Awakened by the Moon: A Royal Shifters Novel Read online

  After grabbing my bag out of the trunk, I head inside and put my things in the bedroom. The sun has already set, and when I look out the window, the snow gives the land a magical glow. I pull out my phone and call Chase’s number. There has to be more Kara can tell me.

  “What’s up, Lyall? You in South Dakota yet?” asks Chase when he answers the phone.

  “I am. I was hoping to talk to Kara. She close by?”

  “Yeah, she’s right here.” He hands her the phone, and she clears her throat.

  “Hi, Micah.”

  “Hey. I’m here at the cabin. I was hoping you might have more to tell me that you weren’t able to tell me before.”

  “Um, let’s see,” she says, drawing out the words. “I know I saw them north of the cabin when I’d go out for my runs.”

  “What about the time of day?” I ask.

  “Good question. It was always around eight o’clock in the evening.”

  It was just about that time. “Thanks, Kara. I made it here just in time then. It’s closing in on eight now.”

  “Good luck, Micah.”

  I say good-bye to both Chase and Kara and hang up. A part of me wants to be optimistic about finding the other royals, but it was four months ago. I know for a fact that Stark never liked to stay in the same place for long.

  Stepping out onto the back porch, I take off my clothes and shift midair as I jump off the deck. The snow crunches underneath my paws, and behind me, there’s a trail of my large prints. Judging by the forest and the smells, it doesn’t seem like there’s been a human around in a long time. Especially the farther north I get. Slowing my pace, I look around at my surroundings and hide my presence. It’s been a long time since Stark has seen me, and I don’t want to startle him or the women if they’re around.

  I sniff the air, but there are no signs of the royals. However, I can hear other animals around. Large ones. My body goes on alert, and I hunker down close to the snow to see where the animals go. They change course, coming directly for me. Whatever they are, they obviously know I’m there. How is the question. The ground rumbles as they get closer, and a few seconds later, a low growl erupts behind me. I hook a glance over my shoulder, and all I can see are glowing wolf eyes. More appear in the darkness all around me; I’m outnumbered.

  A twig snaps to the side, and I jerk my attention to the man who comes out of the trees. Relief washes through me as Stark shakes his head and smiles.

  “Well, well, well … it is you.”

  4

  RAELYNN

  “Do you want a piece of chocolate cake?” I shout from the kitchen.

  “Oh yeah. Cut me a slice, please,” Dany hollers back.

  I have an addiction to ordering cakes and pastries from bakeries all over the United States. So when an ad for a delectable chocolate cake pops up on my social media, I fall victim every time. Could I bake it myself? Of course, but I love trying out new places.

  I carry our plates into the living room and set Dany’s on her lap. She holds up her cake and her light green eyes widen. “Wow. This looks amazing. Where did you order this one from?”

  Sitting beside her, I dig my spoon into the frosting and slowly lick it off. “It’s from We Take the Cake, located in Florida.” They ship the cakes frozen, and all you have to do is let it thaw for a couple of hours when you get it. Then, voila. It’s ready to eat.

  Dany takes a bite and moans. “Holy hell, this is delicious. If they have a carrot cake, we need to order that one next.”

  Giggling, I scoop up a mound of frosting. “That can be arranged. Should I cut Stark a piece and take it over to his house?”

  Dany shakes her head, and her blonde ponytail swishes back and forth. “Hell no. If he wants some, he can get it himself. I’m sure he’ll be by once the guys get done with their run.”

  I have no doubt. Stark is protective of us, especially Dany, since she’s his sister. He thinks of me as one as well since we’ve been inseparable all our lives. When we were younger, our parents talked about how they hoped he’d be my mate one day. The Great Luna had other plans because nothing ever happened between us. It turns out I had my eye on someone else when I was younger. Unfortunately, we never got the chance to see where things could lead. Then again, none of that matters anymore. I found my true mate. Ever since we met Soren, everything has worked out perfectly.

