Insatiable: Hunter's Moon Book 5

by Rice, Rachel E.

  Hunter’s Moon

  Book 5 Insatiable Series

  By Rachel E Rice

  Copyright 2016 by Rachel E Rice

  Copyright

  Copyright © 2016 by Rachel E Rice

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. Please do not participate in or encourage the piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. No reproduction of this book part or whole is permitted. This book should not be scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without the author’s permission.

  Table of Contents

  Copyright Page

  Copyright Page

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Books by Rachel E Rice

  Chapter 1

  A disturbing sensation crept over Adrienne. Snuggling close to Wilder, her head lay on his amazing wide warm chest. Holding on to his large muscular arms pulling them close, she lay in the shelter of his love. Feeling secure, Adrienne let out a satisfied breathe.

  Her restless body moved around tugging his arms for reassurance. Wilder responded to her by holding her tight. His passionate body merged into hers carrying warmth and security to her body. The nightmare is over, she thought. But what could be wrong? She was wrapped securely in Wilder’s arms, but her mind was a hostage of Bane even as she slept under Wilder’s protection.

  Her subconscious signaled to her that something was dreadfully wrong. She thought she heard her children calling out her name in her sleep. It sounds like Hunter, her mind said. A mother knows her children’s voices and cries. It was Hunter not Devin. She moved closer to Wilder trying to get the reassurance of his body that she was safe and her children were safe, and it was only a dream occupying her unconscious mind.

  Adrienne’s agitated movements on Wilder’s body didn’t wake him and Adrienne couldn’t wake herself from her nightmarish dream.

  The moon light flowed through the curtains as Wilder held Adrienne tight in his arms falling into a deep sleep. It had been a week since he slept. Over a week since he slept soundly. He had been tortured by the thought of what Bane had done to Adrienne. It had taken Wilder too long to reach her.

  Feeling the warmth of her body caused Wilder to relax. She was near and he’s aware that she’s safe in his arms. There’s no reason for him to fear anything. He had finally rescued Adrienne from Bane, and she and Wilder were far away hidden into the interior of the dense forest of Nevada.

  With Wilder’s head lowered to her hair, he sniffed nothing but Adrienne’s scent drowning out the odor of wild animals, and the tall pine trees twisting in the wind.

  He smelled the fragrance of her skin. The aroma of fresh flowers found in the meadow of his ranch, but now found in the soap she used to clean her body, before and after they made love.

  Her scent reminded him of when he was a child and his mother would bring fresh roses cut from her gardens into their home. He remembered when he first learned that the beautiful roses had thorns. A lesson taught to him by the beautiful roses and by his beautiful mate.

  Wilder didn’t see, hear, or smell anything unfamiliar when the moon light cast a shadow on Bane skulking into the house, and standing over him at the foot of his bed.

  Bane watched at Adrienne as she embraced Wilder. Bane watched at her lying naked on Wilder’s chest; their bodies as one. Adrienne thrashed about, pulling and tugging at Wilder, not knowing why she felt so uncomfortable. But Wilder just held her close and never opened his eyes. Exhaustion from the hunt for her and Bane, and worrying about Lycell and Drayton had consumed all his energy, and when he needed it the most, he couldn’t gather it to save his life. Bane stood silent and motionless trying to decide what to do next.

  Before he met Adrienne he would have killed Wilder as he slept, made Adrienne pregnant with his pups, used her up, and give her to the betas to do as they pleased, but he had changed. It was Adrienne who had changed him. He knew if he would slay Wilder in front of her, he could never have her the way he wanted.

  So Bane stood at the foot of their bed, holding his breath, watching at them with the pain of a jealous lover.

  He wanted to rip Adrienne from Wilder’s arms, but he would have to kill him first. That would have been the easiest thing to do. Yet he stood over them thinking about the consequences of his actions. He could have killed them both if it wasn’t for his desire to have Adrienne. He decided that he would wait.

  Furthermore, killing Wilder as he slept wasn’t good sport. It was like hunting a sick animal. There was no pleasure in combat with a tired exhausted Wilder. Bane had his own timeline and plans for him, where Adrienne would witness Wilder’s slaughter and see that he is the strongest and the more acceptable werewolf for a mate.

  He thought like a werewolf and not a man.

  Bane had to admit to himself that he had fallen in love with Adrienne. He had never been in love especially with a human. He looked on them as a necessary distraction when he became tired of werefemales. Then he would travel to a nearby town and pick out a willing human female who enjoyed being fucked when he was in werewolf form. She would know the score and she was willing to take his large cock as he took her the way he wanted—down on all fours. But now he wanted something more from this human female lying on the bed. He wanted a family like the Samsas, and he wanted it with Adrienne.

  To slaughter Wilder with her looking on, he could never have Adrienne the way he desired—having his pups and loving him. This is a dream for a man was his first thought. Now he wanted to embrace that part of himself. But Bane is a werewolf, a shifter, and no matter how much he wanted to be a man, his wild nature would call to him.

