Moon Kissed: Alpha Seeker, page 1
Lela Grayce
Moon Kissed
Copyright © 2023 by Lela Grayce
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
First edition
This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy
Find out more at reedsy.com
For the hot messes who look at the moon and dream.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Moon Mated
About the Author
Also by Lela Grayce
Chapter One
Pearl
Some might have said I had a death wish since I walk alone through the forest to my house every night. They would have been right, but they didn’t understand that it was a balm to my soul. The solitary stroll calmed my wolf and me as we made our way to our childhood home that had, sadly, seen better days.
It was home though, and that was what I couldn’t give up.
‘Or won’t.’ My wolf grumped, pushing against me until I felt like I’d bust out of my skin.
‘Calm down! We’ll run when we get home.’
She settled a bit, but I could feel her annoyance.
The truth was, the pack ran nightly, but I never joined them. Being ostracized made one leery, but they also kept detailed records of each wolf and its markings. My wolf was all white, and while that wasn’t unusual, it wasn’t common either.
White wolves had a certain stigma about them. I didn’t want to draw attention to myself, and the best way to do that was not to run with the others. There was another reason, but I wouldn’t allow myself to think of him. The bastard who betrayed my family to our pack’s alpha to better his own standing. He’d been my best friend, and now just the thought of him made me sick.
My wolf whimpered in my head, not daring to contradict me.
I’d cut him out of my life, and I would be damned if I ever spoke to that son of a bitch again.
My wolf retreated, knowing I wouldn’t be good company with him on my mind.
I let the silent walk do what it had always done—soothe my boiling temper. The moon was high in the sky already, the leaves of the trees casting shadows on the forest floor. I breathed in the scents—leaves and wet dirt, with just a hint of the rain that fell early in the day.
Delicious.
A tingle ran down my spine when my dilapidated home came into view. It had seen better days, but I did what I could to make it livable. It was covered in ivy, like the forest was determined to reclaim it. The windows were dark, but that didn’t bother me. If the lights were on, then I’d be concerned.
Do no harm but take no shit.
That was a phrase I grew up hearing from my father. You thought the thirty-year-old washed-up quarterback was a sad story? It had nothing on my father. He used to be in the upper echelon of the packs. An enforcer.
A century and a half ago, an incredibly strong alpha male changed things. He took the bond away from the alphas of that time and gifted them to the wolves he deemed worthy. He dispersed those who actively worked against him, letting them be absorbed into other packs. He didn’t stop there though. He tasked those wolves with acting as pack enforcers. Basically, spies working toward redemption. They were to remain secret.
It was a good idea in theory, but corruption runs deep in the packs. No one knew who the enforcers were, they just knew they were among the pack. My father had worked his way up the ranks, doing everything he could to show that he was trustworthy and deserving of respect.
Growing up I was repeatedly told not to tell anyone about the history of my father’s side of the family. My siblings and I were careful not to say anything or do anything to make anyone even suspect what we were.
I only told one person. A person who was part of the family. It was the biggest mistake I ever made. Telling Rylan, the person I trusted the most, that my father was an enforcer and that he knew others.
Soon afterward the pack enforcers were stripped of their duty and basically cut out of the pack. I was seven when my father lost his station. My family watched as he wasted away, sitting in his easy chair, drowning his wolf in alcohol and drugs.
I was eleven when he died, sending my mother into a spiral that ended with her taking her own life. Regardless of my father’s actions, he was her mate, and being without him was torture she wasn’t strong enough to handle.
Over the years, my siblings grew up and moved away. Most found mates or love, one even found a human to shack up with, but I didn’t.
The only thing I’d managed to find was a love for reading and a few close friends. They didn’t know my history and never would if I could help it.
I rounded the house, preferring to enter the house through the back door. I set my bag by it then went about stripping my body naked. A shiver moved through me, not from the cool temperature of the season but from pure excitement.
My wolf surged forward again, filling me up until I knew that this time I’d probably burst. The change came, splitting my skin open so my muscles and bones could rearrange themselves into another form. White fur erupted all over my body, causing me to shake off the temporary itchy feeling.
We bounded off the porch, my wolf ecstatic to be free of the confining human skin. I chuckled, receding so she could do what she wanted. I could relate to the trapped feeling. Being alone had felt like a sort of prison that I couldn’t escape. The Moon Spirit only knew how frustrating it was to hold everyone at a distance, always watching my back.
A howl from the pack’s run echoed through the landscape, causing my wolf to freeze and tilt her head. I mentally shook my head at her; we couldn’t go with the others, not yet. She whined in reply but reluctantly agreed with me. It wasn’t time.
