Full Moon Lockdown

by Jackie Nacht

  Can surviving the horrors of the night lead Colin to find the one that was meant to love him and bring him back to the light?

  Colin Brantford is an Omega wolf. When his pack is destroyed by hellhounds, he and his brother are transported to Moon Compound. There, Colin must enter into a world where all wolf shifters are sent to learn to shift. Two years prematurely.

  Sloan Atwater has been at the compound for three years and still has no control of his wolf. That is until he spots Colin, making Sloan crave the slightest touch. Will he be able to claim Colin for his own? And when Colin needs Sloan, will he be able to control his wolf?

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

  Full Moon Lockdown

  Copyright © 2013 Jackie Nacht

  ISBN: 978-1-77111-641-1

  Cover art by Carmen Waters

  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 eXtasy Books

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  Full Moon Lockdown

  Moon Compound, Book One

  By

  Jackie Nacht

  To Jay, Tina, Janet and Jason…thank you for all your help. I couldn’t have done this without you.

  Chapter One

  The night was perfect—beautiful and serene with the comforting sounds of wolves running through the nearby forest. Most had already shifted and left for a run while Colin and his younger brother, Peyton, remained behind with some of the Elders who sat and talked by the fire pit. In two years, he would have his first shift, and after his stint at the compound, he would be able to join the rest of the pack on their nightly excursions.

  Sheesh, hopefully, he would only have to stay at the compound for a couple of years. Gods, Colin didn’t even want to think about going there. But as the time drew near, the place seemed to invade his thoughts more and more. Especially since Colin had just had his twenty-first birthday; that milestone seemed to implant the compound into the very core of his nightmares. It wasn’t like he could get out of it, so why think more on the place?

  All pre-shifters were sent to the compound to get control of their wolf before being released back to their families. Looking over at Peyton, he was thankful that at least he would have his brother with him after a year.

  Trying to shake off the thought of the hell he would inevitably have to face, Colin picked up a stick to poke the fire. Sparks flew into the air and swirled around them before extinguishing to blend into the night sky.

  Peyton nudged him. “What’s wrong?”

  His brother was almost an exact replica of him physically. He had short dark brown hair with blond streaks throughout, tan skin and sleek muscles. Peyton was the same height at a whopping five foot eight. The only difference the two had was their eyes. While Colin’s were cerulean, Peyton’s were a dark milk chocolate. Personality-wise, the two couldn’t be more different.

  Colin shook his head and leaned back on his hands. “The compound.”

  Peyton wrapped an arm around him. “You need to let that shit go. We all shift, and with that comes our stay at the compound. Do you want to go feral? Harm someone? We may live in the Upper Peninsula, but there are plenty of people around that you could kill or take a chunk out of.”

  Scrubbing a hand over his face, Colin whispered, “None of that, of course. I fear leaving you, the unknown...” He paused for a moment to swallow before continuing. “The pain. I would never want to hurt anyone. You know that, Peyton.”

  “Then, put the compound out of your mind. Enjoy these couple years. Dammit, can you just let it go for one night and have some fun? You’re always so damn serious. And remember, it’s not forever, just look at the pack. Do they look like they hate shifting? No, they’re having a hell of a time running around us. Work hard to get control of your wolf then get home. Simple as that.” Peyton turned and embraced Colin. The warmth of his brother seemed to soothe his fears.

  Their parents had died five years ago in an attack. The pack had helped raised them in the final years of childhood, but Peyton was all that Colin had left. While he cared deeply for his pack, he felt the only family he had was Peyton.

  “Besides, we’re Omegas, they always have a much shorter stint than the Alphas.”

  Colin laughed softly. Peyton always had a way of finding the silver lining. “You’re right. I’ll shake it off.”

  “Finally!”

  For the next couple hours, the two made hotdogs by the fire, played ball and listened to their pack run circles around them. Colin and Peyton smirked at each other as one of the Elders, Lyle, who looked no more than thirty-five, talked about times in history that had long since passed. Again.

  The sounds of several howls came not too far from the fire, followed quickly by the sounds of growls and the clashing of bodies. Colin jumped to his feet, grabbing for his brother. The Elders were scanning the surroundings, ripping clothes off to prepare to shift.

  “You boys need to get out of here. Go to the safe house,” Lyle yelled over to them.

  “We’re staying and fighting.” Colin stood firm, glancing over his shoulder at Peyton who was just as prepared as him.

  Lyle jerked Colin from Peyton and growled in his face. “With what, your fists? You won’t stand a chance against a hellhound, and others will die to protect you and your brother.” Lyle leaned in close to him. “You need to get Peyton safe. Think of him right now. Get the fuck to the safe house right now.”

  Lyle shoved Colin so hard that he fell into Peyton, who caught him.

  “Go!” Lyle roared before he shifted and took off toward the sounds of fighting, followed by several other Elders.

  Colin stood frozen to the spot, thinking how the whole pack was in that fight. Then, he thought of what Lyle had said to him. He and his brother didn’t stand a chance. “We need to move now.”

