Hunter's Moon Read online

  HUNTER'S MOON

  THE CRUCIBLE SERIES BOOK 6

  • • •

  by

  ANGELA COLSIN

  • • •

  Copyright © 2016 by Angela Colsin. All rights reserved by the author.

  Published by Angela Colsin www.acolsin.wordpress.com

  Smashwords Edition

  Cover image designed by Angela Colsin.

  This story is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places, and events are either the product of the author's imagination, or merely used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual locations, events, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  This book is not for reproduction by any party outside of the copyright holder. Transmission of this publication by any means other than the intended e-book distribution is prohibited without prior written permission from the author.

  For any questions, concerns, and/or comments, please send an email to the author at [email protected] or visit her blog at www.acolsin.wordpress.com.

  • • •

  ALSO BY ANGELA COLSIN

  Blue Moon

  Light of Dawn

  Strange Brew

  Fallen Hearts

  The Final Calling

  TO BRITTANY

  Such a longtime and amazing friend as you honestly deserved a book dedication ages ago! But it's better late than never, right? Love ya!

  P.S., Tell Chris I said, “Hiii!” :D

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Preface

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Author's Note

  Preface

  Lupines: Known informally as “mortal Werewolves”, they are a shifter race that have the ability to change into wolves, beginning at the age of fifteen. Other notable abilities include keen senses that are enhanced in their animal form, and physical resilience greater than that of a human's.

  In addition, they can turn a human through biting their neck as a wolf, a practice reserved solely for bolstering the pack's strength, or a human lover—and is never performed without the human's permission.

  Lupines dwell in cities, which are considered a pack's territory. Every pack has an Alpha to lead them, and all are governed by Hunter's Moon, one of many Orders residing under the jurisdiction of The Crucible. Hunter's Moon deals out punishment to offending lupines when a pack's Alpha is unable to deal with the crime committed accordingly.

  Prologue

  Flagstaff, Arizona

  “I'll call you as soon as we're home, Emily. So listen to your father, okay?”

  “I will,” the seven-year-old returned in farewell—even as she gripped her mother tighter.

  In response, Michelle turned her head and kissed her daughter's cheek with a melancholy smile, then stood from her crouch at the porch steps.

  Finally, Emily released her, exhaling silently as her mother walked out to her car parked by the sidewalk in front of the house. Packed in the backseat were several boxes containing the last batch of belongings that needed to be transported to Michelle's new home across town, and in the front was Emily's older brother, Evan.

  The twelve-year-old stared at his sister through the window, his black eye visible even as the car drove down the street.

  And Emily didn't know how to feel.

  She certainly hadn't wanted her mother to move out, and watching Michelle's car disappearing around the corner was heartbreaking. But in the past two months, Emily had grown so afraid of Evan that she was relieved to see him go with her.

  During her thoughts, the front door behind her open and shut, and Emily's father stepped out, asking, “Hey squirt, did your mom just leave?”

  Andrew's voice snapped Emily out of her stupor, and she quickly grabbed her plastic thermos filled with lemonade from the porch steps in an effort to hide her discomfort while answering, “Yep.”

  At the same time, Andrew moved down the steps to stand in her line of sight. “Are you okay?”

  Sipping from her straw, Emily gave a few quick nods of her head, though she couldn't muster a smile to go along with it, even at the sight of her father's warm expression. Instead, when she plucked the straw from her lips, she merely mentioned, “Mom said she'd call when she got home.”

  “Oh yeah? Should I get the phone for you, or do you wanna come inside?”

  “I'm fine here,” she related solemnly, “but you don't gotta get the phone.”

  “Okay,” Andrew agreed, leaning in to kiss the top of her head. “But I'll go get it anyway.”

  Finally, Emily found the smile she'd been looking for, which grew bigger when her father looked so happy to see it.

  “By the way,” he started, enunciating the words, “I don't gotta get it?”

  Snickering, the little girl waved her hand at the house across the street from her own home, exclaiming, “That's how Joslyn says it!”

  “She does, huh?”

  Emily nodded vigorously. Joslyn Santiago was their neighbor's seven-year-old daughter, and her best friend in the entire world. Ever since they were paired off on a finger painting project during the first day of kindergarten, the girls had been inseparable, and Andrew grinned at the excuse for her bad grammar.

  “Okay, I'll let it slide this once,” he returned playfully, patting her head before disappearing inside and leaving her to her thoughts—not that she knew what to think, or how to deal with her mother's departure.

  But the past two months hadn't been easy for anyone to deal with, all because Emily's brother hated her.

  Her parents hadn't said so, but she knew Michelle was moving out for that very reason, and felt at least partly responsible for her mother's departure. Maybe if I'd never been born, Evan wouldn't have to share her.

  Emily wrinkled her nose at the thought, staring at the thermos clutched in her fingers. But I didn't ask to be born, and it's not fair!