  He didn’t realize this when he thought like a man.

  Bane blinked his eyes and snorted, then turned slowly, patiently, and crept out of the door he came in. When he had gone, cold air whooshed over Adrienne and she heard the cry of her young pups. The pups she had given birth to by Lycell. They had a distinct sound to their voices. It wasn’t the voice of Hunter or Devin this time, these were young voices crying for their mother.

  Adrienne sat straight up gazing around regarding everything in the sparse room. Her eyes blinking wildly waiting for them to focus. She felt a presence and then she felt the absence of something or someone. Glancing over at Wilder who was still asleep, she became concerned. She had never known him to sleep so hard. It wasn’t in his nature to sleep like that. At first she thought that he might be dead. Panic showed in her eyes. She looked at her hands they were shaking. She manage to touch him lightly checking him for signs of life. There wasn’t any blood. He wasn’t wounded. He’s warm, she thought. But he didn’t move.

  She watched at him waiting for movement. A few seconds passed and still nothing. Normally if she was having a bad dream and had been agitated, he would wake, but this time he didn’t. She poked at his arm with her finger and nothing happened.

  Hysterically Adrienne pushed
him and jerked his arm, and still he didn’t move. She panicked, pushing him with both hands, she let out the loudest yell she could gather deep in her chest. “Wilder! Wilder! Wake up, Wilder,” she said pushing and prodding him until he turned to face her. His blue eyes opened wide, fixed on her, as if he was seeing her for the first time. Wilder had to get control of his body. It was unusual for him to wake in such a panic and not be ready to fight and defend especially with a known enemy prowling somewhere.

  Wilder recognized his limitation especially now. He had allowed himself to become fatigued and dog tired, where he was unable to defend Adrienne and himself if he had to.

  “What is it, Adrienne?” he said sitting up calm not displaying his anxiety and disappointment with himself for falling into a hibernating sleep. He reached for her and brought her down to his chest and wrapped his arms around her. “What’s the matter now? Are you sick or hungry?” His voice shows concern and patience.

  “I’m neither. Don’t you smell something? It’s a musk odor, not like yours, it is as if someone has been in this room.” She moves away from him meeting his eyes. Wilder’s eyes quickly scans the room. He lifts his nose taking in the odor of the room, as if he is following an animal’s scent. He sprang to his feet away from the cloak of Adrienne’s scent. How could that smell escape him? He tilted his head and jumped to the floor, away from the bed, his eyes darting around the room searching for threats.

  “We have to go now, Adrienne. You’re in danger,” Wilder said, his voice composed, but filled with urgency.

  “Why, what’s wrong?”

  “That scent you smelled is Bane.” Wilder reached for his clothes and pulled up his jeans.

  “I have to take a bath first. That couldn’t be Bane. He must be hundreds of miles away.” She glanced at Wilder for affirmation.

  “If Bane is traveling as a werewolf, and I suspect he is, then he was here.”

  “This doesn’t make sense. If he was here, why?”

  “Why didn’t he kill me?” Wilder questioned. The answer came back. Because it wasn’t good sport. With werewolves it’s the hunt that matters. “He hunted us and found us. Very few werewolves would have been able to do that.”

  “But he could have killed both of us if he had wanted,” Adrienne said looking around.

  “He didn’t want to kill both of us. Only me. He wouldn’t do it because you would see him for what he is. And if you saw him kill me in my sleep, he knew that he would never have you completely. He would have to defeat me first in front of you to prove himself to be the better werewolf.”

  “It’s not just you he would have to defeat. And I would never go with him willingly.” Adrienne said holding on to Wilder.

  “Maybe he doesn’t know that,” Wilder said his eyes locking with hers.

  “He spared me because I said I was pregnant.” Wilder tilted his head. Could it be that the werewolf he knew had changed? Adrienne had changed him and Lycell, and it wasn’t inconceivable to think that she wouldn’t be able to do the same with Bane.

  “This werewolf is not the one I know. I think it had to do with not knowing about Lycell and Drayton. If he thought that they might be dead, he would have killed me on the spot, and taken you with him. But he didn’t know how far away they were. He must have thought that they would have come after you if he attempted anything this soon. Get ready Adrienne we have to leave here, now.”

  “I have to leave my home away from home on the account of Bane. I was just getting used to the solitude. Can we come back?”

  “No, and a shower is out of the question. I want to keep my scent on you. ” Adrienne reached for her bra on the chair.

  Wilder buttoned his flannel shirt. “Hurry! You don’t know him, and I wish you would listen to me.” Adrienne climbed out of the bed and walked over to Wilder. She looked up at him into his deep dark blue eyes and held his face in her small hands.

  “I’m listening to you.” Her hands caressed his shoulders and slid down to his wrists, then to his wide muscular chest. “I’m in the mood for more of the same from last night.”

  “We can’t. We have to go. If he gets to the ranch before we do, then he will discover that Lycell and Drayton had been hurt. He could do something to cause harm to Lycell’s pups. They don’t know he’s stalking. It is presumed that I killed Bane, and I would have, if it wasn’t for you,” Wilder’s voice is accusatory.

