Dark Moon Falls: Volume 2

by Bella Roccaforte

  “He’d sent a girl packing just before we hit Chicago, and the guy who was the baby daddy was freaked. I worried that he was going to get himself killed for the way he was going on and on about the woman we’d abandoned on the side of the road. So while everyone else was in Chicago, looking for fresh blood to join the pack, I helped that guy sneak away, reunited him with the woman he was in love with. Made them swear to never speak of what happened to anyone, and sent them on their way.

  “But then I had to cover for the fact that this guy was gone. Conveniently, Durango had recruited your brother, who obviously made it through the hazing process. That night, the three of us got drunk together, and Nick said he wanted Durango to tell his sister that he’d died, because he was afraid she—you—would come looking for him if you believed he was alive.”

  “He’s right. I would have.”

  “So the three of us concocted this ridiculous scheme that involved Nick getting into a fight with another shifter on the banks of the Chicago River. The plan was to say they both went in but only one survived. Nick wouldn’t be the survivor, of course. That was what Durango was supposed to tell you, except I stole the idea and told Vape, leading him to believe the guy who drowned was Pete, the guy I reunited with the girl we’d kicked out of the pack.”

  Hannah shook her head. “That’s not what Durango told me. He told me all about the hazing, said Nick hadn’t made it through the process.”

  Ben touched her knee. “I’m sorry you had to go through all that pain.”

  She stared down at her drink. “Why did so many people follow him? Vape, I mean. Everything about his pack sounds horrible.”

  “Vape was a very persuasive man. And most shifters are born followers, so someone with his charisma had no problem convincing others to buy into his dream, even if they didn’t truly believe in what he was doing. He’s the reason it’s so important to keep rogue packs in check. If I hadn’t killed him, he would have eventually figured out a way to escape, would have started a new pack, would not have given up on his goal of world domination.”

  They both sipped their drinks in silence for a few moments, until Hannah said, “What’s next? For you, I mean.”

  With his gaze fixed on her face, he said, “I’m ready to settle down.”

  He heard her sharp intake of breath. “Y-you are?”

  He nodded. “I’m going to move back here to Dark Moon Falls.” He gave the living room a cursory glance. “I’m going to need a place to stay while I look for a house. I’m considering building, actually.”

  She nodded, and he almost laughed at the serious look on her face.

  Canting his head, he said, “How many pups do you want?”

  “Er…why?”

  “I need to know how many bedrooms we need in the house I’m going to build for us.”

  A laugh burst from her lips. “You aren’t serious.”

  He didn’t laugh. “I am.”

  She sobered. “You…want to stay here? With me?”

  His gaze swept the room again. “Temporarily, this is fine. But I’m hoping you want a bunch of kids, which means we’re going to need a bigger place, eventually.”

  She gasped, her eyes huge. “You want a bunch of kids?”

  He nodded.

  “With me?”

  He nodded again.

  “Oh.”

  “Come here, Hannah.”

  She was up and off the couch before he finished saying her name. He stretched out his arms and she leaned forward. Gently, he cupped her ass and positioned her on his lap, smoothing his hands over her soft curves. “I love you, Hannah.”

  She gasped again. He kind of liked the sound.

  He nuzzled her neck, below her ear. She sighed and melted against him.

  “I know you love me too,” he whispered as he nibbled her earlobe.

  “You’re right.”

  He smiled. “I want to mate with you.”

  She made a gurgling noise. He chuckled. “I can wait, if you need to.”

  She shook her head. “No. I don’t want to wait.”

  “Good.” He grasped the hem of her sweatshirt and flipped it over her head. Her breasts were encased in black satin and lace. Pretty, but he wanted them exposed for his lips, so he unhooked the clasp and tossed the contraption to the side before cupping her perfect tits. He kissed the top swell of each one in turn and then opened his mouth to suck in a nipple, but she slid two fingers under his chin and forced him to look her in the face.

  “We’re going to make it, aren’t we?”

