Moonlight Wolves Box Set

by Sarah J. Stone

  So, Thea began to think of Annie’s mother more and more as she cleaned the woman’s house. Maybe she’d had it right all along. Maybe what she did wasn’t just dumb and short-sighted as Thea originally thought. Maybe it was the smartest thing a human could do in a situation like this. The woman had sacrificed her whole life just to protect the man she loved and her child.

  And Thea respected that.

  As Thea cleaned, she became more adamant and interested in Annie’s mother’s story. She wanted to know more. She wished the woman was somehow around so that she could give her advice.

  A tiny part of Thea wondered if she could do the same thing. Thea didn’t know if she would be able to leave everyone behind. She didn’t know if she could leave Kato behind. She loved the guy more than she had ever loved anyone else in her life. Her life with Jake seemed so long ago. Hell, her whole life seemed so long ago. Since Kato and she had become intimate, since they had confessed their attraction to each other, Thea had felt like her whole life before was just background noise and fodder. Now she was living her life.

  But she didn’t want to live this life if it meant he would get killed by just trying to protect her. She wouldn’t stand for that. Maybe Annie’s mom had it right. Maybe she’d thought of all the options that she had and realized that she had to do something to keep her loved ones safe.

  Thea knew what she had to do. She’d known what she had to do since she woke up from that horrible, memorable nightmare that was filled with blood and despair. She had to do what was right to save the people she loved, even if it meant sacrificing herself and her happiness in the process.

  But before she made that decision, before she changed her narrative and flipped her world upside down, before she decided to take her life in her own hands and out of the Elders’ grasp, she had to talk to one person.

  And she hoped this person would give her the answers she needed.

  Chapter 20

  “This should become an almost daily thing,” Kato announced to Annie and Lukas.

  They were currently in a clearing in the forest by the pack bar, all three of them walking to the middle to get ready for what they were about to do. After learning all about the potential civil war between the Elders and the small uprisings around the world that the rogues were putting on, the three decided that they needed to shape up when it came to battle techniques. They wanted to be prepared in case anything came to their pack, and they wanted to be ready if someone, especially the Elders, came for Thea.

  “Are you sure we shouldn’t get more shifters to come train with us?” Lukas asked as he neared Kato in the clearing. It was later in the day, and Kato could feel the night about to take over the sun. He loved this time of day, when the moon would soon be up in the sky to light his path in the thick, dark forest.

  “Let’s just start with us practicing for now,” Kato told them, nodding at Annie.

  Kato didn’t want to tell the other shifters about Thea just yet, though he knew that they would more than likely find out soon, especially if the Elders came to town. But Kato wanted to keep Thea to himself a little bit longer. He really didn’t know how his pack would act when they found out about Thea. They would either accept her with Kato, or they would make their disapproval very loud.

  Kato hoped the latter wouldn’t happen. He hoped that they would all see Thea for the beautiful, kind-hearted, intelligent woman that she was. That he knew she was. He hoped that the shifters that didn’t approve at first would, eventually, come around and realize that Thea was no threat to the pack’s existence, that in fact, she was an asset. He just hoped that they found themselves loving Thea just like he and Annie did.

  If Grant could come around and be friends with Lukas, who he actively and publicly despised when Lukas first came to town, then maybe the pack was changing for the better. And maybe they’d all accept Thea like they all accepted Lukas. And like they accepted Hann’s wife, however grudgingly, all those years ago.

  “Alright, let’s start,” Annie told them, making them all start to quickly peel off their clothes and shift into their wolf forms.

  All three of them began to go through the main battle strategies and moves in their heads that they had learned over the years, giving each other advice and tips about where best to strike and how to accurately defend themselves. Lukas had the best skill, possibly from living life as a rogue for a while, so he became the teacher of the group, even though Kato and Annie were both highly skilled in combat.

  Before they could get too in depth with their battle training, they heard a quick bark that they all quickly recognized was their alpha. Hann ran into the clearing, also in his wolf form, and the three shifters immediately opened their mind to him to hear him talk.

