Page 63 of The Red Moon

“What is his problem?” Alexey says, leaning over and inspecting the small boxes sure to be filled with silver ammunition.

“He’s just tense,” I say mechanically, suppressing a laugh.

“And your princess?” he adds. “When will she be joining us?”

After last night, she might need a few days to recover. When my body finally shifted back, and I was able to … detach myself from her, my little wolf insisted she was fine to walk on her own. I know her well enough to have seen right through her stubbornness, especially when I could hear all of the muscles in her legs screaming in surrender the moment she stood up. I carried her through the woods and property under the faint glow of the moon as it descended behind impending daybreak. I wasn’t sure what I expected when we reached the front doors of the castle, the two of us wearing the tatty remains of our clothes, but I did my best to preserve Natalia’s modesty and cradle her in a way that left the exposed parts of her body hidden against my chest. The guards let us in without trouble, thankfully enough, but it was impossible not to notice silent judgment they wouldn’t dare to express out loud. A smart decision if they wanted to live to see breakfast.

“Tonight will be a lot for her, “I say and grab the closest crate, feeling the uncomfortable sting of silver boil the blood in my arms.

Tonight will be a lot for us all, my wolf interjects, his voice as low as it is certain. He’s right. What happens during this blood moon will not only change the Vostik pack but every pack with ties to my family. Clément has already expressed his desire to rejoin the fold under my leadership, but who knows if the others will share his confidence in my plans for our species. Some alphas, like my father, will live and die by the old ways. And there are more than a few alphas of smaller packs too terrified to speak out against them. All I know is I won’t take control of my birthright only to become a monster like the one before me. If that costs me allies, so be it.

Spoken like a true alpha, he affirms. It is ironic, though.

“What’s that?” I say, gaining Alexey’s attention.

My wolf scoffs with annoyance. Tonight you will be risking your life to take your rightful place as alpha of the Vostik pack. And it is a role you never wanted in the first place. Other packs will see what I see in you. Not just a wolf that was born to lead them, but one that is doing so for the survival of our kind.

“Did you just … give me a compliment?” I ask in disbelief.

He growls. No. It was an honest observation.

I bite back a grin and shake my head. “It kind of sounded like a compliment to me.”

The wolf in my head snarls, the sound ripe with irritation. Don’t. Get. Us. Killed. And with that, he disappears in the far recesses of my mind.

“I must be honest with you, Nikolai. The way you talk to yourself, is a bit off putting,” Alexey says, cocks his brow, and points at his temple. “You and your friend finish loading these boxes. There are a few more things to grab from my quarters before we meet Lev at the airfield.”

“What else do you need to get?” I ask as he starts toward the doors.

He glances over his shoulder with a wide grin. “This one is a surprise. Don’t worry, Uncle Alexey will be back before big man finishes breakfast.”

I continue loading the last of the crates on the truck while fighting off the large pit blending all of the organs in my stomach. We’ve tested these breastplates with the Duval wolves, and as expected, they were able to wear them without the slightest sign of discomfort. Just being near these damn things is enough to send my insides into a violent frenzy.

I can’t imagine any in my father’s pack will be much different. This might give us the edge we need. Our one shot at putting an end to the monster I spent my entire life trying to please. That’s not what has me concerned, though. There’s one thing about my father I learned at an early age. The way I’d spend hours watching him play chess while discussing pack matters with every alpha who visited our compound. He never lost. Not once. He was always ten steps ahead of each opponent to sit at his table. And there’s one question eating away at me worse than the silver-filled crate in my hands.

What if he knows we’re coming?

THIRTY-NINE

NATALIE

It couldn’t have been a dream. No, you don’t wake up from a dream with this level of soreness between your thighs and scratches and bite marks all over your body. Most are healing or healed enough to leave scars of our night together, but even when the wounds manage to disappear completely, I don’t think the memory of where I got them ever will. We’ve had sex before. Each time is more sensual and arousing than the last, and he always makes it a point to handle me and my body gently. Well, as gently as a wolf can without accidentally murdering me in the process. Sex with Nikolai Vostik the werewolf was different. He didn’t caress me. Nuzzle into the crook of my neck. And he sure as hell didn’t handle any part of my body with that same level of affection. He devoured me. Made my skin his playground. He could’ve ripped my spleen out at any second, and to be perfectly fucking honest, I would’ve let him. It was rough. Deliciously violent. Painful, sure, but there’s only one word that even comes close to describing it. Exhilarating. And God, do I want to do it again.

“Ms. Nat,” Dimitri announces when I enter the dining hall, his large presence easily seen at the farthest table from the entrance. He waves me over, forking another mouthful of food before promptly washing it down with the cup glued to his hand. “Come eat. You need your strength.”

I squeeze by the tables until I reach his, scanning each of the trays in front of him. Eggs. More loafs of bread than I can count. Fruit giving the entire spread a vibrant red and orange palette, not that I’d assume Dimitri’s fork has stabbed anywhere close to there. He never has before when I’ve watched him eat. No, the brick wall of a man staring back has a special appetite for all things protein, and given his size, it’s not surprising.

“I’m—uhm. Not hungry.” Partially true. I might not be able to eat the things on this table, but something in me is starving for the man loading boxes onto an overheating truck outside.

“I didn’t ask if you were hungry, Ms. Nat,” Dimitri says, his tone and facial features both stiff and unwavering. “You don’t want to turn on empty stomach. Nikolai says he wakes up with headache.”

Right. Because I am going to transform tonight. Shift into a monster I’ll have no control over, and when I wake up, who knows if I’ll even remember anything. There’s certain things I can’t keep from wondering. What color my fur might be. Will I double in size the same way Nik and Viktor does or will my she-wolf form be a smaller version? I’ve never seen another werewolf outside the Vostik brothers, much less one that’s female. I probably should’ve asked Jade some of these questions last night.

I grab the closest piece of bread and nibble at the ends. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Da,” Dimitri says, moving the fork around his plate as if he’s struggling to decide what to eat next.

“A question about Ida?” I continue.