Aidan was afraid to look at Jenna. Her green eyes had been so wide, she’d looked like a Manga character. He’d smelled her fear, but he couldn’t do anything about it. She had to know the truth. The whole truth. In his gut, Aidan believed she was strong enough to handle it and what was to come.
He guided her through the woods back to the house. Aidan didn’t touch her. She looked like she’d shatter if he did. Her teeth were chattering and sweat covered her skin.
“What’s happening to me?” she asked without looking at him.
Aidan didn’t answer. Instead, he walked her into the house and back to his bedroom. The second he closed the door Jenna began to pace.
“I’m the same man you had dinner with,” he said. “The same one you made love to. I’m not an animal. Not in the way that he implied.”
She glanced at him, but didn’t stop moving. “My skin itches. It feels like bugs are crawling beneath it.”
Aidan moved away from her, giving her some space. “I know this is a lot to take in.”
Jenna stopped and glared at him. “You think? I just saw a man ripped into pieces by...by... What are you exactly?”
He sighed. “My people have had many names throughout the centuries, but we are called the Moonlight Kin.” Aidan shrugged. “Humans have another name for us.”
“Werewolves,” she whispered. “The people in town were right.”
Aidan nodded.
“But how? Werewolves don’t exist.” She started pacing again. “How could you have remained hidden without anyone finding out?”
“It’s getting harder and harder to do with the technological changes, but we manage.”
“I know you’re telling the truth because I saw it with my own eyes, but the whole thing is preposterous. Are you sure I’m not lying in a hospital somewhere hooked up to tubes?”
“I assure you this is real,” he said.
She stopped walking and stared at him again. “You bit me.” Jenna placed her hand over his mark. “I thought it was just a weird fetish, but it’s not. Is it?”
Aidan wasn’t ready to discuss what the bite meant yet. Not until he had a better idea of how she was going to react. “Do you plan to return to Vancouver?”
The change of subject surprised her. She seemed to think about it a moment. “Getting my garage back was all I’ve been dreaming about for the last few months. Now, I’m not sure I want it anymore.” Jenna crossed her arms over her chest. “Vancouver holds too many bad memories for me. Besides, what I’ve seen tonight isn’t exactly something I can ever forget.”
“No,” he said. “This night will stay with you for the rest of your life.”
She shivered. “What happens now?”
Aidan arched a brow. “That’s entirely up to you.”
“Would you really let me leave?” she asked. “I know your secret.”
He stared at her a long time, trying to figure out how to answer. She did know his secret, but not all the secrets he’d kept. “You are not a prisoner, Jenna. I won’t force you to stay.” He might beg her to, but only as a last resort.
She bit her lip. “Good to know.” Jenna started moving again. “Hypothetically, what would happen if I stayed?” she asked, then added, “Do you even want me to stay?”
“You already know the answer to that question,” he said, feeling a glimmer of hope.
She took a tentative step closer. “Okay, then answer my other question.”
“What do you want me to say?” he asked.
“I’m not like you, so how would it work?” She ran her hand along her arm to ward off a chill.
Aidan closed the distance between them. “Would you like to be?”
Jenna balked. “What are you going to do, raise a magic wand and presto-chango I’m instantly like you?”
“You watch too many movies.” Aidan shook his head.
She sighed. “Maybe, but that doesn’t change the facts of the situation. I’m not like you.”
He brushed his fingertips along her jaw. “You could be, but once the process is done, it cannot be reversed.”
“Would I be like you then? Like the others?” Her sharp teeth latched onto his thumb.
“Yes.” Aidan smiled encouragingly. “You’d be part of the pack, part of the family—a very important part.”
* * * * *
Everything was happening too quickly for her. Jenna knew she should slow down, but it felt like her blood was boiling in her veins and for once it wasn’t because she was standing close to Aidan.
