The Moon Shadow : The Wolfrik Trilogy | Book 1 Read online

  The Moon Shadow

  The Wolfrik Trilogy | Book 1

  Copyright © 2020 by K. Rea

  No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  To contact the author, please use the contact form on her website; kreaauthor.com .

  Publishing Company Contact Information:

  Kreative-Books, LLC

  Bradenton, Florida, 34211

  [email protected]

  kreative-books.com

  Cover & Interior Design by Danielle Doolittle | DoElle Designs | www.doelledesigns.com

  Editing by J.G. | CamRei Editing | https://www.facebook.com/CamRei.Editing

  Dedication

  For my Mom.

  You’re the fiercest and most loving woman I know.

  Thank you for raising me to believe in myself and

  to reach for my dreams.

  I love you.

  ~ K.

  Book Description

  When Evelyn Wolfrik, an exiled wolf-shifter, walked into a Court of Shadows nightclub she had one plan — find the vampire that executed her parents, put a dagger in his heart, and get out.

  Being caught by Aiden Kensley, the dark vampire prince, before she could exact justice wasn’t part of the plan. Now that the little wolf is in his hands, Aiden refuses to let her go.

  Taken to the Court of Shadows, the king offers Evelyn a choice — become a blood concubine for the Kensley House or marry a man of the Court’s choosing.

  Struggling to adapt to a Court she wants no part of, Evelyn attempts to unravel the truth behind her parents’ deaths.

  Friends and foes watch her every move. Some desire to control her, others crave her power, and more than a few of them want to claim her for themselves.

  With a wolf rebellion rising, if Evelyn makes one wrong move the Court of Shadows, her people, and her heart could be lost forever.

  Contents

  Prologue

  ONE

  TWO

  THREE

  FOUR

  FIVE

  SIX

  SEVEN

  EIGHT

  NINE

  TEN

  ELEVEN

  TWELVE

  THIRTEEN

  FOURTEEN

  FIFTEEN

  SIXTEEN

  SEVENTEEN

  EIGHTEEN

  NINETEEN

  TWENTY

  TWENTY - ONE

  TWENTY - TWO

  TWENTY - THREE

  TWENTY - FOUR

  TWENTY - FIVE

  TWENTY - SIX

  TWENTY - SEVEN

  TWENTY - EIGHT

  TWENTY - NINE

  THIRTY

  THIRTY - ONE

  THIRTY - TWO

  THIRTY - THREE

  THIRTY - FOUR

  THIRTY - FIVE

  THIRTY - SIX

  THIRTY - SEVEN

  THIRTY - EIGHT

  THIRTY - NINE

  FORTY

  Prologue

  six years ago...

  “Remember, Evelyn—all the myths and legends you know walk the day and stalk the night. Most humans won’t recognize the vampires, werewolves, and mermaids, but you will by sight and smell alone. If you do, you walk the other direction. Even here,” Alpha Jackson Wolfrik ordered, as he finished pushing the final tent stake into the ground. Yellowstone was beautiful this time of year, a hint of autumn in the cool morning air.

  “We’re in the middle of Yellowstone. That will not happen,” I said, doing my best to not roll my eyes at my father. This trip agitated him. Usually, he was a peaceful and calm man—on this camping trip, though, he was always on guard. It was the first time he was taking me along to meet the other alpha moon shadow shifters. While similar to werewolves, we weren’t beholden to the moon as they were. This was the third time we had moved camp this week, but we still saw no sign of anyone from the Courts of Light, Darkness, or Shadows. So while still on high alert, the daily history lessons about the Courts continued. “We’re landlocked, the population too low for vampires to feed and hide, and werewolves don’t like wolves,” I continued in a bored tone.

  “If the Court of Shadows finds out we’re here—you and your mother will be in danger. Keep your eyes and ears open. Hand me another stake,” Alpha Wolfrik said with a grunt as he thrust the stake deep into the ground, the rocks below us crackling from the force.

