by Powell, C. G. ; Lavender, Cait; Rayns, Lisa; Hardin, Olivia; Nelson, Stephanie; Schulte, Liz
“Carlie, I’ll get to you later,” Jameson said, pushing her away. She shrugged off his hands, refusing to move.
“Daddy, he fought with me against a leech last night.” Her father froze, his hands stiffening on her arms in shock. “He was going to die to protect me.”
Jameson glanced at Jack. “Is this true?”
Jack didn’t hesitate. “Yes, sir. I didn’t know what he was,” Jack’s eyes flitted toward Carlie. “I didn’t know what Carlie was either, but I wasn’t going to let her get hurt.”
The colonel looked back at his daughter. “Did you kill it?”
She nodded, a small smile growing on her face. She couldn’t help it. She loved a good fight. The adrenaline sex afterwards didn’t hurt either.
Her father dropped his grip on her arms and stepped away, pacing back and forth a few steps. His hand ran over his five o’clock shadow in agitation as he thought. Captain Phillips stood to the side, loath to get involved, but he looked surprised.
“Well, that’s something,” the colonel muttered to himself.
“It is something, daddy. And you know what else?”
Jameson glanced up at her.
“He’s my mate, and I’m falling for him.” She didn’t miss the happy, satisfied buzz of Jack’s emotions in her mind.
“You know it can’t be that easy,” her father grumbled, shooting daggers at Jack. “He’s got to earn pack status, even as a human.”
A wave of panic rolled over her and she fought against a sudden onslaught of nausea.
“You can’t make him do that, daddy! He’ll get killed!”
“I have to, baby. The pack won’t accept him if he’s a weak link.”
“Please, daddy,” Carlie begged, tears brimming in her eyes as she gripped his arm.
Her father wanted to make Jack fight in a challenge. It was part of lupine tradition that if a member of another pack wanted to mate, he would battle for her to prove his worth. It was done in wolf form and the fights were vicious. Jack, a human, would never survive. He’d be ripped to shreds.
“Sir,” Jack interjected, snapping Carlie out of her macabre thoughts.
“What is it, sergeant?” snarled the colonel.
“I may not be a wolf, but I’ll do whatever it takes to prove I’m man enough for your daughter, sir.”
All three of them stared, open-mouthed at Jack. He had stood up fought for her since the moment they’d met. Now, despite everything he’d learned, he still was fighting. She’d never been more turned on. He stared resolutely at her father, wearing a wet pair of workout shorts, and it took everything she had not to tackle and have her way with him.
She’d been momentarily stunned when she’d walked in and saw him standing wet and shirtless. Someone had hit him. A brilliant purple bruise was already blooming on his cheek. He was all hard planes and muscle and she wanted to lick the water drops off his abs. Focus, Carlie, focus!
“Is that so,” mused Jamison, impressed with Jack’s bravado.
“I’ll fight him, sir. I’ll stay in human form. I’m still stronger than an average man, and if he can beat me, he can beat any of us.”
Phillips was her father’s beta, second in command. He hadn’t gotten the position by an election either. Carlie had never liked him because he was a cold, calculating bastard most of the time. He was the best fighter in the pack and would receive the alpha position once her father retired. Carlie was floored he cared enough to offer Jack a way out.
Jameson pondered the captain’s words. “Yeah, that might work.” He turned toward Jack. “I believe this is the first time this has happened. Lucky you. Bring him to the pack-house in an hour, Phillips. And make sure everyone is there to witness.”
The colonel strode out of the locker room. Carlie darted over toward Jack, but Phillips intercepted her.
He spun her and nudged her toward the door. “Round up the females and make sure they’re there on time. I need to have a word with your mate,” he muttered quietly.
Carlie threw an apologetic glance over her shoulder at Jack as she walked out the door. He winked.
I watched Carlie saunter out. She was falling for me... I hadn’t expected her to say that, although I felt the same way. Love at first sight didn’t seem possible to me in the past, but here I was, grinning like an idiot at a closed door. Phillips smacked the back of my head in disgust.
