Dark Side of the Moon (27 page)

“We’re not sure they’re wolves.  The bodies have been mangled to where our doctors cannot tell what attacked them.  But I will admit that this is a serious problem, and you’re lucky that your daughter survived her ordeal based off the other bodies.  I just have a few more questions for you before I go.  Did you have any arguments with Mr. Hershvitz before you left Charleston?”

“Well, in a way.  He was not happy that I was leaving the firm I helped him build.  Especially when I left because he was embezzling from the company and was in the process of purchasing land around here for a private client with the money he stole.  The firm I’m with now is trying to take action against Mr. Hershvitz because I was sure he was stealing from my paychecks.  Fairbanks and I are trying to put a stop on the land purchase,” Dad explained.

My eyes widened even further.  That was the case he was working on?

“What about this private client?”

“All I know was that his last name is O’Malley.”

Holy fuck.

I immediately ran to my room to grab my phone, then darted across the hall to my brother’s room.  He was sitting up in the bed, stretching and yawning.  As I dialed London’s number, he gave me a confused look.  “What in the hell are you doing in here, Selina?”

“Shut up, Dan.  I can’t afford to put this on speaker, so you’re going to have to use your hearing.”

“What are you talking about, sis?”

I shushed him as I put the phone to my ear.  I didn’t wait for London to greet me when he answered.  “London, there’s a police officer at my front door.  He says that the body may be my dad’s old boss, Walter Hershvitz,” I nearly whispered.

He was thankfully able to hear me.  “Okay.  We have alibies for that night, so we’re fine, Selina.”

“I know, but my dad just told him the whole reason why we moved out here.  Hershvitz was embezzling from the company to help a client buy land here.  Dad said the client’s name was O’Malley.”

Dan looked completely shocked as London cursed several times into the phone.  “Are you fucking kidding me?  That lying sack of shit.  Someone’s going to end up killing him one day for pulling sneaky shit like this.”

“Dad’s former boss?” Dan whispered.

“Yeah, I know.  He said that he was working with your dad to stop the purchase from happening.  Your dad’s trying to protect us from him.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t explain why this guy came all the way out here to attack you, Selina.  Or why he changed Derrick and attacked Dan.  Or how he even became a wolf in the first place.”

“Maybe he attacked us to send Dad a message,” Dan suggested.

“Thankfully, that didn’t work.  He could have planned on attacking our parents after getting us.  With Dad out of the way, he could have gone ahead with this land purchase.  And it’s possible O’Malley could have turned him in exchange for the land.  He was using Hershvitz to do his dirty work.”

“Which would mean that O’Malley would have a legitimate claim to land in my territory.  Thank fuck he was stopped in time,” London said, furious and probably red in the face.

“Don’t confront him on this, London.  The purchase was halted by our dads, and his attorney that was handling it is dead.  There’s nothing we can do about it.  And starting a war with him over it is probably not in our best interest.”

“Yeah, I know, but he’s trying to take over my territory.  I need to call Channing, let him know about this.”

“Okay, I’ll see you later.  I love you.”

“I love you, too, Selina.”

After we hung up, I looked to my brother.  “I can’t believe all of that just happened,” I whispered.

“I know.  You killed Dad’s old boss.”

“Yeah, but he tried to kill us first.”  I ran my fingers through my hair.  “We need to act as normally as possible, especially when everyone gets here.”

“Oh, joy.  Drop a bomb on me, then tell me to pretend it never happened,” he said, collapsing back onto his bed.

“Shut up, Dan,” I responded, heading out of his room.

Before heading into the kitchen, I took a deep breath.  The cop had left, thankfully without having to question any of us.  Mom and Dad were sitting at the table, both of them looking somber.  I tried to play dumb.  “Guys, I’m just graduating today.  It’s not like we’re going to a funeral.”  I wanted to kick myself as soon as I said that.  They could have thought that I overheard the conversation between Dad and the cop.

Thankfully, they hadn’t.  “Actually, Selina, I just received word that Mr. Hershvitz may have been attacked a couple weeks ago.  They might have found his body in the woods.”

“Really?  What was he doing all the way out here?”

“Probably trying to stop me from ruining him.  He was doing some bad things, and should have had his license revoked.  But it’s hard to think that he’s gone.”

