Broken Wolf

by Stacy Claflin

  Toby gave her a grateful grin. “We’re famished.”

  “Were you okay shifting in the vampire forest?” Concern clouded her face.

  “Yes, the king and queen were very good to us, Mom. We couldn’t have been safer.”

  She relaxed and walked toward the kitchen. “Good. Well, you two settle in. We’ll eat shortly.”

  Everyone else crowded around us, speaking over one another. Sal and Jet came inside, carrying our luggage.

  “What do you have in here?” Jet asked, hefting mine onto a couch. “Weights?”

  “I smuggled in a unicorn.” I struggled to keep a straight face. “In my suitcase.”

  Several people laughed.

  “Where should we put these?” Sal asked, adjusting the one under his arm. “Your room, sir? Hers?”

  I turned to Toby. With all the wedding plans, we hadn’t even discussed which room we would live in.

  He put his arm around me and gave me a quick kiss. “Neither. There’s a spacious room on the third floor I was thinking we’d move into—that is, if you’d like to.”

  I’d have been happy to live in a mud hut as long as we were together. I leaned my head against him. “I’m sure that’s perfect.”

  “Don’t you want to see it first?” he asked.

  “In a minute.” I turned to Jet and Sal. “I’m sure the room is fine. Please take our things there.”

  They lugged the suitcases up the stairs. Toby and I went to the living room and sat on the couch. Everyone else followed us, talking a mile a minute, filling us in on what we’d missed. It sounded like it had been wonderfully uneventful, though they’d had fun in our absence.

  I leaned against Toby and enjoyed the energy of the pack.

  Ziamara sat next to us and handed Sebastian to me.

  He was at least twice as heavy as before. “Wow, he’s gotten big! How long were we gone?”

  She laughed. “You’d think months, the way he’s been growing.”

  He smiled at me.

  “He can smile already?” I exclaimed.

  “That’s his newest trick.”

  Mom came in. “The food’s ready.”

  I handed the baby back to Zia as we all headed in to eat. The table was filled with food—more than we usually had before the full moon.

  “I may have gone a little overboard.” Mom laughed. “I was just excited. You can’t blame me. I’ve missed you!”

  “Thank you.” I wrapped my arms around her. “We’re glad to be back.”

  As everyone dug in, conversation settled to a lull. Before long, everyone started asking us about our honeymoon. We told them about the cottage, the forest, the castle, and the vampire’s lavish celebration.

  After the feast, my mom started gathering the plates. I rose to help, but she shook her head. “You two get settled in, especially if you’re moving into a new room.”

  “We could’ve gotten it ready while you were away,” Sal said. “If we’d known, then it could’ve been ready and waiting.”

  “I appreciate that,” Toby said. “But I want Victoria to see the room before we make any decisions.”

  “You mean the suite?” Jet asked. “That really big room on the third floor? That’s where we put your things.”

  Toby nodded.

  “Now you’re making me curious,” I said. “I don’t think I’ve seen that room before.”

  He held out his hand. “M’lady.”

  I curtsied and took his hand. We went up the stairs, passing by the second floor, and up to the next level. I hadn’t spent much time in the upper levels, so I studied each door, marveling over which one might be ours. We passed some lovely old-time paintings and came to a door with a fancy doorknob. Toby opened it and gestured for me to go in first.

  My mouth dropped. The room was bigger than the cottage in the enchanted woods. It was almost as big as the room we’d gotten dressed in back at the castle.

  He beamed. “Do you like it?”

  It was so spacious and lovely, but what I loved most was the window seat—it was more like a couch with shelves on either side and underneath. The window itself was rounded at the top, and had a breathtaking view of our woods. I struggled to find my voice. “I love it.”

  I walked over and sat on the cushion, looking out. Toby came behind me and kissed my neck. “It’s perfect for snuggling with a good book, don’t you think?”

  I tilted my head to give him easier access to my neck. “It’s like a dream come true—you and me, our pack, this house, this room.”

