Luna Rising: Book 1 of the Luna Rising Series

by Sara Snow

  I shook my head. I hadn't actually saved Ruby at all. Because of me, she jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire. By law, werewolf law, she would now have to die. Humans can never be trusted with the truth that the monsters from their Hollywood movies are real. Even though those movies are so inaccurate.

  History has proven time and time again that humans can’t handle knowing that they are almost at the bottom of the food chain.

  “Xavier, fix your face. You look like shit.”

  I looked over at Natalie as she walked into the kitchen and made a beeline for the fridge.

  “She’s giving me a headache. She won’t stop screaming.”

  She threw a bottle of water across the room and I caught it easily as she took a seat at the island. “What do you expect? She just needs time to process things.”

  “How do you process being told you’re going to be killed? Or that werewolves are real?"

  She puckered her mouth, looking thoughtful for a moment before shrugging. “You may have a point.” She then pointed at me. “She’s handling things much better than I expected, though. If I was in her position, I’d die from a heart attack. I think the entire house heard that slap.” She chuckled, then sipped her water as I narrowed my eyes. “She’s got balls, I’ll give her that.”

  “She’s not brave, she’s stupid.”

  Natalie rolled her eyes. “Oh please. Just like how you should have walked away and not gotten involved the other night?”

  “You know I couldn’t.” I said through clenched teeth. Her brows furrowed for a moment, and I looked away from the emotions in her eyes. I didn’t need her pity for the shit I’ve landed myself, and ultimately the pack, in with this situation.

  Ruby was a problem, a loud fucking problem. It's been years since a human was condemned to death because they've learned of our secret. My father isn't going to be pleased that his son, a pureblood and alpha-to-be for our pack, lost his cool and now would have to kill a smart-mouthed human girl who was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

  My mind took me back to Ruby's room when she had slapped me and pulled a face. What I should have done was rip her arm off. That’s what any other werewolf would have done. I was the son of the alpha and here I was, being slapped around by a human as if I was a little pup.

  Why didn’t I just walk away? I’m a Blackwood. I should have fought my urges and kept moving because a smart wolf would have seen past his anger and known that once she saw the truth she'd have to die anyway.

  But her screams had been deafening, her fear so thick that the scent was overpowering.

  A loud crash echoed through the house and I winced as I clenched my fists. She was going to draw more attention to herself. Only a handful of people knew about her presence on the pack grounds, and it needed to remain that way, for now anyway.

  I combed my hair back, my ear twitching now that she finally had stopped screaming for help. "You know this is a delicate situation, Natalie." Her eyes grew serious and I crossed my arms on the island as I leaned forward, "No one can know what’s really going on here, what’s really going on with…”

  “Thank Jesus, she finally stopped screaming.” I swallowed my words as Anna walked into the kitchen, her brown hair up in its usual high ponytail. "Someone needs to kill that human bitch already. Why is she here and not in one of the cells? I knew she looked like trouble from the day I saw her at that diner.”

  My fist came down hard on the counter as I growled. Anna gasped and drew back, her eyes wide with shock. I pinned her with a stare that had her scurrying out of the kitchen, and it only annoyed me further when Natalie started laughing.

  “I think that’s the first time I’ve seen you get upset at Anna. She’s like an itch under your feet when you’re wearing sneakers. She seriously needs to get over her obsession with you."

  “Natalie, be nice.”

  She snorted. “Oh, like you just were? I still don’t know how you managed to date her for a year.”

  Natalie and I looked to the door as my father walked in. Just like that, the headache that had finally eased returned with a vengeance.

  “Natalie, what did you find out?”

  “Alpha Mathieu, you’re back. Um, I’m sorry but I did not learn much. She saw through the illusion I created in her mind. I wasn’t able to get anything from her, but I can tell you she’s not a threat.” Natalie bit down on her lip. “There’s some kind of block in her mind. It’s like a wall, but a strong one. I couldn’t get through. The more I pushed the more painful it was for me.”

