Hunger Moon

by Merryn Dexter

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Hunger Moon

  Copyright 2016 by Merryn Dexter

  ISBN: 978-1-68361-070-0

  Cover art by Mina Carter

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by Decadent Publishing Company, LLC

  Look for us online at:

  www.decadentpublishing.com

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Epilogue

  Wolf Moon by Desiree Holt

  Dear Reader

  I am so pleased to be working again with the amazing Decadent Publishing team – dreams really do come true! My imagination is fired up so I hope to be able to bring you many more stories in partnership with them. I had so much fun playing in the fabulous world of the Moonlight pack while writing Silver Moon that I couldn’t wait to return.

  Troy and Bel certainly put me through the emotional wringer, but the best kind of love stories are the ones you have to fight hard for.

  I would be thrilled to hear from you about this book, Hot Moon Rising, Wiccan Haus, the Black Hills Wolves, soup recipes, holidays, or anything else that crosses your mind. I’m a military spouse currently resident in Belgium and working from home so always happy for a distraction!

  You can email me at merryn.dexter@yahoo.com or find me on Facebook or Twitter @MerrynDexter. I also have a website www.merryndexter.com and a blog www.merryndexter.blogspot.be.

  Best Wishes

  Merryn x

  The Hot Moon Rising Series

  Wolf Moon by Desiree Holt

  Venus Moon by Desiree Holt

  Blood Moon by Desiree Holt

  Hidden Moon by Afton Locke

  Moonlight Danger by Tina Donahue

  Silver Moon by Merryn Dexter

  Hunger Moon by Merryn Dexter

  Coming Soon

  Second Chance Desire by Dominique Eastwick

  Also by Merryn Dexter

  A Mate’s Healing Touch

  A Mate’s Redeeming Touch

  Soul of Flame

  Mating Dance

  Silver Moon

  Hunger Moon

  A Charming Mask

  Troy Lansing, envoy to the Brighton Pack has one mission – to find out everything he can about the new wolf pack living near his father’s territory. He offers the hand of friendship to the Moonlight pack, there’s just one problem. His father isn’t in the business of making friends.

  A Stranger with Secrets

  Belinda Thomas, omega to the Moonlight Pack is tasked by her alpha to find out the truth behind Troy’s façade. Her omega abilities give her a unique insight into the hearts of other wolves. When she comes face to face with the enigmatic Troy, she doesn’t know what to make of him. Her wolf knows though.

  A Forbidden Passion

  Bound by secrets, duty and honor, Troy and Bel are drawn to each other, moths to the destructive flames of their passion. They will risk it all for the hunger driving them both.

  A Desperate Fight

  Can Troy and Bel find a way to save the Moonlight pack from the evil clutches of the Brighton alpha? The final fight for freedom might cost them more than their love; they might have to pay the ultimate price.

  Dedication

  For M. Who brings a little bit of magic into my life every day.

  Hunger Moon

  Hot Moon Rising Book 7

  By

  Merryn Dexter

  Moonlight Wolf Pack

  Charlie Aquino (human) – Detective for the sheriff’s gang task force for Palmetto County Sheriff’s Department. His partner is Jesse Farrell.

  - Mate: Liana Cosa

  Liana Cosa Aquino – Refugee from a different pack. She works part-time as a waitress at Moonlight Diner.

  - Mate: Charlie Aquino

  Silver Ellis (human) – Was the witness of a violent crime and placed in Kirk’s protection as a favor to Jesse Farrell and Charlie Aquino. Works as a school teacher.

  - Mate: Kirk Matheson

  Alexa Martin Farrell – Left her pack over a disagreement with her alpha. She moved to Florida and helped the pack find a small community of cottages in Moonlight, Florida. She works as an Internet researcher and gets jobs through her online website. She also does research for The Defenders.

  - Mate: Jesse Farrell

  Jesse Farrell (human) – Detective for the sheriff’s gang task force for Palmetto County Sheriff’s Department. His partner is Charlie Aquino.

  - Mate: Alexa Martin (who saved him when on assignment he was attacked by a gang)

  Riesa Marlowe (human) – A psychic who helped locate Hannah Raines.

  - Mate: Derek Sawyer

  Kirk Matheson – Works for The Defenders Agency. Has a cabin offset in the woods, about a mile from town.

  - Mate: Silver Ellis

  Hannah Raines Molina – She was kidnapped and saved by Jesse and Charlie with the help of Riesa Marlowe, a psychic. Works as Alexa Martin’s research assistant.

  - Mate: Rand Molina

  Rand Molina - Derek’s second-in-command in the Moonlight pack. Partners with Derek Sawyer at The Defenders, a private security agency.

  - Mate: Hannah Raines

  Derek Sawyer – Alpha of a small pack. Most of their original clan was destroyed when developers took the land they were living on and many of their pack were killed by hunters. They hid in an abandoned orange grove until Alexa offered them the bungalows in exchange for their help. He and the others have embraced Jesse and Alexa and Charlie and Liana and given the female shifters a new sense of belonging.

