Children of the Moon 2 Read online

  Children of

  the Moon

  Part Two

  A Novel by

  Yvonne Robertson

  Copyright © 2020 Yvonne Robertson

  Published by Major Key Publishing

  www.majorkeypublishing.com

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  Any unauthorized reprint or use of the material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage without express permission by the publisher.

  This is an original work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  Contains explicit language & adult themes suitable for ages 16+

  To submit a manuscript for our review, email us at [email protected]

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  For the “Little Girls” in the family who are all grown up now,

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  Freya and Lauren.

  PROLOGUE

  India stood on the porch and watched the kids in the distance shooting hoops. Their hooting and hollering was strangely soothing to her. They were all wearing ‘Wolverine’ clothing from her and Imogen’s new clothing line and she felt a deep sense of pride at the things she and her sister had accomplished since coming here. They were fully integrated into the pack now and the new building for their workshop was well underway, Lachlan hoped to have it finished in another few weeks. She sometimes found it hard to remember a time when she wasn’t a wolf, she loved it.

  Imogen came out onto the porch, handed her a cup of coffee and sat on the rocker. Her sister was three months pregnant, but her belly seemed to be growing daily and she was glowing. Rafe said her gestation would be around five months, a little more than half that of a human pregnancy.

  The handsome doctor had stayed on with them to get a clinic up and running in the compound instead of returning to his own pack, but India suspected it had more to do with Seann’s sister, Hope, than anything else. They seemed to be taking it slowly but India had no room to talk, she and Garrett seemed to be constantly at odds with each other. He was angry at her refusal to commit to him, but to tell him the truth would hurt him; it was a no-win situation.

  “You have a visitor at the front gate,” Seann said, coming out through the door. “A male wolf.” India was at a loss as to who could be here to see them. They didn’t know any wolves except the pack members and a few from Colm O’Brien’s pack that had visited the compound recently.

  “We don’t know anyone else,” Imogen said puzzled.

  “Well, he will be here in a few minutes, I told Liam to drive him up.”

  He sat beside his mate in the other rocker and took her hand protectively. India knew that had more to do with security and less to do with courtesy. She also noticed that three other young wolves suddenly appeared in her peripheral vision. Seann was extremely protective of Imogen and India smiled; her sister was no helpless little wolf.

  The dusty green jeep came barreling around the corner and pulled up in front of the Den, Liam was in the passenger seat.

  He was tall and had his hat pulled down low on his forehead, but there was something vaguely familiar about him and India knew that Imogen sensed it too, as she joined her on the steps and slipped her hand into hers.

  He was dressed simply in jeans and a plaid button-down shirt and when he came up onto the porch steps, he pulled his hat off and India heard her sister gasp.

  “It can’t be!”

  The bright blue eyes that stared back at her were a mirror image of her sisters and were glistening with tears,

  She continued to stare at him in shock for what seemed an age before she finally found her tongue.

  “Dad! What the hell, we thought you were dead!”

  CHAPTER ONE

  India

  Seann led them all inside the Den and closed the doors, Garrett appeared suddenly at her side and the unpleasant atmosphere of the last few weeks evaporated as he sat down beside her and put his arm around her waist. She leaned in, drawing on his strength and grateful for his support.

  Bree put a glass in her hand and she sniffed it, brandy. She didn’t normally drink, but these were exceptional circumstances. She lifted the cool liquid to her lips and felt the slight burn as it slipped down her throat.

  Imogen looked longingly at the glass but shrugged and sipped her tea, brandy and pregnancy didn’t go hand in hand.

  Only a few minutes had passed since he dropped his bombshell but suddenly India needed to know where the hell her father had been and why he hadn’t contacted them before this.

  She had been to hell and back losing her parents when she was barely eighteen and her sister already blamed herself for not being able to convince them not to take the trip they were going on. She had pleaded with them after she had a terrible feeling of foreboding, a premonition, that something awful was going to happen, but they had gone anyway and never came home again.

  Now, her father was sitting in the chair opposite her and his face mirrored what she had been feeling all this time. She waited until Roisin handed him a plate of food and left the room before she spoke again asking what she needed to know the most,

  “Mom?”

  He shook his head sadly.

  “Her injuries were just too serious, India. I’m sorry, I wish things were different.”

  Imogen started to sob and India knew, like her, she had been holding out hope since her father stepped onto the porch that somehow their mother had also survived the crash they thought had claimed both of their lives.

  “Then where have you been, Dad. Why have you waited until now to contact us?”

  She was angry at him and it showed in her glowing eyes. Imogen was controlling her emotions better than she was, but she knew she wanted to know the answers just the same.

