Moon Cursed (Wolf Hollow Shifters Book 4)

by Nikki Jefford

  “Please.” Camilla snorted, tossing her hair back then brushing it back over her shoulder, ready to flip again.

  “Zadie and Nudara are on vocals.” The olive-skinned sisters grinned in acknowledgment. “Heath and Alec are ready with drums.”

  “What about Maureen?” Sasha asked.

  Elsie wasn’t surprised to see Maureen and Lacy missing from their gathering. They were still mourning their friend.

  “Maureen has agreed to play as well,” Emerson said, all business. Sasha nodded, looking pleased. Emerson looked over the remaining women, all except Gina, who stood near her side. “We need five dancers. That’s Camilla, Rosalie, Olivia, Janelle, and Taryn.”

  Camilla and Rosalie looked at one another and squealed in delight.

  “Count me out,” Taryn said moodily, folding her arms over her bosom.

  Emerson narrowed her eyes at the brunette shifter.

  Living in the hollow meant hearing all the gossip, and it was no secret that Taryn was having trouble letting go of Chase.

  “We need five,” Emerson said in a slow, firm voice.

  Taryn stared her down, head-on. “Then you do it, Em.” Her voice rose in challenge.

  Gina shot her friend a hurt look, but Taryn was too busy glowering at Emerson to notice. Eyes wide with alarm, their other close friend, Janelle, looked around quickly. She scanned the faces, passing over Elsie’s, before returning an instant later.

  “How about Elsie?” Janelle asked eagerly. “Elsie’s never had an opportunity to perform.”

  Elsie’s heart gave a jolt. She wasn’t typically shy, but performing in front of a group wasn’t the same as socializing. Watching the females dance around the bonfire in their deer-skin skirts and fur bikinis had been fascinating entertainment . . . as a member of the audience. Elsie wasn’t keen to be part of the spectacle. Before she could stutter a response, Emerson jumped in.

  “She doesn’t know the dance.”

  “But she’s watched it before.” Janelle turned to Elsie, begging her with large rounded eyes.

  Sasha’s brows rose as she turned to face Elsie. “You don’t have to,” she said gently.

  “I don’t think Tabor would like that,” Rosalie said to Olivia.

  Sasha chewed on her lower lip before turning to Emerson. “I can do it. I know the steps well.”

  “Because Tabor would really enjoy watching his pregnant mate shake her boobs and booty for all the males.” With a snort and roll of her eyes, Emerson tossed her blonde hair back. Camilla lifted her hand to her mouth and snickered.

  “I mean, I can give it a try,” Elsie said. She wanted to be seen as a pack member, not just Tabor’s half-sister who had appeared seemingly out of nowhere then left and then returned. Performing in the dance would demonstrate her acceptance of pack customs. She darted a glance at Camilla, Rosalie, Olivia, and Janelle. Hmm. If anyone ought to help her, it should be Janelle for volunteering her in the first place. Elsie locked gazes with Janelle. The shifter smiled sheepishly.

  Rosalie sauntered to her side and grinned mischievously.

  “Don’t worry, Elsie. We’ll keep the males distracted.”

  Not all of them, Elsie thought as she smiled back.

  Emerson clapped her hands. “Time to prepare.”

  Camilla, Rosalie, and Olivia rushed into the cabin, returning with large woven baskets. One was filled with the costumes, the other hairbrushes and ties. Sasha grabbed a brush then returned to Elsie.

  “I’ll do your hair.”

  “I can do it,” Janelle offered. “We could take turns.”

  Making no move to relinquish the brush, Sasha stared Janelle down. “I’ve got it,” she said firmly.

  Lips forming a pout, Janelle joined the three giggling friends beside the baskets. As Gina stared at the trail to the communal gathering area, her frowning lips and furrowed brow indicated that Taryn had taken off in the direction of the glade. Zadie and Nudara joined her, the three of them following the trail as they left.

  Sasha moved behind Elsie and ran the brush gently through her long brown hair.

  “Thanks for doing this,” she said. “The gaps around the bonfire are too wide without at least five performers. We don’t have as many single females as we used to.” She continued brushing Elsie’s hair with careful strokes.

