Bound by the Moon

2. Kami-1

2

Kami

News station vans have been parked outside of my house, everyone eager to hear the story on how I found Samantha and how scared I was when I found the killer’s body. At least, that’s the story I’m sticking with. When the police came to the scene, none of them suspected me as the one who killed the murderer. I guess I don’t look like I’m capable of shattering someone’s neck bones. The less focus on me, the better.

Samantha’s parents even called me this morning to thank me for finding their daughter, even if it wasn’t in the way they’d hoped. They wanted to pay me a reward for finding her, but I kindly refused. Just knowing I could bring them closure was payment enough.

I thought for sure once the police searched for evidence, I’d be sitting in a jail cell, but that’s not the case. It’s as if it’s being swept under the rug and dismissed. There had to be some of my DNA at the crime scene, especially since I touched Michael with my bare hands. That was his name, Michael Lawrence, a serial r****t and murderer, who had been on the Most Wanted List for two years now for killing over thirty-five women. If I hadn’t found him, there’s no telling how many more he would’ve hurt. I guess I should count myself lucky the investigators don’t give a s**t who killed him. Hopefully, they see it as a blessing.

Looking out my living room window, I watch as the last news van drives away from my house. Along with my brother and Faith, my parents are outside, talking to other members of our pack. With Tate being the alpha, it’s his authority I have to follow. If he forbids us to kill humans, then we have to abide by the rules. In my case, the human I killed couldn’t even be considered a human; he was a monster. There has to be an exception to the rules.

Tia comes up and stands next to me. “What do you think they’re talking about?”

I shrug. “Who knows? I’m too tired to focus on them right now. Today’s been exhausting.”

Clasping my arm, she pulls me over to the couch, and we sit. “You can’t be tired. Tonight’s your graduation party. We have to celebrate. I’m excited about seeing Laila and meeting more of your friends. Luckily, Orin will be there to keep me company if none of them like me.”

Smiling, I lean my head against the couch. Orin was part of the Blue River pack, but he wasn’t evil like they were. He decided to follow Tia when she came to join us. “Don’t worry. They’ll like you,” I promise her. “And I won’t be too tired for the party. It’ll get my mind off of everything. With the media attention, even though it’s just local, I don’t know if it’s a good or bad thing regarding the FBI. They might not want me.”

Tia scoffs. “You’ll get in.”

The front door opens and Tate walks in with Faith. As far as looks go, Tate and I have the same light brown hair, but he resembles our father with his bright blue eyes, and I have gray eyes like our mother. On the other hand, Faith is gorgeous with her whitish-blond locks and clear blue eyes that are typical for a royal arctic wolf. I haven’t had time to speak to them about what happened.

I stand and stare at my brother, whose unreadable expression on his face has my mind wandering in a million different directions. I don’t know if he’s angry or proud of me, or both.

“Just get it out,” I say to him. “Tell me how reckless it was to go after a serial killer.”

Tate glances over at Faith, and they both smile. Faith walks over and hugs me. “Kami, you’re too much.” She leans in close to whisper in my ear. “We’re proud of you.”

I step back. “You are?”

Tate holds out his arms and beckons me to hug him. “Of course, we are. You did what any of us would’ve done. I’m just thankful the cops didn’t suspect you of killing the cocksucker.” I hug him, and it feels good to know he supports what I did. “You showed amazing restraint, Kami. It takes a strong will not to have ripped that fucker apart after what he did.”

I let him go. “Trust me. I wanted to.”

He nods. “Exactly, but you didn’t. You let your brain do the thinking and not your emotions. Explaining to the police why there’s a serial killer with his body parts torn apart wouldn’t be an easy thing to explain.”

Crossing my arms over my chest, I huff. “I’m not stupid, Tate. You do know I want to join the FBI, right? It’s kind of a given I need to think with my brain. I can’t be going all shifter on a bunch of humans.” It did feel good to show that side of myself to Michael before I snapped his neck.

He chuckles. “I know. You’ll be an amazing FBI agent one day.”

“That’s if I get in. Who knows what’ll happen now.”

Faith comes over and drapes an arm over my shoulders. “They’d be stupid not to take you.”

Visions of Samantha run through my mind. “I just wish I could’ve saved her.” Faith’s arm slides off my shoulders, and I turn to her. “There are so many people out there who can’t defend themselves like we can.” Tate opens his mouth to speak, but I hold up a hand. “Yes, I know. I can’t save everyone.” It was the sole reason why I started out wanting to be a doctor. I wanted to save people, but then I found another way I could save them.

Faith nudges me with her elbow and winks. “But you can try.”

Tate shakes his head and grins. “I think my mate’s rubbing off on you, sis.”

Faith has been an inspiration to me ever since she joined our pack. She’s made me stronger, more confident, and one hell of a fighter. We’ve trained for hours on end, and I’ve even spent one-on-one time with other females in our pack to help them become better fighters.

Faith beams. “Kami’s always been a warrior. I’m just excited to see where she goes from here.”

Tia gets off the couch and comes to stand beside me. “I am too. I think amazing things are about to happen.”

Tate nods. “And they are. Right now, we have a party to get ready for. Several people have already called and said they’re in town.”

Faith slides her arm around his waist. “We should probably go and help your parents finish setting up.”

Tate smiles at her, and it brings me joy to see them so happy. He kisses the top of her head and turns back to me. “We’ll see you at the party.” Faith waves, and I watch them walk outside and get into Tate’s truck.

“That went pretty well,” Tia says. “I don’t know why you were so worried. Your brother’s not as straight-edged as you might think. I spent a lot of time with him in Canada and saw how ruthless he was.”

Ever since Tate got back from rescuing Faith from the Blue River pack, he hasn’t spoken much about what he had to do during that time he was there. I’ve only heard about it from Faith and Tia. Tate’s never been one to kill senselessly, and that’s what he had to do. I don’t know how many shifters he killed, but I know it was a lot. The one that hurt him the most was losing his second-in-command, Anson. Hell, his betrayal devastated our whole pack. His twin sister, Ansley, is one of my good friends, but she keeps mostly to herself these days. I’m hoping to see her at the party, but I doubt she’ll be there. I want to touch her and see if my dreams can help her find her mate. I think that’ll help her find her happiness again.

A smile lights up my face, and Tia laughs. “Uh-oh. I know that mischievous look of yours. What’s on your mind?”

I shrug playfully. “We might need to make a pit stop before the party. You said it yourself you think amazing things are about to happen. I get that inclination too.” There’s a warm, fuzzy feeling in my stomach when I think about Ansley. She needs me, and I’m going to help her.