Page 2

Chapter

Two

Brick Beaumont, second-in-command of the Thorn Hollow Pack in Northern Ohio, loved the full moon.

Well, he was certain he’d love it more if he had his truemate by his side, but for now he loved the hell out of hanging out with his pack and running through the woods hunting for whatever crossed his path.

Someday though.

Someone clapped him on the shoulder and he looked over to see his cousin and alpha, Adam, next to him.

“It’s hot as hell,” Adam said.

“Which is why I’m supervising the young wolves tending to the clearing and not doing the actual work myself.” He rocked back on his heels with a chuckle.

Being second-in-command had its perks.

Among them was delegating things like raking leaves, pulling weeds, and chopping wood for the bonfire.

“We did that plenty in our youth. It’s time for the next generation to suffer,” Adam said.

Brick hummed in agreement. The half dozen young males and females worked visibly harder as they noticed the alpha watching, and Brick smiled. He’d been like that once upon a time, but now he knew Adam found him loyal and reliable, whether he was sweating his ass off chopping wood or not.

“I’m going to take a run around the perimeter before we kick off the night,” Brick said. He glanced at Solan, his close friend and another high ranked pack member, and said, “Keep an eye on the kids.”

Solan nodded.

“See you in a few,” he said to Adam and headed off into the woods.

He hit the edge of the pack’s territory, which was almost entirely populated with wolves, from the owners of the mini-mart to the pack-run car dealership and garage.

Humans and other types of shifters and supernatural creatures were welcome in town, but only pack members could hunt in the woods.

“Hey, Brick.”

“Hey, Leo. How’s it going?” Leo was another high ranked pack member and was part of the security team Brick was in charge of. And along with Solan, one of his best friends.

“All quiet,” he said. He fell into step with Brick. “Something going on?”

“What do you mean?” Brick asked.

“It just feels like there’s some extra tension this full moon.”

“Yeah, I feel it too.” Recently, a she-wolf had come to the pack, an albino from a pack in Michigan.

She’d found her mate, a tiger in a pride that shared Northern Ohio with the wolf pack, and her appearance had brought along a hunter named Hawthorne, who specialized in locating and trapping unique shifters for who the hell knew what.

Sadie had been abducted and nearly killed, and the tiger pride was on high alert, as was every other shifter group that called Northern Ohio home.

“I think it’s the hunter,” Brick said. “And the damn Humans Against Shifters assholes.”

“Those fuckers.”

Brick chuckled ruefully. The anti-shifter group was run by a maniac named Brent Foley, who wanted to destroy all shifters and was not above using any means necessary.

With Foley and Hawthorne in Northern Ohio, it meant that every shifter had to be aware of their surroundings and have each other’s backs.

Security ran through the pack’s territory twenty-four-seven.

They hadn’t found anything out of the ordinary lately, and he was hopeful that Foley and Hawthorne would know that the wolf pack wasn’t worth messing with.

Thanks to Adam’s mate Cinder, a lygisa, essentially a cross between a Wiccan and a wolf, their pack’s security was not remotely in question.

She kept their borders safe with her magic that she replenished every full moon as she shifted into her golden-furred form and ran around the edge of the woods.

Tonight, she’d do it again and they’d be safe for another month.

But it didn’t mean they didn’t need to keep an eye out.

Foley was tricky and Hawthorne was a wild card.

“It’ll be a good night,” Brick said finally after mulling over everything they’d dealt with recently.

“I certainly hope so.”

They talked as they walked around the pack’s hunting territory, ending up at the alphas’ house where Adam and Cinder were talking quietly as the sun was setting, bathing the whole area in amber.

“Everything okay?” Cinder asked with a smile.

“Absolutely,” Brick said.

“Good.” Cinder sighed.

“What’s that sigh for?” Adam asked.

“I just…feel like something different is going on. This full moon feels weird.”

“Weird good or weird bad?” Leo asked.

“When is weird good?” Adam asked.

“I don’t know. When you try a weird food and it turns out to taste good?”

Adam rolled his eyes with a chuckle and looked at his mate. “What do you mean, baby?”

Her eyes turned a bright golden color and she let out another, deeper sigh. “Tonight is a turning point,” she said, her voice taking on an ethereal quality. “Change is coming. For the pack. For us.”

Her eyes flashed brightly and then returned to their normal green and she sagged against Adam.

“Holy shit, baby, are you okay?”

“I’m good, but that was bad weird. I need to sit down.”

Adam scooped her up into his arms and carried her into the house. Brick looked at Leo, who shrugged. “I guess we aren’t the only ones feeling like something is going on.” He looked up at the slowly darkening sky. “Maybe this is the night.”

“For what?” Brick asked.

“Magic. Romance. Finding our truemates.”

“Hope springs eternal.”

“Indeed.” Leo chuckled and strode off, heading toward the clearing where the pack was gathering before the hunt.

Brick went into the house to check on his alphas, and Adam said Cinder was fine, just tired, and couldn’t explain the sudden prophetic-sounding words.

“Whatever happens,” Brick said, “it’s the full moon and the night is filled with promise.”

“I like your optimism,” Adam said. “Go get everyone ready. I’ll bring Cinder out in a few.”

He nodded and left. Once upon a time, the full moon hunts started off with the pack alphas having sex in front of the bonfire and supernaturally sharing their pleasure with the pack.

Up until a few years ago, it was the status quo.

But in the last year or so, Cinder had decided it was antiquated, and the pack could just choose to be happy with or without their help.

Brick didn’t mind.

He rarely had someone to enjoy it with anyway since he’d long tired of the full moon lays with female pack members that never turned into anything.

What he really wanted was to find his truemate and share the full moon with her.

Maybe Leo was right and tonight was the night.

Or maybe Leo was off his rocker and full of shit.

Either way, Brick would hunt like the rock star he was and take down the biggest buck. He never tired of the thrill of the hunt.

Finding his parents in the crowd by the bonfire, he kissed his mom, Sophie, on the cheek.

“You look happy,” she said.

“I don’t know, Mom. I feel like something good is coming.”

“Oh? Like a mate and some grandbabies for me?” Her brows lifted, and she smiled hopefully.

“I don’t know, but something’s coming.”

Hopefully something good.