Edric's POV:
The little bell above the diner jingles as I pull open the door for Maya. She gives me an apprehensive look, and then steps inside. She’s afraid – it radiates from her whole body. Who can blame her? After what she told me about how people treated her. But they won’t do it now. Not while I’m with her. Not now that she smells like the Luna she is.
I take her hand, leading her to a booth in the corner. She’ll feel more comfortable without all the eyes on her. Almost everyone in the diner are werewolves, and everyone are curious about their new Luna.
The young server who comes over to us is a werewolf too, and she looks very nervous when she hands us the menus. “I know it doesn’t look like much,” I tell Maya, ignoring the menu. “But this place has the best ice cream sundaes in the whole state.”
“I believe you.”
“Are you hungry yet?” I ask.
She was quiet on the ride over here, staring out of the window. I d
I thought he’d be more curious about the man I killed. It did shock him, I could see it, but he said nothing. And for some reason, it bothered me that it didn’t bother him. It was almost like he just accepted it and moved on. Or worse still – justified it, like I’ve been justifying it for three years now. I don’t even know why I told him. That thing I did had been lying heavy on my mind for a while now, but I always thought I’d take my guilt-ridden conscience to the grave. I guess not. It was weird, walking through town, being greeted by all the wolves like we’re old friends. When I stumbled into this town, I had no idea there were so many wolves living here – I should have, because it’s not the first werewolf town I’ve come across, but I’ve never seen one with quite so many of them in one place. He did say we have a large pack. The humans who live here must be so confused. I find the thought of humans living blissfully unaware next to werewolves very amusing
The clothes I left on the bed are gone. The place is spotless. Clean linens on the bed. My nasty old backpack leans against the wall, looking out of place in this pristine room. I really need to get rid of the old thing – there’s nothing in it that I need or particularly want, but it’s my only possession, and I find the idea of parting with it strangely painful. “I have to go down for supper,” Edric says. “It will look strange if I miss another meal with the pack.” “Okay.” “You can stay here, if you prefer. I’ll send someone up with food.” “I’m not hungry.” “You have to eat,” he grumbles. “Why are you so obsessed by how much I eat?” “Because you don’t eat enough. You are a wolf; you need double the calories a human needs. You are starved and weak. Please, Maya, for me.” He stares at me, his golden eyes troubled. I wish he’d let me go. Reject me, so he can find himself a worthier mate. He’s good. Kind. He deserves better
Edric's POV: I trudge up the stairs to my bedroom. It’s been a long day. All I want to do is find a beer, take a long, hot shower, and go to sleep…but my day isn’t over. I still have pack business to deal with, and I have to talk to Maya about the Carlson situation. Jasper phoned me around one p.m. to let me know that things didn’t go well. My father warned me when I took over as Alpha that I can’t do both – he didn’t. He appointed a CEO and became a fulltime pack leader. Now he’s back at the business, doing a good job for a man who had been out of the game for almost thirty years, but he needs someone younger that can help him. And it can’t be me. I’ll need to find a wolf that has enough leadership skills to run the company – we don’t promote humans to management positions in our company. We’ll destroy them. A wolf with shoulder-length black hair stands on the balcony, her back to me. My first reaction is one of outrage at the strange she-wo
Edric's POV: “I did not leave her…I just needed to get away for a little bit.” The Moon Goddess says nothing, just stares at me with her silver-blue eyes. Eyes that are exactly like Maya’s when she’s in wolf form. How did I not notice it before? “She is the one right? The one from the prophecy?” The Goddess ignores my question. “You should not have left her alone.” “Shouldn’t I have? You’d prefer it if I told her that I think she’s a psycho in need of some serious mental help?” The Goddess gives me a cold smile, and unlike last time, she doesn’t fill me with love and peace. She fills me with fear and dread. “She is not a psychopath. She has a dark past. You rejected her when she revealed it. I thought you are stronger than that. Better.” “I didn’t…” Shit, is that what she thinks? “Yes, that’s what she thinks. Violence is all she knows. Violence and rejection. That is why she wants to respond to violence with violence.
I can see Edric standing at the edge of the forest, looking up at me. I absolutely scared the life out of him earlier, though I don’t know why. It’s not like I gathered the troops and handed them sticks and rocks or something. It was just a suggestion; one that still makes perfect sense to me. But it doesn’t to him, so I make a mental note to guard what I say from now on. I’ve become very comfortable very quickly with him, and once again, my out of control mouth landed me in trouble. I really, really need to learn how to stop and think before I speak. I turn around and go back inside. Edric will be here soon. He’ll want to talk, because that’s what he always does. Talk. He really does think that if you talk enough, you can solve any problem. ~ Not always, ~ my wolf says. ~ What about the rogue? ~ * The exception proves the rule. * The door flies open, and Edric steps in wearing only his boxer briefs. He honestly doesn’t give two shits who sees him nak
I don’t know what weird instinct takes a hold of me. I want him. Must have him. That’s all I know, and that’s all I can think about. Maybe it’s the slight change in his scent – I can smell his arousal, and if I can smell his, he can definitely smell mine. The whole room is thick with it, our scents mixing, turning my head into dizzy nothingness with only one goal in mind. Edric’s eyes burn into mine as I break our kiss and stare at him. Lying perfectly still, his hands resting on my hips, he says nothing, but he doesn’t have to…I can feel his hard erection pressing warm and urgently between my legs. It’s all I can feel. All I can think about. Sliding down his body, I nuzzle his neck, exploring him with my mouth and tongue, the taste of his skin driving me nearly delirious with nothing but pure lust. For a man that can transform into a hairy beast at will, his skin is remarkable smooth – apart from the little strip of hair that runs from his bellybutton down h
Edric's POV: I watch Maya eat. She doesn’t want to talk to me right now, and who can blame the poor girl? My instincts told me not to tell her, but I pushed that nagging little voice away, and now I’m regretting it. She wasn’t ready to hear the truth. Nor is she ready to find her parents. Unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury to wait until she is ready. The sooner she knows, the sooner I can tell the rest of the pack, and the sooner we can start preparing. I mind-link Jasper and Luca. “Are you awake?” “Yes,” they answer almost at once. “Maya’s the wolf from the prophecy.” Neither of them question my statement. “Ah fuck,” Luca says, “I’m sorry man.” “That means you are…you have to be the Lycan from the texts,” Jasper says. “The one that leads us into battle.” “Yeah.” “You’re Lycan?” Luca asks, surprised. “Apparently, I am…it must be on my mother’s side.” “How did you find out?”
Edric's POV: Finding Maya’s parents are easy. The day after they kicked her out, they reported her as missing – no doubt to cover their own asses. They even made a passionate plea on the news, begging Maya to come home. Their *Bring Maya Home* social media pages are still active, and they even post to them regularly. The last one, dated two days ago, states that they haven’t given up hope, and know that Maya is out there somewhere, followed by a donation link where people can contribute financially to the “search.” Not only did those disingenuous bastards kick their daughter out of the house, they’re profiting from it. I wonder if Maya knows. Goddess, I hope not. I make a note of their location. I’ll put a private investigator on them tomorrow. Maya doesn’t need to know, and she doesn’t have to come with me when I go there to rip them a collective pair of new assholes. I wouldn’t bother, but I need to know their heritage