“That and out of all these attacks, Selina somehow survived,” Mom added.

“True.  They don’t know what attacked that boy or Walter, but you said it was a wolf?”

I nodded.  “A black wolf was attacking me, and two gray wolves knocked him off of me.  Maybe that wolf was crazy, and the other two were trying to get him off their territory.  Wolves are territorial, right?”

They both nodded.  “Maybe,” Dad said, sighing.  “Anyways, you should get something to eat, Selina.  You’ve got a big day ahead of you.”

I gave him a smile before heading to the fridge to get some bacon out.

As we were eating breakfast, the doorbell rang.  First, it was Mom’s parents.  They went on and on about how much Dan and I had grown since we moved, mentioned my hair being thicker, said how sorry they were that I had been attacked, and how happy they were for me that I was graduating.  And as soon as they finished their spiel, Dad’s parents arrived with his brother and wife and kids.  Mom’s brother, wife, and kids arrived after they did, which started round three.  I just smiled and nodded when appropriate.

I was about to go to my room to get dressed when the doorbell rang again.  I answered it this time, and was relieved to see London on the other side.  He gave me a quick kiss before I ushered him inside to give introductions to my family.  I was glad that he was here, but I needed to get dressed.  So while everyone introduced themselves to him, I snuck into my room.

When I opened the door to go to the bathroom, I found London standing in the hall.  I left my bedroom door open so he could go inside while I went to brush my teeth and hair.  When I ventured back into my room, I found London sitting on my bed, staring at the painting he gave me for my birthday.  I sat beside him, and rested my head on his shoulder.

He wrapped an arm around me, and pressed a kiss to the top of my head.  “Your family seems really nice,” he softly said.

“Yeah.  I haven’t seen any of them since we moved here, and I kind of miss them.  Luckily, I have you and the pack now.”

“What did your parents think of the painting?”

“They still think it’s strange that I like wolves now, but they like your work.  They didn’t want to believe me when I said you painted it.”  Sighing, I stood.  “I really should spend some time with my family.”

“Do you want me to stay or go?”

“Whichever you want.  You don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to.”

“I’ll stay and drive you to the school.”

“I think we’re going out to eat afterwards.  Mom and Dad already booked a couple tables at Artemis’ dad’s restaurant,” I said, walking out into the hallway.

For a while, we sat in the living room, talking to my family.  They asked questions about what it was like living here, how long London and I have been together, and caught me up on what I missed in Charleston.  Sometime after lunch, London and I dressed in our caps and gowns, and posed for pictures for my family.  Then, he mentioned picking up Josie for Dan, and we opted to go with him, half to get away from the stories about when we were younger, and half to ask him about what Channing had to say about the rogue.

“Channing agreed with you, Selina,” he said, pulling out of the driveway.  “He doesn’t think confronting O’Malley about the purchase is wise, and thinks that we should leave it alone for now.  But the next time I hear that he’s trying to purchase land on my territory, I am going to confront him about it.  He’s a sneaky little bastard that needs to be knocked down a few pegs.”

I just nodded, not knowing what to say.  I really didn’t want to witness a pack war, so hopefully O’Malley would give up on trying to take over London’s land.

After we picked up Josie, we went ahead to the school.  A lot of people had gathered there, and it took us some time to find Channing and Artemis.  We just chatted with each other until it was time for us to be seated.

The ceremony seemed to drag as the principal called everyone’s names.  After I finally received my diploma, I had to wait for the rest of the names to be called before we could leave.  And when everything was over, my parents wanted to take some pictures of us with our new pieces of paper.  London’s parents also made an appearance, and his mom thankfully played nice, taking pictures of us as well.

Afterwards, we went to the restaurant, and had a really nice time.  My family was going to stay in a nearby hotel for the night before heading back to Charleston in the morning.  London drove us back to my house after dropping Josie off at her place, and we had a rather lengthy good-bye.

When he left, I spent most of the night with my family, talking, playing some board games, telling jokes.  I missed them, but I just wanted to be with London right now.

The next day, after our family left, I took Dan over to Josie’s, and ventured to London’s.  We mostly stayed in his room, the TV on but us not paying attention to it.  I was too focused on the way his lips moved against mine, the feel of his fingertips across the skin of my stomach, the sound of his heart pounding as rapidly as mine.