  “But Lyle and the others,” Peyton began to protest then jumped when a yelp came not too far from their location.

  “Lyle is right. We need to listen to him, or we will hurt them more than help.”

  Colin took off with Peyton close on his heels. The safe house was a good mile away. They were fast, but the sounds of fighting were quieting and the feeling of being hunted was crawling over Colin’s chilled skin. He pushed on, trying not to think of what the silence could mean. All that mattered was getting Peyton safe.

  The sounds grew louder, and Colin glanced over his shoulder to see three hellhounds bearing down on them. The enemies were huge, much like their own wolf, but where the wolf had beauty, hellhounds had horror. Black heavily muscled dogs that had black fur and black eyes. There was absolutely no color to the creature except for the blood-coated muzzle. Blood that no doubt belonged to one of his pack family.

  Gods, they were too far away—weren’t even going to make it close to the safe house. The thought didn’t even have time to sink in before Colin felt the impact of the hound behind him. Cr
ying out, he tumbled over the unforgiving forest floor of rocks and twigs. Not too far away, he heard Peyton wail in anguish. Scrambling, trying to get to his feet, he sought out his brother who had two hounds looming over him, toying with their prey. One had Peyton by the arm, sinking its teeth in deeply while his brother let out a bloodcurdling scream.

  Colin felt a hand grabbing his ankle, dragging him away from Peyton. He tried to dig his fingers into the ground to find purchase, but the hound, even in demon form, was far too powerful. The hounds were separating them. Colin tried to find a root to grab onto, but he couldn’t find a grip. All he could do was look on as Peyton was trying to fight the other two monsters off. Turning, he gazed at the hellhound in demon form. The demon was built strong, with tan skin and black hair and eyes that held no soul in them. Colin was utterly frozen in terror as the demon smirked at him.

  “Omega.” The hellhound voice was distorted, almost indecipherable.

  Howls filled the surrounding forest, and the demon shifted back into his hellhound form. Large wolves descended on the scene. The fighting was fierce and bloody. One hellhound nearly crushed him as he tried to get back to Peyton. Maneuvering around them was difficult, but Colin needed to see if Peyton was okay.

  Colin finally made it over, and what he saw had him choking out a sob. Peyton was moaning softly while a wolf stood in front of him, protecting him. Grabbing the hem of his shirt, Colin pulled it off to apply pressure to the wound on Peyton’s arm. He was bleeding heavily, and if he didn’t get help soon…no, he wouldn’t even think it.

  “Colin?” Peyton moaned.

  “I’m here. I need to put pressure on your arm. It’s going to hurt.” Colin pushed down, and Peyton hissed in pain.

  Peyton’s teeth began to chatter, and his blood-coated face paled before Colin’s very eyes. He turned as the last sound of fighting ceased. The wolves took out the three hounds with bloody efficiency. The fighting took no more than a couple of minutes, gaining victory over the hellhounds with ease.

  A couple wolves shifted, and two large Alpha males approached. The one who stood in front of Peyton knelt down. “Let me take a look at him.”

  “Who are you?” No way was Colin moving aside and trusting someone with his brother.

  “Rayce, I’m a guard at the Moon Compound on the island. We had intel that hellhounds were attacking packs along the shore and forest area here.” Rayce stared down at Peyton, his fists clinching and his lips pursed. “I need to look at him. He needs help.”

  Stepping back, Colin mumbled, “Peyton.”

  “Huh?” Rayce eyed him with confused violet eyes.

  “My brother. His name is Peyton,” Colin whispered, and Rayce nodded, moving in closer.

  Moving aside, Colin watched as the man tended to his brother's wounds as best he could without having a med kit on him or clothes for that matter.

  Finally, the man turned to the other one. “We need air support to get him back.”

  “Rayce, we can’t take them there.” The other guy protested, handing Rayce a pair of black pants. He quickly put them on before getting back to work on Colin's brother.

  “We are, and we aren’t arguing. Now, call the copter in.” Rayce picked up Peyton, murmuring softly to him and gently carried him with Colin hot on their heels. He knew exactly where Rayce was leading them. There was an open field not too far from there. A perfect place where they could get a helicopter to land.

  “We need to tell our pack,” Colin huffed out.

  Rayce turned, eyes filled with sympathy, and Colin knew immediately. He bent over, putting his hand on his knees, the loss so heavy, he could barely stand. Tears brimmed in his eyes, but he had to put the pain aside momentarily to help Peyton out. He would mourn later.

  Standing, Colin hoarsely asked, “How many survivors?”

  Frowning, Rayce stared down at Peyton before rumbling out, “None.” Rayce walked away with Peyton, soothing him as he moaned in pain.

  Colin ran over and helped Rayce with Peyton, continually having to wipe his eyes as they blurred. Trying to be brave, he held a cloth to the ugly gashes on Peyton’s face and chest while Rayce took care of the arm. There was so much blood, he felt at a loss as to how to keep his brother from bleeding out.

  Other men came over and took over applying pressure to the several wounds. They seemed to know a little more about taking care of the wounded.

