Awakened by the Moon: A Royal Shifters Novel Read online

  “Don’t open the door. I’m on my way.” I hang up and ran over to the kitchen counter to grab my car keys.

  Stark steps in my way. “I’ll go with you. It could be dangerous.”

  I roll my eyes. “Seriously? This is humans we’re talking about. I’ll be fine.” I move past him and rush out the door.

  “Soren will want to know what’s going on,” he shouts, following me onto the porch.

  I go down to my car and open the door. “I’ll call him on the way.”

  Once I’m on the main road, I call Soren and he answers on the second ring. “Hey, sunshine.”

  “I might need your help. Can you meet me?”

  “What’s going on?” he asks, his voice serious.

  “There’s a husband out of control.”

  Soren growls. “Give me the address. I’ll be right there.”

  Once I give him the address, I hang up and focus on the road. Amanda doesn’t live too far away, but it takes a little longer with the snow on the streets. When I pull down her road, I can see her husband’s SUV parked halfway in the yard and halfway in the driveway with the driver’s side door open. He, on the other hand, is at the front door, trying to kick it in, but ends up falling back into the snow.

  Charles looks over his shoulder and jumps to his feet, almost falling on his face again. He points a finger at me and spits on the ground. “This is your fault. You’re the one who told her.”

  I hold up my hands. “Not my fault. It was you and your dick that screwed up. You couldn’t keep it to yourself.”

  I thought there’d be a fight on the way here, but Charles is just about as sad as they come. He flops down on his knees in the snow, sobbing like a baby. “They both left me. I have nothing now.”

  “Rightfully so,” I grumble. “And you’re not going to gain anything by showing your ass.”

  Charles flings his arms in the air. “I don’t know what to do. I’m lost.”

  The sound of tires crunching in the snow draws my attention to the road. Soren pulls in behind me in his patrol car and gets out, dressed in his uniform. He looks at Charles, who buries his head in his hands and continues to cry.

  “Guess I’m taking him to the station to sober up?”

  “Yep,” I say, not even feeling sorry for the man. “He’s going to need to pay to get the front door replaced as well.”

  Soren nods. “I agree. I’ll get him out of here.” He marches over to Charles and lifts him by the arm. “Come on, buddy. It’s time to go.”

  I open the door to the backseat of the patrol car, and Soren tosses him in.

  Once he’s in there, Amanda runs out of the house and hugs me. “Thank you. I’m so sorry I had to call you.”

  “It’s okay.” I let her go and smile.

  She peers over at Charles in the back of the patrol and sighs. He’s already passed out with his head hung back on the seat and his mouth wide open, snoring. “I’ll call Charles’ brother in the morning to pick him up from the station. I’ve always liked him.”

  Soren places a hand on her shoulder. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  Amanda nods, but I can hear her heart racing. “I’ll be fine.”

  “Actually,” I say, turning to Soren, “I think I’m going to stay with Amanda for a while.”

  Soren smiles as if he already knew that’s what I was going to do. He kisses me, then leans into my ear. “Guess I won’t be tucking you in tonight.”

  “I’ll make it up to you,” I promise.

  “You don’t have to stay with me, Raelynn,” replies Amanda forlornly. “I don’t want to put you out.”

  Turning away from Soren, I wave her off. “You’re not putting me out. I want to stay.”

  Amanda smiles sadly and slowly backs up toward her front door. “Thank you. I’ll let you two say your good-byes without an audience.” She disappears inside while I walk Soren over to the driver’s side of his patrol car.

  “How did the run go tonight? It didn’t last very long,” I point out.

  Soren opens his door and leans against the car. “That’s because we had a visitor show up.”

  The unreadable expression on his face makes it hard to figure out if that’s a good or bad thing. I guess a visitor could mean lots of things. “A visitor, huh? Do I want to know?”

  His gaze narrows. “I should think so. It’s someone from your past.”

  “Who?” My heart thumps hard against my chest. There aren’t many people from my past who are still alive.

