The Moon Shadow : The Wolfrik Trilogy | Book 1

by K. Rea

  “Don’t even think to threaten my sister,” Orion growled.

  “You’re not our Alpha, back off. Besides, I suspect your sister can handle it,” the older man said, stepping between the two men. “Nick, let’s not start a feud.”

  “If you boys can’t handle another she-wolf in the house, get out,” Tanisha growled. Nick kept his mouth shut and leaned back against the wall, and scowled at me. The older man offered his hand.

  “Name’s Bernard, pack enforcer along with Nick. I see they put a shiny bauble around your neck, why haven’t you removed the silver?” he asked, eyeing the necklace.

  “It’s charmed,” said the blonde woman. She reached her fingers out to touch the necklace. “May I?”

  “No,” I growled, taking a step back from the woman. Her smell was off, not a wolf, but familiar. She smiled. “Who are you? What are you?”

  “Smart girl, I can see why the Dark Prince would take steps to claim you for himself and protect you in the woods,” the woman said as she stepped back. “Even if you are not his to claim.”

  “Evelyn, this is Maye. She’s from the Court of Light as their liaison, along with Royce Campbell,” Mason explained. I refused to let her out of my sight. The wolf within saw her as the primary threat, the only threat, in the room.

  “What she is, is a discussion for another day. Since we have introduced everyone, I bring this pack council meeting to order to discuss Lady Evelyn Wolfrik. Princess to Court of Shadows, wife of Prince Aiden Kensley, sister to Alpha Orion, and daughter to Alpha King Jackson Wolfrik, may he rest in peace,” Mason announced. “Please sit, Evelyn. We have many questions. If you lie, Maye will tell us.”

  They started their interrogation. After the basics of my childhood, early adulthood, and my parents’ death, they dissected the last three months of my life with more exacting questions than the vampires ever cared to learn.

  “When did they offer you the choice of marriage?” Maye asked.

  “When they found out I was turning twenty-five and not married or bound to another,” I said. With every question leading this direction, Orion became more tense in his seat. He no longer asked questions and only sat back in his seat fidgeting in a way I hadn’t seen in decades; concern etched on his face.

  “Are you aware that multiple moon shadow packs have attempted to arrange a marriage to you through your father for the last twenty years, and he had accepted one prior to his death?” Bernard asked. I looked to Orion for confirmation. His shoulders sagged, and he shook his head yes.

  “He never mentioned an arranged marriage, ever. I didn’t know it was a consideration at all,” I answered, glaring at Orion.

  “You didn’t know he betrothed you to Alpha Mason Faolmen?” Tanisha asked. A growl escaped my lips, and I looked at Mason.

  “I’m not aware of any such agreement. It would have been a betrayal to enter any such agreement without my direct involvement,” I responded, glaring at Mason.

  “Did you risk your pack to run from the arrangement?” Tanisha asked. Larger packs would banish a wolf for endangering their pack members. At that moment it became clear I wasn’t being interrogated simply for getting caught by the Kensley brothers, I was on trial for endangering my family, my pack, without an alpha’s approval.

  “No, I knew nothing about it,” I answered, watching Mason. He refused to look away. His molten brown eyes staring back.

  “Did you willingly marry the vampire, Prince Aiden? Did you have no other options?” Mason asked.

  “Yes, I married him willingly. They provided a collection of suitors; of the bunch, he appealed the most. My options were to marry him or be a blood whore to his entire family and anyone they shared me with,” I responded. Low growls echoed about the room. Typically, wolves did not share.

  “She’s not on trial. My sister did what she needed to do. What was best for our family. I support her.” Orion stated.

  “Orion, it may be time you left the room,” Mason said coldly.

  “I’ll stay unless she asks me to, Alpha,” Orion said harshly. “This is nonsense—she is with us. She’s the victim.”

  “Evelyn, ask your brother to leave; he is not a part of this council, but only a guest. Same as Maye and Royce,” Mason said before taking another drink of his lukewarm coffee.

