Broken Moon: Wolves of Thunder Cove: A Paranormal Shifter Romance, page 1
Broken Moon
Cate Cassidy
Red Shore Publishing
Broken Moon
The Wolves of Thunder Cove
CATE CASSIDY
Broken Moon © 2021, Cate Cassidy
Website: https://www.CateCassidy.com
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without authorization in writing provided by the publisher.
This story is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, brands, incidents, and places are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Contents
1. CHAPTER ONE
2. CHAPTER TWO
3. CHAPTER THREE
4. CHAPTER FOUR
5. CHAPTER FIVE
6. CHAPTER SIX
7. CHAPTER SEVEN
8. CHAPTER EIGHT
9. CHAPTER NINE
10. CHAPTER TEN
11. CHAPTER ELEVEN
12. CHAPTER TWELVE
13. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
14. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
15. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
16. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
17. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
18. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
19. CHAPTER NINETEEN
20. CHAPTER TWENTY
21. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
22. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
23. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
24. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
25. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
26. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Note from Cate Cassidy
About Cate Cassidy
CHAPTER ONE
Ember
The sun was quickly fading, and as the evening shadows appeared, my spine stiffened with uncertainty.
I’d left three men behind to chase down the ghosts of my past, to discover who I was and what clan I belonged to.
But as we forged on, headed toward unfamiliar territory, with nothing but the darkness ahead, I couldn’t help but wonder if the past I was desperate to uncover would be my downfall. If it would destroy me.
I couldn’t seem to shake the heavy feeling that wrapped itself around me. As we moved farther away from Thunder Cove, the stronger it got.
When I’d seen the horde fast approaching, I knew I needed to warn Grayson, Alex, and Cody. But then Rylen tackled me to the ground before I could. All I’d wanted to do was protect them.
It was the same reason I’d left.
But then Dawson had appeared, reaching out a hand and setting me back on solid ground with the promise he was bringing me home to my clan, my true family.
“How did you find me?”
It was the first time I’d spoken to him as we headed toward the portal together, his army of men and wolves close behind. I’d been deep in thought, and he’d seemed to sense that I needed time to process everything.
Dawson glanced at me briefly, a trace of a smile gracing his lips. “Word travels fast when a halfling is brought into our world. As soon as I heard, I knew it was you.”
“And you knew because of the energy between us when you shook my hand?”
He was silent for a beat, his heavy boots squishing into the soft dirt beneath our feet.
“At the time, all I knew was you were a shifter but your wolf was dormant. I could feel her, though she was weak.” He cleared his throat. “But when we touched, and we felt that connection, I was sure you were a member of my clan. You had to be.”
I furrowed my brow. “But you didn’t say anything.”
He side-eyed me and smirked. “And what would you have done if a stranger had told you that you’re a shifter and you needed to leave the world you knew for one you didn’t?”
“Point taken,” I replied.
“I did try to warn you, though.” He shrugged. “I was pulled back into my realm before I could do anything else. I hoped you’d heard me.”
I thought back to the night the dark creature had attacked me in the forest just outside the carnival grounds. The whisper in the darkness, telling me to look for the portal, telling me I didn’t belong in the human world.
It seemed like forever ago, even though it hadn’t been long at all. So much had happened in such a short time. Not only did I end up in a world where wolves and other shifters existed, but I’d discovered that I was one myself.
“That was you?”
He stopped walking and turned to me. “So, you heard me?”
I nodded. “You told me to look for the portal.”
His face brightened. “I did, and I’m happy you listened. The idea of you staying in the human world left me with many sleepless nights.”
He resumed his brisk pace. I did my best to keep up with him, but his long legs were starting to pose a problem.
“I didn’t have a chance to listen, but none of that matters now. I’m here.”
I didn’t elaborate, and thankfully, he didn’t ask me to. I knew I’d have to explain at some point that a wolf slayer had attacked and marked me, but it didn’t feel like the right time. He was bringing me to his clan—pack members he claimed were my people—so I didn’t want to burden him with the fact that a creature was on the hunt for me.
At least, not until I had a chance to meet my family. To discover who I really was.
“You certainly are. I don’t know how you managed to survive so many years in the human world.”
I looked at him as a thought surfaced. “Why were you in the human world if it’s such a dangerous place?”
A strange expression crossed his face as he gazed at me sideways. It was gone a second later.
“I loved adventure. Still do, though it’s no longer in the cards for me. The human world, while dangerous today, has a lot of our history to reclaim. Many years ago, long before we were born, the human world welcomed shifters. Clans would even exchange goods with them.”
