Genesis: (Book One of the True Luna Series)

by Texie D. Freeman

  Tears welled in her eyes and June blinked them away. “I wish you wouldn’t have said that.”

  The atmosphere buzzed as Jace’s hand brushed against hers, their pinkies entwining. The contact felt more intimate than anything they had ever done together. “Get out of here before I change my mind.”

  June swallowed the lump in her throat. It took more strength than she anticipated to pull away from him. He followed her around the truck. Climbing up into the cab, she stared down at him. “Goodbye, Jace.”

  The hunter gave her a small smile. “Bye, June.”

  Despite the finality in his tone, as she drove away, June felt it in her heart that she would see him again. Maybe it wouldn’t be for a while, a year or a decade perhaps, but deep down, as sure as the sky was blue, she knew that their story was far from finished.

  /CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX/

  The drive back to Ashby was spent in a state of shock. Between making sure she was following the right mile markers and periodically looking over to see if Donovan was awake, June was exhausted. By the time she pulled up to the house, her knuckles had turned white from gripping the steering wheel so tight. Her grip eased when she saw that Thalia and Creed waited on the porch. The two stood up as June opened her door and slid out of the cab.

  Stalking towards them, she knew the moment they picked up on the fact that she was no longer human. Holding up a hand, June jeered, “Don’t ask.”

  “Wasn’t gonna,” Creed lied. His eyes went over her shoulder. “Is he sleeping?”

  June’s stomach rolled as she shook her head. “We were ambushed by my brother in the hospital parking garage. Bran was kind enough to tell me that the dart he shot Donovan with is made of silver and filled with wolfsbane.”

  “And he hasn’t woken up yet?” Thalia asked, her brows pulled together.

  “He hasn’t even stirred.”

  “Let’s get him inside and I’ll mind link the pack doctor,” the gamma said.

  “Okay, but only him,” June told them as they walked to the truck. She tugged on the sleeve of her stolen sweater, saying, “No one else in the pack can know. The last thing we need is for everyone to start jumping to conclusions and cause mass panic.”

  Creed and Thalia shared a look which June decided to ignore. Together, they pulled Donovan out of the truck. Tucked under his arms, the beta and gamma dragged him across the yard. Going ahead of them, June opened the front door and jerked her head at the couch. “Put him there.”

  They laid him down and June grabbed one of the throw pillows, placing it under the alpha’s head. Despite the circumstances, she couldn’t help but notice how at ease he was in sleep. Her heart clenched. She brushed the side of the arch of his cheek with her thumb, promising, “We’ll be okay.”

  “The doctor is on the way,” Creed aired from behind.

  June stood upright, forgetting they were there. “Will you two stay with him? I need to shower and change. I reek of chemical cleaner and strangers.”

  “We’re not going anywhere,” the beta vowed, her eyes hard. “Donovan is our alpha.”

  “Great. I’ll be back in ten minutes,” she told them, eyeing Thalia with narrowed eyes before brushing off the double meaning. At the stairs, however, she stopped when the wolf began to growl in her head. Huffing, she looked down at the pair, stating seriously, “I advise you both to not touch him because I can’t promise that I’ll be able to control myself if you do.”

  June let them be baffled as she went upstairs. In the spare room, she grabbed a shirt off the hanger and leggings out of the drawer. She took the quickest shower of her life in the hallway bathroom, her hair dripping and her skin damp as she dressed.

  When she went back downstairs, an elderly man had joined Thalia and Creed. His soft green eyes turned to June as she joined the trio. “It’s good to see you again, Luna. I heard of your accident and prayed to the goddess that you were in good hands.”

  “Thank you,” she said sincerely, adding, “and you don’t have to call me that. I’m not the luna.”

  The older man snorted and told her, “Not yet but you will be. I’ve seen how the alpha looks at you. A good man knows when he’s found an even better woman.”

  “Can we carry on with the exam, please, Dr. Vick?” Thalia butted in, putting her hands on her hips. “Marigold can’t be left alone for too long.”