  “You are not our Alpha. We don’t answer to you unless we choose to,” I quipped Mason. “You are not my Alpha.”

  “Fine, he can stay. You’ve been bedded by the vampire. Aiden said as much, and we can smell him on you. Are you willing to void your marriage and bond? If we ask you too, will you marry another tomorrow?” Mason asked. Orion jumped to his feet, outraged.

  “This is what this is about? You want to marry her off to one of the Alphas!” Orion roared.

  The others argued; Maye just watched me. Those violet eyes curious, inspecting, waiting. The shadow in my chest pulsed under her eyes. A small pulse of fear rippled down the quiet bond. She smiled. Heat and then piercing pain grew along my back, stealing my breath, causing me to gasp. Then just as quickly the pain stopped, the shadow within stopped pulsing. The arguing came to a full-stop. I looked up at the eight pairs of eyes watching me.

  “Our spies in the Court of Shadows are silent. We don’t know how long Prince Aiden will live. The last word we received, they said he was being punished for assisting in the escape. His blood harem and allies have all fled the palace. Prince Alex and Ciara are missing,” Maye said. “It appears the woodsman fae was right, that your wolf princess is much more closely bound to the Dark Prince than they let on. She can feel him in the bond; even her scent changes like a mated pair, though it does not stay that way. Its why you can still smell him on her.”

  “He didn’t hurt me, not intentionally. He did what he could to save me and give me as much freedom as possible under the circumstances, even before he found out who I really was. That’s why I could get away so many times,” I said.

  “He’s brainwashed her; she’s a lost cause,” Nick said, scoffing at me. Royce pursed his lips, writing someone off as a lost cause was against his code. He leaned into Maye and whispered into her ear. Whatever he said, Maye agreed with. She nodded her head. He still hadn’t said a word to me.

  “Why would he go through all that trouble to save you?” Tanisha asked.

  “He’s not the villain the king is,” I said, rubbing at my chest where the phantom pain disappeared into the shadow.

  “Half-truth,” Maye said, her violet eyes flashing. I looked at Mason.

  “He’s the one that pulled me from the river that day,” I said.

  “I know, I was there. He jumped into the falls after you,” Mason said.

  “No, in Montana. Aiden’s the one that was leading the vampires. He’s the one that pulled me from the river, removed the trap, and waited for someone to find me. Aiden recognized me in the club; he didn’t know who or what I was,” I explained. It took a moment for Mason to understand what I said. Mason looked down at my booted ankle for confirmation, then to Maye.

  “Truth,” Maye said.

  “Why do you want me to bond with another so soon? Aiden said a new bond can wear off with time.” I said.

  “It can, but the two of you are bonded much more closely than any wolf and vampire should be. If he dies, it could kill you,” Bernard explained.

  “They want you to bond with a moon shadow Alpha. It could save you if Prince Aiden dies, and it would strengthen their cause against the Kensley House,” Orion explained.

  “Or it could create a triad,” Calla said.

  “Who would want to risk a triad with a vampire and moon shadow?” I asked.

  “Me,” Mason said, his brown eyes stared into mine, inviting me to challenge him.

  TWENTY - NINE

  It had been hours since the pack council suggested I bond with another moon shadow. The conversation turned into
a squabble fairly quickly on whether their Alpha should bond with a corrupted princess. They feared losing both of us if my initial bond didn’t break and Aiden died.

  Royce avoided any attempts at conversation and left after speaking with Maye for a long time. No one stopped me from walking out. I spent the rest of the day walking the grounds; I kept finding myself staring at the Jezebel tree Jude mentioned. The idea of becoming a lady of the wood was growing on me.

  I laid down next to the tree in its shade. Maybe it was a way out of this craziness. The wind danced in the trees, and the smell of rain grew stronger. The sound of footsteps on the grass became louder as a familiar scent reached me. The smell of pepper and lilies.

  “Orion said he saw you pacing out this way. You never came to see me, so I came to you. I brought food and a blanket,” Jane said as she set a satchel next to my head. The smell of turkey, mayo, and mustard escaping from its depths. I stood and helped her to lie out the quilt she had draped over her arm. We sat, and she sorted out the contents of the satchel.

