The Children of the Moon Read online

  “You said you had sex with humans before,” she said quietly, “Did you hurt them?”

  “No honey, but I wasn’t mated to any of them. The desire to bite you during sex will be impossible to resist and it’s been known for newly mated wolves to wreck a bed or two in the first months, I won’t risk hurting you. In a few weeks’ time, you will be stronger and a match for me.”

  She sighed and took a few deep breaths, “I’ve never reacted that way to anyone before,” she said a little embarrassed.

  “I have heard that human sex is a little vanilla compared to wolf sex,” he joked and her face got a little redder as she squirmed beneath his gaze.

  “I wouldn’t know Seann,” she fumbled for the door handle but he clicked it shut again before she could get out of the room and turned her to face him.

  “You wouldn’t know because the sex you had previously wasn’t vanilla or you wouldn’t know because you haven’t had sex, ever?”

  “I haven’t had sex…...ever,” she responded softly.

  The glow in his eyes got brighter, “I see an awful lot of cold showers in my near future, my little virgin wolf,” he grinned and pulled her against him, his huge arms safe and secure, “I can’t risk losing control with you honey, we need to wait until after your first change.”

  “Should I sleep somewhere else for now?”

  “Absolutely not! I’m not going to be the only one suffering for the next few weeks,” he grinned as he opened the bedroom door and squeezed her butt with his free hand, “Did I mention that I always sleep completely naked?”

  Her heart thumped wildly against her chest at the thought of snuggling up next to Seann in bed with no clothing barrier between them, it wasn’t his lack of control she was worried about!

  CHAPTER NINE

  Imogen

  Roisin was a fabulous cook and Imogen cleared the huge plate of food put down in front of her. Her appetite was growing already and she knew from Bree that it would always be this way for her from now on.

  “As wolves, we expend so much energy shifting, and our metabolism is so high we need to consume thousands of calories every day. You won’t often see an overweight shifter.”

  “Every woman’s dream, to eat everything in sight and gain no weight,” India joked as she tucked into a piece of apple pie and vanilla ice cream.

  “Let’s go for a walk India,” Imogen said as she gave her sister a pointed look.

  “As soon as I finish this,” she waved her spoon in the air and Imogen waited impatiently.

  “Don’t wander away from the house,” Seann warned, “I don’t think the mutt would dare come into the compound but there is no point in taking any unnecessary risks until you are both at full strength and able to defend yourselves.

  Imogen pulled on her down jacket and zipped it up. Seann was only looking out for them, but he was a little bossy and she thought it would take a little getting used to. He was the pack alpha and she knew that they would have their share of clashes, she wasn’t used to taking orders from anyone and she wasn’t about to start now.

  India tucked her hand into her sister’s arm and they followed the beaten path through the trees which was obviously a shortcut to a cluster of a few dozen cabins spread throughout the area. They had passed them on the way to the den earlier today and she had wanted a closer look. They looked homely and warm and most were lit up as families settled in for the evening.

  Seann had told them that the ten-thousand-acre compound was perched right on the northern border of the state national park but was privately owned by the pack. They protected their privacy that way, but they still shifted and ran through the park as a pack occasionally when the human population was fast asleep. He also told them that some of the older townsfolk muttered under their breath that they were some sort of religious cult up here in the compound but for the most part they left them alone.

  “This must be where the pack hold their meetings,” India said as they came to the largest cabin, sitting back in the clearing. There was a huge fire pit out front and rows of thick logs surrounded it as makeshift seats.

  Imogen tried the door and wasn’t surprised when it swung open. Bree had mentioned that nobody here locked their doors, they trusted each other implicitly. There were also wolves on round the clock guard duty, they hadn’t seen them but she could occasionally feel eyes on them as they walked. The inner compound where the cabins were located was completely fenced and the gate was closed and guarded day and night. The teenagers took their turn at guard duty with orders to watch and report to security, it seemed everyone had their part to play.

  There was a wide entrance hall which opened up to the main room. There were rows of folding chairs stacked against the walls and trestle tables piled high in the corners. The floors were solid wood and the only windows ran along the length of the back wall and were high above their heads. There was also a long galley kitchen and two separate banks of bathrooms for men and women.

  “It should be private enough to talk in here,” Imogen said looking around, “I would bet that this room is soundproofed too.”

  They sat on the huge stone grate in front of the fireplace and Imogen let two candles to give them a little light. India grabbed her sister’s hand and gave a nervous laugh which echoed through the empty room. Her bright green eyes were fixed on Imogen’s face.

  “Sometimes I think this is all just an elaborate hoax or a dream and any minute I am going to wake up and be really glad or really unhappy.”

  Imogen pinched her sister’s arm, “No dream Indi,” she smiled.

  “I would be devastated if this was a dream Imogen, I have waited for this most of my life since I saw that man shift years ago, I knew this was my destiny.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you, it just seemed too crazy to be true,” Imogen said softly, “I mean books and movies have made us all a little more accepting of things like people turning into wolves, witches and vampires but did you really feel deep in your gut that any of it was real?”