  “I assure you that your mate is in capable hands, Beta. My nurses are trained for all situations,” the doctor reassured. He turned to June again, “Luna? Do I have your permission to assess your mate?”

  In her head, the wolf yipped which she interpreted as an answer. “Go ahead.”

  The next ten minutes were tense. June held her breath as she waited for Dr. Vick’s diagnosis. Her anxiety turned to agitation with each passing second. Finally, Dr. Vick stepped away from the couch, placing his stethoscope back around his neck.

  “Well?” Creed asked, his foot tapping against the floor impatiently.

  “The silver and wolfsbane have caused more damage than I initially would have guessed,” he disclosed. “The tip of the dart managed to pierce a central vein. The alpha has wolfsbane circulating through his blood stream.”

  “What does that mean?” June pressed. She could feel her anxiety raising. It certainly didn’t help that the wolf had started to whine loudly, making it hard to focus.

  “To put it simply, the alpha will remain in this state until his blood is clean. That could be a day from now or a week. There’s nothing we can do except wait. We could attempt dialysis to clean his blood, but it would cause lasting damage to his kidneys. For now, he is stable but if there is any change, I can be reached through mind link day or night.”

  Dr. Vick wished June well before being walked out of the house by Creed. Sitting down on the edge of the couch, she grabbed Donovan’s hand, running her thumb across his lax fingers. “I’ve never felt so useless.”

  Thalia let out a long sigh, “Trust me, I know. It’s bad enough that Marigold is out. Now I’ll have to split my time between her and running the pack. I see a lot of caffeine in my future.”

  June’s head snapped up. She held the beta with her stare. “I’m sorry, did you say you were going to run the pack?”

  “And what did you have in mind? That you’re going to lead us?” The beta laughed and waved a hand toward June, snapping sharply, “You’re a hunter. I am not trusting you with my people.”

  Growing up with Bran, June could pick up disgust when she heard it. Normally, she could care less about who liked her. Life was about survival, not popularity. However, in the world of wolves, this was an attack, an attempt of usurp. There had never been a more perfect time to establish one’s rightful place in the hierarchy.

  Before June could even think it through, she was advancing on the beta, pushing her backwards by the shoulders. Thalia’s back hit the wall with a heavy thud and June placed her arm to her neck, pinning her. In the other woman’s dark eyes, she could see that her own were pools of melted silver.

  Leaning in so close that their noses brushed, June spoke in a voice that sounded distinctly like the one in her head, seething, “I’m going to say this nicely once, Beta. Whatever issues you have with me are as insignificant as the dirt on my shoes. Put them out of your mind because I’m fed up with your display of arrogance. I’m not going anywhere and unless we start getting on the same page, I will ensure that you are replaced. I’m not some pack bitch you can order around. I’m the True Luna. Do you understand?”

  “Goddess.”

  The reply hadn’t come from Thalia but rather from Creed as he walked through the front door. June glared at him. “Do I need to have a talk with you, too?”

  “No thank you,” the gamma conceded, getting on his knees. Sweeping his hair aside, he showed his bare neck. “I honor your position, Luna.”

  June let Thalia go with a raised brow, “And you?”

  Thalia shut her eyes for a second before sliding down the wall. She copied Creed’s position,
mumbling, “I honor your position, Luna.”

  “Sorry, what was that? Speak up.”

  The beta’s eyes moved to the ground and she craned her neck. “I apologize. I said I honor your position, Luna.”

  “Much better,” June commented. However, the test was far from over. Motioning for the pair to stand back up, she addressed Thalia, “I lost my necklace during the accident. I want you to go to the crash site and find it. Comb every inch of the forest if you have to.”

  “But that could take hours—”

  “Then you better get started.”

  Thalia opened her mouth to speak but quickly shut it at June’s glare. The beta’s shoulder fell as she shuffled out of the house, shutting the door behind her a little too hard.

  “What would you like me to do, Luna?” Creed asked.