This was crazy. Insane. Any normal human being would run screaming from the house, but Jenna had never been typical. Nothing about her life had ever been normal. Aidan was offering her a chance to have a family. A real family for once in her life. Could she really pass that up?
She couldn’t deny her feelings for the man. If she’d been in doubt, that ended when she thought Carl was about to shoot her wolf. Panic had overcome her.
In that moment, Jenna had felt such a profound sense of loss. It hadn’t made sense at the time, but now she knew why. When she’d seen Aidan shift for the first time, all she’d known was relief.
“What would I have to do?” she asked nervously.
“Nothing.” He shook his head and kissed her. “It’s already begun.”
Jenna’s eyes widened. “The bite.”
He nodded. “The bite.”
“I thought that was a myth,” she said.
He shrugged. “Some things have a grain of truth.”
“You could’ve asked before you made that call, since it’s my life we’re talking about. I would’ve liked to have been consulted first,” she said.
“I understand,” Aidan said. “But it was out of my hands. The wolf had chosen its mate.”
“My wolf?”
He smiled. “Your wolf.”
“Will it hurt?” Jenna swallowed hard.
“A little,” Aidan said. “But I’ll make sure that all you remember from the change is the pleasure.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her, then made good on his promise.
* * * * *
EPILOGUE
Two months later…
Jenna took off through the woods, jumping over tree roots and racing around bushes. She could hear Aidan behind her, his panting breaths getting closer. He jumped out from behind a tree trunk.
She yipped and dodged right, slipping easily under a downed limb. Aidan barked and followed her. They raced through the woods, enjoying the pleasure of the night.
It had taken Jenna a while to get the hang of the change. She hadn’t quite gotten to the point where she could control it, but she’d finally recognized when it was about to happen.
Aidan herded her toward his favorite spot. Jenna let him. It was a game they played that they both enjoyed. He shifted when he reached the small pool of water. Jenna did the same.
“That was fun. Let’s do it again.” She grinned at him.
“Soon.” He brushed his lips over hers, stealing a kiss. His big hands slid down her body, resting on her shoulders.
Jenna sunk into the embrace, enjoying the sensual exchange.
Aidan’s grip firmed and he...pushed her into the pool. Jenna came up sputtering and gasping. Gooseflesh rose over her skin from the cold water.
“Oh, you’re in trouble now mister.” Her teeth started to chatter. “I can’t believe you did that.”
Aidan laughed. “I told you I’d pay you back when you least expected it.”
Jenna bit her lip to keep from smiling. “Are you going to help me out of here?”
“And have you pull me in? I think not.”
“Spoilsport.” She laughed.
Aidan’s head jerked to the right. “Don’t move!” He growled and his body started to shimmer and shift.
The foliage parted and a huge behemoth of a man stepped into the small clearing. He stood a good four inches taller than Aidan and his shoulders were nearly a foot wider. His face was Elfishly pretty, but he had the body of a p
rofessional wrestler.
If you could get past the fear factor, he might be kind of cute. Though Jenna would never say so in front of Aidan.
The man had long white hair and silver eyes that moved like mercury. Jenna ducked down, until her head and chin were the only things visible.
Aidan stopped mid-shift. “Tristan? What are you doing here?”
“I’ve been sent by the Lycanian Elders to check on you and your new mate. A complaint has been filed.” His shimmering gaze flowed from Aidan to Jenna.
“Let me guess, Robert LaBeouf?”
Tristan flashed teeth, but he didn’t smile. Jenna had a feeling he rarely smiled.
“You know I cannot tell you who has filed the complaint,” Tristan said. “Not until I’ve finished with my investigation.” He took a step toward the pool, but Aidan cut him off with a deep growl.
“What exactly are you investigating?” His voice remained calm, but his body was tense.
“You are the second among us in the last several months who has chosen a human for a mate,” Tristan said. “It has raised some concerns. We need to determine whether the anomaly is contained within your bloodline or if outside forces are at work.”
