Riley's Torment, A Moon's Glow Novel #2 (18 page)

He smiled as I
used our evasive term to describe what we were. “Well, you have
three weeks to get used to it. Because if you don’t deal with what
you are, you could hurt people you care about. Imagine, letting
out…” He looked around, an impish grin appeared on his lips.“…Your
nineteen year old in your house with people you love. You need to
discover what you are so that it doesn’t control you.”

I knew all of
this from hearing what Nate had gone through, but it sounded
different somehow, coming from someone who didn’t care about me or
my loved ones. He was just stating a fact. It had to be done, pure
and simple. I looked down at my fingers that were now curled
together in my lap, feeling embarrassed for my behavior. My friends
just wanted to help me with this transition, and I had been
fighting them tooth and nail. I was acting like a child. But even
though I knew I was doing it, I just couldn’t seem to help myself.
I couldn’t get past what Nate had done.

“Why don’t you
show me where there’s a forest. I need a place to go on full moon
nights, where there won’t be any people around. And we can go out
for your first real run.”

It
wouldn’t be my first time—that was with Nate. I was so new and
emotional, that I barely remembered it. I found myself looking up
at him and smiling. “Okay. And by the way, my name is
Megan.”

“
Damn it,
Nate, you have to do something,” Lauren yelled, storming into the
cottage. Joe and Nate had been discussing Charlotte when they heard
a car pull up, and then they watched as Lauren barreled inside,
slamming the door behind her. The wooden frame rattled in
complaint. “Megan has gone to the dark side.”

A slow steady
burn began in Nate’s chest, and he knew it was panic. He worried
about Megan constantly. She should be here with him so he could
protect, help, and love her.

“What’s wrong?”
he asked, standing up, his fists clenched, his body rigid and ready
for action. If Megan needed him, nothing could keep him away.

Lauren threw
her bag down on the sofa, and her cell phone rolled out and fell
between two cushions. She didn’t notice as she glanced quickly at
Joe who was staring at her intensely. When her face heated, she
turned to Nate. She shook her head, appearing to gather her
thoughts. “I found her having yogurt at La Crème with Mandy.”

Nate was
waiting for the horrible part to come, but she stopped talking and
glared at him. “Is that it?”

Joe started to
laugh until Lauren silenced him with a mere look.

She scowled.
“Megan’s been hiding away from her life in her old room, and now I
find her with Mandy planning a fun day with the old gang.” Her arms
were flying wildly in front of her, further evidence of her
frustration.

Nate wondered
if Lauren’s reaction was because of her recent transition to
becoming a werewolf. He couldn’t decide if she was too wrapped in
his problems because she was avoiding her own, or if it was a side
effect to the changes in her body. She seemed much more upset over
Megan and Nate’s situation than she would have been before.
Regardless of the reason, she had a point.

Megan had told
him that she was much happier now that her old friends were out of
her life. Her sudden change definitely didn’t sound right. But
unfortunately, who Megan spent time with wasn’t their top priority
at the moment. Finding Charlotte was. With one of her minions in
town, they were certain to find her once and for all. He and Joe
were working together. For now, their common goal was to find
Charlotte, and then they’d decide what to do with her.

“Lauren, I’m
sure she’s fine,” Nate finally said.

“Aren’t you
going to go see her?”

“Because she
was having frozen yogurt with Mandy?” He shook his head. “I’m not
interfering in her life. She asked me for space, and I’m going to
respect that.” He hadn’t even watched her in his wolf form—that
would have been just as wrong.

Lauren sighed,
falling into the sofa. She noticed the phone and picked it up,
stuffing it back into her bag. “What about the full moon? Shouldn’t
she be getting used to her new life?” She asked, playing with the
tassels hanging from the zipper of her purse.

Nate sat back
down in the arm chair stretching out his jean clad legs in front of
him. “Yes, of course she should, but we can’t force her. I betrayed
her, and it will take her time to forgive me. I showed her how to
change on the island, and I know she’s eating, so everything should
be okay.”