  Colin stood back, hugging himself and trying to keep it together.

  Another man came up to Colin. “Here, I need to take a look at this.” The man stood at least six foot five like the rest of the wolf shifters. The man gently touched the back of his arm.

  Numbly, Colin sat down while the man examined his arm. Small cuts and scrapes covered him from the fall.

  “They should be fine once we get them cleaned out. The name's Malach. If you need anything, let me know.” Malach stood and walked over to the open field and began talking on a sat phone.

  A few minutes later, the sound of the helicopter could be heard coming across the waters of Lake Superior. It must have been at the compound at Isle Royale. The wind picked up fiercely, causing Colin to cover his eyes against flying debris.

  The group moved quickly toward the helicopter as it landed. Rayce, holding Peyton, jumped in first, and Colin was followed closely by the remaining guards.

  They took off and banked quickly north, and that’s when Colin became confused. The hospital was definitely east of here. “Where are we going? Sault Ste. Marie is east.”

  Rayce glanced over his shoulder. “We aren’t going to Sault Ste. Marie. We’re taking you to Moon Compound.”

  Panic bubbled up inside of Colin, causing him to lash out. “The fuck you’re taking us there!” he screamed, grabbing for Peyton. No way in hell was he going there and neither was Peyton. Peyton needed a damn hospital. Colin attempted again to reach for his brother. There was no rhyme or reason to it. It wasn’t like he could take them anywhere, but he wasn’t thinking clearly through the fear.

  “Contain him,” Rayce shouted to a guard over Colin’s shoulder.

  Malach grabbed him from the side while another grasped him from behind, holding him down while he strained to break free.

  “He needs to go to the hospital,” Colin pleaded.

  “And there are no better doctors for our kind than the ones at the compound. They will be able to handle his injuries far better than any human doctor. Your name?” Malach tried to reason with him. Impossible. Too much shit had happened to him.

  “Colin,” he mumbled.

  Malach kept talking to him, trying to use a soft voice, telling him everything was going to be okay, using Colin’s name over and over.

  Colin slumped on the floor of the helicopter, too wounded emotionally and physically to continue the useless fight. Five minutes later, they descended. Rayce and Peyton were the first to exit.

  Malach released and assessed him. “You going to behave, or do we have to restrain you?”

  Feeling decades older than his twenty-one years, Colin whispered, “I’ll behave.” They stepped out of the helicopter, and Colin realized they landed on a pad in the front of the compound. Looking up and up, Colin eyed the dark, foreboding place. Solid gray stone walls were the exterior of the four-story Moon Compound. Guards lined the electrical fences that outlined the acres of land that kept the new shifters contained from harming others.

  Several guard towers surrounded the area, keeping watch on the facility and them. Colin shivered as one of the guards eyed him from afar. You wouldn’t think with that much distance you could actually feel someone’s eyes on you, but Colin did, and it made his skin crawl.

  “Follow me; we need to go talk to the Elders and find out where to place you then debrief on what happened.” Malach grabbed a hold of his upper arm, pulling him toward the huge double steel doors. The only reason he didn’t drag his heels was that Peyton was in there, and his brother needed him right now. Walking on his own two feet through the threshold, he jumped as
the doors shut with an echoing slam behind him. Gods, so that’s what the sound of losing one’s freedom was.

  Chapter Two

  Pacing. That’s all that Sloan ever did in this fucking shoebox of a room. Even though the full moon wasn’t until tomorrow, lockdown was in place. Like Sloan, the other Alphas were too on edge to be trusted during the nights. Fights broke out, sexual appetite increased and everyone was in agreement to keep them locked up tight to prevent anyone from being hurt. That’s why they all lived in this hell, right?

  Footsteps sounded down the hall, quick and hurried. Leaning his arms on the bars, Sloan watched as Rayce ran by with a man in his arms. Seconds later, Malach and the remaining guards walked by, circled around a young man who looked like he had been in one hell of a fight and came out on the losing end. Scratches marred sleek tan muscles. Short brown hair with blond highlights had dirt caked throughout. Sloan’s attention was drawn to the man, craving to see his face. He wanted to…yes! The man slowly turned and gazed at Sloan. Gone was the excitement as he stared into despairing cerulean eyes. Eyes that had seen too much. What the hell had happened to him?

  “Colin, we need you to go in here.” Malach talked to the man, gesturing to the cell across from Sloan.

  “But my brother,” Colin protested.

  “Your brother will more than likely be going into surgery. I need to debrief with the Elders, and I’m sorry to say this, but it’s just too damn dangerous to leave you unlocked on the night before the full moon. I’ll have a nurse come in to check on your wounds soon as we can.” Malach led Colin into the cell.

  “Please, he needs me,” Colin choked out.

  Malach closed the cell door, leaving the guy behind bars. Sloan swallowed as he felt the sorrow of the young man seep across the hallway to him. “We will take good care of him. I promise you, Colin. And just as soon as he’s ready to see visitors, you’ll be the first one sitting by his side.”