Aidan stiffened. “Those concerns have not been brought to me. Odd, since I am still an Elder.”
Tristan arched a snowy white brow. “For now.”
“And if it’s not my bloodline?” Aidan asked.
“There are others who do not care for our kind,” Tristan said. “As an Elder, you know this.”
Aidan paled. “The Darkling have not entered this realm for centuries.”
“Yet, I’ve found signs that indicate otherwise.” Tristan moved to go around Aidan, but he stopped him again.
“I will not harm her,” Tristan said. “I swear on my family honor.”
This time when he stepped to the side, Aidan didn’t try to hinder his progress.
“I am Tristan Chevalier.” He crouched down next to the pool.
Jenna ducked down even further. “Nice to meet you.” She didn’t extend her hand for fear she’d flash him. She hadn’t gotten used to how at ease the wolves were with their nakedness.
Tristan smiled. “She smells like you.” He sniffed. “So does the pup she’s carrying.”
Jenna’s eyes widened. They hadn’t told anyone yet. They were waiting, enjoying the moment for themselves.
“What are the Darkling?” Jenna asked.
“They are the stuff of nightmares.” Tristan rose. “I will let the Elders know that your bond is intact and that you’ve bred true.”
Aidan stared at him. “You do that.” Sarcasm dripped from his words.
“Keep your eyes open,” Tristan said. “If the Darkling are back, then we’ll need all the strength we can muster.”
“I will,” Aidan said, glancing at Jenna with concern. “If they have returned, they will seek the Sighted Ones.”
“I know.” Tristan stepped into the woods. “It’s why I intend to find them first.”
Before he could disappear, Aidan stopped him. “Once the wolf makes its decision, there’s nothing you can do to change its mind.”
Tristan looked at him, his expression solemn. “I won’t have to worry about that.”
Aidan grinned. “Funny,” he said. “I thought the same thing.”
Tristan trembled like someone had walked over his grave, then his image wavered. A second later, a white wolf the size of a polar bear stood in his place.
He stared at Aidan with those fathomless silvery eyes for a moment longer, then silently raced into the woods.
Jenna struggled out of the pool of water. Gooseflesh covered her skin. Shivering, she asked, “Should I be worried?”
Aidan pulled her into his arms and held her close, then kissed her forehead. “No, Tristan’s just being cautious. It’s his nature. Our nature.”
She snuggled against his chest. “I get that, but what about the rest of it? The whole human-wolf, wolf-human thing?”
“Ah, that.” Aidan laughed. “Tristan thinks he can outrun fate.”
“If that were the case, then I wouldn’t be the Alpha’s mate.” Jenna playfully nudged him in the ribs.
“No.” He nuzzled her ear. “You’d be Aidan’s mate.”
# # #
OTHER BOOKS BY JORDAN SUMMERS
Moonlight Kin 1: A Wolf’s Tale
Phantom Warriors 1: Bacchus
Phantom Warriors 2: Saber-tooth
Phantom Warriors 3: Talon
Phantom Warriors 4: Arctos
Phantom Warriors 5: Linx
Phantom Warriors 6: Riot
Phantom Warriors Anthology Volume 1
Phantom Warriors Anthology Volume 2
Atlantean’s Quest 1: The Arrival
Atlantean’s Quest 2: Exodus
Atlantean’s Quest 3: Redemption
Atlantean Heat 3.5
Atlantean’s Quest 4: The Return
Atlantean’s Quest 5: The Dark King
Atlantean’s Quest Bundle Volume 1
Atlantean’s Quest Bundle Volume 2
Tears of Amun
Heat of the Night
Gothic Passions
Rose’s Rapture
Paris After Dark
Ghost Hunter: Solomon’s Seals
* * * * *
AUTHOR BIO
Jordan Summers has twenty-seven books to her credit. She’s a member of the Horror Writer’s Association, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and Novelist Inc. For more information about the author and her work go to: jordansummers.com
* * * * *
MOONLIGHT KIN: A WOLF’S TALE—EXCERPT
Damon Phelan Laroche scented his prey as she walked alone down the frost-covered cobblestone street. She smelled of fresh dandelions on a dewy spring morning. Brightness and light. Feminine heat.