“How do you
know she’s eating?” Lauren asked, ignoring the longing looks she
was getting from Joe.

“I’ve been
talking to Mona. Mona said she’s eating so much she’s afraid she
has a tapeworm.” Nate couldn’t help the smile on his lips. Despite
how crazy his life was right now, that one piece of information
made him happy. Megan could ignore him, but she couldn’t ignore the
wolf. If she starved it, someone could get hurt, and she wouldn’t
be able to live with herself.

Lauren cocked
her head at Nate, and Joe ignored him altogether as he stared at
his mate. It was obvious to Nate how much Joe wanted Lauren, and he
knew how his friend felt. Nate felt like half a being without
Megan. “So, you do care?” Lauren crossed her arms over her
chest.

Nate’s jaw
locked, and his eyes went cold as he stared at his cousin. “You
know I do. But what I did to her was unforgivable. She wants space.
I’m going to give it to her. But I’m also going to protect her any
way I can because I love her.”

Lauren leaned
back into the plush sofa and let out a frustrated breath. “If you
ask me, both of you are acting like stubborn children.”

Nate’s
expression softened. “Well, nobody asked you.” He glanced at Joe
who was yet again staring openly at Lauren. “And I wouldn’t talk.
You have something you’re avoiding too.”

Lauren’s eyes
widened and her face turned a bright shade of crimson.

The air felt
charged as Lauren glanced at Joe. Nate had the sudden urge to go
for a drive.

“Well, I have
some errands to attend to,” Nate said, standing up. “Joe, we can
continue our conversation later.” Joseph never once tore his gaze
from his mate, ignoring Nate altogether.

He grabbed his
leather jacket and slipped out of the door, quietly.

Nate didn’t
have a destination in mind when he left the cottage—the only thing
he could think of was Megan. Her beautiful green eyes haunted his
days and nights. They were there every time he slept, even when he
blinked. He was empty without her, but he couldn’t go back on his
word. She asked for time, and he wouldn’t back away from his
promise. He knew in his heart that she loved him. He just hoped she
could forgive him eventually.

He fought the
desire to go to her house. Instead, he found himself at the back
woods on the other end of his family’s property where he and Lauren
had chased the intruding werewolf the night before. The air was
colder now that November had begun. The odd snowflake was falling
on the grass and disappearing. The white stuff was coming down so
sporadically that he barely noticed it. It was too frigid for a
full on snowfall, but it didn’t stop a few flakes from trickling
down from the clouds.

Again, he
sniffed the area, and the scent stopped at the road. There were no
clues in the nearby gravel or grass, so why was he just staring at
the space hoping to catch something? He was determined to find
Charlotte and make her pay for what she had done. It may not have
been her werewolf bite that turned Megan, but she had intended to.
She made Lauren suffer along with turning her into something she
felt she had to hide from her family

His mind
wandered briefly to his cottage and wondered how Joe was faring. He
hoped Lauren would tell him that she forgave him. It would ease his
mind a little if his best friends were happy. If he couldn’t be,
they should be.

He was feeling
restless; the overwhelming urge to see his mate was smothering him,
and the need to avenge Megan for what had happened to her consumed
his thoughts. But how could he do that when Nate was the one that
had ruined her life? He’d just have to focus all of his revenge on
Charlotte. It wasn’t like she didn’t deserve it. She had kidnapped
and terrorized both Megan and Lauren and ruined countless lives in
the past. Yes, she deserved to die, and he was the one who intended
to make that happen.

The only way to
find her was to search for that werewolf. Even if he had to comb
the whole city for his smell, he wouldn’t give up until he caught
his prey.

With this new
mission giving him focus, he climbed into his car and headed to the
city limits where it was most likely to find a trail.

Ten minutes
later, he was parking in the restaurant and hotel district. He
walked north on Main and then up to Cross Street. Since it was a
weekday, the streets were not that busy. People were living their
lives indoors, out of the cold weather, either at work or school.
Even still, there were a few people walking quickly, heading
somewhere bundled in their warm coats.