  In front of them, the other females did the same. Olivia had paired up with Janelle and was already weaving the light brunette’s hair into two long braids. She then pinned them against the back of her head.

  Sasha grasped hair ties and pins. She parted Elsie’s hair down the middle with her finger then started the first braid.

  “I don’t think you will be dancing alone for too long. The rest of us will join in shortly after you begin. I already spoke to Raider about it. We want to get the whole pack involved. This isn’t just for our guests. It’s for all of us.”

  Soft, furry warmth filled Elsie’s chest. She waited for Sasha to secure the first braid before turning and kissing her on the cheek. The pureblood’s lips puffed out into a surprised smile.

  “What was that for?”

  “For being so sweet and caring.” Elsie turned back around so that Sasha could pin her second braid.

  It took Sasha a moment to resume fixing her hair. Sasha was in alpha mode so much of the time that Elsie doubted she received much affection from anyone other than her mate. She hoped the pureblood knew that Tabor wasn’t the only one who loved and appreciated her.

  Hair pinned in place, it was time to undress before putting on the skimpy costumes. Elsie didn’t mind doing this with their small group. Sasha helped tie the strings of the fur bikini securely around Elsie’s neck and back.

  The smell of fire and roasted meat wafted in through the trees. It was amusing to observe the chatter die down as the females lifted their noses to the air and inhaled. Shortly after the delicious scent floated in, Gina, Zadie, and Nudara returned, along with Maureen and Lacy, carrying bowls of cooked game. They handed them out for a dinner break.

  “Is everyone else gathered in the glade?” Sasha asked.

  “They’re all eating,” Gina said.

  “And drinking,” Zadie added.

  “Good.” Sasha plucked a thick piece of meat from her bowl and put it in her mouth.

  Elsie chewed her food slowly, her stomach swirling with anticipation. She didn’t want to perform. She wanted to return to the glade with the other females and find Zackary. She wanted to throw her arms around him and hug him tight. She’d missed the large, attractive male so much. Standing around knowing he was nearby gnawed away at her limited patience. Even if time wasn’t running out, she would have wanted nothing more than to run to him that second. She’d pictured the set line of his jaw and intensity of his brown eyes, always so serious. She loved his soft, rounded ears, and firm yet gentle lips. He had no idea how handsome he was. The entire pack was blind to it, probably because he didn’t swagger around all flirty or aggressive. It was a shame they didn’t see the beautiful man Elsie did.

  Camilla suddenly burst into laughter, Rosalie giggling so hard, tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. Their bowls of food shook in their hands.

  Hmm. Maybe it was a relief the other females hadn’t noticed Zackary. Elsie liked having him to herself. If Charlotte and Mia had been there, they would have been eating up Zackary with their eyes day and night. Elsie chuckled softly to herself. She missed her friends. She had yet to form the kind of close, teasing relationship she’d had back at Balmar Heights. Sasha and Kallie were beloved friends, but they were mated. It was different.

  Elsie swallowed a piece of meat, the trees going blurry as her mind wandered.

  In eight days, she would be mated. She’d been so intent on outwitting Brutus that she’d barely taken time to consider that no matter what, her life of independence was about to end.

  Would she and Zackary be good together? Would they make one another happy? Would Zackary feel betrayed if he ever found out about the curse?


  She feared his ego was more fragile then he let on. He could never know the truth.

  chapter twelve

  Seated on a log around the bonfire, Zackary chomped down on the bits of roasted meat, eyes roving the clearing.

  “I don’t mind having guests in the hollow if it means feasting, drinking, and dancing females,” Justin said, wiggling his eyebrows.

  Wiley slurped moonshine from a mug, swallowed, and belched. He immediately gulped down more.

  Seeing single females emerge from the woods with empty bowls made Zackary’s frown deepen. He had yet to catch sight of Elsie. She was probably in the den eating with Heidi’s family. It was hard to remain patient when he hadn’t seen her in five days, but he knew she’d wander in eventually. He had no right to search her out, even though it was what he wanted to do more than anything.

  Mashing a chunk of meat between his teeth, Zackary swallowed it, gaze still roving the glade.

  “Did the two of you eat with Elsie while I was away?”