  When we decided to stay with the Black Hills pack, Soren was the one who found us the house we’re renting. As luck would have it, the place next door went up for rent, and Stark took it so he could have his own space but also keep tabs on us. Being a royal and having a protector is our way of life, but I feel bad for Stark. He hasn’t been able to live a carefree life. He doesn’t seem to mind it, but I look forward to the day he finds his true mate.

  Once I finish my piece of cake, I stare over at Dany, who savors hers by taking small, slow bites. “Are you happy?” I ask her.

  She turns her head my way, and her eyes narrow curiously. “Why are you asking that?”

  I shrug. “No reason, I guess. Do you think one of the guys in the pack is your true mate?”

  Dany purses her lips. “Don’t know. It’d be nice if one of them were. But, either way, I am happy.” Her grin turns sly. “What really makes me feel good is doing what we do; being able to help people find closure and get the answers they need … especially, nailing those cheating, worthless husbands in the ass. I’m just thankful that when I find my true mate, I don’t have to worry about him screwing someone else. You’re fortunate you found yours.”

  Thinking of Soren brings a smile to my face. “Yes, I am.”

  Dany finishes her cake and sets her plate on the glass-top coffee table. “I’m glad we didn’t leave and head to the Royal pack as we’d planned. If we did, you might’ve missed meeting Soren.”

  “Yeah, I’m happy we stuck around that extra day.”

  Dany nods, but I can see the sadness on her face. She gets like that every time I mention the Royal pack.

  “Do you still think about joining the other royals?”

  Dany averts her gaze, almost as if she doesn’t want me to see the truth. “It’d be nice to see them, Rae. We grew up with Bailey and Faith. They were like our little sisters. Also, the Lyalls are with them, too. They were our family.”

  I pat her leg. “They still are.” She turns to me, and I smile. “Now that we’re settled in here, maybe we can head out to Wyoming for a visit.”

  She snorts. “And you think Soren’s just going to let you pack up and leave without him?”

  With a roll of my eyes, I wave her off. “Soren can come with us; he’s not a threat. The other royals will welcome us.”

  I snuggle in next to Dany, and she grabs the remote. “It’ll be amazing to see them.” She points the remote at the TV. “How about another episode of Outlander?”

  I grab the fuzzy blanket off the back of the couch and drape it over our legs. “I’m ready.” The intro song to the show begins to play, and I close my eyes; it always gives me goosebumps.

  Dany leans her head against mine. “I never thought we’d reach a point where we didn’t have to hide anymore.”

  “I know,” I whisper as I open my eyes. “We have Stark and the Black Hills pack protecting us now.”

  Dany sighs. “Thank the Great Luna for that.”

  5

  MICAH

  Stark looks precisely how I remember him. Of course, being a royal, we’re all similar with our light-colored hair, but Stark and his sister have pale green eyes instead of the usual blue like the rest of us. What I don’t understand is why I can’t sense the other wolves. Stark can shield his presence and those closest in proximity to him, but there’s no way he can cover all the wolves surrounding us.

  Stark walks toward me, so I shift into my human form. “How did you find us?” asks Stark.

  Cautiously, I look around at the gray wolves. “Her name is Kara, a royal who was part of the original pack before I was born. A few months ago, she
came across you and the girls here in the woods.”

  Astonishment passes across Stark’s face. “I didn’t know any of the original royals survived.”

  “Neither did I,” I say.

  Stark looks past me into the woods, where a glowing set of blue eyes bore into mine. “Micah is a royal arctic and a friend,” Stark explains. “You can trust him.”

  I can’t see the wolf other than his eyes, but then he appears out of the trees—a black wolf. A vision flashes through my mind like a sharp pain slicing through my brain. I can see violence and blood, and in the middle of it all is a black wolf. The level of despair in my gut feels like the weight of a thousand boulders. The scene in my head shifts to Faith, and I can see her screaming in agony. Closing my eyes, I shake my head, and the memory disappears. How can it be a memory? I’ve never seen a black wolf before, nor would I ever forget seeing Faith in that kind of anguish.

  “Lyall, you okay?” Stark’s voice draws me back. He’s by my side, his eyes lit with worry.

