“We should go outside and get undressed.” He winked, holding his hand out for her to go first.
She didn’t reply to his comment and found her way to the door. Two more males were waiting for her when she stepped out on the back porch. “Hello.”
“Luna, my name is Booth, and this is our alpha’s brother, Noah,” the dark-haired male announced as she approached.
“So, you are all going to hunt with me tonight?”
“Yes, our alpha has asked that we run with you,” Noah said.
“Thank you.” Luna looked toward the sky. The moon was just starting to crest over the horizon. “Has anyone told you about my shift?”
“Is it different from ours?” Dane asked.
“When my wolf takes over, I have almost no memories of my shift.” Luna worried, nibbling on her bottom lip. “I’ve never hunted anywhere else than on my land. I’m very nervous about what will happen tonight.”
“Nervous, how?” Noah pressed. The male’s eyes flickered to amber as they narrowed.
“Your healer explained to me the only wolves he’d ever dealt with were feral,” she answered, squeezing her fists at her side. The light was fading in the west, and it was almost time. “I don’t want to be like them, and I’m afraid I may hurt you if my wolf is like your enemies.”
“We won’t let you do anything that could hurt yourself or others,” Booth promised. The large, dark-haired male came closer to her and stood with a protective gait.
“I hope that I don’t,” she whispered, looking over her shoulder one last time for the healer, but she couldn’t see him through the windows.
“You’re safe here, Luna,” Noah, the alpha’s brother, vowed.
“Thank you,” she sighed, and walked out into a clearing. There was a spot there for a firepit but it looked as if it hadn’t been used in a while. The males were talking behind her, but she couldn’t make out what they were saying because her beast was howling for release.
“Guys?” she stammered, clearing her throat. The pull of change was upon her. “Guys?”
“What is it?” Dane gasped as she wrapped her arms around her stomach.
“I…I must shift,” she cried out when her wolf howled. The males stepped back when she tore her shirt over her head and stood on shaky legs to remove her jeans.
“Shift, Luna,” Noah called out, removing his own shirt. “We will shift and watch over you.”
“Thank…” Her voice was no longer human when the beast took over. She released her hold on whatever humanity she had left and fell to her knees, allowing the beast to reign. The last thing she saw before turning for the woods was the healer standing on the porch, his eyes glowing in the growing darkness as the human side of her faded with the darkness of the night.
Chapter Five
Evie jerked when a howl sounded from the woods behind the home she shared with her mate, Kye. She knew it was Luna, but the sound still made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.
“It’s just Luna,” Kye reminded her, placing his hand on her knee. They were currently curled up on the couch, watching a movie. The full moon made the yard outside the front window glow softly. Even without her enhanced eyesight, she could see everything, and being at the end of the road to the mated cabins meant anyone who ventured out that way was there for a reason.
“I know.” She heaved a shaky sigh. “Knee jerk reaction, I guess.”
“Are you okay?” he asked, squeezing her knee softly.
“Yeah, I am.”
“No, baby, are you really okay?” It’d been three days since she had returned to the pride and mated with Kye. The things she did on that island shocked her still to that moment.
“Actually,” she smiled, turning to face him. The movie was forgotten when she looked into her mate’s eyes. They were finally where they wanted to be, and Evie wasn’t going to let her past define her future anymore. “I feel whole again. The time on the island forced me to deal with what happened to me. Am I going to have bad days? Probably. Am I going to continue to train? Yes. I’ve found myself, Kye, and I want you to understand that I am going to be okay.”
“I know you are,” he said, giving her the biggest smile. “I’m proud of you and what you did on that island. I just wish I’d been there to take you home.”
“You were healing,” she reminded him, shaking off the memory of seeing him shot in the chest. “I needed you here.”
“It goes against a male’s instinct to not protect his mate,” he shrugged, “but my mate is a badass, and I’m okay with that.”
“I love you, Kye.” She smiled, feeling her chest burst open from having his support. There was a time when he hadn’t been that way, and Evie was happy he’d learned to understand her need to train.
“And I love you,” he said, using his thumb and forefinger to hold her chin in place so he could take her lips with his own. “Do you want to go find the others? You haven’t seen any of them since you arrived home.”
“You know?” she pondered. “I think I would like to do that.”
“Grab your shoes and we will go to the main house.”
“It’s refreshing that we have our land back and things are peaceful.”
“Let’s hope it stays that way,” Kye replied, turning off the television.
Harold couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t eat. The thought of Luna out there in her wolf form agitated his panther to no end. The animal inside was clawing to get free, and he pushed the beast back as he entered the exam room to visit with Liberty and Talon.
“I can confirm that you’re about two weeks along and everything looks great, except for some weight loss,” he told her, taking a seat on the rolling stool. “This isn’t your first pregnancy, Liberty. So, like before, you know your body. Is there anything bothering you?”
“I’ve been tired.” She paused, glancing at Talon out of the corner of her eye. Harold eyed her pointedly, knowing she wasn’t telling him everything because her mate was sitting next to her. Finally, she took a deep breath and spit out her concern. “I’ve had really bad morning sickness.”