  “We were dragged out of the burning car by two men just before it exploded and taken to a cabin. Both of my legs were broken, and I was bleeding internally. I knew I was dying and there was no time to get me to a hospital. When one of the men suddenly turned into a wolf and sank his teeth into my arm, I thought I was dreaming.”

  He took a deep breath before he continued.

  “They tell me I was unconscious for almost a week while the changes in my body healed me and when I woke, I asked about your mom but knew, in my heart, she was already gone. They couldn’t help her; she was dead from the impact. It took me several more weeks to get fit again and I have been watching you both from a distance ever since.”

  “You could have come to us, Dad,” Imogen said through her tears as Seann was trying to comfort her.

  “No, I couldn’t. They told me I could have no contact with humans for a while, especially family and I could never tell what I had become. They also said I was free to join their pack, or I could go out on my own. I stayed in the cabin for a month and then moved into their compound; it can be really lonely on your own. My job is doing the accounts for several of the pack’s businesses but each Sunday since I was changed, I have been coming into town to check up on you both, from a distance, of course,”

  “We have missed you so much, Dad, but how did you know we were here?”

  “One Sunday, I was parked outside and realized you were gone, someone else was living in your apartment. I made some discreet inquiries and found out you had quit your job, Imogen. I went
back to the compound and they agreed to help me locate you. Then one of the women heard through a friend that Donovan’s pack had two new wolves that were bitten, two young women and I knew I had to find out more. It only took a few days and some gossiping wolves before I was sure it was you.”

  India and Imogen stayed quiet as they absorbed what he was telling them. Seann said he knew the pack alpha of the other compound, about fifty miles east of them by road.

  “Kaleb is a good man, I’m glad it was him that found you,” Seann added,

  “I was going to ask you to come back with me.” he looked from one to the other. “To come back and make a home with me again, but I can see that you are settled here.”

  “Dad, come live with us here,” Imogen said, turning to Seann, “That would be okay, wouldn't it?”

  “Of course, he’s your father and would be very welcome to join our pack. Jonathan, we have plenty of room here or we have some empty cabins, it’s up to you.”

  “Thank you, I would love to spend some time with my girls, but I can only stay for a few days. I have a job.” He looked at them apologetically. “It’s not so far away, we will see each other regularly.”

  Seann stood up and motioned to Garrett and they slipped out through the door and left them alone with their father. India was a little tongue-tied, it had been so long since she had seen him, but he was still her Dad. He stood up and held out his arms and Imogen rushed into them with a sob.

  “Shhh, my darling girl, I know, I know,” he soothed her and reached out a hand for India to join them. He pulled her close and when his familiar scent hit her, she leaned on his shoulder and cried like a baby. He stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head and India wished with all of her heart, that her mother had survived the crash too, but her Dad had buried her three years ago, there would be no happy ending there.

  “I missed you, Dad.”

  “God only knows how much I have missed you too, but we can have a fresh start now. Dry your tears and show me around your new home.”

  They introduced him to everyone they met as they toured the compound and India could see the quizzical looks, they all believed her father to be dead. Thankfully none of them mentioned that fact. Jonathan Rose was still a handsome man and some of the women showed interest which made Imogen’s hackles rise. India rolled her eyes at her sister and suggested they all go for a run.

  Jonathan’s wolf was black, the color Imogen should have been, and he towered above both of them. He followed Imogen’s lead and India followed behind, her wolf content because India was happy. They ran the perimeter of the outer compound and she wanted to go running through the national park, but it was too risky in the daytime. The last thing they needed was panicked families if they were spotted and the vigilante hunters that would surely follow.

  Imogen beat them back by quite a margin and was already dressed when they came into view. She changed back in a flash and her father turned his back while she pulled on her jeans and shirt. They finished their tour on two legs.

  Lachlan was supervising a delivery at their new workplace and India’s excitement rose at the thought of moving their operation all under one roof. Marie and Stella were going to supervise the small factory on a day to day basis leaving India free to design and Imogen to market their products. Imogen also had other responsibilities as the alpha's mate, but Seann shouldered most of them for her. She was surprised to see Garrett coming through the door towards them.

  “Just checking that everything is on schedule,” he said and took off toward the Den.

  “He has been here daily, trying to help get this place finished for you girls,” Lachlan said, “Quite frankly, he has been a pain in my ass.” He grinned, and India wondered why Garrett was going to all that trouble.

  They hadn’t been on the best of terms lately and she knew he was angry that she was pulling away from him. She wanted to explain her feelings but no matter how she rehearsed what to say in her head it always sounded petty and jealous and that’s not what she wanted to convey. He had moved back to his cabin a few weeks ago and she cried most nights when she went to bed, she missed him terribly and the pain of their separation was getting worse instead of better.

