by Lisa Kessler
He was hoping I’d be asleep.
I swallowed hard and took a step closer. “Thank you for loving me enough to do this.” He still wouldn’t look at me. “I know it’s unfair and it sucks.” I knelt beside him and buried my face in his neck. “Think of it as the closest we’ll get to a wedding.”
When I pulled back, the wolf tilted his head, leaving me wondering if Gareth could understand me. He licked my cheek and met my eyes, then his pain and regret slammed into me. I shook my head as the tears fell, holding out my trembling hand. “Gareth, please. I want to be your mate. Completely. Forever. I love you.”
The wolf shifted his weight like he might bolt away at any second. Finally, he lunged toward me. His jaws snapped down on my hand, the pain stealing my breath. He released me and I stumbled backward, clutching my wound. It burned. My pupils dilated and then contracted so fast I couldn’t see. My gut twisted, my joints ached. I fought the shift. My body couldn’t take it.
My instinct to live took over. I clenched my jaw, panting, struggling to maintain my form. My entire body tensed up, seizing, and then peace.
My light faded into darkness.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Gareth
I bit her. Trapped inside my wolf, I screamed. Until tonight I’d had no clue of the strength of my wolf’s instincts. It recognized its mate and claimed her. In spite of how hard I tried to force my wolf to leave her behind, it caught Nadya’s scent and instinct took over.
The wolf howled, not realizing his mate was lost. My wolf believed our life together was just beginning. When I finally got him to turn, Nadya lay still on the cool rock. My wolf moved forward, nudging her with his muzzle. He chuffed and licked her cheek.
Nothing.
Inside I pushed my will, struggled against my nature, forcing my wolf back. Shifting into my human form while the moon was still high in the sky hurt—in fact, hurt didn’t begin to describe the agony. I had to envision every major joint from my ankles up and force my body to match that human vision. It was mentally and physically taxing.
But Nadya needed me.
By the time I stood as a man, every part of me ached and my lungs wheezed, crushed by my cracked ribs. I rushed to Nadya’s side and pulled her into my lap. “No. Damn it. No.”
A primal cry erupted from my throat. Trembling, I held her closer, breathing in her scent. Her arm dangled lifelessly. I reached for it, lifting her hand to my lips.
Her healed hand.
Had I been confused? This was the hand the wolf bit… I found her other hand. No bite. My pulse raced. I stood up, lifting Nadya with me, all the pain in my body forgotten. I carried her out and climbed down from the Stone Mother’s basket into the moonlight so I could get a better view. I turned her hand over in the silvery light. All that remained of the bite was the scar.
A unique, permanent bond between mates.
Tremors ran through my fingers. I reached to touch her neck, feeling for a pulse, afraid to hope. Nothing. I moved my fingertips, pressing harder. Then I found it. Faint. But there.
Nadya was still alive. Somehow. For now.
I stared up at the moon, unsure what to do. Should I find the sedative and give it to her? Was she too weak? I considered taking her back into the shade of the basket rock, but I wasn’t sure that would matter with all the mutations Nero had made to her DNA.
My whole Pack was at Lake Tahoe. Wolves. There was no one I could call.
Suddenly I was bathed in headlights. I’d been so distracted with Nadya, I hadn’t noticed the engine. And I was standing in the light, naked with an unconscious woman in my arms. Shit.
Blinded, I heard the door swing open. “Little Osa?”
Chloe. Relief and panic ran through me all at once. “It’s me.”
“Where are your clothes?” She came closer, the lights behind her kept her face in the shadows. “What are you doing out here?” She made a hissing noise. “No, don’t tell me. I can guess. I raised you to respect the Stone Mother not to…”
“It’s not what you think. Nadya’s…” I stared down at her pale face, imagining her smile, and that dimple in her cheek. “Nadya’s really sick, Chloe. I thought if I brought her here the magic might heal her.”
Chloe crossed her arms and nodded. “Well, if healing is what you came for, then you’re doing it all wrong. Get her in the water.”
I didn’t ask questions. I turned and carried her down to the lake while Chloe bitched about my bare backside.
“You could grab my pants. They’re around the back of the Stone Mother.”
“Later, Osa. Float her on the water.”
I walked out until the cool water reached my armpits. Nadya’s body floated naturally on the surface, but I kept my hands under her back and neck for support. “Now what?”
She didn’t answer. She sang. Chloe turned her palms up toward the moon and chanted soft and rhythmic, her voice bouncing off the Stone Mother and the surface of the water. Suddenly Nadya gasped in a big breath, her arms starting to flail as her eyes popped open.
“Shhhh.” I whispered. “Just float.”
“What happened?”
“I’m not sure, but Chloe thinks she’s healing you.”
Nadya relaxed again, but she kept her eyes open, looking up at me. My heart pounded so hard, she could probably hear it. We watched each other in the moonlight while Chloe chanted on the shore, and I stood naked in Pyramid Lake.
Perfect.
