Temptation of the Wolf: A Silver Moon Novel (Book 1)

by L. S. Slayford

  Had Dad really had an affair when they were married? She pondered. It just didn’t sit right.

  Nothing was sitting right just lately.

  Seven

  Eventually Michael made his way downstairs to discover his younger sister clutching a decades-old notebook holding the intimate thoughts of a woman lost to them. Michael’s face was pale, devoid of the humour and light-heartedness that he was usually known for. Instead, his jawline was tight, his eyes weary and his shoulders tense.

  It was time to head into town to see the sheriff.

  Their property was located twenty miles south to Westfield. The town wasn’t overly big. Westfield boasted a shopping mall, three high schools, a business centre, charming residential areas and everything else one would expect to see. The police station was located close to one of the high schools. Every time school ended for the day, one of the deputies would be standing outside watching.

  Luna and Michael sat down on a chair, the hard plastic reminiscent of endless hours at school. Sheriff Briggs sat behind his desk, his portly belly refusing to let him get too close. Grey eyes warmed at the sight of them but they threatened to turn dark and cold if the situation called for it.

  Grabbing a file, he spread the contents across the desk and sighed. “Well. Firstly, let me say how sorry we all are for the death of your parents. It wasn’t something we were expecting”, he said, his voice gruff and low.

  “Neither were we”, Michael responded mildly.

  Sheriff Briggs nodded and then turned his eyes on Luna. “But it is good to see you again, missy. It’s been years since any of us have seen you. Think you must have been around five when you were last here”.

  “Six”, Luna corrected him, her voice soft. “I was sent to boarding school at six years old. This is the first time I’ve been back since I left”.

  Nodding again, he grabbed his coffee mug, grimacing at the taste of the liquid. Either it was cold or it just tasted bad. “Right, let’s get down to business then”, he said. “Four days ago on Monday it appears that your parents were driving in your father’s truck from Brad and Sally Nieves’ house on their way home. Brad and Sally had invited them over for dinner and then left around nine p.m. Just before they reached the turn-off for their property it appears that your father lost control of his vehicle and crashed head-first into a tree. Sherrie England, your mother, died instantly, but your father died a few hours later in hospital”.

  Looking up at Luna, Sheriff Briggs noticed the paleness of her face. “Sorry for the details but it’s better to be aware of everything”.

  “Do you know why the crash occurred, Sheriff?” Michael asked, his voice flat.

  Sheriff Briggs hunted around the desk for a piece of paper, finally locating it at the back. “Well, we’re not rightly sure but there’s a few possibilities. Brad and Sally confirmed that George had had a couple of beers that night, so it’s possible that he lost control due to alcohol”.

  Michael shook his head. “Two beers wouldn’t make Dad unable to drive, Sheriff. You know that and so do I”.

  Shrugging his shoulders, Sheriff Brigg’s portly belly jiggled as he tried to locate another piece of paper. “What can I tell ya, Michael? Perhaps your parents had an argument which caused the crash, or maybe he swerved the car to avoid hitting an animal. We all know you got those damn wolves on your land for whatever goddamn reason. My best bet is that your father was drunk and crashed trying to avoid hitting something”.

  Luna took a deep breath. “Is there any proof of that, Sheriff?” she asked, looking him in the eyes.

  For the briefest moment, he looked back at her, his warm eyes not quite as friendly as before. “Not yet, miss. The hospital are running blood tests, we should know the results in a day or so”.

  “Was there any evidence of foul play?” she questioned, watching the sheriff’s face for any tell-tell signs. She was disappointed when he scoffed.

  “Nothing. The only evidence of foul play was the damage to the damn tree the truck rammed into. Sorry, miss, but it was either a case of drunk driving or a pure accident”. His eyes then narrowed. “Why would you think there was foul play?”

  Luna shook her head. “No particular reason, Sheriff, I was just asking. Back in France we hear so many horror stories of the high number of criminal acts here in America. I just want to make sure nothing like that had occurred to our parents”.

