Resisting the Moon

Prologue Tyla Thirty Years Ago “Are you sure this is what you want?” my mother asked. For the past few months, she had asked me the same question repeatedly. You’d think she’d get the point; my answer wasn’t going to change. Looking into her gray gaze, I smiled. “Yes, it’s what I want,” I said, ruffling her curly blonde hair. She may have been a hundred years older than me, but we looked about the same age. I was twenty-three years old in human years, but it was nice to know I could live to be five hundred and only have the appearance of a forty-year-old. I’d gotten my looks and stubbornness from my mother, and my fighting skills from my father. He was thrilled Finn and I were going to lead the pack together, but my mother didn’t share in his enthusiasm. Finn Olcan was our alpha, and currently standing just across the room, watching us. I guess you could say we were having a party for our future union. In one week, we’d be mated and living happily ever after. That was what I kept telling myself as least. Grasping my elbow, my mom leaned in close, her voice a soft whisper. “He’s not your true mate, sweetheart. You need to give it more time.” I sighed in defeat. “That’s something I don’t have and you know it.” “I know, but this isn’t the life I wanted for you. I want you to find your true mate, like your father and I did. You won’t ever be fully happy with Finn, nor he with you.” “It’s better than being dead,” I snapped. Or worse, it could mean the lives of my family. If Finn and I didn’t mate by the next full moon, I’d have a fight on my hands. Not to mention, it’d be a war amongst our kind. Vincent Connery, alpha of the Sierra Pack, wanted a strong female to be his mate. It was rumored he’d killed his last two after they gave birth to his children. Unfortunately, no one knew the absolute truth. I, for one, didn’t want to get close enough to him to find out. What made it even more disgusting was that he had a son the same age as me. Mating with Finn was the only way to keep me safe, as well as making sure our pack was strong. Finn was a good-looking man and someone I was very much attracted to, but the magic of true mates never came for us. We’d taken each other’s blood the night before, hoping we’d be able to hear each other’s thoughts. Unfortunately, it never happened; therefore, disappointing us even further. I cared for him deeply, but I didn’t know what else to do. My mother squeezed my arm. “Here he comes, my dear. I’ll give you some privacy.” Finn acknowledged my mother with a nod and a smile. “Sophia,” he said warmly. She nodded back. “Finn.” Taking my hand, he led me outside and pressed me against the side of my parents’ house, our bodies hidden by a set of bushes. “I love you, Tyla. I know you’re not happy about last night, but there’s still time. We don’t need magic to tell us we’re meant to be mated.” “No, but it’d help. I care about you Finn, and I do love you. I just wish it’d happen for us.” The only truly mated couples in our pack were my parents, and my aunt and uncle, Sarah and Benjamin. My parents were also the oldest. Everyone looked up to them, yet resented them for being complete. To find your true mate was rare, but we kept praying for a time the magic would come back to us. Sighing, he leaned down and kissed me, placing his forehead to mine. “Stay with me tonight,” he murmured. I sucked in a nervous breath. “You mean—” “Yes, baby, all night.” Was I ready for that? We’d messed around for the past couple of years, but we’d always ended it before we got too far. The thought excited and terrified me all at once. I had never slept with a man before. His hands slid from my neck, down to my breasts; his arousal pressing into my leg. My heart thundered in my chest. He could hear it and a smile splayed across his face. “Sounds like you’re just as excited as I am,” he murmured low, kissing his way across my collarbone. Giving in, I tilted my neck to the side. “Just go slow with me, Finn. That’s all I ask.” “Tyla, wake up!” Finn shouted. At first, I thought I was dreaming, but when I opened my eyes, I was n***d in his bed, my pulse spiking the moment I spotted him. Ripping the blankets off, he helped me out of bed, pulling me into his arms. “What’s going on?” The look on his face terrified me. “Vincent’s wolves are closing in. They were spotted about fifteen miles out. I need to get you away from here.” He grabbed my clothes off the floor. “Put these on.” “I want to stay and fight,” I said, tossing the clothes onto the bed. Eyes glowing, he growled. “If something happens to me, Vincent will lay claim to you. I need you gone. As soon as it’s over, I’ll come for you.” A loud knock sounded on the door downstairs. “Please, Tyla. I need you to do this for me.” He kissed me hard and raced out of the room. I threw on my clothes and cringed when I heard my parents’ voices down below. I raced downstairs and my mother’s look of disappointment was evident by the scowl on her face. My father and Finn were already outside talking strategies. “We have to go,” she demanded. Grabbing my hand, my mother pulled me outside to their waiting car. The guys were standing by the passenger door, and it was filled with luggage and boxes. “What the hell’s going on? Why aren’t we shifting?” I asked. Finn clasped my face in his strong hands. “I had them be prepared, in case something like this happened. I had a feeling Vincent would come for you. He’s done the same thing before with another pack.” “And what happened to them?” He huffed and held me tighter. “He wiped them out. But I’m not going to let that happen here. Now go.” “Oh my God,” I gasped. “Tyla, let’s go,” my father urged. Finn kissed me one last time and stepped back when howling echoed through the trees. “Go,” he commanded. “I’ll be with you soon.” He ripped off his clothes and shifted, racing into the trees. The enemy pack drew closer and I could hear their snarls. “Tyla!” my father shouted. Turning on my heel, I ran to the car and jumped into the backseat. We took off out of the driveway, tires spinning on the gravel. We were in the middle of nowhere. If we didn’t get out of the woods, the wolves would catch us. “We’re never going to get away from them,” I shouted. My father pressed the gas and my body jerked back. “We will. We just need to get to the main road.” The night was foggy and dark, leaving everything bathed in an ominous glow from the moonlight. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, my pulse racing. Then, I saw a set of glowing eyes in the distance. But they weren’t alone. “They’re here,” I growled. After that, everything moved in slow motion. More eyes appeared and what sounded like a thunderous gunshot rang out. “Hold on,” my father shouted. He lost control of the car and we went sailing down a ravine. I was jarred forward as we slammed into a tree; the car, nothing but a smoking pile of junk. My father kicked his door open and ripped mine off its hinges so I could get out. He rushed over to the other side of the car to help my mother, who had blood streaming down her face from a gash above her eye. “Mom, are you okay?” I gasped, running over to her. She hissed in pain when my father touched the wound. “I’ll be fine. We need to shift.” Growls erupted all around us; they were close. I could hear fighting from a distance, the smell of blood permeating the air. “You wanna fight?” I shouted. Ripping off my clothes, I stared the wolves down before shifting. Come and get me.