Shadows of the Moon

This part took me a while to do. Partly because of the holidays and partly because I wasn't sure in what direction to take it. I'm not very happy with this chapter but I'm going to put it out there as it is so I can move on, if I don't I will continue to be stuck and get nowhere.

The next chapter will reveal a huge chunk of plot and hopefully bring the story forward. It's already in the making and will hopefully be done faster than I took me to finish this.

A big thanks to my editors Mandarabe and LiterKnight for the excellent work they do! Much appreciated!

Enjoy

**

Liam was in absolute misery. Sitting on the bed with his back against the wall in a small but nice hotel, the object of his desire just on the other side of the wall behind him.

The one hour car ride had been awkward and most of it spent in silence. Natalie had been absolutely exhausted and her mother had been extremely protective of her, making any form of conversation between them hard. Dael had done most of the talking, explaining to them about werewolves and what little they knew about the situation regarding Natalie's father. Liam had so much he wanted to tell her but he couldn't do it in the car with the others present.

For the past hour he had sat there listening to them move about, talking and finally stilled on the other side of the wall. There would be no sleep for him tonight. Leaning his head back against the wall he stared up at the white ceiling. Dawn was slowly creeping into the room but there would still be several hours before they woke up.

**

"Come on kid." The great alpha Thane Wyard laughed as he watched his son struggle through the shift. "You won't be a proper hunter until you get the hang of this."

Liam gave his father a miserable look in his half-shift hybrid form. The alpha was a large muscular middle aged looking man with steel colored gray hair, a short cropped beard covering his chin and there were lines of laughter around his deep green eyes. Most of his children took after him with the blond hair and the green eyes. Only Kaleigh took after her mother, having black hair and brown eyes.

Liam sighed and made another attempt to force his wolf through. There was like a tug of war in his head, the wolf on one part refusing to give ground and Liam on the other trying to push it forward. He wanted to be a hunter like his oldest brother who had participated in the great autumn hunt and had bragged about it ever since.

Shaking his head Thane sat down on a stone and waved his son over. Liam clumsily stumbled forward, not used to his hind leg claws. "Look here son. You want to know a secret?"

Liam nodded.

"You can't force it. I know you want to run with the hunters so bad it hurts but your wolf can not be your slave. You can't push it forward; it will come when it is ready to be a part of you and when you are ready for it to be a part of it."

"Aarik could shift when he was ten." Liam sulked looking comically miserable in his half-muzzle and shifted limbs.

Thane laughed heartily. "Did he tell you that? True he did manage a full shift once when he was ten but did he tell you why?"

Liam shook his head.

"He and the twins from the Forshaw pack challenged each other to visit an old miners' camp in the mountains that is said to be haunted..."

"Is it?"

"No son. I don't think so. It's eerie for sure but I don't think any spirits linger there. Anyway, they hiked up there without permission when Ralph being on guard duty happened upon their trail and figured he would give them a scare to set them straight. Preceding them up there he hid in one of the caves waiting for them to get close. When they did, he howled making it echo through every hollow in the mountain. Your brother shifted in pure terror and ran all the way back to the house scared to death."

Liam's face lit up in pure joy. It was the best thing he had heard all year.

"You like that do you? Well I'm not done yet. We found your brother cowering behind a couch and had to coax him out. It took him three days to change back to his human form and another two years before he managed a full shift again."

Shaking with laughter Liam imagined his annoying brother hidden behind the couch.

Putting his hands on his son's shoulders Thane leaned forward and looked him in the eyes. "Remember this son: the best hunter is not the strongest. Do you know what makes a truly great hunter?"

Liam shook his head.

"Speed. You can be stronger than a bear but if you can't catch your prey it is useless. But speed is not always about how fast you run. Being faster than someone means using this-" He tapped Liam's forehead with a finger. "-if you think faster than your opponent then you will always be a step ahead of them. Let the other boys compete about who will be the strongest and who will be the best. If you're smart son, you study them, take your time and find what makes you the fastest."