  Shifters, while in wolf form, have the ability to talk to other shifters in their mind. While they can’t see what the other is thinking, they can talk to them. As their only form of communication while in wolf form, their communication is stronger within their own pack, though they can talk to other wolves in this way as well.

  ‘Practicing, I see,’ Kato and the other two heard Hann say in their heads.

  ‘We just want to be prepared for anything that happens,’ Kato sent back to him, bowing his head slightly at his alpha.

  ‘As do I,’ Hann replied, walking closer to his three pack mates. ‘I want you all to be prepared for anything that will happen. That’s why I’ve asked a few of our friends to keep an eye on Annie and Thea’s house. They do not know why they are doing this, or who Thea is. They just know that we want to protect everyone that is in that house, and they have given me their word to secrecy.’

  ‘Thank you, Hann,’ Kato told him, bowing even deeper to his alpha. He felt better knowing that Thea had friendly shifter eyes watching her house. It left him feeling better about being so far away from her, even though he still wanted to be with her always.

  Before Hann could respond to anything else, they all heard Ross, Hann’s personal bodyguard and closest advisor, speak through their communication link.

  ‘Boss, you’ve got an urgent message here,’ Ross said, causing Hann to almost sigh with weariness.

  'No rest for the wicked, I’m afraid,’ he seemed to laugh as he turned to go. 'Be careful, you three. I don’t want you all to hurt yourself before our enemies even show up.'

  ‘Don’t worry, dad,' Annie responded. ‘We’ll be safe.'

  Hann picked up speed and galloped into the forest, the dark trees enclosing him almost immediately. The sky seemed to be getting darker by the second, and a light breeze blew all around them, making their fur dance in the wind. Kato wished he could feel the cold, but he was so warm all the time. He didn’t even know what the winter felt like.

  ‘Okay, guys, let’s get ourselves ready for this,’ Annie told them, leading them back into the clearing, ruffling her fur as she went. Unlike Kato and Lukas, Annie felt the cold because she was a halfie. Kato almost envied her for it.

  They began to teach each other their own battle moves, with Lukas leading them through the key ways to survive when you’re going against someone that is stronger than you, because they would be going against the Elders, and the Elders were incredibly strong compared to the three shifters.

  Kato sighed as he thought of Thea. He hoped he could protect her.

  No, he prayed that he could.

  Chapter 21

  Thea had to talk to him as soon as possible. If she stayed at her place, cleaning that old mansion that Annie’s mother used to own, she knew she was going to go crazy. She had to get out, and she had to talk to him. She had to learn more. She had to do something. She refused to just waste away in that mansion and wait for the Elders to come get her and to destroy everyone that she loved.

  So, she left and sent him a text that she was on her way, but when she got to his place, he was nowhere to be found. However, she knew where he hid his spare key. So, she waltzed into his empty house, causally flopping on the couch like she’d done many times in the past. She
sent him another text saying that she’d let herself in, hoping he wouldn’t be too mad at her. She just hoped he would get here soon so that she didn’t go completely crazy.

  “I see you’ve made yourself at home,” Hann said as he walked through his front door, a flannel coat over his white t-shirt.

  “Sorry, it’s cold outside, and I know where you hide your spare key,” she told him, smiling slightly.

  “Yeah, you’ve known since you were ten years old, and you used to sneak in here when Annie was in trouble to get her to play with you,” Hann replied, throwing his own set of keys on the coffee table and sitting down on the couch next to her. Thea could swear his eyes looked a little worried. What did Hann have to worry about? Was everything okay with him?

  “I’m sorry I came over last minute, Hann,” she told him, feeling bad that she made him rush over. Hann was like a second father to her, but she still hated making him disappointed or angry with her, and she had a feeling she was about to make him feel at least one of those emotions. “But I need to ask you a few questions.”