  - Partners with Rand Molina at The Defenders Agency, a private security and bodyguard agency.

  - Mate: Riesa Marlowe

  Alan Shifflett - When shifted, Alan appears with snaggled teeth and missing patches of hair. He’s prone to violent outbursts. His teeth tear his lips, leaving wounds when he shifts. His father owns Moonlight Diner, which he is currently managing. He is also a programmer.

  - Mate: Shelley Fields

  The Defenders Agency - A private security and bodyguard agency formed by Rand and Derek once they were established in the little enclave of cottages. It provides good income for the pack. A majority of the pack is involved in the cases they take.

  Jesse and Charlie are their contacts with the sheriff’s department and also refer many cases to them.

  Chapter One

  Troy Lansing paused outside the door of his adopted father’s study and sucked in a deep breath. He held it for a count of ten, listening to Clark raving about whatever latest event had riled his legendary temper. He could walk away, pretend he hadn’t received the demand for his presence. Could find a warm and willing
female and lose himself in a sweaty tangle of limbs. Could get in his car and keep driving until he hit the state line and escaped the daily madness of his life among the Brighton pack.

  A dull thud impacted the other side of the heavy wooden door, followed by a groan of pain. Shit! Once Clark got physical no one in the vicinity was likely to escape unscathed. Glass crashed and a high-pitched cry sent Troy slamming through the door. He scanned the room, taking in the scene of devastation. His father’s desk had been upended. Papers, folders, and the pretentious gold fountain pen set Clark used lay strewn across the thick Persian rug. A black stain decorated one wall, the viscous ink pooling against the baseboard like spilled blood. Diamond shards of glass winked in the dark ink, the remnants of the crystal inkwell Quinn had presented to Clark for his birthday.

  Quinn.

  Troy schooled his face to neutral as he studied the beginnings of a livid bruise on his sister’s left cheek. Green eyes, a mirror to his own, reflected his blank stare. Never one to be cowed by the worst of Clark’s outbursts, she stood at their father’s left hand. He let his eyes slide past her, noting the pursed lips of the man standing closer to Quinn than her own shadow. Nikolas, another of Clark’s adopted strays, served as the alpha’s hammer, a title his father gave him where others might choose protector or enforcer. Family he might be, but Nik was no brother to Troy. His father’s other “son,” Dutton, slumped unconscious at Troy’s feet having obviously lost his fight with the door.

  Clark Lansing stood in the center of the chaos, graying hair hanging across his forehead, lungs working like a set of bellows as he snorted and raged like a Pamplonan bull. The madness clouding his black eyes cleared when he fixed on Troy. “Where the fuck have you been?” he snarled.

  “I’m here now.” He edged his voice with defiance. Let the alpha focus on him. Let Troy be the needle to lance the putrid boil of their father’s rage. The scent of his sister’s blood strained his control to the limits. He needed her out of the room before his wolf snapped the steel chains in which he’d bound his other half. Stepping over the fallen man, he closed the distance between himself and Clark, near enough to be perceived as a threat. He kept moving, forcing his father to shift position until he’d turned his back on Quinn. Troy tucked his hands in the front pockets of his slacks, an insolent gesture he paired with the easy smile that served as the cornerstone of his reputation for charm. Now. Do it now, you nasty bastard.

  Keeping his eyes fixed on the alpha, he sent the force of his will toward Nikolas. Moving fast for a man of his immense size, the hammer clamped one hand over Quinn’s mouth and the other around her waist, carrying her from the room as though she weighed nothing. Tension seeped from Troy. The inevitable beating to come would be acceptable now he knew she was out of the firing line. Had Dutton been conscious they could’ve worn down Clark’s anger between them, but Troy was on his own.

  The first blow rocked him on his heels. Hot iron burst in his mouth, and he turned his head to spit blood onto the ruined rug. His father snarled. Eyes glittering, he lowered into a fighting stance. Sometimes drawing blood would be enough to satisfy the alpha. Not today, though. Troy copied him. Removing his hands from his pockets, he slipped off his flat-soled shoes and flexed his toes against the thick carpet. The shards of glass would be a minor irritant compared to the payoff of better balance and speed.

  “You think you can best me?” Clark sneered. Feinting to the left, he swung with his right, the blow glancing off Troy’s jaw as he turned his face with the momentum of the strike.

  “I know I can’t, Alpha.” He kicked out, catching the side of Clark’s knee, sending him staggering. Even if he could beat the faster, stronger man, Troy didn’t have what it took to lead a pack. He had dominance in spades but maintained enough self-awareness to acknowledge he lacked the special spark of a true alpha wolf. If he took Clark out, the pack would likely implode in a storm of blood and pain. The tentative bonds of peace between their disparate members relied on the alpha’s tight fist to hold them. The best he could do for now was channel the worst of Clark’s madness toward him. Troy cared about the pack. His beta-nature drove his need to protect and shield them. The cuts and bruises he gained today would heal soon enough. The scar tissue on his soul lay so thick another layer wouldn’t make much difference.

