Riley's Redemption (A Moon's Glow Novel) (20 page)

Uninvited

Once Nate and I were in
our wolf forms we emerged from the cover of the trees. Lauren and Joe were
horsing around, knocking each other to the ground. Their growls echoed into the
night sky, but instead of a menacing sound they were the equivalent of playful
laughter.

Sadie sat on her
haunches near a fallen down oak. Her coat was the chestnut brown I remembered
from that sunny afternoon when she attacked Adrian. The image no longer
bothered me. Now that I knew her better, I realized that she would never have
killed him. She was too good of a person.

Nate took a few steps
into the center of our group and sniffed the air. Was he sniffing for prey? I
thought that we would run before they started their hunt.

When I didn’t see
Adrian, I trotted to Sadie and sat down next to her to wait. What was taking
him so long? He had been a werewolf for ten years; he should be faster with the
transition.

The wind picked up
pushing a gust of air around us, scattering the leaves and grass at our feet.
Glancing around, I caught the sight of yellow glowing in the bushes. Adrian was
crouched in a thicket, staring at Sadie.

As if she could feel
the heat of his gaze, she looked up. Their eyes were locked for a few seconds
before he bolted out of the thicket and rushed toward us. I took a few steps
away from them to give them a semblance of privacy. I had hoped that he would
finally give into his nature and allow him to accept her as a mate, but all he
did was continue his penetrating stare. His yellow eyes were glazed and
intense. His nostrils flared as he sniffed her scent.

She stepped back,
bending her head, her ears flat, a sign of submission.

I could smell his
desire to show affection. His wolf was taking over, just as I had thought it
would. But his human brain must have won the war that was most likely waging in
his brain. He huffed out a breath through his nose and took off down the
well-worn trail, his paws kicking up dirt as he went.

Sadie lifted her head
slowly, her eyes pointed to the grass covered ground. I couldn’t help but feel
sorry for her. He had rejected her in his pure form in front of all of us. I
leaned forward and bumped my head against hers. A small grumble came from her
chest, which I took to mean “thank you”.

Nate growled at us and
nodded in the direction that Adrian had headed. Joe and Lauren stood up and let
Nate take the lead. We all followed at a steady pace behind him.

At first we kept the
pace, running as a group until Joe and Lauren veered off a side trail, nipping
and howling as they went. I pushed my limbs harder to catch up to Nate, but
couldn’t keep up. As we rounded a bend a blur of black fur dove out from behind
a patch of juniper and pounced on Sadie. She snarled and bucked, launching her
attacker to the ground.

I skidded to a stop and
spun around with the intent to defend my friend. But I had nothing to fear, it
was Adrian and Sadie had pinned him to the ground. I stood for a few moments
and watched as Adrian struggled to get free, but Sadie was older and obviously
stronger, unless Adrian’s fight was all for show. I felt a nip on my neck and
turned to see Nate, his tan colored fur ruffling in the wind. He latched on to
my coat and started to yank me along. When I dug my feet in the ground confused
by his behaviour, he grunted and gestured to Adrian and Sadie. Realization
dawned when I saw Adrian rub at Sadie’s muzzle with his own. I smiled, happy
that he was finally coming around, but also worried that it wouldn’t last
through the change.

I allowed Nate to lead
me away and down the trail to the stream.

We hadn’t run for long,
but the change had always taken a lot out of me and I was thirsty. Finally,
after drinking my fill, I started sniffing along the edge of the stream. It was
more habit than actually looking for anything. I smelled a few bunnies,
squirrels and even a fox. There was an urge to hunt them in the back of my
mind, but the human side of my brain quickly quashed that idea and continued
with my task. I could sense Nate behind me and I could feel his fur rub against
mine. He nudged me, encouraging me to move on, to continue our run, but for
some reason I wasn’t in the mood. There was plenty of time left for that. As I
followed a scent to a thicket of thorns Nate pounced on me, shoving me to the
ground. His laughing bark only ticked me off. I bucked up trying to knock him
off, but he dug his claws into the loose skin of my neck and held on. I swung
my paw, knocking him off his feet, until he finally let go of my neck and I
took off running.

