Page 36 of Shifted Fate (Broken Luna #1)

Both men froze and looked from the pliers to her hand and then to the passed out Aurora.

They both started chuckling as I replaced the pliers on the table and then came back to the unconscious woman.

I pushed her head back so that I could look at her neck.

I pulled her necklaces from her tank top.

I picked through them until one caught my eye.

It was a white gold chain and charm of a wolf howling in front of a jeweled moon that looked familiar. The one in my hand, that was around Aurora’s neck, was an emerald. I pulled my own necklace from under my shirt and compared them side by side. One was emerald, and one was a soft pearl.

My birthday was in June. My mom made this necklace for me for my sixteenth birthday and I haven’t taken it off since. She kept the tradition going from when her parents gave her hers, on her sixteenth birthday, in May.

“What are you doing?” Beck’s voice jolted me back.

“This is my mother’s.” I whispered softly as I unclipped the necklaces around Aurora’s neck and dropped the rest into her lap.

“How can you be so sure?” Ronnie came over and froze. “You are right. That necklace is your mother’s.”

“How do you know?” Beck came over and looked at the necklace in my hand. “Just because they both match doesn’t mean it’s your mother’s.”

“That necklace never left Ainsley’s neck.” Ronnie grabbed it from my hand and flipped it over. “Until the day your father took it from her.”

“My dad took it?” I looked from the necklace to his face.

“Right before their anniversary. He wanted to engrave it, but then he came back and you know what happened. He kept it and added it to the engraving.” Ronnie flipped it over and handed the necklace back to me.

“ I love you to the moon and back in this life and the rest. Forgive me. ” I looked up and I knew my face was confused.

“That’s what they used to say to each other.

‘ I love you to the moon and back ’. They thought it was funny because they are wolves.

” Ronnie shook his head. “They thought they were hilarious. Stupid. But when your dad lived his second life and came back, he knew he would love your mother in all of his lives. So he added the last part. And he thought once he explained everything, he would beg her for her forgiveness. But…” Ronnie looked back down at the necklace.

“But he never went back.” I finished, and Ronnie nodded. “How did Aurora get this necklace?”

“I honestly don’t know. Your dad left it in her office. He would stare at it for hours as he sat at that desk, breathing in her scent. He always ended up there after one of the nights your mother…”

“Right.” I felt my eyes fill. “This is a mess.” Ronnie and Beck nodded. “This is going to break him.”

“What do you mean?” Ronnie handed me back the necklace, and I clenched my fist around it.

“If this is the-” I darted my eyes to Beck.

“He knows your dad has power, too. We all grew up together.” Beck nodded.

“If this is the spell, I think it is. I have to destroy this necklace to release him from it.”

“Oh, shit.” Ronnie and Beck mumbled at the same time. I let out a small laugh and then turned back to Aurora. I wrapped my hand around her finger and bent it up and applied a slow pressure until she woke, screaming.

“My nail. You stupid bitch, my nail!” I smiled as I dropped the necklace from my hand to swing in front of her face and I watched as she paled. “Give that back. That’s mine.”

“I think we both know that’s a lie, Aurora.”

“Give it back.” She screamed and leaned in trying to bite me since her hands were tied. But I just pulled my hand back.

“Why would I do that?” I flipped it around in my hand. “It’s beautiful, honestly. Where did you get it?”

“I got it from my mom.”

“Really? Why was she sorry?”

“What?” Aurora looked confused and shook her head. “She wasn’t. She got it for my birthday this year. Give it back.”

“When is your birthday?”

“What?” Aurora shook her head. “What the hell does that have to do with anything?”

“Her birthday is December.” Beck answered me and I tilted my head. “I’m a Gamma. My primary job is to protect the Luna, and since we don’t have one, I keep track of the wolves trying to become the Luna. That includes their birthdays.”

“Why?” Ronnie looked back at Beck and he shrugged.

“I want to be a few steps ahead with the next Luna.”

Ronnie faced him fully. “Beck, you know he won’t be with anyone else.” The man just shrugged.

“Just in case.”

Ronnie shook his head and turned back to me. “Why did you ask when her birthday is?”

I turned back to the necklace and Aurora. “Because I wanted to know what her birthstone was. You see Aurora, Decembers’ birthstone is turquoise. But emerald is May’s birthstone. Now, why would your mother get you May’s birthstone when you were born in December?”

I swung the necklace in her face. “It’s my favourite gem. Give it back to me now!”

“No. I think I will keep it.” Her eyes bugged out of her head.

“You can’t take it.” She fought harder, tearing her skin, and burning the silvered rope deeper into her skin.

I pulled my necklace out and held them together.

“Why not? We both know this is my mothers, and not yours.” I held the matching necklaces side by side.

“My mother’s birth stone and mine. Now, why would my mother buy a matching necklace with your mother?

I mean, it’s identical right down to the wolf.

” I watched her breathing pick up. “What is more likely, one that has already been confirmed, so don’t lie, is that you found this necklace in my mother’s office, you know, the one that you liked to break into.

You stole it, and you are using it to manipulate my father.

” I crouched down and watched her face. “Am I close?”

Her face paled even more, and she shook her head. “No. It’s mine.”

“We both know that’s a lie. I’m going to keep it.

And I’m going to go see my father. Maybe I’ll get lucky and find something on him that has a matching glow.

” I smiled as she lunged at me, screaming.

“Oh, and Aurora?” I punched her in the face, breaking her nose.

“That’s for using a spell against my father.

” I turned and stood. “Take her back to her cell and don’t let anyone else around her. ” Beck nodded.

“What are you going to do now?” Ronnie led me out of the interrogation room that Aurora was still screaming in.

“Amy, you stupid bitch, you think you won? I’ll kill you.” She screamed as Beck dragged her out, but I just let out a chuckle.

“You couldn’t hurt me if you fucking tried.

” I snarled and released my aura, causing all three wolves around me to drop to their knees.

I walked over to Aurora, who had dropped to the floor.

“You are a weak wolf that resorts to lying and spell work to steal a wolf that doesn’t belong to you. And after everything, you failed.”

“Amy…can you tuck your aura away? It’s painful.” Ronnie’s voice was strained, and I snarled one last time before I tucked my aura away.

Beck staggered to his feet, scooping Aurora from the ground. “What the fuck was that?”

Ronnie pushed himself from the ground. “That, was Amy.”

Beck’s eyes widened and snapped to me. “There is no way. She’s just a pup.”

“An Alpha pup.” Ronnie patted my shoulder. “I’m assuming you want to go see your father now?”

I glared down at Aurora. “Yes. Let’s finish this.”

“You won’t find anything.” She laughed. “You won’t change anything. Because you are as weak as your pathetic excuse of a father.” I snapped back and punched her again, her nose shifting on her face, completely shattered.

“Get her out of my eyesight before I make sure her nose heals that way and ruins that perfect little face.”

She howled in pain as Beck dragged her away. “Amy.”

“What?” I whirled on Ronnie.

He held up his hands in surrender. “Nothing. Just wanted to know if you had your wolfs bane today?”

“Yes. Why?” I snarled again, still riled.

“Because your hands are shifted.” Ronnie nodded down and I looked to see my arms covered in black fur.