  Mathieu Blackwood, alpha to the Blackmoon Pack and my father, had a look on his face that I didn’t like. This was a problem our pack did not need, especially right now. At forty-eight years old he didn't look a day over thirty. He’s six foot seven with a thick black beard and black eyes, just like mine. Just looking at him was intimidating, never mind the intensity that seemed to roll off him in waves. There was a time when I had feared him just like everyone else does, but not anymore. I’m to take his place soon. A strong alpha fears no one.

  “Xavier.” I looked up from the saltshaker that had been holding my attention. I knew what was coming. "This shouldn't have happened. You, out of all the wolves here, should not have lost control like that. And for a human! Alphas must have control, Xavier. Explain yourself."

  Natalie's brows touched her hairline as she made a sound in the back of her throat. I threw her a look and so did Mathieu. "What is it, Natalie?"

  “You’re not going to like what he has to say.” She bowed to my father in respect before glancing up at him from under her lashes. “With all due respect Alpha, Xavier didn’t have a choice in the matter. They were going to rape her.”

  Mathieu frowned as his dark eyes darted from Natalie to me and then back. “So, what is it then? Someone needs to explain exactly what happened before this has to be reported to the Council. They won’t give a shit about a human girl being raped.”

  "That's because the Council is made up of sick old bastards who only care about themselves.”

  Mathieu exhaled heavily with exasperation. “Natalie!”

  “Sorry.”

  “The Council is there to protect us. You two might not have been around back when we were at war before, but another war, in this day and age, would lead to our extinction. We stay hidden in order to stay alive.” He looked my way. “So all humans who find out about us have to die.”

  Over my dead body was Ruby going to die for my fuckup. This wasn’t her fault.

  “We’ll have to talk in your office, Dad.”

  He frowned.

  Living with wolves means privacy is limited because everyone has supernatural hearing. He knew that suggesting we talk in his office, which was soundproof, meant something was wrong.

  He nodded and walked away. Natalie folded her lips inward, an apologetic look on her face, as I followed my father to the fourth floor.

  I was about to pull the pin from a grenade with explaining to Dad why I had saved Ruby.

  ◆◆◆

  Natalie

  I balanced the tray in my left hand as I knocked and opened Ruby’s door. I frowned at the shattered lamp by the door before poking my head inside.

  “Ruby? It’s Natalie.” I closed the door behind me when I found her sitting on the floor at the back of the room, her head against the wall. “I brought something for you to eat. You must be hungry.”

  She opened her eyes slowly, her cold stare making me rethink approaching her. I placed the tray on the coffee table before the sofa and sighed. Her eyes and nose were red from crying and her hair was wild and tangled. She looked a mess and my heart went out to her. The hatred in her eyes cut me deeply, but I deserved it as much as Xavier.

  She had witnessed three men being ripped to shreds and now she was locked away in a room awaiting her own death. I’d want to rip some fucking limbs off myself if I was her.

  Sighing, I pulled a chair closer to her, but stayed at a polite distance so she wouldn’t f
eel crowded. “I know you must be confused right now, and scared. I’ll answer any questions you have.”

  Ruby only stared at me, her eyes dull and emotionless. This change was odd considering she had been screaming at the top of her voice less than an hour ago. The brave girl I had heard slap Xavier now looked broken and defeated, or was she just tired from screaming?

  She looked toward the window at the swaying trees outside. I did the same thing, allowing her to speak on her own terms. I wasn’t confident she would speak at all. Maybe our approach had been the wrong one, trying to pry into her mind instead of speaking to her. She had witnessed something previously unimaginable to her and then I went in and stirred up her brain with my power. Too much was happening to her with little to no explanation or preparation.

  Xavier certainly hadn’t made the situation better by telling her she was going to be killed.

  “What were you doing to me?” I looked in her direction, but she was still staring out the window. She looked so broken, so confused. “You were inside my head.”

