Hunter's Moon (The Witch Who Sang with Wolves Book 1)

by Kat Bostick

“Why would you keep silver cutlery if it’s your kryptonite?”

  Jasper chuckled and took the spoon to dump sugar into her mug, proving that silver was fairly harmless and that he paid enough attention to know how she took her coffee.

  “Ouch.” He dropped the spoon back into the bowl and shook his hand like it burned. Mari scooped up his palm and examined it. Other than a brush of pink, it was fine.

  “Faker.” She accused.

  Clem sipped her coffee and glanced over her shoulder at Charlie. His attention was focusing on fixing breakfast but somehow Mari knew that he was listening intently to their conversation. “It’s like an allergy. For some, it causes slight skin irritation or a rash after prolonged contact. There are an unfortunate few who have a severe reaction—welts, dizziness, even anaphylaxis—but I’ve never seen it. The real problem starts when silver enters the body, via bullet or the bloodstream. Both can quickly become fatal if not dealt with. But alas, my father is too fond of shiny baubles to keep silver out of the house.”

  “There is so much you didn’t tell me, Jas.” Mari elbowed Jasper, who was sniffing his coffee and glaring at it.

  “I couldn’t.” He said, adding a splash of cream and relaxing his face when the color satisfied him.

  She watched him take a sip. “So you do like coffee?”

  “It didn’t have the same appeal when I had to lap it up.” Jasper leaned over and put his lips to the shell of her ear. “Though I did enjoy tasting it on your breath.”

  Mari choked on her sip of coffee and nearly dropped her mug. Thankfully they were both distracted by a sudden flurry of activity. The pack moved as a fluid system to carry plates, pour drinks, and layout silverware. She was too busy appreciating the efficiency of the pack to catch Jasper eyeing her.

  A tingling began on her cheek, almost like the barest touch. She brushed a finger across her skin in search of a stray hair that might have caused the sensation. Then she tilted her head and met liquid mossy eyes, staring at her intently. Mari could sense the lushness of new growth in the forest and smell the scent of summer rain. She could taste the warm droplets on her tongue and feel the ineffable joy that came on stormy wind. There was almost a damp breeze dancing through her hair not only from rain but because of the whirling sea air that joined the mingling of scents.

  Immense power lingered in the viridescent glow of Jasper’s eyes. Mari wanted to reach out and take his potent energy into her. He held so much more life than anyone she’d ever met. She didn’t measure up to someone so intense.

  What the hell was she doing here?

  Cash slammed a plate of bacon on the table in front of them, startling Mari from her trance. The impish smirk on his broad face told her that his interruption was intentional. She was secretly relieved. Jasper was not. He brought his hand from her knee to her chin to draw her face to his lips for a kiss. It was on the edge of her cheek bone, nothing inappropriate for the family breakfast table, but she started blushing all over again. It must have been obvious because Cash snickered.

  Charlie stood in place at the head of the table once everyone was seated. The table was layered with steaming plates of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, hash browns, rye and sourdough toast, and fresh fruit. It went untouched. All eyes were on the alpha.

  “Trevor—Jasper—I owe you an apology. I deeply regret that we didn’t find you when you were taken from us. It’s my duty to protect and I neglected to shield you from suffering. For that, I am truly sorry.” Charlie dipped his chin. Jasper rested a hand over his heart and bowed his head in response. “Your pack is pleased to welcome you home and we would all like to express our gratitude to the little witch for bringing you back to us.”

  Okay, being called young she understood but why the hell was everyone calling Mari little? She was five foot seven! Cora was shorter than her and no one was calling her little. She didn’t have time to worry about a snarky response because seven pairs of predatory eyes turned on her and she had to call on her willpower to avoid ducking under the table.

  To be fair, they didn’t intend to be predatory. They simply had that same power in their eyes that Jasper did, potent and wild. Even as humans there was a glimmer of the wolf in their expressions. It was rather disconcerting to be stared down by a pack of hungry werewolves, even if they weren’t hungry for you.

  “Mari is my mate.” Jasper proudly announced after acknowledging Charlie’s words.

