Hunger Moon

by Tabitha Conall

  Lillian gathered up the wash cloths into a ball. “I’m doing this because I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t. It’s too much to hope that it would work.” She stood.

  It would work. Bethany wasn’t about to give up. She wanted to get back to Ro and Coop. She wanted to start their life together. That wouldn’t happen if she failed.

  “Thank you,” she whispered as Lillian gave her one last look and left. The door closed behind her and locked with a loud click.

  Chapter 6

  Not much time passed before Bethany’s door opened again. She’d been picking at the food on the tray Lillian had brought but jumped to her feet as soon as the man stepped in the door.

  “I’m sorry,” she blurted out. “I didn’t mean to throw up. I couldn’t help it.”

  He locked the door behind him. “Fear can do that. But there’s no need to be afraid.” His silky tones sounded soothing. If she didn’t know he was a raving lunatic, she might have thought he was some upper crust billionaire.

  “It wasn’t that. I’m sorry. I was mated last night.” She didn’t bother explaining the significance of that. Every wolf knew it.

  The man halted his walk across the room toward her. “Mated?” The steel in his voice sent a shiver down her back.

  “Yes.” She nearly bit her tongue to keep herself from elaborating. He didn’t need to know. More than that, he wouldn’t care.

  “Mated.” He bit off the word. “Mated yesterday.”

  To her horror, tears started sliding down her cheeks, though she wasn’t sure if it was from fear of what was to come or from missing Coop and Ro so desperately. Surely, that tone of voice meant the man would hit her again. He had nothing to lose. Nothing at all.

  She shouldn’t have said anything. Now he had no reason not to kill her. How could she escape if she was already dead? But she hadn’t been able to stand the thought of him touching her again either.

  “I’m sorry,” she repeated.

  His jaw tightened. “It was only yesterday. It’s not like you even know them. You’ll get over them soon enough.” The fingers of one hand rubbed over each other, over and over.

  Her mouth opened but she couldn’t think of a thing to say. Get over her mates? It wasn’t done. It couldn’t be done. Was he mad?

  Of course he was mad.

  His fingers kept rubbing themselves, rubbing and rubbing. “I’ll get you a pill so you won’t throw up.” He turned toward the door, still talking. “That should work. A pill. And then you can forget them.”

  He punched the wall next to the door hard enough to push through the wall board and expose the two by fours underneath. “I’ll get a pill this afternoon.” He opened the door and left.

  Bethany heard the click of the lock. She could only hope he was distracted enough that he wouldn’t remember locking it later.

  ***

  It took so long for Lillian to unlock the door that Bethany had convinced herself Lillian had changed her mind. As it was, the click was a soft sound, almost imperceptible, and Bethany might have missed it if the door hadn’t also drifted open a crack.

  Her heart beat hard in her chest but she forced herself to wait. It wouldn’t help Lillian one bit if the two of them were seen together. So Bethany waited until she was sure Lillian had to have gotten away.

  Then Bethany crossed to the door. She listened carefully, to see if anyone was in the hall. When she didn’t hear anything, she cracked the door a little wider and took a look.

  The hall was empty. With her breath coming quick, she slipped out the door and closed it behind her. Then she walked quickly in the direction Lillian had told her until she found a set of stairs that led both up and down. In the entryway to the staircase, shelves filled with linens lined both sides.

  Bethany hurried down, then slowed at the bottom. Lillian had said she’d be in a kitchen, and Bethany didn’t want to rush into a room where there might be people. But as she listened carefully a few steps above the door, all she heard was the rhythmic whoosh of a drier.

  Sure enough, when she poked her head into the room, it wasn’t a kitchen at all, but a laundry room. Could she have found the wrong set of stairs? And if so, should she go back up or try to find a way out from here?

  The room had a door on the far wall. It was worth seeing where it led.

