Willow From The Ashes (Children Of The Moon Book 1)

by Amelia Harding

  Maximus wolf is big strong and fast but my smaller height makes me nimble. If I were in running shape I would most likely be faster than him. As it stands, he catches up to me in an embarrassingly short amount of time.

  We go deeper and deeper into the forest playfully racing and wrestling. Hours go by and Maximus is still full of energy but it's obvious I have slowed down.

  Thankfully we had turned back a while ago and were quickly drawing closer to the clearing. I can feel the sweat on my fur from the physical exercise I have been unaccustomed to. Still, it felt great to be free and run. Doing it with Maximus just made it all the better.

  Wanting to cool off brings an idea that I can't resist. While Maximus is looking away I shift back and slide into the river that seems to be calm tonight.

  I submerge under enjoying the way the cool water feels against my heated skin. When I emerge I see Maximus has shifted back and is watching me with smoldering eyes.

  "I wanted to cool off from the run. Would you like to join me?" Where did the confidence to say that come from? I must have momentarily lost my mind and forgotten that I'm completely naked. Maximus is indeed quite naked himself.

  A fact I am currently trying to avoid by not letting my eyes drift down past his chest. Just that alone can make a girl melt, I'm not sure I can handle seeing anything more.

  There is momentary silence and my previous cheekiness is starting to fade as a pink blush creeps up my neck.

  Finally, Maximus makes his way over and I look away but feel the water ripple as he enters. "That was a bold move, I definitely was not expecting it".

  "It's just a swim is all. Besides, I have to keep you on your toes. Can't be too predictable or you'll get bored" I try to come off flirty and casual but I don't know if I actually succeeded.

  "Now that could never happen" Maximus voice is deep and husky. When I look up he is right in front of me, so close I could touch him.

  Gliding forward his hands slide up my sides making me gasp, goosebumps now covering my skin. His head dips, eyes as clear and blue as the water we're in. Angling my face up I feel myself being pulled like we're two magnets fated to join.

  What happened next caught me so off guard I couldn't even react. One moment I think I'm about to be kissed and the next I'm flying back through the air and landing with a splash into the water. When I come up for air Maximus has laughter in his eyes and a devilish smile on his lips.

  "Oh its on now" I declare before splashing him with water. A full on water war ensues with us splashing and dunking each other. We play like kids and laugh until our sides hurt.

  Some touches happened here and there but all innocent. Ultimately I lose when Maximus wraps his arms around me pinning mine to my body making it impossible for me to slip away as I had before.

  My back against his chest I stop struggling and with the last few giggles lean my head back against him. For a minute we stay like that and Maximus rests his chin atop my head. "You're so beautiful" his voice is barely a whisper but I hear it clearly bringing back the blush from earlier.

  "You're pretty alright yourself" I reply teasingly. A low chuckle rumbles in his chest "I'll take what I can get. It is probably time we head back. As nice as this feels I am but a man and you are a beautiful naked woman in my arms".

  I bite on my bottom lip to suppress a smile at his words. One of his hands slides up and Maximus smooths out my bottom lip from the grasp of my teeth and groans letting me go.

  "Go on and start dressing, I just need a second" He releases me and goes to turn but I stop him before he does.

  Placing my hands on his shoulders I use the leverage to raise up and plant a small kiss on his cheek. The contact is electrifying and I'm stunned for an instant before pulling away.

  Brushing his fingertips up my back Maximus seems to stop himself and gives me a strained smile.

  Deciding not to keep pushing things I finally do as he said and exit trying to find my footing so I don't slip and fall. By the time I'm done dressing Max is out and pulling his pants on. My little sidetrack means we'll be walking back in wet clothes but it was totally worth it.

  "Does the princess require carrying today?" the now clothed Maximus inquired jocosely. "As nice as that sounds I only allow others to carry me when I'm unconscious. Besides, I can't go getting too used to it".

  "I will carry you anywhere, any time you like. So, let yourself get used to it". "I'll try" I answer with a smile.

  No carrying was done but we did walk back together with Maximus keeping a hand on my back with the pretense of helping keep me steady on the long walk back through the woods.

  When we reached the tree line it was wordlessly understood that we would break apart and he would wait to come in after I was already up the stairs.

  Right before walking away Maximus catches me off guard with a tender kiss on the cheek. "I had to return it" he explains with a wink and a self-satisfied smile.

  Childishly I swat at him with an eye roll but I'm clearly attempting to keep a smile off of my face. Walking into the house I can still feel Maximus eyes on me and it causes a shiver to run down my body.

  I just want to go back and run into his arms but I resist making the trek up the stairs and into my room to discard of my wet clothing and get ready for some much-needed sleep.

