Moon Shadow (Mount Henley Trilogy Book 1)

by Kat Zaccard

  I turned to see Prince Ulric. “Ah, Your Royal Highness, I had hoped to catch you. How was your first year at Mount Henley? Rather exciting, eh?” He smiled and gave a small chuckle.

  I forced a polite but neutral expression on my face. He obviously didn’t realize how well I knew Kulani, but I would have at least expected some decorum knowing I’d been present at the attack.

  “It has certainly been quite a year,” I returned noncommittally.

  “Yes, well, I hope you will visit the Dolph estate this summer. I had told Logan to invite you, but alas, he said it slipped his mind.”

  I just bet it did. “I appreciate the offer, Your Grace, but—”

  “No buts! You are to be family, my dear!”

  “You see, sir, that’s just it. I’m not sure Logan and I are a good match.” I tried to explain, but he cut me off.

  “Nonsense, you are the perfect match. That’s why I’d arranged it with your parents. Now, I know you have a little meeting scheduled in a few weeks, but you must know, dear, that you will find no better match than a Dolph prince.”

  “Surely you can appreciate the desire to choose one’s own mate?” I said, trying to phrase the question so he might understand.

  Ulric chuckled. “Of course, dear, of course. But you young pups hardly know what’s best for you! Have no fear. You will want for nothing, and our progeny will carry on the Luna and Dolph names.”

  “Wouldn’t my children all be Lunas, then?” The children took the highest ranking royal name, surely.

  “Ah, your parents and I agreed that the girls would be Lunas and the boys would be Dolphs. Give us a fifty-fifty chance to have a King Dolph.” He winked shrewdly at me.

  “Is there anything that would persuade you to accept an annulment?” I asked carefully.

  He frowned. “Nothing short of abdication,” he growled, so low, no one else heard.

  It was my turn to frown. I looked over at Queen Christina. Queen Regent, I amended silently. My eyes narrowed, remembering my parents’ suspicious deaths. I scanned the room filled with the most powerful werewolves in the world. One or more of them could be responsible for murder. Talk about a nest of vipers. I looked back at Prince Ulric. who regarded me intently.

  “I suppose we have a stalemate, then,” I tried diplomatically.

  “No, my dear. We have a checkmate.” He smiled, yet his eyes darkened.

  I felt my spine lengthen as I pulled in my chin to stand at my full height. He had a few inches on me still, but I commanded every bit of my wolf with what I said next.

  “I am the last Luna. I have a duty to my family and to do what’s best for the Great Pack.” And in that moment, I felt what I’d been missing before: a connection to my birth parents, a sense of family that went beyond physical interaction. I never knew them, but a part of them was still inside me.

  Ulric was unimpressed. He took a step closer. “Yes,” he hissed, “and your duty includes claiming the throne and twining my heir. Yes, you are the last Luna. You need my family’s support. That is why your parents arranged the betrothal. And if you are to be queen, then that is why you will accept your duty to marry my grandson. Your twining will be the start of a great dynasty.”

  I suspected he had a hint of madness. Most power-hungry people did. I knew there was no arguing with crazy. The worst part was, everything he said was true. I had no family to support my claim to the throne. I was lucky to have the power of my last name and the support of the people. Prince Ulric spelled out clearly my need to attach to a rich and powerful clan. Who better than the richest and most prolific? I hated that I could see the logic of my birth parents’ actions.

  I also couldn’t give up. I had to trust my inner wolf. I knew there was a way out of this. If I was going to be queen … Everyone kept saying “if!” I had to make a choice. My father deserved justice. The Great Pack deserved a fair leader. I couldn’t pretend to be ready or worthy or even capable, but I could sure as hell try.

  I saw Nadia across the room in conversation with Barbara Reynolds and Liam O’Cleirigh. She looked stately and diplomatic as always. I had to follow her lead.

  I turned to smile at Prince Ulric, throwing my wolf into it. “Well, we’ll start with the coronation, and then worry about the twining.”

  He grinned back at me, satisfied. I smiled tightly and took the first opportunity to excuse myself.

  The next day, I was preparing to leave. My flight was scheduled for early the next morning and I couldn’t wait to get out of the palace. I was furious that the council wasn’t taking the upyr threat more seriously. I was mad at myself for being too chicken to tell them about Sloane. She was proof there were more out there. But she had helped me, and I couldn’t put her at risk. She would be hunted no matter how hard I tried to convince them she was our ally.

  It was a beautiful, sunny day, so I decided to tour the blossoming gardens. Spring was in full swing. I marveled at the rainbow of colors from all the various bulbs on the estate. I made my way to the evergreen maze and entered the shaded path, noting that it felt much the same as it had in winter when snow crunched underfoot. Now the path was soft dirt and moss, but the evergreen walls were the same. I ran my fingers along the branches, feeling their prickly spines under my fingers.

