by Lexie Davis
A Total-E-Bound Publication
www.total-e-bound.com
Seduced by Moonlight
ISBN # 978-1-907280-20-7
©Copyright Lexie Davis 2009
Cover Art by Lyn Taylor ©Copyright October 2009
Edited by Jess Bimberg
Total-E-Bound Publishing
This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Total-E-Bound Publishing.
Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Total-E-Bound Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.
The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.
Published in 2009 by Total-E-Bound Publishing 1 The Corner, Faldingworth Road
, Spridlington, Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, LN8 2DE, UK.
Warning: This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has been rated Total-e-burning.
Exotic Wolves
SEDUCED BY MOONLIGHT
Lexie Davis
Dedication
To Austin.
Trademarks Acknowledgement
The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmark mentioned in this work of fiction:
Mustang: Ford Motor Company
Chapter One
“Oh, Ms. Knight, this is breathtaking.”
Chloe stood next to her latest work of art, smiling. She agreed, but thought it would be rude to tell her customer that. “I’m glad you like it, Ms. Keller. This is the final piece in the Knight Wolves collection.”
The painting was of one single wolf howling at the moon. His fur was silver in the moonlight as he stood on the edge of a cliff overlooking water below. The water glistened below with tiny ripples painted in intricate detail. It was one of Chloe’s favourites, a piece she was most proud of.
“Oh, I do hate to hear that. I love the Knight Wolves collection.” Ms. Keller tapped her husband’s shoulder to gain his attention. “Dear, I do want this painting. I want all of the paintings in Ms. Knight’s collection.”
Without another word said, her husband pulled out his cheque book. “How much?”
Chloe barely contained the bubble of thrill escalating through her body. She told him the price for all five original paintings, and he wrote her a cheque. This hefty little sum would definitely help in updating her studio that was for sure.
The art gala ended around ten with most of her fifty pieces sold to very generous customers. Chloe couldn’t believe it. What started out as a dream now became a career—her career—and it was all because she loved to doodle on canvas.
“Wow, Ms. Knight, you made a fortune this time. Isn’t this your first art show?” Dana Mercer, the owner of Broadway Gallery, asked.
Chloe took the art pieces that hadn’t sold off the wall and organised them into specific wet canvas boxes. “No. This is my second show. The first one was at the gallery on Fifth Street
. They weren’t exactly interested in my wolves, choosing to accept painted blocks of different colours as art instead.”
None of it really mattered to her though. Chloe wasn’t in this for the money, even after several of her friends told her she should be.
“That’s too bad. I would love to have you come back here. Or perhaps keep some of your art on display at all times? We need talent like yours in our gallery.” Dana smiled.
Chloe looked at the pieces before her. Would it really hurt to leave them here? They would get more exposure, and people seemed to love her work. Slowly, but surely, she was making a name for herself. Maybe Dana Mercer and the Broadway Art Gallery was what she needed.
“Sure. I have probably ten pieces here that I can leave. I’ll be in the studio all this week so I can bring you new material by Saturday if you like.”
Dana beamed. “That would be fabulous. I’ll have my husband draw up the contract.”
After she signed the contract, Chloe walked out of the art gallery with a smile on her face. The Mercers were nice people, she concluded. They truly cared about their clientele, and their customers wanted Chloe’s art. Dana offered her a generous percentage of the sales, more than any of the other art galleries she’d contacted dared to consider. It was a nice business deal, one that was sure to take Chloe Knight: unknown painter from home, and make her, Chloe Knight: professional artist. She loved it.
The night air chilled her skin. The mid-May heat felt nice during the day, but the nights still held the spring coolness. She’d parked her car a block down the street, since the gallery’s space was limited.
She stopped next to the car and pulled out her keys. A pain shot through her skull, nearly blinding her with the force of it. She cried out and leaned against the car, reminding herself to breathe. She’d had bursts of pain often recently, though they never happened in the same general area of her body. The first had been in her leg about a week ago, making it impossible to walk. Her bones felt brittle, as if the slightest movement would break them. She grabbed the side of the car and inserted her key with a shaky hand.
This is what you get for eating sugary cupcakes and tea cookies instead of a real meal full of protein.
She climbed in the driver’s seat and gripped the steering wheel. Though the sharp pain eased, her head still throbbed beyond belief. Please. Just let me make it home. She stared into the darkness and blinked a couple times until her vision became clear again.
Chloe waited a few more minutes until she was satisfied she’d make it home okay before she cranked the engine of her car. A long, hot bath and a nice cosy bed called her name. She pulled out into traffic and the streetlights nearly blinded her. She stopped at a red light and grabbed her sunglasses, instantly relieving the sensitivity of her eyes. Weird.