“What?” Talon asked, his hand landing on her shoulder. “Why haven’t you told me?”
“It’s really nothing,” she hedged.
“This is why you’ve been covering up the dark circles under your eyes with makeup, isn’t it?” Talon’s hands moved to her arms. He was fretting over his mate, and the healer had to smile. All males did that when their mates were with young. The alpha was a bit more attentive than most.
“I didn’t want you to freak out,” she argued. “I’ll be okay. This pregnancy is just a little different than it was with Ember.”
“I should feed you more,” he growled. “You’re not eating enough and Harold says you’ve lost weight.”
“Oh, God no,” she gagged. “Please, Talon. Food just makes things worse.”
“Liberty, Talon is right,” Harold urged. “You need calories. What is it that bothers you?”
“Salad, tea, chicken, biscuits,” she paused. “Well, everything.”
“How’s your red meat intake?”
“I don’t know.” She stopped to press a hand to her flat stomach. When she did, it growled loudly. “I haven’t had any in a few days, but since you mentioned it, I think I’m craving a big, juicy steak.”
“I’ll make you one,” Talon offered.
“Now, you need to go easy on the food,” Harold laughed. “You may be craving a steak, but eat it slow. If you’re nauseous, that could irritate your stomach, too. I suggest you start off with several small meals a day until you get your appetite back in the second trimester.”
“Okay,” she nodded, looking up at her mate. “Can you make me a steak? Medium rare?”
“Anything you want,” he offered, standing up from the chair. “Can I take my mate home now and feed her?”
“You sure can, but call me if you need anything,” Harold added.
The couple left, and once he shut the door, his home a
nd office were silent again. Until he heard the wolf in the woods howl into the night.
Harold’s beast pushed at his skin, wanting release. He sat heavily on one of the waiting chairs in the front room of his home office and closed his eyes. A perfect picture of Luna came up in his mind’s eye and his panther roared in his head. The animal wanted her. Why? He didn’t know.
She couldn’t be his mate. She just couldn’t. Cross-mating was completely non-existent in the shifter community because they couldn’t procreate. Plus, she was a wolf and no one knew if she was actually telling the truth about not being feral.
But she hasn’t shown any signs of being feral, has she?
Harold’s mind was at war again, and his panther was restless. Pushing back his beast, he turned off all the lights and went to the back of the home to prepare for bed.
Chapter Six
Luna panted heavily as the sun began to peek over the horizon. Her wolf was satisfied and had allowed the shift back to her human form. The scent of the pine trees tickled her nose as she pushed her hair out of her face. She gasped and scooted back against a large tree when she saw three men approaching her from a trail.
“Luna, it’s just us,” the alpha’s brother announced softly. They were all dressed, and she was not. Her body shivered, not from the cold, but from the sight of three men coming toward her. When they noticed, the men froze and each one of them dropped to their knees.
“We brought you clothes,” the blond one said, holding out a folded stack of clothes with a pair of sandals on the top. He set them down just off the trail and stood up. The other two men did the same. “You can get dressed and we will give you privacy.”
They turned their backs and walked away, stopping after they made it to the bend in the trail. She quickly grabbed the clothes and put them on, feeling more like herself when she was covered.
“I’m dressed,” she called out.
“You were quite the hunter last night,” Dane chuckled, but pressed his lips together when she frowned. “What?”
“I don’t remember much about last night,” she admitted. “Did I do anything wrong?” The last thing she wanted was for her wolf to do something they would deem as wrong. According to their pride, wolves were deadly. She didn’t want to be labeled as such.
“No, quite the opposite,” the one named Booth smiled. “I thought our beasts were active. You actually wore me out with all the running and hunting. We did share a nice buck around midnight. You don’t remember?”
“No,” she replied, shaking her head. “I don’t think so. I think I remember running the trails, and I remember scenting your panther, but that’s about it.”
“Well,” Dane shrugged, “we had a blast last night. Thank you for that. We don’t get to play often.”
“So, I wasn’t feral?” she asked, worrying over their answer.
“Hell, no,” Noah chuckled. “You were as docile as a family dog… Oh, I’m sorry.”
“No offense,” she laughed, feeling a little of her stress melt away. “I’m new to your ways just as you are to mine.”
“You have nothing to worry about, Luna,” Noah declared. “Come, let’s go back to the alpha’s home so the females can show you to your new room and you can clean up.”
Luna followed the males back to the alpha’s home. Dane was cracking jokes, making her laugh loudly. She hadn’t felt that free in a very long time. Life on the island with the Community was hell, and she never wanted to be caged again.
“She outran you,” Booth teased Dane. Noah, the alpha’s brother, rolled his eyes and shook his head.
“I let her win,” Dane retorted, shoving the dark-haired male by the shoulder. Luna jumped back and laughed loudly as the two scuffled as they entered the backyard of the large home.
“Whatever,” Booth continued, but turned toward her. He leaned down to her shorter height and came fairly close. The male didn’t make a move to touch her, and she was glad he kept a bit of a distance. She blushed when he winked. “You’re fast…like really fast.”