  Eventually, I made my way to the center of the maze and the statue of my birth mother. I looked into her gilded eyes, wondering what she was like, but still so upset she could cast my lot with Logan Dolph before I took my first breath.

  “Ahem.”

  I whirled, startled. Pierre was standing behind me, twirling his cap in his hand nervously. His royal blue uniform looked warm and uncomfortable.

  “Pierre!” I exclaimed. I hadn’t expected to see him, though I hadn’t forgotten about my birth father’s valet. His morbid tale of my father’s murder had woven into recent dreams of blood and death.

  “Your Majesty,” he said nervously with a bow.

  “What is it, Pierre?”

  “I have discovered the name of the midwife, Your Majesty.” He wiped sweat from his brow and looked around as if expecting someone to leap out of the bushes.

  “Yes?”

  “It is most unusual. Her name is Cordelia Cope, but I can’t seem to find her anywhere. I have searched every werewolf hospital and medical center in the nation. She seems to have disappeared. I will expand my search to Europe and then try other means. She may have a niece near Vancouver I can track down. I’m sorry, Your Highness, that I don’t have more.”

  “That’s okay, Pierre. Thank you for the update. Please continue your search, as long as it doesn’t put you in danger.”

  Pierre laughed bitterly. “Of course I’m in danger. As are you, mistress. You must have protection!” he implored. “You should have a security detail from the Royal Guard! Please, Your Majesty, you must at least hire a Sliver as a bodyguard.”

  “I appreciate your concern, Pierre,” I said, and I about to refute his claim, when the memory of Kulani’s black hair splayed across blood-soaked grass sprang to mind. Maybe I did need to consider the idea of a private bodyguard. I cringed at the thought of putting another werewolf in danger.

  I nodded at Pierre, who seemed to understand.

  “There is one other thing, Your Majesty. I learned that one of the two guards who killed your father owed a life debt to a council member. It doesn’t mean they ordered the attack, but it does mean they had the power to order this guard to do just about anything.”

  “Who held the debt?” Werewolves were loyal to a fault, so a life debt seemed extreme.

  “Barbara Reynolds.”

  I gasped. “The Queen Regent’s mother?”

  “Yes. But it is not conclusive evidence,” he cautioned. “We need more proof.”

  This was true, but this was also highly suspicious. I felt the hair on the back of my neck lift. I was ready to get out of the Winter Palace estate as fast as possible. Pierre and I said goodbye. I left the maze first, so if anyone saw us in the gardens, it wouldn
’t be obvious we had met. I decided to head to the edge of the palace grounds. I knew where to get over the wall that encircled the manicured property and venture into the woods. Finding a place to stow my clothes, I shifted and ran as far as I could. I didn’t care if a patrol caught me. It was only a quarter moon, but if I was caught, oh well. I had bigger things to worry about.

  I skittered to a stop as I reached the top of a tall bluff and I looked out at the palace grounds and the buildings in the distance. I had traveled farther than I thought. I sighed and shifted into my human skin. I sat in the new green grass and picked wildflowers. Absentmindedly, I wove them into a crown. I was about to place it on my head when I stopped and stared at it, considering my predicament. I thought about the Luna diadem, my mother and father and the queen. I thought about Logan. Would I give up the crown to get rid of Logan?

  I thought about my father’s death and the implications that the Reynold’s family was involved; about Shea and Diego, how they each had unique gifts that weren’t recognized by the werewolf community; about Sloane and her potential deserters, hoping for peace. I thought about the Queen Regent, the gleam of raw ego I saw in her eyes. I thought about Jack and Kulani. Sir Henry, Adam, and Hayley had all been injured protecting me. Kulani was dead. Jack was widowed. I owed them all.

  I placed the flower crown on my head and looked out over my kingdom … queendom?

  “Alice,” a soft voice called.

  “Jeez Louise!” I cried, leaping to my feet and spinning around. Was everyone going to sneak up on me today? “Holy crap, Sloane! What are you doing here?”

  Sloane looked good. She was clean, and she was wearing a floral print sundress from the backpack I’d given her. I smiled, remembering how I had thought I didn’t have a use for the dress when I’d first arrived at Mt. Henley last fall. The sunglasses were pushed up on her forehead. I smiled again, thinking we could be two teenage friends going for a walk in the woods. But we were indeed a werewolf princess and a blood-sucking vampire.

  “I had to warn you as soon as I heard,” Sloane began.

  “Girl, it’s been, like, three days. What have you discovered already?”

  “I returned to my nest and learned from my spies what our king is up to. It is worse than I feared.”

  Worse than a vampire king wanting me dead? Great, lay it on me. I’m pretty sure my look conveyed my thoughts.

  “Our king has made arrangements with your queen to split her lands with us should one of us kill you, Princess.”