He was right on my
heels.

I was headed to the
creek and right before I got to the embankment I veered left. He didn’t expect
my sudden move and hurled to the edge, teetering on the rocks. I came up next
to him and shoved. He fell headfirst into the water. It was now my turn to bark
out a laugh.

His head popped out of
the clear water, his fur clinging to his body. Breath puffed out of his mouth
as he swam to the edge where he reached up with his paw, but I swivelled to the
side, avoiding him. After a few more attempts to get me in there with him, he
gave up and climbed out. I was sitting on my haunches watching, feeling smug
for what I had done.

He was licking his fur,
when I turned at the sound of a twig snapping. When I looked back, Nate was
gone. I spun around to search for him and felt a wet, large mass land on top of
me. And then it was gone, crashing through the brush. I scrambled up and
started my chase. He was too far ahead for me to see, but I’d be able to smell
him anywhere. His scent was embedded in my brain. He was my wolf mate for life.

After our run, we went
back to the stream for another drink and then fell asleep cuddled up against
one another.

When I woke up, the
moon was lower in the sky and we were no longer alone. Joe and Lauren were sleeping
next to us, their bodies curled together. Adrian lay on my other side, hovering
over a sleeping Sadie. His eyes were glazed as he stared at her motionless
form.

I grunted and lifted my
head, trying to let him know I was awake.

He must have heard me, because
he scrambled away from her as if he had been caught peeking in a window.

I moved toward him and
lifted my paw, resting it on his furry shoulder, careful not to dig my claws
in. His gaze didn’t meet mine. He was struggling with his decision about Sadie
and I desperately wanted to help. His human mind was at war with his wolf
instincts, like mine was about hunting. But he didn’t need to fight with
himself. Sadie was a great girl and I wished he would just give in.

Sadie groaned and sat
up. When she saw us hovering over her, she ducked her head. She must have
realized what was happening, because she peeked at Adrian and then moved to
nudge Nate.

When the rest of our
group woke up, they were ready to hunt. Nate and Joe sniffed the air for a few
moments and then their heads pivoted to the north. Both of their eyes glazed
with hunger…they had found their prey.

It was good to see them
working together for the first time since we returned with Sadie.
Unfortunately, I knew it would end when Nate turned back to his human form. I
stepped forward and rubbed his head with mine. He nipped my skin softly with
his teeth, his wolf equivalent of a good-bye kiss. I returned the gesture and
then grunted to the rest of the group before taking off in a run toward my clothes.
I could hear their feet pound against the hard ground as they rushed off in
search of their prey.

Once I was alone I
slowed down, enjoying the run by myself, the wind in my fur and the power in my
limbs. I had never been alone as a wolf, besides the night I first turned. It
wasn’t a night I liked to remember. Lauren and I had been kidnapped and had no
idea that the werewolf DNA had been injected into our bodies. When the full
moon came out, it turned us into wolves. We didn’t understand what was happening.
Lauren was writhing on the floor of the cabin in pain and I had just exploded
into a different species. The change itself was excruciating and once it was
over, I was confused and in shock.

But now, seven months
later, I was much more comfortable with what I had become. Adrian had helped me
accept what I could not change and once I let Nate back into my life he made it
his mission to make me love, or at least tolerate, my new life. He encouraged
me to change often, with ideas of runs to different places. One afternoon, a
few months ago, we ran all the way to Watertown. I hadn’t known it, but Nate
had gone in his car the day before and stashed some clothes under a park bench.
When we turned back to humans and got dressed, we went to lunch. He was always
trying to make this new life appear more fun. He must have been desperate to
keep me happy, since I hadn’t taken to my new life that well. I was depressed
and I refused to see him after I found out he had bitten me.

I was so lost in my
thoughts of Nate and the past that I almost didn’t hear the rustling in the
bushes ahead of me.

