<<Five years later>>
The soft sound of fussing roused Eva from her peaceful slumber, the tired she-wolf opening her hazel eyes to take in the setting of the master bedroom. Outside, an Indian Summer was in full swing with golden vanilla light pouring in playfully from the french doors across the room from the large bed Eva was currently sprawled in, her body aching dully on the soft white sheets.
The fussing sound started again and Eva lifted her body carefully from the bed, auburn locks spilling over her shoulders and milk-heavy breasts. In her mind Kalla rose from the darkness to see through Eva’s eyes as she approached the cot, peering at the tiny bundle wrapped up in a soft blue onesie and blanket.
“Hello you,” Eva cooed to the newborn as he kicked his covered legs, tiny button nose wrinkling. “Oh my little warrior, are you hungry? Hush now, mummy’s here.”
She lifted the infant gently, cradling him as sh
Thank you again to everyone who has taken the time to read this story all the way through to the end. As mentioned in past chapters, this is the first book I've written in a VERY long time. Eva and Daniel's story might now be done but I have a couple of new projects on the way. In the meantime, check out my insta for updates on projects, sneak peeks and my reading list @zaydawatsswrites
Once upon a time, nestled between the wild coastline and dark ragged mountains, was a pack known as the Silver Moon pack. This rugged and unforgiving landscape has been their homes for centuries, providing them with shelter, food and a place to roam free away from the prying eyes of humankind. They worked with the land, thanking the moon goddess for giving them all they had while endeavouring to show kindness and respect to their allies. Unlike all of the other packs in the land, Silver Moon was given a female alpha to rule them. For hundreds of years the mantle of leader was passed from mother to daughter and with each new leader, the pack flourished and grew. All was well until one fateful night forty years ago when the Alpha's mate was struck with madness and a lust for power like nothing anyone had ever seen. In one foul swoop the crazed beast killed the alpha and their daughter before declaring himself alpha of the pack.
[Three weeks ago]No one had heard from the Ouma or her pack for many years. All invitations to annual ceremonies have been sent back with a polite but brief decline.No one is really surprised. The Silver moon pack has always been secretive and well...different. However, everyone was surprised when the Silver moon pack suddenly reached out.Everyone is curious, everyone is talking and rumours are flying around like a storm. After more than 25 years, The Silver Moon pack would not only be making an appearance, they were inviting another pack onto their territory.The Silver moon pack was different from other packs for many reasons. Folklore is that the pack was predominantly female all of whom were chosen to join the ranks except no one has been chosen to join the ranks in at least two decades. Then there was the fact that their leader was the Ouma; a high priestess or elder (depending you talked to) who
The ride to Silver Moon’s territory wasn’t the longest trip Daniel had endured but it was still long. The further north they travelled, the more wild and untamed the landscape seemed to get. The sun had disappeared over night and the Hellhounds had headed out under granite grey clouds that hung thick and heavy over the land. The wind had picked up, wet and cold and biting into any exposed flesh without apology.They passed towns and cities, each smaller than the last until it seemed there was no life left out on the moors except the handful of men and women on bikes and in trucks. They were speeding down the road which sliced through the never-ending blanket of grey boulders covered in pale moss and rust coloured flora that dipped and rose like waves, frozen in time. The road was surprisingly well paved despite its remoteness, the black asphalt shot off into the distance and eventually disappeared from view under the looming mountain range.
Eva had been feeling strange since she woke that morning. A flurry of anxiety had settled in her chest for much of the day like she had drank too much coffee. It wasn't overwhelming but the feeling did grow slowly as the hours ticked by. She eventually chalked it up to needing a good run, something she wouldn't be able to do until after their guests had arrived so she buried herself in making sure everything would be ready for when the Hellhounds rolled in that evening.When it had been time to meet downstairs, Eva had cleaned herself up in her mother's office. She had wanted to wear her uniform as a sign of her place with the other warriors but Nora had insisted on something a little less military looking so instead she pulled on a pair of black skinny jeans and a long sleeved tee. She didn't see the point in getting dressed up, the main gathering would be tomorrow. Tonight was about welcoming the guests and getting them settled.The we
Stepping off the bus, Eva sighed tiredly as she followed the crowds to the terminal. It had been two weeks since she had left Silver Moon territory. She hadn't been in touch with anyone despite desperately missing her family, Maria and Duncan. The guilt of leaving without a word still hung heavy on her shoulders but was not heavy enough to quash the dread of accepting Daniel Wolfe as her mate.She was acutely aware that she had no way of knowing if the Hellhound Alpha had left Silver Moon and thus making it safe to return but her gut told her that he wouldn't just leave, not after Eva had embarrassed him by practically rejecting him.Inverness wasn't Eva's original destination of choice but she feared crossing the border would draw attention especially since she wasn't sure which towns and cities were run by Hellhounds. She hadn't exactly made it her life mission to learn about the Hellhounds pack's territory. Also she wanted to stay as
Tomatin was definitely small but it had a bed and breakfast and that meant Eva had somewhere safe to lock herself away for a few days until her heat passed.So far she hadn't sensed any werewolves but that didn't mean they weren't around. Luckily humans didn't react to a werewolf in heat so it wasn't like Eva would have to avoid all contact, definitely a relief given that Eva didn't think she could stay locked up in a room for three days straight.Dumping her bag on the small lumpy bed, Eva decided a shower was in order and then something to eat. She had spotted a cafe down the road and the thought of hot food instead of packaged sandwiches or rabbits she caught when in wolf form was too inviting to miss out on.Clean and dressed in fresh clothing, Eva grabbed her room key and headed out to find the cafe.15 minutes down the road she found the white cottage with a pavement sign by the gate announci
Morning came all too quickly. Eva knew she had no choice but to face the music. Maria couldn't hide her forever and her parents would be worried.Nursing a cup of coffee at the kitchen table in Maria's home, Eva silently formulated a plan on how she was going to deal with the day. It didn't make her feel any better but it meant she had some control of the narrative. She'd head home first to freshen up and change. Hopefully her parents were still there so she could talk with them.Despite the fact that the conversation would probably be difficult, Eva knew that it was going to be the easiest part of her day. Once she had her parents onboard, she would speak with the Ouma and then look to reject Daniel as her mate. All being well she'd send him packing by the end of the day and Eva could go back to her life.However that plan fell apart the moment she stepped into her parents cottage.Insta
Daniel had no idea if this evening would work but after his meeting with Eshe and Axl he knew he had to try. The collective secret shared by everyone except Daniel was becoming a dark cloud, hanging around like an unwelcome guest. It didn't take a rocket scientist to work out something was amiss but no one dared to speak about it or simply didn't want to. Then again Daniel had to admit he hasn't actually asked, at least not directly.He had found out little about Eva but one of the things he had found out was she was a sucker for chicken nuggets and a bottle of beer. So, that's where Daniel would start silently hoping that bribery with food and alcohol would set their ship back on the right path.He had only just sat down when the door to the packhouse bar opened. It wasn't as big as the one back on Daniel's territory but it was empty, the manager kindly agreeing to let Eva and Daniel have the place to themselves for the evening.