  Soren cocks his head to the side. “Stark didn’t tell you?”

  “No. He came over, but I had to leave in a hurry.” My mind is reeling from the possibilities. There is someone who comes to mind, someone I would love to see again, but I can’t bring myself to picture his face. I feel guilty even thinking about him.

  Soren slides into his seat and looks up at me. “Do you want to know?”

  The words come out of my mouth before I can stop them. “Tell me.”

  “Micah Lyall. He’s coming to hang out with the pack tonight.”

  The breath escapes me, and I can feel my blood rush through my veins. I’ve thought about Micah many times over the years, more than I should have. When I met Soren, it was easy to forget until now. The last time I saw Micah was right before the Yukons attacked and killed our families. We had snuck away into the woods for just a few minutes, and it was there where we kissed. I had never felt so happy in my life, but then it all disappeared so quickly.

  I push the thoughts from my mind and focus on Soren, hoping like hell he can’t sense the turmoil warring inside of me. He slides his keys into the ignition and lowers his window before shutting the door.

  “If you have time after leaving here, you should stop by my house. That’s where we’ll all be.”

  All I can do is smile and pretend everything will not be awkward when I see Micah. “We’ll see,” I utter, trying to keep my nervousness at bay.

  Soren winks and backs out of the driveway, obviously not picking up on the tension. That’s a good thing. The less he realizes, the better. All I know is that I don’t want him around when I see Micah for the first time.

  7

  MICAH

  As soon as I got back to the cabin, I grabbed my clothes and slipped them on. Stark should be arriving shortly. Will Raelynn be with him? That’s what I’d like to know. The thought of seeing her again makes me smile. It’s been so long.

  My phone is on the counter, and I notice several texts from my brothers, asking if I’ve made any progress. I start to text them back, but my cell rings, and Colin’s name appears.

  “Hey,” I answer.

  “Dude, I just heard from Stark. You found him.”

  I laugh. “That was fast. He said we were going to call you together.”

  “Yeah, well, I told him I was going to kill him for not keeping in touch. I’m just glad he and the girls are okay.”

  “Me too,” I agree.

  “Oh, and get this. Did you know he has a private investigation business with Dany and Raelynn? They’re making bank hunting people down.”

  So that’s what Stark meant by saying they were slammed with work. Tracking people comes naturally to shifters. I can see how they’d be making a lot of money by doing that. Honestly, the profession sounds like fun.

  “Stark said we had a lot to catch up on. Guess he was right,” I say, a laugh rippling from my throat. “They’ve taken up with the Black Hills pack. Ever heard of them?”

  “No, but Stark talks highly of them. So I’m assuming they’re good people.”

  It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him about the alpha being a black wolf, but I keep it to myself. There are natural black wolves in existence, so it shouldn’t be uncommon to see a werewolf be the same. However, I still can’t shake the uneasy feeling in my gut.

  “Stark is happy he found them,” Colin adds. “He’s fought off rogues for years who kept trying to get the girls. Now, he has a whole pack watching out for them. Ever
since the girls have been living among them, they haven’t had any issues. We all know what that’s like.”

  “Yeah, we do.” It wasn’t that long ago when an alpha abducted faith. Dark magic was used against me, so I couldn’t protect her while she was stolen right from me. I had never felt so helpless or angry with myself in all my life. In the end, we won, but it wasn’t an easy victory. “How is Faith?” I ask Colin. “I need to call her, but I’ve been too wrapped up in my search.”

  Faith is Colin’s sister, and they’ve grown super close now that they’ve found their mates, who happen to be brother and sister. “Faith’s doing good,” Colin claims. “She asks about you all the time, wondering if I’ve heard from you or not. I already told her you found the others. She’s ecstatic about getting to see Raelynn and Dany again.”

  “Hopefully, she’ll get to see them soon. I don’t know if they’ll be joining the Royal pack. Did Stark say anything about it?”

