Resisting the Moon: A Royal Shifters Novel (10 page)

“And my sister?” Sophia asked.

I held my breath and blew it out slow. “I’m so sorry, Sophia, but she didn’t make it. Nor did Benjamin.”

“What happened to them?” she demanded.

Erle huffed. “Soph, that’s not something you need to know. Sebastian don’t answer that.”

Sophia burst out crying. “Why would anyone want to hurt them?”

“I think they were trying to help Amelie and got in the way. She was obviously the one the wolves wanted. I promise we’ll find her. Tyla’s not going to want to leave until we do.”

“They were best friends,” Erle said. “Attached at the hip, they were.”

“And it’ll be that way again when we find her. We’ll bring her home.”

Sophia sniffled again, but her voice was strong. “Sebastian?”

“Yes,” I replied.

“Whatever happens, you bring my Tyla home safe. I don’t care what you have to do, or who you have to leave behind, just make sure she gets back. I’m not going to let her kill herself over this mission. You both have so much to live for. I want to see her happy. I want grandbabies to hold.”

I sighed. “Then talk some sense into her. She won’t listen to me.”

“She’ll come around,” she murmured. “Tyla’s been through a lot of heartache. I know she’d kill me if I told you this, but she’s just afraid. You need to show her she has nothing to worry about.”

Leaning my head against the couch, I blew out a frustrated breath. Getting Tyla to listen was like trying to move a brick wall. I guess I was just going to have to break it down.

Tyla

I
could feel the warmth beside me and turned into it. Fingers caressed my arm and I smiled. Breathing deeply, Sebastian’s scent filled my lungs and reality reared its ugly head. Gasping, I opened my eyes and sat up, head pounding. Sebastian stared back at me, the top half of his body bare. I really wanted to look under the covers to see if he was completely naked, but then I remembered why I was there in the first place. The memories from the stone flashed before my eyes.

“Where are we?” I asked.

Sebastian looked at me with his mesmerizing crystal blue eyes. “In a cabin just down the road from Amelie’s. After you passed out last night, we needed a place to stay. I figured we could go back there today.”

I looked at the clock and realized I’d been out for over twelve hours. “Holy shit, my parents. I need to call them.”

Sebastian reached for my phone on the bedside table and tossed it to me. “It’s already been done. I know you wanted to talk to them, but they kept calling. I had to tell them something.”

My throat tightened and I nodded. It was probably best he’d done it anyway. “I understand. How did they take it?”

He shrugged. “Like I thought they would. They just want you home safe.”

I glanced around the room for the stone. It was the only way I was going to find Amelie. “Where’s the stone?” I asked.

“It’s in safekeeping. What did you see this last time?”

Closing my eyes, I could see his face. He was a wolf, tall and very good looking with dark hair and hazel eyes. Amelie envisioned him a lot; they’d been intimate. “A man,” I explained, opening my eyes. “He was Amelie’s lover. She had to have mentioned him in her journal.”

Nodding, he pulled the covers away and got out of bed. My eyes shot to his bare ass. I couldn’t take my gaze away from his beautifully sculpted body. Sure, I was used to seeing the men in my pack naked, but I’d never get enough of Sebastian. He slid on a pair of pants and walked over to a table in the corner where the journal sat. He picked it up and tossed it to me.

“I didn’t read any of it. I figured you’d want to be the one to do it,” he murmured.

“Thanks,” I said, holding it to my chest.

He nodded again and walked by me to grab his shirt. “I also talked to Seraphina. She said only someone really powerful can do the kind of linking spell found on that stone.”

I opened the journal to a random page. “Maybe Amelie knows someone like that. I guess we’ll find out.” My stomach growled. “We should probably get something to eat soon.” I hadn’t eaten since we’d left Wyoming.

Sebastian put on his shirt and headed for the door. “As soon as you’re ready, we’ll go.” He glanced back at me one more time before shutting the door behind him.

Looking down at my hands to find dirt still caked under my nails, I realized I desperately needed a shower. Once I was showered and dressed, I tucked the journal under my arm and met Sebastian downstairs.

“I’m ready,” I called out. More snow had started to fall, and it’d do little to help us on our mission, covering up the tracks we’d followed the day before. I looked out the window and groaned. “What are we going to do?”

Sebastian followed my gaze. “Our best bet is to go through the journal today, front to back. And tomorrow, we can return to Amelie’s.”

Nodding, I fully agreed with him. It was going to take all day to get through her journal. Hopping in the car to get something to eat, I opened it up and started reading while Sebastian drove us around. I skimmed through the first entries from when we were kids. Thankfully, she didn’t write in it every day or I’d never get through them all. She only wrote when she felt the need to let out her feelings.