  “I’m fine,” I lie, hating the unease that’s settled in my chest. The black wolf shifts, and a man stands in its place. His hair is as dark as night, which is a complete contrast to the light blue of his eyes. The unsettled feeling goes away, but I can sense its effects lingering in my mind.

  Extending his hand, the guy smiles. “Any friend of Stark’s is a friend of mine. I’m Soren Blackridge, Alpha of the Black Hills pack.”

  I shake his hand. “Micah Lyall.”

  Stark claps a hand on my shoulder. “What brings you here, brother?”

  Releasing Soren’s hand, I look at all the wolves before focusing solely on him. “After you fell off the face of the earth, everyone was worried about you and the girls. I told them I’d find you.”

  Stark’s smile fades. “Fuck, man. I’m sorry to put you out. I meant to call Colin and tell him we’re okay. When we joined up with these guys,” he says, flourishing a hand at all the wolves, “time just escaped me. The girls and I have been slammed with work.”

  “Work? What have you been doing?”

  Stark smirks. “We have a lot to catch up on. Where are you staying?”

  I nod toward the south. “In a cabin out that way. It’s off Pine Knob Drive.”

  “Yeah, I think I know which one you’re talking about,” Stark replies.

  Soren clears his throat. “Why don’t you go back, grab some clothes, and hang out with us tonight? It’ll give you and Stark a chance to catch up.”

  Stark places a hand on my shoulder. “And we can call Colin together. I have a lot of apologizing to do for disappearing.”

  “You’re damn right on that,” I agree.

  By the regret in his eyes, I can tell he feels terrible. Stark blows out a sigh and stretches his neck from side to side. “I’ll run back to my house really quick, and then I’ll come to get you. Give me about twenty minutes?”

  “That works.”

  His body shimmers, and he shifts into his wolf, taking off into the woods with several of the gray wolves. Soren stares at me, almost as if he’s sizing me up. He may be the alpha of a pack, but I’m an alpha in my own right.

  “See you in a few,” he mentions, right before shifting into his wolf and chasing after his pack.

  The wind begins to blow, and I stare up at the trees as an ominous feeling sweeps over me. It’s almost like déjà vu. I don’t like that I can’t sense Soren and his wolves. Only royals have the power to conceal their presence. Not unless there’s a witch that works for them.

  Taking in a deep breath, I blow it out slow and let my magic take over. I race through the forest on all fours, feeling relieved that it’s only my third day in South Dakota, and I’ve already found Stark. Still, I can’t shake the feeling that’s something’s wrong.

  6

  RAELYNN

  “Oh, my ever-loving goodness, this is the funniest thing I’ve seen all day,” Dany shrieks, laughing so hard the sound hurts my ears. She waves me over, so I hurry and grab the plate of chocolate chip cookies and join her back on the couch. “You’re going to die when you see what your zodiac sign means.” She takes the plate and hands me her phone.

  The first line of the meme reads Ur Sign as a Smell. Then, below it is all the entries. I’m a Leo, so when I get down to mine, my shoulders shake with laughter. There are some zodiac signs where their scents are peaches and pears or a new car smell. Mine, on the other hand, is disgusting. “All right,” I cackle, rereading my entry, “open ass and hot dog water.”

  Dany doubles over laughing and slaps her hands on her knees. “That is so freaking epic. I mean, what exactly is open ass? Is it where you spread your butt cheeks open, and a smell wafts out?”

  We laugh so hard it makes my stomach hurt. “What about yours?” I ping back. “The Libras smell like sweaty balls. How nasty is that?”

  Dany scrunches her nose. “Yeah, that’s foul. I don’t smell like crusty, sweaty balls.”

  “Says you,” I tease.

  She grabs one of the couch pillows and swings it at my head, but I dodge it. “Okay, Miss Open Ass. I’m going to start calling you that.”

  Shrugging, I grab a cookie and take a bite. “Go for it. Two can play that game.”

  I hand her back her phone, and she looks at the meme one more time. “The kind of shit people post on social media. It sure is funny, though.”

