Genesis: (Book One of the True Luna Series)

by Texie D. Freeman

  “Irrefutably,” the alpha agreed. “My birthday is November twentieth, and for the record, I’m twenty-seven.”

  June poked at the lines on his forehead. “I may have speculated that you had ten years on me, not four.”

  Donovan scowled at her. “Thanks.”

  “Anytime,” she teased.

  “You’re lucky I love you.”

  June bit the inside of her cheek in thought for a second before responding, “I love you, too.”

  Picking up on her strain through the bond, the alpha perked up. He stared down at her with an unreadable expression and asked, “What’s wrong?”

  June stepped back from the desk and sat down on the couch. She felt Donovan lower himself next to her but couldn’t bring herself to look at him as she admitted, “I’ve never said I love to anyone other than my dad. Jace used to tell me it all the time and I could never bring myself to do the same. I was with him for two years. It’s ridiculous, but I feel bad for Jace. He waited so long to hear those words, yet, with you, they come out naturally.”

  The alpha surprised June with his response, saying, “You may not have been able to tell him you loved him, but you do. I can see it in your eyes.”

  June looked up to meet Donovan’s gaze, surprised to find no malice. She knew if the roles were reversed, she wouldn’t be as composed. “I’m sorry.”

  The alpha angled himself towards her. His finger were light as they caressed her cheek. “You never have to apologize for your feelings, baby. I know your love for Jace doesn’t come from the same place as ours. Hell, if anything, I should be the one saying sorry. I’ve never been more jealous of a man that I haven’t met.”

  “Jealous? Why?” June pressed. She felt Genesis perk up in her head, wanting to know the answer, too. “Because I slept with him?”

  “What? No. This is the twenty-first century. You had a whole life before we met as did I.” Donovan flushed red. “I’m jealous because with him, it must have been easy. I can’t give you that. As pack leaders, there will always be something that will come between us. We’ll never be problem free, not completely.”

  June grabbed his hand. “My time with Jace wasn’t picturesque. My family hated that we were together. But none of that matters anymore. We may have to climb mountains and it won’t be easy, but we’ll do it together. That’s all I want.”

  Donovan’s hand let go of hers and moved to June’s hip. She sucked in a breath as it traveled under her shirt and laid flat against her stomach. Leaning in, she expected him to kiss her, but instead, her heart fluttered when he spoke into her ear, “How did I get to be so blessed?”

  “Maybe I’m the blessed one,” she countered and drew Donovan towards her for a long, burning kiss. When they broke away from each other, an idea came to June and she smirked. Her fingers played with the bottom of his t-shirt as she spoke, “We started off on this couch in such a bad way. How about we make a new memory to replaced it?”

  The edges of his lips quirked. “Does it involve nudity?”

  June answered his question by helping him undress, her clothes following suite. In the back of her head, she heard Genesis keen in excitement. Vaguely, she hoped the office was soundproof, and that the door was locked because the bond was on fire and there was no way it was going to be put out anytime soon.

  It was an hour later that June learned that the door was not, in fact, locked when Creed strolled inside without warning. The gamma eyes went wide, and June screamed. Donovan covered her bare body with his, ferocious growls echoing around the room as his eyes burned bright.

  “Sorry…shit!” Creed snapped his eyes shut and cursed again when he slammed the door on his foot.

  June was frozen in place until she couldn’t hear his footsteps anymore. She covered her cheeks with her hands in horror. “Please tell me I just hallucinated.”

  “Unfortunately, you didn’t,” Donovan bit out, not nearly as amused as she was. “I might have to reconsider this trip.”

  “Not a chance,” she voiced and slapped his chest. “Poor Creed is going to traumatized for the rest of his life from seeing your bare ass. Do me a favor and help me find my clothes so I can make sure he isn’t going to leave me behind.”

  “That wouldn’t a bad idea,” Donovan muttered but rolled off her. June sat up as he gathered their clothes, passing hers over. Once they were dressed, he said, “Before you leave, I have something to give you.”

