Moon Shadow (Mount Henley Trilogy Book 1)

by Kat Zaccard

  I understood more than ever why full moons were everyone’s favorite time. I missed my wolf and wanted to run daily, but I had to keep my wolf in check lest others find out I could already shift at will. I longed for the three days a month when we could be our full wolfish selves. I was grateful for my secret runs at Jack and Kulani’s, but their property was only a few acres big. And with school and training and friends, I only had a few opportunities to sneak away. On my long Sunday hikes, I often broke into a run to keep from shifting. My skin itched to shift.

  Another full moon was coming up, and I was getting excited. I’d been named team captain for a full moon wolf game of capture the flag. Hayley had declared me the next captain after I had nabbed our opponent’s flag during our last human match. I was pretty stoked. It was so strange to be good at something physical. I always thought I was uncoordinated: other than volleyball, I wasn’t great at team sports. But with our hunting and tracking skills training, I felt a whole new level of confidence. I liked it.

  November was giving its last attempt at an autumn day, and although it was brisk, the sun was high in the sky that Sunday afternoon. I was hiking alone, thinking about how nice it would be to go back to the waterfall on the outskirts of town before winter made the pass impossible. I knew the only way I could get there and back was to shift.

  The full moon was still a week away, but I couldn’t resist. I knew Jack had warned me not to let anyone know I could shift outside the three days of the full moon. I was close to their property, and I hadn’t seen a patrol the entire way there. I figured it would be safe enough.

  Stuffing my clothes into a hollow log, I shimmered into my wolf skin. I felt a huge relief wash over me. It had been weeks since the last full moon when I was allowed to shift in the middle of the day. I had missed my wolf! With a happy yip and a skip, I bounded off into the woods, trusting my nose to lead me to the waterfall. Without consciously thinking about it, I found my way through the foothills and around the winding path up the mountainside. The sun was a little lower in the sky so it must have taken me some time to get there. My conscience poked me once or twice when I realized I wasn’t anywhere near Jack and Kulani’s place anymore, but I was so happy to round the corner and see the waterfall. I padded up to where the spring fed the falls and lapped up a cool drink.

  I flopped onto the waterside and dragged a paw through the swirling eddies. I panted, a bit happy to be worn out. I was glad for my fur; the cool November afternoon temperature felt perfect. I admired the reflection of giant cumulus clouds in the pool of water.

  A twig snapped behind me, and I leaped to four paws, I peering into the brush. I couldn’t see anything but I knew someone was there. I was upwind, though I could sense a brain signature I didn’t recognize—strong, protective, and wary. I projected a thought; it was an accident. It’d just come out naturally.

  Who’s there?

  I sensed surprise and indecision. Was my hidden guest preparing to run? It was a werewolf, a familiar one.

  Wait, I projected my alpha command, reveal yourself.

  I held my head in what I hoped was a regal manner. I didn’t let my surprise show when someone actually obeyed my order and stepped into the clearing. He was a beautiful black wolf—no not quite black, but very dark brown with a glint of red here and there when the sunlight caught it just right. He shimmered before my eyes, and a very handsome and very naked Diego stood before me.

  “Now who the heck are you?” he asked, hands on hips.

  Keeping my head high and my eyes above sea level, I shimmered into human.

  “Hi,” I said, then darted behind the neared birch tree, laughing. “Sorry, I’m still new to this nudity thing!” So much for getting comfortable with my body.

  Diego’s shoulders relaxed. “Oh, Alice, hi. How in the world did you get here? And wow, you can shift before the full moon already? That’s really impressive! You must be training hard.”

  I smiled at the compliment, peeking out from behind the tree. I felt a little silly. Diego never once raked his eyes over my body. He was so polite that I didn’t feel quite as self-conscious anymore. I stepped out into the clearing and we both sat near the water.

  I went along with his explanation. “Yeah, I love training.”

  “Me, too.” He grinned. “But you already have seven days before the moon? Impressive. You just might beat the record for youngest Sliver.”

