IZZY POV
They say a Luna’s work is never done. They’re right.
I got back and had my bath and some alone time with my mates, but the pack business didn’t slow down. I was involved in the planning of the half-way house we were building as well as another youth center. I approved budgets and began working on the nursery upstairs, a room we hadn’t used in eight years. And then I began to plan the summer solstice celebration, a tradition that we had upheld since we first started it thirteen years ago.
“Black and white this year?” Destiny asked.
“I hate black and white,” Lucy said. “It makes everything look so formal and this should be fun.”
“Okay. Black and gold?” Destiny was relentless. Lucy threw a wadded up napkin at her.
“You only want black because you love it,” Lucy accused her.
Destiny shrugged.&
IZZY POV“How are you doing?” I asked Destiny. We were busy hanging decorations around the backyard, and it was the first time I had a moment alone with her in a week. I knew she was feeling really guilty about Kat leaving.She shrugged. “I’m okay. I just feel awful every time I look at Griz. I never intended for her to leave. I just wanted her to be more careful.”I dropped the streamer I was holding and put my arm around her. “I know. And so does everyone else, including Kat. She just needed a change. She spent so much time and effort making sure every part of Cornelius was destroyed that she doesn’t know what to do now. She’s just trying to find her place.”Destiny sighed. “Tell Griz that. He is worried about her.”“She’s moving around pretty quickly,” I offered. “I think sh
IZZY POV“So what do you do, Elias?” Reese asked. I could see his nostrils flaring a little to see if he was a wolf. I didn’t sense a wolf in him, but I wasn’t going to ask. It was kind of like asking someone’s religion or income. If they offer the information, we could talk about it. But only if they offer it.“I’m a bounty hunter,” he said. Kat was clinging to his arm.“A supernatural bounty hunter,” she corrected. “He works for the Council, believe it or not.”Elias smiled. “Kind of. They hire me on occasion. I work for myself,” he corrected her gently.“Sorry,” she said, smiling. He leaned down and gently kissed her on the lips. I grinned. I was so happy for my friend.“Tell us about one of your captures,” Destiny asked. She was next to Griz,
IZZY POV I rubbed my swollen belly and sat down behind my desk with a sigh. Baby girl was seriously a week overdue, and I was over being pregnant. I wanted to meet my Talia and that moment couldn’t come soon enough. A lot had happened in the three months since the Summer Solstice Celebration. Elder Voltaire had officially asked permission to join our pack and he put in his retirement notice to the Vampire Council. Apparently, serving as head Council Member for three hundred years was enough for him. We gave the Blood Moon Pack to Griz and Destiny. We talked a long time about it and had first asked Leo if he was interested in taking over for his father. He had vehemently turned down our offer, insisting that he never wanted to see the Blood Moon Pack again. When we had gone to visit, I could see why. The pack needed a lot of work and there was a general sense of discourse. Griz and Destiny agreed to take on the Pack with Griz being named the first non-wolf Alpha of a Pack.
EPILOGUE TALIA POV “Coming!” I answered my mom, looking in the mirror and tucking my hair behind my ear. Today was my eighteenth birthday and I was officially going to introduce my wolf to the Pack. I had technically been able to shift since I was a baby, but we had managed to keep that a secret from almost everyone, though it had been a close call a few times. My brothers were coming back from Mongolia with their mate, Zaria, and their friend, Leo, to help celebrate my birthday. They were on some sort of a mission for the Council, but they got permission to come home for this event. They were twelve years older than me and I liked to tease them about being old. They didn’t think I was as funny as I knew I was. They were cool, though, and all my friends loved my brothers. Their mate was also pretty awesome. She was the daughter of our Beta and one heck of a warrior. She went to the same camp my grandmama was accepted to. Only the best warriors are allowed to go. I ran
Isadora POV The grass was cool under my bare feet and the breeze was sweet smelling. I tipped my head up into the wind and sniffed, appreciating the whirl of scents that it brought me. The season was changing from spring to summer and berries were beginning to ripen. I could smell rain in the distance and the yeasty scent of fresh baked bread wafted from town. I frowned. I could smell something else, something rotten and dirty. I looked towards the woods and could see two men and a woman approaching me. I wrinkled my nose but put a smile on my face. They were probably lost and needed help. They couldn’t help how they smelled. Before my eyes, they turned into wolves. The largest of the wolves bared his teeth at me and growled. I could see the sharpness of his teeth and I could feel the hatred radiating off from him. I cried out and took a step back and bumped into something warm and soft. I turned to see a wolf, the largest and most beautiful wolf that I have ever seen
Chapter 2 ETHAN, REESE and CALEB POV Ethan dumped his tactical bag on the nearest bed and flopped down on his bed across the room, blowing the air out of his mouth. “Today was tough!” he said with a groan. “Yeah, but did you see the look on Jet’s face when Reese came at him?” Caleb chortled. “I thought he was going to wet himself like a pup!” “That was a sick move, Reese,” Ethan admitted. “I would have helped but I was busy with Cole and Andrew.” Caleb threw a wet towel at Ethan. “Cole has no skills and Andrew couldn’t cut a steak with his knives. Not much to keep you busy, dear brother.” He picked up Ethan’s tactical bag and dumped it on the floor. “And keep your sweaty gear off my bed. Put it on your own bed.” “I need my own room,” Ethan moaned. “Me, too,” Reese announced, peeling off his workout clothes. “I hate having to race you guys to the shower.” “We’re not going to get our own room,” Caleb said, practically, for what seemed like the hundredth time. “We’re t
IZZY POV“Ow!” I yelled as my head cracked against the truck window for the third time in less than a mile. Mom was behind the wheel of a rental truck with bad springs. It was the most uncomfortable ride I’ve ever taken. Mom smiled at me, looking excited.“Just a little bit more,” she promised. I looked out the front windshield, a gloomy look on my face. I was excited, but a little nervous. Mom seemed weird when she was telling me about this place.“Tell me again about Moonstone Pack?” I asked, naming the town we were heading towards.“It’s kind of like a gated community, but it’s a whole town,” she patiently explained to me again. “Your Aunt Luna and Uncle Alpha are kind of like the mayors. They run the place. They have triplet boys who will be home from boarding school tomorrow. They’re coming back from Italy. A specialized course of study.”I had heard all this before. I had questions.“So why aren’t we getting our own house?” I pouted. “I don’t want to live with two a
ETHAN, REESE AND CALEB POV“Do you think she’ll like me?” Caleb asked, suddenly in the silence. They were still on the plane, almost ready to land at the closest airport to the pack where their parents would pick them up. “Where did that come from?” Reese asked, taking a long swig from a water bottle. “I spent the last five hours wondering if I was going to like her,” Caleb said. “I didn’t think for a minute what would happen if she didn’t like me.”Reese rolled his eyes. “She’s probably like all the other she-wolves in the pack. Maybe even worse. They’re all full of themselves and busy backstabbing each other to impress the guys.”Caleb was quiet, thinking of this possibility.“Right now it doesn’t really matter if she’s your fated mate or not,” Ethan pointed out. “You’re not eighteen. She’s not eighteen. You can get a good sense of it, but it won’t be confirmed until you’re of age.”“I wonder, though,” Caleb said. “Well, you’ll know in about an hour,” Reese said, lookin