  Michael spoke up. “Do Europeans think America is that bad?”

  Nodding, Luna began playing with her hands, wrapping the pale golden locks around her fingers, tugging slightly. “Oh yes. France is much safer than America”.

  The room descended into silence for a brief moment before the sheriff continued, leaning back in his chair. “Hmmm. Anyway. We’re waiting on the toxicology reports for your father and then, providing everything’s in order, we can close the case. The bodies should be released for burial tomorrow. Will you be staying long, miss?”

  Luna shrugged. “I expect I shall return once everything has been settled here. My boss has been kind enough to give me some extra time here if necessary but I can’t expect them to keep my job open forever”.

  Michael spoke up, bringing them back to the subject at hand. “What do you mean by ‘providing all things are in order’?” His arms were crossed, his head tilted to one side.

  Eyes focusing on Michael, Sheriff Briggs sucked in a breath before opening it. “It means providing your dad wasn’t doped up on drugs or drunk out of his head, it can be written up as an accident. If something shows up in his system then the state can claim compensation from his estate for damage”.

  “The only damage was to a tree though, Sheriff!” Luna exclaimed.

  Shrugging his shoulders, Sheriff Briggs gathered his paperwork and shoved them back in the folder. “What can I tell ya, it’s just the way the law works”.

  A rap at the door drew everyone’s attention. A tired-looking deputy entered, holding a stack of files. Faint scratches lined his face. “Here you go, Sheriff. That should be everything you asked for”.

  “Ah, thanks, deputy”, Sheriff Briggs replied. “How’s the face?”

  The deputy gingerly touched the marks and pulled a face. “Yeah, no issues. Sarah rubbed some sort of lotion on them. Can’t believe I slipped on those stupid stones”.

  Shutting the door behind him, Luna and Michael returned their gazes back to Sheriff Briggs. Shaking his head, he gave a short chuckle. “Marks ain’t such a bad deputy but he’s a damn fool at times. He was out at your parents’ crash. Slipped on a load of white stones and scratched his face on a bush”.

  Eight

  Luna pressed her body against the truck door, her head resting on the window. Tears of sorrow mingled with those of frustration as Michael drove them silently back toward the house that only one of them called home. As they made the turn onto the bumpy lane that denoted the edge of the property, Luna turned to her brother, asking in a defeated tone, “Was it all a lie then?”

  Michael slowed down, making each washed out rut even more pronounced as he hit them. “Was what a lie, sis?”

  “Your last visit to Paris. When we got back from the bar and you’d had too much drink, dad lectured you for hours on responsibility. He told you part of being an adult was always being in control, that too many bad things could happen if you lost control. Was he lying?”

  Her last sentence was spoken so softly most people would have missed it entirely, but Luna could see Michael’s reflection in the window she was looking out of, his face shocked and dismayed.

  “Dad didn’t lie. He never lied and you shouldn’t have been listening in to our conversation”, he chided.

  Luna closed her eyes, trying to shut out the world. Then a thought struck her, causing her to gasp out loud. She twisted in her seat and looked at her brother. “Michael, the sheriff said there were white stones at the accident. We had white stones on the porch with that wolf’s paw. What if it wasn’t an accident? What if they were put there deliberate
ly?”

  “What are you talking about, Luna?”

  “What if our parents didn’t die in an accident? What if they were killed?”

  “Don’t be stupid, Luna, no one murdered mom and dad”.

  Luna gasped. She saw Michael’s face soften, as though preparing to apologise for the harsh tone in his voice but it wasn’t his words which had caused her breath to catch in her throat. It was the sight of a tall, blonde man standing in the middle of the road dressed in pure white robes that took her breath away.

  The pale man stood directly in front of the truck, his eyes glowing even in the daylight. He appeared unbothered by the truck, raising his left palm toward it as Michael stomped on the brake pedal, trying to stop the vehicle before it hit the strange, robed man.