“Enough of that,” he growled. “You’re life is on the line, soldier.”
He tossed dry clothes at me. I pulled on the jeans and tee, and Phillips turned and left. I smothered my satisfaction and followed him out of the locker room. He stalked through the halls with a purpose only learned in the military. In my mind, he was a hard ball of determination.
In Iraq, my team members saved my ass more times than I could count and I tried to return the favor. I was the kid in third group, something the others never let me forget. But in all my time under Phillip’s command he’d never showed any sign of preference, but now he was hell-bent against letting me die. Touching.
The captain opened the door which led to the parking lot and held it open, gesturing me to proceed ahead of him.
“I hope you didn’t work out too hard this afternoon. You’re going to need all the strength you can get.”
“What exactly is going to happen tonight, sir?”
Phillip’s cell phone rang. He held up his hand as he answered. “Phillips. Yes,” he glanced at me. “It’ll be at the pack house at dusk. Make sure everyone’s there.”
He snapped his phone shut and unlocked one of the identical Jeeps, motioning for me to get in the passenger side. I complied in silence. He drove us north forty-five minutes before pulling off the freeway and taking several back roads. The Jeep’s tires hit dirt when he turned on to a well-used gravel road cutting through the middle of the woods.
“We’re on pack property now, although the whole Fort Bragg territory is ours. All of us will be here in an hour or so, so you’ll have time to prepare yourself.”
“Prepare myself for what?” I asked again.
He threw me a dark, sidelong glance before answering, “I’m going to try and kill you, and you’re going to try to stop me.”
On that note, Phillips parked the Jeep in front of a mammoth plantation-style house. Creepers and honeysuckle twisted their way up the sides and columns, obscuring the flaking white paint. The captain didn’t give the house a second glance, however, and he strode into the surrounding forest. Not seeing any other choice, I followed.
“Once the pack is here, the alpha will introduce you and then we’ll proceed with the challenge. Normally, we fight them with teeth and claws, but since you don’t have either, it’ll be hand to hand.”
“I don’t want to be rude, sir, but isn’t this whole challenge thing a little...outdated? I mean, I wasn’t supposed to bring a cow for her, was I?”
“Don’t be a smartass,” Phillips snapped as we trudged through the woods. “If you make it through this, the pack will be your life. It’s what’s always been done. The pack can’t have weakness or it’ll fall apart.”
“I’ll try not to let that happen,” I muttered.
We walked through the woods for several more minutes, and the trees opened up into a wide clearing. A small pond was on the far side. The setting sun glinted red and orange light on the surface. If I wasn’t walking to my possible death, I would have appreciated its beauty more, but there were already six people standing together on the edge of the trees.
The men were shirtless and wearing workout shorts, and the women wore shorts and sports bras. I didn’t have to ask Phillips who they were. Curiosity, suspicion and anger rolled around in the back of my head like marbles. Phillips stopped about five yards away, leaving plenty of room for the gathering to size me up. While we stood there, more and more people strolled into the clearing from the woods. A few men grinned at me with dark anticipation, almost gleeful at the prospect of my death. A couple of women looked at me with appreciation, and I felt like a bull at a cat
tle sale, reviewed for my breeding capability.
A warmth like honeyed sunshine grew behind me and Carlie walked out of the woods. She wore tight shorts and a sports bra like the other women, but the sight of all her exposed creamy skin made fire burst to life in my veins. Her mouth quirked up and I knew she could feel my response to her. Carlie didn’t stop to talk, but walked past me to join the others and held hands with a woman who had to be her sister. Carlie was tense and wary, but she had her own thread of fire running through our bond. I allowed myself a small smile before smothering it and trying to focus. I needed to come out of this alive.
We stood in the woods, and the shadows grew with the setting sun until the entire clearing was shrouded in dusk. The group of bystanders grew until the whole pack was in attendance, save the colonel. Just thinking about the imposing man sent a shot of adrenaline through my system, and my heart pounded in my chest. I felt like I did in Iraq when we cleared a building: excited, anxious and wired.