“Really?” I didn’t know much about the relationship between the human world and shifter ones, so this information more than intrigued me. “I need to learn more about our history.”
“You will, though I don’t think you should ever enter the human world again.”
I cocked an eyebrow, but before I had a chance to ask him why, he continued.
“I’m assuming your wolf surfaced under the Fallen Moon?”
I nodded.
“Yeah, I can sense her, and she’s so much stronger than when we first met.” He raked his fingers through his dirty blond hair and sighed. “I think if you entered the human world again, she’d take over, and you wouldn’t be able to control the shift. Your wolf would feel protective and want to surface. But shifting in the human world is dangerous.”
I had so much to learn about the two realms I was connected to—the human world where I was raised and the Silver Creek realm where I was born. Right then, I made a pact with myself that once I’d figured out a way to survive the shadow creatures that were bound to come for me, I would spend time learning all I could.
Until then, survival was the name of the game, and it was the only thing I could think about. I prayed Silver Creek would offer me some protection.
Dawson pulled a small satchel from his pocket and peered behind us as if checking to see how far we’d gone from Thunder Cove. Then he bent down and sprinkled what looked like salt onto the ground—it was the second time he’d done that—but before I could ask him about it, he pointed to a narrow path in the forest just ahead.
“The portal to Silver Creek isn’t far from here. We’re almost home.”
My weary feet were relieved to hear it, but the rest of me bristled in fear at the thought of entering a new realm.
Home.
The word sounded so foreign to me. All my life, I hadn’t felt at home anywhere. I assumed it came with the territory of being an orphan. Though in the last few days, my heart was forced to acknowledge I’d always longed for that special place where I fit in, where I belonged.
But would that be Silver Creek?
Dawson seemed to sense my concern.
“This is your clan. There’s no doubt you’re one of us.” He nudged me with his elbow, and a ghost of a smile crossed his lips. “It feels good to be bringing you home.”
“How can you be so sure they’ll accept me?”
“You’ll have to trust me,” he murmured, his voice low and insistent. “You have nothing to worry about.”
I wanted to believe him, but as I peered at him from the corner of my eye, I wasn’t so sure he believed what he was saying. He looked troubled, as if he too was working through his thoughts.
“Right around the corner.”
The men and wolves who’d been trailing behind suddenly closed the distance as a strange arc of blue light appeared up ahead, its bright fingers stretching out on the ground as if to guide us.
Above the light was a deep carving of what looked like a wolf. I recognized the Silver Creek symbol with it.
“There’s the portal.”
Dawson glanced over his shoulder. His men seemed to understand his silent command and stayed close behind us.
“You’ve passed through a portal before to get into this world,” he said as he reached for my hand. “But hold on tight. I don’t want to lose you.”
“Lose me?”
But
before he could explain, we were swallowed up by the dazzling streaks of color that swirled around, cloaking us in its brilliance. I took a deep breath and held his hand tightly as fear traced its spiny fingers down my back.
“Dawson?”
I didn’t hear a response, but his hand tightened around mine as I took another step forward.
Passing through the portal felt strange yet inviting, like a hot summer’s breeze washing over my face, but a few steps later, vibrant hues of pink and silver bloomed in front of my vision as a world, far brighter than anything I’d ever seen, came into view. While the sun had been setting in Thunder Cove, it shone high and bright in the sky at Silver Creek.
Panic tightened my chest at the realization I’d somehow let go of Dawson’s hand. I spun on my heels, trying to stare back through the portal, but there was no sign of him or his men—only the same blinding light.
I crossed my arms over my chest, unsure what to do.
Should I follow the path ahead or wait for Dawson and his men to appear?
Before I had time to decide, I heard footsteps and let out a breath when Dawson appeared in front of me.
“I told you not to let go.” He chuckled, but the smile quickly vanished from his lips.
I watched in confusion as he looked around in search of something, his mouth drawn into a scowl.
“What is it, Dawson?”
The sounds of his men stepping through the portal were all I could hear, but Dawson remained tense. A tingle of fear licked up my spine, and I shivered when I saw his eyes had darkened.
“This way,” he said, ignoring my question, though he reached for my hand again. “Let’s get you home. I’m sure you’re exhausted.”
As we made our way along a perfectly manicured trail with its smooth stones flanked by massive trees and flowers of all colors in full bloom, my mind trailed back to the day at the carnival when I’d been overtaken by a vision so vivid it had left me spellbound.
The vision had revealed a path just like the one before me, leading up to a magnificent castle. And as I walked along, with Dawson by my side and his men trailing close behind, my thoughts were once again a tangled mess, though one thought refused to be ignored.