  I liked that he didn’t brag, so I did it for him. “A record you hold, I believe?”

  His olive cheeks tinged slightly pink. “Yeah, well I’ve been working hard, though technically, I’m on patrol now.” He was obviously proud, and with good reason.

  “You just graduated and already run patrols? That’s impressive.” Only very well-trained wolves ran patrols, and teenagers weren’t usually among them.

  “How did you do that? I swear I was going to run back and report an unfamiliar wolf, but it’s like I heard you talking. And even weirder, I had to listen.”

  I looked a little nervous. I was stuck, and the only way out was the truth. “The truth is, Diego, I’m not really sure. I noticed that, when I’m a wolf, I can sense other wolves.”

  “Yeah, that’s honing your instincts—”

  “No, it’s more than that. I don’t know why, but … Can you keep a secret?” I asked, suddenly wanting to tell him everything.

  He looked surprised. “Sure, you can trust me.” Looking into his warm, chocolate eyes, I somehow knew I could trust him. My wolf knew. I took a deep breath.

  “The truth is, I have been training hard, but I have been able to shift fairly easily since I turned sixteen. And when I’m a wolf, I can telepathically talk to some werewolves in wolf form, and they can hear me.”

  He gaped. “Really? I mean, really, I know, because I just heard it. But only some wolves can hear you?” He looked stunned, but completely accepted my statement as truth. My heart warmed. It was a risk telling him my secret, but he seemed worthy.

  “I don’t know, maybe only wolves I know or trust. I can hear Shea, Kulani, and Jack. I’m starting to pick up on Hayley and Sara during full moon runs. Kulani said I’m an alpha gathering my pack.” I smiled ruefully, but continued, “I can sense anyone. I almost see their brain signatures like colors, or at least some feel familiar. But the telepathy thing, well … I’m still figuring it out. And you know, being a freak and all, I haven’t had a lot of practice what with trying to hide my freakishness and everything.” I smiled at my lame attempt at humor.

  He smiled back. He had a great smile; it broke like dawn across his smooth, caramel face. His voice, though deep, was light and teasing. “It’s pretty freaky,” he agreed, “but it’s also freaking cool. Some of the guys I train with say they can hone their instincts to nearly perfect communication in training. It’s different, but similar, I think.” It was his turn to shrug off a lame explanation. “There are rumors that old queens could do that, but I thought it was a myth.”

  I smiled, feeling the tension in my shoulders ease.

  “So you won’t rat me out?” I asked, smiling.

  “Well, actually …” He looked undecided, then smiled at me. “No, of course I won’t! But I do have to report you up here, wolf girl. You stink!”

  “I … what?”

  He laughed kindly. “Not like that! The patrols will smell your wolf from here to wherever you came from. I’ll have to put you in the log. We need to register your scent so others don’t think there’s a foreign werewolf lurking.”

  “Does that happen? Are there other werewolves out there?” Was everyone going to remind of me all of the things I didn’t know?

  “Not often, but occasionally. Usually it’s a feral; you know, someone who didn’t know they were a werewolf until one full moon—haawoooo!” I laughed as he howled.

  “Well, do me a favor and tell Jack first. We’re trying to keep it on the down-low how many days under the moon I have,” I said.

  “On the down-low?” he asked with a grin.
r />   “Seriously? ‘The down-low’ was the odd part of that sentence?” I laughed.

  He smiled back at me and agreed to tell Jack first. “I guess we have to protect the future queen and all.”

  “Ugh! You know!”

  “What? That the cute girl who tipped me on a latte is the long-lost Princess Luna, next in line for the throne? Yeah, I knew that,” he finished dryly.

  “Okay, okay, everyone knows that but me, I guess. You’d think I’d get used to the idea, but I tell you what, I haven’t yet.”

  “You just found out?” he asked in disbelief.

  “Yep, about … eight weeks ago,” I said, thinking back.

