Blue Moon

by J. A. Belfield

  "…moments where I thought, “Wow, I really didn’t see that one coming."

  — K-Books

  “There’s twists and turns aplenty in this book. It keeps you hooked and on the very edge of your seat.”

  — Jeanz Book Read and Review

  “I really didn’t want this to end.”

  — L.S. Murphy, Author, Reaper

  Praise for Darkness & Light, Book 1 in the Holloway Pack

  “At the risk of sounding completely cliché…OMG! If you love Paranormal Romance and specifically Werewolves, then you have got to read this book.”

  — Nocturne Reads

  “Ms. Belfield’s take on the old werewolf story is fresh and interesting …”

  — WebbWeaver Reviews

  “This is one of those books. You know the type. It draws you in, mesmerizes you, and captures your breath until the very last word.”

  — At Random Blog

  Blue Moon

  J.A. Belfield

  J. Taylor Publishing

  BLUE MOON

  Published by J. Taylor Publishing

  www.jtaylorpublishing.com

  Copyright © 2012 Julie Anne Belfield

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, events, locations, or any other element is entirely coincidental.

  ISBN 978-1-937744-16-8 (PAPERBACK)

  ISBN 978-1-937744-17-5 (EPUB)

  First Printing: December 2012

  For Mr B and the Mini-Me’s and your understanding ways.

  The music of wolves pierced the night air.

  Ears twitching, I listened to the echoing calls of the rest of the pack—their announcement of readiness beneath the powerful glow of the full moon.

  In eagerness, I thrust forward.

  A warning growl from Sean held me in place.

  My neck stretched forward; my head bobbed with my inhalations.

  I took another step.

  Sean’s growl halted me again.

  I sent him a glance, whined.

  His eyes twinkled before he gave an upward jerk of his chin, and we took off.

  Every one of my senses heightened as our paws pounded the earth.

  Flavours, scents, culinary delights blew to me on the breeze.

  I didn’t rely on my enhanced vision to see. With the absence of foliage, the lunar glow left us without obstruction, lending light to the dark.

  Side by side, Sean and I ran so close, our bodies’ maintained constant contact, my facial hairs bristling beneath his breath every time he glanced my way.

  Our ability to each understand the other’s emotions, intents, needs and wants was magical—always had been.

  As my paws contacted solid ground, the alluring aroma of fox invaded my path. My claws dug in, scraping up crumbling earth as I tried to stop. I spun, a patch of mud spraying my underbelly, and dove toward the scent I craved.

  Sean headed to the right.

  I followed.

  His head lowered, feet moving faster.

  I raced to keep up, reflecting his movements as he angled left and into a wide right arc.

  The wind picked up, altering course, and blew the rich, meaty bouquet to my senses.

  I ran faster.

  My increased pace brought me to Sean’s side.

  The delicious freshness of the meal tugged at me like a lure.

  I wanted it.

  So did he.

  He allowed me a second’s glance before driving into the lead.

  Fear oozed from our prey. A shudder wracked my body as my vision swam with bloodlust. I bounded onto Sean’s back hard enough to knock him away and propelled myself from his stumbling body.

  I surged forward, jaws wide, lips back, ears flattened, saliva already present.

  A low scoop snatched the animal into my jaws.

  My teeth clamped down. My head whipped left, right, left again.

  Each jerk lessened the animal’s struggles until I heard the victorious crack that resonated like thunder and vibrated through my jaw.

  With each shake of my head, my teeth punctured deeper, releasing warm blood that trickled across my tongue, tantalising my taste buds, and as it pooled at the back of my throat, I let out my canine purr.

  Eyes shining with his usual amusement, Sean crossed to me.

  A low warning growl left my throat, but I didn’t move as he rubbed along my side—his sniff of my kill didn’t concern me.

  After lowering to the ground, I pinned my meal between my paws and whined up at him to join me.

  He heaved a sigh before settling his body down alongside mine. His paw snuck around to draw the creature in for a taste, and my muzzle followed in search of more.

  Nothing could ruin a good hunt.

  1

  The Porsche purred beneath my palms. Wind whipped through the gap in my window, stirring my hair into a halo. In the passenger seat beside me, my best friend, Poppy, sat shivering. “You sure you’re warm enough, Pop?”

  “I’m good.” She pulled her coat a little higher around her wild, red curls and re-aimed the vents her way for the twentieth time.

  She’d never complain, anyway, not when she understood being a werewolf notched up my regular body temperature enough that sweater and scarf compensated for the chance at fresh air. At least she had the burgers for warmth. Brown paper bags filled with lunch pressed against her lap. I’d already eaten one whilst driving, but the wafts of fat-scented steam continued to entice.

  Rounding the corner, I turned onto the road to the site of the pack’s latest property development. Although tempted to squeal through the gates and announce my arrival in style, I figured it best if Sean continued to believe I drove like a snail when in his car, and shifted down the gears one by one.