  “I don’t know about vampires and witches but I know what I saw all of those years ago and I knew I would never rest until I found out for sure. I guess now we know and there’s no going back for any of us now, especially you, Imogen. Garrett said that wolves mate for life,”

  “What about you and Garrett?”

  Her sister’s face lit up and she couldn’t contain the grin that split her face.

  “He is amazing, Imogen. He is the sweetest guy but at the same time he is all muscles and a chest-beating, macho man, it’s a strange combination but I really like him,” she admitted.

  “Do you think you two are destined to be mates?”

  “I don’t know yet, I just know I am falling for him and I think he feels the same way. Garrett said that he has never known anyone to claim a mate as quickly as Seann did with you, it’s a little intense and definitely unusual.”

  She sighed, unusual or not she was falling for Seann in a huge way. Even the mention of his name had her skin tingle in anticipation of his touch and she wondered how they would manage to get through the next few weeks until the full moon and she would be able to complete her transition.

  “Another thing we haven’t discussed, what are we going to do for jobs, we need to earn money to pay our way,” she said getting up and walking around the room, her boots clicking on the wooden floor beneath her.

  “Garrett said the pack has several businesses, one is a construction firm which employs a lot of the men here and they also own several fast-food franchises in the area but they have locals managing and staffing them and a few of the women in the pack run a catering company. They are not poor, they won’t be kicking us out for not paying the rent,” India said.

  “That’s not the point, I want to contribute. We need to be productive members of this pack, India,” she said stubbornly.

  India rolled her eyes, “Something Garrett said this morning gave me an idea. The men and women in the pack have to strip naked before they ca
n shift or otherwise they would need new clothes every week. He said it’s especially true of the teenagers before they have complete control. Well, I thought about designing some young, fresh but easily discarded items and opening an online store. Garrett said there are packs, some larger, some smaller, living on the fringes of every major town and city in the US. That’s a lot of people needing clothes, Imogen. I could design and make them and you could market the business and keep the books, you did all of that and more for the bakery, what do you think?”

  Imogen was surprised and pleased that India had given the idea so much thought. She was marvelous with a sewing machine and had a real flair for design, but to turn it into a viable business was something else entirely but there was definitely some merit in the idea,

  “Tomorrow, show me your ideas and we will work out costs, material suppliers, distribution, etc. and let’s see if it’s doable. It’s a great idea, India, you never fail to surprise me,”

  “I guess we should get back, I am a little nervous about sharing a room with Garrett but he promised that I would set the pace of our relationship. What worries me is that no one seems to mind casual sex, wolves have hookups all the time but I would hate to be just a hookup to Garrett.”

  She blew out the candles and they made their way back outside.

  “Seann said he sat with you the whole time you were unconscious so I doubt he views you as a hookup India but I know what you mean, I wa…”

  Imogen stopped mid-sentence and put her finger to her lips and pulled India back into the shadows as a pale golden wolf appeared on the opposite side of the clearing and shifted back instantly. Standing upright she whipped her head around and stared at them.

  “Come out where I can see you, I don’t recognize your scent so you must be the girls they found in the woods,” she said, completely comfortable that she was standing in front of them as naked as the day she was born.

  They followed her to one of the small cabins and she pulled on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt that was hanging on the porch rail. Here in the light, Imogen could see she was about the same age as her, maybe a year or two older and she could have been a model. Her pale blonde hair hung down her back in waves and she was tall and slim, her limbs tanned and muscular. When she came closer and shook India’s hand, Imogen could see that her eyes were dark brown and framed with thick dark lashes.

  “I’m Kandis, who are you?” She asked bluntly and India grinned.

  “India and this is my sister, Imogen, it's nice to meet you.”

  Kandis leaned in toward India and took a deep sniff and smiled, I can smell Garrett. Yeah I could see you would be his type, you’re pretty and all that glorious red hair!”

  The gesture annoyed Imogen but not wanting to be rude she stood still when she came towards her and sniffed the air. Kandis jumped back as if she had been slapped and her eyes flew to Imogen’s.

  “Seann’s scent is all over you!” She composed her face quickly, but her laugh was forced,

  “As humans, you probably put more stock in sharing someone’s bed than we do but it’s only fair to warn you that Seann and I have known each other all our lives and it was always understood that we would be mated, choose someone else!”

  “I’m sorry,” Imogen stood her ground, “Seann’s never mentioned you.”

  “Everyone here knows it’s only a matter of time, he is just a little gun shy about making a commitment.” She looked Imogen up and down with a sneer, “There are plenty of single wolves here that will warm your bed, especially looking like you do, there will be a line of them but Seann Donovan belongs to me.” She stepped forward and pointed her finger at Imogen’s chest, “He will be back in my bed before the next moon and you will be discarded like the dozens before you honey, choose someone else, or I will make you sorry!”

  Imogen grabbed the finger poking at her chest and bent it back as the rumbling in her belly turned into a snarl and she saw a flash of surprise in the other girl’s eyes at her show of strength.

  “Don’t ever threaten me again and I will stay away from Seann when he asks me to,” the booming voice was strange even to her own ears and she let go of her hand, pushing her away.