  There was literally no way out of this. She was surrounded by Jasper’s pack who now thought exactly as he did. Mari couldn’t lie and say she had no feelings for him but she wasn’t ready to sign a freaking marriage certificate.

  A murmur of welcome and greeting resounded through the dining room. Mari did her best to smile and acknowledge Charlie without shrinking back. With the little knowledge she had about werewolves she knew there was no use hiding her uneasiness from them. Even if her body language was perfect they would detect the scent of fear or sense it with their empathy mojo.

  “And I want to express my gratitude to all of you. Thanks for not eating me.” Mari raised her coffee mug with feigned confidence that she almost believed herself.

  “Speaking of eating,” Charlie gestured at the massive breakfast feast in front of them. “Let’s dig in.”

  Mari watched with fascination as the pack rushed back into action. She couldn’t tell if they were waiting because it was polite and they knew Charlie wanted to speak before they ate or if it was a pack hierarchy thing.

  “Did you really think we would eat you? What exactly has he been telling you about us?” Teal asked with a sharp nudge in Mari’s side.

  “He didn’t tell me anything unless I asked. But he did try to eat me a few times so I assumed it was a possibility.” Mari said as she happily accepted a plate of eggs from Clem.

  “I was not eating you.” Jasper insisted.

  A grin teased across her lips. “No, only trying to.”

  “Trying to prove a point, not trying to make a meal of you.”

  “And what point was that?”

  He put his elbows on the table and leaned toward her, showing his teeth. “I am wolf who is also man. Not a dog.”

  Cash guffawed so hard he spilled his coffee. “You thought he was a dog?”

  “I didn’t know any better.” She defended.

  “Did he wear a cute collar with his name on it?” Cash sneered. Jasper slammed his fist on the table and glared at Cash like a younger brother who dealt with constant teasing.

  “It’s not like I took him to the dog park or anything. I mostly just called him a dog, which he wasn’t thrilled about.” Mari used tongs to put two sausages on her plate and ten on Jasper’s.

  She would have let him serve himself but apparently he didn’t remember how to use silverware. Grease dripped down Jasper’s arm as he gripped a sausage and ripped into it like a hunk of raw meat. For a minute all Mari could do was watch with morbid interest as he behaved like a savage with no table manners. Then she burst out laughing and took the sausage from him.

  Clem put a halting hand up and shook her head vehemently but Mari didn’t understand what the problem was. Everyone at the table suddenly grew inexplicably tense. Jasper glowered at her but didn’t stop her from wiping the grease from his arm with a cloth napkin.

  “Slow down, Red.” She positioned his fingers around the end of a fork. “You hold it like this, remember? And we’re not in such a hurry anymore. No need to,” she paused for comedic timing. “wolf it down.”

  Jasper tried to glare at her again but his lips twitched. Both Teal and Cash laughed, sounding more relieved than amused.

  “He really does like you, darlin’.” Teal pointed his fork at her. “I took a sausage from his plate once and nearly lost a finger.”

  “Trevor doesn’t share food.” Cora added sourly.

  “You guard your food?” She grinned at Jasper, unable to resist poking at him. “Like a doggy?” He leaned over and nipped the side of her jaw, leaving greasy lip marks.r />
  Mari was happy to have let go of her desire to impress the pack. If they liked her she would be pleased. If they didn’t like her, she didn’t care as long as they weren’t going to kill her. The last four months were hell and she was ready for life to get easier. And to her relief, this was easy. The pack laughed and chattered like any happy family would. Jasper was on the receiving end of an excess of affectionate smiles but he eagerly returned them. This was where he belonged.

  But I don’t belong here.

  Mari felt enormous envy at that. She was jealous of their familiar banter and how happy they were to share each other’s company. There wasn’t much of that in her family, even before Dad remarried. Afterwards, the dynamic that formed in the Sowka household didn’t leave space for her to be a part of it like Jasper was with his family.

  She could belong here though, couldn’t she? That was what Jasper was offering. If Mari was his mate, she would be his family as much as the rest of the pack. She would be pack. Would she belong then or would they always see her as an outsider? Mari was a witch, after all. She could never be a wolf.

