Blood Moon (46 page)

Nick and I continued walking, and he took me
to the gazebo I’d sought refuge in earlier. He sniffed the air, and
I did the same, knowing instantly what he smelled.

“You and Jackson talked?” He seemed uneasy,
maybe worried about something.

“We did. He found me in here earlier and
told me about his family,” I confessed. “That’s it.”

Nick seemed surprised. “Wow. That’s a big
step for him. He’s usually reluctant to open up like that to
anyone.”

“I think he wanted me to know that I wasn’t
alone,” I whispered, sitting on the bench.

“Still… Definitely explains how he was quick
to jump to your defense at the table. Makes me wonder what his
ulterior motive is.”

I looked up at him as he paced in front of
me. “He can’t just be cordial? He has to have some sinister plan
for befriending me after what he did in the park that night?”

Nick exhaled heavily, his breath creating a
dense fog as it mingled with the cold winter air. “Listen, Brooke…
About that night—”

Suddenly, a scream pierced the night,
forcing me from my feet and the both of us across the yard and back
toward the front of the house. There stood Colby and Zach, his arms
around her protectively as she clung to his jacket, her face buried
against his chest.

“What is it?” Nick demanded as we both came
to a stop beside them.

I smelled the blood before I saw the steam
rising up from the driveway. When I looked down, I gasped loudly,
reaching out and grabbing Nick’s arm. My nails dug into his bicep,
even through his parka while my other hand covered my mouth.

There, on the ground, was a wolf. Not a
werewolf from the smell of it. No, this was one hundred percent
animal. I didn’t know the different breeds of wolves that were out
there, having been born and raised in Arizona where wolves were a
rarity in and of themselves, but it was gray and white and about
the size of a German Shepherd. It had been cut from pelvis to
throat, all of its organs spilling out onto the snow-covered
concrete, and its eyes were wide and unseeing. Frozen in shock and
pain for all eternity.

Nick stepped forward, but I remained
paralyzed in place, being forced to relinquish my hold on him. He
knelt down next to the animal, cringing as the smell hit him harder
than a second ago. “It’s a gray wolf,” he announced. “Not anyone we
know.” While I’d already suspected it wasn’t one of our kind, I
assumed he was saying this for Colby’s benefit.

When I turned toward her, I found we’d been
joined by the rest of the Pack, and Marcus did not look pleased as
he stared off into the night. I knew in that instant who was
responsible…

Gianna’s slighted coven.

And they had just declared war on the
Pack.

A.D. Ryan resides in Edmonton, Alberta with her
extremely supportive husband and children (two sons and a
stepdaughter). Reading and writing have always been a big part of
her life, and she hopes that her books will entertain countless
others the way that other authors have done for her. Even as a
small child, she enjoyed creating new and interesting characters
and molding their worlds around them.

To learn more about the author and stay up-to-date
on future publications, please look for her on Facebook and her
blog.

www.facebook.com/pages/AD-Ryan-Author/

http://adryanauthorblog.wordpress.com