Liam nodded in awe of his father's wisdom.

"Now relax Liam and turn back to human. You look absolutely ridiculous."

Grinning he closed his eyes and tried to force the wolf the other way.

"No. No. No. I said relax. Let the wolf go back to where it wants to go."

"It won't!"

"Yes it will son. Take a deep breath."

He did but the wolf still refused to be pushed back. "It doesn't work!"

"Yes it does." Thane hissed threateningly, towering up over his son.

Liam took a step back at the sudden change in his father. There was something vicious in his eyes that hadn't been there a second ago. "It won't go back."

"You will do as I say." The big man growled menacing.

"I'm trying!" Liam wailed in fear.

His father started to shift into his hybrid form; towering over him, growing and growing until Liam felt inches high. The wolf within him retreated back in fear of his alpha and Liam turned to run. The beast behind him continued to grow while Liam shrunk and the stones around him became bigger and bigger. He started to climb over the pebbles as if they were huge rocks.

Something blocked out the sun behind him and the shadow of his father stretched out to engulf him, leaving the world in darkness. The ground shook as something heavy hit it not far away and he slammed into the ground as he lost his footing, landing hard on his side. He made it up on all four when the ground shook again and he was slammed back down. Sensing the approaching doom he twisted around and found his father's giant foot poised above him slowly descending. There was nothing he could do. Closing his eyes and waiting for death he held his hand up in a futile attempt to ward it off.

**

Liam jolted awake. Apparently he had nodded off because he was still sitting on the bed with his back against the wall. Light was streaming in from the window telling him that it was close to noon. Yawning and rubbing his eyes he sighed, there was a headache working its way to the front of his head to add to his misery.

Deciding anything was better than to sit there and pine for his wayward mate he opted to wash away the tiredness with a shower. The bathroom was cramped but had everything you could need and shortly he found himself standing naked with warm water cascading down his back. It felt good, easing the tension in his muscles. For a long while he just stood there leaning heavily against his out stretched arms letting the warmth and the water pelting on his muscles relax him.

It didn't take long for his thoughts to turn back to Natalie. The previous night in his bedroom replayed itself through his mind and instantly he was hard. He groaned in annoyance that he could not seem to get even a few minutes without being tortured by her. Wrapping a hand around his erection he squeezed it gently, sighing with pleasure. With his head hanging forward between his shoulders and the picture of her lying in his bed firmly in his mind he stroked himself slowly.

He conjured up all the sweet memories of their night together, how she tasted when he ran his tongue across her skin, the sounds she made when he touched her and the smell of her arousal. Air rushed in and out as his breathing became heavier and the caress on his member more urgent.

A soft knock on his door snapped him out of his fantasies and back to reality. Slamming his palm into the white tiles of the wall in frustration he let go of his pleasure.

What?

He growled at Dael.

Uh, what?

Came the sleepy reply stating clearly that Dael was not the one by his door.

Curious Liam grabbed a towel off the rack and wrapped it around him. The erection was still straining uncomfortably against his stomach but it would have to wait. Stopping before he opened the door he took a deep breath to smell the air and was instantly hit by an overwhelming wave of desire. She was behind the door. His pulse quickened, hungrily he sucked in another deep breath reveling in the pleasure her smell brought him. It was weak because of the door separating them but he was starving and even the small whiff brought him immense pleasure.

There was another soft knock and again he was snapped out of his blissful trance. Stepping back he pulled the door open all the way to invite her in. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes wandered over his wet semi-naked body as if embarrassed but unable to help herself.

"Uh. I..." She started but lost whatever she had been about to say, her mouth moving but no words leaving it. Mumbling a silent "Oh god" she gathered herself and tried again. "We need to talk."

Doing his best to hide a wide grin of satisfaction he nodded for her to enter. The short hallway beyond the door wasn't really meant for two people and she had to squeeze past him to get inside. Well inside she turned towards him, her eyes roamed over his body again and she licked her lips. "Actually... If you don't mind getting some clothes this will be a lot easier."

