Cursed Wolf

by Stacy Claflin

  Gratitude welled up inside of me. “Thank you for everything, Gessilyn.”

  Gessilyn nodded and held the pile toward me. “You should go first.”

  I picked up several rings and tried them on until I found one that fit my middle finger. The rest of the pack also chose jewelry.

  “Are you ready to try them?” Gessilyn’s eyes were so wide—she was as excited as the rest of us.

  “Let’s do it!” Jet admired his own ring.

  “Wait,” I said. “Aren’t we forgetting someone?”

  Everyone answered with blank stares.

  “Three someones,” I corrected myself.

  “The wolfborns.” Laura nodded.

  “Exactly.” I picked up a necklace. “I want to slide these onto their necks and let them shift along with us.”

  “Good thinking.” Ziamara picked up a necklace and studied it. “I’ll explain everything to them once you guys have turned. Then you guys can all meet them as people! They’ve only met me, Soleil, Victoria, and Carter. I’m so excited that they can spend more than just a day in human form.”

  “Then it’s settled.” I glanced around the group. “We head back to Moonhaven and give this a whirl.” I turned to Gessilyn. “You can head home. We’ve taken enough of your time.”

  “Are you kidding?” she exclaimed. “I want to see this with my own eyes.”

  With mounting nervous excitement, we hurried inside and followed Gessilyn’s family to the various runes that would take us back to Moonhaven. As soon as my feet touched the wooden floor, I ran outside, found the wolfborns, and slid a necklace over each one’s head. Then I stared at the bright morning sky, eager to meet them after allowing my wolf to run free.

  Victoria came over and sat in front of the wolfborns. They stared at her with a deep intensity. She was probably telling them to try to shift.

  The rest of the pack made their way out to the yard.

  “Let’s finally do this!”

  We shared a round of high-fives and then dispersed to hide our clothes in various locations. As soon as I set my clothes in a cubby behind the mansion, several of my ribs popped.

  Excitement pulsed through me. This was really going to happen.

  More ribs popped and then my neck. Fur sliced through my skin. I cried out, but never before had the pain felt so good. Around me, bones popped as my pack prepared for an early-morning, non-full-moon shift.

  It wasn’t just going to happen. It was happening!

  I closed my eyes, and when I opened them, I saw the world through wolf eyes. My wolf howled. I slinked back, allowing him to take over fully. The scenery went by in a blur as he burst into a run. I relaxed and simply enjoyed the ride.

  Chapter 34

  Epilogue

  Toby

  “Toby…” Victoria’s voice sounded far away.

  I struggled to open my eyes.

  “Toby.”

  Moving through the fog of sleep to wake up felt like a monumental task. Finally, I managed to open my eyes. My beautiful Victoria lay next to me, smiling.

  I ran my fingertips along the side of her face and returned the smile. “Have I ever mentioned how much I love waking next to you?”

  She took my hand and laced her fingers through mine. “A time or two.”

  A small cry sounded from the other side of the room. I sat up. “I’ll get Wilder. It’s my turn.”

  Victoria squeezed my hand. “No, I’ll get him.” She gave me a quick kiss, bounded over to the bassinet, and scooped up our son. Wilder immediately stopped crying and began cooing. Victoria had the same calming effect on the son as she did on the father.

  She brought him over and handed Wilder to me. I snuggled him and he smiled.

  “Did you see that?” I asked. “I know they say he’s too young to smile, but that was definitely a smile.”

  “Of course it was. He loves his daddy.”

  I leaned over and kissed her sweet lips. She returned the kiss. The three of us snuggled for a while before heading downstairs. As usual, delicious aromas greeted us and my mouth watered.

  Sebastian ran down the hallway, squealing with delight. “Uncle Toby! Aunt Victoria!”

  I gave the preschooler a high-five, then he raced down the hall.

  A moment later, Jet appeared. “Where’d he go?”

  I gestured where he’d gone.

  Jet scurried off.

  Victoria laughed. “That’ll be us soon enough. Wilder will keep us on our toes as much as Sebastian does them.”

  “I’m sure he will. Alphas’ kids are a breed of their own.”

  A cry sounded from a nearby room. Wilder squirmed in Victoria’s arms. She rocked him. “Let’s go over and see who’s fussing.”

  In the living room, both Ziamara and Elsie sat with their babies.

  Bobby walked in behind us. “It’s a regular daycare around here.”

  “We’re raising up a new generation of werewolves,” I said.

  Victoria leaned against me. “One that won’t have to experience the curse of the moon. Once they’re old enough to shift, we can have Gessilyn work her magic and place a tiny chip from our family stone in their bodies, so they’ll never have to worry about losing it or having it stolen. The perfect solution.” She handed me Wilder and sat between Ziamara and Elsie. “Have either of you had a chance to eat breakfast?”

  “I haven’t.” Zia yawned. “Sebastian has been keeping Jet busy and this one has been fussy all morning.”