“I wouldn’t know…” she frowned and stopped in the yard as a low growl filled her ears. The males around her froze and all eyes fell on the back porch of the alpha’s home.
“Well, well, well,” Dane snickered. “Looks like doc isn’t too happy with you that close to her, Booth.”
Before any of them could respond, Harold stepped off the porch, his body swelling as if his size was doubling. Those broad shoulders of his raised as his hands fisted at his sides. His eyes were glowing, and as he approached, Luna closed her eyes and inhaled. He smelled amazing. Like the forest and power.
“Are you okay?” he grumbled. His eyes narrowed at Booth.
Luna felt her wolf stir. A soft whine fell from her lips as the healer’s dominating power struck deep inside her soul. The male’s deep voice made the animal inside her want to drop to its knees and show him her throat.
“I…I’m fine,” she stammered, seeing the males move away slowly from her periphery. They mumbled excuses and left the two of them standing there alone. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” He cleared his throat. The amber set to his eyes faded and the icy blue returned. “Your room is ready at the alpha’s home. The females are waiting for you.” Before she could speak to him, the healer walked away, turning for his home.
Why did seeing those Guardians laughing and flirting with Luna set Harold’s panther on edge? He didn’t know, and the feelings were driving him crazy. Was it the fact that she’d been gone all night and he hadn’t been there for her in the woods during her shift?
The night before, he’d tried to sleep, but her howls and the cackles from the other males kept him awake. He should’ve been in the woods with her, but he wasn’t, and he shouldn’t have those concerns for her wellbeing.
It just wasn’t right.
She was a wolf.
He busied himself for an hour, cleaning the exam rooms and making sure everything was stocked. Did he really need that many tongue depressors? Gauze?
Fuck. He felt like a damn teenager with a stupid crush on the one girl who was off limits. He was a grown male and should be more professional. The last thing he needed to do was attack the males for making Luna smile when he wasn’t able to during the night.
The soft knock on the door had him sighing, knowing it was Luna. He didn’t even have to open the door to see her face, because he could scent her sweetness through the barrier.
“I’m here to help you,” she offered as soon as he opened the door. She didn’t even hesitate to enter, making the male take two large steps back to avoid touching her.
“You should be asleep,” he scolded. “You were out all night.”
“I slept in my shifted form.” She shrugged but didn’t elaborate.
“Did the Guardians rest with you in the woods?” he snarled, vibrating with anger. The thought of his pride brothers close to her while she was vulnerable sent his beast to the point of shifting. He wanted their heads.
“I wouldn’t know,” she huffed. “All I remember was the scent of the panthers and running, but even that is foggy in my mind.”
“What did the Guardians say this morning?” he asked.
Luna took a seat on the couch and clasped her hands in front of her. She lowered her head in submission. “If it makes you feel better, the males said I wasn’t feral.”
“Luna,” Harold paused, feeling like a complete asshole, “I think we should talk.”
“Talk?” she asked, confusion written all over her face. “Why?”
“Every since you came here,” he swallowed, “my beast has been on edge. I thought maybe it was because you are a wolf, but the more I am around you, the more he is…interested in you.”
“Curious or interested?” she asked. Harold saw her yellow eyes flare in recognition when a deep growl rumbled in his chest. He felt powerful when she scented the air and those eyes of hers hazed over. “You’re mating scent… It calls to me.”
“And
your wolf?” he asked.
“She was angry and hurt you didn’t shift with us last night,” Luna admitted, looking down at her hands again.
“Never avert your eyes from me,” he heard himself say.
“It is the way of my world,” she replied, not looking up. Harold wanted so badly to reach over and touch her skin and lift her chin so she would look him in the eye. “Females are very docile.”
“Did you not have your own free will?”
“Oh, yes, we do…did,” she said, only then raising her eyes to look into his. “I have always been protected, and even when I was offered the chance to mate the old alpha’s son, I denied him, and they respected that.”
“Was he your mate? Did you touch him?” Harold asked, feeling his panther push at his skin. The thought of another male touching her sent him into a feral rage of his own.
“We didn’t feel any connection so we denied the alpha’s request that we touch,” she answered. “I didn’t want him. I didn’t have that pull toward him.”
“Was there another male you felt the pull to in your pack?” he pushed, wanting to know who that male was.
“Not in my pack, no,” she answered.
“Then there was a male you felt could be your mate?”
“Yes,” she whispered, looking back down at her hands, “but the union would never work.”
“Who was the male?”
“You, Harold,” she cried, wiping away a tear. “You are the only male that my wolf has ever been drawn to, but you believe I am a monster.”
Chapter Seven
“I don’t believe you are a monster,” he said, almost defeated. “I just don’t know why I have these feelings toward you.”
“I’m feeling the same,” she sniffled. “When I ate at the alpha’s home, I was on edge being around so many people. There were males there I didn’t know, and my hands shook. I thought it was because of the impending shift, but now, I believe it was because of what happened to me. All I wanted was for you to come in there and tell me everything would be okay.”
The Healer (Rise of the Pride, Book 7) Page 4