“How is she, Osa?”
Chloe snapped us out of the moment, and Nadya smiled. I bent my knees in the water to kiss that dimple in her cheek. “I think it worked.”
“Bring her out to me.”
I carried Nadya until the water just barely reached my waist. “You want to walk from here and toss me my pants?”
She nodded and walked over to Chloe for inspection. The older woman stared up at my beautiful mate. “He told me you were dying, then I found him carrying you around naked and I thought my Little Osa’s cheese slipped right off the cracker.”
“Thanks, Chloe,” I grumbled.
She shushed me with a wave of her hand. “How do you feel?”
“Other than soaking wet.” Nadya took a slow breath. “Much better.”
Chloe smiled and patted her hand. “Wait here, my house isn’t far, I’ll bring towels.” She called toward the water. “And put some pants on, Osa!”
I waited for her to drive away before I ran out of the water and caught Nadya around the waist. She squealed with laughter as I spun her in a circle, ignoring the sharp pain in my ribs. “God, it’s great to hear you laugh.”
Nadya smiled as I lowered her feet to the ground. “What happened?” She raised her hand, turning it over and inspecting it. “My hand is healed.”
“I’ve never asked anyone about converting their mate. It always seemed too private. But I’m guessing if it healed that fast, it must be part of our mate bond.”
“And that means?”
I shrugged. “We’ll have to have Jason check tomorrow, but I think…” I thought somehow our mate bond had fixed whatever mutated poison Fonthill’s bite had caused, but it sounded crazy and I was too fucking terrified to get my hopes up. “I think we got lucky.”
She tipped her head back to look at the moon. “It’s still full. Shouldn’t we be shifting into wolves?”
“We shift once a month with the moon. I already shifted tonight, so I won’t get another chance until the next full moon.” I kissed her forehead, trying to reassure myself she was really here, that this wasn’t a dream.
“And why aren’t I shifting?”
“When someone is bitten, they don’t shift until the next full moon.”
“But I was already a werewolf.”
“You were whatever Fonthill was, modified werewolf DNA. Different. And now…” I lifted her hand to kiss over her new mark. “I better get my jeans on before Chloe gets back.”
We walked around the back of the Stone Mother. I got dressed and started rewrappi
ng my ribs.
“Could you understand me when you were a wolf?”
“Yeah.” I glanced up at Nadya and went back to my ace bandage. “But my wolf can’t, so it’s not quite the same.”
“I’m sorry I put you in that position. Thank you for following through on my wishes even though you didn’t agree.”
I finished my wrap and pulled on my shirt. “I’m not sure what you want me to say. Truth is, I was pissed when I saw you didn’t take that sedative. My wolf caught the scent of his mate and no matter how hard I fought to get him to leave you there, he refused.” The last remnants of anger and fear stoked a fire in my gut. “Don’t thank me. He bit you. I didn’t want to risk it.”
She stepped forward, brushing her hand down my forearm. “That risk might’ve saved my life.”
I wanted that to be true with every fiber of my being. Before I could respond, we were bathed in headlights again. A door opened and Chloe wandered into the light with two towels in hand. “Oh good, you found your pants.”
“Nice to see you too, Chloe.”
She ignored me and handed the towels to Nadya. “You look better.”
Nadya wrapped a towel around her hair. “Thank you for everything.”
“No trouble.” Chloe tipped her chin, staring up at me. “Did you hear the wolf howling tonight? He sounded lonely.”
Nadya slid the towel free from her hair, her bright eyes locked on mine, and my lips curved into an unexpected smile. The clock was silent. Stopped. The ticking was replaced by the sound of my heart beating.
“I don’t think he’s going to be lonely anymore.”
My godmother turned, staring at Nadya, and then back to me with a knowing glint in her wise old eyes. “It’s about damned time.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Nadya
“That was an insane risk you two took, but it seems to have paid off.” Jason shook his head. “Your adrenaline levels have normalized, and as far as I can tell, Gareth’s bite converted you just like it would any human.” He set his chart aside and crossed his arms. “I thought since you were already bitten, there was no undoing what was done.”
“I didn’t think it would change me, either.” Gareth slid his hand up and down my back, soothing me as I sat on the edge of the examination table. “But if I was dying anyway, I was going to choose how it would end. After sitting with your mom and dad, I saw her hand, the scar from Wyatt’s bite, and with the full moon right around the corner, I wanted that connection with my mate. It never occurred to me it could save my life.”
“I went ahead and forwarded your blood test results to the last email address I had for Dr. Granger, along with my promise that I will kill him if I ever see him again. As long as Nero realizes you’re no longer of use to them for their research project, we probably won’t have any more unexpected visits.”
“Let’s hope.” I nodded.
“How’s Wyatt? Any change yet?” Gareth asked.
Jason leaned against the wall. “No.”
Jason’s pain suffocated me. “But he could still get better and wake up anytime, right?”
He shrugged. “Technically, yes, but it gets less likely with each passing day.”