  Justin took a swig from Wiley’s mug before answering. “Don’t worry, Zack. She ate with the females.”

  “Yeah. We wouldn’t allow another male to move in on your female while you were gone,” Wiley piped in.

  “She’s not my female.” But he liked the sound of that.

  Justin jutted his chin. “So, what? You’d let one of these mongrels mate with her?” Zackary’s snarl made Justin chuckle. “Didn’t think so.”

  Wiley grabbed his mug back from Justin. Lifting it in front of his face, he flashed a crooked smile. “If a female like Elsie wanted me, I’d claim her before she changed her mind.”

  “She and Zack should wait to have pups, though, so they don’t have to move into the den. We still want to hang out with our buddy.”

  “And Elsie,” Wiley said.

  Justin shrugged. “Yeah, I guess she’s cool.”

  Laughing, Wiley took another sip of brew then laughed some more. “Sure, you guess.”

  Zackary ran a hand over his cropped hair and sighed. “Maybe the two of you should just eat your food and stop planning my life.”

  “I don’t know,” Wiley said thoughtfully. “Justin and I think you need a push. Elsie seems to be the one taking all the initiative.”

  Justin leaned into Zackary. “You playing hard to get or something?”

  “Har har.” Zackary rolled his eyes.

  Wiley nudged Justin with his elbow. “Hey, maybe if Elsie hangs out with us, more females will do the same.”

  “Yeah, sure. That will happen,” Justin said sarcastically. But Zackary didn’t miss the gleam in his eyes.

  When Wiley offered Zackary his mug, he gave a grunt of refusal.

  On the log beside them, two couples from the den were slurping down the moonshine and laughing. He wondered how den mates decided who got to come over for the festivities, and who stayed behind to watch the pack’s young. Maybe they had some kind of rotation system. Would he and Elsie be part of that soon?

  He almost slapped his forehead for thinking something so stupid. Despite the teasing from his friends, and regardless of his feelings, the moon would turn as green as the trees before Zackary claimed Elsie. If he asked permission, Tabor would run him out of the hollow. He was as sure of that fact as the rising sun each morning. At least he could comfort himself knowing Tabor wouldn’t want Elsie with any male. He glanced at Maureen settling in front of her drum beside Alec and Heath. Hopefully Elsie would stay single for many years like other females in the pack. Perhaps if enough time passed, Tabor’s hatred of Zackary would ease.

  Sure. Yeah, right. Never happening.

  The wizard shifter was surrounded by packmates asking questions about the hunt that led to the suburbs. No one approached Zackary for information, which was just as well. Making conversation had never come easy for him. Not like Tabor, blabbing on to Hudson, Chase, Zadie, and Nudara. And not like the hollow’s latest intruders, Rafael and Diego. The purebloods stood sipping from mugs with Ford, Raider, and Jordan. At least they were wearing jeans and T-shirts. Someone must have lent them clothes from the hollow’s stash—or maybe they’d helped themselves to garments from the duffels and backpacks they’d helped carry. The brothers, and males speaking to them, all postured—chests puffed out, chins lifted, and teeth glinting in the firelight when they grinned.

  Drumbeats sounded, lowering the chatter in the glade.

  Sasha walked in from the woods. As soon as she spotted the pureblooded brothers, she marched over and spoke to the group. They moved to a log near the bonfire where Wolfrik sat with his legs stretched out. Reaching him, Wolfrik spread an arm in welcome. The brothers sat. Raider and Jordan went to a nearby log where the female sat on her mate’s lap. He threaded his arms around her middle and held her against him. Zackary felt a tightening in his gut, wishing hard that he could do the same with Elsie. Where was she? It wasn’t like her to stay away from the festivities.

  Darkness claimed the sky. The drumbeats grew faster in the night. Shifters were taking seats on logs or simply sitting cross-legged on the grass. The fire blazed and sparked. A fresh wave of chatter died off when five masked females emerged from the forest shadows. They moved with the music’s rhythm, crouched like savages sneaking up on enemies.

