Page 9 of Broken Moon

“Have you and my old packfinally gone crazy and started shooting each other in your unending quest toown Jakeston?” I asked, tamping down my own quick spurt of anger. I might nothave pack connections any longer but that didn’t mean I didn’t hear things. Iknew tensions had escalated between the two clans. There should have been onlyone pack in the city and its surrounding area, indeed, the entire county—yet itheld two, and both of them refused to give it up.

It was a large area—for onepack. For two packs, it was much too crowded. The battle for the city had beengoing on since long before I was born, and I expected that someday, one of the clanswould prove stronger and take over.

That would mean one of thealphas would die, which, if I were being honest, wouldn’t cause me any pain orsorrow.

I know. Bitter much?

He stretched out his long legsand leaned back, but he didn’t fool me for a minute. Every part of Jared Walkerwas on high alert at that moment. I’d slid the blade back into its sheath, butstill, he saw me as a threat.

I’d seen the nearlyimperceptible way his nostrils had flared as he’d taken in my scent, and Godonly knew what the man smelled on me. Human blood, definitely. Demon blood? Almostcertainly. And he was going to wonder.

Also, he had to know I hatedhim.

“Three weeks ago,” he began,his stare never leaving mine, “something started attacking my wolves. It’srunning through the clan like a disease, and I—” He ran his hand through hishair, frustration and rage, for a quick second, peeking through his eyes. “Ineed help, Ms. Silver. I’m losing my people.”

“And if you lose your people,”I realized, “you lose the war against the Stone Moon Pack. You’ll either getkicked out or be assimilated into Thorne’s clan. Those of you,” I added, “whoaren’t killed in the battle.”

He stared at me for what feltlike eternity, his piercing gaze causing me to squirm, something I hoped hedidn’t notice. I refused to look away from him and even as I dug my nails intomy palms, I hoped like hell he didn’t know how he made me feel.

And I hated myself for feelingit. Just because he was an alpha, my wolf, hobbled as she was, poor thing,wanted to submit to him. She wanted to roll around on him and get belly rubsand head scratchings, and she wanted to curl up in his arms and put her noseagainst his warm throat and smell him. She wanted a pack to run with, playwith, belong with. Gah, my lonely little wolf.

She made me want to do allthose things and more. Themorebeing throw off my clothes and jump ontop of him.

I bloodied my palm and the painhelped jerk me out of the awful cesspool of need, and I shuddered and grabbedonto the memories. They’d keep me strong.

He kept his silence as hecontinued to stare at me, and I had a bad feeling he knew what I was feeling.At least some of it.

“I am not worried about losingmy territory or my people to Adam Thorne,” he said quietly, and I could almostbelieve him. “My pack comes before anything, and they, Ms. Silver, are dying.”He leaned forward suddenly, and I couldn’t help but recoil. “You may be able tohelp us. I will pay double your going rate. Triple.”

I darted out my tongue to wetsuddenly dry lips. “Your seer?”

All wolf clans had one. Somewere truly powerful, and some were wise but less than accurate. I’d heardstories of the Gray Shadow Pack’s seer. She was legendary and attempts to stealher from her clan were numerous.

“Lennon tells me a supernaturalis causing the deaths. She doesn’t know what it is or how to stop it. You willtalk with her, of course, if you accept the job.”

Lennon could “see” things, butshe couldn’t fight them. I could. And despite the fact that I wanted nothing todo with Jared or his fucking asshole pack, excitement rushed through me. Iloved the chase. This sort of work was what kept me sane.

Jared stood. “One more thingbefore I go. If you destroy this being before it kills another of my pack, Iwill free your wolf.”

I could only stare at him. Icouldn’t even stand up. “What?” I asked, dazed.

“I know you were hobbled,” hetold me, his voice as deep as his icy gray eyes. “I also know I can restoreyou.”

“How do you know that?” Iwhispered, hope battling with derision. “Just because you’re an alpha doesn’tmean—”

“It’s not just because ofthat,” he said, waving dismissively. “It’s because I can feel your wolf insideyou. I can touch her. And I can hear her.” His voice grew rough at the end, andthere was a tightness to his eyes I didn’t understand. It looked like…

Desire. Lust. Need. The wish todominate. But there was also a sort of horrified pity that let me know hereallycouldhear my wolf. He could hear her howls, her screams, herutter despair at being buried alive.

“I can free her,” he said,finally.

When I remained frozen, hecrouched down beside my chair, all six foot five inches of him. “I know howagonizing it is,” he murmured, smelling like heaven and sex. “My wolf washobbled once in punishment.” He shook his head. “But not like you were. Not fortwelve years.”

Tears spilled over, even thoughI cursed myself for them. I willed myself not to cry, not in front of thefuckingalpha, but I was powerless to stop them.

I jumped to my feet finally andreeled away, my rage and sorrow getting the best of me. “You could have endedmy torment?” I cried. “All this time, and you could have ended it?”

“I didn’t know, Kaitlyn. Notuntil now.”