  “It’s been decades; why would they even care? It’s not like you’re planning to take back the Court of Shadows’ throne for the Wolfrik pack. The treaty prevents us from stepping anywhere near the palace. What’s the point of a throne when you have a mortal lifespan? You’re a schoolteacher, same as grandpa, and Orion wants to be a lawyer. I’ll never be queen.” I said as I handed him another steel-tipped spike.

  “Your brother will do what he will, the same as the Court and the Kensley family. They took the throne from your great-grandparents with a lie. It wouldn’t take much for those vampires to find a reason to kill us all. The Blood King isn’t known for his even temper, and the Dark Prince isn’t known to be merciful,” Alpha Wolfrik explained. He grunted as he rose from the ground. He rubbed the damp dirt from his hands and looked back at me. I inherited his blue eyes and dark hair, though his was streaked in gray now.

  “Still can’t believe the Council trusted vampires over moon shadows,” I grumbled.

  “I’m sure it was more complicated than that. The heads of Ossett coven, Faolán werewolf clan, the Ceanne mermaids, and the Barchans shifter tribes are supposed to be more even-keeled,” my father explained.

  “The Council still fucking betrayed us. Their Dark Prince hunted us into the ground. We’re a cautionary tale the rest of the Courts whisper about,” I spat.

  “Evelyn, by the Goddess, if your mother heard you talking like that, you’d be heading west straight home,” Alpha Jackson grumbled.

  “Well—she’s not here. She’s at the hospital saving someone’s life. Plus, you know she’d agree with me, and it’s true. They betrayed us and put down anyone that stood against them. You’ve said it enough times yourself.” Alpha Jackson only groaned in response.

  “That may be, but it is not for you to repeat, especially outside of our house in mixed company,” my father said with a pointed look over my shoulder. A group of men stood there. My wolf recognized them as one of our own. The first moon shadows outside of my family I had met.

  “There’s more I need to tell you when the time is right, but the Alpha Faolmen, his beta, and son are here. You can finally meet Mason in person. I’ll introduce you,” Alpha Wolfrik said.

  Three men stood at the tree line, waiting for an invitation to our campsite. The youngest one was familiar, even though I had only seen his blonde hair and brown eyes in pictures and via webcam. Mason Faolmen was the only moon shadow they had allowed me to correspond with outside of the family per my father’s orders. I didn’t need to talk to anyone else; I didn’t need an introd
uction.

  “Alpha Wolfrik, thank you for inviting us,” Alpha Faolmen of the New Zealand pack greeted with a nod. “This is my son, Mason. I expect him to take over my pack one day.”

  “Alpha Faolmen, I’m glad you could make it. You’ve met Orion, my oldest. This is Evelyn, my youngest,” my father said by way of introduction.

  “A pleasure. I hear you and my son are already acquainted. Pen pals now going on, what? Two years?” Alpha Faolmen asked.

  “Three,” Mason said with a smile.

  “It’s nice to see you in person for once, Eves. Care for a run on the north ridge?” Mason asked. He had tried to come to see me in Washington state years ago, but he was stopped at the airport by security. Alpha Faolmen had eyes and ears everywhere. I didn’t hear from him for a while after that; he didn’t try again. It was wonderful seeing him now. Getting away from father’s history lessons about the Court sounded even better.

  “I’d love to,” I said happily.

  “Good idea Mason, be back in time for dinner. Watch your surroundings,” Alpha Faolmen said.

  “The river is rough in these parts. Keep away from it. Stay on the ridge. There are more than wolves in these woods,” my father warned. I should have listened.

  ONE

  The city lights shimmered and glowed in a blanket of misty rain as night approached. It reminded me of the night my life turned upside down. Three months ago, I spent the weekend visiting my parents, Jackson and Georgia Wolfrik, in Sherwood. We celebrated the engagement of my brother, Orion, a stiff laced attorney, to my former college roommate. We welcomed Jane into the family and trusted her with our secrets. To her credit, Jane recovered quickly after seeing us turn into our wolves in front of her.