May 22, 1983

Graduation Day! I’m so glad to be done with high school, but now comes the hard part. I have no clue what I want to do in life. Tyla wants to be a veterinarian and I know she’d be great at it, but what am I good at? I love plants and rare gems. Maybe I should become a teacher and share my knowledge with young minds. All of the colleges I applied to have accepted me, but I haven’t told anyone yet, especially Tyla. She wants to go away to college, and her parents can’t afford to send her. I can’t leave her behind. Maybe once she mates with Finn I’ll go off on my own. Why not, right? Hopefully I’ll meet a rugged wolf to sweep me off of my feet.

My heart hurt and I shut the journal, as Sebastian pulled us into the parking lot of a local mom and pop restaurant.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

Shaking my head, I glanced down at the journal. “Amelie lied to me.”

“About what?”

I shrugged. “Nothing major. When we graduated high school, she knew my parents couldn’t afford to send me to college, so she lied about not being accepted anywhere and stayed home. I can’t believe she did that.”

“That was her choice, Tyla.”

“I know, but I didn’t want her to put her life on hold because of me. Maybe our pack splitting up was good for her. She ended up going to college and getting a teaching degree.”

“Why exactly did your pack split up?”

My stomach growled and I clutched it. “Do you mind if we talk about this later? I’m starving.”

Pursing his lips, I knew he wasn’t finished with me, but I wasn’t ready to talk about it. That time would come soon enough.

I ate more than I’d ever eaten in my entire life and even brought back extra food. With everything going on, there was no telling when I’d get the chance to eat again. Sebastian stayed close and patrolled around the house sporadically as I read through the journal. His presence was a much needed comfort.

Skimming through the journal, I went through almost every entry for the past thirty years, looking for names I didn’t recognize. Even during our time of separation, it was nice knowing she’d missed me as much as I’d missed her. At one point, I’d tried to get her to move to Wyoming, but she loved it in North Carolina. Now I could see why.

June 8, 2015

It was a good day today. I think I finally met the rugged wolf I’ve been waiting for. Jaret Bleddyn. He’s just like me, a rogue. Don’t get me wrong, the local pack has some pretty decent looking wolves, but this guy takes the cake. I met him out in the woods when I went searching for a plant to use in my next classroom demonstration. I have plans to see Jaret this weekend. I can’t wait.

June 12, 2015

Tonight was my first date with Jaret. My parents weren’t exactly thrilled about me going out with a lone wolf, but he’s absolutely perfect. He drove us to Asheville and we went to the Biltmore House. It’s strange, but every time he looks at me, I get this weak feeling in my knees. In fact, I’m so sure he’s my mate, I gave in and slept with him. It was the most amazing night of my life. There was no way I could resist him.

“Tyla?” Sebastian called.

I waved my hand in the air. “Over here.” Sitting up, I made room for him on the couch.

He sat beside me, dressed in only a pair of dress pants with the button undone. I was starting to think he didn’t own a pair of jeans. “Any wolves out there?” I asked.

“Not that I can tell.” My gaze drifted to the opening in his pants again and my pulse raced. A small smirk splayed across his lips. He knew I wanted him, and with each passing day, it was getting harder and harder to fight against my need. He tapped the journal, grabbing my attention. “Find anything?”

Sitting up straighter, I cleared my throat. “Actually, I did. She was involved with a wolf named Jaret Bleddyn. Looks like they were intimate.”

His heart rate flared, along with his desire; serving only to fuel my mine more. Dammit, he was going to kill me. “Is that the last entry?” he asked.

I shook my head. I hadn’t gotten all the way to the end. Flipping through the pages, I got to the last entry. It was dated just three weeks prior. I read it out loud.

“I decided to do it. Tonight is the full moon and I’m going to complete the bond with Jaret. He’s on his way now to get me. My parents are angry. They say he’s not my true mate. How can that be when I feel the way I do? Their constant badgering has left me no choice but to see him in secret. Why couldn’t they just understand? The decision has been made and I’m going to see it through. Once they meet him, they’ll see he’s my mate. I love him.”

Sebastian’s gaze narrowed. “So your aunt and uncle never met the guy?”

Closing the journal, I sat it on the table and grabbed my phone. “Doesn’t look like it. And Amelie had been seeing him for months by that point. It makes no sense.” I dialed Blake’s number and waited for him to pick up.

“What’s up, Tyla?”

“Hey, Boss. You doing okay this morning?”

He chuckled. “Believe it or not, I can run my ranch on my own. You just happen to make it easier.”

“Trust me, I wish I was there.”

“Is everything all right?” he asked.