Turn of the Moon (A Royal Shifters novel Book 1) (10 page)

The room fell silent as an elderly woman with long white hair and weathered skin approached the front wearing a white, silky robe. She was old, much older than any wolf I’d ever seen.

“Seraphina,”
Ryker replied in my mind.

Slowly, she waltzed up to us, keeping her solemn gaze on mine. My heart thundered in my chest, but Ryker grabbed my hand, and it calmed me. I wanted answers, but I had to admit, I was nervous about hearing them.

Ryker bowed his head out of respect. “Thanks for coming, Seraphina. As always, I am open to your wisdom.”

Seraphina held out her hand to me. “Come, child. Take my hand.”

Her crystal blue eyes were kind and gentle, but had a sadness behind them. I took her hand and she pulled me to her, holding on tight. Her eyes closed and she mumbled something under her breath. “Too many secrets and lies have befallen you. Especially from those you love.” More mumbled words escaped her lips, and then out of nowhere, a spark of power radiated through the room and through me. Gasps erupted from the pack as it traveled through each and every one of them. The magic was familiar, like I had felt it before.

Before opening her eyes, she grinned. “My suspicions were right.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, whispering the words.

Tears forming in her eyes, she lifted her hands to my face. “You’re not a Whitehill. You, my child, are royal.”

The crowd gasped, and when I looked at Ryker, he was wide-eyed in surprise. “I don’t understand. Care to elaborate?”

“It means your bloodline is the most powerful of all wolves,” Ryker explained.

Seraphina spoke up next. “He’s right. You are from the direct line of ancient wolves who disappeared about three centuries ago. No one knows where they went or, until recently, if they were still alive. When they ruled, the packs were at peace, living in harmony with one another.

“Over the years, greed poisoned our magic and the packs slowly drifted apart, forming new alliances. Now that we’re separated, the magic of the moon grows weaker. Our abilities to find our mates all but disappeared, making it harder for our wolves to find happiness. It is my belief, dear child, that you are the one who can help us.”

“How is this possible? How can I fix the dying magic?”

She smiled and took my hands. “By sealing the bond with your one true mate. Ryker was born special too. Look around you.” I did as she said and gazed at the people in his pack. “Over the years, he’s brought all of these people together under one united front. No other alpha has the ability to do that anymore. It’s how the royals led their people centuries ago. And when you complete the bond, your combined power will be the first step in setting the natural balance—to restore what we’ve lost.”

One by one, the wolves in the room all dropped to their knees. Confusion swept over me. “I don’t understand. How can my parents be Whitehill’s and I’m not? Wouldn’t they be royals as well?”

Ryker joined me, his gaze wary. “I don’t think they are your biological parents, Bailey.”

“What he says is true,” Seraphina added. “I don’t know how you ended up with them, but they aren’t your family. If they were, they never would’ve promised you to Kade.”

I couldn’t even wrap my head around what she was saying. “How is that even possible? They’re my parents. They’re all I’ve known.”

She nodded wearily. “I’m not saying they didn’t love you. It’s possible they were forced to do what they did.”

Dread settled in the pit of my gut, the anger bubbling right underneath the surface. I didn’t even know who I was anymore. “Why can’t I remember any of my encounters with Ryker, or with my real family? It’s all just a black hole when I try to think back.”

She looked down at my hand, furrowing her brows. “They were wiped clean. When I touched you, I could feel the dark magic still binding itself to your memories, locking down your thoughts. Only a very powerful witch can do such a spell.”

“But who?” Then I glared at Ryker. “Did you have a witch like that in the Yukon pack?”

Releasing a heavy sigh, he nodded. “Her name was Maret.”

I felt violated, robbed. “How do I get them back?” I growled the words.

Seraphina hesitated for a moment. “The only way would be if the witch willingly reversed the spell, or if you killed her.”

“She took away the memories of my real family. One way or another, I’ll get them back.”

She sighed. “I know you want them back, but it’s not worth risking your life to get them. Right now, your only concern should be staying safe until the full moon comes.”

“Which is what I want to discuss with you all,” Ryker announced, turning to the group. “If the Yukon pack is on the hunt, I have no doubt they’ll come this way. If they see me with Bailey, there will surely be a fight. I don’t want to bring that kind of war to your doorsteps. Bailey and I will be leaving tonight until the threat’s passed. Cedric is my second in command; he’ll make the decisions while we’re gone.”

“What if we’re willing to fight?” one of the wolves asked. His name was Rafe, one of the wolves I met at the bar. He was tall and stout, a warrior at heart. I enjoyed talking to him about his building projects. I had no doubt he’d kick ass in a fight.

Ryker was about to answer, but I put my hand on his arm.
“Give me a second to speak.”
I looked up at him and he nodded.

“If a fight is what they want, I’ll give it to them. I’m the one who killed their alpha.” The room fell silent. “My goal is to lead them away from you, from your children. I haven’t been a part of your pack for long, but that doesn’t take away from the fact I don’t want to see anyone hurt because of me.”