  We made plans to get together during the upcoming football season before parting ways. At least that’s what we expected to do. Instead, there was a knock at my door two days later in the middle of the night. My brother stood there on my doormat, wearing a worn law school t-shirt and jeans, his jaw clenched, unshed tears in his eyes, and agony on his face. He didn’t need to say a word. The alpha aura rippled off his frame and almost brought me to my knees. The alpha trait passed from father to son, a bittersweet inheritance.

  “We need to go home, we need to see what happened, do what they taught us to do,” Orion said, his voice like gravel like he had howled or yelled the entire way here.

  Our father was dead, as was our mother.

  Moon Shadow mates almost always bond for life—and death.

  “Let me lock up, then I can go now,” I said. The only words I spoke the entire night, I spent the rest following Orion’s commands. Heartbroken and weary, we raided our childhood home together.

  We removed all the heirlooms, Shadow histories, and weapons that would make the local sheriff question the teacher and surgeon he had known for nearly fifty years. As I taped the last box, Orion stood next to me. A gilded picture frame in his hands, one of my favorite pictures of them taken by a friend. Mother was wearing her surgical scrubs, and father was still in his school clothes. The picture captured the unbridled joy in their faces. He had proposed, and she had said yes.

  “They loved each other. They were soulmates.” I whispered.

  “They were, and at least they were together. I’ll hire someone to pack the rest. The funeral is tomorrow morning, rest.” Orion suggested. He took the tape-gun from my hand and picked up the last box of medical journals my mother had written about moon shadow biology. He stowed it in the back of the car next to my father’s arsenal. The little good it did them, they were ambushed at home during dinner.

  “Don’t do it,” Orion said as he clicked the trunk shut on my old beat-up sedan.

  “Do what?” I asked. He frowned at me.

  “Don’t go after the vampires. Travel. Go abroad. Visit Mason and the moon shadow pack in New Zealand. His father died recently too. He could use a friendly face, I’m sure. He might even invite you to join the pack.” Orion suggested.

  “He might. What about you and Jane?” I asked. I always wanted to travel, but the treaty kept us here in the States.

  “There’s only room for one Alpha in a pack, you know that, but he’d make room for you. Just give it a thought before you go tearing off after the Court of Shadows. You’ll bite off more than you can chew.” Orion warned that night three months ago.

  Orion was right, the Court of Shadows wanted us dead, but I didn’t give a damn about a crown. I wanted revenge. I would be a tempest ripping through the Court of Shadows until there was nothing left.

  The last three months were a routine of training, studying, and spying on a branch of the Court in Seattle while waiting for the heirs to return. Today I finally got my first lead that Alex Kensley was in town and at a nightclub no less. I was ready, and the moon was high in the sky. I closed the balcony door with a flicker of regret. It was the perfect night for a run, but it was time to get to work.

  I pulled an outfit out of my closet that would suit the club. A pair of dark jeans, a sapphire silk halter top, and a pair of sturdy black boots seemed appropriate. I pulled on a soft blue leather jacket, one of the few prized possessions I didn’t pack away into storage—a graduation gift from my mother. The outfit would get me in and out without too much notice.

  I tugged Dad’s old and worn black duffel bag down from the top of the closet, and it landed on the floor with a thunk. Jackson Wolfrik trained and educated us to protect ourselves from the Court of Shadows. His duffel bag contained an assortment of tungsten weapons that Orion and I recovered from his shed. We honed every blade to razor-sharp, tungsten the only known element to weaken and kill vampires. As I prepped and loaded a pistol, I considered where to stow the daggers in my outfit with its limited options. None of my weapons were large; the daggers barely the length of a bread knife—the handgun compact with its limited magazine.

