Bad Moon Rising

Bad Moon Rising: Lunar Mates Book 2

Loribelle Hunt © 2006

www.cobblestone‐press.com

Bad Moon Rising: Lunar Mates Book 2

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Bad Moon Rising: Lunar Mates Book 2

Copyright© 2006 Loribelle Hunt

ISBN: 1‐60088‐031‐2

Cover Artist: Sable Grey

Editor: Leanne Salter

Excerpt from Crossing Borders by Cora Zane All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

Cobblestone Press, LLC

www.cobblestone‐press.com

2

Loribelle Hunt

To My Family. Thanks for always being there.

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Bad Moon Rising: Lunar Mates Book 2

A low murmur rolled through the long, crowded hall as the group of eight men made their way to the curved table at the head of the room.

The Council had finally arrived. Trey’s eyes barely flickered over them, instead he coolly took in the presence of the two who followed. Jackson and Darius. From the looks of things, those two were no longer friends.

Who would expect them to be? It was unfortunate that the Alpha position left vacant by Brant’s sudden death could only be filled by one of these two men.

In the not too distant past, the matter would have been decided by battle or all out war. But old ways changed, and the High Council had decided who would take the ninth seat at their table. The hall was filled with the adults members of the pack waiting to discover which were that would be.

Two Alphas.

One pack.

And one Hunter.

With veiled amusement, he noted the space that had cleared around him on his entry. Always an outsider. But perhaps that would change if the outcome of this meeting was as he expected.

He’d been a Hunter, chasing down members of the Society, the band of outlaw wolves that threatened their secrecy, for nineteen years. At 35, he’d lasted longer than most, but now he felt another pull, one he couldn’t name. The rage that had fueled his blood for so long was a dim memory. The one who killed his family was certainly dead by someone else’s hand, or some other cause by now. And his own coldness, his own growing remoteness, had finally convinced him that if he ever wanted to, now was the time to retire from his position.

Of course, the final decision depended on the outcome here 4

Loribelle Hunt

tonight.

He couldn’t stay with the pack. They closed in on him, too many weres with their suspicion of him and what he was. Oh, they accepted him readily enough. What choice did they have? But he’d never truly belong here. Hunters were turned away from no pack, they were too important to the survival of their species. But trusted? Welcomed? That was another story. And now two of the only three men he could count as friends were going to drive a wedge in their childhood pack.

He was surprised at the turmoil that roiled through him, he who had felt nothing for so long. Everything hinged on the Council and the two men before it. He studied them; saw through the casual poses to the fine tension beneath the surface. They had been best friends since the den, and now faced each other in distrust and anger.

Damn Brant for refusing to name a successor.

A gavel pounded the room to order, and projecting a calm he didn’t feel, turned to hear the verdict.

“We have decided,” the Elder spoke.

Banishment. Has to be.

“Darius Stewart.” The Elder continued when he stepped forward,

“You are to be banished.”

The room erupted in calls, indecipherable in the combined babble.

Relief washed through Trey. Things appeared to be going his way. The gavel banged for order once again, and the elder glared at the gathering.

“You will be allowed to start your own pack in the old Alabama lands. Any males of this pack who wish to join you will have one week to decide.”

Darius nodded stiffly. “Yes, Elder.”

“In accordance with the old laws, you will come back before us in one year’s time to be officially recognized. If you can’t hold the pack, we’ll allow challenges.”

Not if I can help it.

“I understand, Elder,” he said, ignoring the speculative murmur behind him.

“Clear the room,” the elder ordered Trey.

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Bad Moon Rising: Lunar Mates Book 2

The rest of the meeting would continue in private. It was only a matter of minutes before silence descended on the group, but to him it seemed like hours. He was unexpectedly nervous about putting his plan into action.

Finally, he shut the door behind the last straggler and turned to find the elder, head cocked to the side, studying him. He was the Hunter representative for the meeting, and presented his famed outer composure as he strode to the front of the room.

“Is it time?” the elder asked.

He exhaled in relief. There would be no arguments, no asking him to stay.

“Yes, it is, Elder,” he answered, smiling slightly.

He felt Darius and Jackson watching him, obviously wondering what was going on. He’d arrived home two days ago to find everything in turmoil, and had avoided them until this moment.

The elder nodded his acceptance.

“When you swore your oath as Hunter, you also swore to never seek to be Alpha. Is that your intention now?”

“No, Elder,” he answered, cringing inwardly at the ritual question.

No way in hell was probably an inappropriate answer, but it still found its way to the tip of his tongue. He bit it back, maintaining his still stance before them.

“We hate to lose you, Hunter, but we free from your oath.” He shook his head at Jackson and Darius. “But now you will have to choose between your friends. A Hunter doesn’t have many to choose from. I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“I do, Elder.”

“Do you stay with the pack or go with Darius?”

“I’ll go to Alabama,” he answered.