When Chloe pulled in her driveway and parked the car, the night was anything but silent. She sat quietly listening to the leaves rustling in the wind. A wolf howled at a distance. A cat scrambled in the woods behind lining her property. That’s odd. She furrowed her brows in distaste. She hated cats.
She grabbed her purse and climbed from the car. Her legs wobbled when she tried to stand. Just make it inside. She took a step, then another. If she passed out now or fell, no one would be around to help her.
When she reached the steps to the front porch, she gripped the railing as her legs wobbled again. What’s wrong with me? Her stomach growled from lack of food, and a big fat cheeseburger sounded great.
She unlocked the door, flipped on the light, and the world spun again—only this time, there was nothing to catch her. Chloe fell to the ground as darkness surrounded her.
* * * *
“Your pack needs you, Maxim,” Quinn, leader of the Gray Wolves pack, stated. “We’ve been watching a stray on the northern boarder of our land, and she’s about to go through her first change and the needing phase. We need you to help her survive them both.”
Max shovelled mashed potatoes in his mouth to prevent his automatic response of ‘hell no’. For years, the Gray Wolves had coaxed younglings through their first change. Max’s bloodline was the best to help the younglings survive. He hated that only certain pack members cared for the youngling’s needing phase, and he was th
e main one. But he refused to be prostituted any longer. Too many years, too many lovers and one too many deaths. He took a swallow of his wine and tried to push Janie’s memory from his mind. That was not something he needed to think about.
“Come on, Maxim. Everyone else is tied up. You are the only one that can help, otherwise she’ll die. Do you want a poor, defenceless stray to die because you simply refused to help her?”
Max wasn’t about to take his bait. He and Quinn were twins and often thought alike. He knew his brother, the controlling and cynical one, kept a close eye on everything that came into their territory. If for nothing else, he needed to snoop to prevent conflict with the Black Wolves—another problem Max wasn’t up for solving.
“And if she dies with my help, who’s to blame there, Quinn?” Max cut into his steak, refusing to look at his brother. “I’m not going through this anymore. I’ve been down that road too many times because you needed me. There are plenty of other capable males. Let one of them take care of the youngling.”
“Everyone’s busy, Max. Believe me, I’ve tried to find another way but I’m out of options. You are the only one, and if you don’t coax her through the change and take care of her needing phase, she’ll be a target for all the Black Wolves to come prey on. She needs your protection or she will end up dead, and that would not only be one on your current roster, but two.”
Max narrowed his eyes, and Quinn sighed. “Look, Maxim, I know how much Janie meant to you. We all loved her, but you need to stop blaming yourself for her death. She was weak. She wasn’t strong enough to handle the change and went sadistic when she did. You couldn’t protect her from herself, and the sooner you realise that, the better off you’ll be.”
Max stopped eating and stared into his brother’s eyes. “I killed her.”
“It was inevitable and in the past. Janie turned on you, and you defended yourself. That’s not the same as flat out not helping this youngling. She needs you, Max. If you don’t help her she’ll die and then it will be your fault.” Quinn pushed away from the table.
Max watched his brother walk away. At eighteen, he and Quinn rebelled against their parents by leaving their pack to for a new pack, the Gray Wolves. It was hard at times, but they made it through together, finally settling in and adding a few other members—outcasts from other packs. Roni and Sasha came from the southern clan outside of Denver and were twins like Max and Quinn. Hopper and Thunder came from the eastern pack, twins as well. Together, they made up the Grey Wolves, and Max was proud to be one of them.
But none of this made sense. How could they have a youngling in their territory that he didn’t know about? Granted, he had just gotten back from a hiatus in Alaska and was recovering from a bit of a meltdown he’d had over Janie’s death, but Quinn should have told him something as important as this. Max pushed away from the table and went to seek Quinn out for answers. If he was going to agree, he needed to know everything. And Quinn keeping secrets from him wasn’t a great start.
“Why didn’t you tell me before about this youngling? I know nothing about her. If she’s in our territory, I should have been notified.”
Quinn stood in the kitchen and picked a grape from Roni’s bowl on the counter, popping it into his mouth.
“Where did she come from? How did you find out about her? Does she know what she is or am I going to have to start at the fucking beginning with her and convince her I’m not a crazed lunatic looking to get laid. And why the hell are you telling me two days before the next full moon?” His frustration was evident and the damned silence was annoying as hell. How could Quinn do this to him, especially right after he returned to the Gray Wolves.
“So this means you’ll do it, little brother?”
“I want answers.”
Max waited while Quinn chewed another grape. Roni stayed quiet, minding her own business, off to the side.
“She came here two months ago when you went on the sabbatical in the middle of nowhere by yourself. From what I’ve discovered in watching her, she’s employed as an artist and does one hell of a job painting wolves. It’s her specialty. The guys and I have kept a close eye on her for protection, and so far, no threats have come. She knows nothing, to my knowledge, about her heritage and is probably going to need some time to take in what you’ll tell her. But she’s young, Maxim. She’s never been with another wolf.”
