Phantom Moon ~Preview (published)

Stray Clouds

"Mom! Mom!" I stopped washing dishes to meet Damon at the front door. My heart leapt to my throat when I saw blood on his cheek. "It's not mine! It's Daddy's!" I kissed the top of his head, warned him to stay inside, and raced out the door. Ash was in the living room with the younger kits and would protect the triplets. Not that anyone could get inside,

When I saw Aeros, he had his hand on his shoulder and a scowl darkening his face. Sol panted with his hands on his knees while he stared at something I couldn't see. Once I stopped beside them, I noticed what had their attention. The female they told me about lay on the ground before them, panting and bleeding. While an alpha I recalled as cruel stood a few feet away, glowering. His cheek was cut, as were his arms and legs. Judging by the wounds on them, he fought the stray, and Aeros got caught in the crossfire.

With a shake of my head, I determined peace was safest. "What's happening?"

"She belongs to me and I require her to return home with me," the alpha groused.

"She has a name, does she not?" I asked with a touch of reproach and his cheeks pinkened. "If you don't respect her, she's not going anywhere with you." His expression darkened, and I quirked my brow. Miakoda paced in my mind, ready to fight him. I would say, if need be, but she wanted to fight, regardless. Aeros wasn't dumb enough to wrestle with her, nor was any wolf in our pack.

"I don't know it," the alpha admitted and Aeros sneered while anger radiated from him. Sol straightened with a scowl and I sighed.

"Because...?" I asked. I had my suspicions of what might have happened, but didn't want to assume. If I was wrong, our stray would get hurt.

"She's my mate, but we haven't met," the alpha admitted with a wince.

"How does your pack feel about that?" Was my next question and his brow cleared.

"They're ecstatic to meet her," he answered without hesitation and my shoulders relaxed while Miakoda pouted.

"So, how about you let them know she needs time to heal and be patient? If you live close you can court her, if not begone and give her space. We'll contact you once the world no longer terrifies her," I decreed, and he scowled. Miakoda's excitement raced through my veins and I sighed. There would be plenty of fights later, so I didn't understand her desire to turn everything into a battle.

"You have no right to deny me my mate," he snarled and Aeros growled low in his throat. Sol growled too, and I shook my head.

"You have no right to drag her off regardless of what she wants because she's your mate," I countered and he stiffened. His eyes widened with shock when I stared him down. Three months ago, I would have hidden behind Aeros. But I couldn't force him to fight my battles for me for the rest of our lives. The sooner I learned to stand on my own, the better. "I don't care if you're an alpha or an omega. No one will force another to be their mate."

"But, she's-" he protested until I crossed my arms and quirked my brow.

"Is she a toy? No. She's a living being and you will respect her. Someone abused her, so you need to give her time to heal. If you can leave your beta in charge, you're free to stay. But you will follow our rules while you remain a guest in our territory. I don't want to deny you your mate. I want your mate to consent out of desire, not fear that you'll beat her if she says no," I declared with a huff. "Not that she couldn't take you on judging by how she wounded you."

With a smile, our stray raised her head and met my gaze. She had several healing wounds inflicted by silver judging by their healing state. But the gratitude in her pale green eyes stirred Miakoda's temper, as did the long scar on the side of her face. Ash said she hid it with her long auburn hair when she could. Poor thing. I understood how it felt to hate your scars. "Hi, sweetheart," I greeted with a smile. "What's your name?"