New Moon

by Lisa Kessler

  He walked out, and one by one, others came forward, clasping my forearm in the traditional Pack greeting. Madeleine and her brother hugged each of my legs, and Isabelle came over and embraced me. I closed my eyes, holding her tight.

  “You made this possible,” I whispered.

  She shook her head and smiled up at me. “We did. Together.”

  Six months later

  “He’s coming out the back of the bar.” Isabelle’s voice came through my earpiece.

  I waited by a silver Mustang. Our target came out fast, running toward a Ford pickup. But a half-drunk human would never outrun me.

  I met him at the door. “Everett Lewis?”

  His bloodshot eyes searched for a quick exit. He started to bolt, and I caught his arm.

  “I’ll take that as a yes.” I spun him around, hard, slamming him into the side of the truck as I cuffed his wrists. He should’ve counted himself lucky. Today wasn’t a good day to try my patience.

  It was my birthday, and nothing fouled my mood like seeing this date on the calendar.

  There wouldn’t be cake or cards. Celebrations ended the day my mother died in the fire. Since then, I’d done my best to stay busy and wait for the day to pass. Other than me, no one living knew when I was born.

  I wished I could forget.

  My birthday always reminded me of my mother, the loss tearing at old wounds. I’d skipped more birthdays than I’d ever celebrated.

  My father never remembered the date, which was just as well.

  Isabelle came up behind me. “Nicely done.”

  I glanced over my shoulder. “I had a good tip.”

  Shoving the pain aside, I stuffed our quarry in the back of the car.

  Every day it seemed I discovered more of my perceptions about the werewolves had been false. First, working with a partner, or a Pack, not only made the jobs easier, but more tolerable as well. I enjoyed helping Isabelle, and knowing someone had my back didn’t make me feel weak like I’d assumed it would.

  It made me stronger.

  We delivered our man to the bail bondsman along with our invoice, then headed back to the apartment. Technically, I didn’t need to work, but spending what I’d inherited from my father sickened me. I didn’t want his blood money.

  Instead, I embraced this new start with Isabelle and the Pack. We worked together, and I loved her more with each passing day.

  My past still lingered in the shadows. Since I’d moved to Reno, there had been two incidents with rogue jaguars from Nero. I’d helped the Pack defend their territory. Only one jaguar forced us to end him.

  Without the Nero compound, many of the jaguar shifters were struggling to cope with living in the human world. Without a safe territory to shift and a steady income, many of my father’s previous employees needed help.

  Before the fall of Nero, Adam and his Pack had successfully helped a new jaguar shifter, a newscaster bitten by my brother. Chandler had recently found a job at a television station as an afternoon anchor in Phoenix. He was living on his own and shifting during the new moon deep in the desert.

  The difference between Chandler and the ex-agents from Nero was, of course, their employment. Chandler had been a human man, working his way through the corporate jungles of television news. The men and women I wanted to help were trained killers. Much harder to find job placement. A few, like Natasha, had already hooked up with mercenary teams, unable to transition into a mundane life.

  Our best chance of protecting shifters from being exposed was to keep them from committing crimes and risking getting arrested.

  Isabelle rested her hand on my thigh. “You’re awfully quiet.”

  I shrugged. “Just thinking.”

  “About?”

  I glanced her way. “I think I’m going to talk to Vance about helping me set up a safe haven for former Nero operatives. He said there’s so much barren land in Arizona that no one would ever know we were there.”

  She squeezed my leg. “I need to stop by Adam’s before we head home. Maybe you can talk to him about your plan, too.”

  “All right.” I got onto the freeway headed for Adam’s ranch. My mind buzzed until I pulled into Adam’s driveway.

  Isabelle got out, and I followed her to the front door. When Lana gave birth to her twins, I vividly remembered leaving her flowers on this porch, knowing full well I’d never be able to meet my new niece and nephew.

  I never dreamed I’d be a part of their Pack someday.

  Adam answered the door and smiled. “Good to see you guys. Come on in.”

  Madeleine raced toward me with a happy squeal. I scooped her up, holding her over my head and enjoying her giggles.

  “Uncle ‘Bastian, everyone’s waiting for you, even Uncle Gareth! Come quick!”

  “For me?” I lifted a brow.

  “Sorry.” Lana shook her head. “We’re still mastering secrets.”

  I set Madeleine on the ground. “Everyone’s waiting for what?”

  Even Gareth. Why? In the last six months, he and I had formed a tentative tolerance between us. We weren’t going to drink beers and ride Harleys together, but we could be in the same room and not make everyone else uncomfortable with our cold stares.

  His mate, Nadya, had tried to help heal old wounds. She had a kind heart and a strong spirit, and although my information might have saved her life, that one act would never bring back Gareth’s twin brother.

  “Don’t ask me.” Isabelle shrugged. But there was a spark in her eyes.

  I focused on Adam. “Is there a problem I should know about?”

  “You’ve got to pretend to be surprised.” Isabelle nudged me. “Even Sasha used a day off for this.”

  I looked from Isabelle to Lana and Adam and back again. “For what?”

  Isabelle grabbed my hand and dragged me down to the barn. The scent of hamburgers on the barbecue made it impossible for me to smell anything else. I struggled to figure out what this meeting could be about.

