Blood Moon (Skye Morrison Vampire Series, #5.5)

by J. L. McCoy

  “Hey, Million Dollar Baby,” Gavin smiled over at me as he stood and dusted off his hands. “I never pegged you for a fighter.”

  “I’m normally not,” I answered, slightly embarrassed that they’d witnessed me in the middle of completely losing my shit. “I guess I just needed to work through some things.”

  “Yeah. On his face!” he chuckled.

  “Well, if you ask me, he deserved every hit you gave him,” chimed in one of the women as she rubbed circles on her swollen belly. “He’s lucky you left his future up to Fate. I would have had him executed if he’d done that to me.”

  “Me too,” offered the other as she took a seat in a lawn chair in front of the fire.

  “I’m Synthia, by the way,” the one standing said, offering me her hand, “and that’s Mazie.”

  “Nice to meet you both.” I smiled.

  “We were just about to make S’mores. Want some?” Synthia asked, motioning with her thumb toward the house.

  “Sure,” I answered, shrugging both shoulders. I had no appetite whatsoever, but I knew I should fake it. I was a nervous wreck, but needed to get my mind off what was happening right now; I needed to start working on finally letting go.

  We were slowly making our way toward the house to get the ingredients when several howls sounded behind us. Turning, I saw a sea of multi-colored wolves; some were leaping up and down with excitement, while others had their eyes locked on the tree line. A large black wolf broke from the pack, tilted his head back, and howled loudly. Yips from the others followed before the big black wolf stopped, turned, and darted into the woods. The rest of the pack eagerly darted after him.

  “The hunt begins,” Synthia whispered seriously, her wistful eyes locked on their retreating forms.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Dean

  Lyric’s scent was easy to follow. He was scared out of his mind and his fear pheromones blanketed his wake. Still, it made the hunt no less fun.

  Zephyr’s wolf ran beside me on my left as Primo’s did the same on my right. I yipped, signaling them to take the lead, and then slowed to allow some of the more eager wolves to get in front of me. As much as I wanted Lyric dead, I wanted my pack to enjoy the experience more. We hadn’t had a trial by land in years; this was truly exciting for them.

  Trigger’s wolf bayed, announcing Lyric was close. The pack immediately widened, some spreading out and speeding up so they could get ahead of Lyric and circle him in. The fence line was still a good three thousand yards away and I knew, without a doubt, he wouldn’t be crossing it.

  A few minutes later, I heard Cage howl excitedly. The pack had successfully circled Lyric and was closing him in. I yipped back a few times, congratulating them on a great job, as I sped up to supervise the take down.

  A high-pitched scream filled the air and I picked up sounds of a scuffle. Breaking through the line, I found Key, one of our younger wolves, taunting Lyric. He was nipping at his legs, backing up, and then nipping again.

  “Get the fuck away from me!” the prisoner cried out as he unsuccessfully tried to kick Key. Key growled and latched onto one of his legs, whipping his head quickly side to side in an attempt to remove a hunk of flesh.

  Cage joined in on the action and clamped down on one of his arms. After that, it was a free for all. Their snarls failed to drown out the sound of Lyric’s extreme pain.

  “Please! Please! No more!” he screamed as he laid on the ground, but his frantic pleas fell on deaf ears. He had been sentenced, after all, and the wolves were only delivering his just recompense.

  The attack went on for another minute, Lyric’s cries barely above a whimper now. I barked twice, giving the order for the violent barrage to cease. As my wolves backed away, I took in Lyric’s bloody form. He was mere minutes from death; that much was certain. At least half of his body’s blood supply soaked the ground around him.

  I slowly padded toward him as the scent of his blood flooded my senses. My wolf loved what he smelled and I felt my lips pull back in a wolfy grin. Stopping in front of him, I studied Lyric’s face; it was almost peaceful, and I knew he was now past the point of feeling pain.

  “Do…it,” he gurgled out softly around the red liquid pooling in his mouth. He was ready to meet the final death now, and it was my job to help him on his way.