I had been thinking about going through with the mating ceremony lately, what all it would entail.  Artemis said it was awkward between her and Channing for a while after they mated, but then it got better with time.  I imagined it would be the same between London and I as well.  And he said nothing would change between us unless we wanted it to.

And I really didn’t have anything holding me back right now other than my overworking mind.

I was a little confused when London pulled away from me.  “Everything alright, Selina?  You seem a little distant.”

Shit, he was able to tell?  “I was just thinking.”

“About?”

“Stuff.  Our future.”

“What about it?”

“Well, I am eighteen now, and we just finished with school.”

His brow furrowed with confusion.  “O-Okay.”

My heart pounded in my chest, and I knew that he could hear it increasing.  I should just go ahead and say it instead of prolonging the inevitable.  Taking a deep breath, I looked him in the eyes and said, “London, I think I’m ready.”

Chapter 29

His eyes widened with surprise.  “Wait.  What did you say?” he warily asked.

“I love you, London, and I’m ready.  I’m ready for us to be mated.”

He was silent for a moment, scrutinizing me.  “Are you serious, Selina?”

“As serious as I can be.”

Instead of responding, he attacked my lips with his.  His enthusiasm made me giggle.  Was he that eager to mate with me?

When he pulled away, he got off the bed, and held a hand out to me.  “We need to go let the pack know.”

I placed my hand in his, and gave him a bewildered look.  “Why do we need to do that?”

“They need to see that we’re officially mating.  Like I said, it’s kind of like a wedding,” he explained, helping me off the bed.

“And you want to do this now?”

“Yeah.  Why not?” he asked with a mile wide smile.

“First, what’s the pack’s part in it?”

“They just witness us vowing our lives to each other.  Then they can either stay outside or leave.”

I didn’t like the thought of anyone hanging around for such an intimate thing.  It was bad enough that they were going to know what we’re up to after the ceremony.  “Yeah, let’s make them leave afterwards.”

He nodded.  “Call Artemis and Josie.  They’ll help spread the word that the pack needs to get here.”  He pulled his phone out of his pocket, and dialed Channing.  After we repeated the message to the betas, I called Josie, and he called either Raff or Charles.  They had a chain going, quickly contacting other pack members to let them know to come here for a meeting.  Since London didn’t tell them what the meeting was about, I didn’t tell Artemis or Josie.  I guess everyone was going to find out we were going to become official mates when they arrived.

While we waited for everyone, we ventured downstairs.  Sitting on the couch, London held me close to him, my head resting on his shoulder.  My heart was still pounding; this was a big decision we were making.  Not only were we going to publically devote ourselves to each other, we were also going to take that next step and make love.

The thought sent chills down my spine.

Pack members slowly arrived.  When they asked what the meeting was about, London would just tell them to wait until everyone was present.  That included the betas when they showed up, much to their displeasure.  They didn’t like being left out of the loop.

But as time passed, I noticed Artemis staring at us.  London was still holding me close to him, and my heart was still pumping in overdrive.  When I saw the look of revelation on her face, I felt London shake his head.  She then pouted, which told me that he was telling her to keep quiet.  It was hard for her to keep her excitement in; she was practically bouncing in her seat.

When the living room became packed, London told everyone to go outside.  We sat at the top of the stairs while Channing and Artemis sat a couple steps below us.  When Dan and Josie arrived, they sat on the stairs below the betas.  They were just as curious as everyone else who was gathered here, but London wanted to wait until everyone was present before saying anything.

An hour after the first person arrived, all of the pack members were finally accounted for.  London silenced them, and stood.  With all eyes on him, he asked, “So, who’s ready for a mating ceremony?”

While a couple people cheered and howled, Artemis squealed and clapped her hands together with excitement.  I felt my cheeks growing hot with blush as I looked away from the pack.

London cupped my chin and gently urged me to look at him.  He gave me a tiny grin before descending the stairs.  I followed him, as well as Channing and Artemis.  At the bottom of the stairs, he looked to Dan and Josie.  Without a word, she took my brother’s hand, and led him to the front of the pack.

Then, London took my hands in his, and said, “Go ahead, Channing.”