  Cora distracted her from thought with a loud gasp. Mari looked down and noticed that both she and Jasper had finished every bit of food while the others were still working on more than half full plates. “You two were hungrier than a spring bear.”

  “Hungry and happy to be eating a real meal. I was going to choke if I had to eat another Slim Jim for breakfast.” Mari patted her stomach to show her appreciation.

  “Tried to warn you.” Jasper said smugly.

  “Hey, there weren’t exactly fine dining options along the way.” She went to poke him. He caught her before she could and gently bit down on her outstretched finger. “Beast!”

  Jasper replaced his teeth with his lips and kissed the red spot on her finger in apology. “Sorry. Beast indeed.”

  Mari laughed at his agreement but stopped when she became aware of eyes on her again. The whole table, Deak and Cora excluded, watched the interaction with beaming smiles. Mari frowned at their audience. They were old enough to know it was impolite to stare. And if it was a werewolf thing, she let the crinkle of her dark eyebrows tell them how much she disliked it.

  “What’s so interesting?” Mari asked with too much heat in her voice.

  “It warms our hearts to see Jasper happy.” Charlie answered.

  “What he means to say is we’re surprised to see him happy.” Deak snorted. It was hard to tell if it was a joke or a snide remark. “We thought we were the only people in the world that he tolerated.”

  “Oh come on, Dee. We’re not that surprised.” Clem chided.

  “I’m surprised!” Cash asserted. “None of us expected Tre—Jasper to bring home a pretty lass. He might be able to talk himself out of trouble with that tongue of his but otherwise he’s about as seductive as a root canal.”

  “You’ve never had a root canal.” Teal pointed out.

  “And just because he’s never seduced you don’t mean he ain’t got the skills.” Cora purred with a lazy lick of her lips.

  “Coralee, your behavior is rather tasteless.” Clem scolded. That was the vibe Mari sensed. She was the den mother, keeping all of the pups in line. Her words were soft but the disappointed expression on her face as she chastised her pack mates made them bow their heads in guilt.

  Mari ignored the implication in Cora’s words and said “There was no seduction involved. I forced him into my car, kidnapped him, and imprisoned him in my house. Not the romantic comedy you guys are envisioning.”

  Jasper successfully ruined her lightheartedness seconds later. “Don’t fool yourself, Mari. I would have followed you anywhere.”

  She quickly changed the subject by grabbing a piece of rye toast. “So I guess I’m not safe if I run into a field of rye after all?”

  “Not any safer than if you run into a field of corn. Neither are ideal places to hide from werewolves. I would also not recommend climbing a rowan tree or covering yourself in wolfsbane. The first is unwise because, assuming you can reach one, the branches are not sturdy enough to hold a person. Not to mention, a wolf wouldn’t have much trouble jumping that high.” Clem explained like a professor of lycanthropy.

  “The latter is just as likely to kill you as it is to kill or deter a werewolf as wolfsbane, or monkshood as it is sometimes known, is highly toxic. Simply touching the plant can poison you.” She extended a hand as if touching an invisible plant, eyes unfocused. “Werewolves are not particularly easy to eliminate which is probably why the few who know of our existence find us so threatening. On the upside, it means we don’t get a lot of unexpected visitors.”

  “Except for the witches that have been climbing the wall.” Teal stabbed a huge bite of eggs. “I told you we needed to stock up on more witch repellent. Sneaky little pests.”

  More laughter and teasing followed. Other than asking a few light questions and letting her own voice join in on the chorus of happy noises from time to time, Mari was silent for the rest of the meal. Eating gave her a much needed boost of energy but she was still exhausted. The weight that pressed on her shoulders felt like a dark specter standing behind her and digging sharp fingers into her muscles. Now that she had an opportunity to slow down, she was finally feeling the burden of her grief and the direness of the situation she was in.

  You’ve made a real mess for yourself, haven’t you Mari?

