Turn of the Moon (Royal Shifters #1)(14)

“Thank you for letting me have your bed. You could’ve slept in here with me.”

“Trust me, there would have been no sleep going on.” Grabbing my ranger hat off the dresser, I turned and started for the door. “There’s plenty to eat downstairs. I’ll be back this afternoon. And don’t worry about the limit on the card. Buy whatever clothes you want.” Opening the bedroom door, I glanced over my shoulder at her. She nodded, her gaze troubled. “What’s wrong?”

She held up the card. “I have my own money . . . I just don’t have access to it right now. After what happened with Kade, I had to get out of there fast. I left everything behind. I don’t even have my license.”

“And if you brought that stuff with you, you would’ve been easier to track.”

She groaned. “So basically, I can’t do anything with my life.”

“Not yet, but you’ll get it all back. Blake will be able to help us. He can get your license, bank records, everything. He can even make you untraceable.”

“He’s that good at undercover work?”

“One of the best. I’ll talk to him about it next weekend. Every Saturday, the guys all get together at the local bar for drinks. Tyla will be there too.”

“Is she the one taking me shopping?”

I nodded. “Texted her this morning. She’ll be here in an hour.”

She slid out of bed and reached for the clothes on the floor. “When will I meet the rest of your pack?”

“Our pack,” I corrected. “It’s our pack now. And you’ll meet them tomorrow. Tonight we’re going to have some fun.” I made my way down the stairs and called up to her, “Have fun with Tyla.”

“I’m sure I will,” she said before I walked out.

Cedric waited for me by my truck, dressed in his ranger uniform. “Any news?” I asked.

“None. So far, the perimeter is clear. There hasn’t been anyone close to the border.”

“Good, let’s hope it stays that way.” We both got in my truck and started down the gravel driveway toward the main road.

“How’s it going? From what I can tell, she’s a real spitfire.”

“You have no f*cking idea.” By the sly look on his face, I knew what he wanted to ask next. “And no, I haven’t f*cked her if that’s what you wanted to know.”

Chuckling, he held up his hands. “Hey, I was just curious. We’ve heard so many stories, I had to see if any were true. How many times did you have to jack off?”

“Probably not as much as you do every day, cocksucker.”

For the twenty minutes it took to drive to the station, I told him about Bailey taking my blood and what it was like. Apparently, the rest of the pack was curious as well. I could only hope our union would bring the magic back.



The trails were still covered in snow and would be until midsummer. Being able to work in the forests was one of the perks of being a ranger. I also wasn’t scared of running into bears like most of my coworkers. That was why Cedric and I always went to the deepest parts of the trails to inspect them before tourist season started.

“Anything up that way?” Cedric shouted. He stayed behind to clear off some broken limbs that had fallen from the trees above.

Glancing up ahead, there was a medium sized tree across the trail. “Yeah, but I got it. Stay where you are.” With our wolf strength, there hadn’t been a job on the trail I couldn’t handle. It didn’t take long to break the tree down and clear the trail.

“Do we have time to go further up?” Cedric asked, appearing over the rocky slope.

I looked at my watch. “Not today. We can finish up tomorrow.”

He hopped off the rocks onto the trail. “Sounds good to me. I could use a beer or twelve. Maybe even a night with Samantha.” Samantha was one of the waitresses at the bar, and one of his many conquests. One thing about being a wolf was that we couldn’t procreate with humans. If we could, Cedric would have over a hundred kids by now.

“Have fun with that. I’m pretty sure she slept with Emmett last weekend. It’s a good thing we don’t contract diseases.”

He guffawed. “Got that right. But I don’t give a shit who she f*cks. She can suck a dick like a champ.”

Thoughts of Bailey ran through my mind and then I could feel her, poking around. “Are you spying on me?” I asked her.

“No, I was curious to see if distance played a factor in our connection. You know, like a cell phone if it’s out of range, it doesn’t work. How far away are you?”

“That depends, where are you?”

“I’m at Blake’s, getting ready to ride Nightshade.”

“Ah, letting another male between your legs. I’m jealous.”

“You should be, he’s a stallion.”

“Is Tyla riding with you?”

“No, she’s staying behind. One of Blake’s friends from North Carolina is here. Tyla thinks he’s hot. It wouldn’t surprise me if she asks you if she can turn him.”

I groaned, making Cedric look at me like I’d lost my mind.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing, just talking to Bailey.” Then to her I said, “Tyla can ask all she wants, she’s not turning Blake or any of his friends. She can wait for her true mate, like everyone else.”