Cursed of moon

Chapter 8

Kaillen’s portal deposited me at the Supernatural Forces’ doorstep. Literally. I jumped through it so fast I came flying out and nearly smashed right into the front door.

Righting myself, I managed to stay on my feet as another howl came from my wolf. She was walking circles in my belly, crying and yelping.

But I ignored her and straightened just as a painful growl of hunger came from my stomach. I huffed in irritation and grabbed my bags, nearly storming inside the office until I remembered that I wasn’t wearing my cloaking spell.

Grumbling, I whispered the words to activate it. The thick spell wove around me, clouding me in its familiar weight. My shoulders sagged, more from the feel of it than from any actual physical presence, because this time, I knew I couldn’t release it anytime soon.

Welcome home, Tala.

With that depressing thought in place, I pushed through the front door.

“Tala, I’m glad you got here so fast!” Shelley zipped around the front desk to greet me. She stopped mid-stride when she took in my expression, and her smile wobbled as she added, “Commander Klebus has a squad ready who can take you to the safe house Tessa’s staying at.” She glanced over my shoulder, a frown puckering her brow. “Did you come alone?”

“Yes, I know, I know.” I tried to smooth my expression, but it was damned hard when I had a crying wolf in my belly and a never-ending hunger eating my stomach. I was seriously giving hangry a whole new meaning. “I’m aware that it’s not safe, and I know that I shouldn’t travel by myself, but if it makes you feel better, the portal literally dropped me two feet from the front door, and I came right inside.” Of course, the hunter would already know that, no doubt the blood bond clueing him into my whereabouts. It was probably the only reason he’d been okay with me traveling here alone.

Regardless, remembering that we were also bound by his blood had my teeth grinding together.

“I’ll need your phone back for storing again.” Shelley gave a sympathetic smile.

“Oh, right.” I reluctantly fished it out of my bag. “I just need to send a quick text before I turn it off.”

I hurriedly tapped in a text to Prisha, letting her know that I was moving to an SF safe house and had to hand my phone off to the Supernatural Forces once again. A frown pulled at my lips when I watch Shelley power it down and store it away.

So much for talking with Prish again anytime soon.

Guilt bit me hard. I should have called my best friend after my shower. That was where my priorities should have been, but instead, I’d nearly let the hunter bang me.

Gritting my teeth, I watched Shelley tuck my phone into her desk drawer just as my stomach let out another ferocious growl. Her eyes bugged out. “Are you hungry?”

Understatement of the year. “A bit.”

“Follow me. I’ll grab you a sandwich from the breakroom that you can eat on the way.”

“Do you think I could have a few sandwiches?”

She frowned. “Um, sure. I can grab a couple.”

She took one of the bags from my hands, but I kept hold of the others. Even though I was carrying three bags, they felt light and easy to maneuver—thanks to my newly formed werewolf strength—but that didn’t lighten my mood because my wolf was still prowling inside my belly, angry and snarling. At least, she was no longer pushing against my skin and trying to break free, so I didn’t resemble Bigfoot. Silver lining.

My wolf let out another lonely howl, and a flash of guilt flooded me. For a second, she seemed like a pet canine who was sad, angry, and feeling alone. And why wouldn’t she? Her mate wasn’t here and even though she could run as fast as the wind, she couldn’t run the thousand miles to Kaillen’s home. Well, she probably could, but I wasn’t going to let her. And even if I did, how would she know where to go? I had no idea where Kaillen lived. All I knew was that his home was in Montana.

My steps faltered when I realized that I had no way of returning to him unless he escorted me, but I quickly brushed that thought aside. I’d made the decision to leave his property so I could avoid any more mate-driven wolfy motivations.

And thankfully, it appeared to have worked.

Even though my wolf was mourning, she’d given up on her insistent urging to shift and be with the hunter.

As if sensing that I’d won, she bared her teeth at me before giving me her rump.

I scoffed. It’s my body, you know, I countered. But for some reason another twinge of guilt twisted my gut. I’d just separated her from the only thing she wanted in this world.

My wolf glanced over her shoulder at me, gave me a flash of canine, and then ignored me completely.

I rolled my eyes and smothered my guilty feeling as best I could. So be it. If Mrs. Wolfy wanted to be mad at me, she could. ’Cause at least I wasn’t looking like a sasquatch anymore and was once again firmly walking on two legs.

“You can wait here.” Shelley escorted me to a waiting room with a window that overlooked a huge underground garage that appeared to double as a hanger.

Numerous SF vehicles were parked against one wall in the garage, but a large plane or jet, or whatever the hell it was, sat in the center of the massive chamber. Technicians scurried about the aircraft as a squad of SF members stood in the corner. They huddled in a circle, their squad commander issuing orders to them from the looks of it.

