the heat.