  I gasped in disbelief. “The Queen Regent ordered you to kill me?” In exchange for land? Here was proof the Queen Regent was corrupt, but how could I present an upyr to the council?

  “Yes, but not all of us agree. We have hidden from humanity for centuries, and now our foolish young king wants to bring us into the light. For the upyr to try to maintain a place in society is folly. We will only be hunted to extinction. He does not think humans will pose a threat if we have an alliance with the werewolves. He has greater plans, though, and I believe he intends to double-cross your false queen. He will wage war on your Great Pack once he’s insinuated himself deeply enough.

  “I am now an outcast, myself. Others have fled the king’s nest to seek out their own sovereignty. As I said before, I am here to warn you, Princess Alice Luna, and to seek a treaty with you. ”

  “And as I said, I am not the queen yet, and any treaty I make would be with me and me alone.”

  “I understand, Your Highness, but you will one day have the backing of your people. On that day, we will collect your debt. I will continue to serve you. You will one day repay me.”

  “I appreciate your warning. When I claim the throne, I am willing to negotiate terms of peace between our nations.” I needed all the allies I could get. Sloane looked innocent, but she was intense, and dangerous. I wasn’t sure if I was more nervous or grateful for her protection. I worried that she might get hurt because of me. But I had seen her in action and knew she could handle herself.

  “Alas, I, too, have no credence with my king, only my own small band of rebels. But I believe where peace is desired, peace will prevail.”

  “I’m not sure if that’s wise or naïve.”

  “I am much older than you, Princess.” Her pale smile glinted sunlight off her elongated canines. She glanced toward the shifting sun. “And I am out of time.”

  “You’d better go before more patrols run through.”

  “Yours and mine,” she said appreciatively, and I swallowed nervously, thinking of upyr patrols.

  “How many of you are there?”

  She looked puzzled. “How many? How many are there of you?” she countered. That was not the reassurance I was looking for.

  “I mean, how many upyr are with you and how many stay with the king’s nest?” I asked, trying the unfamiliar phrase on for size.

  “There are not as many as I hoped; we only number a few dozen. The king has thousands who are loyal to him and many more who obey out of fear. We have not had so vicious a ruler in a long time.”

  Nope, not reassuring at all. I glanced around nervously, almost expecting thousands of upyr to come streaming through the trees.

  “There are others who will defect when they learn of our king’s plans. They have no wish to follow this young king into a foolish war. He is a naïve and cruel ruler who rose to power too fast. I will seek others who will join us.”

  She looked weary. “But I had to come warn you, first. You are not safe at the palace. You must flee.”

  I felt goosebumps prickle my arms and legs. “I’m heading home tomorrow.”

  “Alice, you must leave now. Your queen wants you dead.”

  I looked at her calm, impassive face. For the first time, I saw fear in her eyes. The mad upyr king was working with the Queen Regent of the Great Pack? This was so not good.

  “Okay, Sloane, I’ll make arrangements to leave tonight. But you have to go. Keep yourself safe, and next time, call me.”

  Sloane smiled. “That black box? I tried once, but you didn’t answer.” I smiled despite myself. I barely carried my phone around, since I might break or lose it at any given shift. “Anyway, the king’s nest is not so far away. I had to come see for myself that you were safe. I am relieved no harm has come to you in my absence.”

  I gulped at the thought that the upyr king was within jogging distance of the Winter Palace. Then I shivered as I realized the palace wasn’t at risk as long as the king and Queen Regent were in league together.

  Sloane grabbed my hand; her fingers felt like ice. “We will stand with you, Queen Alice.”

  “I’m still only a Princess,” I offered weakly.

  She offered me a wry look and a rare smile. “You said not to call you ‘Princess.’”

  END BOOK ONE

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  About the Author

  Kat Zaccard writes with authenticity and passion drawing from her personal experiences and vast imagination. She is a contributing author to the best-selling urban fantasy anthology: Beyond Midnight, Volume 1, featuring A Wind in the Weather, a Marcus Chang short story.

  Kat loves to create art, sing, and plays the ukulele. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin with her partner, two teenagers, and an assortment of creatures.

  Moon Shadow is book one of the Mt. Henley trilogy. Book two, Moon Rising, is coming December 2018!

  Follow her online @katzaccard on Instagram, @authorkatzaccard on Facebook, and join the adventure at www.katzaccard.com.

  A Note to the Kindle Reader

  Hi!

  Thank you so much for reading Moon Shadow! Being an author is a dream come true, and readers like you make it possible! Thank you so much! I absolutely love to write, so if you liked my book … yes! There’s more! Visit my website www.katzaccard.com to join my mailing list to stay up-to-date with the latest news, prizes, and sneak peeks!

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  I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to email questions or comments to kat@katzaccard.com.

  I hope you enjoyed Alice’s story. Moon Rising is coming December 2018!

  Much love,

  Kat