  I spun the wheel left for the turn and braked hard at a woman standing in the middle of the gatepost.

  She whirled, lids narrowed over irises of bright blue, until she settled into a look of bewilderment.

  If she thought I’d missed the fleeting irritation in her expression, she was mistaken. I stuck my head out. “Can I help you?”

  From beneath a full head of black waves, her cool stare trained on me as her hands faux-flapped in front of her. “You scared me out of my wits, flying round the corner like that.” The chill in the woman’s tone matched her expression.

  I scowled. “Five miles an hour is not flying.”

  “She trying to put out a fire or something?” Poppy mumbled.

  She turned from me to Poppy and quit with her hands before circling toward the almost completed apartments.

  Near the entrance, Ethan, Sean’s older brother by two years, had his head in close to Connor Larsen’s ginger curls, but her focus only swung round as far as Connor’s son.

  As though aware of the attention, Josh lifted his chin. His gaze shifted from the Porsche to the stranger. After he mumbled something to Connor and Ethan, the three men headed our way.

  I glanced back in time to s
ee a smirk cross the woman’s face.

  “What’s she playing at?” Poppy hissed.

  Shrugging, I stuck my head back out the window. “I asked you what you wanted.”

  She glanced back to me. “I was just admiring the apartments.” At the arrival of the three men, she gave them her full attention, complete with winning smile.

  “She switched that on pretty quick for them,” Poppy murmured.

  Josh smiled at the young female as he strode past her. Arms coming to rest against the window ledge, he planted a kiss on my cheek. “You’ve been ages, Jem.”

  “Well, I’m here now.”

  He thumbed over his shoulder. “Who’s your friend?”

  “She’s no friend of mine.” My lip curled. “She looked like she was spying.”

  Josh straightened as he laughed. Obviously, he didn’t get my non-joke. I’d have set him straight, but the fake, stalker-girl already had his attention, as well as Connor’s and Ethan’s.

  “The apartments.” She waved a hand to her right, lashes fluttering.

  Ethan tucked his hands into his jeans pockets and rested against the gatepost. “What did you want to know?”

  My eyebrow lifted as I faced Poppy.

  A ‘Can you believe them?’ expression showed on her face.

  With a low growl of irritation, I jammed the gearstick into first. “If you want your food, come and get it,” I said and drove off.

  I parked near the three-storey structure and killed the engine. The second I climbed from the car, Sean Holloway came our way.

  The mere sight of my mate hitched my breath and sent my stomach into somersaults.

  He removed his hard hat, a rub of his hand sending his chocolate brown hair into disarray. Four days into December and he wore only short sleeves, offering a glimpse of his muscular arms. The nearer he came, the clearer his dark eyes grew, and his widening smile flashed teeth that glowed against the golden skin of a man who spent his life outdoors.

  Poppy laughed from the other side of the car. “You two look at each other as though you’ve been parted for decades.”

  Sean reached me, tangled his fingers into my hair, heaved out a deep sigh as though relieved I’d made it in one piece, and drew me in for a kiss. Eyes locked, our bodies met as though drawn by a magnetic force. Our tongues darted out, sampling the delicacy of the other, and my right foot left the ground, my body swaying with the headiness of the moment.

  “Did you bring food?” he asked.

  “Of course.”

  He sent Poppy a grin over my shoulder. “Joining us for lunch, Poppy?” He made it sound like we had a table reservation at a high-class restaurant rather than squeezing into the portable on-site cabin.

  “Apparently so,” she said.

  “We didn’t want to keep you waiting, so I’ll drop Poppy home after we’ve eaten.” I studied his eyes, checking to make sure he didn’t mind, and received a nodded response.

  At the passenger side, I ducked into the Porsche for the bags of food. A glance to the right showed the three pack members still chatting to the woman at the entrance. As her body language headed in the direction of flirting, my scowl returned.

  “Lunch!” I shouted.

  Connor and Ethan broke away.

  “Bring mine here,” Josh said without turning.

  My brows shot up. “What?”

  “I’m talking. I’ll eat here.” Still, I didn’t warrant so much as a glance from him.

  “I’m not your servant.” I growled. “Get it yourself.”

  Connor passed behind me. “What’s up with you, Jem?”

  “Nothing,” I mumbled, meeting Poppy’s gaze.

  Ethan smirked as he brushed against me and grabbed one of the bags. “I have a pretty good idea.” He strode off, tossed two burgers to Josh and followed Connor into the apartments where the rest of the pack worked.

  With my scowl still in place, I plodded across to the inadequate hut.

  Behind me, Sean’s footsteps hit the gravel, keeping pace with Poppy’s as she waffled on about cushions and throws and everything else we’d perused on our shopping trip.

  I nudged the door open, flicked on the light—for Poppy’s human vision more than mine—and dropped the fast food bag onto the desk on my way to the drinks counter in the corner.

