Hunter's Moon

by Angela Colsin

  That drew Caleb's complete attention. “Me?”

  Nodding, he explained, “Fiona mentioned you on the phone a few times, saying she was happy because you treated her so well, but also scared to commit. The police told us you're the one who found her, too, so I figured you'd show up later because … well, it probably felt awkward since we've never met you.”

  That was one way of putting it, and Caleb's guilt worsened after learning Fiona said he'd made her happy. Because she didn't know the truth about me yet.

  But he pushed that away for the moment, stating, “I … did want to come. But I only knew her for about a month, and this was your time, not mine. So I didn't wanna disrespect your family.”

  “I know, and I wish we could've met before this happened.”

  “Same here,” Caleb answered honestly. “I just … right now, I don't know what to think about everything. It's so … ”

  “Unreal,” Ray provided, and Caleb couldn't have summed it up any better—except to add the word heartbreaking.

  After a silent moment lapsed between them, Ray mentioned, “The police said the last time you talked to Fiona, you guys had an argument about living arrangements, and she stormed out. Did she say anything that might've suggested she'd do something like this before she left?”

  Caleb withheld a groan, unwilling to offer any indication that Fiona had because the truth was that he couldn't be sure. That argument about living arrangements Ray mentioned was a lie Caleb told the human police officers investigating the case to keep lupines a secret, but it wasn't far from the truth.

  Instead of living together in Atlanta, Fiona had only planned to take Caleb to visit her family for a few days. But, after learning he wasn't human, she'd opted to storm out while demanding he stayed the hell away from her.

  So he stuck with his lie because Ray was uninformed of the supernatural, answering, “To be honest, I don't know, but I wish I did. I upset her when I said my life was too mired in Arkin City to move, and I didn't like the terms we parted on, so I came to try smoothing things over. I just … wish I'd gotten here sooner.”

  He heard Ray grumbling under his breath, a sound that indicated he'd hoped to find answers that might explain Fiona's reasons more thoroughly. But Caleb had given all he could without exposing a truth that would get them both into trouble—and it did nothing to help his guilty conscience.

  Ray's frustration also gave him the feeling things were about to decline between them, meaning now was probably the best time to take his leave.

  “Look, it was nice meeting you, Ray, but I'm gonna get going. I just needed to come and say one last—”

  “No, wait,” Ray interrupted. “I wanna say something first.”

  Here it comes. The human was about to hurl all kinds of accusations at him, and Caleb's only hope was that Ray punctuated them with a fist to the mouth, because he deserved nothing less.

  So he braced for it, but when Ray didn't initially speak, he finally looked at the man's face to see … gratitude?

  Confused, Caleb inquired, “What?”

  “I wanted to thank you,” Ray stated simply. “Whatever Fiona's reasons were, she sounded genuinely happy whenever she talked about you. You made this last month good for her, and I'm glad.”

  Somehow, the statement only redoubled Caleb's guilt, and he groaned with a shake of his head. “Fiona was great for me, but I don't think I was what she needed.”

  “No?” Ray gave him a skeptical look. “I don't know. Fiona struggled with depression so much that it was rare to hear any genuine contentment in her voice.”

  Inhaling a deep breath, Caleb decided to take that for what it was worth, and nodded. “If so, then I'm glad, too. And uh … could you do me a small favor?”

  “What's that?”

  Looking at Fiona's grave again, Caleb awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck and stated, “Tell your parents I'm really sorry, and I wish I'd been able to stop this. Fiona was … ”

  Trailing, he swallowed to suppress his roiling emotions, then continued, “She was a hell of a good person, and I wish I could've known her even better.”

  “Of course,” Ray agreed without hesitation. “I'll tell them.”

  Nodding, Caleb thanked him, then gave one last, sorrowful look at Fiona's grave, and turned to walk away.

  Parked on the other side of the cemetery's private drive was his father's pickup truck, and Caleb couldn't reach it quickly enough. Henry was sitting behind the wheel in wait, giving his son the time he needed to say goodbye, and remained quiet until he'd climbed into the passenger's seat and shut the door.