  Chapter 57

  Maximus

  My mind wanders back to last night and a part of me wishes I was back in that clearing with Hope.

  I quickly divert my thoughts, it took every ounce of willpower not to push things last night. My wolf and I were both riled up, getting to sleep was no easy feat although the dreams only served to stoke the fire.

  "-is that correct?" Carter finishes off a question bringing me back to the serious topic at hand.

  With all the mental strength I can muster I lock all thoughts of Hope away in the recesses of my mind. Now is not the time to get distracted, there is a job to be done.

  "It's a risk but if it works the reward will far outweigh it. As it stands we aren't making enough headway in our investigation" David is correct and I nod my agreement.

  "The council and I along with David worked the plan out. By allowing the prisoner to escape we can have a stealth team track him. What we hope is that he will lead us straight to his master. If nothing else he will go somewhere associated to who they are which will at least give us answers".

  "If it does not backfire on us that is. How do you plan to let him escape? If we just set him free he will know we are up to something" Carter crosses his arms over his chest and leans against my desk.

  "Really? I thought we could just walk him right out and thank him for staying at our quaint bed and breakfast" David jokes like the smart ass he is from his relaxed position in one of the leather armchairs.

  "The idea is to make it seem like security has relaxed then create an apparent opening for him to escape. We stopped all interrogations days ago as you know. That alone will make him feel like we are no longer paying him any attention, too busy trying to find his master".

  "What is the opening going to be? Whoever is on guard duty would have to somehow be gone or distracted enough that he could sneak away unnoticed".

  "Twice a day we unlock his chains when food and a blood bag is brought in. At first, we had four of our men going in to do this but the number has dwindled as he has gotten weaker. This week we purposely cut the number down to just one although back up has always been close but out of sight in case of emergency" David begins explaining but I take over to explain the rest.

  "The idea is that on that day the guard will go in as usual but be called away urgently haphazardly chaining him up in a rush not realizing the chains are loose. The cell will be hurriedly locked but not secured by additional locks and measures as usual.

  With the chains just loose enough to get out of the thought is he will take advantage of the lack of security and break the single lock to make a run for it".

  Carter nods but stays silent obviously in thought before s
peaking up "Assuming all goes according to plan, who are we trusting to tail him?" David raises his hand with a cocky smile "You want the job done right, you send in the best".

  Carter groans but it is clear he approves of David being the one to do it. This mission is dangerous with a lot of aspects up in the air. David is the best suited for the job and having him on it gives us some peace of mind.

  Normally I would never send a man out alone but the stealth nature of this plan means more men will just heighten the possibility of exposing ourselves.

  "This will be purely recon correct? If any contact happens we need men close enough that they can back David up" Carter voices his concern.

  "We will have a small team in constant contact with David through the mind link so they can follow in a different direction in case anything goes south" I reassure him wanting Carter to know that although our plan is reckless we have also tried to cover ourselves as much as possible.

  "I will go with the backup team. I want to be there in case anything occurs" Carter looks between David and me gauging our reactions. Carter is very strong and far faster than both David and I but usually, David is called on for muscle while Carter is usually the brains.

  Of course, in times of battle, we all go to the field but on specific missions or objectives we each take on a different role.

  "It'll be nice knowing you're around to watch my back. If Max signs off on it you and Kane can be the reinforcements" They both look to me for an answer.

  "I'm good with that. Channels of communication will be open to me so I will be ready to go in case the situation gets complicated. Best case scenario, you go unnoticed and are able to find their base. You all return and report then depending on who the real enemy is we can decide if diplomacy or violence will be the answer".

  "Hopefully we can end this without bloodshed although I have a feeling whoever is backing this vampire will be more trouble than we expect" Carters words are far away like a thought he accidentally muttered aloud.

  David and I share a look that reveals we've all been on the same wavelength. Finding out their identities will only be the beginning.

  With the plan hashed out and due to be set in motion soon, David goes to meet up with Kane and the guards that will have to play a part to lay the details out for them.

  Carter and I dive into a separate meeting about food shares and the groundwork being laid out to construct a school for our community.

  It is strange, going from planning a mission straight into daily pack business but that is the job.

  As long as we can succeed while managing to have the pack unaffected and most unaware that there was ever even a threat then it will be a win for us.

  Chapter 58

  Hope

  Tearing myself away from the library wasn't as difficult as usual. Dress shopping is something I'm actually incredibly excited for especially because mom will get to spend time around my new friends.

  As a kid I got along well with all of the other children, in fact, I was once even really close to Daniel as hard as that is to believe now. After Angelina and I stopped being friends I've been mostly alone.

  I know seeing me getting close to people again and making real friends will probably make my parents happy and ease the worries they must have been hiding for a while.