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Loribelle Hunt

Lying hidden in a dark back corner of the deck, a sleek black wolf lifted his head as the conversation drifted out. Two women chatted peacefully inside, one small and curvy with rich brown hair. Meg O’Reilly was the pack leader’s mate, and in his absence, the pack watched over her.

The wolf had come to like her. She was fiery and strong and gave Darius a run for his money.

The other, though, she was an enigma.

Tara Burke. Not his type—average height, too skinny, weird short spiky wine‐colored hair.

But since he’d first seen her, he’d been obsessed. He decided she was the perfect height—she’d fit so snuggly tucked under his arm. And skinny? No, she was long and sleek, and he longed to feel her legs wrapped around him when he plunged deep into her warm, wet depths.

She had the face of a pixie; delicate upturned nose, funky hair that just barely prevented that face from looking like a high school cheerleader.

And her smell. The wolf edged towards the door, breathing deep—

cinnamon and chocolate and something that vaguely reminded him of baking bread. That scent was going to be the death of him. She smelled of home and stability, and things a man and wolf like him had no right to dream of.

For two weeks, Darius had been gone. Two weeks filled with hunting for a rogue wolf, guarding Meg O’Reilly, and watching over Tara Burke. The rogue continued to evade him, frustrating him with his 7

Bad Moon Rising: Lunar Mates Book 2

seeming invisibility. Though it appeared he had stopped stalking their people, Trey’s gut told him not to let his guard down. He’d learned that lesson the hard way once before.

Tara stood and carried something to the sink, pausing to stare out at the night. If he wasn’t so well hidden, he would swear she looked right at him. His mate. He felt the truth of it deep in his marrow.

He shook his head. He was turning fanciful. The lack of sleep was surely driving him insane. Darius was due home any minute, Thank God,

, and after work, Tara had headed straight for Meg’s. He was looking forward to some downtime tonight.

When she spoke to Meg, he silently cursed his luck.

“It’s nine already,” she said on a sigh. “I need to get going if I plan to get any sleep tonight.”

He quickly shifted form and reached for his cell phone and clothes tucked in the nearby shadows. He wasn’t taking the chance of leaving either woman alone.

The phone was answered on the first ring.

“Randall, I need you to watch Meg,” he ordered curtly.

“On my way,” the man answered without hesitation.

Once dressed, Trey stepped into the light spilling onto the deck, just as Tara turned. Gasping in surprise, her hand went to her throat. With a pang of regret, he realized she was afraid of
him
, not just his sudden appearance outside the door. He didn’t want things to begin between them this way, but he had no time to make unobtrusive arrangements.

There was no way he was letting her travel the dark country roads alone.

Meg turned and smiled in question, obviously wondering why one of the werewolves was suddenly making his presence known. A brief half‐smile in response was all he could manage before his gaze unerringly returned to Tara.

He saw her several days a week, often making excuses to stop by her shop for coffee, trying to ease her into relaxing around him. But always, as soon as he walked through her door, she tensed, apprehension clear in her pretty blue eyes. His intensity put a lot of people off, but the stab of regret he experienced that his own mate feared him was a surprise.

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A pretty blush spread up her neck to her face, her pulse beating wildly at her throat. Maybe he’d given her too much room. There was alarm in her eyes, yes, but something else she tried to conceal. Interest.

She stepped back, breaking free of his stare, and looked helplessly at Meg, who jumped in to introduce them.

“Tara, have you met Trey Williams yet?” She turned and winked at him. “This is my cousin, Tara. She owns the bakery downtown.”

“We’ve met,” he replied curtly.

“Yeah,” Tara answered in a fake cheery voice. “Well, I need to be heading out.” She cast a suspicious look at him. “You gonna be okay?”

Meg laughed. “Fine.”

Reaching out, he grabbed her arm before she could step toward the door. Surprised at the shock of recognition and lust that jolted through him at the touch of her skin, he tugged her closer. With every sense focused so acutely on her, it would have been impossible to miss the way her breath caught in her throat, the way her tongue darted over irresistible lips. Meg’s discreet cough was the only thing that saved him from claiming an aggressive kiss from the mouth that had been haunting him for weeks.

Reigning in lust, he slid his hand down her arm to capture her fingers. “You can’t leave yet,” he said softly, noting that her eyes darkened from lust to anger. It was fascinating. Everything about her captivated him.

Pulling free she stepped back, only to find herself brought up short by the tall counter that separated the kitchen and living areas.

Compulsively drawn to her, he followed, pinning her in against retreat between two bar stools. Her nostrils flared in anger and she leaned around him to see Meg.

“Can’t you do something about this oaf?”

“Um, probably not. No.” She laughed, moving to a front window as car lights swept the room.

“That’ll be Randall,” he said. Looking down at Tara, he added, “As soon as he’s settled, I’ll take you home.”

“I don’t think so.”

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Bad Moon Rising: Lunar Mates Book 2

Palms flat against his chest, she hesitated before pushing him away.

His blood heated at her touch, and he almost didn’t give her the illusion that she had control of the situation. His wolf side was clamoring to claim her, here and now, willing or not.