  As she walked across the room, she spotted familiar-looking fabric sitting on a chair and realized it was her clothes–the ones she’d been abducted in. Even better, her purse lay on the ground beneath them. She grabbed her purse and dug through it and pulled out her phone. Yes! It even had some juice left in it.

  As she dialed 911, she heard a creak on the stairs. She darted for the door in the far wall. The handle wouldn’t turn.

  “Bethany? I can smell you, little wife.”

  The flash of fear that raced through her made it hard to think. There weren’t any other doors. There was no way out except the stairs, and he was on them.

  She fumbled for the phone in her hand. If she could finish dialing before he got there, she might have a chance.

  The stairs creaked again. “If you make me come all the way down there, you’ll be sorry.”

  There was no time. The best she could do was to stash the phone and hope she could come back for it later. She leaned down and shoved it behind the washer, then hurried across the room. “I’m coming.”

  When she passed through the doorway into the stairwell, she could see him standing on the landing. “I’m very disappointed,” he said. “You’ve been trouble since you got here.”

  She didn’t have to fake the quiver in her voice. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be trouble.”

  “Upstairs.” The word was a command.

  She raced up the stairs, brushing past him and reaching the upstairs hallway before him. She considered running but knew she wouldn’t get far with him on her heels. Sure enough, he was right behind her. He grabbed her elbow and hustled her to her room, then shoved her inside and followed her in, locking the door behind him.

  ***

  Coop had looked at more mug shots than he’d ever guessed existed but not one of them looked like the man who’d taken Bethany. He and Ro sat at a small table in the police station nursing their coffees and trying to think of something else they could do.

  Just then, the doors to the station room burst open and five officers hurried inside, including Flannigan. She grabbed some equipment from her desk.

  Something was up. It didn’t take a genius to see that. Coop and Ro hurried to Flannigan. “Did you find her?”

  “Her phone just came on.” Flannigan didn’t look at them, too focused on strapping wires and guns to her body. “We got a GPS location. We’re going to go see what’s there.”

  “You think it’s her.” Coop felt his heart beating like a cheetah’s.

  She finally met his eyes. “None of the other women’s phones ever turned on. We don’t know why this one did, but it’s a damn good sign, especially so soon after her abduction.”

  “So soon?” Ro said.

  Coop agreed—it felt like a neverending age since Bethany had been taken from them.

  “It probably doesn’t feel that way, but in the scheme of things, yeah. This is really soon.” Flannigan zipped a pocket shut and pushed away from her desk, decked out like a commando. “I’ll let you know as soon as we know anything.”

  Coop and Ro followed her as she stalked across the station room. “We’re going with you,” Coop said. “And don’t bother saying we can’t. You know damn well what we’re capable of. We’re nearly indestructible.”

  She snorted. “You’re not indestructible. But I can’t stop you if you get in your car and follow us. Just don’t follow too close. And don’t take long—we’re not waiting.” She pushed through the door and headed down the hall toward the garage.

  The two men shared a look. “I’ll get the car,” Ro said. “You keep track of her.”

  Coop jogged after Flannigan. “Hurry.”

 
; ***

  As soon as the lock clicked, Bethany knew she was in trouble. The man advanced toward her, and she backed up until she hit the footboard of the massive canopy bed. “I’m sorry.” At that point, she thought she’d say anything to keep him from hitting her again.

  “Sorry’s not good enough. I’ve given you a great honor, and you spat upon it. Give me one reason why I should keep you as my wife.” His voice sounded soft and calm.

  Her mind raced. She had to stay alive, even if it hurt her to placate him. “I’ll be a good wife to you, I promise. I wasn’t trying to escape—I was just exploring my new home.” Right, like he’d believe that one.

  His hand moved so fast she didn’t register it until she felt the pain spread across her cheek. As she straightened back up, her hand on her cheek, the man unzipped his pants. “You’ll become my wife right now or this is all over.”