  “Sounds like you had a good day,” Sean said, the rustle of paper telling me he wasted no time searching for his meal.

  “We did,” Poppy said.

  I flicked on the kettle and spooned coffee into three mugs.

  The intensity of the stranger’s eyes, with her attention latched onto Josh like a damn fishing hook, roiled through my mind. Looking at the apartments, my foot.

  “Didn’t we, Jem?”

  I leaned back against the counter and took the burger Sean held out for me with a nod. “Got the cushions.” I peeled back the greaseproof wrapper. “Picked up paint charts.” I aimed the bun at my mouth and bit a chunk off. “Grabbed lunch.” I sent him a burger-distorted smile.

  The door swung open, and Josh entered, his green eyes sparkling beneath a mess of shaggy, dark blond curls, and a wide grin spread across his face.

  My gaze flittered to Sean.

  His expression matched his pack brother’s as though Josh had impressed him with his ability to chat with a young, attractive female.

  Poppy and I exchanged another glance—a hoard of unspoken communication passing between us. Knowing Poppy also had a bad vibe about the stranger made me feel a little better.

  Josh unwrapped his second burger and shovelled half into his mouth as he leaned against the counter beside me.

  I peered up at him. “Who was she?”

  He shrugged as he swallowed. “Just passing and stopped to look at the apartments.”

  “She wasn’t looking at the apartments.”

  He nodded. “She lives with her sister and is looking for her own place. She said these look perfect. So,”—he shoved the rest of the burger in and chewed—“I gave her my card.”

  Gave her his card? He didn’t even know her. I sought Sean’s reaction; he still had a smile on his face. “She wasn’t looking at the apartments,” I said again.

  “’Course she was,” Josh said around his swallow. “What else could she have been doing?”

  “Could have been …spying,” I mumbled.

  Sean choked on his burger. “Spying?” He rubbed his hand across his mouth in a poor effort to hide his smile. “On what?”

  Averting my gaze, I watched the shuffle of my feet, the right leaving a mark on the floor.

  “Jem?”

  I lifted my face to the glistening in Sean’s eyes and tilted my head a little on realising how ridiculous I might sound to him. “Josh.” I cringed at the heat spreading through my cheeks, and my stare flickered away again.

  Deep chuckles met my ears. Josh reached round and drew me to his side. “If I didn’t know any better, Jem, I’d say you were jealous.” His lips met my neck, and a little ‘wolf nuzzling’ ensued.

  “Hey.” Sean tossed his empty wrapper at his pack brother, though his lips remained curved. “Knock it off.”

  Josh sent Sean a grin as he released me, and bumped me with his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Jem. I’d never run off with someone who didn’t have your approval.”

  My eyes sought Poppy’s, found them already on me. Poppy knew as well as I did we’d have to hope he never asked approval for the dark-haired girl.

  She’d already lost it.

  • • •

  “You really don’t like the idea of other females invading your territory, do you, Jem?” Poppy asked over the hum of the Porsche from her cocooned position in the passenger seat.

  I shrugged.

  “I know you have a str
ong bond with Josh, so I understand you feeling pushed out, but …it’s not only him, is it?”

  “I don’t know. It’s just . . .” I paused to consider. “None of them have shown an interest in women.”

  “Just because they haven’t advertised their attraction doesn’t mean the feelings aren’t there, sweetie.”

  I didn’t comment.

  “At the end of the day, they are male. They all have a pulse,” Poppy continued. “Of course they think about women.”

  Still, I remained mute as horrid images of sharing the breakfast table with six females rampaged through my mind.

  “You’re too used to having them all to yourself.”

  I shrugged, trying to shove the mental slideshow away.

  “You have to consider they may meet someone—date even. Surely, you don’t think they’ve all lived their lives as monks?”

  I couldn’t tell her that, as a rule, the pack didn’t date humans because past experience showed them the consequences could be catastrophic—not for themselves but for the humans. “I’ve never thought about it.” I hadn’t needed to.

  “Oh, come on. Men have needs. Sooner or later, those men of yours will want to get those needs fulfilled.”

  She probably thought the conversation helped.

  She couldn’t have been more mistaken.

  My eyes had been opened to the possibility that I may not always be the sole female to interact with the pack.

  I welcomed the idea about as much as a bout of diarrhoea.

  2

  Thursday, I woke to the usual heat of Sean’s body along my spine.

  “’Morning, Jem,” he whispered against my hair.

  I rolled in search of him. Wrapped in each other’s arms, our hearts beat an unsteady tune, our breaths mingled. “Hey, baby.” I nibbled at his earlobe.

  “Sleep well?”

  “Hmm-mm.” My lips brushed across the overnight stubble coating his cheek.

  His knee nudged between mine until he nestled within my thighs. “Shopping again today?”