Moon's Call (Sample)

Chapter Eight

Elaine turned as she heard footsteps and sighed visibly in relief when she noticed it was the men. "Where have you two been? You are almost late for breakfast. You two kept everyone waiting." She was complaining when she suddenly went quiet when Lycidas appeared in the dinning room behind them and she was speechless. "Oh, okay...now I get what you have been up to." She said sheepishly.

Lycidas turned to her and acknowledged her with a subtle nod and she did the same. She turned to Herrick's pregnant mate, Karen and said. "Karen, it seems we'd be needing an extra plate and on your way back, please call in the others." She then whispered the last sentence so the men didn't hear her. "...and also get Theresa in here."

Karen nodded and exited the room. Elaine turned and was surprised to see Lycidas staring at her. His expression, although, only meant one thing, that he had heard her. How could she had forgotten that this lone wolf had keener hearing than all others for reasons that were yet unknown.

Her husband wrapped an arm around her waist and said softly to her. "You are turning white honey. You needn't be scared, he might look mean and all but he won't harm you."

Elaine nodded and swallowed hard and was a bit relieved when she heard voices in the hallway, coming towards the dinning. Only the alpha and the beta and their families lived in the main house but the other lycans had their own various houses around Pragoth and Elaine only prepared a larger meal when they would be having visitors. She knew most of the Lycans secretly enjoyed her food and most of them dropped by with one flimsy excuse or the other during lunch or dinner just to have a taste of her food.

Claire and Stella appeared at the door way and Elaine saw Claire's eyes go wide when they fell on Lycidas. Elaine knew most of the Lycans would be very shocked if they found out Lycidas left his little cottage in the woods and came to dine with them but Claire's expression and next reaction was not that of shock but something else entirely that Elaine secretly prayed it was not what she was suspecting.

As an Alpha, Darius was seated at the head of the table as was custom and his beta, Herrick was sitting at the edge of the table beside Darius, there was a special seat beside Herrick for his mate, Karen and at the other edge of the table opposite Herrick was where Elaine graced, close to her husband and as the mistress of the pack. Lycidas however had chosen to sit at the other end and he just leaned back into the seat with his sleeveless brown leather jacket open to reveal the carved wooden crescent that rested on his chest from a brown leather cord tied at the back of his neck.

Elaine was aware that Claire always liked to seat next to her opposite Karen because she was too conscious of her right as the alpha's daughter despite knowing that Astrophel owned that privileged seat as the alpha's first child and son. Claire surprised her though, she didn't come to take her usual place, she quickly pulled out the seat at the edge of the table and sat down very close to where Lycidas sat quietly at the end, drumming his long nails on the table and Elaine wondered if Lycidas had any proper hygiene at all, for his nails were beginning to look like claws when he was not even in his Wolf form. Elaine also knew Lycidas walked around bare chested and sometimes without shoes and only suspected that Darius must have forced him to wear something in order to at least make the family comfortable.

Lycidas was the most handsome Lycan she had ever seen but that didn't change her assumption and belief that he was too wild and was known to attack monsters one on one without the slightest fear. She glanced at Claire smiling like a fool and giggling along with Stella who she had pulled to sit next to her so they could both whisper all the nonsense fantasies in their little heads. Lycidas on his part, was in no mood to notice them, he just stared at the brown table, where his nails kept clicking and Elaine silently wished he'd stop for his nails were so sharp that they were beginning to scratch the surface or leave marks.