Turn of the Moon (Royal Shifters #1)(39)

Eyes burning, I wrapped my arms around his neck. “I know but now you have your brother. You’ll need his help to find our families.”

He nodded. “I’ll find them.”

I wrapped my arm around his and walked him the rest of the way to Micah’s car. “In the meantime, stay safe out there. I’ll be here when you get back.”

“Try not to miss me too much,” he teased.

“Don’t worry, I will.” I kissed him on the cheek and watched him get into the car. As soon as they drove out of the driveway, Tyla pulled in.

“I see the twins of terror just left,” she called as she got out.

I rolled my eyes. “Twins of terror? They aren’t even twins.”

She shrugged. “They remind me of these twin MMA fighters I watch on TV. They’re some sexy beasts. I wish we had wolves in our pack who looked like that.”

“We do. We have several who are very good looking.”

“You better not let Ryker hear you say that,” she said with a wink.

“I don’t plan on it. Did you ever talk to Sebastian last night?”

She snorted. “Nah, as soon as he walked through the door with his brother, every single woman in the bar salivated over them. Do all royals have some kind of pheromone that makes people pant after them?”

I laughed. “Not that I know of. I think it’s because we’re different. The allure will die down once everyone gets used to us. I guess it doesn’t help that Sebastian and his brother are easy on the eyes.”

She followed me up to the front porch and sat down beside me. “You got that right. Anyway, before you and Ryker walked in on the fight, one of the grays from the Great Plains got mad because the girl he was talking to left him mid-sentence to meet the new royal. He was pissed as hell. The next thing I knew, fists were flying.”

“Ryker warned me it would happen. I didn’t believe him.”

She stared out at the driveway. “How long do you think they’ll be gone?”

I shrugged. “Don’t know. Hopefully, not long. I’m dying to meet my sister.”

“I bet. Do you think you’ll remember anything once you see her?”

“She might feel familiar, but other than that, I doubt it. Seraphina made it perfectly clear the only way to get my memories back would be to kill the witch who did it, or make her reverse the spell. The only way to do that is to go back up north, and that’s not going to happen.”

“I understand. I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t remember my family. I love them way too much.”

“I think that’s what I miss the most. There’s an emptiness inside. When I try to think back, there is just nothing; it’s like a blank spot that makes me feel like I’m forgetting something. It’d be nice to remember my parents and to know they loved me. I want to feel it. I don’t think I’ve ever truly felt love, except from Ryker and Sebastian.”

Sitting back in her chair, she looked down at her hands, her brows furrowed. “I was in love with a human once. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been with other men, but he was special. He was so different from everyone else. But humans age so much faster than we do.”

“What happened?”

She closed her eyes, her lip trembling. “Once he started to age and I didn’t, I had to leave him. It broke my heart to do it, but I didn’t have a choice. Years later, when he was diagnosed with stage four cancer, I knew there was nothing I could do. I visited him in the hospital right before he died. He thought I was an angel.”

Her story brought tears to my eyes. “I’m sorry, Tyla. I can’t imagine being in love with someone and watching them die. Did he ever marry?”

She wiped her eyes and faced me. “No. He died at forty-three. He always said I was the only one for him. On that last day, I told him I wasn’t an angel, I was really me. He told me I was beautiful and that he still loved me. I was there when he took his last breath.”

“Does anyone else know about this?”

She shook her head. “No, not even my parents. It’s frowned upon to fall in love with humans. It’s not supposed to be part of our nature.”

“You can’t help who you fall in love with. I think it’s a beautiful story. Not many people get to experience real love. I can assure you you’ll have it again.”

She sniffled. “You promise?”

I looked into her soft, gray gaze. “I promise. Now let’s go into town and go shopping. I have two interviews I need outfits for.” We got up and I put my arm around her as we walked to Ryker’s Jeep.

“I can deal with that. Anything to get my mind off of love. Speaking of which, are you excited about the full moon next week?” She opened her door and I stood at mine, my heart thundering out of control.

“More like terrified. I don’t know what to expect.”

“I do. And I know just the thing you need.” By the devilish look in her eyes, I was almost scared to ask.

“Do I even want to know?”

She winked. “Don’t worry, Ryker will love it.”



Sitting on the back deck of the cabin, I propped my feet up on the banister and gazed at the stars, drinking my hot chocolate.

“Did you have fun with Tyla today?” Ryker asked.