  June grew wary as she watched the alpha move around his desk. He opened a drawer and came back to her with a small black box in hand. Carefully, she took it from him and opened it and exhaled.

  The chain of the necklace was made of gold and hanging on it were her parents’ charms. In addition, the alpha had added two more. The first was a small golden wolf with sapphires for eyes. The other was two letters, J and D, welded together.

  “I found what was left of it on the dresser. I had the new charms and chain made the same day. I’m glad you like it but there is a catch,” the alpha said and touched the wolf. “This one is a tracker. With the bond, I can find you almost anywhere in the world. Unless you’ve been shot or tied up with silver. I know it’s overkill and I’ll have the tracker taken out as soon as you come back but for now—”

  June pressed a finger to his lips. “I spent four days in panic mode. I may have known where your body was, but you weren’t there. Trust me, I understand. This does go both ways though, you know that, right?”

  Donovan pecked her lips, speaking against them, “Thalia’s picking up my watch later today.”

  After one or two more kisses, Donovan helped June with the necklace and then they walked over to the door. Before he could open it, she stopped him. “What did you tell the pack?”

  According to Dani, who spent most of her time at the pack house with her friends, people were going to notice a missing luna and gamma. June had certainly taken notice of her newfound popularity over the past week. She was still getting used to strangers coming up to her and asking for favors or advice.

  “That I’m sending you and Creed a state over on a diplomatic trip to discuss a potential allegiance with a new alpha,” Donovan remarked casually. “It’s a real duty of a luna so no one expects anything odd. When you get back, we can talk more about your role in the pack. I’m sure you’re tired of sitting at the house by yourself.”

  “Only if it’s over breakfast.”

  “I can make that work,” Donovan promised and grabbed her hand. Together they left the office and moved through the living room.

  She couldn’t help but notice how carefree everyone was. From the teenagers laughing on the couch to the group of moms in the corner, playing with their toddlers. Their shared joy made the sunlight coming into the room shine brighter. Warmth washed over June and she knew that she would willingly die a million deaths for her pack.

  /CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE/

  The first hour of the road trip passed in a blur of endless fields and empty roads. June wished she had brought a book to read, or even a phone to play on, anything that would take her mind of Donovan. While she normally loved thinking about him, the second Creed drove away from the pack house, a tightness had settled in her chest. With every mile between her and her mate, the feeling grew, making it hard for her to breath.

  She especially felt bad for Genesis. The wolf was whimpering in her head, wondering where her mate was. No matter how much June tried to explain the situation the animal couldn’t comprehend her words.

  It was at the first stoplight they had come across in fifty miles that Creed snapped, “Can you please stop? You’re shaking the car.”

  June bristled and her knee jerking came to an end. She waved hand around, almost hitting her oversized travel companion in the arm, retaliating harshly, “And you’re taking up all the space! The light changed, by the way. Green means go.”

  “Green means go,” Creed mocked in a high-pitched voice. His face went white when June narrowed her eyes. “Sorry, Luna. I’m feeling the effect of l
eaving home, too. I haven’t been outside of Ashby in years.”

  Small talk was better than nothing, so June asked, “Why?”

  The gamma tensed as the car rolled forward again. “There was no reason to.”

  His words hit home in a way that June didn’t like. “That’s what people used to say back at the complex. The council told us that the world outside was vile and that everyone was an enemy. I never believed any of it until Dani told me she was leaving. I acted out of fear and it nearly killed the both of us.”

  “There’s a difference though,” Creed said. “I’m not stuck behind a wall.”

  “Maybe not a physical one,” June muttered. She looked out the window towards the horizon. The sun was starting to set. “We’re the only people around for miles, Creed. If you want to get something off your chest, we have time.”

  The gamma was silent, and then, “I was wrong about you.”

  “Pardon?”

  “I was wrong. I said a hunter could never become a luna, but I was wrong,” he stated. His eyes moved off the road for a second to look at June. “Sorry.”