  Despite the ebbing weariness that crept along her spine, there was a different weight keeping her relatively steady for the moment. Jasper’s hand rested on her knee, sometimes moving to cover hers when she placed it on the table. There was already a growing familiarity in his touch. He was a beacon in the foggy unknown that was pack life. No matter how intimidated or uncertain she was right then, at least Mari had that.

  Jasper wouldn’t throw her to the wolves.

  Chapter 31

  Mari

  “If you’re finished with your meal, I’d like a word with you.” Charlie said to Mari as he rose from the table. She got the feeling that it wasn’t really a request.

  Breakfast was wrapping up by the time he called Mari into the study. Jasper stood and pulled her chair out, intending to join her. The alpha stopped him with a sympathetic expression.

  “I’d like to speak to her alone.” He explained. “I promise you that no harm will come to your mate while she is in this house or within the bounds of this territory. You will survive twenty minutes without her. Get reacquainted with your room and make sure Clem didn’t rearrange too many of your belongings.”

  Jasper said nothing as he stepped up behind Mari and put a hand on her shoulders. Whatever was in his eyes, she couldn’t see it without craning her neck so she looked to Charlie’s instead. The expression he wore wasn’t menacing but there was a challenging sharpness to his icy blue gaze. Finally, Jasper capitulated, dropping his head to focus on Mari. He planted a kiss on her temple and rubbed his jaw over her scalp.

  Charlie didn’t seem like he planned to hurt her but there was something undeniably intimidating about the stout man. Knots twisted in Mari’s stomach at the thought of being alone with him. Tense and wary, she glided around the dining room table and into the back door of the study. When she noticed Clem with Mari’s family legacy splayed open on the desk, she relaxed. Clem’s presence made Mari feel at ease. This wouldn’t be so bad if the she-wolf intended to stay.

  “It’s a lovely day. I think we should walk. Fresh air would be good for all of us and the trees don’t have ears.” Clem suggested with a pointed look at the door.

  “Lead and we shall follow.” The alpha agreed.

  Clem kicked off her heels, carefully closed the book, and opened the main office door. She guided Mari around the foyer and out onto the narrow wooden porch. It was a picturesque summer day, if not a little hot.

  Neither of the wolves spoke as they strolled off the porch, around the side of the barn, and to the edge of the woods. Mari recognized the path ahead as the same one they took to t
he meadow where Jasper made his change. Now that she saw the forest in the light she noticed several other narrow trails that branched off in different directions, perfect for an agile wolf to lope silently through the trees. It would be incredible to watch the pack run along their hidden paths, tracking unsuspecting prey by scent and chasing them into exhaustion.

  “I still have a great many questions for you, Mari, but I know your arrival here has been overwhelming so I won’t demand too many answers today.” Charlie began, slowing to walk beside her.

  “Is this the part where you interrogate me without Jasper here to step in?” Mari tried to sound like she was joking but realized too late that her tone fell flat.

  “Oh but of course! I could hardly torture you at the breakfast table and risk everyone losing their appetites.” He grinned impishly, then straightened and said “you have nothing to fear from us. Not every member of my pack is as comfortable with witches as that wily bastard of yours but they will do you no harm. What Jasper—damn, why did you have to change his name? My old brain can’t keep up—said last night is true. You are his therefore you are one of us. Assuming that’s what you want.”

  Her steps faltered. She hadn’t expected him to care about her desires. “And what if it’s not what I want?”

  “Then I imagine I’ll have a very heartbroken wolf on my hands.” His smile turned grim. “I’d like to talk to you about your relationship with Jasper, if that’s alright.”

  “Why?”

  “So you know what you’re in for if you decide to stay.”

  “Does it really matter if I want to or not?” She brushed her palm along the bark of a tree, avoiding his searching gaze.

  “Of course it matters. No one will force you to stay.” Mari breathed a silent sigh of relief at those words. So far, this conversation wasn’t going the direction she expected. “But I have a feeling you don’t know what you want. Am I wrong?”

  “No.” she admitted reluctantly.

  “Perhaps we can help you. I applaud the research that you did but I think there is more about werewolves that you need to know before you make any decisions.” Clem chimed in.