  “I want you to go to the clinic and sit with Marigold,” June commanded, then added, “and make sure Thalia knows you’re there. I don’t want her thinking I’m completely heartless.”

  Creed nodded and a moment later, she was alone. Her body was heavy as she locked the front door and then dragged herself over to the couch. It took all her remaining energy to crawl in beside Donovan. Wrapping an arm around his stomach, she nestled into his side, resting her head on his chest. Closing her eyes, June breathed in his scent, letting it wash away the day and her problems.

  /CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN/

  On the sixth day of Donovan being unconscious, June could say that she was officially integrated into pack life. Her heart went out to the alpha. She hadn’t realized how much he did every day from dealing with paperwork, adjusting the weekly pack budget, and scheduling patrol guards. It was increasingly hard to not let anything slip through the cracks as she split her attention between him and work. Dr. Vick came back once a day to change the bag on the IV he had set up and check the alpha’s vitals.

  June tried to not look at Donovan as she passed through the living room to answer the door. A hurried set of knocks sounded before she pulled it open, scowling when she saw who it was. “What now? Is it a typo? Math error? Another complaint about the font?”

  Another thing she had learned was that the beta was a perfectionist when it came to paperwork. June had had to fix more errors than she could count.

  Thalia shifted her weight from foot to foot and held the stack of folders in her arms to her chest. “No, these are for Creed. I was on my way to his house and realized it was easier to drop by here first to give you something.”

  “Do you want to come in?” she asked. “I know you want to see him.”

  “Sure.”

  June let Thalia by and closed the door. She watched as the beta set the folders down on the coffee table, facing the alpha. Over her shoulder, she inquired warily, “No change?”

  “He hasn’t even moved,” June told her. A familiar numbness was creeping around her edges, threatening to take over.

  “People are starting to ask questions,” Thalia disclosed, “we can’t keep the pack in the dark much longer.”

  “I just need time to find a solution.”

  “Maybe you’re not the one who needs to figure it out,” she said. Biting her lip, the beta slowly asked, “How did you and Donovan deal with the dream walker problem?”

  “Uh, we got lucky,” June lied. She had never been a good truth spinner. She willed Thalia to not hear how her heart picked up in speed.

  “Or you went to The Order,” the beta countered. Her eyes were locked on June’s face and when she winced, the beta turned smug. “Other than Donovan, I’m the only person who knows they’re here. He showed me the temple when we were looking for a way to wake up Marigold. We searched every corner expect one room, the Luna Library. It’s been closed off to the pack for the last century. I have a feeling we’re about to change that.”

  June thought it over for a second and then pointed out, “It might not open for me.”

  “You’re not the luna of the pack but you were chosen by Nyx. It doesn’t hurt to try, right?”

  The hope shining in Thalia’s eyes was too hard to resist and June found herself nodding. “We’ll go to the temple at midnight but whatever happens there stays between us.”

  “And we don’t tell Creed,” she added.

  June wanted to ask why but decided not to. If the gamma didn’t know, there must be a reason why.

  “Oh, and before I forget, I found your necklace,” Thalia said and took a piece of cloth out of her jacket pocket. She held it one hand and unfolded it to reveal a broken chain and the two pendants, caked in dirt and mud. “Did you know that this is made of silver? It took an hour for the burn to heal.”

  June took it from her, making sure to only touch the fabric. “Thank you. I thought I would never see this again.”

  “What do the charms stand for?” Thalia asked.

  “Claire and Dale, my parents. My dad gave this to my mom on their wedding day. She died the day I was born.”

  “I’m sorry, June.” The beta’s hand touched hers in a gesture of solidarity. “I lost my mom when I was young. Before Donovan saved me, I was alone, doing my best to survive on nothing.”

  “He told me he found you in the woods. You don’t have to tell me, but if you ever want to talk, I’m here,” she offered.

  “Maybe one of these days.” Thalia smiled tightly. “Some scars remain fresh even after the skin has healed.”