  “We eloped, got married in a small bed-and-breakfast in the Rockies. We had more fun than we had been planning,” Jane said as I bit into my sandwich. “We’re expecting.”

  She waited to see my reaction and smiled.

  “That bloodsucker, he already told you then didn’t he?” Jane said; I smiled sadly. “Aiden tried to warn us Gaius’ men were coming. He told Mason that the king would come for us because of what Mason and the Court of Light did in the fae woods. Mason arrived minutes before the Gaius’ enforcers broke down the door.”

  “I’m sorry, Jane,” I said, setting down the sandwich.

  “It wasn’t your fault, not really. It was only a matter of time before the feud erupted between the moon shadows and vampires. I knew what I was getting into,” Jane promised.

  “Still, Aiden bit you, drank your blood, and caused you to faint. He was horrible. I never should have trusted him,” I said, choking on the words, Jane reached out and gently squeezed my shoulder.

  “You were right to trust him, and I didn’t faint. Aiden warned us he would likely have to bite someone, and it would probably be me if it wasn’t you. He told me to fake it, so I did. He did not strike Orion as hard as he could have with the whip. I suspect he was less generous with Mason,” Jane explained.

  “He’s not like other vampires. He cares for you. He’s the one that arranged the escape from the dungeons. He sent—Jude, I think his name is, that fae man to Mason’s pack to bring them. He had others meet Tanisha to show her the way to the dungeons. He arranged everything. He even got you to the dungeons. He is not like other vampires,” Jane said, rubbing my back softly.

  “Have you heard what they want me to do?” I asked Jane.

  “You mean have I heard how everyone seems to want you to forsake your marriage of convenience and get down and dirty with your first love to save your life? Yes, I’ve heard. They’re not exactly discrete,” Jane said, chuckling.

  “Well, when you put it that way,” I said, laughing a bit. She handed me a bottle of water.

  “Mason seems to be a decent alpha; unless it’s Aiden you don’t want to give up. He went to great lengths to protect you, to get you free from the king. I think Aiden would want you to be free to live your own life,” Jane said, she paused.

  “Did Aiden tell you what I am?” She asked hesitantly.

  “No, what do you mean?” I asked, and Jane sighed.

  “Forgive me, Evelyn, I’ve lied to you. The Court of Light sent me to keep tabs on you in college. I’m an oracle .I used to see the future; I lost my gift the moment I met you. It was then I knew that our lives would be irreversibly intertwined. I didn’t expect to fall in love with your brother. My Court released me from my obligations once I could no longer see the future, to allow me to live as humans do. Now I don’t answer to anyone except Orion,” Jane explained.

  “Does Orion know?” I asked in surprise.

  “Yes, Aiden does now too. I suspect he read it when he tasted my blood. I’ve been human for years, but since I became pregnant, I have been having visions again in my sleep, mostly about you. Your future is not decided, but you must be careful,” Jane said. “Orion and I, we won’t be going with you. Our path goes another direction.”

  “What have you seen?” I asked.

  “You could be happy, you could be queen, or you could be dead. I can’t tell if they are entirely different or different points of the same path. You do not look much older than you are now in any of them,” Jane said. “Choose carefully what you do, but do not wait too long.”

  “You should know, the Court of Light doesn’t want to kill Prince Aiden. They want to turn him against Gaius; that’s all they’ve ever wanted. They’re not the enemy,” Jane said.

  “Tell that to the town they burned,” I scoffed.

  “I never said they were perfect, far from it. Their war is only with Gaius and his supporters. Gaius has a habit of stealing princesses from other Courts. The last Wolfrik princess was killed at his hand. The Court of Light recovered their princess, but it changed her forever. About twelve years ago, the Court of Darkness’ princess was abducted when she was an infant. No one has seen her since. There’s no proof it was Gaius, but everyone suspects him. Then Gaius took you, the rightful princess of the Court of Shadows, in the name of a blood debt for avenging your own family. It was the last straw for many of the noble families,” Jane explained. “Gaius days are numbered. I’ve seen his death, but it is unclear who kills him.”