I didn’t want to think about what would happen if he didn’t recover. “If there’s anything we can do…”
“Thank you.” Jason straightened and opened the door. “I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
I stood and embraced him tight. “Thanks for everything.”
“Welcome to the rest of your life, Nadya.” Jason stepped back, his gaze shifting to Gareth. “Make it count.”
Gareth nodded. “Definitely.”
We left the office and got on the Road King. I had my own Harley now, but I still enjoyed riding with Gareth. I didn’t think I’d ever get tired of having my arms around him. We’d planned to ride up to Virginia City tonight since our last trip had been cut short. The moon was still large and bright in the star-filled sky as we leaned into the turns of the winding mountain highway.
He parked outside Piper’s Opera House and I pulled off my helmet, breathing in the fresh mountain air. I sniffed again.
“It’s weird, I almost thought I smelled the…”
“Naaaa-dyaaa!” Madeleine and Malcolm burst out the double doors and ran toward us, hugging my legs.
I glanced up at Gareth. He was sporting a cat-who-ate-the-canary grin. “What are they doing here?”
He lifted Malcolm onto his shoulders. “The whole Pack is here.”
Madeleine tugged me toward the doors. “Come see!”
We walked inside and my sister, along with the rest of my Pack, greeted me at the door. The only ones missing were Sarah, Wyatt, and Jason. Even Jared was here. Luke and Logan were setting up on the stage with their folks.
“What’s going on?”
Adam stepped up and led me further inside. “When one of our Pack finds his mate and brings her in as one of us, we celebrate. We’re all family, and like any family we don’t always agree, but if you ever need us, we’ll be right there standing beside you.”
I smiled up at Gareth. “You didn’t tell me this was happening…”
He handed Malcolm to his dad and Lana took Madeleine from me. Staring into my eyes, Gareth held both my hands. “Nadya Dalca, I give you my heart, my protection, and my life. Welcome to the Pack.”
He kissed me slow and tender as cheers erupted around us. “I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you, too.” I answered with tears in my eyes.
Logan started to play and Gareth walked me out into the center of the dance floor. He was a strong lead, which was good because I wasn’t usually a very confident dance partner, but in Gareth’s arms anything was possible.
As the song slowed, he scooped me up and carried me through the crowd. I stayed focused on his smile as the rest of the world faded around us.
Gareth stood by me through the darkest of places, and we came through to the other side even stronger than before. My mate, who had lost to death so many times, had finally triumphed, and now I had a lifetime ahead to love him. I almost pinched myself to be sure I wasn’t dreaming.
Instead of facing the end under a full moon, somehow, we found a new beginning.
The End
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Acknowledgments
This was a tough book for me to write. My Mom fought cancer twice while I was growing up, and the shadow of that horrible disease, and the fear that I might lose her, tormented me. During that battle, she set goals to make it to a horseshow, to eat crab for her birthday, and see me graduate from high school. Any further into the future was uncertain. But through it all, she taught me to treasure your days and laugh more than you cry. In the end, she won that war.
Then while I was writing this book, we lost a young person in our extended family unexpectedly. The pain and shock reminded all of us that life is precious, and it’s so important to enjoy each day, appreciate the small moments, and cherish those you love.
There are many people I need to thank for helping me make this book a reality. First off, thanks to my Dad and his love of Harley Davidson motorcycles. We made my grandparents cringe more than once when he let me ride on the back of his chopper with him when I was in elementary school.
I also need to thank Dr. D.P. Lyle for helping me with all the medical scenes in this book. He patiently answered my questions about medications and cardiac issues. I tried to make it as accurate as possible, but any mistakes are my own.
Big thanks to Liz Pelletier for jumping in to edit this book. You rock! Thanks to my amazing agent, Laurie McLean for all your support for the wolf pack, and to Katie Clapsadl and the entire Entangled team for your help promoting the series.
> I also need to thank my fabulous beta readers: Denise Fluhr, Heather Cox, and Panda Wilson. Your love and passion for this book kept me writing even when the road got rough. And thanks so much to my Night Angel Legion street team for all their support in spreading the word about the Moon Series. You guys are the best!
And finally thank you to my kids, Panda and Reno, and my amazing husband, Ken, who support me and believe in me, and even give me hugs when I cry over fictional characters. You mean the world to me. I love you!
About the Author
Lisa Kessler is an Amazon Best Selling and award winning author of dark paranormal fiction. Her debut novel, Night Walker, won a San Diego Book Award for Best Published Fantasy-Sci-fi-Horror as well as the Romance Through the Ages Award for Best Paranormal and Best First Book. Her short stories have been published in print anthologies and magazines, and her vampire story, Immortal Beloved, was a finalist for a Bram Stoker award. When she’s not writing, Lisa is a professional vocalist, performing with the San Diego Opera as well as other musical theater companies in San Diego. You can learn more at http://Lisa-Kessler.com She loves hearing from readers - [email protected]
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