  June pretend that her heart wasn’t swelling with pride and shrugged. “It’s not the first time I’ve been misjudged.”

  “I understand more than anyone why you hated shifters so much. Donovan told me about what happened to your mom after Dani changed you. He was scared that you would resent yourself,” Creed admitted. His hands clenched around the steering wheel. “My parents were rogues, shifters without a pack. We moved around a lot when I was a kid until I turned ten. The day after my birthday, my father ditched me and my mother. She tried really hard to be a single mom but with no support, it wasn’t possible. Without my dad, she went feral. She almost killed me a few times before learning that booze and pills kept her in a semi state of control. It was alright for a bit. We didn’t have much, but we had food and a place to live. But then my mom was fired from her job for failing a drug test. The bills piled up and we were kicked out into the street. She couldn’t afford her addiction anymore. That’s when they found us.”

  “Who?” June asked, with entrapped the gamma’s reveal. She knew so little about him it was hard to keep her curiosity in check.

  “Dream walkers,” he gritted. “A group of them, six or maybe seven, cornered my mom. They offered her money for me. I can still remember the hunger in her eyes as she stared at the cash in her hands while they dragged me away. I was knocked out and afterwards, I woke up in a small dog kennel. Most of it is a haze. They kept me sedated most of time so that I was complacent for their experiments. In my dreams I would always be on the brink of death only to wake up screaming. I was their prisoner for three years when Alpha Rodan caught wind of what was going on and raided the house. He killed them and brought me to Ashby. I only knew him for five years, and yet, he was more of a parent to me than my own.”

  June wasn’t sure what to say. Finally, she tried, “What happened to you…Creed, I’m—”

  “I know,” the gamma interjected, not looking at her, “everyone is. That’s why I never leave home. My demons may be dead but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t haunting me.”

  “I shouldn’t have made you come with me,” she reprimanded herself. “If you’re not comfortable we should turn around.”

  “Uh, no, not after what I saw in that office,” the gamma grimaced. “I would gladly take hunting down a dream walker over facing Donovan and his rear. Trust me, I need this.”

  June settled back in her seat with a loud laugh and decided to not argue. The remaining two hours passed by faster than expected. The empty fields turned to small neighborhoods which led into a tiny town composed of three stores and a single motel, the light of the neon vacancy sign shining like the sun. Creed pulled into the gravel lot, catching her off guard.

  She stared at the gamma’s illuminated face, asking incredulously, “What are we doing here? The first location is on the other side of town.”

  “I know,” Creed said. “I’m going to go check it out by myself.”

  Her jaw dropped. “Are you kidding me? This is our mission. We’re in this together.”

  “It’s just one farm,” the gamma refuted. “Donovan asked me to scope out the town first to make sure no one knows we’re here.”

  June had no doubt in her mind that she and Creed were the first shifters to ever enter Bryan. She also had no doubt that Donovan was well aware of that fact and it made her chest burn with anger. He was supposed to trust her, not make her sit on the sidelines.

  “I only need an hour,” Creed pleaded. “It’ll put my wolf at ease knowing that you’re safe, Luna.”

  “And if someone is waiting for us?” June bit back. “What if you’re attacked?”

  “Then you call for help. I’ll be back before ten.”

  Her lips pursed as she mulled it over. She still thought it odd that she and Creed had gone from wanting to kill each other to protecting each another. Which meant he wasn’t going to give in anytime soon. “Fine but if you don’t come back with food, I’m going to be livid.”

  Creed suppressed a laugh. “Of course, Luna. Any preferences?”

  Grabbing her backpack, June opened the door and slid out. Before slamming the door shut, she faced the gamma once more, saying, “I want the biggest, greasiest pizza you can find. No exceptions.”

  As Creed pulled away, June walked a foot down the sidewalk to the motel’s office. The bell over the door clanged as she stepped inside. Behind the counter was a heavy set, grey haired woman. She barely took her eyes off the phone in her hand to ask, “Single or double?”

