#1 The Rise of the Crescent Moon

Josephine

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My dad wanted to force my brother to reject his mate and then he wanted to force me to reject mine. He couldn’t stand the idea of a human Luna? My mother was human.

I felt August’s gaze on me throughout his father’s explanation but I couldn’t meet his eyes. I couldn’t show him the pain and the hurt I was feeling, even though I’m sure he was sensing it.

I looked up at Benji and I wanted to scream at him. I wanted to yell and call him a liar but I couldn’t. The truth was, everything he said made sense. My father always acted strange when it came to me being around wolves, my mother was never an active Luna, my brother never would have given up his loyalties to the pack unless forced….it all made sense. But, I still didn’t understand why.

I walked across the office, pausing next to August,

“You can keep the wolves at my house as protection but you won’t force me to stay here. I don’t need a babysitter and I won’t be a prisoner. You’ll let me go.” I ordered him.

“Josie…” August’s face was devastated and I hated to be the cause of it, but I needed time to digest this on my own. I needed a human minute.

“Come by tomorrow.” I softened my expression. I knew enough about the wolf bond to have sympathy for him. I know that letting me walk away will hurt him in a way that I will never be able to feel. He nodded and brushed his fingers against mine. I pulled open the office door and gently shut it behind me.

Two wolves stood on either side of the door. From my encounter with them earlier. I figured they were August’s Beta and Gamma.

“Who is who?” I asked them. They looked at each other and then at me,

“I’m Beta Ethan, Luna.” The blonde said,

“Gamma Hayden.” The burnette bowed his head. I nodded at both of them,

“It’s nice to meet you both. Sorry about your Alpha’s mood. It’s not going to be pleasant tonight.” I sighed.

“Luna!” Hayden called after me.

“I’m not your Luna, Hayden.” Hayden looked hurt and I immediately regretted my words, knowing that August would have heard them too.

“He’s a good guy. I know this is all hard to understand, but he really will take care of you.” I looked between Hayden and Ethan and realized they only saw me as a human.

“I’m the daughter of Alpha Johnathan Valentine, I understand more than you think.” The boys stumbled back, shocked at my words. I left them standing in the hallway of the packhouse.

I found that my car was still parked where I left it when I rushed to the packhouse after August. I couldn’t let him kill his father and I couldn’t let him get the truth without me. I had to know. I shocked the three wolves he had babysitting me when I easily slipped past them. They weren’t expecting my speed or my boldness, not to mention my boiling anger at August for sticking a patrol on me.

I drove back home and waved at the three giant wolves who were circling my house just inside the tree line. They didn’t move and I took that as a sign that August told them to back off.

“Thanks for looking after me.” I called out to them. They were just doing what their Alpha commanded of them after all, I wasn’t really mad at them. The three of them howled and bowed their heads in answer. Damn August for claiming me as his Luna.

I let myself in and picked up August’s shirt from where he had discarded just inside the door. I folded it and sat it on the kitchen table. I looked at the clock above the fireplace and groaned at the hour: 3:00am. I drug myself up the steps.

I hadn’t even had time to look around the cabin before. My parents door was the first one on the left. It was a normal size bedroom with an attached bathroom. On the right were three doors. The first door was my brother’s room, the middle was the hallway access to the Jack and Jill bathroom, and the third was my bedroom. At the end of the hall was access to the upper balcony on the back of the house.

I looked at the four closed doors, standing in the middle of the hall. I couldn’t bring myself to open a single one. Shaking my head, I sulked back down the steps.

The first floor was completely open with half the space taken up by the eat in kitchen and dining room and the other half with the living room. The ceilings were more than 10 feet tall, opening up to the loft that the stairs were attached to. The fireplace went the whole way up and was covered in elaborate river stone. The living room had a sectional couch and recliner along with a huge coffee table where my family often played games.

The kitchen had a large island with four bar stools pulled up to it. I remembered the homework finished and the arguments held at that island. The screaming matches I had with my mother as a teenager in the kitchen. The day my brother slammed the front door as he walked out for the last time.

I squeezed my eyes shut, pushing away the tears and the memories. I grabbed a blanket and pillow from the closet and curled up on the couch. I shut my eyes and dreamed of my mate’s blue eyes.