A breeze picked up, ruffling our fur and bringing with it an unfamiliar scent. Another wolf had been close. We trotted off into the woods surrounding the house, nose to the ground, following the unfamiliar scent.
‘Female,’ my wolf growled, annoyed that another would dare come onto her territory.
‘Someone passing through?’ I didn’t want to get into a territorial fight tonight.
My wolf ignored me and kept tracking the scent until we reached the small pond that no one went to but me, it seemed. It was secluded and didn’t have enough water to swim in. Light from the moon lit up the pond, making it glow against the gloomy surroundings.
Our chest rumbled with contentment. Regardless of the past or the future, this was home.
A snap to our left drew our attention. Our ears stood erect as we listened to the sounds around us, waiting for more clues.
The underbrush around the pond grew quiet, and I could hear the blood pumping through our body. A steady rhythm that reminded us of the moonlight that gave our species life.
A howl rang out somewhere in the distance while a wolf-like sneeze sounded from behind us.
We whipped around, our eyes searching through the trees for any sign of another wolf. We growled, a low menacing sound, warning whomever it was that we weren’t to be messed with.
Dried leaves crunched under paws as the other creature stalked closer. Our jowls lifted, and our head lowered, ready to tear whoever it was a new asshole.
As if reading my thoughts, a yip followed by a soft whine reached our ears. We huffed through our nose, listening as they retreated the way they came.
Satisfied, we turned back to the pond then settled down on our haunches.
“Well, that was rude,” a voice said, interrupting the pleasant silence.
We jumped to our feet, turning so we could face the newcomer. A woman stood by the bank dressed in a white shift that seemed to reflect the moonlight.
“Oh, cut it out,” the woman grunted, walking to a log and sitting down on the rough, weathered wood.
Her bare feet dug into the soft dirt, like she’d never felt the mud between her toes. That thought gave us pause. We took a closer look at the woman and found that her shift was tattered and dirty. She looked like she’d just escaped from somewhere.
“Stop that growling and come here,” she said, grumbling about wolves who didn’t listen.
My wolf approached hesitantly, wondering if we should call for help. The woman’s face
She was old. Wrinkles lined her face, but they couldn’t hide the hideous scars that ran across her cheeks. Claw marks.
The sight of it made us freeze. We inhaled, catching her scent as we did. She was a wolf; it was her scent we’d followed out here in the first place.
We surged forward, and my wolf let me take the lead. The change was quick, and then I was back in my naked human form.
I knelt in front of her, not shy about my bareness. Wolves were pack animals, and that extended to us shifters. She looked like she’d been starved of contact for years, decades even.
Her fingers were twisted and mangled, like they’d been broken repeatedly so her wolf healing couldn’t keep up.
Anger gripped my chest, and my wolf snapped her jaws in my head.
“Who did this?” I asked her softly.
“Never mind.” She waved away my concern, and I noticed more scars on her wrists. She’d been restrained.
“Where’d you come from?” Maybe I could backtrack and find the ones who did this and make them pay.
A hand slapped my cheek, bringing me out of my rage-filled daze.
“Didn’t you hear me? Never mind about me. It’s too late anyway.” She muttered the last part then readjusted her seat on the log.
“My house isn’t far from here,” I offered, thinking she’d be much more comfortable in a chair.
“There’s not much time,” she said then coughed into her hand. It sounded wet, and her lungs rattled. I could hear the sickness in her chest.
“Okay.” I drew closer, hoping she’d give me more details.
“These packs aren’t what they used to be; there’s a darkness running through the minds of the dominant. Thoughts of greed and cruelty.”
I felt her words in my bones. I had experience with wolves who were selfish and didn’t care about who they stepped on to get to where they were.
I nodded, understanding what she was saying while her eyes grew unfocused, like she was remembering a painful time.
“I was the last hope to find an alpha that would unite the packs and do away with the corrupt hierarchy, but I was imprisoned instead.” Her lips trembled, and tears spilled from her piercing ice-blue eyes.
“Why?” I knew that the alphas were only out for themselves, but I hadn’t thought they’d go as far as imprisoning female wolves. What did she mean by an alpha to unite the packs?
“I’m the Alpha Seeker,” she whispered, her hand squeezing mine as she looked me in the eyes. “My mate was supposed to be the one to unite the packs and finally bring peace. I never found him though, and now it’s too late. I’m dying and need to carry out my duty to the Moon Spirit.”
I opened my mouth to ask what she meant when her hand clenched. I tried to jerk away, but she was too strong.