  The chocolate chip cookies are still warm and gooey, so I grab another. “Ready to watch another episode of Outlander?”

  Dany sticks a cookie in her mouth and fetches the remote off the coffee table. “Heck yeah. The last one was so good.”

  The episode is about to play when I feel Stark close by. “That was fast. Pause the show for a second.”

  I hop off the couch and move over to the window. Dany joins me and peers out. “Yeah, it is. Usually the guys run for a couple of hours. Hopefully, nothing’s wrong.”

  Stark is nowhere to be seen, so I move back to the sofa and Dany sits beside me. “I’m surprised you and Soren didn’t complete the bond last night since it was the full moon.”

  A twinge of pressure pulls at my stomach. Dany didn’t say anything about it last night, but I knew it’d come up eventually. “It’s too soon,” I confess. “I’m just getting used to being a part of the pack. Besides, there’s no rush. I want to get to know Soren better before I take that step.”

  Dany tries to hide her smile. She probably thinks I’m scared, but that’s not it at all. Maybe I’m a little nervous, but I’m a firm believer that I’ll know when the time’s right. “When are you going to share blood?” she asks.

  Sharing blood is a serious thing between shifters. It opens our minds to each other where your mate can see everything if you let them. Mine and Soren’s mating signs happened super quick, and I didn’t expect it at all. It’s all moving so fast.

  “I’m not sure,” I answer in all honesty.

  Dany bounces her shoulders flippantly. “There’s no rush. I was just curious. You know, I do find it odd that everyone here welcomed us the way they did. Most men would be threatened by Stark, especially an alpha.”

  She has a point, but this situation is different. “Soren has no reason to be jealous of Stark. He’s our protector, and Soren knows that if anyone hurts Stark, they hurt me. Not all packs are going to be like the Yukons.”

  Sadness emanates from Dany in thick waves. I hate bringing up the Yukon pack because I know it upsets her. We lost so much that day. I’d give anything to be able to see my parents again.

  Dany looks down at her lap, and I notice her knuckles are ghost white from her clenching her hands so hard. “I have so many regrets from that night,” she hisses.

  “So do I.”

  Dany shakes out her hands. “All right, let’s talk about something else.”

  “Something else, huh?” I say, smiling at her. “How about Archer? I’m sure you’ve noticed, but he seems to be into you. I’ve seen him staring at you on more than one occasion.”

  Dany
giggles, and it’s such a beautiful sound. I don’t like seeing her sad. “Yeah, I’ve noticed him staring at me, too.” Her smile dwindles. “But no mating signs yet. I know Lana has feelings for him though. Out of respect for her, if Archer isn’t my true mate, I plan to keep my distance from him. I don’t want to make enemies with the pack’s females, even if I could kick all of their asses. It’s not how I want to be.” Sighing, she glances over at me. “We’re the outsiders here.”

  I can hear footsteps approach, and then there’s a knock on the door. “Hey,” Stark calls out, “I need you to step away from the men in skirts for a sec.”

  Dany laughs and turns off the TV while I get up and open the door. “They’re not skirts,” I snap, pursing my lips at him. Stark loves to drive us crazy by making fun of our show. “They’re kilts. And when you add in the Scottish accents, those men are a lot sexier than you could ever be.” Leaning against the doorframe, I smile. “Then again, you’re probably just jealous. That’s why you like to talk shit.”

  Stark scoffs. “Those guys have nothing on me.”

  He steps in and opens his mouth to speak, but my phone rings. “Hold that thought,” I say to him. “I’m sure it’s of no importance anyway.” It’s probably another snide remark about my show.

  My cell is on the coffee table, so I snag it up and look down at the number. A rock settles in my stomach when I see it’s Amanda. “Hey,” I answer quickly. “Is everything okay?” I have no doubt her husband didn’t like seeing all his belongings on the lawn, ruined by the snow.

  “Oh my God, Raelynn, I’m scared. Jake is banging on the door, drunk out of his mind. I don’t think he’ll do anything stupid like hurt me, but I’m terrified right now. He’s never acted like this before.”