Resisting the Moon: A Royal Shifters Novel (25 page)

She giggled and lifted her arms in the air. “I did tell you to wait on me. And as I remember it, you were the one who decided to start digging. I would’ve done it for you.”

“I’ll know for next time.” I chuckled.

Her smile faded. “Hopefully, there won’t be a next time. I’ve spent my whole life in war. It’s all Jaret thought about.” She started toward the house and I followed alongside.

The whole morning she’d spent packing up her things to take to Wyoming. Once we got inside, we carried her boxes out to the car. “So, tell me. What did you do that makes you think Amelie and Tyla will hate you?”

Body tense, she set the last box of her belongings in the back of the car and shut the trunk. “Like I said, I spent my whole life with a bunch of wolves who were seeking revenge. I was led to believe that my mother was killed by the Redwood Pack. So, many years ago, Jaret took me out to California where you all fought. The ground had absorbed the blood and I was able to extract it and use it to trace the remaining wolves. It didn’t give me exact coordinates, but it was enough for Jaret to go on the hunt and track them down.”

“And he killed them,” I stated.

Tears filled her eyes. “I never would’ve done it if I’d known.”

“How did you find out the truth?”

Sighing, she closed her eyes and the tears fell. “It was a year ago. I had been walking in the woods picking blackberries, when I overheard Jaret in the barn talking to Stefan. Stefan wanted to mate with me, but Jaret refused him, saying he thought it might mess with my powers.” She opened her eyes and looked down at the ground. “He said my mother tried to use her magic on Vincent to fight him off, but she wasn’t strong enough.” She shook her head, tears springing to her eyes. “The thought of him forcing himself on her made me so sick. I stayed in my room for days trying to clear my head.”

“What happened then?”

“That’s when I came up with a plan on my own. I searched for something of my mother’s, anything would do. There wasn’t much, but I did find a small box. Inside there were a couple of her journals, written in a language I’ve never heard of. I figured it was some kind of fae dialect.”

“Elvish. Your mother used to speak it sometimes.”

“It’s also where I found this.” She pulled a round, pink crystal out of her pocket.

“What is that?”

“It was my mother’s. She’d linked her memories to it just like I had with Amelie and the moonstone. However, this one linked to her memories, not her sight. It’s also a healing stone. She must’ve used it during the time she was with Vincent.” She closed her eyes and smiled. “It’s where I first saw you and your brothers . . . and realized Vincent wasn’t my father.”

“Did you see her with Zayne?”

She opened her eyes and faced me, her cheeks turning red. “Maybe a little more than I should have.” She laughed. “It’s nice to know they loved each other though. But after I saw you and your brothers, I traced you to Wyoming, and never said anything. So one day, I flew out there and saw you and Tyla. I felt an instant connection to you. I tried looking for my father, but he wasn’t there.”

I shook my head. “He didn’t come to the Royal pack until just recently.”

“I wanted to stay, to tell you who I was, but I knew I had to get back to Jaret. He needed to be stopped and I was the only one who could do it. That’s where my betrayal started with Amelie. I had found her first, and friended her behind Jaret’s back. When she showed me a picture of her and Tyla, I knew it was fate. From there, I coerced Jaret to pursue Amelie instead of outright kill her. I told him it would draw Tyla in. If I could get her here, I knew I could get to you.”

“What if it didn’t work and he killed Amelie? What would you have done?” I asked.

Her jaw clenched. “I would’ve attempted to kill him myself. Luckily, I didn’t have to worry about that. All I want now is to find out what I am, and if there are others like me.”

As far as I knew there was no one like her, but I didn’t want to tell her that. There were other fae around, but not many. “I bet Seraphina might know more about this. Let’s get in the car and I’ll tell you more about her.”

She grabbed my arm when I started to walk around the car. “What about my father? Do you think he’ll help me?”

Zayne was going to be an issue. He still harbored a grudge and I could see it getting worse when he found out about his daughter. He’d most likely think I’d kept that from him too. “He doesn’t know about you, Laila,” I murmured.

“I know, but I want to see him.”

“Just keep in mind that it might take him some time for him to adjust. I’ll introduce you to him though.”

“Why did he leave my mother?” she asked as she opened the passenger door.

I shrugged. “I’m not sure. That’s a question you’ll have to ask him.”

Tyla

“W
hen are you going to call your parents?” Amelie asked. My phone had been dead for days and when I finally had it charged, there were so many missed calls I lost count.

I taped up another box and sat down on her bed. “I’ll call in a minute. Right now I’m just worried about you. You’ve been quiet since we got back.”

She boxed up her books and sat down with me. “I’m fine, I promise. I just miss my parents more than anything. But I feel free now that Jaret’s gone.”

“Do you miss him?”

She shrugged. “Only the person I thought he was. When we’d first met, he’d been so charming and loving. It’s crazy how people can hide who they truly are.”

“One day, you’ll find a man who makes you happy. There are a lot of eligible bachelors in Wyoming,” I said with a wink.