  He kissed her nose. “Yep.”

  “Four.”

  “Huh?”

  “That’s how many kids I want.”

  He laughed and hugged her. “Well then, we’d better get to work.”

  “I love you. And that idea.”

  Epilogue

  His fingers linked with Hannah’s, Ben headed down the sidewalk toward the Wolf Inn. As he reached for the door, something slammed into his knees. He looked down at a towheaded little boy who was shaking his head like he’d just hit a brick wall.

  “You all right there, bud?” Ben asked.

  The kid looked up, and Ben stared into familiar dark orbs. Her eyes and dark complexion had been the only physical aspects of Felicia her son had inherited. The blond hair, the nose, the lips—everything else, Ben assumed—were from the child’s father.

  Which was how Ben had known the pup wasn’t his.

  “Caleb! Caleb—oh, there you are. What are you doing?” A man hurried down the sidewalk, his gaze on the child, who dropped his head to stare at his shoes. The man was tall, with straw-colored hair and, other than the eyes, features that mirrored the boy’s.

  “I wanted ice cream,” the kid mumbled.

  “Well, that’s fine, but you can’t just take off like that. And what are you doing bothering these nice people?”

  “He wasn’t bothering us,” Ben said.

  The man looked up and then furrowed his brow.

  “Ben Martinez.” He offered his hand.

  Standing, the man grasped Ben’s hand and shook slowly. “Tony. Tony Remington. You’re…you used to date Felicia, right?”

  Ben glanced at Hannah. She stood by his side, watching the exchange with nothing more than curiosity on her face, although she gave his hand what he assumed was a reassuring squeeze. He nodded.

  “Caleb is hers?”

  Tony dropped to one knee and pointed at a wooden bench about ten feet away. “Caleb, will you go sit over there for a minute, please? As soon as I’m done talking to these people, we’ll go get two ice creams, okay?”

  “Two?” The kid’s eyes were huge as Tony nodded. “Okay!” He bolted, hopped up onto the bench, and sat perfectly still aside from the swinging legs.

  “I’ve got about three minutes before he loses interest in sitting still and starts looking for trouble. Anyway, he’s mine. But yes, Felicia is his mother.”

  Ben canted his head. “You aren’t together?”

  With a head shake, Tony said, “She took off. Left him with me when he was about three months old and never came back. I have no idea where she is.” He paused and then added, “For the record, I didn’t know she was dating anyone when we…” He cleared his throat. “It was just a hookup with some chick I met in a bar. I didn’t think I’d ever talk to her again, until she informed me that I was a father. And that the fact that my genes were so strong was the reason she’d lost you.”

  “She never planned to tell me that she’d cheated on me,” Ben said. “If Caleb had dark hair, I would never have questioned his paternity.”

  Tony ran a hand through his hair. “I’m really glad you did. He’s a handful, but he’s mine, and I wouldn’t want anyone else raising him. No offense.”

  “None taken.”

  With his gaze on his son, Tony said, “Well, nice meeting you. I’d better hold to my promise.” He offered his hand for a second shake, nodded at Hannah, and then headed over to Caleb, scooping him off the seat a
nd situating the child on his shoulders before ambling down the sidewalk.

  “You okay?” Hannah asked.

  Ben watched them walk away. “Yeah.” He glanced at her and smiled. “I am.”

  They entered the Wolf Inn. The noise inside hit him like a wave of nostalgia. He’d forgotten how nice it was to live in this town, to actually be one of the pack. To let people see him.

  “There he is,” Lyall called over the sound of the jukebox. He hurried around the bar and rushed toward them, wrapping his arms around both him and Hannah. Then he pulled back and clapped his hand onto Ben’s shoulder.

  “Hey, man, sorry about punching you the other day.”

  Ben smiled and rubbed his jaw, even though it was fully healed. “It’s okay. I appreciate that you were just trying to protect my girl.”

  Lyall’s gaze slid to the side. “So it’s official, then?”