  The truck slid and fishtailed in the loose gravel before slamming into something that jarred Michael and Luna as if they had struck a concrete wall. The hood of the truck crumpled up and the radiator burst, sending a peculiar green mist into the air immediately in front of the stranger. The truck’s airbags burst from the dash and steering wheel, obscuring the sight in front of them.

  Michael cursed and looked over at Luna. “Are you OK?”

  She nodded and rubbed her shoulder where the seatbelt had restrained her. No doubt it was going to leave a mark.

  “Stay here”, Michael said, the bite of command in his voice as he pushed his door open.

  Luna lost sight of him as he rounded the door and walked toward the front of the truck, but she heard him yell, “What the hell is wrong with you? Get out of the goddamn road. I could have killed you.”

  His words were answered with laughter, a cold mocking chuckle that sent shivers up Luna’s spine. Trusting her instincts, she unbuckled her seat belt and quietly opened the door.

  “You could not have killed me, Child of England, but I could easily dispatch you. Return to me what is mine and I will let you and the human live”.

  Both men seemed to be ignoring Luna as she crept quietly to the front of the truck, peeking at the confrontation in front of her. The stranger was tall, standing several inches taller than her six-foot brother. He was slender, with flowing hair which seemed to shine pale silver in the filtered sunlight coming through the tree canopy. Wearing long white robes that reached the floor, his gaze was penetrating, and his voice was thick with an English accent Luna had never heard, despite spending long holidays in the country.

  “I don’t even know who you are”, Michael answered. “How could I have something that belongs to you?”

  Michaels’s confusion echoed her own. Luna looked in front of the truck, still trying to determine what they had hit. Seeing nothing but the stranger with the palm still facing the truck, her confusion grew.

  “Don’t be insolent, child. Your ancestors have kept it from me too long, transporting it as far as this new land to try to keep me from finding it, but I will not be denied. Perhaps I’ll just take your woman until you bring it to me”, he threatened, turning his eyes directly to the spot where Luna stood. As soon as those cold eyes fixated on hers, shivers crept all over her body, as though icy fingers were penetrating her skin and tracing lines on the inside.

  Michael rushed forward. “Leave my sister out of this. Whatever it is you want, your quarrel is with me.”

  Luna felt a small surge of pity for the strange man. He might be taller than her brother, but Michael clearly spent time in the gym. His fists looked as if they could break the stranger in half with a single blow.

  “I’ll do as I wish, dog. Now fetch me what is mine”, the stranger said, turning his back on Michael and walking toward Luna.

  Luna trembled, frightened of the stranger, but unclear why he intimidated her so much. Michael grabbed the tall man by the shoulder and yanked him backward. The man, to Luna’s surprise, remained unmoved and Michael’s hand slipped off, sending him sprawling in the dust.

  The man laughed again. “Stupid dog. I supposed I’ll have to teach you some manners before you’ll go fetch”. He turned back to face Michael, raised his hand and loosed energy from his palm. The impact from the blast sent Michael reeling and singed his shirt. The light flash accompanying the electrical discharge left Luna seeing spots, and wondering if she had hit her head during the truck accident. For just an instance, it looked like Michael had grown a snout and fangs.

  Desperately trying to help her brother, Luna charged the tall man, lowering her head and ramming him as she had observed in American football. He stepped lithely to the side, chuckling gently as she stumbled past him.

  “Silly child. You have neither the skills nor the power to attack me. Though I do suppose it is rather noble to defend the family dog. It would be amusing if it were not interfering with my day”.

  “What are you?” she whispered.

  Stepping forward he slapped Luna across the face and batting her to the ground. Luna felt her cheek begin to swell and blood flow from her split lip.

  “I am a god from across the seas, one of the eternal Fae, and you would do better to stay out of the affairs of your betters, human”, the stranger said, punctuating his instructions with a well-placed stomp to her knee. Luna cried out in pain and Michael was there interposing himself between her and the stranger.