  Toby trailed kisses up and down my neck. “I’m glad you like the room.” Though calling it a room downplayed what it actually was. It was almost like we had our own apartment within the larger home.

  Someone cleared his throat in the doorway.

  “So, that’s a yes?” came Sal’s voice from behind. “You’re moving in?”

  I turned back and grinned. “Definitely.”

  Sal stepped out of the room. “It’s a go!”

  Jet, Carter, and the rest of the pack guys came in, carrying our things, including furniture from the second floor.

  Toby jumped up. “I’m going to help them. You just tell everyone where to put things. I want our room to be your dream room.”

  He dashed away before I could protest. I wanted it to be our dream room.

  “Where should we put these?” Carter asked, balancing three large boxes.

  I had no idea, so I directed them to put the bigger things against the longest wall. Before long, they started bringing up even more furniture, and that was when the real fun began. In a matter of an hour, we had a fully furnished suite. The guys helped us to unpack and get everything set up, and despite my protests, they wouldn’t let me lift a finger.

  After they left, Toby and I stood near the doorway, taking in our new room. It was even better than I’d imagined it.

  He put his arm around me. “How do you like it?”

  “I can picture spending hour upon hour in here with you, forgetting we have an entire pack in the rest of the house.”

  Toby kissed my forehead. “That’s exactly what I was going for. Running a pack is a lot of work, and having a getaway is infinitely important—oh! That reminds me. The bathroom.”

  I arched a brow and followed him. My jaw dropped when I saw it. The bathroom was as big as my old room—the tub could fit several people—not that I cared to see if it actually could. A separate shower sat off from the bath, and the toilet was sectioned off from everything else. There was enough counter space for half the pack to get ready, but it was all ours.

  “Do you like it?” Toby grinned.

  I pressed my hands against his cheeks and kissed him deeply.

  He was the first to pull away. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

  “A resounding yes.” I walked over to the counter and looked in the mirror. My hair was a little messy, probably from falling asleep in the car. The wolf essence stone seemed to have a brighter glow. “Look, the stone even likes it.”

  He came over and studied it. “It’s so connected to you, it’s probably reacting to your emotions.”

  “Could be.” I studied it. “I think I’m ready to take it off. I’ll have to hand it over to Gessilyn soon, anyway. It’s time for werewolves everywhere to shift at will.”

  “You’re willing to take it off?” Toby asked. “Are you sure?”

  “I know I was a little…” I searched for the right word.

  “Obsessed?” Toby offered.

  “I was going to say enamored.”

  “That works.”

  I pulled on the chain, but it wouldn’t budge.

  “Is something wrong?” Toby asked.

  “It’s stuck.”

  “What do you mean?” Toby reached for it. A wave of electricity sounded. Toby’s eyes widened, and he flew across the bathroom and landed against the door, cracking it.

  “What was that?” I exclaimed.

  My heart raced as I ran over and helped him up.

>   He rubbed the back of his head. “Has it ever done anything like that before?”

  I shook my head. “I’ve always been able to take it off whenever I’ve wanted.”

  “Maybe it doesn’t want you to.”

  “It doesn’t want me to?”

  Toby shrugged. “You were just talking about handing it over to the witches.”

  “It’s a stone. It can’t have feelings.”

  “Yet it can kill anyone looking for it and help you find it without the magical map?” He tilted his head, obviously disagreeing with me.

  I pulled on the stone, but it was cemented to my skin. I yanked harder. It didn’t budge. Finally, I gave up and leaned against the counter. “What does it want with me?”

  “I don’t know, but we’d better find out—and soon.” Toby put his arm around me gingerly, as though he expected to be zapped again.

  “I’d say so.” I pressed my back against the wall and pulled on the stone, finding it just as unyielding as before. “Maybe you could call one of them? Like, now?”

  Toby eyed the stone. “I think I’ll do that out there.”

  “Okay,” I grunted, still fighting against it. A minute later, I let go. “Fine. I give up.”

  The stone fell loose and rested against me like any other necklace.

  Heart racing, I grabbed it, but it attached itself to me again, making it impossible to remove.