  He didn’t have to say the words. She knew that meant he’d kill her. But how could she sleep with him? He hadn’t gotten the anti-nausea meds for her and Bethany knew she’d puke as soon as he touched her. “Doggie-style,” she whispered. “Could we—that way if I throw up…” She felt sick even thinking about it.

  He moved closer, so close she felt the heat from his body. “You’d better not throw up.”

  Her stomach twisted. “But if I can’t help it—”

  “You’d better find a way.” He gripped her neck, pulling her toward him for a kiss.

  Bethany clenched her jaw against the immediate urge to vomit. She didn’t want to die. Couldn’t her body understand that? Her eyes watered as she fought her body’s compulsion.

  In the distance, a whine sounded. The man’s lips pressed against hers. Her stomach heaved but she kept her jaw shut.

  The whine grew louder and took form. A police car. Bethany wished it were coming for her, but knew it would fade at any second.

  The man put his hand on her waist. Her body trembled while sharp nails sprung from her fingertips. Her wolf wanted to fight him.

  She heaved again, jaw clenched. Her throat burned from stomach acid. Maybe she was wrong. Was dying actually worse than this?

  He released her then pushed her onto the bed. “Take off your clothes.”

  If he wanted her clothes off, he shouldn’t have pushed her onto her back. She bit her tongue to keep from saying that.

  The police car’s howl grew louder and she realized it was more than one car. She couldn’t tell how many there were, with the sounds criss-crossing each other, but it had to be three, at least. Maybe more.

  The man crossed to the window and peeked between the bars. A moment later, he swore. He zipped up his pants and raced to the door, quickly unlocking it then running out of the room.

  Were the police actually there? Was she saved? Bethany looked out the window to see five police cars and Coop’s big black truck pulling up to the house. She stayed at the window until she was sure she could see her mates sitting in the front of the truck then she ran for the door.

  Chapter 7

  The man raced down the back stairs to the laundry room where he’d found Bethany not minutes ago. Within seconds, he’d crossed the room, unlocked and yanked the far door open, revealing a passageway. He shut the door behind him and hurried through the dank tunnel-like hall until he got to a pair of doors that opened in the back of his property. After checking for scents and then taking a look, he climbed out of the doors and ran into the woods.

  Once he’d reached the tree line, he looked back. His home. His wives. All gone.

  How could the police have found him? He’d been so careful, every step of the way.

  In the distance, the police swarmed out of their vehicles and surrounded the house. And behind them, two men emerged from a big black truck. He knew those men—they were the ones who’d almost caught him when he’d taken Bethany.

  This was their fault. Theirs, and Bethany’s. If she hadn’t been mated, they wouldn’t have cared so much. If she hadn’t been mated, he wouldn’t be on the run now.

  He’d have to be more careful in the future. He’d have to make sure none of his wives were mated.

  The man took a deep breath. The future—that’s what he had to think about now. He’d go to America. He’d heard about a town there, called Lunaville of all things, where wolves congregated. It seemed the perfect place to set up his new life and find his new wives.

  He purposefully turned his back on his old life and headed into the forest. This wasn’t the end of him; it was merely the end of a chapter. A whole new life lay just over the horizon.

  ***

  Bethany didn’t think about the police when she catapulted out of the front door, but they thought about her. Two police officers grabbed her just as she saw Coop and Ro. They pulled her away from the building and behind a car. It took her a moment to realize they were trying to protect her rather than forcibly trying to keep her from her mates.

  Then Coop and Ro were there, both of them hugging her as the three of them knelt next to the tire of a police car.

  Coop brushed her hair away from her face and held her cheeks in both hands. “Are you all right?”

  Ro hugged her from behind, burying his nose in her neck. “We were so worried.”

  Leaning forward so her forehead rested against Coop’s, Bethany got a grip on both of them. If she had her way, she’d never let go. “I wasn’t sure I’d ever see you again.” The sentence came out in a harsh whisper, the last word cracked by a sob. Her two men hugged her closer.

