Turn of the Moon (Royal Shifters #1)(3)

I refused to be a victim for the sake of my pack.

“Kade,” I moaned, opening my legs for him. “Take me now.” All I needed was a clear shot to his neck. I had been with human men before, but never another wolf. I’d heard it was the best sex ever, and I planned on experiencing it one day . . . but not yet.

Chuckling, Kade lifted his head and I hid my fangs behind my closed lips. “Begging me already? I’m disappointed, little wolf. I thought you would put up more of a fight.”

When he lowered his mouth to my breasts, I could feel the tip of his cock pushing on my opening. The tension in his body elevated and I knew I needed to act fast. Before he could thrust inside, I opened my mouth wide and locked them on the inside of his neck. In one quick move, I ripped out as much flesh as I could. His blood ran warm down my throat, making me gag. I spit it out, along with a giant mound of flesh from his body.

Falling over to the side, he grabbed his throat and gurgled, choking on his own blood. I refused to be a slave to him when I was more powerful. Holding the wound on his neck, he growled as his eyes started to change into that of his wolf. He tried to shift, but it wasn’t working.

As I jumped to my feet, Kade grabbed a hold of my ankle and I fell to the ground.

“You’re going . . . to pay . . . bitch.”

I needed to get away before the packs could hear our struggle. Luckily, I wriggled out of his hold and kicked his hand away. Knowing he would be dead in a matter of minutes, I summoned my magic and let the force shimmer around my body. Kade’s eyes went wide in disbelief. Letting the magic overtake me, I shifted into my wolf form and took off. I never once looked back. I didn’t want to leave everyone behind, but they left me no choice.

I would never see my family again.





Bailey

For days, I traveled through the wilderness, keeping to the forests as I crossed the border from Canada to the United States. I had never been that far south, and I didn’t know where to go or what to do, considering I had no clothes or money. I would rather be a lone wolf than spend the rest of my eternity with an abusive jackass. I’d never seen any of our male wolves treat their mates like that, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to let anyone be that way to me.

Once I made it to the mountains in Wyoming, I was beyond exhausted. Thankfully, Kade’s scent had worn off to where I couldn’t smell him anymore. My paws hurt, I was filthy, and I was so hungry I could eat a whole deer—if I wasn’t too tired to hunt one. I could survive as a wolf for as long as I needed to, but I missed the amenities of everyday life. A nice, hot shower would’ve felt great.

It was then a smell of a crisp, clean lake floated past my face. It was just up ahead. Making my way there, I noticed it was mostly frozen and nestled in a small valley between snow-capped mountains. Luckily, there were still parts of it that weren’t frozen, which reflected the moon’s light. The water was way below freezing, but being an Arctic wolf I could withstand those temperatures with no problems at all.

Looking around, I knew there was nothing close by other than a couple of smaller animals and a bear that was about a mile away. I wanted to make sure it was safe before shifting. Once Kade’s pack started looking for me, I’d be a hunted wolf. I didn’t want to run for the rest of my life, but I had no choice.

Stepping into the water, I walked down the rocky slope and shifted. Holding my breath, I completely submerged myself, letting the cool, fresh water cleanse me. I ran my hands over my body and through my hair to make sure every place Kade touched had been washed thoroughly. He’d made me feel dirty from the inside out.

After a few extra seconds submerged under the water, I lifted my head and took in a deep, ragged breath. I always wanted freedom, but running for the rest of my life wasn’t what I considered being free. Slowly, I started out of the lake but came to a halt.

I wasn’t alone anymore.

The wind had blown the scent of a nearby wolf in my direction and it wasn’t just any type of wolf. It was an Arctic, just like me. He wasn’t one of Kade’s pack or mine, but it was still dangerous being out in the woods alone without my pack’s support.

Quickly rushing out of the water, I crouched behind a set of bushes. I breathed in again, hoping I was just being paranoid. But there was definitely another wolf around and it was an unmated alpha male. He was about half a mile away and moving closer by the second. Closing my eyes, I transformed into my wolf and darted out of the bushes and away from the lake. From the vibrations on the ground, he faltered for a second and stopped before picking up his pace. I was tired and weak, hoping like hell I could outrun him.

The answer came swiftly enough when I heard his growls behind me, only a few feet away. Don’t look back, I chanted over and over in my mind. My muscles burned and started to shake, but I had to keep going. After only another couple of minutes of racing through the forest, I came to a complete halt when the mysterious white wolf lunged and landed on my back. My body gave out and my legs buckled underneath.

When I recovered from the fall, I was pinned to the ground, the other wolf staring curiously at me with his glowing emerald eyes. There was no hostility or any indication he wanted to hurt me, yet when I smelled other wolves approaching, all I could think about was fleeing. Slipping out from under his hold, I bolted through the trees but didn’t get very far.

The last thing I saw before everything went black were those emerald green eyes staring down at me. Except this time they weren’t coming from a wolf, they were from the most handsome face I’d ever seen.