  “About what, exactly?” Hann asked her, narrowing his eyes slightly though he kept that laid-back smile on his face. He leaned back slightly on the couch as Thea brought her knees up to her chest and squeezed herself into a little ball.

  “I would like to know more about your wife, if that’s okay,” Thea told him after taking in a deep breath. She saw his eyes narrow even more, but she could sense a bit of surprise there. “And, more importantly, about what happened when she . . . left.”

  Hann sighed, his smile gone momentarily. Thea felt bad that she was bringing up these memories that obviously still pained him, but she needed to know what his wife actually did. Hann ran his fingers across his face and through his hair, buying time while trying to think of what to say.

  “I’m assuming Annie told you,” he finally got out.

  “Please don’t be mad at her,” Thea said, trying to stick her neck out for her best friend. “She told me after everything happened with the Elders one night. She didn’t want to tell me, but she needed to get it off her chest. And I’m glad she told me, because, well, I want to know how your wife handled everything. The pack. Becoming your mate. And especially how she dealt with the Elders.”

  “Well, you know how she dealt with the Elders,” Hann pointed out, sighing. “She did what she thought was best. And maybe it was the best thing . . . I’m not sure, even to this day.”

  “Hann–” Thea broke off, not knowing if she could say it out loud.

  “I know what you’re about to say, Thea, and you don’t have to,” he told her, holding up a hand before she could say anything. “Thea, you don’t need to do this. We have this under control. We can protect you.”

  Thea felt her eyes fill up with tears as she saw the worry directed towards her in Hann’s eyes. She didn’t know what to say or do, so she just sat there as the tears fell. Hann pulled her slightly to him, giving her a fatherly hug that she didn’t realize she desperately needed.

  “I don’t want you to get hurt,” she told him through her tears as she clung onto him as if her life depended on it. “I don’t want Kato to get hurt. Or Annie. Or Lukas. I don’t want anyone to put their life on the line for me. I don’t deserve it.”

  “Thea, we all love you more than you know,” Hann whispered into her hair. “We will protect you, no matter what. And if something happens to us in the process, that’s not your fault. It’s our fault. You aren’t to blame for this situation. We are. We let this go on too long, we let the Elders get comfortable and control our lives for too long. That stops now.”

  “I can’t just sit and wait for them to come, Hann,” she wearily said as she pulled away to look into his eyes. He sighed when he saw the pain and fear there.

  “No matter what happens, I’ll always have your back, Thea,” he said before sighing again. “Promise me that before you make any decision, before you up and leave one night, you’ll come here to me to let me know.”

  “Hann . . . .” Thea knew that if she agreed, he would try and talk her out of it again when she eventually made up her mind.

  “Promise me, Thea,” he said again, sternly, as a father would.

  “I promise,” she whispered, looking down slightly. “As long as you promise that you’ll keep this conversation between us. I don’t want anyone to know. Especially Kato.”

  “I promise,” he told her, squeezing her hand. “Everything will be okay, Thea.”

  “I hope so,” she smiled at him through her tears. They both knew the truth, though. Nothing would be okay for a long while.

  Chapter 22

  Kato was beyond nervous as he paced in the bar’s office in the back of the building. Kato, Annie, and Lukas, had just finished their first training session, and even though Kato was in his human form, he still felt exhausted and worn out all over his body. They needed to keep the training sessions a constant thing. He wanted to be in his best form when the Elders came–if the Elders came.

  Kato had a meeting with Michael tonight, and the Elder was late, which made Kato more nervous than he wanted to appear. Just talking with the Elder, even though he was nice and friendly, gave Kato the creeps. He felt bad because Michael was obviously sacrificing a lot to protect the whole Moonlight Pack, but Kato felt like he would never get used to being around an Elder, regardless of how friendly they were. Kato knew that in a blink of an eye, Michael could have him on the ground and dead–and Kato wouldn’t be able to stop him.

  Finally, after almost another half hour of Kato pacing in the office alone, Michael opened the door and appeared, almost like he was walking on clouds. Kato stopped pacing and straightened up as the old shifter appeared, his hood still drawn to where Kato could barely see his face.