  Victoria took the little bundle from Ziamara. “Go eat. I’ll hold Aria for you.”

  “Thank you.” She rose, turned to me, and winked. “You should hang on to that wife of yours, she’s a keeper.”

  “Oh, I plan to.” I turned to Elsie. “Hungry?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Where’s Alex?”

  “Out finding a wolfborn. He picked up the scent this morning when we woke. You know him—he can’t sit still if there’s an abandoned wolfborn in the area.”

  Victoria nudged her. “And that’s why you love him.”

  Elsie beamed. “One of the many reasons.”

  My phone rang in my pocket. I balanced Wilder in one arm while I dug my phone out with the other.

  “Who is it?” Victoria asked. “Not another pack with a problem for you to solve, I hope!”

  I shook my head and accepted the call. “Gessilyn! Long time no hear. How’s our favorite coven?”

  She laughed. “Wonderful. I thought we’d take you up on the offer for a barbecue. How does Tuesday sound?”

  “Perfect. It’ll be great to see you guys again. Are you close to completing your training?”

  “I’m done. I’ve made my way through all of the ancient spell books and done each one successfully.”

  “So this will be a celebration! Forget a barbecue, we’re throwing you a party.”

  “You don’t have to—”

  “We most certainly do!”

  “What?” Victoria asked.

  “Gessilyn finished her training.”

  “Congratulations!” Victoria jumped up and took the phone from me, speaking excitedly with Gessilyn.

  Carter came in the front door, his eyes a little wild.

  “Everything okay?” I asked.

  “I think I’ve found the jaguar.”

  “You did? I thought you stopped looking a while back?”

  “No, she left the area.”

  “Oh, that’s right.”

  “But she’s back, and she’s not cloaked like she was last time! I’m actually going to find her.”

  “I’m really happy for you. Feel free to bring her here if she needs a pack.”

  “Thanks. I have to figure out how to approach her without freaking her out. She’s definitely alone—at least as far as shifters go—which means she doesn’t trust jaguar shifters.” He wandered out of the room, looking deep in thought.

  Victoria handed me my phone. “Isn’t this great? Gess is done with her training, Carter finally foun
d that female jaguar, and our pack is doing amazing.”

  I wrapped my arm around her and kissed her deeply. “I’m the happiest werewolf alive.”

  More Curses…

  The wolves have finally broken their curse, but what about Carter? Will he be able to move on with his life now that Victoria is married, or will he find true love? Could the lone female jaguar he senses be the answer he desperately desires? Or will she bring more pain and heartache than he ever imagined?

  Find out in Secret Jaguar, the sixth and final Curse of the Moon book, coming at the end of 2017! Learn more here!

  What about Soleil? She’s getting her own series! Will she find love again? Or might she be able to find Brick and bring him back from the impenetrable other side? Or will love be the last thing on her mind now that she’s used her valkyrie sword and drawn the attention of the powerful Valhalla leaders?

  Find out in Renegade Valkyrie, the first book the Valhalla’s Curse series! Cover reveals and more information coming at the end of 2017. Hint: You’ll probably find some kind of sneak peek at the end of Carter’s book.

  In the meantime, join my newsletter, reader group, or street team to be the first to get cover reveals and be alerted about new releases!

  Other Books

  If you like the Curse of the Moon series, you might enjoy the Transformed series where it all began…

  The Transformed Series

  Main Series

  Deception

  Betrayal

  Forgotten

  Ascension

  Duplicity

  Sacrifice

  Destroyed

  Transcend

  Entangled

  Dauntless

  Obscured

  Partition

  Standalones

  Fallen

  Silent Bite

  Hidden Intentions

  Saved by a Vampire

  Sweet Desire

  Curse of the Moon

  Lost Wolf

  Chosen Wolf

  Hunted Wolf

  Broken Wolf

  Cursed Wolf

  Secret Jaguar

  The Gone Saga

  The Gone Trilogy: Gone, Held, Over

  Dean’s List

  No Return

  Alex Mercer Thrillers

  Gone Saga spin-off

  Girl in Trouble

  Short Story Collection

  Tiny Bites

  Standalones

  Haunted

  Sweet Dreams

  Love’s First Kiss

  Visit StacyClaflin.com for details.

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  Want to hang out and talk about books? Join My Book Hangout and participate in the discussions. There are also exclusive giveaways, sneak peeks and more. Sometimes the members offer opinions on book covers, too. You never know what you’ll find.

  Sneak Peeks

  Can’t get enough of Toby? Read Deception and Hidden Intentions to get more of him while you wait for the next Curse of the Moon book!

  Deception is where it all started—and also from the series that first introduced us to Toby and the wolves. You can read Deception (my very first novel) for free in ebook form…

  About:

  Alexis Ferguson wasn’t blessed with the perfect body, but the ambitious overachiever has used her book smarts to get her where she is today. It’s too bad that everything she knows is wrong.

