Resisting the Moon: A Royal Shifters Novel (13 page)

I could barely move the next morning, as the entire night before was spent in an orgasmic haze. Sebastian hadn’t been kidding when he’d said he wasn’t done with me. His scent was all over the sheets, but when I reached for him, he wasn’t there. Opening my eyes, I sat up and listened. His mind was shut off from me, but I could hear him outside on the porch, tapping a finger on the wooden railing.

Sliding out of bed, I grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around my body. When I got downstairs, I saw him outside on the deck, bare-chested, wearing only a pair of pants. The snow fell all around him, his whitish-blond hair covered in flakes. Something was wrong; I could feel it. It was almost like the awkwardness after a one night stand, only I’d never had one of those to compare. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and stepped out. He didn’t move.

“Sebastian?”

He glanced over his shoulder. “Good morning, love.”

“What’s wrong?” I walked up and stood beside him, my shoulder brushing his skin.

He leaned over the railing on his elbows and looked at me. “Why didn’t you want me to taste your blood last night? Are you afraid of me getting in your head?”

Averting my gaze, I focused on the woods, ashamed of my fears. “The last thing you need to worry about are my insecurities, especially while you’re battling your own issues. It’s not fair.”

“That’s not it, Tyla. There’s something else. What is it?”

Blowing out a sigh, I turned to face him, his piercing blue eyes seeing right through me. “When I took your blood yesterday, there wasn’t a vision. From what I’ve heard, you’re supposed to see visions of a glorious future together after the first exchange. I didn’t get that.”

His jaw tensed. “What did you see?”

“Blood, darkness, pain. Bailey says it could’ve been your thoughts overpowering the moment, but I don’t know. Having you, then losing you, would kill me. I’m afraid of what I’ll see when you take my blood.”

My eyes burned, and I tried and failed at blinking back the tears. Sebastian pulled me into his arms, my face resting against his chest. His strong heartbeat was music to my ears. “Don’t you think I’m scared too?”

“Of what?” I asked.

He pulled back and cupped my face in his hands. “We don’t know if it’s me hindering our visions, or if it’s our true future. Whatever happens, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s you losing me. What if I’m the one who loses you? As your mate and protector, I don’t want to fail.”

“You won’t. It’s not in your blood.”

A sad smile spread across his lips. “But I would rather die knowing I had a few happy moments with you, than nothing at all. You have no idea how much last night helped me.”

I placed my hands over his and smiled as the blanket slid down my body. “It helped me too.” Leaning up on my toes, I pressed my lips to his. Our future was unknown, but he had a point. I’d rather have a few happy moments with him than nothing at all.

“The full moon is coming soon.” His hands cupped my backside, holding me against the bulge in his pants. “I want to complete the bond.”

I stared up at him, completely at a loss for words. He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, eyes searching mine. I wanted to do it, but it was all happening so fast. Before I could answer, his eyes flashed and he growled, his attention snapping to the woods.

“Sebastian, what’s wrong?”

He pulled me behind him, his body tense. Then I realized what was going on; a wolf was in the distance. “Go inside, Tyla,” he commanded. I did as he said and raced upstairs, throwing on a T-shirt and pants before rushing back down. Eyes closed, Sebastian stood by the door. “He’s getting closer.”

All I could sense was one wolf, but it could be a trap. I couldn’t let him go out there alone. He took off his pants and opened the door. I started to follow him, but he held out his arm. “You’re not coming with me, Tyla.”

Jaw clenched, I stood up to him, daring him to try and make me stay. “You may be an alpha, but so am I. If you want me to be your mate, you have to let me be one. That means protecting you as well. Let me go out there and draw this wolf in while you shield your presence. When he gets close you can attack.” I rested my hand against his cheek. “We fight together.”

He huffed and nodded at the door. “Go, before I change my mind.” Instead of shifting, I jumped off the deck and took off for the woods. Sebastian caught up to me after shifting. He was beautiful, and a hell of a lot larger than me in my wolf form. I watched him run off into the woods and disappear.

The other wolf was close, maybe a mile out. A small clearing was up ahead and I stopped in the middle of it. Whatever happened, I’d be ready.

“I’m okay,”
I said, hoping Sebastian could hear me in his mind. It was going to take some getting used to knowing I could speak to him without actually talking. The only problem was, I couldn’t hear him back. He had to take my blood in order for the link to be open both ways.

The other wolf picked up his speed and my heart raced; he sensed me. By the sound of his paws on the ground, he was in wolf form. I thought about shifting, but when the massive gray wolf finally came into view and stopped at the edge of the clearing, I froze. Sucking in a breath, I stared into a set of golden, amber eyes.

“This can’t be,” I whispered, closing a hand over my mouth. He charged toward me, and me to him. I had to touch him to make sure he was real. He even had the same patch of white fur between his eyes. We were about to close the distance when a white blur caught my eye.

“No!” I screamed, holding out my hand. Sebastian lunged in the air, ready to strike. I raced toward him and jumped on his back, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Sebastian, no!”

Growling, he was pulled off course until my hold slipped. I rolled across the ground and yelped when the edge of a stick punctured a hole in my left shoulder. Pain shot through my body as I tried desperately to pull the stick out, but I couldn’t reach it.