  If only she could've stood up to Evan, this wouldn't be happening now. But Evan was older and stronger, while Emily was a runt, even by a seven-year-old's standards. This meant she had no hope of ever winning a fight against him, nor did she know how to get the upper hand otherwise.

  So her mom was moving away to keep them apart, to protect her, and the thought made her so angry that her thermos soon rammed into the concrete pathway leading to the sidewalk from the front porch.

  On impact, the lid popped off and lemonade splashed everywhere while Emily buried her head in her arms. It just isn't fair.

  “Hey Emily! What's wrong?”

  The voice came from the home across the street, and she looked up in time to spy Joslyn crossing the road after glancing in both directions to watch for cars.

  The girl's black curls were wet, just like her purple bathing suit with silver, glittering flowers printed across the front. Each step taken had her flip-flops s
lapping the bottom of her feet, and as soon as she reached Emily's thermos, Joslyn grabbed the item and fished the lid out of the bushes.

  “Nothing,” Emily answered the moment she was close enough to hear without yelling. “My mom just left, and I'm mad at Evan.”

  Joslyn climbed the steps to sit down next to her, and parted her lips to reply. But Andrew returned with the phone before she could speak, and in handing the device to Emily, he grinned at their visitor.

  “Hi, Joslyn. Been swimming?”

  “Yep, and I was gonna ask if Emily could come over and swim, too.”

  “That's fine with me,” Andrew agreed. “Just let me know when you're leaving.”

  “Okay,” both girls replied, waiting until he'd walked back inside and shut the door before continuing their conversation.

  “So why are you mad at Evan?” Joslyn inquired. “He didn't do something else, did he?”

  “No, but it's his fault mom left. Or maybe it's mine, too,” she muttered. “I dunno. He's just a butthead.”

  “Yeah, he is,” Joslyn agreed. “Does he still have a black eye?”

  “Yep,” Emily confirmed.

  Both girls snickered.

  Two weeks ago, Evan had locked Emily in her bedroom and threatened to set it on fire if she didn't give him the game console Andrew bought her for her birthday. He'd even snagged a canister of gasoline from the garage to prove how serious he was, going so far as dumping some on the carpet at the door.

  Thankfully, Joslyn came over to visit in the middle of it all, and heard Emily screaming all the way from the front door. So she let herself in and caught Evan off guard, tackling him to the floor where she gave him a black eye.

  Emily escaped in the process, and they both ran to Joslyn's house to wait for Andrew to return from his visit with an ailing neighbor.

  Needless to say, her father wasn't happy. But no matter how he chastised Evan, her brother had only one response, and yelled it loudly enough for the entire neighborhood to hear; You're not my father, and you can't tell me what to do!

  Sadly, it was the truth. Evan's real father abandoned Michelle as soon as he found out she was pregnant, and no one had seen him since. So Evan was jealous of his sister. Not only did she have their mother, she also had two fathers where he had none.

  Sometimes, Emily thought that was a good reason to be hated. Michelle loved both her children, and Andrew's boyfriend, Gary, treated them like his own. But just as Emily hadn't asked to be born, she also hadn't asked for her parents, and couldn't change anything about their family—nor did she want to.

  So it wasn't really her fault, was it?

  Whoever was to blame, she just wished Evan could accept her and stop being so mean. After all, he hadn't always been a bully. On her first day of second grade, he'd walked Emily home from school, and stood up to some kids on the playground who were calling her names for being a runt. He'd even tried to comfort her from a bad dream one night by reading her a story to help her go back to sleep.

  But that protectiveness had slowly disappeared, as if the older she got, the bigger his dislike grew.

  Thankfully, she also had Joslyn to rely on, and her best friend never let Evan walk all over her, a fact she proved by stating, “He deserves it, and I'd do it again if I had to.”

  Emily smiled, glad for her support. But at the same time, the comment proved she'd been unable to help herself, and maybe that was the problem. Maybe it wasn't a matter of Evan being nicer, but of Emily being too weak to protect herself. I wish I was strong like Joslyn.

  Pursing her lips at the thought, she asked, “Can you teach me how to fight?”

  Joslyn scoffed. “I dunno how to fight!”

  “You hit Evan!”

  “Yeah, but I just made a fist and, you know, pow! If I really fought him, I woulda lost!”

  “No way, you're strong, and you're a girl. Evan wouldn't hit you back.”

  “He might,” Joslyn argued. “But it doesn't matter anyway. He's living with your mom now, so you won't have to fight.”

  At that, Emily's shoulders slumped, her gaze drifting down to her lap as she muttered, “No, I guess not.”

  As if knowing how much the situation bothered Emily, Joslyn slipped an arm over her shoulders and said, “I'm sorry. I know you didn't want her to move away.”

  Emily frowned, admitting, “Everything's changing, Joslyn, and I don't want it to. Change sucks!”