With the night came cooler temperatures. I shuffled my feet and pumped my hands to keep blood circulating. I needed my muscles warm and ready if I was going to be fighting. It wouldn’t do to go into battle cold. I’d be slow and get killed. I rolled my head and neck, listening to the vertebrae pop as I tried to limber up. I was so focused that I didn’t notice every head snap to face the far side of the clearing. I did notice Carlie’s anxiety ramp up ten notches and with it another knot of emotion grabbed my attention. I rotated to come face to face with the colonel—the alpha. His sharp features were drawn into an angry scowl and that eerie green glow shone out of his eyes, brighter, and more noticeable in the darkness. I couldn’t lie to myself; He looked as scary as hell.
“Are you ready for this, sergeant?” the colonel asked, his voice gruff.
I knew what he was asking. He doubted my intentions. The colonel wondered if I was willing to risk my life for a one night stand. But Carlie meant more than that to me. Already I had fallen hard for those hazel eyes and that musical laugh. I wasn’t happy about having other people in my head, but the connection between Carlie and I afforded me surety. Carlie feels the same way about me. I nodded. It was all the affirmation he needed. Grudging respect flitted across his emotions before he tamped it down.
God, I love him. That knowledge would have scared Carlie before, even just a few weeks earlier. But now she stood with her sister and the pack and watched Jack stand bravely in front of the alpha and agreed to his own death match. The majority of the pack, if in his position, would be squirming on the ground revealing their bellies to the alpha. It was a hard imperative to ignore.
Her father faced the group. The colonel surveyed his pack. His angry gaze raked over her before moving past. So...still angry. Awesome. Rose squeezed her hand hard, showing her support. They both knew he’d forgive Carlie, eventually. He had to because she was his daughter. But if things went badly tonight, she’d never forgive herself. The colonel spoke, breaking through her dark thoughts.
“You are all here to witness the challenge of Jack Anderson, newly mated to Carlie Jameson. Since he is human—” He was interrupted by angry whispers. Carlie glared at anyone stupid enough to meet her eyes. A deep, angry growl rumbled from the alpha, garnering silence among the group.
“Since he is human,” he snarled. “He will be going up against Sean in hand to hand combat to prove his worth.”
“He’s not strong enough!” someone shouted. Carlie couldn’t tell who it was, no matter how much she wanted to beat them for it. All the pack bonds were angry. Except Jack. He was resolute; an oasis of calm in the otherwise infuriated emotions in her mind.
“Jack is one of my men.” Sean’s quiet words cut through the other voices. “I wouldn’t have volunteered if I didn’t believe he could handle it.”
The beta’s assurance did more to dampen the fear and anger of the pack than Carlie would have thought possible. They all knew enough about the man to know he didn’t offer sentiments like that often. If Sean Phillips said Jack was good enough, he was. The only person she could feel who was still dubious was her father. But that may have stemmed from the fact that Jack would be her mate more than if he was worthy of pack status.
Seeing the pack more relaxed, the colonel nodded in satisfaction before turning to Sean.
“Good. Let’s get this over with.”
The pack took a few steps backward to give the two men space. Jack and Sean faced each other.
“I just want you to know, nothing that happens here will reflect on you at Bragg,” Phillips offered. “Unless you let me kill you. In which case I’ll be pissed your close-combat skills suck so much.”
Jack chuckled ruefully. “Sounds fair.”
They both nodded in that typical—universal—manly way. Thousands of unsaid words resounded through the small movement and echoed in the silence. An instant later the two men darted toward each other. The challenge had begun.
They blurred into action, throwing punches and kicks. Each man did anything and everything to gain an advantage. Their movements were so smooth and graceful it was as if someone had choreographed a dance. Sean landed a few solid punches to Jack’s ribs, but Jack gave just as good as he received, slamming his fist into the beta’s jaw with a wicked right hook.
Carlie noticed Jack was beginning to flag. His movements were slow and jerky, his breaths ragged. The beta didn’t look tired at all. He seemed almost happy, happier than she’d ever seen him. His normal expression was boredom, occasionally broken by an angry glare or frustrated eye-roll.