  Hannah touched her neck, where Ben had bitten her two days prior, marking her as his mate.

  “Nat!” Lyall shouted. “Grab the champagne. We need to celebrate!”

  “On it,” she yelled back, and then she disappeared into the storeroom.

  Lyall sobered and squeezed Ben’s shoulder. “It’s good to have you back.”

  “Thanks. I’m glad to be back.”

  “What’re you going to do now that you’re a retired spy?”

  Ben grinned and laced his fingers with Hannah’s again. “It sounds like we’re both going to become pack hunters.”

  Natalia returned with a chilled bottle of sparkling wine and four champagne flutes. “Really? You too, Hannah?” She poured drinks and handed them around.

  “I’ll stay on at the herb farm until you find my replacement, but yes, that’s what I want to do,” Hannah said, smiling up at Ben.

  “Hot damn,” Lyall said, and then he whooped as he gave Ben a high five.

  “To new beginnings,” Natalia said. Glass clinked and they all drank the bubbly, chilled liquid.

  The door opened again, and Nick stepped inside and paused.

  “Hey, Nick,” Ben called, and the kid looked relieved as he hurried over to hug his sister.

  Hannah held him at arm’s length. “I still can’t believe you’re alive.”

  “I’m sorry I let you believe I was dead. I knew you, though, knew you’d try to come after me if you thought I was still alive. I was having second thoughts almost as soon as the hazing was over, but once you’re in, you can’t get out again. And that’s not what I wanted for you.”

  She pulled him into another hug. When she released him, her eyes were misty. “Don’t ever do that to me again,” she said, and the small group surrounding them all laughed.

  “For the record,” Nick said, waggling his finger between Hannah and Ben, “I think you two are good together. The real deal.”

  Ben was certain his grin was as dorky as he imagined it was, while Hannah blushed like a pretty new bride. “What are you going to do?” he asked. “You sticking around?”

  Nick’s gaze swept around the bar. Ben could see him taking in the family-like atmosphere, the friendly smiles, the anticipation shining in his sister’s eyes.

  “Well, first I have to pay back what I stole from the grocery store.” He cleared his throat. “And then I need to go back to Chicago, let our parents know I’m still alive. Hope they forgive me. Then…I just don’t know.”

  Ben pulled Hannah more securely into his side and kissed the top of her head. “Well, if you decide to come back, you always have a place to stay.”

  “And you’ll probably have nieces and nephews to entertain, so you’d better plan on coming back,” Hannah quipped.

  Ben grinned. Yeah. This was it for him. Home.

  Exactly where he was meant to be.

  THE END

  Find out more about Dark Moon Falls and Hot Box Publishing by clicking HERE and sign-up to be kept informed about any of their exciting news HERE.

  More paranormal romance by Tami Lund

  Dark Moon Falls Vol. I (Lyall)

  Taming the Dragon Series

  Lightbearer Series

  Twisted Fate Series

  Blood Courtesans Vampire Series, written by multiple authors

  All’s Fair: Love & Warlocks

  Mirror, Mirror

  Open the Magic

  * * *

  Tami Lund is an author, a wine drinker, an award winner, and a lover of romance. She writes happily ever afters, one book at a time. You should sign up for her newsletter for updates, sales, free reads, and a regular dose of her quirky sense of humor: http://www.subscribepage.com/Tami_Lund

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  Milo

  SUSAN GRISCOM

  Copyright © 2019 by Susan Griscom

  www.susangriscom.com

  Introduction

  Milo Hart left Dark Moon Falls to pursue his dreams of becoming a lawyer. But don’t let the mild manner fool you. He can be just as powerful and protective of what’s his as the next wolf.

  When he returns home, a beautiful newcomer captures his attention, but she’s not all she appears. Her life is in danger and she refuses to disclose the reason why, sending his world into disarray. Soon he realizes he’d do anything to protect her … any damn thing.