  Now in my room, I hide the journal again having set it mostly aside today in order to concentrate on the pile of books I still have to browse through.

  Opting to change into a cute outfit and out of my sweats, I grab a pair of distressed boyfriend jeans and a flowy white off the shoulder top. Wanting to dress it up a bit I put on some retro wooden and burnt orange platform block heel sandals with an ankle strap.

  As I take my ribbon box out and place it on top of the dresser getting ready to do my hair, someone just walks into my room.

  Instantly on high alert, I whip around and take a step back seeing Daniel standing there with the door closed. "What are you doing in my room?" I question partially angry and partially still surprised.

  "You've been making a lot of friends lately. I even happened to spot you trying to get cozy with my big brother" Daniel slowly approaches as he talks and I start to feel cornered. Behind me is the wall, to the side is the bed and the door is behind Daniel.

  A familiar panic at Daniels presence threatens to bubble over. I can't let him intimidate me, I can't shrink back I have to keep in control and look for a chance to get away if things start getting bad.

  I'm so preoccupied with getting ahold of myself that his mention of Maximus doesn't even register. "There's a lot of new people to befriend. Did you need something? I have people waiting for me" I try to sound dismissive and calm so he can't have the satisfaction of seeing me squirm the way he used to.

  "I'm sure there are. After all, you are quite popular at the moment. Hopefully, that hasn't gone to your head. My Alpha command was absolute but, do you happen to be going around dropping hints to these new friends? Perhaps even to my dear brother" Daniel is now an arms length away and every part of my body is screaming to run.

  "You know I can't come out and tell besides who would believe me? It would be my word against an Alphas. What is this really about? You're being absurd and I have to go" I make a move to get around Daniel just needing to ease the feeling of being trapped.

  "See you say that you little bitch but my brother and I had a heart to heart a few days ago and he insinuated I may not have been treating some members of my pack well. Now, where would he get that from?" He questions grabbing my arm and pinning me back against the dresser again. His hand now a vice around my left forearm.

  "How the hell should I know? I haven't hinted, insinuated or done anything else to give Alpha Maximus the impression that you and I were even remotely involved in any way much less that you used me like a maid and a punching bag. Let go of my fucking arm, I'm just trying to live my life you asshole" I can't stop the venom and rage that leaks out with my words.

  How dare he?! he has no right to manhandle me, he never did. I was just always too scared, weak and trapped to fight against it. Things are different now and I will not allow Daniel to keep tormenting me.

  "Watch how you talk to me you worthless bitch" Daniel practically hisses.

  When he reaches out his hand about to strike my cheek I use my free right arm to slap it away. When I do, his arm collides with my ribbon box and it falls on the ground its contents spilling out.

  I take advantage of his momentary shock and push Daniel away with all of my strength breaking free from his grip and stepping away backing up towards the door.

  I expect him to retaliate but realize something on the ground has caught his attention. His gaze is wide as he squats down and picks something up.

  Slowly bringing two ribbons up he looks my way with wild eyes "Where did you get these?" Daniel asks slowly.

  In his hand are two identical ribbons in blue and green with the third red one having been misplaced recently without me realizing.

  They all had white stitching with a white wolf and I rarely wore them. "My mother made them, she gave them to me. Why does it matter?" I ask now completely confused.

  "Has she ever made them for anyone else?" he asks now looking down at the ribbons and stroking them with his fingers.

  "No, she hasn't. What's going on?" Daniels strange behavior is putting me on edge. He is acting unhinged and I don't know what to do.

  Without a word, he lets the ribbons fall and strides towards me. Stopping with a hand on the doorknob he just looks down at me for a few seconds before walking out and leaving me stunned.

  The tension leaves my body so quickly that my legs turn into jelly and I have to sit on the ground to calm down. Pressing my palms against my eyes I take deep breathes trying to center myself.

  Someday I will face Daniel without flashes of the past gripping my throat and pushing me towards a mental breakdown.

  For the time being, all I can do is keep getting stronger and not letting myself be put dow
n. After a few minutes, I stand up dusting myself off and put all the ribbons back in their box stashing them away.

  No longer motivated to do some cute hairstyle I just throw my hair in a loose high ponytail, grab my bag and jog down to get mom so we can get going.

  Nothing, not even Daniel acting psychotic, will dampen my afternoon of bonding and shopping with the ladies I care about most.

  A girls day out is exactly what I need right now. Completely erasing what just happened I focus solely on having a great time with my girls.

  Chapter 59

  Hope

  All five of us end up piling into my mothers' car and Alesha guides us to a luxury shopping mall further away. The day is beautiful and clear with a slight breeze. All around you can see the spring flowers blooming and there's no way to not be in a fantastic mood.