  “I’m sorry, my alpha ordered me to.” She finally looked my way and I sighed. “Okay. Some of the things you’ve seen in the movies about werewolves are true and some are bullshit. We do live in packs. We do have an alpha. However, we don’t change only during the full moon, and silver doesn’t hurt us. We don’t communicate telepathically, and we don’t look the way you’d expect.”

  Ruby released the knees she had been holding to her chest and stretched her legs out. I took that as a sign of her slowly relaxing and starting to process what had happened.

  “I’m not like Xavier and the others, though. I'm an Enchanted, a female wolf, or she-wolf if you will, who cannot and will never be able to transform. I still have exceptional hearing, speed, sight, and strength, but nothing compared to, say, Xavier. However, I have different powers of my own that no one else in the pack shares. All packs have an Enchanted, some more powerful than others. That's how I was inside your mind. I wasn't trying to hurt you, Ruby, I was trying to see if you're a threat to my people."

  She scoffed at that and looked away. “I’m in a house filled with werewolves and I’m the threat?”

  I smiled; she had a point. “That’s true, but humans are powerful in their own way. Humans are a danger to the supernatural world. That’s why all supernatural creatures have their own way of dealing with humans who learn of their existence."

  “What others are there? You said all supernatural creatures.”

  She was curious, and I was happy to tell her anything she wanted to know. At least it took her mind off the inevitable. Seeing auras was one of my gifts, and I had been drawn to hers from the moment I saw her. Pure white auras like Ruby’s were rare, very rare.

  “There are witches, golems, demons, angels, gods, the whole works. They’re all real. Some live alongside humans just like us wolves, and some live in other dimensions.”

  “When?”

  I frowned. “When what?”

  “When are your people going to kill me?”

  I inhaled deeply. Even though I expected the question, it still caught me off guard. She didn't look sad or upset, she looked defeated. Somehow that was worse. “I don’t know.” She released a breath she seemed to have been holding in, and I could hear her heart rate spike. “Listen, Xavier is doing what he can right now to save you, okay?”

  She arched a brow. “Xavier? He’s trying to save me?” She laughed, but it held no humor. I frowned, not sure what she was laughing at. Was she losing her mind? "Xavier trying to save me is exactly what got me into this mess. Honestly, I don't like him and it's clear he doesn't like me either." She leaned forward. "Let me go, please. I won't tell anyone. Use your powers and wipe my memory if you must. Why can't you do that?"

  "I wish it was that easy." I got up and walked toward her, but her body tensed and her heartbeat increased to a frantic pace. She was scared of me. “You don't have to be scared of me, Ruby."

  She got to her feet shakily and I listened as her stomach growled. She braced herself on the wall for a moment, then pushed forward and approached me. Her aura turned so white it was almost blinding, forcing me to avoid looking directly at her.

  Where her eyes had been dull a moment ago, they now filled with a mix of anger and sadness. She stopped just before me. “I don’t want to die.”

  “You’re not going to. Listen to me Ruby, take it easy on Xavier. This has never happened before. It’s new to him.”

  She threw her hands in the air, her brows knitting as she grew frustrated. She turned away, pacing to the window and then back toward me. “And I’m new to being abducted! I’m new to this, new to all of this! What exactly is new to him, Natalie? What? Help me to understand what he’s used to, because I’m the one trapped inside this room waiting to find out if I’m going to live to see another day.”

  Silence fell between us. Our conversation wasn’t going the way I had wanted it to, and I realized I had been foolish to think it would be any different. At this point, the less she knew the better. I couldn’t explain to her why she could never be harmed in our pack. That was Xavier’s story to tell.

  She walked over to the bed and sat down, but I remained standing. Only a few days ago I had thought I had made a friend, the first human I’d ever found myself drawn to. It would have been best if I had kept my distance. The moment I sat down beside her at that table in the library I had set the wheels of this disaster in motion.

