Resisting the Moon (Royal Shifters #2)
L.P. Dover
The past was pain.
The present unclear.
For Tyla Rand, her future couldn't be bleaker. Death follows her everywhere, especially to those she loves. Being a member of the royal pack, she believes her time of happiness will come. That is, until wolves from her old pack show up missing. Her mission is to find them, but she won't be going alone.
Sebastian Lyall, a true born royal and the one man Tyla loathes, has offered to help in her quest. Their journey not only brings out their true desires, but attracts the attention of another, someone from Tyla's past. However, nothing is as it seems. Death is not done with her and now he wants her to pay. He won't be satisfied until he's taken everything away . . . including those she loves.
After writing twenty something books by this point, my list of acknowledgments have grown. It’d take me a whole novel length book to thank each and every one of you who have helped me on my journey. With that being said, I want to send a big THANK YOU to everyone out there! Without you, my worlds wouldn’t be able to exist.
Tyla (Thirty Years Ago)
“Are you sure this is what you want?” my mother asked. For the past few months, she had asked me the same question repeatedly. You’d think she’d get the point; my answer wasn’t going to change. Looking into her gray gaze, I smiled.
“Yes, it’s what I want,” I said, ruffling her curly blonde hair. She may have been a hundred years older than me, but we looked about the same age. I was twenty-three years old in human years, but it was nice to know I could live to be five hundred and only have the appearance of a forty-year-old.
I’d gotten my looks and stubbornness from my mother, and my fighting skills from my father. He was thrilled Finn and I were going to lead the pack together, but my mother didn’t share in his enthusiasm.
Finn Olcan was our alpha, and currently standing just across the room, watching us. I guess you could say we were having a party for our future union. In one week, we’d be mated and living happily ever after. That was what I kept telling myself as least.
Grasping my elbow, my mom leaned in close, her voice a soft whisper. “He’s not your true mate, sweetheart. You need to give it more time.”
I sighed in defeat. “That’s something I don’t have and you know it.”
“I know, but this isn’t the life I wanted for you. I want you to find your true mate, like your father and I did. You won’t ever be fully happy with Finn, nor he with you.”
“It’s better than being dead,” I snapped.
Or worse, it could mean the lives of my family. If Finn and I didn’t mate by the next full moon, I’d have a fight on my hands. Not to mention, it’d be a war amongst our kind.
Vincent Connery, alpha of the Sierra Pack, wanted a strong female to be his mate. It was rumored he’d killed his last two after they gave birth to his children. Unfortunately, no one knew the absolute truth. I, for one, didn’t want to get close enough to him to find out. What made it even more disgusting was that he had a son the same age as me. Mating with Finn was the only way to keep me safe, as well as making sure our pack was strong.
Finn was a good-looking man and someone I was very much attracted to, but the magic of true mates never came for us. We’d taken each other’s blood the night before, hoping we’d be able to hear each other’s thoughts. Unfortunately, it never happened; therefore, disappointing us even further. I cared for him deeply, but I didn’t know what else to do.
My mother squeezed my arm. “Here he comes, my dear. I’ll give you some privacy.”
Finn acknowledged my mother with a nod and a smile. “Sophia,” he said warmly.
She nodded back. “Finn.”
Taking my hand, he led me outside and pressed me against the side of my parents’ house, our bodies hidden by a set of bushes. “I love you, Tyla. I know you’re not happy about last night, but there’s still time. We don’t need magic to tell us we’re meant to be mated.”
“No, but it’d help. I care about you Finn, and I do love you. I just wish it’d happen for us.” The only truly mated couples in our pack were my parents, and my aunt and uncle, Sarah and Benjamin. My parents were also the oldest. Everyone looked up to them, yet resented them for being complete. To find your true mate was rare, but we kept praying for a time the magic would come back to us.
Sighing, he leaned down and kissed me, placing his forehead to mine. “Stay with me tonight,” he murmured.
I sucked in a nervous breath. “You mean—”
“Yes, baby, all night.”
Was I ready for that? We’d messed around for the past couple of years, but we’d always ended it before we got too far. The thought excited and terrified me all at once. I had never slept with a man before.
His hands slid from my neck, down to my breasts; his arousal pressing into my leg. My heart thundered in my chest. He could hear it and a smile splayed across his face.
“Sounds like you’re just as excited as I am,” he murmured low, kissing his way across my collarbone.
Giving in, I tilted my neck to the side. “Just go slow with me, Finn. That’s all I ask.”
“Tyla, wake up!” Finn shouted. At first, I thought I was dreaming, but when I opened my eyes, I was naked in his bed, my pulse spiking the moment I spotted him. Ripping the blankets off, he helped me out of bed, pulling me into his arms.