Too bad she had to die.
The Lycanian Elders had spoken. The only way to end centuries of violence was to kill the woman, Madeleine Lucine Valois known to all Lycans as The Hunter.
Damon crumpled the photo he carried. He no longer needed it. Now that he had Madeleine’s scent, he could find her anywhere, anytime.
The cool New England breeze brought him more tantalizing information about the doomed woman. Damon shook his head and his brow furrowed. No, that couldn’t be right. He inhaled deeply, convinced that his acute senses had somehow made a mistake.
They hadn’t.
Damon’s heart began to pound, raging in his ears as he struggled with the astonishing truth.
Blood did not taint her delicate hands.
How could this be?
The answer was it could not.
Werewolf blood may visibly wash off after a kill, but the scent took several months to wear off. Even the slightest drop would be evident to a Lycan. Yet there was no denying what his senses relayed.
Damon froze.
He knew Madeleine was the latest werewolf hunter. As the only child in her family, it was her duty to hunt and bear the next generation. She’d inherited the dubious title of Hunter from her aged father, the despised Gaston Valois, who’d inherited it from his father before him and his father before him.
So how had she remained unaffected?
Once again, Damon’s nose sifted the cool night air, sharing intimate details with the natural predator within. Details he wished he wouldn’t have learned.
Madeleine Valois, The Hunter was untouched.
Damon’s mind reeled at the news, while the visceral impact tightened his groin. As Alpha, the pack depended on him to defend and protect them. His seed would bring the next generation into being. As a man, he could not ignore the urge to taste—to conquer, the forbidden.
How could she have reached this age and remain untried? Unclaimed? He had to be mistaken.
Damon took a step back into the darkened alley. Humans made no sense at all. Werewolves never left females unprotected. If the women were attacked, injured or worse, there would be no way of ensuring
pure bloodlines and the continuation of the species.
He shook his head. Stupid humans, he thought with a mixture of pity and sorrow. When will they ever learn?
Turning, Damon allowed the comfort of night to embrace him. His eyes were as accustomed to the dark as they were to daylight. He made his way down the narrow alley, past the putrid garbage cans, until he reached the back wall of the New Salford post office.
His muscles bunched beneath his skin as he crouched and then leapt to the roof effortlessly, landing silently on the shingles. His human form was no hindrance to his wolf-enhanced athletic abilities.
Bones popped in his neck, as Damon rolled his head to relieve the tension. It had been a long time since he’d hunted a human. And he’d never hunted a woman. Like hogs, sheep, or cattle, he found no sport in the kill.
This was no ordinary woman, he reminded himself.
She was the Hunter and her family was the keeper of the ‘Book of Lycan’. The thought of the information that book held diminished any temptation he might’ve felt, along with any mercy. Somewhere in that weathered tome was a record of his brother Jacque’s death and Damon intended to find it, even if it meant using the woman to do so. Once he had the book in his hands, then he’d carry out Madeleine’s death sentence.
Waves from the cold Atlantic crashed with ferocious fervor against the rocky shore in the distance, echoing off the brick walls of the historic New England buildings. Madeleine’s journey home would take her right by him.
Low clouds hung ghost-like from the night sky, their figures haunting, menacing, and changing with each blast of cool spring air. A foghorn up the coast moaned deep, its lonesome bellow calling out to tiny boats unfortunate enough to be upon the turbulent sea.
Damon’s emotions mirrored the water, swirling dangerously close to the surface like an eddy.
Madeleine paused at the entrance to the alley, tilting her head from side to side, listening. He knew she couldn’t see him from his rooftop vantage point, but Damon had a clear view of her.
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