The Royal Legacy 1: The Rise of the Crescent Moon

JOSEPHINE

Rosie’s Restaurant was more of a diner, really, with retro charm and an abundant menu. It had the best milkshakes in Rhode Island, that was for damn sure.

August opened the door for me and led us to a corner booth in the back of the diner. Very private.

I purposefully sat on the edge of one side so Mr. Hayes didn’t get any ideas about sliding in next to me. He paused a minute before claiming the seat across the table from me, a glint of disappointment showing in his eyes.

A young, blonde waitress with bubblegum-pink lips came skipping up to the booth almost immediately. And I do mean that literally—she was actually skipping. With her back completely turned toward me, she fixed her gaze on August.

I squeezed the edge of the table, nearly snapping it in half. Get a grip, I told myself. ~You have no right to be jealous. Yet.~

“Hi, August!” she nearly shouted at my tablemate.

I would give him credit: his eyes never left my face.

“What can I get you?” Bubblegum Lips purred, leaning over her notepad.

August’s eyes snapped toward her, and his face darkened. They stared at each other for a minute, his eyes black. Then they softened to their usual blue, and the waitress fixed her posture. I looked away like I didn’t know what had just happened.

“I’ll take an iced tea, and for the lady…?” He looked over at me. I gestured for him to go ahead and order for both of us. “Two iced teas,” he corrected, holding up two fingers and grinning widely at me.

Bubblegum Lips walked away with a pout, and August’s full attention was immediately back on me. “So, what brings a fancy city doctor like you to our small town?”

I bit the inside of my cheek to avoid spilling my entire life’s story. This man was still a complete stranger, and I came here looking for you would come across like I was a stalker. “Change of pace.” I shrugged, keeping my voice casual.

I looked up at the waitress as she returned and set two glasses down on the table. Her name tag said “Savannah.”

“Mm-hmm.” August hummed like he didn’t believe me. I didn’t blame him. I sucked at lying. “Are you from New York originally?” he asked.

I groaned internally. “North Carolina,” I said. Not a complete lie. I did live in North Carolina before moving to New York; I just wasn’t born there.

August nodded. I sucked on my straw and noticed that he was staring at my mouth. Shifting uncomfortably on the bench, I pushed my drink away.

August leaned forward on the table like he was going to say something, but before he could, Savannah returned. “What can I get for you to eat?” she asked, her voice too sweet.

I thought he was going to rip her head off for interrupting.

“I’ll have the pancakes,” I answered—too quickly. Dammit. I wasn’t supposed to know that Rosie had a super-secret, delicious pancake recipe. No local in their right mind came here and got anything else, but tourists usually went for more standard diner fare.

August gave me a weird look, and I shrank down in the booth. “I’ll do the same,” he said.

Savannah nodded and walked off.

I was quick to recover. “You like breakfast for lunch too?” I asked with a stupid little giggle.

August looked captivated by the sound, and I immediately blushed. “Love it,” he growled.

AUGUST

Before Savannah came over and interrupted us, I’d been about to suggest that Josie try the pancakes here. I’d been kind of excited about introducing her to a local secret.

I was surprised when she ordered them without my prompting, but I shrugged it off as my girl loving breakfast foods.

I could barely get a word in throughout our lunch without an interruption from Savannah. First, it was letting us know our order would be delayed. Then, it was refilling our teas even though we’d barely taken a sip. Then, it was checking on “how everything was tasting” at least three times.

Savannah was a regret of mine. A few years ago, we’d had a one-night stand, and she just wouldn’t get over it. I growled at her through the pack’s mind-link when she openly disrespected my mate, telling her to back off or she would be out of a job and out of a place to sleep.

The only good thing that came out of Savannah’s interruptions were the pings of jealousy I swear I saw on my little mate’s face.

As we were finishing up our meal, the proprietor, Rosie, came out from the kitchen and spotted me. She grinned and made a beeline for our booth. For a second, Josie shrank against the booth, worry flashing in her eyes.