I slowed to a stop. The
noise could have been anything; the wind, a small animal or just my
imagination. But, when I took in a deep breath my hackles rose with the need to
protect my pack. There were humans nearby and they didn’t belong here. This was
private property—our property. No one should be here on a full moon. Humans did
not belong around werewolves when they were in their wolf form. They were too
fragile, their skin too soft, their blood and heartbeat too much of a
temptation for some wolves. They were also a threat to us if we were
discovered. If the wrong person learned of our existence, it could risk all of
our lives. There was only one thing to do…I had to get rid of them.

When the air shifted, I
caught the scent full on. It was a male and a female. They were in danger here
and I was going to teach them a lesson.

I crept over the trail,
being careful not to make too much noise, keeping to the dirt path as much as
possible. As I approached a large bolder I hunkered down behind it, hiding
myself from view. The humans were walking slowly along the trail, talking
quietly, as if we wolves wouldn’t be able to hear their whispers. I waited
until they were right in front of the rock before I dove out in front of them.

They both jumped back.
Fear and surprise flashed over their faces. I stalked toward them slowly baring
my teeth and growling lowly. “Is that…” Nathan asked the girl next to him.

Mari gulped and stepped
closer to her friend. “I don’t know. It could be a real wolf, I can’t tell.”
The fear in both their voices was audible and I repressed the urge to laugh.

Again, I took a step
closer, my growls echoing in the forest around us.

They responded, by
moving backwards slowly as if they were afraid to make any sudden movements.
When the smell of their fear started to pique the interest of the wolf, kicking
on the instinct to chase, I decided my little game was over. It was time to let
them out of their misery. And how would I do that? I pounced of course; landing
on Nathan and taking him down to the dirt path below us. Mari started to
scream, a spine tingling shriek that echoed in the forest around us. And again,
I wanted to chuckle. I was having so much fun.

I hovered above Nathan,
baring my fangs, my paws digging into the ground on either side of his head.
His vivid blue eyes, that were so like the man I loved, were wide with terror.
It was obviously time to put him out of his misery. I growled once more before
bending down and licking his face.

He froze, unsure if I
was being playful or getting a taste of my meal.

Mari’s screaming ceased
as she also froze, staring at me, a mix of fear and confusion flashing in her
eyes.

I licked his cheek
again, tasting the salt from his skin and seasoning that tasted a lot like
nacho cheese. Then I sat up and huffed out a breath, hanging my tongue out to
the side.

“
Oh my God
, it’s
Megan,” Mari exclaimed, in a sigh of relief.

I stepped away from
them to allow Nathan to sit up. He positioned one leg up, as he leaned on his
knee. He eyed me wearily. “How do you know?” he asked Mari, but left his eyes
on me.

“The fur is the same
color as her hair. And I doubt a real wolf would lick you.”

Since I couldn’t add to
their conversation, I decided it was time to change back to my true form. As I
took a step away from them, the sound of a low masculine laugh echoed into the
night. It bounced off the wind; floating in the air like thunder…It almost
seemed to shake the earth beneath us. And then…it was gone. A blanket of
darkness had settled over the night as I was sleeping next to the stream. As a
wolf, the night had never bothered me before, but for some reason, after that
sound that I thought I heard; I felt uneasiness flow over me. I took a moment
to listen carefully and when I only heard branches rustling in the distance and
the hoot of an owl, I relaxed. I shook myself, dismissing the sound for animal.
Despite my need for normalcy, I couldn’t explain why all the fur on my body was
standing on end.

“Is everything okay,
Meg?” Marisa asked hesitantly.

I turned my focus on
her with the intention on answering her and then realized that I couldn’t, not
in this form anyway. I rushed away to make the change.

When my body had made
the transformation I took a moment to catch my breath. The pain was something I
would never get used to. I panted for a few moments while I lay naked on the
cold grass. My left heel was digging into a patch of thistles, but I couldn’t
summon enough energy to care. As Marisa and Nathan’s voices came closer, I
decided my time of rest was over. I had no interest in them finding me sans
clothing.