  Adrienne pulls away. “Now you want to blame me. I thought we had settled that last night. Are you ever going to let me live this down?” She turns away from Wilder. He wants to tell her he’s sorry, but now isn’t the time. For some reason he’s still angry, but he knows it’s not Adrienne’s fault, and it’s hard for him to constantly say he’s sorry even when he’s wrong.

  Grabbing his keys and cell phone he walks away. He stops at the door and says, “I’ll get you something to eat. Now get dressed you can eat in the car.”

  “There’s one thing that irks me about you, Wilder,” Adrienne screams. “You’re too domineering and you never can admit when you’re wrong.”

  “And you’re too stubborn and want your way.”

  “I’ve changed. I hope you have too,” she says softly walking behind him and standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

  “I’m trying, Adrienne, but you’re making it difficult for me.” He turns watching at her with narrow eyes. Adrienne is pissed with Wilder again.

  “Then try a little harder because you’re not the only werewolf in town.” Wilder turns facing her with a hard look. His eyes are tight and his mouth is in a hard line. He moves near her as if he’s stalking his prey. When he locks eyes with Adrienne, he grabs her in his arms. She felt the rise of his large cock penetrate her body, and the flicker in his piercing blue eyes penetrate her soul.

  “That maybe so, but I’m the only one that has you now. If I wanted, I could take you and make you do what I want and you wouldn’t say a word. You would never be the same.”

  “You wouldn’t dare,” she said stepping back. “If I wanted, I could have...” She stopped. Her next words would have sent Wilder over the edge and she didn’t want to risk bringing a gulf between them. “And you wouldn’t be the same,” she said countering him and not letting him have the last word, which is what she does, and that made Wilder attracted to her.

  Her strength was also her weakness. That of talking too much and being so stubborn.

  Wilder stepped closer to Adrienne with a serious look. “Say that one more time and you will see the werewolf come out like you have never seen before.”

  “Since I’m not interested in seeing that other side of you, I won’t say that again.” He took her hand and then picked up two containers of cooked and fresh meat and led her out the door.

  “Put on your coat.” She hurried and did as he had asked, and he led her to the garage.

  “What about the truck?” Adrienne questioned.

  “It’s not mine, it belongs to Bane. And it’s almost played out. He will probably take it once we’ve gone. We’re driving your jeep.” Wilder pulls the keys out of his pants pocket. “I bought it for you.”

  “I have a jeep?”

  “I alone bought it for you. I had it modified for your protection with bullet proof glass. I knew you wouldn’t want us to accompany you everywhere you went, so I bought this for your birthday. It was supposed to be a secret. Just like this cabin was to be a secret. Now I have to sell it. I can’t risk Bane finding us again.”

  Wilder opened the door to the jeep, and helped her in. He walked around and climbed in, hit the keyless ignition, raised the garage door, and backed out. They were going home and Adrienne was glad. She had to make sure her children were safe. Deep down, she thought Bane wouldn’t hurt her pups.

  She had enough of an adventure to last a life time. She wished she would never see Bane again, but she harbored mixed feelings of one day meeting him under different circumstances. If only to ask him to forget her and leave her family alone. Maybe she could reason with him so
they both could have peace, and she could be with her children and husbands and he could live out his life under his own terms in Alaska.

  Surely he didn’t want a woman like her, her mind thought. He is wasting his life concentrating on a human who had too many children, and too many werewolves who loved her, and was willing to destroy him. She would plead with him for his sake to leave her alone.

  Adrienne is under the assumption she could reason with Bane. If he loved her like she suspected he did, then he would find it in his heart to find love somewhere else. She would remember him, and think about him, but she couldn’t be with him. It was over and she was going home to her family and they should forget each other, and for him to stop wanting something that could never be.

  Bane wasn’t thinking with his human brain. He was thinking with his werewolf brain. His desire for Adrienne had been raised to a level where he couldn’t turn away from her, and what she represented to him, even if he wanted to. He had to go after her and have her in his life. But first he had to get rid of all obstacles that lay in his way. They were her werewolf mates and her yearlings. He had changed. But there were some things that remained unchanged.

  Bane is plagued with blind rage, blind passion, and that made him dangerous to anyone he came into contact with.

  Chapter 2

  Reading all the books in the library proved boring because Hunter read them quickly. He is impatient with his studies as he glances around, scanning the shelves, for books he hadn’t read. Adrienne took over the task of homeschooling Hunter and Devin along with bringing in a tutor, which Wilder had chosen. The tutor a family friend had been with the Samsas since Wilder was a cub. Hunter thought the tutor was out of touch. Hunter’s interests lie in books about war not Dickens and Kafka.

  The old tutor had provided a required reading list of philosophers, which Hunter ignored. He examined the list and then flung it down in front of him, walked to the book shelf and pulled a book. “War and Peace,” he mumbled. “This looks interesting.” I can read this massive book in one night, he thought.