“Tyla!”

The stick was pulled out and I was lifted off the ground, only it wasn’t Sebastian holding me . . . it was Finn. He looked in my eyes and I in his. It was really him. “Finn,” I breathed, his face growing blurry from my tears. His brown hair was a little longer on top, but other than that he looked the same. For thirty years I’d thought he was dead, and now, he was standing before me. I touched his face and smiled. “You’re alive.”

“Come on, let’s get you out of here.”

He turned to leave the clearing and my mind exploded with nothing but red. Sebastian stood in human form, blocking our path—his murderous glare set on Finn. I hissed in pain, his raging emotions blasting my mind. It only got worse when he saw the blood dripping down my shoulders. He blamed himself for the wound. “Get your hands off her now or I’ll rip your head off your fucking body.”

Finn held me tighter. “I’d like to see you try.”

“Stop!” I shouted. I glanced up at Finn and sighed. “Put me down. He’s not your enemy.”

He glared at Sebastian and back at me. “But you’re hurt. We need to take care of that shoulder.”

“I’ll be fine. Now set me down, please.” He did as I said and I hissed in pain.

Sebastian hurried over and swiped my hair away from the wound so he could take a look. “Fuck,” he growled. “Why did you jump in my way?”

Swallowing hard, I looked over at Finn. “I couldn’t let you hurt him. He’s a friend from my past.”

Finn scoffed. “I was much more than a
friend
, Tyla.”

Sebastian tensed and faced him, stepping in front of me. “I don’t care who you are, that was in the past. I’m her true mate.”

Finn’s gaze narrowed. “And I’m her first mate. Looks like we’re going to have a problem.”

Tyla

W
hen we got back to the house, I entered first, with both guys following behind me. There were clean towels in the laundry room, so I grabbed one and tossed it to Finn. “I’ll be right back.” He wrapped the towel around his waist and paced the living room floor while I retreated upstairs. Sebastian joined me and ripped off my shirt so I wouldn’t have to lift my shoulders. “I’m seriously going to have to go shopping. This is the second shirt you’ve ripped.”

His fingers gently traced over my wound. “I didn’t enjoy ripping this one, love. The last thing I wanted was for you to get hurt.” He moved me over to the bed and I sat down.

“It’s not your fault. I didn’t know it was going to be Finn.”

“He’s the alpha you spoke of, isn’t he?” I nodded and hissed when he touched my wound again. “Were you lovers?”

Sighing, I nodded again. “It was a long time ago, Sebastian.”

“It doesn’t matter. You loved him. Just the
thought
of you being with him makes me so goddamned furious I can barely see straight.” The smell of his blood unexpectedly permeated the room and I felt its warmth drip onto my wound.

“What are you doing?” I asked, before I realized the answer. The pain subsided and I could feel the flesh mending back together. He kissed my shoulder and smoothed a hand over it.

“My blood can heal you. It’s one of the benefits of being true mates.” I’d known that, but never thought it would work so quickly.

I turned around and kissed him. He saw Finn as a threat and I could feel it. He needed to know there was nothing to worry about. “I know you’re my mate, Sebastian, and he’s not going to take me away from you. But, I need to know what happened over the last thirty years. In order to do that, I have to talk to him. You need to let me go to him.”

Jaw tense, he cursed under his breath. “You better hope he doesn’t try to take you away from me. If he does, I won’t hesitate in ripping him apart. That I can promise.”

I nodded. “I just need answers, nothing more.” He moved out of the way so I could grab another T-shirt from my bag. It didn’t even hurt when I lifted my shoulders to put it on. Before walking out the door, I glanced over my shoulder.
“Thank you.”

He lifted his gaze and nodded.

Hurrying downstairs, I found Finn standing just outside. As I stepped out of the door, he scooped me into his arms.

“When I caught your scent in the woods, I thought I was in a fucking dream. I never thought I’d see you again.”

Tears spilled down my cheeks. “I thought you were dead. Why didn’t you come for me?”

He pulled back, eyes wide. “I had been, until Sarah and Benjamin told me you never made it out alive.”

Gasping, I clutched a hand to my chest. “Why would they tell you that? They knew I was alive. Did Amelie tell you that as well?”

He shook his head. “I haven’t seen her since the attack. I passed through this way many years ago on my search for you and found Sarah and Benjamin. That’s when they told me.”

I felt sick, betrayed. Why the hell would they do that? “What about the rest of our pack? What happened to them?”

Sighing, he grabbed my hands and squeezed. “There are some who still follow me, but over the years, most have turned up dead or missing. So when I was passing through and smelled the dead wolves at Amelie’s, I knew something was wrong. That’s when I went searching through the woods and found you.”

“Why are our people showing up dead?”

He huffed. “I don’t know. That’s why I wanted to check on your family, to make sure they were okay.”

“Amelie’s gone, we believe she’s been kidnapped. That’s why we’re here. She called and said she needed help. When we showed up, she was missing and we found my aunt and uncle dead in the woods. I don’t know who took her.” Then I thought of Jaret. “Do you know of a wolf named Jaret Bleddyn?”