  Without hesitation, I lowered my head, clamped my teeth around his intact throat, and promptly ripped it out with a quick jerk of my head. Spitting the bloody hunk out on the ground beside me, I looked up and into the eyes of my pack. Every wolf tilted their head back and howled at the moon in celebration of his death.

  It was short lived, though, as our eyes took in the now fully risen celestial body. Worriedly, I stared at the red sphere. A blood red moon was an omen in our culture; it signaled that a great time of trouble was ahead. Primo’s wolf approached and nudged my shoulder with his head. He whined softly and I could tell he was concerned about what this would mean for our pack.

  Gently nipping his face, I told him not to worry about it right now, even though inwardly I was. I had to stay strong for my pack, though. Getting nervous right now about an omen that may or may not happen soon would do nothing for a pack who desperately needed to run.

  Primo’s anxious yellow eyes found mine and he whined again. Not wanting to have a panicked pack on my hands, I tried to alleviate their worries by initiating some playful roughhousing. I tackled Primo’s gray and white wolf to the ground and rolled with him. Once I had him pinned underneath me, he gently licked my face a few times in submission. The pack slowly followed my lead, and before long, they’d put their worries on the backburner and joined in.

  After a few minutes, most of the pack took off to start their monthly run. Primo and Dylan graciously stayed behind to assist me in laying Lyric’s body to rest. Using our paws, we dug out a wide, deep hole and carefully nudged his remains over the side. Primo and Dylan then used their noses to cover him up as I trotted back over to the site of his death.

  Not wanting to leave obvious evidence behind, I turned around and used my hind legs to kick up dirt, covering the pool of blood. After I made sure it was adequately concealed, I yipped a thanks to the boys before pivoting and beginning my own run.

  It was important for an alpha to run with his pack. We used this time to bond with each other, show affection, give praise, and, of course, discipline. Using my nose, I picked out the first scent I was looking for and gave chase.

  I darted between trees as my heavy paws pounded the hard earth below me, completely enjoying myself. Keeping my wolf under wraps for most of the month was a very difficult thing to do. Being alpha meant I had much higher testosterone levels than other males in my pack. My wolf was always just under the surface, ready to be granted freedom at a moment’s notice. Finally giving him that freedom, it was the best feeling in the entire world.

  Leaves crunched to my left and I glanced up just in time to see Roxy’s beige wolf before she tackled me to the ground. As we rolled, I playfully chomped my teeth at her and she yipped happily in response. My nose picked up her strong, earthy, feminine scent, and I knew she was in heat. My wolf was dying to take her from behind, to spill his seed inside her, marking her, claiming her as his for the night.

  He liked fucking Roxy; she was convenient and always ready for a roll. The problem was, the human part of me didn’t much care for her. As you can imagine, that created some serious, and often uncomfortable, conversations afterward. She wanted to be my mate, but she just wasn’t wife material in my eyes.

  I rolled her once more and pinned her underneath me. Her luminescent yellow eyes widened as her scent became stronger. She was turned on and more than ready to have me inside her. My wolf moaned as he lowered his nose to her belly, scenting her once more. He decided then that he would take her after all. Lightly biting her throat, he acknowledged her submission before moving off her.

  Roxy flipped over and proceeded to stalk back and forth in front of me, offering me her ass at every pass
. She was telling me she was ready, willing, and desperately waiting. I stepped toward her, ready to mount her, but abruptly, Nikki’s face flashed in my mind.

  Her aqua blue-green eyes sparkled as she smiled at me. My heart seemed to skip a beat at the thought of her waiting for me back at the house, and I backed away from Roxy quickly. She wasn’t who I wanted; my wolf and his wayward cock be damned. I wanted Nikki, needed her. It was she who my heart, mind, and cock ached for; not this throw-it-around wolf.

  Turning, I didn’t look back as I resumed heading in the direction I’d been going. I didn’t get very far, though. Roxy appeared in front of me, her teeth pulled back in a show of anger. She wasn’t going to let me go easily. I rarely turned her down, and knew she’d be pissed with my decision, but I didn’t care. These fluttery, sugary, horny feelings of mine were reserved for another.