  June was still thinking about that when the beta left. She paced the living room twice before running upstairs and putting what was left of Claire’s necklace on top of the dresser in Donovan’s bedroom. After everything that had happened, she had decided that sleeping anywhere other than beside him wasn’t going to cut it. When she had even thought about going upstairs to sleep in one of the many beds, the wolf in her head responded with rude words. It was easier to give in and deal with a sore back than fight.

  The bite, June had learned, had changed more than she thought possible. For starters, every time she stepped away from Donovan, it was like her cells caught on fire. The flames wouldn’t die until she was at his side again.

  Another observation that she had found was that she wasn’t just hungry anymore, she was ravenous. On her first night alone, June had somehow managed to eat an entire family sized lasagna all by herself. In between checking on the alpha and working, she was snacking. To her surprise, according to the scale in the bathroom, she had lost five pounds since last checking when she was human.

  And, of course, the voice in her head.

  No matter what June tried, the wolf was always making animal sounds or talking in broken words. She was slowly learning how to block out the chatter.

  Doing her best to ignore said wolf, June went about her day. She distracted herself by cleaning up around the house although it was already spotless. Once the floors had been moped, she sat with Donovan for a while, reading out loud from the mystery novel she had found on his nightstand. She knew he couldn’t hear her, but it made her feel better.

  Outside the house, the sun had long disappeared, and the moon had taken its place. June went back upstairs to change into a black shirt and matching leggings. The color matched her mood as she grabbed the trucks keys off the hook in the living room. With one last look at the sleeping alpha, she locked the door and prayed to the goddess for guidance.

  Fifteen minutes later, she was parked in the valley of the temple. Over the hill, the stone structure stood tall in the night, arching towards the heavens. Tucked away in the safety of the cab, she could feel the energy rolling off the building in waves. Electricity buzzed in the air, so much that she could practically taste it.

  June hands shook as she pushed open the truck door. Déjà vu washed over her as she waited for Thalia, watching the temple like she once had the sawmill. This time, however, no shifters were jumping out of plate glass windows. Instead, they waited for her inside.

  A twig snapping underfoot broke June’s trance. She turned, facing Thalia with a frown. “Do you always creep up on people?
”

  In the dark, Thalia’s skin camouflage her and the moonlight shined down on her white hair, illuminating her head as if she wore a halo. Approaching June’s side, she said, “I called your name three times. Are you always this jumpy?”

  June rubbed her arm, a nervous gesture. Her eyes flickered from the cathedral and then back to Thalia. “Being here feels different this time.”

  “Well, yeah, of course it has changed. Shifters are more in touch with magic than any human could ever be. This is only a theory, but I bet that for you it’s amplified because of your connection with the goddess.”

  Taking a step forward, June knees shook under her own weight. She would’ve went sideways had Thalia not caught her by the elbow. She grimaced at the concern reflected in the beta’s eyes. “Sorry.”

  “Maybe we should leave,” Thalia ventured, biting her lower lip.

  “Not a chance, we’re doing this for our pack, remember?” she reminded. “Help me get to the door. I think I’ll be fine when we get inside.”

  Thalia didn’t comment. The beta looped an arm around June’s waist, holding up most of her weight, and together they trudged up the small hill. By the time they were at the double doors, June was out of breath and sweat dripped down her face.

  “Luna—”

  “Open the door,” June dictated.

  The beta pressed one hand against the wood and pushed. It opened with no resistance, letting out a creak. When the echo of the sound died, Thalia looked back at her, “No matter what happens, we stay together. Donovan may be on good terms with The Order, but we can’t pretend that some of the seers aren’t on their way to becoming feral.”

  At the word, a whine sounded in June’s mind, making her curious enough to ask, “Feral?”

  “Shifters are products of nature, an aspect that seers deny by not taking mates,” Thalia explained, “without a partner to reign in the wild, the animal takes over and the shifter becomes unhinged. We have about forty-five years to find someone and then there’s no coming back. A feral wolf’s sole reason for existing is to cause destruction and death. They’re responsible for the birth of werewolf folklore which is essentially why the humans started to hunt us.”