  A burning stripe of pain flashed across his chest. Blood welled between the tattered ruins of his shirt, thanks to the alpha’s claws. Troy threw his head back, releasing a roar of pain. He hated to give even a hint of his suffering, but he knew it would help to satisfy the demon in Clark that loved to hurt. They traded heavy blows. The wolf in Troy would not allow him to take the punishment without responding, but, unlike his father, he had enough control to avoid striking his face. Hard knuckles impacted his kidneys, and bile surged in the back of his throat. Distracted, he misjudged his own strike, leaving himself open to a roundhouse kick. Blood poured from his split eyebrow, obscuring his vision. Clark yipped in excitement, and Troy dropped to one knee. The scents of copper and sweat swirled in the air, feeding the alpha’s addiction. Let it be enough.

  Lowering his head, he tried to calm his rapid pulse. His wolf snarled, desperate to fight back, furious he might yield when they had strength left. The alpha leaned close, the rough edge of his tongue lapping at the wound on Troy’s forehead. Hot breath panted in his ear, and he schooled his gut not to rebel and unload its contents.

  He could hear Quinn screaming from the other side of the door, the deep rumble of Nikolas’s responses. The thick wood muffled the details of their conversation, but he knew she would be demanding entry. Nikolas protected Quinn, even from herself. It was his job. A task set him by the alpha at the first hints of her gaining maturity. He dogged her heels, cramped her style, and generally drove her crazy. Troy would have had no issue with it except for one thing—Nikolas served Clark with absolute loyalty and would kill Quinn if ordered to. A fact the alpha used to taunt and torture them all. Divide and conquer, the motto of the Brighton pack, was played out in gruesome technicolor within the alpha’s immediate family.

  A calloused hand cupped his cheek. Tears of impotent rage burned behind his eyes as warm fingers stroked his face, drawing him forward until Troy leaned against Clark’s strong torso. Love, hatred, and resentment swirled through him, and he clenched his fists at his sides, fighting the urge to throw his arms around his father’s waist and cling to him. This had been his life for too many years, and he needed to find a way to break free, before it destroyed them all.

  ***

  Ignoring the prickle of broken glass in his heel, Troy took his seat at the dining table. Freshly showered and shaved, Clark sat at the head of the shiny walnut rectangle, a beatific smile on his face. His approving gaze drifted around the table, pausing to rest on each of his four children. Troy didn’t return his smile. There was nothing to smile about, and he didn’t want to reopen the split in his lip. The cut over his eye had stopped bleeding, but the upper lid had swollen to the point he had no vision on his left side. He followed Clark’s gaze, turning his head to regard Dutton who sat beside him. They had coaxed him into a shift after he regained consciousness, and Troy was relieved to note his pallor had lost the sickly green taint. A fractured skull could do that to a man. Without the healing powers of their wolf nature, not one of them would have survived their father’s brutal idea of parenting.

  Clark reached for his glass, raising the slender flute of champagne before him in a silent toast. Four matching glasses lifted in response. The sharp, clean zest of alcohol flooded Troy’s mouth, washing away the sour bile. Quinn tipped her own glass steadily, draining the contents in a single draw. Nikolas touched his drink to his lips and returned it to the wrought silver coaster next to his bone-china plate. He stretched a thick arm across the table, the sleeve of his shirt inching back to reveal an intricate tattooed band at his wrist. Grasping the bottle, he refilled Quinn’s glass, returning her nod of acknowledgment. The stilted display of manners between them stoicall
y ignored the deep grooves she scratched in his cheek during her battle to get back into the study earlier.

  A pair of submissive females entered the room, placed cold starters before each of them, and fled the room on silent feet. Clark ran his pack like some kind of ancient feudal lord, demanding absolute loyalty from his dominants and servitude from the submissives. Troy and the others waited for their father to lift his silverware before they turned their attention to the food before them. They ate in silence for a few moments. A part of his mind acknowledged the excellent quality of the meal, but the majority of his attention stayed focused on the alpha. He still didn’t know what had triggered the fit of rage.

  Placing his knife and fork together, Clark patted his lips with the crisp linen napkin from his lap then steepled his fingers over the empty plate. “Dutton. Share your news with Troy,” he instructed. His calm, reasonable tone sent warning bells ringing in Troy’s head.

  Here we go. Flicking his one good eye up, he watched Quinn down her second glass of champagne. Their high metabolism made it hard to get anything other than the faintest buzz from alcohol, but it looked like she was going to do her best. Nikolas moved the bottle out of her reach, putting himself directly in the path of her wrath again. Troy shifted in his seat, unable to deal with the fucked-up dynamic between them.