  The fury on the other girls face should have frightened her but as she took a step forward and her jacket fell open, Kandis stared in horror at her neck, “He marked you, he claimed you as his mate!” she stumbled backward in shock.

  The feeling of foreboding hit Imogen like an express train, this woman was going to kill her, she was as sure about that as she had ever been about anything. She wouldn’t stand a chance against a fully-grown wolf, she had barely begun her transition. If she were to die then Seann would be free again to choose another mate, she hadn’t even bitten him, their bond was incomplete, he could forget her and move on. The thought wounded her more than it should have.

  “India, go get Seann,” she said quietly but Kandis put out her hand to block her.

  “She will be dead before she gets more than a few feet.”

  “If Seann wanted to mate with you Kandis he would never have bitten me, as it was I didn’t have a choice in the matter,” she tried to reason with her but the other girl was too far gone.

  “When you are dead he will come back to me,” she took a step back and stripped off her clothes. When she fell onto all fours, Imogen pushed India out of the way and screamed at her to run as Kandis changed in a flash and advanced on her slowly. She knew she had no chance against the wolf and just hoped that India had enough time to get far enough away. She heard the deep guttural growl as she closed her eyes as the golden wolf pounced.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Seann

  “They should have been back by now, Garrett, let’s go and find them.”

  Hope smirked at her sister behind his back, they had only been gone for half an hour and already he was antsy that she hadn’t returned, he had it real bad.

  He jumped down the porch steps and picked up her scent easily, “They went this way,” he started through the trees just as they heard India scream out and Seann shifted on the fly, shredding his clothes as he kept running in the direction his nose took him. He passed India running full speed but he didn’t stop, Garrett would get her and she was safe for now.

  His heart was pounding out of his chest as he whipped through the trees and he knew his mate was in extreme danger. He saw the wolf on top of her and he could smell blood, Kandis, he should have known. He pounced, jaws clamping onto the wolf’s neck as he pulled her away from Imogen who was on her knees with her hands covering her bloody neck. He was twice the wolf’s size and he had to reign in his fury to stop himself from snapping her neck in two and killing her on the spot.

  She lay submissive on the grass and he changed back into his human form and ordered her to do the same as Garrett came into the clearing with Liam.

  “Secure her!” he yelled and ran to Imogen. “Let me see, Imogen, let me have a look, honey.”

  He heaved a sigh of relief, the wound looked nasty but it was superficial and with her new wolf DNA, she would heal quickly. He lifted the hem of her jacket and ripped a strip of fabric from her shirt and held it carefully against her neck, it would stem the blood for now. He closed his eyes and said a silent thank you that she wasn't badly hurt. He should have warned her about Kandis, her possessiveness and jealousy had become a real problem. He stopped having her around the Den when it became clear she wanted more than he was able to give her.

  “Liam, take Imogen back to the house. Garrett, ask Kandis’s father to meet me here!” he barked, and Liam swooped her up into his arms and ran through the trees with her, despite her protests that she could walk just fine.

  Garrett took off his jeans and handed them to Seann and stalked off into the woods in his boxer shorts.

  He pulled on Garrett’s jeans and picked up the t-shirt and shorts and threw them at her,

  “Get dressed!” he barked out.

  She did as he asked and stood to face him, “Seann, send this girl a
way it’s not too late, she hasn’t bitten you yet. If you had been just a moment later I would have torn your mark from her neck and you could have given her to someone else, I wasn’t going to harm her. No one knows how to make you happy like I do Seann,”

  “Get down,” he growled and she fell to her knees, unable to disobey a direct command from her alpha. Seann was pulling on everything he had to stop himself from lashing out and killing her.

  “Despite your claims I know you tried to kill my mate, your alpha’s mate and that is punishable by death, Kandis,” he grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him, “Even if you had succeeded it would not have made me stop wanting her, we were destined. Nothing you could ever do would make me want you as my mate. You are spoiled and rotten to the core and I have put up with your crap because I thought you were harmless, but I was wrong.”

  “What have you done, Kandis!” Her father came running across the clearing and Seann knew that Garrett had already filled him in. He hadn’t lied when he said that the punishment was death for an attack on an alpha or his mate but unlike his father, he had no stomach for killing, even people like her. Once he had thought her to be beautiful but he had quickly learned that she was ugly inside.

  “Lock her up Garrett and tell Liam to send someone to watch over her tonight, I need to see Imogen, I will deal with her tomorrow.”

  “Lachlan, come to the Den first thing tomorrow,” he said to her father and the older man nodded and ignoring his daughter still kneeling on the grass, turned to go back home.

  They had a single jail cell in the basement of the meeting hut, but it had rarely been used since Seann became alpha. It was probably cold and damp but he couldn’t bring himself to care how uncomfortable she would be down there tonight. Liam wasn’t a fan of Kandis either, he would choose someone not easily swayed by her tears to guard her.

  He hurried home to the Den, anxious to see Imogen but she had been patched up and was in good spirits.

  “Bree cleaned me up but the wound is starting to heal,” she opened the collar of her shirt to show him.