  That's when his father inquired, “Who was that?”

  Caleb looked through the window to see Ray still standing near his sister's grave, and answered, “Fiona's brother.”

  “Oh? Everything go okay?”

  “Yeah, better than I thought. He said he wanted a chance to meet me because it sounded like I'd made Fiona happy.”

  Henry nodded in understanding, but his gaze was inscrutable, making it hard to say what he was thinking when he asked, “You ever gonna tell me exactly what happened between you two?”

  Caleb sighed, his head drifting forward. Though Henry had driven him to Atlanta to see Fiona because his own transportation was in need of repairs, he'd only informed his father that she'd been spooked by the truth of what he was without going into detail.

  So he finally explained, “The evening she left, I took her out to dinner, and made sure to let her know that I was trying to bank some good will because I had something important to tell her and I wasn't sure how she'd take it. She seemed suspicious, but agreed to go, and when we got back home, I put it all out on the table.”

  Henry listened carefully, then waved a hand for his son to continue. “What did she do?”

  “At first, she just stared at me, asked if I was kidding, and I figured that was a natural reaction. But then,” Caleb sighed, “she said I can't fucking believe this, got up, and stormed out, demanding I stay the hell away from her.”

  Henry groaned. Such reactions weren't uncommon amongst humans. But most tended to recover after taking some time to let the information settle.

  Sadly, that didn't prove to be the case here.

  Caleb should've known better. He should've waited longer to tell her, or stopped her from leaving until they'd talked it all out. Fiona suffered from depression, and he had no idea if it influenced her decision to take her own life considering she'd never mentioned having suicidal thoughts before.

  But that didn't mean she hadn't, and Caleb wasn't sure he would've known all the signs to look for even if she had.

  Either way, he should've thought about her feelings instead of his own desire to get closer to her. For that matter, why couldn't they have just lived together as human and lupine? He could've kept it a secret, could've let Fiona live in blissful ignorance, and explained their lack of ability to have kids together as being his problem.

  Somewhere deep down, Caleb knew such a life wouldn't have worked, but he would've made whatever sacrifices necessary to prevent this turn of events from occurring.

  Instead, he'd pushed for his own selfish desires, and lost everything.

  Shame scalded him like a brand, eating away at his insides, and he only came out of his grief-induced stupor when Henry's hand landed on his shoulder.

  “Caleb?”

  “Huh?”

  Knowing what he was thinking, Henry insisted, “You're not to blame, son.”

  Caleb held his gaze, wishing he could believe that. But even if revealing the fact that he could turn into a wolf wasn't what ultimately caused Fiona to take her own life, he hadn't found her in time to stop it either. All my fault.

  And what would the pack think when they found out about this? Would they start spreading rumors? Gossiping and feeling sorry for him? Would some of them fabricate some reason why Fiona was to blame for his troubles coping?

  Caleb couldn't handle the thought of that, asking, “Dad?”

&
nbsp; “Yeah?”

  “Whatever you do, don't tell anyone what happened. I don't want them talking or making a big deal out of it. So let's just say Fiona and I decided to split ways and leave it at that.”

  Henry exhaled low, a thoughtful look on his face as he weighed the options. “You don't think everyone's gonna blame you, do you?”

  “No,” he returned freely. “I wouldn't care if they blamed me for this. I just don't … I don't want Fiona remembered as the human who took her life when she learned the truth. She deserves better than that. A lot better, and besides, half of 'em didn't even meet her.”

  Though Henry seemed reluctant, he nodded after hearing his son's reasoning. “Alright, as long as you'll talk to me about it whenever you need to, you've got a deal.”

  Holding his father's gaze, he agreed. “I can do that.”

  Glad for his quick agreement, Henry leaned in and gave his son a hug, slapping his back affectionately before starting the truck to get on the road home.

  With the sound of the engine coming to life, Caleb slipped back against his seat and leaned an elbow against the door.

  “What's on your mind, Caleb?”