The streets
were filled with all kinds of smells—food, garbage, perfume. But
the scent he was after was not among them. He wasn’t discouraged
though; he’d find his prey. After wandering around the area for
about an hour, he finally caught what he was searching for. He
found the scent right outside of a barbeque restaurant called
Sticky Fingers. Luckily, there was a bench about ten feet away
where he could wait. He sat with his legs casually spread out in
front of him against the wooden bench. To a bystander, he appeared
to be a young eighteen year old relaxing on a cold November day.
His pale blond hair was longer than he typically wore it, and a
faint breeze blew it into his eyes that were focused on the
restaurant door. Despite his posture, he was anything but relaxed.
He’d wait here all day in order to catch that werewolf.

After ten
minutes, Nate got impatient and decided to investigate. As he
pushed through the restaurant door, he smelled more than just the
juicy, tender meat and spices. He also caught two more werewolf
scents—all of them, he recognized from the island.

“Good
afternoon, table for one?” A petite brunette asked with a sincere
smile. Her hair was pulled back, and she was wearing a black and
white uniform.

“No, thank you.
I’m just looking for someone,” Nate mumbled as he scanned the
patrons crammed in the tiny restaurant. The tables and booths were
filled with families and people in business suits having lunch. The
room was loud with laughter, voices, and country music playing
overhead. Despite the myriad of smells, he found the scent he was
searching for at a booth near the back of the room.

He made his way
through the tables to three young men. Two men had dark brown hair
that had similar features—they could be related. The other had
short, pale blond hair, the same color as Nate’s. Three sets of
faces spun to face him as he approached, all of their nostrils
flaring as they caught his werewolf scent. Nate froze when the
blond man turned to him, an evil leer appearing on his face.

It was
James.

“James, what
are you doing here? And why are you a werewolf?” Nate
whispered.

James smiled as
his eyes flashed with fury. “Uncle, so good to see you after all
this time. I’m here with some pals.” He gestured to the other two
men. His smile widened, showing long pointed teeth, his eyes
flashing yellow. If he was trying to scare Nate, he’d have to try
harder than that. Nate looked around the dimly lit restaurant and
was thankful no one had noticed James’ little trick.

“Why?” Nate
said in disbelief.

“Why, what?”
James asked. “Why am I here with Charlotte?”

Nate
nodded.

“Well, Uncle,
that’s because of you. When I was shunned from my family for
reacting the way a normal person would to you being a monster, I
became penniless and alone. Then I met a lovely red-head that
changed my life forever.” His voice was jovial, but Nate could hear
the hate underneath it.

Nate clenched
his fists and leaned in toward his nephew. “That doesn’t mean you
had to stay with her. She is an evil murderer.” Nate was
overwhelmed with disappointment. The way James reacted to the
secret made him sad, although he understood the reaction. But being
a Riley came with a responsibility. The Rileys as a family strived
to help others. Nate always upheld that cause despite the bite that
had changed his life. But James was obviously ignoring his family
heritage.

“Who else would
I turn to? My family treated me like I had the plague, all because
I couldn’t accept what you were. And now, I’m the same.” He paused,
tapping his fingers against the table. “But don’t worry about me.
I’ve embraced what I am now. Charlotte has shown me an exciting new
world, one you were too much a sap to appreciate.”

Nate realized
that his nephew had gone to the dark side. There was no reasoning
with him.

“Where’s
Charlotte?” Nate growled as he leaned one hand on the wooden table,
the other on the leather seat of the booth. His patience was
slipping away. The need to kill her now consumed him. She had taken
too much from him, and now she was turning his family into
werewolves one by one—first James, and then Lauren and Megan.

James’ bright
blue eyes narrowed as he shoved Nate away. Nate was about to return
the favor with a punch, when he noticed a little boy with round
brown eyes watching the scene. Instead, he halted the altercation
by leaning against the booth, appearing casual.

“You’ll see her
soon enough.” James paused as the men across from him cleared their
throats. “Where are my manners? These are my friends, Caleb and
Cody. Brothers, that Charlotte found about five years ago.”