  This wasn’t Xavier’s fault. It was mine.

  She tilted her head. “If it’s your law to kill all humans who learn about your existence, then why try and save me?"

  Shit.

  Seeing the look on my face, she shook her head. “Forget it.”

  “You’ll get explanations soon enough. You just have to trust me, okay?”

  She arched a brow. “Trust you? Trust you? I don’t know what to make of any of this. I’m still trying to figure out if this is all some sick prank. Werewolves and supernaturals are real, and I’m going to die because I know about it? I can’t believe any of it. Trust is a two-way street, Natalie. Just leave me alone, okay?”

  I understood her irritation, but I was only trying to be her friend. I’m still a wolf, with a temper just like any other wolf, and she was starting to piss me off.

  “Fine. You’re not going to die, Ruby, but I can’t guarantee you’ll ever be able to leave this pack. A human hasn't knowingly come into contact with a werewolf in a long time, and never from our pack. There's so much you don't know. If you want to live, I suggest when the alpha comes to see you, you should try to be chill and not snappy. Your emotions are all over the place, and understandably so, but it’s certainly not in your best interest to piss him off.”

  I turned and left, leaving her as she had asked me to. No matter how annoyed I was, I knew her attitude and anger were warranted.

  As an Enchanted, I'm allowed to be around humans more than Xavier or any other wolf. As long as I have control over my powers, that is. Even so, I'd never been interested in having a human friend until I met Ruby. Although, in truth, I mistook her for a supernatural until I smelled her. Her incredible aura had made me think she was supernatural and I wanted to find out which type, but she just smelled human. Her personality had done the rest. I didn’t want any harm to come to her. I really didn’t want to lose my friend.

  I came to a stop at the stairs and watched Xavier remove his shirt and jump off one of the balconies.

  Chapter Four

  Ruby

  “You’re not going to die, Ruby, but I can’t guarantee you’ll ever be able to leave this pack.”

  Natalie’s words ran through my mind in an endless loop. With each refrain I felt another piece of my life crack up and slowly disintegrate. What had she meant? I can’t stay here with a bunch of werewolves! Where even is here?

  She had come to me to shed some light on my situation and I had given her the cold shoulder. It was killing me. She didn't have to come to see me. She didn't h
ave to offer any explanation, but she had. She’d even brought food for me, and I still pushed her away, the only friend I might have here.

  But she’s still one of them. It makes no difference that she’s an “Enchanted” or whatever she called herself. She’s still one of them. If Xavier’s attempt to spare my life doesn’t work, she’ll have to stand by and watch me be killed.

  Xavier Blackwood.

  I rolled onto my back as that name echoed in my mind. I definitely thought he was strange, even before I learned he has fangs. Now, thanks to him, I’m not even sure whether I’m going to live or die. It's because of him I'm in this mess, but there’s something about him that keeps pulling my thoughts back to him.

  From the moment I had seen him in that library, I had gotten the sense that he wasn’t happy. It seems like he’s just going through the motions in life and trying to make the best of it, kind of like I am.

  I held my hand up and over my face before curling my fingers into a fist and resting it against my chest. I had looked into the eyes of a monster and had felt no fear. I had slapped him. Hard. I still couldn’t believe I’d done it. Why was he trying to save me? It was obvious he didn’t like me, so why go out of his way to save me to begin with, especially knowing I’d then have to be killed? Why go against your own law to spare a human’s life, my life?

  Was it guilt?

  I had too many questions and no one to ask for answers. Werewolves, witches, gods...they’re all real. All the things that go bump in the night are real, and now I’m a part of that world. Or I will be for however long I’m permitted to live anyway. No, I don’t want this. I rolled onto my other side to face the window and yawned, having not slept a wink the night before. Outside the moon’s light was exceptionally bright, causing the trees to casts their shadows inside my room.

  I could hear the wind howling outside...or was that a wolf?

  I closed my eyes, all out of tears to shed, and fell into a deep sleep.