  At his father's question, he muttered, “It just … hurts, dad.”

  “I wish I could take that away for you,” Henry replied, pulling from the curb. “But the only thing I can promise is that we will get through this somehow.”

  Finally, something Caleb could believe. He was eaten up with grief and shame, uncertain he'd ever be able to forgive himself. But one thing he'd always had faith in was his father's ability to see even the toughest situations through.

  That faith was currently dim, and he had no idea how, or if he'd ever get over Fiona Elliot well enough to move on. But he knew one way to get started, which was by making a simple promise to himself.

  I will never start a relationship with a human again.

  Chapter 1

  Arkin City, Georgia

  3 Years Later

  Present Day

  WurrRRRrrrrRrrrrurrrrrrr...

  Emily groaned, her forehead hitting the steering wheel of her sedan as it announced her arrival to the entire neighborhood by wailing after being put in park. It wasn't the first time her car had made the sound when shifting gears, and until she got it to a mechanic, she knew it wouldn't be the last.

  “At least I made it safely,” she muttered with the loud whir fading now that she'd reached her destination—and driving from Louisiana to Georgia was no small trip.

  Not that her car had been making that sound the entire way.

  The slightly used vehicle was a gift from an uncle living in Monroe, Louisiana where Emily had flown from Flagstaff to pick it up. Then she'd driven the rest of the way to Arkin City, Georgia after her uncle had given the car a thorough inspection, and found no major issues.

  But after leaving a gas station in Alabama and just before crossing the state line, the dysfunctional noise grew louder and louder.

  Still, the trip was easily worth a little frustration in her book. Not only was Emily about to be reunited with Joslyn for the first time in over half a decade, she also knew where to take her car for an inspection—her friend was married to a mechanic named Conner Hodgins who owned a local garage.

  Emily had never met the guy face to face, but Joslyn talked about him often enough, keeping in touch after their parting just as she'd promised in their childhood. Thankfully, her move didn't occur until they were sixteen when Joslyn's mother took a new job in Phoenix, and from there, Joslyn eventually went to Georgia to live with what sounded like the man of her dreams.

  Meanwhile, Emily stayed in Flagstaff and attended school, making some new friends along the way. But none were as close as Joslyn Santiago-Hodgins, and after seven years apart, Emily was eager to reunite and meet her extended family and friends.

  With the thought in mind, she lifted her head from the steering wheel to look outside at her new home. Despite a dreary sky above, it was a rather inviting neighborhood, and the duplex she was moving into was no different.

  If it weren't for the two front doors at both ends of the porch marked as A and B, someone might've believed it was a single family house. The siding was a deep forest green with two garage doors standing at the ground level, nestled between two sets of stairs leading up to a porch that encompassed the front of the structure.

  Emily was moving into apartment B with Joslyn right next door, and she climbed out of her car, fully intending to visit her friend before looking her place over.

  Yet she didn't even get her car door shut when Joslyn called her name from the porch.

  “Emily?”

  “Joslyn!”

  Two excited screams sounded in quick succession as the women moved toward each other to embrace in a tight hug at the bottom of the steps—simultaneously startling a passing jogger with their shrieks.

  “I'm so glad you're here!” Joslyn exclaimed once their boisterous hug came to an end. “How was the trip?”

  “Aside from a scare with my car, pretty smooth,” Emily answered, adjusting her glasses before looking her friend over. Joslyn had always been the tall, athletic type with dark, golden skin, curly hair, and a heartwarming smile, and time hadn't altered that truth one bit.

  “You look great!”

  “So do you,” Joslyn chuckled. “But what did you mean your car scared you? Was that the sound I heard before I came out?”

  Grumbling, Emily nodded and looked back at the white sedan. “That's it. Ever since I crossed into Georgia, it's been doing that when I shift gears.”

  “Sounds like the transmission needs fluid. I'll ask Conner to take a look when he gets home.”

  “I was actually gonna ask you about that,” Emily admitted. “I called my dad on the road, and he said the same thing.”