  “What do you want with me?” I demanded, as if it would actually respond.

  The swirling colors grew darker—the red turned blood red and the blue turned almost black. My pulse raced. I was frozen in place, but I couldn’t tell if it was from my own fear or the stone not allowing me to move.

  “Victoria.”

  I struggled to find my voice.

  “Victoria.”

  “Y-yes, Toby?” I called.

  “Victoria.”

  The stone returned to its normal colors. Finally, I was able to move. I ran from the bathroom. Toby sat on the edge of our new super-king sized bed, talking on the phone.

  “What did you say, Toby?” I asked.

  “Nothing.” He shook his head, appearing to be engrossed in the conversation.

  I reached for my own phone, but didn’t find it in my pocket. Maybe it had fallen out in the bathroom. I went back in there and found it on the counter. I reached for it.

  “Victoria.”

  I peeked out into our room. Toby was speaking to whoever was on the phone, his back to me. I went back to the bathroom.

  “Victoria.”

  Unable to move, I stared at the stone in the mirror. The colors swirled together rapidly.

  “Victoria.”

  It lit up as it called my name.

  More curses…

  What will happen next? What does the wolf essence stone want with Victoria? Will she and Toby ever get a break?

  Find out more in Cursed Wolf, coming in mid-2017!

  What about poor Carter? Is he going to be left pining for Victoria forever, or will he find true love? Find out in Secret Jaguar, the sixth and final Curse of the Moon book, coming in the second half of 2017!

  Learn more and see the gorgeous covers here!

  What about Soleil? She’s getting her own series! Will she find love again? Or might she be able to find Brick again? Or will her superiors in Valhalla figure out that she’s playing hooky? So many questions!

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  Other Books

  If you like the Curse of the Moon series, you might enjoy the Transformed series where it all began…

  The Transformed Series

  Main Series

  Deception

  Betrayal

  Forgotten

  Ascension

  Duplicity

  Sacrifice

  Destroyed

  Transcend

  Entangled

  Dauntless

  Obscured

  Partition

  Standalones

  Fallen

  Silent Bite

  Hidden Intentions

  Saved by a Vampire

  Sweet Desire

  Curse of the Moon

  Lost Wolf

  Chosen Wolf

  Hunted Wolf

  Broken Wolf

  Cursed Wolf

  Secret Jaguar

  The Gone Saga

  The Gone Trilogy: Gone, Held, Over

  Dean’s List

  No Return

  Alex Mercer Thrillers

  Gone Saga spin-off

  Girl in Trouble

  Short Story Collection

  Tiny Bites

  Standalones

  Haunted

  Sweet Dreams

  Visit StacyClaflin.com for details.

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  Author’s Note

  Thanks so much for reading Broken Wolf. I hope you’re enjoying the series as much as I am! It’s a really fun one to write, and it’s hard to believe that it’s winding down! I won’t say what, because some people like to read these notes first, but wow, can you believe what happened? And I can’t wait to get the next book to you so you can find out what happens next! I’m actually giddy about one of the storylines!

  Cursed Wolf will be the final book of Toby and Victoria’s story (kind of bittersweet, isn’t it?) but it’s not the end of the series! Carter will be front and center of book six, Secret Jaguar. Believe me, there will be some pretty big secrets revealed! Beyond that, Soleil is also getting her own series, likely to come out in early 2018. That’s definitely going to be fun!

  Feel free to let me know your thoughts. I’d love to hear from you. The easiest way to do that is to join my mailing list (link below) and reply to any of the emails.

  Anyway, if you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review wherever you purchased it. Not only will your review help me to better understand what you like—so I can give you more of it!—but it will also help other readers find my work. Reviews can be short—just share your honest thoughts. That’s it.

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  I’ve spent many hours writing, re-writing, and editing this work. I even put together a team who helped with the editing process. As it is impossible to find every single error, if you find any, please contact me through my website and let me know. Then I can fix them for future editions.

  Thank you for your support! I really appreciate it—and you guys!