  Zackary had watched them file in during full moon celebrations, but tonight they entered from multiple directions as though surrounding an enemy camp. The performance was always captivating, and not for the obvious reason of females dancing provocatively in skimpy outfits. The drumbeat was hypnotic, and the women seemed a lot less human in their two-legged forms as they prowled over to the bonfire and shook their hips, pitching forward and pulling back before repeating the motions. Their arms lifted to the skies, raising like flames rippling toward the stars.

  All of it—the music, the dancing, the fire—put everyone in the glade into a temporary trance.

  Zadie and Nudara stood near the bonfire and began to sing along to the music. Their words sounded like chants. Wiley bobbed his head to the beat.

  There were no male performers running in to join the females that evening. Instead, couples got up and started to dance near the fire. Raider and Jordan, and Emerson and Gina were the first up. Den mates weren’t far behind them. Chase pulled Zadie into a dance while she was singing. Her lips switched from song to laughter as she let him put his arms around her. Hudson held a hand out to Nudara and then there was no singing, only drumbeats.

  Two of the female performers sauntered up to the pureblooded brothers, soon pulling them up from the log and dragging them into the dance. Not that the males resisted. They looked pretty damn eager to grind against the females. Arms wrapped around the necks of the purebloods, the females rolled their hips and shoved their furry bikinis against the males’ chests.

  Justin stared at Taryn, who was seated on a log, arms folded, glowering into the crowd. When Wiley went to take another sip of moonshine, Justin snatched the mug, tipped it back, and gulped down the remainder of the brew.

  “Hey!” Wiley said.

  Justin shoved the empty mug back at him and stood, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

  “I’m gonna ask Taryn to dance,” he announced.

  Wiley’s eyes went wide, suddenly appearing very sober.

  “Are you out of your mind?”

  Justin merely grinned. “Maybe she’ll want to make Chase jealous by dancing with me.”

  Without waiting for encouragement, Justin set forward. Wiley turned to Zackary. “No way she’ll say yes.”

  “Nope.”

  Sure enough, Taryn scowled the moment Justin approached her. Her teeth looked as though they were biting the air when she spoke to him. Justin shrugged and turned away. Returning to their log, he smirked and said, “Maybe more moonshine, instead.”

  Wiley got to his feet, mug in hand.

  “Good plan, but let’s see if we can get two mugs this time. No offense, but I’d rather swap spit with a female.”

  “You and me both, buddy
. You and me both.” Justin slung his arm around Wiley and pulled him toward Jager and the bottles of brew he guarded on the edge of the glade.

  Other couples got up to join the dance, including Sasha and Tabor. The wizard shifter placed his bandaged hand on his mate’s hip.

  Zackary scanned the glade, but Elsie still hadn’t arrived. He squeezed and relaxed his fists, taking another look around. One of the dance performers left the bonfire to join Lacy. The female who had been performing beside her walked over to where Jager sat, serving moonshine. The last female performer was the most petite. She’d stopped dancing and seemed to huddle behind the bonfire.

  Zackary squinted. There was something familiar about her frame. His eyes popped wide open.

  That wasn’t Elsie, was it? It couldn’t be.

  He jerked his head to the side, staring at Tabor, but the wizard shifter’s attention was wholly on his mate.

  Returning his attention to the petite female, he noticed her backing slowly away from the fire toward the woods before slipping into the darkened forest.

  Zackary got to his feet, skirting the glade and blundering packmates who kept getting in his way. He shoved a younger male named Carter, who bumped into him and grumbled, “Watch it, you lumbering giant.” Zackary’s snarl sent the mongrel fleeing into the crowd.

  Upon reaching the last place he’d seen Elsie, Zackary raced into the woods. It didn’t take long to catch up to her. Elsie moved quickly, but she wasn’t running—not like Zack. He stopped abruptly to avoid running into her. He had no right to tackle her. All he really wanted to do was pull her into a hug and breathe her in.

  Elsie spun around and yanked off the wolf mask. Her eyebrows were pinched together as she looked at the scrap of skin and fur in her hands.

  “I feel ridiculous.”

  Head bent, it was as though she was too embarrassed to meet his gaze. Zackary had never seen her look vulnerable before. Was it because of what they’d done before he left, or was it the costume?

  She pinched the hem of the deerskin skirt, frown deepening. It seemed to be the getup causing her distress.