Unleashed by the Moon

2. Faith-1

2

Faith

Today has been the best day of my life so far. Everything is coming together just the way I want. Micah and I finished our job at the MacEntire house early, which left me plenty of time to take a shower and get ready for my evening out. He agreed to let me venture into town on my own with Amelie so we can shop. When you think about it, it sounds ridiculous. I’m in my mid-twenties and going out alone without my protector for the first time in my life. Then again, I deserve the freedom. There is much to celebrate tonight.

I can hear Amelie’s car turn down our driveway. We both joined the Teton pack around the same time, and now we live together. As soon as her car comes into view, I rush out onto the front porch. I received an important phone call earlier and have yet to tell her.

She gets out of the car and whistles at me. “Don’t you look sexy showing off those long legs of yours.”

Since it’s summertime, I chose a pink sundress with a sleeveless denim jacket to add to the outfit. Even though the temperatures are warm, it still gets chilly at night. Not that it matters to a shifter. Amelie walks around to the passenger’s side where a box filled with school supplies sits in the front seat.

“I could say the same to you,” I reply, watching her bend over to get the box with her short skirt on. Amelie looks the same age as me, but she’s actually a couple of decades older. Shifters can live to be hundreds of years old. Unfortunately, the leading cause of death for our kind is other wolves. “It’s a good thing you work with little kids. If you were a high school teacher, those boys would be drooling all over you.”

Amelie chuckles and tucks her caramel-colored hair behind her ears before picking up her box. “It’s a good thing I’m not. I don’t need any of that nonsense. My students are done with school so none of them saw me in my little skirt. All I had to do was clean up my classroom and say goodbye to the other teachers.” Holding the box in her arms, she uses her foot to shut the car door. “I’ll probably work at Blake’s ranch this summer to earn some extra income.”

Grinning wide, I move out of the way so she can come up the stairs. “That sounds like fun.”

Her brows furrow as she walks up. “Why are you grinning like that?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I might’ve gotten a phone call this afternoon from a certain elementary school principal.”

She gasps. “Please tell me you got the job?”

Excitement bubbles in my veins. “I did. You’re looking at your school’s new art teacher.”

Amelie squeals and drops her box on the porch, flinging her arms around me. “Faith, I’m so happy for you. You’re going to love the kids.”

I hug her hard and laugh. “It’s only for two days a week, but it’ll give me time to help Micah with the landscaping business on the days I’m not working.” With not having any teaching experience, I didn’t think the school would hire me. I showed them a portfolio of my work, and Amelie made sure the principal knew I had paintings for sale in the art gallery in town.

Amelie lets me go. “You were right. We do have to celebrate tonight. Are we thinking dinner and shopping?”

She doesn’t know that Micah will be staying behind. “That’s exactly what I’m thinking. Go put your stuff up so we can leave. I don’t want to waste any more time.”

Her gaze roams toward the inside of the house. “Micah’s not here. Don’t we have to wait for him?”

I shake my head. “Nope. We came to an understanding this morning. It’s about time I had a little bit of freedom.”

Amelie’s eyes narrow. “And he gave in just like that? Why do I feel like he’s just pulling your tail?”

“Nice pun,” I say, rolling my eyes. Then again, what if he is? I already know the story between Sebastian and my sister, Bailey. She thought she was living life independently for years, but Sebastian was there in the shadows, watching over her. It’ll piss me off to no end if Micah does the same with me. I wish he could see I want this freedom for us both. Looking out at the woods, I concentrate on the surroundings, but I can’t feel Micah anywhere. The thing about royals is we can hide our presence. It’s one of the things which makes us lethal in attacks. If he’s around, he’ll definitely hear me. “He better not be trying to pull one over on me,” I shout. “If he is, he’ll regret it.” It’s all words, but it feels good to say them. Micah knows he’s stronger than me. Yes, I can get in a few hits, but in the end, he always manages to best me.

Amelie shrugs. “Just saying I find it kind of odd that he would agree to this. Micah’s an honorable man. If he made a vow to protect you, then it’s what he’s going to do.”

Blowing out a heavy sigh, I nod toward the door. “Let’s get ready to go. I have a strange feeling I’m going to be looking over my shoulder all night to see if I can find him.”

She smiles. “I get you want your freedom, but the Lyall brothers are very handsome men. I’m shocked Micah’s not your mate.”

I snort. “The goddess of the moon knows better than to put him as my mate. Micah is like a brother to me.” I agree with her that all the Lyall men are handsome. Micah has two older brothers, Sebastian and Zayne. They all three look alike with their whitish-blond hair and striking blue eyes. Sebastian is mated already, but Zayne is still on the market, much to his dismay. He prefers solitude to being chased for his status by women everywhere. When we get together with some of the surrounding packs, the women fawn all over Micah. I keep hoping he’ll find his mate. When he does, he’ll have no choice but to put me aside. In our world, mates are above all else. Unfortunately, he hasn’t found her yet.

Amelie picks her box up and laughs. “Look on the bright side, when you find your mate, he can step aside. All the females around here will be happy when you do.”

“Yeah,” I grumble, “if I even find my mate. Kind of hard to do that with a bodyguard following me around. Not to mention, a royal arctic alpha.”

She winks. “The betas won’t come near you, but I know an alpha will. There are plenty of them around. Our pack happens to be friends with several.” That’s true, but it’s not often we see them.

Shaking my head, I plaster on a smile. “Okay, no more talk about mates or overbearing alpha protectors. It’s time we have some fun.”

Amelie nods. “Deal. Let’s get out of here.”

She carries her box inside, and I follow her so I can grab my keys and purse. I’m ready for the night.