  I carefully slid a dagger into one of the sheathes I had painstakingly sewn into my boots. Pretend to be a shy, sheltered werewolf and infiltrate the Court scene? No problem. Hand stitch pockets and holsters into my clothes without stabbing myself a hundred times? Impossible.

  A knock at the door gave me pause, the pistol still heavy in my hand. I quickly stashed the gun, zipped up the duffel bag, and carelessly shoved it into the closet.

  “Hey, Evie! You ready?” the barely muffled voice of my neighbor, Royce Campbell, came through the too-thin door to my apartment.

  “Hi Royce, just a minute! I’ll be right there,” I yelled back as I closed the closet and checked for any wayward weaponry lying around. I opened the front door for the handsome, smiling werewolf on the other side. He didn’t know I was a moon shadow, and he’s a wonderful neighbor to have.

  “Full moon tomorrow. Are you sure you want to go out today?” Royce asked as he leaned against the wood door frame. He watched while I turned lights off around the apartment. He could sense my wolf, but I refused to run with him on the full moon. He assumed I couldn’t shift or had shifter anxiety; I didn’t bother correcting him. The moment I shifted into my larger wolf, and he shifted into a werewolf, he would realize the Eve “Evie” Wolsey he knew was keeping secrets and was no mere werewolf.

  “I’m sure. I heard of a new place to check out called Elexon. I heard they’re looking to hire a few servers, so I want to swing by. Do you know it?” I asked as I locked the apartment. He laughed.

  “Yeah, I know it. I met Scarlett there. Belongs to Prince Alex. Expensive, a lot of vampires, but you would probably make good tips. Scarlett asked me to pick her up if we were going out tonight; I’ll call her on the way. Want me to drive?” Royce offered.

  “Sounds great, thanks,” I responded. Royce dialed Scarlett’s number as he twirled his car keys in his other hand. After being Royce’s neighbor for months, it surprised me Scarlett hadn’t fully moved in yet, despite her parents’ disapproval. She spent most of her time shacked up at his p
lace, always baking or day trading. Scarlett’s unusual gift of foresight helped her make outstanding trades. Somewhere in her family tree, someone got in bed with an oracle. Her parents represented the noble witch community in Washington, and they didn’t like their daughter mixing with a lowly werewolf. They preferred she date someone with pedigree or at least connections in Court. Royce Campbell had neither, which Scarlett loved.

  A few hours and one too many drinks later, the pull of the music lured me to the dance floor. The DJ wove magic into the melody. The beat echoed within me and beckoned me to dance. I was close enough to the dance floor to see the seashell necklace hanging around the DJ’s neck, a hint he was a merman or at least part siren. I found Royce and Scarlett in the sea of people, humans, and Court supernaturals alike. The smell of so many people in one place had my stomach roiling; I didn’t know how Royce could handle it. He worked for the local liquor distribution chains and was always in a bar if he wasn’t at the gym or with Scarlett. He traveled up and down the west coast a few times a month. Every nightclub and bar had the same smell, the smell of sweat, blood, and lust thick in the air.

  “Royce, I’m stepping out to get some air. I’ll probably grab a taxi home. See you guys later this week,” I yelled over the music. I could barely hear myself speak, standing this close to the speakers. But he could. Royce nodded at me and gave me a thumbs-up, not surprised I was leaving early. It had become a habit to go out with him and his circle of friends. As the unknown girl in town, they were happy to show me around. It gave me a perfect chance to scope out spots popular for nobles or owned by the Kensley family.

  “Did you get the interview?” Scarlett asked, her curly purple hair piled high matched her outfit for the night. If Royce was the quiet giant, she was his firecracker rebel with a heart of gold. She even had an exploding sunburst tattooed behind her ear, even though it was hidden by a few loose curls tonight.

  “Yeah, I’ll come back and talk with the manager next week.” Scarlett smiled. Her eyes turned a hazy shade of her namesake before she hugged me close.