Grinning openly at that he stepped close to her as if to seduce her with his presence and she took half steps away from him until she hit the wall. The look in her eyes told him that she was still afraid but her smell betrayed her arousal. There was a moment of suspense as she closed her eyes in anticipation and held her breath, pressing into the wall behind her. As he got close enough for their bodies to touch he twisted to the side stepping around her into the bathroom as if that had been his goal all the time and she was left standing just outside the door, blinking in surprise.

A few minutes later he stepped out again and pulled the hoodie down his chest and stomach. "Did you sleep any?" He asked leaning against the door frame.

She had been sitting on the bed staring out the window looking troubled; as he spoke she turned towards him with a sad little smile. "Not much. I had a lot on my mind."

"I'm sorry. Anything I can do to ease it?"

She fell back against the bed and stared up at the ceiling with a sigh. "Every time I have you figured out you turn into someone else. Don't!" She held out a finger to him, interrupting what he was going to say. "But here's the thing... I just... I... I can't get you out of my mind." She growled in frustration covering her face with her hands.

Liam couldn't stop the joy bubbling up in him and it came out as a chuckle. Lifting one hand she glared at him in indignation. "Don't mock me, you ass."

His chuckle became a full out laughter and he pushed away from the wall. Walking up to the bed he leaned over her from the opposite side and put one hand on either side of her, looking down into her beautiful face. "You've been the sole thing on my mind since that moment in the alley. I want you to stay with me. Forever."

"You don't even know me." She whispered and stared into his eyes with wonder. He could see a faint taint of fear still hiding within her but she wanted to believe.

"I don't need to." Gently he brushed a strand of hair from her cheek with his thumb.

"Who are you? I need to know. No more secrets. Please."

He stared down into her eyes for a long time before he spoke again. "Then I'll tell you. No more secrets. I promise."

Turning her head she softly pressed her lips to his hand. The wolf within him jumped with joy again. There was nothing he wouldn't do to please her. A wide smile spread across his face. "Get up."

She blinked at him in surprise but did as asked and sat back up. Liam planted himself at the head of the bed with his back against the wall and patted the space between his legs, looking at her expectantly. Laughing she climbed up on the bed on all four. Stopping just in front of him, her face only an inch from his she tried to make an angry face. "You keep those naughty hands of yours in place mister."

"Kiss me."

"Why I have ne-"

He planted his lips firmly on hers before she finished and was rewarded with a pleased moan. Putting both her arms around his neck she tried to force him even closer into it. "My mother will kill me." She sighed when they finally came out of it for air.

"Then let's make the most of the time we have." Gently he untangled her arms from his neck and turned her around until her back was against his chest. Holding her tight he let his hands slip underneath her top to caress her stomach lovingly. "Where do you want me to start?"

Sighing happily she leaned back on him, nuzzling his neck. "Is everyone at that club like you?"

"A shifter? Yes."

"Is that why they are acting so strange?"

He huffed amused. "Yeah, I guess so. We are called a pack."

"As in wolf pack?"

"Mhm. Aarik is the alpha. The leader of them all."

"Ah. So that's what they mean with 'boss'. Isn't he your leader too or maybe you're not part of

them

?"

There was a moment of silence before he answered. "Yeah. He's my alpha too."

"Is that why you don't get along?"

"Ah." He bit his lip and sucked air through his teeth. "This is a long and painful story, I will have to take you back to the beginning."

She just nodded, waiting for him to begin his tale.

"There is a mental illness that sometimes affects my kind. It has a medical term but we call it the Mooncrazies. We believe that most legends throughout history have been about weres afflicted by this illness. It's very rare but it happens, estimated four or five get it over a period of hundred years. Usually the pack handles them either by locking them up during their crazy periods or even killing them if it's bad enough. There has never been a case in all of our recorded history of an alpha getting it. That's why people refused to believe it when it happened."

She twisted slightly to look at him. "Your brother?"