I scrunched up my face in concern, but then Josie noticed me looking and smoothed her face into calm.

“August!” Rosie gushed, kissing my cheek.

I groaned at her. She was lucky she was a pack elder—otherwise, I would never let an old woman embarrass me like this. “Hello, Mrs. Rosie,” I replied.

She looked over at Josie, and an emotion I couldn’t quite place flashed across her face. Again, it was gone so quickly, I might have imagined it. “And who is this?” she asked, smiling.

Josie looked up at the woman, face still calm and impassive, and offered a little wave.

“This is Josie,” I introduced her proudly.

Rosie winked at me knowingly, then turned and patted Josie’s hand. “A pleasure to meet you, Josie.”

“She’s going to be the new doctor in the ER,” I explained. Josie’s eyes snapped toward me, and I wasn’t sure why, but she seemed annoyed.

“Oh, how lovely!” Rosie clapped.

“Well, maybe,” Josie replied sheepishly.

Rosie didn’t miss a beat. “You would do a lovely job here,” she said.

Josie smiled. “It was nice to meet you, but I really should go.” She began to stand from the table, and I rushed to stand at her side.

“I’ll just pay the bill and then walk you back to the hospital,” I said quickly.

“It’s on the house, dear.” Rosie patted my shoulder before retreating back to the kitchen.

“I can make it back on my own,” Josie said, grabbing her small purse from the booth and throwing it over her shoulder.

I shook my head. “My car is at the hospital too,” I said, grateful for the excuse to stay near her longer.

Josie only nodded and led the way out of the diner. Her mood had seemed to change as soon as Rosie came over, and I was worried I had done something wrong. Before I could ask, my little mate spoke her mind.

“You don’t know if they’re going to offer me the job,” she said as she sped up to walk a few steps ahead of me.

I caught up. “Oh, but I do,” I said, winking down at her.

She actually rolled her eyes. “Well, you don’t know that I’m going to say ~yes~,” she snapped.

Arlo whimpered in my head, and I faltered in my steps. She had to take the job. She ~had~ to stay in town. I couldn’t live without her. Two hours since finding my mate, and I was already a lovesick puppy.

“What can I do to make you say yes?” I begged, stopping as we reached the hospital’s parking garage.

The attendants saw us and rushed in to grab our cars. I mind-linked, “Take your time. Seriously. I need more time with my new mate.”

Josie glared up at me, but as her beautiful green eyes met mine, she softened and shrugged. “I just need time to think about it,” she said quietly.

“Do you have a family?” I asked, suddenly wondering if she was worried about leaving them behind in New York.

She squinted at me like she was trying to read my mind; it was freaking adorable. “A brother,” was all she offered. I could tell I shouldn’t push it.

Barely a minute later, one of the attendants pulled out with a car that must be Josie’s. “What happened to taking your time?” I mind-linked, frustrated.

“Sorry, Alpha,” the driver sent back. “~It’s my job. Especially if she’s our new luna, she deserves the best service~.”

Josie quickly moved to claim the keys, and I had to think of a way to see her again, fast.

“Maybe I could come to your hotel tomorrow and take you out for breakfast? We can discuss your job offer more, since we didn’t get into those details today,” I suggested.

Josie gripped her car door, her back to me. I heard her sigh, and I could see the tension running up her spine and curling her shoulders. I wanted nothing more than to touch her and take away her stress.

She faced me, and I almost lost it. Her eyes were so full of pain. “I need time to think,” she said again.

At that moment, I realized that she wasn’t talking about the job. I’d known, right from the first time we saw each other, that she could sense the bond. She clearly knew why I was so desperate to spend time with her. But I was clueless as to why she was resisting it.

She slipped inside her car and was gone in an instant. Arlo went crazy in my head, howling and begging me to go after her. But I let her go—for now.