  Imogen was showing their father where their offices would be, and she took a moment to sit down on a picnic bench outside and try to make some sense of her jumbled brain. She had such high hopes for her and Garrett until she overheard a conversation saying he had never quite gotten over his mate’s death and India knew she would never tie herself to someone who was still in love with a ghost. It wasn’t his fault, but she could never be anyone’s second choice, for her it had to be all or nothing. She was just grateful that he hadn’t bitten her on sight as Seann had with Imogen. One of these days, she would try explaining it to him when he wasn’t so angry and she wasn’t so heartbroken.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Garrett

  Shit, he hadn’t wanted India to know he was instrumental in pushing the builders to get the new workshop up as quickly as possible. He just wanted to see her smile, but he just couldn’t seem to do right for doing wrong these days, at least in her eyes.

  He was crazy about her and she seemed to feel the same way about him and then out of the blue, she put the brakes on and refused to discuss a future with him. Seann said to give her some time and space so he had moved back to his cabin but that had been a huge mistake, he had given her too much space and she seemed to be doing fine without him. He had tried to talk to her about it, but she shut him down and he didn’t know where to go next. Being ‘Mr. nice guy’ wasn’t working so it was time to try something else.

  Liam told him yesterday that some of the unmated wolves had been speculating about them and wondering if Garrett wasn’t going to claim her after all. He knew if he didn’t, some of these young pups would certainly try to win her. The surge of pure jealousy that shot through him made his wolf howl and the pain in his chest was real. He waited until he was out of sight of the workshop and tore off his shirt and shifted, maybe a run would clear his head.

  He was deep inside the park before he realized and slowed down to skirt the edges, not wanting to be seen. The rangers usually left them alone if they spotted a few wolves, but the general public was bloodthirsty and would come after him if they thought he was a threat to their children.

  He passed by unnoticed, a family having a picnic and a few campers, but the park was fairly quiet at this time of year. He loved the winter when the trees were white and sparkling with frost and the ground was hard beneath his paws, the air clean and sharp and most of all not many people ventured out this way when it was cold. He could smell it in the air, they would have their first frost of the year before the week’s end and maybe even some snow.

  He crossed back onto pack lands, a little calmer but the hole in his chest was still there. It would be there until he convinced India that they were meant to be together and if she wouldn’t be convinced, Garrett thought that he would have to consider going away, joining a new pack because this was torture. Liam had suggested a hook-up with one of the young she-wolves in the pack, but he didn’t have the stomach for it and to sleep with them would give them hope that he was interested in more and he just wasn’t, not with anyone else but her.

  He found his discarded jeans and pulled them on, but his shirt was shredded, he had shifted too quickly. He went back to his cabin to shower and change before going back to the Den to join the others. He was grateful he didn’t meet India on his way home but tomorrow they were going to have a heart to heart, this couldn’t go on.

  Jonathan Rose was going back home to his pack this evening after dinner and he knew his daughters would be upset. They had only just found him again and now he would be gone, albeit only fifty miles away. He seemed laid back and was easy enough to like and Garrett hoped for her sake he would be a regular visitor to the compound.

  India and her sister had coped with more than their fair share these past few years and he knew Imogen was upset t
hat her parents had brushed off her concerns when she told them she sensed they were in mortal danger. It had cost her mother her life and her father to join the ranks of the other lycan pack. Both of them had managed to get by with no money and few prospects and Garrett wondered why there had been no provision made for his daughters. Who the hell knew what was around the next corner? It was a father’s duty to provide for his daughters. They should have been in college, living it up with their peers and having no more worries than where to go for their evening’s entertainment or to cram study sessions for their next exams.

  Garrett had amassed a decent sized fortune and knew that his mate and any children they had would be well taken care of in the event of his demise. He refused to believe that they were not destined to be together, India had to see it too. There were things and people in his past that he wanted to talk to her about, mainly, Kali, but to do that they needed to have a civil conversation about something deeper than the fucking weather.

  Deciding to take matters into his own hands he went up to the Den early and spoke to Seann while everyone else was occupied. He sat across the desk from his alpha and longtime best friend.

  “I need a few days off, I want to take India away somewhere and sort this shit out with us once and for all, Seann. It’s killing me.”

  “Will she go willingly, or do you plan on kidnapping her?” he asked with a grin and Garrett smiled back.

  “I fear it may come to that.”

  “Imogen will cut off your balls if you hurt her sister.”

  “It’s worth the risk.”

  “Take as long as you need, Garrett and come home with a mate, it’s incredible,” Seann stood up and slapped him on the back. “Go to the mountain cabin, I will call ahead and have them stock it for you.” He reached into the drawer and handed Garrett a set of keys.