  With that said, she had a horrifying thought, looking back up with widened eyes. “What if you moved? Or we moved? I wouldn't see you anymore!”

  Joslyn pursed her lips. “We're not gonna move! And if you did, I'd call you all the time and stuff!”

  The determination in her voice soothed some of Emily's worry, a smile slowly lifting the corners of her mouth. “You promise?”

  “Yeah! I bet we'll be old ladies together, with canes and like … rollers in our hair,” Joslyn grinned. “Oh! My dad told me something about when stuff changes, too. He said uh … what was it?”

  The girl tapped her chin in thought, then exclaimed, “Oh yeah! He said sometimes change isn't fun, but it can lead to good stuff, too. Like when I was scared on the first day of kindergarten, but then I met you there, and it was great. So you have to wait for the good stuff to happen.”

  Hearing this, tears stung Emily's eyes, her gratitude so overwhelming that she impulsively leaned in to hug Joslyn tight.

  It was hard to imagine anything good coming out of her mother's move—except no longer worrying with Evan's bullying—but she needed to look on the bright side. Her father was still around, and so was Gary and Joslyn.

  For that matter, Michelle wasn't technically gone, and as a testament to the fact, the phone rang.

  “Oh, that's mom!”

  “Cool!” Joslyn started, standing from her seat on the steps. “Just come over when you're done talking to her, okay? I'll tell dad to leave the door open.”

  “Okay!” Emily promised with a bright smile, then answered the phone while her best friend returned home—and she knew Joslyn was right.

  The good stuff would come. She'd just have to wait for it, and be grateful she had such a good friend in the meantime.

  • • •

  Atlanta, Georgia

  13 Years Later

  Fiona Elliot was dead, and it was all Caleb Hodgins' fault.

  The colorful flowers that once covered her casket now decorated the grave where she was newly laid to rest. The sun shone brightly in a cloudless sky with a gentle breeze weaving through tree branches overhead, illuminating the scene in an almost ethereal way.

  But none of it offered any comfort.

  For three days, the guilt had stifled Caleb to the point that he couldn't breathe. Nothing made sense, nothing fit together, and he couldn't stop recalling the sight of his girlfriend's body laying across a hotel room bed, her lifeless eyes staring at him, almost accusingly.

  Because he'd driven Fiona to take her own life.

  Now, peering down at the flowers covering her grave, he repeated the words I'm sorry in his head until they seemed to lose all meaning, hoping his sincerity might make the message strong enough for her to receive. But there were no signs given to confirm it, and no matter how earnestly he meant the words, his sorrow didn't seem like enough.

  It didn't help that he wasn't comfortable enough to face Fiona's relatives by attending the actual funeral service—and not simply due to guilt. His relationship with Fiona was only three weeks old at the time of her death, and her family lived in Atlanta a few hours from his hometown of Arkin City.

  So he'd never met them before, and didn't think it would've been appropriate to make an appearance at such a personal gathering.

  Hell, some of them probably held him accountable for what happened anyway, and he wouldn't have blamed them. During his last conversation with Fiona, Caleb had revealed the truth about what he was—a lupine who could turn into a wolf, among other things—and she hadn't exactly handled the news well.
r />   Instead, she'd gone to Atlanta and killed herself.

  Caleb's eyes burned, his fists clenching repeatedly. How was he supposed to shoulder the burden of guilt and grief over something like this? The only way he could think of in that moment was by following her, and even though he hadn't turned Fiona or marked her, wasn't even sure if he truly loved her, the idea held merit.

  Love or not, Caleb had been bonding with her as a mate, his instincts telling him they'd have a good life together, which was all he needed to know. She was a beautiful woman inside and out, one who deserved so much more than he had to offer, yet he'd wanted to try providing for her anyway.

  But instead, he'd frightened her so badly this happened.

  The thought nearly choked him.

  “Caleb? Caleb Hodgins?”

  He was so wrapped up in grief that the simple question felt like a slap to the face. Caleb even flinched before he looked back to see a man in a black suit standing about seven feet away, his dark hair and rounded facial features reminding him of Fiona.

  Hesitantly, he asked, “Yeah?”

  With confirmation of his identity, the stranger drew in closer, offering an introduction. “I'm Ray Elliot, Fiona's brother.”

  Ray? Hadn't Fiona mentioned that name before? She only had one brother, and was close to him if Caleb remembered correctly, a fact he must've mentioned aloud because Ray confirmed, “Yeah, that's me.”

  Once he was within arm's reach, he held out his hand to shake in greeting, and Caleb respectfully accepted it despite how awkward he felt in light of recent events.

  But he couldn't hold the man's gaze for long, opting to look at Fiona's grave again before asking, “Did you come back to say goodbye?”

  Ray exhaled a low breath, stepping in beside Caleb. “Not exactly. I don't think I can. But I stuck around after everyone left because I was actually hoping for a chance to meet you.”