  Joslyn smiled, leading her up the steps while asking over her shoulder, “How is Andrew anyway?”

  “He was bummed to see me go, but he's good.”

  “Yeah? What about Gary? He still trying to perfect his tuna casserole?”

  Emily laughed. “Yep! And Dad still hates tuna. But they said to send you their love, and so did mom. She wants to visit next month when she has some spare time.”

  Joslyn grinned as they entered Emily's new apartment, which was currently decorated with sealed boxes, end tables stacked atop one another, and a couch sitting against the same wall as the front door. Emily's things had arrived in a timely manner, and according to Joslyn, it was all accounted for.

  The only items missing were a few boxes of clothes and some suitcases Emily had in her car.

  “The power was turned on this morning if you need to charge your phone,” Joslyn pointed out. “Conner and I set up the bed for you, too, just in case you wanted to crash before you unpacked.”

  “Thanks! Is the bedroom upstairs?”

  “There's a bedroom up there, but yours is in the back with a private bathroom. Oh, and before I forget, I left a small notebook on the kitchen counter with some phone numbers in it, including the photo studio's.”

  “Good.” Emily grinned, glad Joslyn was so thorough. But she doubted she would've forgotten to ask in this case considering the studio was her new place of work, owned by a woman named Paula Marx who Joslyn met after moving to Arkin City.

  Like Emily, Paula was a photographer, and she'd opened her own studio two years prior. Yet financial troubles had plagued her in recent times, and she'd mentioned her desire to take on a partner to Joslyn several months ago.

  So Joslyn suggested Emily, showed Paula her online portfolio, and she was so impressed she soon called to discuss the situation in more detail.

  This conversation inevitably led to their joint ownership of the studio, and Emily was excited to see it. Owning a studio, even in part, was a dream come true, and she'd do whatever it took to keep the business thriving.

  But for now, she focused on looking around her new apartment, briefly trying to envision how she wanted to set it up when Joslyn caught h
er attention by heading to the front door.

  “Where are you going?”

  “To grab your stuff from the car,” she answered. “And don't try to help, you've been driving all day.”

  “It's not like it's heavy,” Emily countered, rushing to the exit before Joslyn could use it—and the two immediately began struggling to be the first outside.

  “No fair, you're a shrimp!” Joslyn called when Emily quickly slipped through the small opening between her best friend's body and the wall, exiting the abode.

  “What can I say, I'm tiny and toasty!” Emily called back with a grin, reaching her car door first.

  “Yeah, but I'm long-legged and luscious,” Joslyn retorted, already right behind her.

  The comment made Emily laugh so hard that her friend easily pushed past, reaching inside for one of the boxes.

  So she retaliated by grabbing the brunette around the waist.

  “Oh no ya don't!”

  “Let go you little pest!”

  Cackling, Emily held on tight, but was unable to move Joslyn away from the backseat.

  So she climbed on her back.

  “Put the box down, Joslyn!”

  “No way,” she argued, laughing so hard she could barely back out of the car, let alone stand up straight with the item in hand and Emily still clinging for dear life.

  But she finally managed to do just that.

  “God, this isn't even slowing you down, is it?”

  “Sorta,” Joslyn breathed, winded from all of their laughter.

  Yet she came to a stop after reaching the porch steps, and looked back at the driveway just as a blue SUV pulled up by the sidewalk—a sight that had her snorting in amusement.

  “Oh god, it's Cade and Conner.”

  Hearing her husband's name, Emily cackled, slipping off her best friend's back. “Well, this is a great first impression.”

  Joslyn grinned, waiting as the men climbed out of the SUV, and Emily recognized both from pictures she'd received over the years.

  But those pictures didn't do either of them justice in the looks department.

  Cade stood about a head taller than his younger brother, and was rougher around the edges in appearance with a trimmed beard lining his jaw and a nicely defined physique that his grey t-shirt and jeans accentuated. Conner, on the other hand, possessed a muscular build that looked bulkier due to his shorter height, and his dark hair was much longer with a clean-shaven face. Damn, Joslyn's lucky.