“I’ll grab those sandwiches.” Shelley disappeared out the door and I let my bags fall at my feet. She returned a minute later, and handed three sandwiches to me. “Will this be enough?”

No. I managed a smile. “Yes, thank you.” My fingers were shaking when I took them, and my stomach let out another painful growl as I all but attacked the food.

I was halfway through my last sandwich, my gobbling bites making me feel more monkey than human, when Carlos walked into the room.

I swallowed my mouthful of ham and bread, embarrassment making my cheeks flush. Crumbs littered the floor around me, and a morsel of food was stuck in my hair. I resisted the urge to lick it off.

“Hi,” I said sheepishly.

Carlos’s lips curved, his eyes tender. “I heard you were back and looking for SF protection. Sounds like you’ve finally said goodbye to the Fire Wolf?”

“Oh, well,” I replied lamely. Had I? “I guess I’m not sure.”

My wolf snarled inside me, then turned that growl on my ex. Yep, Mrs. Wolf wasn’t a fan of the newcomer.

Calm down, I’m not jumping him.

Her lip curled.

“I see.” Carlos leaned against the wall, then shoved his hands into his pockets. His ebony hair shone in the lights as his dark-brown gaze traveled over me, drinking me in.

Since his nostrils didn’t flare, and he didn’t look at me any differently than he normally did, I knew my cloaking spell was also masking my new werewolf scent. Thank the gods.

But my wolf didn’t seem to care. All she did was growl more since Carlos was checking me out. I rolled my eyes internally. No wonder mated werewolf males were so monogamous. These i

“Thirsty?” Carlos produced a water bottle that he must have had stuffed into his back pocket. It was one of those fancy ones, claiming to be spring water from some far-off mountainous region that was untouched by humans and had been filtered for a thousand years or whatever. He’d probably nabbed it from a vending machine or the staff breakroom.

I gratefully took it. “Yes, thanks.” I took a long swallow, then wiped my mouth. A few crumbs fell, but overall, I thought I was clean and didn’t have mayo

Once somewhat assured that I didn’t resemble a one-year-old who’d just dived face first into a birthday cake, I tentatively finished the last of my sandwich, but I did it at a slower pace even though my stomach was still cramping from hunger.

Because with Carlos in the room, I was painfully aware of my troll-like ma

When I’d polished off two plates of food yesterday morning, Kaillen had merely watched me acceptingly, even approvingly since I was taking care of myself, and I knew that he genuinely thought nothing of me eating a mountain of nourishment.

Yet, even though Carlos was a werewolf, I felt self-conscious. My usual confidence had blown right out the window when my werewolf traits emerged. And even though my rational side told me that surely he would understand how I was feeling, especially if he knew that I was a brand-new shifter, the other part of me felt closed off. Like I didn’t want him seeing that part of me.

As for why I was all of a sudden feeling so self-conscious around someone I’d never felt that way with before . . .

My wolf’s lips peeled back as her hackles rose.

Ah . . . so that’s why. My bitch of a wolf was needling her way into my very essence.

With a shudder, I sighed and finished the bottled water after I’d officially inhaled all three sandwiches.

“Are you feeling okay?” Carlos asked, his eyebrows rising.

“Yeah,” I said a bit too quickly. “Why do you ask? Do I look like I’m not doing well?”

“No, it’s not that. I just know that when a woman leaves a man that sometimes they’re . . .” He shrugged.

“Oh! No, it’s not like that, really it’s not.” I nibbled my lip because it wasn’t. I hadn’t left the hunter. How could I when we’d never officially been together? But I did need a break from what my wolf brought out in me. Although, no one here knew that. All they saw was a woman ru

My stomach bottomed out at the thought of not seeing him, and my wolf began to pace inside me, chuffing and letting out soft whines. But that dipping motion in my tummy was my feeling. It had to be.

Or was it?

I let out another heavy breath. Who knew. Seriously, who the fuck knew what was my desire versus my wolf’s desire at this point.

That gnawing sadness scraped at me again. Because if this was even close to what the hunter had been feeling, then how could he possibly be convinced that he, the man, was interested in me, and that it wasn’t entirely from his wolf?

“Did you get my letter?” Carlos asked.

My head snapped up, all thoughts about mating bonds and the dark hunter fleeing from my mind. Carlos’s letter. Right.

Carlos had written to me when I’d been in Oak Trembler. He’d told me that he still loved me and wanted to be with me. He’d also said he was willing to wait for me if needed.

I’d never replied to him, not that I’d had the chance to, given that I’d been abducted the morning after reading it.

“I did,” I replied tentatively.

His eyebrows rose.