Jack can’t lose, Carlie thought desperately as she watched Sean land another punch to Jack’s kidneys. She felt his exhaustion and sore ribs through the bond. The bond! One of the side benefits of being bonded was a mate could draw strength through the connection. Jack didn’t know how to pull from their bond, but Carlie could send him as much as she could. It wouldn’t be as effective, but she had to help.
Concentrating on her breathing, Carlie released Rose’s hand and stepped back behind the observers to sit on the ground. She blocked out as much as she could; the other pack bonds, the cold ground underneath her, and her father’s anger all pushed to the side. With her eyes shut, Carlie put every ounce of focus on the glowing gold ball of emotions in her mind that was Jack. She visualized sending her own strength and healing, wrapping them around the ball like a warm blanket.
Carlie didn’t dare look up to see how the challenge went, afraid that if she did her concentration would crack. He needed her, and the only help she could give him was this. The noise of the pack and the fight faded, and she just saw Jack’s bond. The more his light grew, the more exhausted she felt. Seconds could have passed, hours even, and Carlie wouldn’t have known while she pushed everything she had toward Jack.
A warm hand wrapped around her chin and shattered her focus. Carlie growled deep in her chest, snapping at whoever pulled her attention away. Jack’s chocolate brown eyes met hers. The rest of the pack stood around her, smiling. Even her father had a smug smile on his face. Jack had a nasty black eye and a dribble of blood on his chin.
“You’re alive,” Carlie whispered, swaying with relief.
“Thanks to you, Angel.”
He pulled her off the ground and held her. He was hot, sweaty and dirty, but his scent, his fabulous scent, rolled off him and enveloped her. Carlie breathed it in, hoping it’d take root in her lungs and never leave her.
“Yeah, I would’ve had his ass if you didn’t interfere,” growled the beta.
He slapped Jack on the back, ignoring the wince he received, and smiled. Before Carlie could faint in shock, or from exhaustion, Jack scooped her up and carried her toward the pack house, the rest of the assembly following.
“What are you going to do now, soldier?” Carlie asked Jack quietly.
He chuckled. “I’d say ‘go to Disneyland’, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
“Probably not for a little while at least.”
“Well,” he said, glancing d
own at her. “According to your father, we have a wedding to plan.”
Carlie’s eyes widened in fear and she tried to stutter out a reply but Jack forestalled her with a bruising kiss.
When they came up for air Jack continued, “I’d settle for a first date, though.”
Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank Iraqi war vet, sergeant Kyle Hays for his help, advice and knowledge without which I would have committed heinous fictional blunders against the honorable United States Army.
If you enjoyed Fool Moon, read ahead for a sneak peak at Cait’s full length novel, Hunter Moon
Hunter Moon
Chapter One
My eyes shot open. Several seconds later I fought off disorientation and realized what was happening. I’d never had the valuable gift of being coherent right after I woke up; I usually needed a few cups of coffee and a hot shower before I became human.
The sound of mother cows bawling in fear and anger worked like a bucket of ice water down my back. I shot up out of bed, threw on my tennis shoes, grabbed my .270 hunting rifle and tucked my Glock .45 in my pants.
“Not again, dammit,” I muttered.
I sprinted out the door of my trailer toward my Honda four wheeler. Usually if I was checking on my cows I’d saddle up Roanie. He was my, you guessed it, red roan quarter horse my grandpa bought me when I was ten. Tonight, however, there was no time; I needed to get to my cows faster.
I hopped on the Honda, slammed my rifle into the gun rack on the front and gunned it with the lights off. With the waxing moon over my shoulder there was enough light to make out the trails the cattle liked to take to the spring fed water trough.
I had a pretty good idea where the cows were, but I slowed down enough so I would be able to hear them over the purr of the engine. They still sounded angry so there was a chance I’d get a shot at what was bothering them. I suspected it was the coyotes that had taken some calves earlier that fall.