  “Leave her alone! She has nothing to do with this”, he bellowed, swinging his fist at the interloper’s face. The stranger sidestepped the blow and followed up with one of his own. Luna heard her brother’s ribs snap as the punch connected, but to her surprise Michael was still standing, though grasping his ribs in pain. The stranger followed up with an overhand blow to the back of his neck, forcing her brother to his knees.

  Luna scanned the tree line looking for a branch to use as a club as she watched the stranger pummel her brother again and again. Michael was bruised and bleeding from a cut near his temple. The stranger laughs were more maniacal now, and Luna feared he would beat her brother to death before her eyes. “If you won’t learn to stay down, dog, I’ll put you down permanently”, the man threatened.

  Luna crawled to her feet, leaning heavily on the truck for support. While the battle continued, she inched along the trunk to the driver’s side door and the tool box, looking for anything to use as a weapon. The weight of the tire iron was reassuring and a bit terrifying as she hobbled back to the front of the truck.

  Instead of pummelling her brother, the stranger was now engaged with a large grey wolf. The wolf snarled and bit the stranger, leaving a nasty gash that Luna watched begin to heal almost immediately. She scanned the area for her brother, unable to accept the idea that the wolf could be her brother despite her hallucination earlier. Afraid the snarling animal would turn on her, she held back and watched until it became clear that the stranger was once again getting the upper hand. The wolf leapt trying to grab the stranger’s throat and instead found itself caught in the stranger’s arms. As the man began to squeeze the life out of the wolf, turning aside its jaws as if they were little more than a warm breeze, Luna made the decision she’d be holding back. Waiting until the stranger’s attention was focused solely on the wolf, she crept up behind him and raised the tire iron over her head. Her plan was simple: first, knock out the stranger, then, hope the wolf didn’t attack and then, find her brother.

  The same snapping she had heard as a distinct snap – the stranger had broken the wolf’s ribs and blood dripped from its mouth as she swung the tire iron. She expected a crack or perhaps a thud as it connected with the stranger’s skull. Instead, she heard a slight sizzle.

  The stranger dropped the wolf which was, at that very moment, transforming back into a now naked and badly bruised Michael, faint silvery light shimmering falling around him. Without the burden of the wolf in his arms, the stranger turned to her, trying to grab the weapon from her hands. As he grasped it, she heard the same sizzle and watched him recoil in pain, cradling the hand against his body.

  “This isn’t over, Child of England. If it recovers, tell your dog that I will return for what is mine
. He will crawl before me and beg for my mercy”.

  With more bravado than she felt, Luna poked toward the tall man’s chest with the tire iron only to see him jump back to avoid the blow. “When my brother recovers, you should be very far away. I won’t be responsible for what happens if he finds you still on our property”.

  Still cradling his injured hand, the tall man sneered. “I will wait wherever I choose, human. Your kind should not meddle in my affairs. It never ends well for you. Tell him Lyulf demands the return of the artefact. I will have it back. You have one day to ready yourself. I will be back then and if it is not returned I will kill everyone in this land until it is”. He turned and fled into the forest, a graceful sweep of his robes after him, going only a few steps before he was lost to her line of sight.

  A trail of white stones followed behind him.

  Nine

  Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, kept repeating in Luna’s head, her thoughts a broken record on a turntable. Sucking in as many deep breaths as her lungs could fill, Luna attempted to calm the raging pulse that pounded throughout her body.

  Closing her eyes, Luna forced her body not to collapse onto the ground. She would not fall apart like some little baby; she would rise up above it all. She was strong. Hell, she just fought off a damn mythical creature.

  Talking of mythological creatures.

  Luna twisted her head in her brother’s direction. Michael was human again, thankfully. His blonde hair covered his face, deep lacerations all over his body, the blood staining his skin and evident even in the darkening light.