  When we rounded the corner, the barn aisle was decorated with birthday streamers and balloons. In the center was a table with a cake. Our Pack surrounded us. I was dumbfounded. I hadn’t told a soul, not even Isabelle.

  I swallowed the giant lump in my throat. “This wasn’t necessary.”

  “I know.” Lana nodded, approaching us from behind. “But I’ve never gotten to bake a cake for my brother, so…”

  Adam clapped a hand on my shoulder. “This was Isabelle’s idea, but we all wanted to get in on the party.”

  I stepped back. “After all I’ve done?”

  “You saved Adam and Madeleine.” Isabelle took my hand. “And me and Vance.”

  At the sound of his name, my friend strode around the corner. He grinned, stopping beside Luke and Raven. “I’ve known you all these years and never knew you had a birthday.”

  “I don’t celebrate it.” I turned to Isabelle. “How did you find out?”

  “When I hacked into Nero’s files last year looking for information about my dad. I might’ve read over your file, too. Just to know what I was facing.”

  I stared at the cake. “You didn’t have to do this.”

  Adam came up beside me. “Making you part of this Pack hasn’t been an easy transition, but the really good things in life never are, right? Since your father isn’t pulling the puppet strings anymore, we’ve got jaguar allies now instead of enemies.” Adam crossed his arms. “You make our Pack stronger. We wanted to celebrate your birthday with you.”

  My heart clenched as I shook my head. “I don’t know what to say.”

  Isabelle grabbed my hand. “Start with thank you.”

  “Thank you.” I chuckled.

  Vance raised a beer in my direction. “Happy birthday, Sebastian.”

  Madeleine and Malcolm led everyone in a verse of “Happy Birthday” that included me smelling like a monkey.

  And I’d never dreamed I might feel this kind of acceptance. I pulled Isabelle close and kissed her lips. “I love you.�
�

  She grinned. “Good thing.”

  I claimed her lips again, chuckling as the chants of “Get a room!” echoed through the barn aisle. When I broke the kiss, Gareth was making his way through the others. I stiffened, readying myself for…I wasn’t sure what.

  “Happy birthday.” Without preamble he reached forward and grasped my forearm, almost painfully, his dark eyes demanding my full attention. “I never said it before, but welcome to the Pack.”

  “Thank you.” And I meant it.

  He released my arm. “I’m still watching you.”

  I nodded, biting back a smile. “I would expect no less.”

  He smirked, shoving my shoulder as he returned to his mate.

  While Adam and his brother took burgers off the grill, Isabelle led me over to one of the horses at the end of the barn. She kept her voice low. “I didn’t know you were keeping your birthday a secret on purpose. I hope I didn’t fuck with your heart too much. I just wanted to celebrate with everyone.” Concern lined her brow. “Are you all right?”

  I tucked her hair behind her ear, memorizing her face. “Marry me.”

  Her eyes widened. “What?”

  “You heard me.” I glanced at the others and back to her. “Be my wife, Isabelle. Please.”

  A smile lit up her face. “You’re serious?”

  I nodded slowly. “You’ve given me a new life, a family, and more love than I ever deserved.” A grin crept up on me. “But I’m selfish enough to want even more.”

  She rose on her tiptoes and whispered against my lips, “Yes.”

  I laughed, scooping her up into my arms.

  Redemption was a priceless gift, and although I probably wasn’t worthy, I accepted Isabelle’s love and offered my body, heart, and soul in return.

  I would protect her, and this Pack, with every ounce of my being for the rest of my life. And while I couldn’t erase the sins of the past, I could atone for them and make a brighter future.

  Isabelle Wood taught me that.

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  Acknowledgments

  Now that we’ve reached the end of the Moon Series and the Wolf Pack has come full circle, I’ve got a long list of people to thank. First off, thanks to Ray Bradbury. Meeting him changed my life and his challenge to write a new short story every week for a year led to me writing the first chapter of Moonlight, which led to the entire Moon Series.

  Big thanks to Liz Pelletier and the Entangled Publishing team for taking a chance on the Wolf Pack and for all their support for the series. Thanks to Jenn Mishler for helping me polish this one and get it ready for readers, and thanks to Bridget O’Toole for helping readers find the Wolf Pack. I also need to thank my agent, Laurie McLean, for her unwavering belief in me and this series. You’re the best!

  To my intrepid beta readers, Denise Fluhr, Heather Cox, and Elizabeth Neal, thanks again for reading so many books for me this year and all the encouragement and feedback.

  And to my beloved Night Angel reader street team, thanks for all the support, reviews, and excitement for this series. I’m so grateful the Wolf Pack brought us together…

  Finally, thanks to Ken and Panda and Reno who have endured watching me weep at the keyboard as I pound out books and fall in love with fictional characters. Thanks for believing in me even when my faith starts to falter. You guys are everything to me.

  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 authorlisakessler.com. She loves hearing from readers—LdyDisney@aol.com

  Discover the Moon series…

  Moonlight

  Hunter’s Moon

  Blood Moon

  Harvest Moon

  Ice Moon

  Blue Moon

  Wolf Moon

  Also by Lisa Kessler

  Night Thief

  Night Walker

  Night Demon

  Night Child

  Beg Me to Slay

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