  “Wow, and seven days before the moon is an easy shift? I don’t think I was suitably impressed the first time. Eight weeks is barely any time at all. No wonder you’re still getting used to the idea. At least you have some time before you turn eighteen and claim the throne.” He was sweet, and it was easy to let my guard down. For whatever reason, I felt relaxed around Diego. I could just be myself.

  “Of course, because eighteen is that magical number when teenagers suddenly start making all the right decisions,” I teased.

  “Well, I’ll let you know in a couple of months after my birthday.” he laughed, and his dark hair caught the sunlight, reflecting back copper, reds, and almost blue-black. We sat in companionable silence, admiring the waterfall. I looked over at his strong profile, and he turned to meet my eye. His eyes grew darker and his mouth drew up in a soft smile as he leaned in. I felt drawn to him and leaned forward, almost hoping he would kiss me. The world faded away, and in that moment, I thought, I could kiss him, but I pulled back instead as my surroundings came back into focus. Guilt that I’d forgotten my sort-of betrothed or whatever, ruined the ease of the moment.

  “Sorry for how Logan acted at the dance a few weeks ago.” The spell broke, and I instantly wished I hadn’t brought up Logan. Not to mention, why should I apologize for his bad behavior?

  Diego’s smile slid a little. “Oh, right,” he said, then grinned ruefully. “I almost forgot who you are, Princesa.” He looked like he wanted to say more but didn’t. Did I imagine the disappointment in his eyes?

  I didn’t know how to conjure back the light, easy mood from before, but now that I thought about it, hanging out naked with another guy is probably not allowed in the girlfriend-boyfriend handbook, should such a treasure trove of knowledge ever hope to exist. Though werewolves run hot, I felt a shiver ripple through my skin as the November breeze played with my wavy, auburn hair.

  We said our goodbyes, and I shifted easily into my wolf. Diego applauded my easy change, then shifted, as well. He gently touched his nose to mine, then blinked a goodbye. His dark-brown-and-russet wolf turned and trotted off into the brush. I raced back to my clothes feeling exhilarated to run headlong through the woods. And while I could run from Diego, I couldn’t run from my problems. I was determined to find a news source and catch up on werewolf politics. Whether I liked it or not, I was involved. I felt more myself in that moment than I remembered being in a long time, and if I was honest with myself, it had been really nice to tell someone about my alpha powers, someone who didn’t freak out about it. Diego had been so calm and accepting. He was so comfortable to be around that I’d even forgotten to be embarrassed by the nudity. I smiled, feeling my face grow warm, grateful no one was around to see me blush.

  That evening after dinner, I relayed my day to Shea. Her eyes shot up when I mentioned meeting Diego.

  “Seriously? You hung out with the youngest, hottest Sliver in history?” Her blue eyes were saucers.

  “Um, except for me, of course,” I joked, sweeping my auburn locks off of my shoulder and sticking my nose in the air. My face turned bright red. Shea and I dissolved into giggles. After a moment, we regained our composure. I always thought I was rather average-looking. My features were symmetrical enough, and my relatively large eyes were a pretty dark-hazel almost brown. But I never spent a whole lot of time looking in the mirror. Bragging about my looks was simply too ridiculous. I wondered what Diego thought? Feeling my blush deepen, I quickly steered our conversation away from the youngest Sliver in patrol history.

  “What are they patrolling for again?” I asked, puzzled by the importance of it all.

  “Duh, Alice, our protection,” said Shea matter-of-factly.

  “Protection from what, bears?” I said, joking, but Shea took me seriously.

  “Sure, bears, cougars, avalanches, the boogey man, the outside world. Probably the biggest threat is poachers. You know, wolf pelts.”

  “Ew! Are you serious?” I was horrified and the implications made me seriously question my involvement in support for animal rights. I was sending a check to the World Wildlife Federation, pronto.

  “No, I’m only joking! But keeping hunters and hikers away from our territory is obviously important. And given that most of us can’t shift into our wolves whenever we want”—she leveled a look at me with emphasis on “most,” then continued—“there’s also the fear that a student could get lost.”

  “Okay, so that’s the danger from the outside world. What about the inside world? I feel totally clueless. Where is the grapevine around here?”

