Echoes of the moon

Chapter 2 — Aria's POVMate.Why did I say it out loud? Me, Aria Ravenshadow, the pack omega, claiming the Alpha as my mate? Maybe I've gone insane.Jaxon's gray eyes lock onto mine, and it feels like I'm sinking. He looks even better close up – Nyx, my wolf, is acting crazy. She's howling and clawing, desperate to be closer to him.But then his face changed. The shock fell away, replaced by a cold and hard expression. My heart had soared a moment before and now sank to my feet.“What did you just say?” Jaxon's voice was low and menacing.I opened my mouth but nothing came out. The pack was silent around us, all holding their breath.Jaxon moved a step closer toward me, and I instinctively moved a step backward. My mind was filled with memories of the constant disparaging remarks Jaxon made when I failed in tasks, debilitating chores he handed out to me, and how he looked through me as if I did not exist.“I. I.” I stuttered, my voice little more than a whisper.“Speak up, omega,” gro

Chapter 4 — Kane's POV.The scent was like a gut punch. Unfamiliar. Intriguing. Not quite human, nor wolf either. My twin brother Zane's ears perked up the same instant mine did, and our eyes met in silent communication.“You smell that?” I growled low.Zane nodded, amber eyes shining bright with curiosity. “Let's go.”We moved through the forest with practiced stealth, our huge wolf forms melting into the shadows. As Alphas of the Nightfire Pack, it was our job to check out any possible threats to our territory. But this was different.The scent grew stronger the closer we came to a small clearing. It was then that I saw her.Huddled in the bushes was the most fantastical creature I had ever seen. Part human, part wolf. Her body was slicked down in black fur, yet her form was caught somewhere between shapes. My heart jumped when our eyes met because they went wild with terror and were impossibly beautiful.I nodded to Zane, and we moved out into the open. The wolf snarled, flashing t

Chapter 6 — Kane's POVMy arms wrapped around her small frame, tugging her easily off the ground. She struggled hard against me, a growl small in her throat.“And where do you think you're going?” I growled-low and rumbling-against her ear.She was wrestling in my arms like some feral animal, all snarls and claws. It was cute, but why was she trying to run away?Instantly, Zane was beside me, his eyes wide with alarm as he took in the vision of our little mate half-shifted. “What the—” he began, but I cut him off with a look.We didn't need words, Zane and I. But a look was sometimes enough to say so much. And today that look said, “What the fuck?”“Easy, little one,” I crooned. I tried to speak soft and soothing. “We're not going to hurt you.”Her struggles slowly subsided, and the fight went out of her, leaving her whole body trembling. It made something ache in my chest, a feeling I wasn't used to.I turned back to Zane, his eyes reflecting my own confusion. This wasn't how finding

Chapter 8 — Kane's POVMy heart was pounding against my chest as I burst through the pack house doors, Zane right beside me with an unconscious Aria in his arms. Her skin was burning up, radiating heat even from several feet away.“Dr. Cassia!” I shouted both out loud and through our pack link. I rarely used my Alpha voice, but right now? Yeah, this qualified as an emergency.The lights in the hallway made Aria's face look paler than she already was. My wolf was going crazy, pushing against my skin, desperate to protect our mate. Which was still a mind-trip to think about, considering how Zane and I had sworn off the whole mate thing years ago.Funny how life works out sometimes.Dr. Cassia met us at the entrance to the medical wing, her silver hair escaping its usual neat bun. One look at Aria and her professional calm cracked just slightly.“Put her on the examination table,” she ordered, already pulling out equipment. “What happened?”“She just collapsed,” Zane explained, laying Ar

Chapter 10 — Zane's POVEverything happened in slow motion.One second I was watching Aria thrash in her sleep, muttering something about guardians, and the next thing I knew, her hands burst into brilliant blue flames. Not normal flames, either – these had an otherworldly quality that made my wolf bristle with a mixture of awe and instinctive wariness.“Aria!” Kane's shout snapped me into action as the flames began spreading to the curtains. The acrid smell of smoke filled the air as medical supplies and papers caught fire. Dr. Cassia stood frozen, her usually calm demeanor shattered by the supernatural display before us.I lunged forward just as Aria's eyes rolled back, catching her before she could hit the floor. Even unconscious, her skin hummed with energy, though the burning heat from before had faded to a subtle warmth. My wolf was going crazy, desperate to protect our mate while simultaneously fascinated by this new development.“Move her to the other section!” Dr. Cassia orde