Max swallowed hard. A virgin? Of course she was. Fuck. “Two days, Quinn? You give me two fucking days to figure all this shit out?”
Quinn crossed his arms over his chest. His muscles bulged with the slight movement. “There’s nothing to figure out. You know the process better than any one here. You go to her, explain what she is and see her through the change and the needing while protecting her from the damned horny bastards that will come out of the woodworks for her. She knows nothing about the danger of the Black Wolves. How they prey on younglings and how they will kill her if she doesn’t serve their purpose. They don’t have females, and each time a new one comes around, they pounce like kittens on her. Can you really just let this woman go through all the shit they’d do because you have your own issues to deal with?”
“I’m just one man, Quinn. If they come to hurt her, I can’t fight them all.”
Quinn snickered. “Please. Everyone knows the almighty Maxim. You’d have a better chance at protecting her than the rest of our pack combined. Hell, that’s why you’re the best choice. Plus, you and Deacon have a relationship.”
‘Relationship’ was a strong choice of words.
“Deacon is nothing but an ass.” Max huffed a breath and rubbed his aching temples. “So I just see her through it? Be the proverbial knight in shining armour? That’s not the usual plan.”
Quinn stared at Roni, obviously remembering her change. “She’ll be a danger if left alone. If the Black Wolves don’t come after her, which I highly doubt, others will when they smell her scent. And I’m not so sure everyone will be nice about it.”
“So I bring her here? What rational human being will agree to leave her home with a strange man? For protection or not. She isn’t going to accept what she is very well. She isn’t going to like me very much. And I’ll bet everything I own, she won’t come home with me either.”
“You bring her here like you brought Roni and Sasha and Janie.”
Max shook his head. “They knew what they were—what we are—before they changed. This girl knows jack squat. Damn, Quinn, she’s a virgin to everything. At least Roni and Sasha half-changed before their first full moon, several times, in fact. At least we could protect them that way. This girl’s got nothing.”
Quinn pursed his lips. “Go to her tonight. Explain to her what she is. She’ll probably have some inkling as to what’s going on with her body, with the sickness and need for sex. See if you can get her to half change before the full moon which will help both of you out. The Black Wolves will come, Maxim. We just don’t know when. When they do, however, you call us. It’s the plan we’ve always used and it’s the plan that’s always worked.”
Annoyed, Max left the room and headed up the grand staircase of the mansion he and his pack shared. It didn’t take a genius to figure out this was going to be nothing but hell. The upcoming full moon would not only be torture for her but him as well. It was the one time of the month a female werewolf was fertile. While he, as a male, could change anytime of the month he wanted, females only took wolf form when they were fertile—for mating reasons, so to speak. The first change was the worst because the females were insatiable with lust. They fought and killed for sex, turning into monsters, and sometimes they died because of it. Like Janie.
He entered his room and flopped down on his bed. Most females had no memory of the first change beyond the events before, the pain during and the fatigue afterward. And that was only if they survived through it. He could only imagine what a youngling who didn’t know her heritage would be like.
Max pulled out a bag from underneath his bed, hoping he wou
ldn’t need too much of his ‘human’ stuff. For one night, from dusk ‘til dawn, he would cater to the wolf within her, to the needs of this youngling who would hopefully survive her first change. He shoved clothing in the bag. A damn virgin. He stopped and took a deep breath. He’d never been with a virgin before.
He carried his bag down the stairs and met the rest of his pack in the large living room. “Looks like I’m out. Where’s the girl at?”
Quinn gave him the directions. “We’ll expect you back after the full moon. If you run into any trouble, you know the number.”
Sasha’s eyes filled with tears. “You just came back.”
Max opened his arms and hugged her. “I’ll be back soon enough. Keep Hopper in line while I’m gone, okay? He needs someone to kick his ass regularly.”
“You got that all wrong, bozo. I kick your ass regularly.” Hopper smirked.
Max said his goodbyes to everyone, leaving Quinn for last. His brother was all business. “Her name is Chloe. Bring her back after the full moon is over.”
Max nodded and left.
It was dark outside, the moon being his only source of light. He walked to the woods and stripped off all of his clothes. He tied the bag around his waist and shifted. After fifteen years of being able to shift, the process became easier each time, but the aches in his bones would never go away. As each bone shifted, morphing into the wolf skeleton, Max howled with the slight pain. His bare skin itched as fur covered it, completing the transformation within seconds. His eyesight immediately became better, seeing perfectly into the night with little light to guide him. He heard a cat at a distance and took off towards it before he remembered he was on a mission. He huffed with annoyance and headed through the woods, to where Quinn said the youngling lived.