I was headed toward my clan, my family, and my future. There was no going back. I’d finally get answers and discover who I truly was.
And I should’ve been beyond thrilled.
But as a castle came more fully into view, complete with a dark stone gargoyle whose watchful eyes stared down at me as if warning me I shouldn’t be there, I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d made the worst mistake of my life.
CHAPTER TWO
Dawson
Seeing Ember again caused my heart to pound so loudly in my ears, I could barely hear her voice over the thrum of its thunder.
But now that she was safely in my realm, I could relax. Sure, there were a ton of questions about her parents and why they'd left her in the human world. But I already had men busy investigating, and I was sure they'd come back with answers soon enough.
As for the clan, I'd told Ember the truth; they were excited to meet her.
Well, most of them, anyway.
My mother had been oddly quiet when I told her I was headed to Thunder Cove to bring Ember home. She’d glared at me with daggers in her eyes, though I made sure my tone brooked no argument.
Richard, my father's former beta, was the one who’d adamantly tried to convince me that bringing a stranger into our clan was nothing short of irresponsible. It wasn't the first time since I'd become Alpha that he'd tried to interfere with my decisions.
I respected the man. He'd been by his Alpha's side for years, but my father was no longer here to lead the clan—that was unfortunately now my job—and Richard needed to accept that.
Besides, somehow, I knew Ember posed no threat. She belonged at Silver Creek.
But as we made our way along the path toward home, all I could think about was the bitter taste that had hit the back of my throat.
Dark magic.
It had been brought into my realm, and I needed to find out why.
I turned to Ember. Her blue eyes were wide as she took in her surroundings. I would’ve laughed at the childlike expression on her face if I wasn't so distracted by the sense of danger on the horizon.
"Thank you." I nodded to Craig, whose job had been to make sure we'd made it back through the portal safely. "I knew I could rely on you, as always."
When I'd left for Thunder Cove, I wasn't sure what to expect or whether Rylen had told Craig the truth when he'd promised that he’d help Ember reach the meeting spot just outside the Thunder Cove territory in a neutral zone. When I'd seen that he'd kept his word, I was more than a little surprised. The Thunder Cove's beta was anything but trustworthy.
Craig shot Ember a bright smile and extended his hand. "It was a pleasure to meet you. Welcome home."
One thing I could count on, other than steadfast loyalty, was that Craig would always be kind to anyone he felt needed it. From the way Ember worried her bottom lip, it was clear she was more than a little nervous about being here. Still, she reached out and slid her hand into Craig's, who shook it gently before stepping away.
"Thanks," Ember whispered. "I appreciate that."
Craig's gaze settled on me once more, apparently wanting to double-check that I no longer needed him. Then he and my men headed off into the city for what, I assumed, would be their usual night of drinking and gambling.
"Is that your castle?" Ember pointed off in the distance to the cream-colored spires that appeared against a crystal, blue sky.
"No, that one belongs to my mother," I replied. "Mine is a bit further ahead."
"It's beautiful." She took a tentative step forward and then picked up her pace as we strolled along the trail leading to the center of town. "I haven't seen a castle before."
"Well, you'll more than see one. You'll be living in one."
When she looked at me, a look of confusion crossing her face, I chuckled.
"I had a room set up for you in court. It's where all the royals live."
"Royals? But I'm not—"
"It doesn't matter. And besides, we don't know that yet. But until we do, I want you to stay close. It's in your best interest."
As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I realized how ominous they sounded.
"Our realm is quite large, so until you've gotten familiar with the land, I think it's best you stay close to the central court, that's all. You'll find everything you need there, and I'll never be far. Don't be afraid to come to me if you ever need to."
"You're the Alpha."
It wasn't a question.
"Yes. My father passed away not too long ago, and I was the next in line. Being an only child didn't leave me with much choice."
"I'm sorry to hear about your dad," Ember replied, her voice gentle. "You said you weren't left with a choice. Does that mean you didn't want to lead your clan?"
I took a deep breath as memories of my father's passing flooded my mind.
In the final moments of his life, he'd confessed his sins, and in turn, he'd broken my heart. I'd always held my father in the highest regard—I’d worshipped him—but once I knew what he'd been capable of, my hero had been reduced to a desperate man, too hungry for power to see beyond it.
And now, I carried the burden of the shame that came with safeguarding his secret. I felt like an imposter, as though I had no right to be Alpha.
Still, he'd meant a great deal to me in life, and that didn't change in death. I wouldn't betray his legacy no matter how much the truth haunted me.
"It isn’t the path I would’ve chosen for myself, no, but it is what it is. I'll do the best I can to fill some rather big shoes."