  “Have you seen what happened after?” I asked quietly.

  “I don’t see things in order, and it changes. Sometimes the Court of Shadows goes on, sometimes they break it into pieces. Sometimes it burns. I think the Fae will form their own Court soon, and the moon shadows will answer to no one but their own. Everything else is a blur, except, no matter what, we hope you’ll be the cool aunt,” Jane teased.

  We finished the rest of our picnic, bantering about baby names and nursery themes. She wasn’t able to see the baby’s future, but she wasn’t worried. The sun was setting when Orion joined us. He brought lemonade and fried chicken for the three of us. We discussed recent events and where they planned to go into hiding. They couldn’t stay with the Faolmen pack unless Orion officially challenged Mason. Orion had no interest in leading a clan, a Court, or a rebellion. The woods faded into twilight by the time Orion and Jane moved back inside. I packed up the remnants of the picnic.

  With the soft brushed cotton blanket folded in my arms, I felt someone nearby watching me. Their footsteps nearly silent, a soft whisper against the ground. I felt the first drops of rainfall when I saw him through the trees. His brown eyes watching me, sizing me up in the soft glow of the moon as the sun slid into the horizon.

  “Tell me again, why didn’t you join me when I sent for you?” Mason asked as he leaned against a tree.

  “I didn’t want you interfering with my plans,” I said.

  “The plans to get revenge for your parents’ death.” Mason breathed. “Did you get revenge, Eves?

  “No, Ciara said she was following orders,” I said.

  “Whose’s orders?” Mason questioned.

  “Aiden’s people were still working on tracing the orders. They were fabricated when they were assigned,” I said. “I will have justice for my parents’ deaths, both on Ciara and the people that orchestrated it.”

  “You’ve been lied to Eves, can’t you see that? Ciara did it because that’s what the Kensley family does. They take out the competition. They murdered your parents. They killed my father; he was too young to die,” Mason breathed.

  “He was a good Alpha. I liked him,” I said.

  “He liked you too, he looked forward to seeing you again.” Mason said.

  “It’s been a rough year,” I murmured.

  “You should have trusted me Eves, we could have tackled the
Kensley House together head on. Aiden can’t be trusted, he’s the one that hands out execution orders. Orion wouldn’t turn on you, Aiden has no reason to turn on his own sister.” Mason admonished.

  “You don’t know that,” I responded, my heart twisting.

  “Aiden is their justice system; he is the king’s executioner. He’s the one Gaius sends to pull families from their beds in the dark of night and send a message. He is the one that led the slaughter against our clans across the world. He is called the Dark Prince because he slaughtered us by the hundreds,” Mason admonished. “Eves, if he was going to get justice for you, he would have done it already!”

  “You don’t know that! You don’t know him like I do.” I argued.

  “Eves! The Goddess’ blessings, woman–you’re not listening to me. He isn’t who you think he is. He is the Dark Prince for a reason, that history hasn’t changed. You can’t erase a past like that with a handful of good deeds. He’s the same vampire he’s always been!” Mason muttered. “Didn’t you see that in the throne room when he ripped open our backs? He doesn’t have your best interests at heart, he’s a vampire.”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about. You want to talk about best interests.” I spat as I walked up to him and dropped the blanket at his feet. Icy rain trickled down around through the trees around us. “I’m tired of alpha vampires, alpha wolves and fucking would-be kings telling me what to do.”

  “When were you going to tell me about our betrothal? Or even that you went along with an arranged marriage scheme behind my back. Before or after you put a ring on my finger? That was your plan, right? Invite me here, buy me a plane ticket, woo me back into your bed. Then claim me during the bond, knowing full well I didn’t know what it was!” I yelled. Anger got the better of me and I pushed him back against a tree. He grimaced as the tree made contact with his back, I’d forgotten his injuries. I growled and turned away from him.