"No. Worse. My father. I was about ten when the first symptoms started to show. They were mild and far between and usually only family noticed them. We simply did our best to stay out of his way back then, thinking it would get better. It didn't, it just got worse. Aarik was away in Russia on some grand adventure claiming his independence and of course his mate, it was Kaleigh, my oldest sister, Lynn and Logan my younger siblings and me who slowly watched the decline of our father."

Burying his nose in her hair and inhaling deeply he took a moment before he continued. "By the time I was twelve it was really bad. The thing with the Crazies is that it only manifests during the night. Almost like the old tales of people turning into werewolves during full moon but as far as we saw the moon didn't have to be full. It was the sun setting that drove him insane. My siblings and me used to set up a schedule for how we slept, making sure one of us was awake at all times. At the beginning there was just me Kaleigh but as he got worse and as the twins got older we would have them take a few shifts."

"What about your mother? Why didn't she do anything?"

"She died when I was seven; shortly after Logan and Lynn had been born. There were those that said the depression my father slipped into after her death brought on the insanity. I'm not sure what to believe."

Gently she caressed his hands resting on her stomach. "I'm sorry. Please continue." She whispered.

"Yeah well..." His head thumped against the wall behind him. "Kaleigh took care of us. She used to draw his ire and he would beat the shit out of her, and me if he could get a hold of me. We did our best to keep the twins safe."

"Is that where you got the scars?"

"Some of them. I think I was about fifteen when Kaleigh died. He drowned her in a small brook not far from the mansion. I thought I was dead too but some time later I woke up with broken ribs and a nasty bump on my head." His voice choked up and he struggled to get the next part out. "I... She was still lying in the water. It reached just above my knees but that was enough for him. I tried to pull her up and did what little CPR I knew but she'd been dead for some time."

"Your father killed your sister? And no one noticed?"

"Ah." He nuzzled her hair again and rested his forehead against the back of her head. "For the most part we were home schooled, and what little we did attend to the public one we could not tell anyone that our deranged werewolf father abused us without the entire pack getting hurt. As for the pack... By the time Kaleigh died the pack was broken. A mooncrazed alpha is a very, very dangerous thing. He loses all sense of how and when to use his powers, forcing his will on people by brute force but what's even more dangerous is the Command. Ingrained in every wolf is the sense of rank and order. To challenge your alpha is not something you do unless you're ready to take his place. Therefore everyone that submits to him will take almost any abuse simply because he is their alpha and they give him the right to command them."

"That sounds so absurd in the real world you know."

"Yeah. I guess it does. Well at first there were quite a few who challenged him when they noticed what was happening. He killed all of them. Slowly he started to punish people who voiced objections and from there it just escalated until they were afraid to move less they draw his attention to them. He even implemented a system where you got rewarded for telling on your neighbors, making everyone fear the people around them. It was absolute chaos in the pack back then."

"I can't get over this pack thing. It's just too absurd." Carefully she lifted his arms away from her and leaned forward burying her face in her hands. "I must be going insane. You can't be a... a... fucking werewolf! They must have slipped me something last night."

Her reaction stung him, all he could do was stare at her back desperately thinking of something he could say to make her understand, but what could you say that would convince someone their real world wasn't as real as they had always believed. "I can show you." He managed after a moment of silence.

Sagging visibly she shook her head but slowly turned it towards him, giving him a forlorn look through a thin veil of blond hair. "No, Liam. I don't want you to show me. Do you have any idea how completely and utterly fucked up my life have become the last few days? I can't tell what is real anymore." She sighed in frustration. "I came here to talk. To find some form of... I don't know. But all I find is just more of this shit that keeps my world spinning way out of control. Just please... tell me something real. Something I can hold on to because I'm trying my very hardest to cope with this."

The words left him before he could contemplate them. They were out his mouth faster than he could stop them. "I love you. You want me to tell you something real then know this:" Leaning forward he encased her in his embrace, hugging her as close to his being as she could possibly be. His arms wrapping around hers, pinning them to her body. "I love you."