The blue in her eyes disappeared and was replaced with silvery-white irises. Her other hand grabbed my elbow as a bright light flashed. Fiery pain raced up my arm to my shoulder then my neck. I froze, unable to scream or even move as the pain reached the base of my skull. White filled my vision, and I feared I would pass out from the agony.
Suddenly, it stopped, and I found myself kneeling before the old woman. Her appearance had changed; no longer was her hair silvery-white but gray and lifeless. Her icy-blue eyes were now dull and flat.
“What did you do?” I whispered, her hands sliding off my arm, like she no longer had the strength.
“You’re the Seeker now,” she said then coughed. The gurgling sound in her throat reminded me of drowning. “Find your mate. He’ll unite the packs.”
“I don’t understand.”
She laughed weakly, swaying on the log, so I reached forward and gripped her shoulders to keep her from falling to the ground.
“My failure is now your mission. Be careful who you trust, but know that the Moon Spirit will guide you.” She swayed again, the gurgling sound from earlier growing louder.
She slumped on the log, and I heard the moment her heart gave out. I helped her limp body to the ground, sweeping her gray hair away from her face. She looked at peace, and I was glad that she was no longer in pain.
A rustling from the other side of the pond drew my wolf’s attention. I squeezed the woman’s shoulder one more time before standing and slipping into the trees just as several dark-colored wolves bounded into the clearing. Saliva dripped from their mouths, and I could smell their anger.
I stopped and ducked behind a tree, heart pounding as I listened to see if they would come after me.
“Dead,” a male voice spat in disgust.
“What now?” another asked.
“Be vigilant. Another Seeker might be out there. I want to know the second that she’s found,” the deep voice growled, and recognition hit me like a shot to the heart.
Rylan.
Chapter Two
Rylan
So much for thinking time would ease her hatred.
‘I told you it wouldn’t work,’ my wolf growled at me, furious.
I didn’t blame him; I was pissed at myself too for insisting that we leave. I thought it would be good for us and for Pearl.
‘Don’t blame her,’ my wolf snarled, angry at me—for good reason.
Wolves saw the world in black and white while humans could see every shade in between. I thought we needed time apart. After everything happened, I thought space would heal what had been done.
We’d known from a very young age that Pearl was our mate. Our friendship was rock solid. I’d have done anything for her, and I knew she would have done the same for me.
But when it comes down to family or friendship… I regretted choosing the former.
‘If we’d stayed, she would have forgiven us eventually.’
I couldn’t exactly disagree. It was his argument from the start.
My wolf shook out his black fur before picking up the pace, socked feet eating up the ground as we ran to rejoin the pack.
Checking on Pearl was the first thing we always did when we returned, and I wasn’t about to stop. My time touring and learning from the other packs, taught me that being away from her was a special kind of torture. It did the opposite of soothing my soul and instead put it through a woodchipper.
‘Trust the Moon Spirit; she knows best,’ my wolf reminded me, and I wanted to rip my ears off.
He was right though. I had to trust, to hope, that things would work out.
‘Nephew, we are returning,’ my uncle, the alpha, said through the pack link.
I sent him my acknowledgement but kept our thoughts separate from the rest. It was our first night back, and my new station hadn’t been announced yet, so I could enjoy the anonymity for now.
‘She’s hurting,’ my wolf decided to point out, and a pang of guilt hit me in the chest.
I vowed to him, and to myself, that we would fix this. Whatever it took, whatever she needed, we’d do it.
‘What about the pack?’
It was a good question; one I’d have to do some soul searching to answer.
The pack house came into view when we crested a small knoll. It was nestled at the base of a grassy hill, surrounded by thick forests. This was a dream as far as land goes, but so were the other’s land, so while it was ideal, it wasn’t necessarily special.
A cloud shifted, bathing the valley in moonlight. A shiver ran down our spine as the light touched us, like the hand of the Moon Spirit herself was stroking our fur.
‘We’ll make this right,’ I promised the twinkling light of the stars.
‘Rylan? Get your ass down here,’ my cousin, Ledger, ordered through the pack bond.
My wolf’s jowls rose at the order. Ledger was the alpha’s son, so he technically could give orders, but it rubbed my wolf the wrong way.
My thoughts went to the journal I was given from the Aibek Pack when I left. It belonged to the alpha mated to the original Alpha Seeker, which he’d written while in exile. I’ve read it three times and felt like the words were written specifically for me to read.
The well of power that he had deep inside explains the swirling heat I felt but couldn’t access. The journal showed his journey of finding and harnessing it so he could be the alpha the packs needed for change.
Too bad it didn’t work.
Something was blocking me from accessing this well of power, and I had a pretty good idea what it was.