  Walking past her, she stepped in front of me again, this time placing her forehead on my chest in an attempt to hold me in place. My wolf didn’t like this one bit. I snarled at her, pulling my lips back and fully exposing my sizable fangs. I warned her away from touching me again, lest she get put back in her place. Of course, being the stubborn bitch she was, she tested my resolve by doing it again. Wasting no time, I turned my head, catching her pointed ear between my teeth, and bit down hard.

  She yelped and I immediately let go. I met her yellow eyes and narrowed mine at her. Roxy knew she was pushing the bounds of my tolerance and I let her see how much I disliked it. She lowered her head a few inches and dropped her eyes to the ground. I very briefly acknowledged her submission before turning and resuming my pace. It didn’t take long before I realized she was following me. I ignored her and picked up my speed a bit, smoothly transitioning into a trot.

  Weight came down on my back and I realized the crazy bitch was trying to initiate play again. We were far beyond that now, though. I’d made it perfectly clear to her I wasn’t interested. She was breaking our code, showing no respect for our long standing, set-in-stone social order.

  Maneuvering to the side, I knocked her off and pinned her to the unforgiving earth with my massive paws. The snarl that ripped itself from my throat left no room for any doubt to how extremely angry she’d made me. Ignoring her frightened and remorseful whimpers, I stationed my muzzle a mere inch from her face and gave her one final, dire warning. If she touched me again tonight without invitation, it would be viewed as an attack. Roxy’s wide, apologetic eyes told me she’d gotten the message loud and clear and wouldn’t be trying anything again. I disliked being this stern most of the time, but it was a necessary evil. It was my job to protect my pack and keep them in line. Any show of weakness on my part might invite a challenge to my position, and I wasn’t about to have that. I’d inherited the pack alpha role from my father, as he did his. This life was my destiny, my reason for existing, and I wasn’t about to let someone come between that.

  Once I was absolutely certain she’d gotten the message, I lowered my lips and transitioned into a low growl as I backed away from her. She didn’t dare move from her prone, belly-up position. I recognized a glint of anger in her eyes as I turned and slowly strolled away, but I didn’t care. There were other things I needed to be dealing with, and I was not going to let her or her pheromones distract me again.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Nikki

  After quickly changing out of my work attire, I helped Synthia grab the chocolate, graham crackers, marshmallows, napkins, and roasting forks. I hadn’t had a S’more in ages and just about died after taking the first heavenly bite. Soon after finishing our first gooey sandwich, a chorus of long howls went up, and everyone froze.

  “What does that mean?” I asked, nervously, worried that Lyric had, indeed, made it across the property line, effectively passing his trial. I had no guarantee he’d leave me alone in the future and that scared me. I’d rather take a bullet than have to spend another second looking into his betraying eyes again.

  “It means they had a successful hunt,” Mazie piped up mater-of-factly. “The human is dead.”

  Tears sprung to my eyes as I took my marshmallow out of the fire and sat my roasting fork down on the ground. I had a million emotions swirling within me and couldn’t decide if I was happy, sad, relieved, or disappointed. As much as I hated what Lyric did to me, hated what they all did to me, I didn’t know if I could ever actually celebrate someone’s death.

  Taking notice of my tears, Synthia sat up in her chair and offered up her opinion on the matter. “He deserved it, girl,” she said gently, “plain and simple. You gave him a chance at Fate, which is a hell of a lot more than any one of us would have done. His betrayal was of the highest kind. He was your mate and he handed you over to vampires. That’s some messed up shit right there.”

  “Completely messed up,” Mazie nodded.

  “Uh, I hate to interrupt,” Gavin said, and I looked over to see him slowly getting out of his chair, his eyes fixed on something in the sky, “but are you seeing what I’m seeing?”

  My brow furrowed as I questioningly turned my head to Synthia. She was now out of her chair, her roasting fork forgotten, as she stared worriedly up at the sky. My gaze followed hers and I was surprised to see that tonight’s full moon was tinted red.

  “Wow, that’s neat,” I commented, standing as well. I hadn’t seen a red moon in years.