  “Well, I think our best bet is Hayley. She’s pretty much the toughest girl in school, and she hears all sorts of things. Also there’s the Royal Herald.”

  “The what?”

  “The newspaper, of course.”

  “There’s a freaking werewolf newspaper, and now you tell me?” I slapped my forehead.

  Shea shrugged sheepishly. “Yeah, well, what teenager reads the paper? I don’t have a subscription, but you can get it sent to your door.”

  I just laughed at myself, and Shea joined in. It felt good to just hang out. We’d been seeing less of each other lately, since boys had entered our lives.

  “How are things with Adam?” I asked, wanting to keep the good mood going.

  “Great!” she trilled, and told me about a romantic picnic in the woods, followed by some heavy making out.

  “TMI!” I teased her at first, but then she said something unexpected.

  “Alice, I don’t know. You know that true mate thing? I mean, it’s probably half fairytale, half just like love or whatever, but—” She stopped rambling and swallowed hard. I held my breath. “I think I might actually love him.” She’d whispered the end of the sentence, and I couldn’t help gasping. She actually looked a little frightened, and my face softened with confidence that he felt the same way.

  “That’s awesome, Shea,” I said sincerely. “I’m so glad you’re so happy together. Have you told each other that?”

  “No way! I’m waiting for him to say it first,” she admitted.

  I smiled and gave her arm a squeeze. “I don’t blame you. But for the record, I don’t think you have much to worry about.” I smiled a little deviously, knowing that Adam had been working on a project in art class that had to be the loveliest rendition of Shea, next to the real thing. I didn’t want to bring it up to her, though, in case it was a surprise.

  She smiled brightly, although I couldn’t help noticing a shadow cloud her features briefly before she asked a little too sweetly, “How are things with Logan?”

  I smiled and thought about it for a second. “I think it’s going pretty good. I mean, I’m making an effort to do more things with his friends, and it’s been fun.” I wasn’t sure if I was trying to convince Shea or myself. Shea, no fool, quirked an eyebrow. “I have had fun,” I insisted. “Some, anyway. His friends are fine, and he seems more relaxed around them.”

  “But … ? I sense a but,” Shea prompted.

  I smiled. “But I don’t know. He’s almost a little too formal or something around me. We have had some great moments.”

  I was about to mention our long walks and lying in the grass, when I thought about him mocking the idea of true mates. Maybe it was no more or less than the alleged magic of true love? But Logan seemed to question th
e validity of love in the first place. He was content with an arranged marriage, after all. Shea seemed to read the indecision on my brow but didn’t offer any advice. For a moment that annoyed me, until in the next breath I saw the futility of wanting someone else to explain my heart or anyone else’s. I did what I’d been doing lately and decided to ignore my worry.

  “Do you really believe in true mates?” I asked Shea.

  She smiled secretly. “The way Adam talks about his parents? It sounds like a fairytale, but it also sounds like the best part of a movie, you know? When the guy and the girl lock eyes and the music swells, and you just know that no matter what, they can get through anything?” Shea sighed, then I did, too.

  “Jinx!” We both laughed.

  ◆◆◆

  Later that evening, there was a knock at my door. I opened it, surprised to see Kulani.

  “Aloha,” she greeted me, kissing my cheeks.

  “Kulani, what a pleasant surprise! Please come in.” I ushered her inside and closed the door. Motioning to a chair, I offered her water, but when she declined I asked, “Am I in trouble?”

  Kulani laughed. “You stopped stalling and decided to rip off the bandage?” she guessed.

  “Something like that.” I grimaced. I was pretty sure she was here to yell at me for my pre-moon run.

  “Jack and I are so proud of your progress, Alice.”

  “But?”

  “But…” She smiled. “You have to be careful. Running into patrols cannot happen any day of the moon. However,” she continued before I could interrupt, “we also understand how hard it is to deny your wolf. Your progress is unprecedented. I think it would slow your training too much to limit your shifts to three days under the moon and a few evenings training in our yard.”