  June dug her wallet out of the backpack, passing over Donovan’s matte black credit card. “Two single room, preferably side by side, please.”

  The woman exhaled and took the card. Her eyes narrowed as scanned it and then latched onto June, or rather, her necklace. “Holloway, huh?”

  “Yeah,” she nodded and slowly tucked the chain into her shirt, her paranoia rising. She worked to keep a straight face. “If there’s an issue with the card, I can call my husband.”

  The woman ignored her. “Where are you from?”

  “Oklahoma,” June answered automatically, saying the first state that came to mind. She let acid drip into her next words. “Can I have the rooms or not? It’s been a long day.”

  “Hmmph,” the woman grunted and turned to the computer beside her. The sound of her acrylics hitting the keys filled the small room. When she was done, she placed the card, as well as two keycards, on the counter. “Check out is at noon. Have a nice stay.”

  June was about to say she seriously doubted that would be possible when she caught sight of the small tattoo on the woman’s wrist: 000. Quickly looking away, she took back the card and the keys, giving the employee the fakest smile she muster. “Thank you.”

  Leaving the office, June kept her pace in check. She could feel the woman’s eyes on her all the way to her room which was conveniently only a few doors down. Inside, she pushed all three locks in place and bit down on her tongue to keep herself from screaming in frustration.

  She sat down on the bed and opened her mind link to Donovan, broadcasting frantically, “We have a problem. Bryan is a hunter town and I’m alone, without backup. Creed dropped me off at the motel per your command. The woman who checked me in knew your last name.”

  The alpha’s reply came instantly, “There are millions of Holloways in the world.”

  “What about those that have a freaking wolf charm?” June retorted. “Besides, I saw her tattoo. She’s a member of a nomad group.”

  Nomads, June had learned in school, were the kind of hunters that should be avoided at all costs. They were hunters who didn’t believe in following laws set by a complex. They killed anyone they wanted and got away with it by taking over small towns and inserting themselves in the police department and political positions. It gave them total control to do whatever they pleased.

  She recalled what Creed had said about dream walkers and hunters
working together and suddenly felt very stupid. Lena wasn’t alone and June had just fallen into her trap.

  Voices outside the door caught June’s attention. She rose off the bed and pulled back the curtain. A black, nondescript van was parked in front of her door. A group of three men in tactical gear were heading towards the office. She had a sickening feeling that they weren’t about to book a room and stepped away from the window.

  “They’re here,” June told her mate. She was sure he could feel her fear with how he growled.

  “Go to the bathroom and lock yourself inside,” he told her.

  She did as he said but it didn’t make her feel any better. The door was made of fake wood. Still, she twisted the lock, asking, “What now?”

  The alpha’s silence stretched for almost half a minute. “You’re going to let them take you.”

  Before she could ask if he had lost his mind, the sound of shattering glass pierced the bitter silence. June jumped when she heard a shotgun being fired and saw the bathroom door rattle.

  “Baby? June? What’s happening?”

  “They’re in the room. I don’t know what to do. Donovan? I can’t breathe.”

  “You’re going into shock. That’s good. It’ll keep you from fighting back which you can’t do, June. They need to think you’re weak and that’s better than being dead, do you understand? I’m on my way to you right now. Just hold on until then, please, baby.”

  The bathroom door splintered a bullet collided with the wood. June pushed herself against the sink as a small silver canister was forced through the hole. She was trapped as white smoke leaked out of the grenade and her chest burned with each inhale.

  June wasn’t sure how she ended up on the ground, or when the door finally broke. But suddenly, she was staring at death. The ski mask he wore concealed all his face except for the wicked grin he sported. “What’s wrong, bitch? Are you too tired to fight back? Is the wolfsbane too much for you to handle?”

  She couldn’t locate her mouth to respond. The room blurred in and out of focus with each passing second. June’s heart shattered when Genesis stopped howling, going completely silent.