  “No,” Mazie said quietly as she stood from her chair, her hands protectively hugging her swollen belly. “That’s trouble.”

  “What does it mean?” Gavin questioned anxiously as he stepped closer to her.

  “It’s an omen,” Synthia whispered before looking to Mazie too.

  “It is a warning. The blood moon predicts a time of trouble for the pack sometime in the near future.”

  “How near?” I asked fearfully.

  Her black eyes found mine, but I didn’t think she truly saw me. She appeared to be gazing right through me. “Very near,” Mazie whispered.

  I swallowed hard and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm my suddenly racing heart. “How…accurate…are these omens?”

  “Out of the three I’ve seen, very,” Synthia answered seriously, her wide eyes starting to tear up. “The last blood moon preceded the previous alpha’s death.”

  “Holy shit,” I breathed, suddenly needing to sit down. The previous alpha had been Dean’s dad. Was Dean now in trouble? Was this blood moon predicting Dean’s death as well? I felt sick to my stomach; the thought was just too much. I couldn’t bear to lose Dean now that he meant everything to me.

  I stood and started running for the woods. I had to find him; I had to know if he was okay.

  “Where are you going?” Gavin called out nervously.

  “I have to find Dean,” I answered over my shoulder as I charged ahead.

  “You can’t go in there!” Mazie yelled.

  “Humans aren’t allowed!” Synthia warned. “Come back!”

  I ignored them as I picked up speed, finally reaching the tree line. I gave no thought to my own safety; Dean was my only concern. Had he seen the moon? Did he know something bad was going to happen to the pack soon? If not, I needed to tell him.

  Racing onward, I dodged trees and leapt over fallen logs. My legs pumped as fast as they could, eager to reach the man I’d grown to care for. I had no idea where I was going, only knowing he was in these woods somewhere and I had to find him.

  After running for over ten minutes, I realized how quickly I was tiring. Running at full speed was taking everything I had in me to maintain it, so I slowed to a jog as I came to a small clearing. I glanced around me and listened intently to my surroundings, hoping for a noise or howl to give away the wolves’ location.

  I heard a twig snap to my right and spun around to find a sandy colored wolf standing at the tree line, its head lowered, watching me intently.

  “Hi,” I breathed out in relief. “Man, I’m so glad to see you. I’ve been looking all over for y’all. I’m Nikki. Remember me?”

&nbs
p; The wolf’s head slowly cocked to the side as its yellow eyes scrutinized me.

  “Nikki?” I said, putting a hand to my chest. “I’m staying with Dean, your alpha?”

  I had a sudden, worrisome thought. What if this wolf wasn’t one of Dean’s? What if it wasn’t a werewolf at all, but an actual wild wolf? I swallowed hard as I took a slow step back.

  But, that’s absurd…right? What were the chances of a wild wolf being in Austin, Texas? I knew we had coyotes, but wasn’t sure about wolves. I was incredibly nervous all of the sudden. Maybe I should have listened to Synthia and Mazie.

  The wolf took a slow step toward me as I took another one back.

  “Uh…if you’re a werewolf, and can understand me, can you give me some sort of sign?” I questioned, barely above a whisper, as I tried to keep my voice calm and steady.

  To my immense surprise, it gradually nodded its head as it took another step.

  Breathing out in enormous relief, I smiled and chuckled. “Oh, thank God. Thank God. I was starting to get worried. I—”

  My voice died as I noticed the unexpected change in the wolf’s demeanor. It had lowered its head and was walking faster toward me. The hair on my arms stood on end and I began stepping backward. Something wasn’t right and my body knew it; it was screaming for me to run.

  “W-what are you doing?” I asked fearfully, my eyes glued to the predator before me.

  Slowly, its lips pulled back, exposing the long, lethal fangs beneath them, and growled.

  Oh, shit.

  Without another word, I spun around and bolted. I had no idea which direction I’d come from, but hoped like hell this was the way to the house, as it was my only salvation. The hard pounding of its paws hitting the earth behind me was like having my very own death march drummer. I knew the big bad wolf was on my heels, and my chances of survival were slim to none.