  Colin clucks his tongue. “Nope. It’s his choice, though. If he wants to stay with the Black Hills pack, that’s up to them.”

  I don’t see why they’d want to when all the royals are in Wyoming. We are their true family. “I’ll talk to Stark more about it tonight.”

  “You do that. I’d love for them to join us.”

  I can hear Stark’s car approach, so we end the call, and I quickly text my brothers and Faith to let them know everything is well.

  I step out onto the front porch and breathe in the frigid, frosty air. The sky is clear, allowing the stars to shine like bright diamonds in a sea of darkness. Stark’s headlights shine through the trees as he gets closer, and he slowly pulls his midnight blue truck in beside my car.

  My focus lands first on Dany, who waves excitedly and gets out of the truck. “You still look the same, old man. How old are you now? Two hundred?”

  I bark out a laugh. “I’m a hundred and fifty-five to be exact, smartass.”

  Dany opens her arms and closes them around my neck. “It’s been a long time, Micah.”

  She squeezes me hard, and I let her go to take a good look at her. Like all the other royal females, she has bright blonde hair, but her eyes are a rare light green like Stark’s. “Yes, it has been a long time,” I concede. “You’re not seventeen anymore.”

  Dany chortles. “Definitely not. I may still look it, but after two decades in hiding it can make you feel thousands of years older.”

  I bob my head in agreement. “Yeah, it’s been tense on my end as well.”

  Stark crosses his arms over his chest. “Colin told us what happened with Faith and how she was taken. The Royal pack has been through quite a lot of shit the past couple of years.”

  “You got that right,” I admit. “The world thought Faith was the last royal female. Nobody knew Dany and Raelynn existed.”

  Dany’s expression saddens. “I hate Faith had to endure that kind of stress. We were able to stay under the radar until we ran into the Black Hills pack.”

  I glance back and forth at both Stark and Dany. “And do you trust them?”

  A host of emotions crisscrossed over Stark’s face, and I could see the seriousness in his eyes. “I do. You’ll meet them all tonight. The pack is gathering at Soren’s house.” He backs up toward his truck and smiles. “Come on, you’ll like them.”

  After getting in the backseat, I shut the door. “Is Raelynn going to be there?”

  Dany turns to face me from the front seat, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “Have you thought about Raelynn much over the years?”

  Stark begins to back out of the driveway and looks at us both curiously. It’s obvious he doesn’t know what transpired between Raelynn and me all those years ago. Dany, however, is another story. I have no doubt Raelynn told her.

  “What am I missing?” Stark inquires.

  “Yeah, Micah,” Dany teases, “what is my brother missing?”

  And just like that, I’m thrust back into my memories, back to that night I’ll never forget for many reasons. Raelynn and I had taken a walk in the forest. It was the first time we’d gone off on our own. She was eighteen at the time but always wise beyond her years. She used to love hearing stories of my past at how the world was before technology took over. Then, she kissed me out of nowhere, and it caught me by surprise. I remember how it felt to be close to her like it was where I was supposed to be. She tasted sweet like apples and honey. I wanted more, so I returned the kiss and held her tight. But then, a blast of dark magic tore us apart as the Yukons began their attack. I had to get to Faith and protect her, so we separated ways, and I haven’t seen her since.

  Dany’s grin broadens, and I huff. “I take it you know the story?”

  She giggles. “Of course.”

  Stark, still confused, waves his hand for us to continue. “I’m waiting.”

  Dany clears her throat. “I’ll just get to the point then. On the night the Yukons attacked, Raelynn and Micah kissed. She had the hugest crush on him. It broke her heart when we had to leave.”

  There were times I wanted to find them, but my priority was Faith. I had to think of her and her safety.

  Stark tips his head back and bellows, “How the hell did I never hear about this?”

  Dany bounces her shoulders. “It was a long time ago.”

  Stark focuses on the road. “Well, let’s not mention any of that to Soren.”

  My stomach pits into tight coils. “Why does it matter if he knows?”

