Blood Moon Series
Автор
Rachel Mason
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4,3M
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Chapter 1
Leila found herself leaning against a towering elm tree, her head resting against the coarse bark. She toyed with her long, brown hair, braided over her shoulder, as she watched the morning sun dance on the lake.
The quiet was comforting; the soft rustle of the wind through the trees and the gentle lapping of the water was calming. This spot was her sanctuary. No one disturbed her here.
She was dressed in a white pullover sweater, jeans, and white sneakers. Even though spring was just around the corner, winter’s chill still clung to the air.
It wasn’t exactly pleasant against her skin. But it was better than the alternative, especially this close to the equinox.
The blood moon was only four days away.
It was late March and the unmistakable scent of spring filled the air; the forest was coming back to life. Green was making a comeback. Normally, this was her favorite time of year, but now it felt like a countdown to her doom.
As if to underscore her dark thoughts, the distant snapping of branches, far beyond the range of human hearing, sparked a flicker of irritation in her.
Leila quickly scanned the edge of the forest across the lake.
Even in her private moments, she was never truly alone.
Even though she couldn’t see them, she could smell them. Gregor’s enforcers were just at the edge of her senses.
They were always there.
Pacing. Watching.
Her stomach churned at the bitter reminder. The whole situation made her sick.
Just then, she noticed someone approaching quickly from the direction of the main house.
By the distinct heaviness of his steps, she knew who it was even before she caught his scent. He was downwind from her.
She didn’t bother to look back as her mother’s enforcer moved behind her.
“Young alpha, you are needed at the main house,” Egnel said in Romanian, his tone cautious. As if Leila didn’t already know that.
That was the whole reason she was out here. Leila said nothing, letting the silence stretch out.
“I thought you were going to school today?” Egnel continued. His tone was odd. It was clear he was just making conversation.
Despite the emotionless facade enforcers were supposed to maintain, Leila had no trouble reading Egnel.
And he seemed to despise the situation even more than she did.
“No. What’s the point?” Leila replied in slightly accented English, her tone bitter. The air between them grew tense.
She shouldn’t be taking it out on him. Leila sighed.
“I picked up my paperwork yesterday, so I decided not to go,” Leila said.
It would have been her last day. She had enough credits to graduate last semester, but she wanted to finish the year, to extend her human distraction as long as possible.
She was the only one of her peers to attend school with the humans. It took a lot of convincing to get her mother to agree.
Humans fascinated her.
But she was forced to quit. The one small joy she had left since she was claimed by Gregor two weeks ago.
In just two weeks, her life had taken a turn for the worse.
A long silence followed, and Leila hoped he would just leave her alone. As unrealistic as that was.
“Your mother demands your presence,” Egnel finally said in accented English, his tone final.
Meaning…if she didn’t go willingly, he’d drag her.
Leila stood reluctantly.
“Is my sister there?” Leila asked as she turned to start walking. She wasn’t hopeful. She doubted Gregor would let her out.
He never did.
The possessive jerk.
“No,” Egnel said, his voice devoid of emotion.
The news wasn’t surprising, but it was disappointing nonetheless.
Egnel turned to walk with her. He was a massive man with brown hair and brown eyes. Despite his dangerous and deadly appearance, she always found his brown eyes rather warm.
Maybe that was just her bias. He was like family.
She noticed a few gray hairs catching the afternoon sun. He was too young for that. They were probably her doing; the thought made her smile.
Her grandfather was never much of a father figure. He always acted strictly as her alpha, but Egnel was different.
Even though his job was to protect her, he also spent time with her throughout her childhood. He taught her things.
He was probably the closest thing she had to a father.
And even though she used to resent it, she missed him not being with her all the time.
He had been her enforcer throughout her childhood, but as she and her sister grew and started to live separate lives, he was assigned strictly to Joana.
Over the years, she had a rotating roster of enforcers. Leila was always considered a troublemaker by her grandfather.
He kept trying to find the right enforcer who could keep her in check. Her last one lasted the longest at almost six months, but now even he was reassigned.
Her grandfather found her protection unnecessary since Gregor had six Ruguru enforcers constantly following her.
That just seemed like overkill.
“You don’t have to walk with me, I’ll be there,” Leila said. She had no intention of shifting, and she knew it was cold. Egnel was bare.
Unlike humans, their kind didn’t care about nudity. They were creatures of nature through and through. It was how they were born. Nudity was natural to them, not sexual.
It was something she would never understand about humans.
But there was plenty she didn’t understand. Like makeup, plastic surgery, basically all cosmetic fakeness. Why were humans so obsessed with changing themselves?
Their kind didn’t engage in any of that. They valued nature.
Not that they didn’t wear clothes. When in skin form, they were just as vulnerable to the elements as humans. But they stuck to more natural fabrics. They were sensitive to chemicals.
Egnel ignored her comment and continued walking beside her.
They made their way through the woodland until they reached one of the many dirt paths. As they got closer to the main house, the path branched out in many directions.
There were scattered cottages and cabins in the area. It was all the housing for their lower-ranked pack members.
Sometimes Leila envied their privacy.
Just as she rounded the last bend to the packhouse, she noticed various small pieces of clothing scattered along the dirt near the forest’s edge.
She glanced to the woods and could hear them far into the trees.
The playful growls and the sound of paws hitting the dirt were unmistakable. It didn’t take them long to notice her. Leila braced herself.