As if on command, men stood and formed a line in front of me. Cedric was first. He knelt down, bowing his head.

“What are you doing?” I whispered.

He chuckled and winked up at me. “Giving you my life.” Taking my hand, he held it in his. “I, Cedric Convel, give you my life, my honor, and my strength. I will fight and die for you, if you so choose it. You are my alpha.” When he stood, he leaned down and whispered in my ear. “I’ve searched years for my mate and haven’t found her. If you can restore the magic of the moon, I will forever be in your debt.”

For the first time since I’d met him, he was completely serious. I nodded with confidence. “I will do everything within my power to see that it happens.”

Completely in awe, yet numb, I stood there with Ryker by my side as one after the other pledged their allegiance to me. Everything I’d known to be true had been torn away from me in just one night. I was nothing to my old pack but a pawn in a game. Whatever they were playing, I was determined to win. One way or another, I was going to get my answers.

Once everyone had left, it was time to leave for the airport. Ryker took my hand and brought it to his lips. “Everything will be fine, angel. After we finish mating, we’ll be stronger than any pack out there. You’ll get your answers.”

“I sure hope so. If we don’t, I’m never going to know what happened to my real family, or who I really am.”

“Even if you don’t find out who you really are, there’s one thing we know for certain. You’re mine, as I am yours. We found each other, and now you have a new family, a new beginning.”

“You’re right. But something tells me it’s not going to be so easy.”

With his hand on the back of my neck, he pulled me to him and kissed me. “Nothing worth having ever is. Now let’s go, we have a plane to catch.” We loaded up the truck and started down the road. When we got to the airport, he unloaded the bags and locked up. “North Carolina, here we come.”

Snickering, I grabbed my bag. “Blake said the beaches there were beautiful. And they aren’t crowded like other places. Besides, I’ve never even seen an ocean before. It’ll be a new experience.”

He put his arm around me. “That it will. If all else fails, at least I’ll get to see you in a bikini.” I started to laugh, but then froze. “Bailey, what’s wrong?”

For the briefest moment, I thought I’d felt the presence of another wolf, a strong one. But the feeling disappeared so fast I couldn’t tell if I imagined it, or if I was just paranoid.

“Bailey!” Ryker shouted, grabbing my attention. I scanned the parking lot and didn’t see a thing. “Are you okay?”

I nodded. “Yeah, of course. Let’s go. I’m ready to see the beach.”

Bailey

“I
t’s so beautiful.” Seeing the ocean from the plane didn’t compare to the way it actually felt to have the sand between my toes and smell the salty, sea air.

“You’re beautiful,” Ryker murmured.
“And sexy as hell in that bathing suit.”

I smiled, and turned around. “Thanks. You’re not so bad yourself.”

“Are you going to stand out here all night?”

The sky was turning dark, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave. There was so much I’d missed in life, and I didn’t want to miss another second of it. “I’m thinking about it.” I laughed.

“Then I guess it’s a good thing I brought dinner.”

I turned to see he had a bottle of wine and a paper bag, with a towel draped over his bare shoulder. “How did I not know you left?”

He nodded toward the water. “You were mesmerized. Anyway, there’s an Italian place down the street. I thought it looked promising. I know you like lasagna.”

“And how do you know that?”

Setting the towel down, he pulled out our food and poured me a cup of wine. “You ate it at least three times a week when you were in college.”

Eyes wide, I stood there in shock. “Creepy . . .”

He rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t
always
watching you, Bailey. I still had the pack to look after too. But for the most part, I did keep tabs on you.”

“Why, because I’m your mate?”

His gaze narrowed. “You forget I knew you before the word ‘mate’ even popped in my head. I’m the one who found you alone in the woods when we were kids. I never left your side the entire time you were with my pack.” He passed me a takeout container of lasagna and my stomach rumbled.

I nodded, even though I couldn’t remember. “I know, I’m sorry. With having only human friends, they had their boyfriends, fell in love, and got married. I thought that’s what it would be like for me. That I’d get to pick someone of my choosing.”

A deep growl rumbled in his chest. “You did choose me. Why do you think we were separated? We clearly showed signs of it early on. You were taken away and I was banished from the pack. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. Once you get your memories back, you’ll see.”

“Until then?” I asked.

His jaw tensed as he stabbed away at his food. “We get to know each other the real way, by talking. I can’t make you love me, especially when you’re fighting your instincts.”

I didn’t want to fight them, I just wanted to make my own choices. I knew deep down there was more to me and Ryker, but my whole life had been built on lies. I needed something tangible. “I know we have this connection to each other, but I want us to be together because of who we are, not because of magic. I want you to be with me because of me.”

“What do you think I’ve done over the past five years? While you were away at school, I watched you every single day, learning all your likes and dislikes. Stalkerish or not, I had no choice. It was the only way I could be around you.”

“Why didn’t you try to talk to me?”