  After meeting a gorgeous stranger on a blind date, Alexis feels like she’s known him her entire life. Suddenly, dark long-forgotten memories swirl in her mind. She realizes she’s powerful, stunningly beautiful, and marked for death.

  As she faces the one who ordered her execution years ago, Alexis must learn her strange new powers and trust in unlikely allies to keep herself alive.

  Preview:

  As I stood in the woods, the hair on my arms and neck stood up, and I knew I was being watched. Here it was—the moment of truth. It was of little comfort to know that at least I wasn’t going to get mauled to death.

  I listened for anything unusual or any sound that would give me a clue as to where the animal or person might be. Nothing seemed out of place.

  I wanted to run up a tree and hide, but I had to stand exposed in the middle of the stupid clearing and wait for my predator to show itself or until I could track it down.

  My heart raced. Was Clara messing with me? I swallowed and looked for someone hiding in the woods. When I had made three-quarters of a turn, I felt that I had reached the direction that I needed to focus on. My skin was crawling with the sensation of being watched. I wanted to scream from both frustration and fear.

  I looked around. It felt like I was staring at one of those pictures where you’re supposed to see a hidden scene if you let yourself go cross-eyed. I never could find those hidden scenes, but hoped this would be different.

  My nerves were shot and I didn’t feel like putting up a fight. I wanted to crawl into bed, but my life might be on the line, so that was clearly not an option.

  Finally, I thought I saw something. It looked somewhat like a head, hiding and blending in between some bushes. I took a deep breath and braced myself. I thought my mind might be playing tricks on me, but I was pretty certain I was looking at the head of whomever was causing all the distress on my senses.

  I heard a light rustle, and nearly jumped and ran off. My heart was racing, and it was so loud I was sure he could hear it too. I turned my attention back to the one watching me. I couldn’t tell if I was truly in danger, or if he was just having fun scaring me. At least it couldn’t read my mind.

  I crouched down a little, gaining some confidence. I couldn’t believe it when I started walking toward him. In my mind, I screamed at my legs to stop, but they refused to obey. I continued to walk directly toward him, as though it was the prey, and I was the predator.

  When I had gone about twenty yards, I could see him smile. That infuriated me, and I wanted to attack the prideful thing.

  “Show yourself!” I commanded with more confidence than I actually felt.

  Purchase Links

  Hidden Intentions is a standalone that also includes Toby.

  About:

  Her supernatural secret could doom their love…

  Clara has been lucky. She’s spent countless hours with William, the love of her life, without him finding out her dark and deadly secret. When she discovers a ring-sized jewelry box in William’s coat, she fears her relationship with the most wonderful mortal will come crashing down.

  Secrets give way to explosions and before Clara can right her wrongs, an old rival may lay her past bare and destroy the love she holds so dear.

  Can William love her for who she really is?

  Preview:

  “He was the youngest of our family to become a lawyer, but he was persecuted because he often took on clients who were accused of being witches. It was rumored that as a young man, before he met Anna, he had been in love with one of them. Some said he never truly got over her and that was why he—” William froze, staring at a picture.

  “Go on.”

  William’s pulse quickened as he stared at the image. He had never noticed it before, but in the antique family picture, someone was hiding in the background, in between some trees. She appeared to be staring at the family—and she looked just like Clara.

  “Son?”

  He shook his head, and mindlessly rattled off more facts about the pictures. He couldn’t take his eyes off the girl that looked just like his girlfriend. If he didn’t know better, he would think that girl could have actually been her. Throw on two hundred year old clothing, take off the modern makeup, and it really could have been her.

  No one had ever noticed that girl in the picture before. William wasn’t even sure how he was able to see it then. But now that he could see it, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. All those years he had looked at the albums, how had he missed it?

  Sally came in and announced dinner, an
d William’s dad took the album and put it back on his shelf. William couldn’t stop thinking about the picture. He tried to convince himself that he was imagining it, but the image was burned into his mind, and he couldn’t deny what was there.

  Obviously, it was impossible for the girl to have been Clara. Could it have been one of her past relatives? How strange that her relative would be in the same picture as one of his.

  Purchase Links

  Author’s Note

  Thanks so much for reading Cursed Wolf. I hope you’ve enjoyed Victoria and Toby’s adventure as much as I have! It’s always sad to get to the end, especially after growing so close to the characters. But this won’t be the last we see of them, even if they won’t be front and center…

  In Secret Jaguar, Carter will be in search of the lone female jaguar while living with the werewolf pack. They’re his new family, after all! Also, it’s doubtful that Soleil will be able to stay away from the pack forever, so we’ll probably see them again in her upcoming series, Valhalla’s Curse. (By the way, I’ve already seen the covers for that series—and I can’t begin to tell you how hard it is to wait to reveal them! They are jaw-dropping!)

  Feel free to let me know your thoughts. I’d love to hear from you. The easiest way to do that is to join my mailing list (link below) and reply to any of the emails.

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