  Around them, the police ran in all directions, yelling and making all sorts of racket, but to Bethany, they weren’t even there. All she knew was she’d been in hell, and now she was home.

  Later, as a doctor checked her over at the hospital, Bethany learned that seven women besides her had been freed, and it was her turning on her cell phone that had allowed it all to happen.

  But she’d also learned that the man who’d captured her had escaped. The police had searched the house and found multiple sets of id for the man. They still weren’t sure what his real name was.

  Bethany hoped they’d catch him soon.

  In the meantime, all she wanted was to go home with her mates and put the whole thing behind her.

  ***

  Returning home after everything that had happened felt completely different from the first time Coop had brought his new mates home. He’d still known them less than forty-eight hours, but it felt like a lifetime.

  “All I want to do is remind myself I’m alive and then sleep for a few days,” Ro said.

  “By ‘remind yourself you’re alive’ I hope you mean sex.” Coop unlocked the door to his house.

  “I mean re-claiming Bethany.” Ro pulled her in front of him and moved her through the door.

  “Maybe Bethany’s too tired,” she said.

  “Maybe Bethany just needs to lie there.” Ro whispered in her ear.

  “As if.”

  They laughed their way upstairs. Coop tried to detour into the kitchen to feed Bethany, but she insisted she couldn’t eat. So in short order they were curled up, naked, in the middle of his bed.

  Ro kissed Bethany. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so afraid in my life,” he said.

  Curling himself around her from behind, Coop echoed the thought. “I don’t know what we would have done if we’d lost you.”

  She tipped her head back to kiss Coop. When they pulled apart, he saw tears in her eyes.

  “Hey. It’s all right now,” he said.

  “I wasn’t so sure I was going to make it out.” Her hands tightened on both of them. “I wanted you both so badly. And then there you were.” She kissed Coop on the chin and then Ro on his cheek. “My knights in shining armor.”

  “We didn’t do anything,” Ro said.

  “Well, no—let the lady talk.” Ro might be right, but if Bethany wanted to see them as her heroes, Coop wasn’t going to argue.

  “She saved herself,” Ro said.

  “We would’ve saved her if w
e could.” Coop kissed her shoulder.

  “You were there for me.” Bethany touched Coop’s cheek. “You were there when I needed you. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

  Ro grinned. “I can’t argue with that.”

  They started laughing again, and laughter led to sex which led to more cuddling except under the sheets this time. Bethany drifted off between them.

  Coop looked at Ro. “It’s too soon for love.”

  Ro shook his head. “Yeah, but I feel it, too.”

  “Me, too.” Bethany opened her eyes. “I got the two best mates in the world. I’m very lucky.”

  As Coop agreed, he nevertheless knew that it wasn’t luck at all.

  It was fate.

  Turn the page to read the first chapter of Harvest Moon, the next book in the series. Join Tabitha’s newsletter to learn about new releases.

  Author's Note

  I’m so happy to be able to share Coop, Ro and Bethany’s story with you, and to give you this glimpse into “the man,” the villain of the Mad Wolf’s Harem series. I wrote Harvest Moon and Hunter’s Moon (books 1 & 2) before Hunger Moon, and I always had the story of Hunger Moon in mind, but considered it the back story for the villain. But in Harvest Moon and Hunter’s Moon, I felt that the menace of “the man” was missing.

  Enter the prequel. Now readers can understand some of the horror that the missing women in Harvest Moon and Hunter’s Moon are experiencing…and stay tuned for what happens in the last two books of the series!

  In the meantime, if you haven’t checked out Harvest Moon, I invite you to read the first chapter, starting on the next page.

  If you liked Hunger Moon, it would be a huge help to me if you would please consider leaving a review. Even a review of one or two lines makes a big difference. And if you'd like to stay in touch and find out about new releases, contests, special events and more you can subscribe to my newsletter, friend me on Facebook or join my Facebook group.

  Thank you!

  Tabitha Conall