  Skye Huntington has secrets she keeps locked deep inside. Her only reason for being in Dark Moon Falls is to seek refuge. That’s not so simple when she’s surrounded by the very thing she’s running from. It becomes even more complicated when the hot-as-hades Milo Hart offers to help her. She wants to believe the sexy shifter, but can she trust him? Or is he the big bad wolf in disguise?

  1

  MILO

  Humid night air embraced me like a thunder cloud. Oppressive and dark. Like my mood.

  Did our temperaments define us? Good ones were always preferred, but right now, mine was pretty much in the toilet.

  I guess you could say my estranged father and I had a little tiff tonight. Nothing out of the ordinary; as far as I’m concerned, once a liar, always a liar. He’d wanted my younger brother, Tucker, and me to meet him for dinner at the kind of restaurant you needed to leave Dark Moon Falls to find. A fancy dinner at a fancy bistro complete with cloth table coverings and little tea light candles.

  When Tucker and I strolled in, our father was waiting for us at the front door. He eagerly led us to a table where a beautiful young woman sat, twisting her hands into pretzels in her lap. He wanted to introduce us to his very soon to be new wife. Hell, from the looks of her, she wasn’t much older than me.

  Strawberry blonde curls hung down and over the valley between two perfect globes encased—well, partially at any rate—in a skin-tight animal print sweater with a wide, V-neck. Hell, I was a grown man and new “future stepmother” or not, she was hot.

  His fiancée placed her hand at the back of my father’s neck, stroking his closely cropped dark brown hair. “Congratulations, Milo. I heard you passed the bar.” Then she turned to my father. “John, I’m so impressed. You’ve done a wonderful job raising these two boys. I’m sorry, I mean men. After all, they’re all grown up now. You should be proud of yourself.”

  He sat there, haughtily and patted her petite hand. “Thank you, sweetheart.”

  Fuck that.

  Where exactly was he when the electricity was cut off because Mom couldn’t afford to pay the bill after feeding two growing boys on her meager paying job? Where was he when Mom had to tell Tucker that he couldn’t play baseball because she couldn’t afford the athletic participation fees? Where was he when Mom had to work two overtime shifts so that she could help me get a tux so I could attend the prom? I’d told her I didn’t need the tux, and I’d go in my nice slacks and shirt, but she’d insisted.

  Where was he all those years while we were growing up? Mom didn’t receive a dime from him after he left. He may have been strapped for money in the beginning, but he’d gotten rich somewhere along the way. And it wasn’t
until after we were grown that he’d decided to make an attempt at becoming a man and offer some financial assistance.

  Like paying for my education and the truck he’d given me after I graduated college. All that had been nothing more than something to brag about to the rest of the pack. See what I bought my son? But none of it could ever make up for his absence.

  I shot the lying asshole a fiery glare. His condescending smile did not meet his dark brown eyes as he gazed back at me. Maybe he was dirt poor back when we were kids, but over the past several years, he’s had plenty of money, money that put me through school, but that didn’t mean I respected him.

  How could I respect a man who’d leave his mate and two young sons and never come around to see how they were doing?

  I shoved my plate of rare steak and steaming baked potato into the middle of the table. I’d only taken one bite, but I didn’t have an appetite anymore. When I stood, my chair tumbled backward with a clang and clatter. Patrons turned their heads to see what made the crash.

  Fuck the audience.

  “You fucking son of a bitch!” I stormed out of there as fast as my feet could move, almost shifting into my wolf before I made it to the door, my younger brother quick on my heels.

  “Wait up!” he shouted. “I hate him too.”

  I gave him a heartrending glance, and he followed me into the woods.

  “Where are you going?”

  “For a run. I can’t stand that prick.”

  “I’ll come with you.”

  “You should stay. Have a nice dinner.”

  “Fuck that! I can’t go back in there. Did you see how young she is?”

  I gave him a nod. “Let’s go.” We shifted to our wolves as soon as we passed the first row of trees and took off at a fast gallop.