Laughing, she hit me across the head with a pillow. “Don’t you dare try to set me up with anyone right away. I’m not ready for all that crap.”

I smiled and took the pillow. “I won’t. But you seriously could meet your true mate out there. I know I did.”

“And you said his brothers look just like him?” she asked.

“Yep, and you’ll meet them soon.” My phone started to ring and I looked down at it. “I should probably answer that.” Taking a deep breath, I answered the call. “Hey, what’s up?”

“What’s
up
? That’s all you have to say to me?” my mother exclaimed.

“Umm . . . I love you?” I added, stifling a laugh. Amelie smiled and shook her head.

“Why haven’t you returned my calls? We’ve been worried sick about you.”

I laid back on the bed. “It’s been a hard couple of days.”

“What happened?”

I glanced over at Amelie. “Well, we found Amelie, but we also happened to find the Sierra Pack—they were the ones who had her. Needless to say, we were captured, tortured, and a battle ensued, but at least now it’s over for good.”

She gasped. “Was anyone hurt? Tell me everything.”

My eyes burned as I went through the whole spiel, telling her everything from start to finish.

“Oh my God, Tyla. Why didn’t you call for help? We would’ve been out there as fast as we could.”

“There was no time, Momma.”

“And Finn?” she asked.

“He’s alive, but he left. I don’t know where to. I tried to get him to join our pack, but he wasn’t ready for that.”

She repeated everything I’d just said to my father and he snatched the phone away from her. She huffed, demanding for the phone back but he refused. “Baby, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Dad. We’ll be home in a couple of days. We’re packing up Amelie’s stuff now and starting the drive back in the morning.”

“Where’s Sebastian?”

I heard the car pull into the driveway and smiled. “He’s here. I’ll call you when we’re almost home so you can get everyone together. There’s so much I need to tell you all.”

“Just be careful coming home.”

My mother hollered that she wanted to talk to Amelie and ended up grabbing the phone. “I want to talk to her,” she demanded.

Amelie folded the shirt she was holding, threw it in her suitcase, and held out her hand with a smile. “Even without my wolf hearing, I could hear her all the way across the room,” she whispered low. I held out the phone and she took it. “Aunt Soph!” she squealed.

“Tyla?” Sebastian called out from down below, his footsteps coming up the stairs. I waved at Amelie and met him out in the hallway.

He pulled me into his arms and kissed me. “How’d it go today?”

“Um,” I glanced at all the boxes in the hallway, “we’re going to need a moving truck to haul this shit to Wyoming.”

Chuckling, he lifted me up and carried me into the guest bedroom we’d be using for the night. We had just one more day before we headed home. “We can get some of the other pack members to come out and help with that. I’m just ready to get you home.”

He laid me on the bed and I snuggled into his side. It was the first time we’d been able to really hold each other since the fight. “What are we going to do when we get there, you know, now that we’re mated?”

His fingers drifted to the hem of my shirt, tickling my skin. “That’s up to you, love. I’d like for you to move in with me. We can always sell your house.”

Amelie and Laila could be heard talking quietly downstairs, and then an idea popped in my mind. “I might see if Amelie and Laila want to live there. I don’t particularly want them staying with us, and I know they aren’t going to want to live with my parents.”

Sebastian kissed my head. “That’s a great idea. I’m sure they’ll appreciate it.” He moved over and turned me onto my back, placing his hand on my stomach. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if I’d lost you both.”

I covered his hand with mine. “You don’t have to worry about that. I’m right here and so is . . .” I stopped and looked down at my stomach, “our son or daughter.”

He lifted my shirt and kissed my belly. “I bet it’s a girl. I want her to have your curls.”

“And your eyes,” I added. “But I wonder if she’ll be a gray or white wolf?”

“Not sure, but we’ll get to find out soon enough,” he said, lifting my shirt higher. Making his way up my stomach, his lips landed on my breasts.

“What are you doing?”

Reaching behind me, he unclasped my bra and slid it up, closing his lips over a taut nipple. I sucked in a breath and trembled. “I’m going to make love to my mate,” he whispered low.

“What about Amelie and Laila?”

He kissed his way up my neck and chuckled in my ear. “They’re big girls, they can handle it. And if they don’t want to, the outdoors is wide and vast.”

I would’ve normally protested, but I needed him right then and there. After discarding our clothes, Sebastian crawled up my body, smirking in a way that made my body tighten. Closing his lips over mine, he reached down to slip a finger inside me. As soon as his fingers found me wet, he growled deep in his chest.

“You’re killing me.”

I bit my lip and smiled. “You know what to do.”

He stretched my legs wider as he got into position. Licking his hand, he rubbed himself and then pressed his tip against my opening. Gently, he pushed inside. I loved how he filled me. Holding my hands above my head, he made love to me while keeping eye contact. My body trembled and I could feel my orgasm building. He rocked his hips more vigorously, his fingers tightening around mine.

“I love you,”
his voice echoed in my mind, making me smile.