  “Hello, my friend,” Michael greeted him, walking over to where Kato stood and patting him on the back as he walked to the desk. Kato tried not to shiver as he felt the ice-cold touch of an Elder run through his veins, his blood, his entire being. Kato had been meeting with Michael for a while now, but he could never get over the shiver that enveloped his body when the Elder touched him.

  “Is there any news?” Kato asked him as they both sat down by the desk, referencing the issues among the Elders. Michael seemed to sigh and shake his head slightly, making Kato nervous.

  “Is Hann attending our little get together today?” Michael asked him, turning to look straight at Kato. Kato could almost see the white eyes staring back at him, but the hood left nothing to see of the Elder’s face.

  “He was going to, but he had other things he had to deal with,” Kato said, explaining the text that Hann had sent a few minutes ago. “He sends his apologies.”

  “Oh, it’s quite alright, my friend,” Michael told him, lacing his scarred, pale white fingers together and leaning back in his chair to relax. “I’ll just catch him up later.”

  “So, there is news?”

  “Yes, I’m afraid that the situation has gotten worse,” the Elder explained to him, seeming to sigh again. “I’ve been attempting to calm the situation down, but to no avail. Both sides are upset, and they continue to be upset. It seems that no matter what I do, the anger grows among our ranks, on both sides, and all I can do is try to keep the peace. But I’m afraid that I won’t be able to much longer.”

  “Has anyone made a direct threat yet?” Kato asked, sweating. “Has Thea been mentioned again by the other side, by the other Elders?”

  “Not specifically, no,” the Elder told him. “Though she is on everyone’s minds. She was one of the direct causes of this rift between our ranks, even though the rifts have happened before. A great society does not just fall because of one disagreement–this has been a long, long, time coming. I’m afraid that you and your pack must prepare for the worst. If the Elders’ anger continues to grow, I’m afraid of what they will do. I don’t know what they have in mind, but I know that they will more than likely come here, to the scene of all of their recent anger.”

  �
��This isn’t good,” Kato said, putting his face in his hands from nerves as he tried to think of strategies and ways he could not only protect Thea, but the whole pack.

  “We all need to prepare for the worst, my friend,” Michael said softly. “If the Elders break off and form two separate packs, this could cause catastrophic damage to the whole shifter society. Of course, the immediate focus is on the human Thea and this pack, but think of what would happen to our world. Rogues would rise up even more if word gets out that the Elders are falling apart. Our whole society is teetering on the brink of destruction. And there’s nothing we can do but let it play out.”

  “Do you have any idea of when something will happen?” Kato asked. He needed a time frame. He needed something to help him prepare. Just going off of nothing and knowing that the Elders would come, at any time, was not helping him in any way.

  “I’m sorry, friend,” Michael told him. “But I’m trying to put off this situation as much as possible and stop it from happening. But it will happen. I just don’t know when. We all need to be prepared.”

  “Okay,” was all Kato could get out. He was nervous beyond belief, and his mind kept on going back to Thea. His mind was playing tricks on him, forcing him to imagine Thea laying in a pool of her own blood. He shook his head, trying to get the gruesome image out of his brain.

  “My friend,” the Elder interrupted his thoughts, placing his icy hand on his back. Kato again felt that cold rush through his veins. This time, though, he welcomed the ice in his blood. It made him forget about the image he conjured of Thea, bloodied and surrounded by Elders. “I will protect her with everything that I have. All of my Elders will.”

  For a slight second, Kato felt hopeful that maybe, just maybe, everything would be alright.

  Chapter 23

  Thea waited quite impatiently for Kato to show up to her house. She had been unsteady and impatient all day, and she desperately wanted to see him. She knew that she couldn’t really tell him what was wrong with her, but she did want to talk to him. To see him. She wanted him to hold her in his arms and tell her that everything was going to be okay, even if everything was truly falling apart.