  Stark and Dany stare at each other for a split second, but then Dany looks at me. “Soren is Raelynn’s true mate. The signs appeared a few days after they met. Guess you can say we don’t want tension between you two. You’re both alphas.” She blinks a few times. “Can you see the problem?”

  Everything makes sense now. That’s the reason why they’ve stayed with the Black Hills pack instead of joining the royals. “I see,” I acknowledge. “What happened between Raelynn and me was many years ago. A lot of time has passed since then.” I turn my attention to the window and peer out. “Is she at Soren’s house already?”

  “No,” replies Stark. “One of her clients needed help. I don’t know how long she’ll be.”

  A feeling of disappointment settles in my chest. I really want to see Raelynn again.

  8

  MICAH

  We arrive at Soren’s house, and a guy comes out to greet us. He’s the same height as me with ash-colored hair and gray eyes. His power is that of an alpha, so I assume he’s probably Soren’s second-in-command. What piques my curiosity is the hint of jealousy that emanated from him when Dany came to stand next to me.

  “I’m Archer,” the guy announces, extending his hand to me.

  I shake his hand. “Micah.”

  Archer’s lip tilts up slightly, almost in a smile but not. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Same.”

  Archer peers over at Dany, giving her a genuine smile. “Do you want to get a drink with me?”

  Returning the gesture, Dany nods. “Sure. I’d like that.”

  The light in Archer’s eyes magnifies, and he smirks at me when Dany leaves with him to go into the house.

  Stark places a hand on my shoulder and chuckles. “Archer didn’t like you being close to Dany, did he?”

  “Not at all.” I laugh.

  “Eh, don’t sweat it. Archer wants Dany to be his mate. He keeps waiting for the signs to show.”

  We stroll into the house, and I glance over into the kitchen where a group of six women are drinking their wine. The scent of their need permeates the air, and I can see in their eyes what they desire. They don’t want the men in their pack.

  Stark leans in close. “Just fair warning, the men are protective of the women in this pack. Don’t fuck around with any of them.”

  “I wasn’t planning on it.” It’s the last thing on my mind.

  Stark shrugs. “Not unless one of them turns out to be your true mate.”

  “Now that I’ve found you and you’re all happy here, I pro
bably won’t stay long.”

  He claps me on the back. “Stay as long as you like.”

  We walk around the house, and Stark introduces me to all the wolves in the pack. There are about thirty of them in the place, but I know there are more outside. The feelings I get are a mixture of awe, jealousy, curiosity, fear, and even anger. With an outside wolf around, a royal at that, there’s going to be some hostility. I’m in their territory.

  Once I have a beer in hand, Stark and I venture outside, away from everyone, just in time for Soren to pull up in a patrol car.

  “Is he a cop?” I query.

  Stark nods. “More like the Chief of Police.”

  Soren gets out and comes over to us. “Hey. Glad you could come,” he says, shaking my hand.

  “Is everything okay? Where’s Rae?” Stark questions him.

  Soren lets out a long puff of air. “She’s staying with Amanda for a little while. Her soon-to-be ex-husband freaked her out, showed up at the house drunk, and beat on the door. His brother’s going to drive up from Crawford in the morning to pick him up at the station.” He pats Stark on the arm. “I need a beer. I’ll be right back.”

  Soren saunters off, and I watch him disappear inside of the house. The ominous feeling I had in the forest is back with a vengeance. In my mind, a vision plays out involving several black wolves with Faith screaming in the background. It’s as if I lived through it, only I don’t remember being in that situation. I’ve never been around a pack of black wolves, and here with the Black Hills pack, there’s only one. So I don’t understand where it’s all coming from.

  “You all right, brother?” Stark asks me, peering at me with concern in his eyes.

  Instead of answering, I bring up another question. “What do you like about being here?”

  Stark takes a swig of his beer. “South Dakota’s nice. It’s not exactly the place I thought I’d settle down in though.”

  “You can always come to the Royal pack,” I put in.