Channing stood next to us, facing the pack.  Artemis stood beside him, a huge grin on her face.  Channing was happy, but not as much as his mate.  “Alright, normally this is the alpha’s job, but since he’s the one being mated….”  London gave him a look, as if to tell him to just get on with it.  Our beta cleared his throat.  “We are gathered here today as a pack to witness the mating of our alphas, London Fairbanks and Selina Scott, two people that were brought together by fate.”  He then looked to London.

“Selina, I promise to take care of you, to make sure you’re happy, to treat you as my partner in everything we do.  I only ask that you have me as your mate,” he softly said.

Shit, we were supposed to say something to each other?  Did I have something specific I was supposed to say?  Or was I just supposed to say something that was supposed to come off as sweet and romantic?  Thankfully, Artemis rescued me.  “Say the same and that you accept,” she said under her breath.

“London, I promise to take care of you, as well, to make sure that you are also happy, and to be partners in everything we do.  And I accept you as my mate,” I said, just above a whisper.  I knew everyone heard me, though, because of our wolfish hearing.

As everyone broke out in applause and howls, London pulled me into him, and pressed his lips to mine.  I wrapped my arms around his neck, and deepened the kiss just a little, getting carried away slightly.  When we pulled away from each other, he leaned in to whisper in my ear, “I also promise to love you every day, Selina.”

That was pretty obvious, but I responded by kissing his cheek and whispering, “I love you, too, London.”

Channing spoke again.  “Alright, let’s leave these two to finish the ceremony.”

The applause calmed down, and they replaced it with chatter.  I looked at my mate as their footsteps sounded down the driveway, and gave him a kiss.  I was nervous about what was to come, but he said he’d be gentle with me.

With everyone leaving to give us some privacy, he took my hand, and turned me toward the stairs.  My heart pounded in anticipation.  We were really going to do this, we were going to join our bodies as one and be mates for the rest of our lives.

“I challenge Selina Scott for the right to mate with London Fairbanks.”

We just had one foot on the stairs when the outburst occurred.  Turning to look at the pack, we found Ricky standing a couple feet in front of them.  Everyone halted their retreat to look at her, some of the expressions seemed to ask if she was crazy.  I was one of them that thought so.

Ricky’s face held a plethora of emotions.  Fear, anger, and sadness were the most prevalent.  What in the hell was she thinking trying to challenge me?  I was London’s mate, not her.  Could she even do something like that?

Artemis spoke up.  “Uh, Ricky, they already went through the mating ceremony.”

“Yeah, but they haven’t completed it yet.”

“You’re really going to try to force to be mates while she’s still alive?  You know it doesn’t work that way.”

Ricky’s hands clenched into fists as her face reddened.  She was pissed because there was nothing she could do about London and I mating.  When I saw tears forming in her eyes, I actually felt a little sorry for her.  Until she said, “Fine.  I challenge Selina Scott for the alpha position.”

A couple people gasped, and London tightened his grip on my hand.  I remembered him saying challenges did occur within packs, and that it was sometimes fights to the death.  Did she really want to chance that?  Especially after I had killed that rogue about a week ago?

“Do you not accept my challenge?” Ricky asked, her voice wavering.

I looked to London.  “Does it have to be a fight to the death?” I asked.

“No, and to make sure, whoever taps out first loses,” he instructed.

The pack took several steps back, clearing the area for us.  Ricky stood her ground, waiting for me.  I approached her, stopping about five feet away.  But we were going to have to shift in order to fight.

Ricky pulled her shirt over her head, so I did the same.  I didn’t like shifting in front of the pack, and she was forcing me to.  We both unbuttoned our pants, and kicked them off along with our shoes.  While she opted to slowly remove her bra, I undid mine, and immediately shifted.  My panties tore, but I didn’t really need them now or afterwards.

When Ricky finally decided to shift after getting completely naked, white fur sprouted from her body.  Great, they wouldn’t be able to visually see who was who until after we shifted back to our human forms.  I was going to have to make sure this ended quickly.

Since she challenged me, I let Ricky make the first move.  The object was to pin, not kill or injure, so when Ricky charged at me, I dodged to the left.  Moving quickly, I tried to get on top of her to use my weight to my advantage.  But she dropped to the ground, and rolled, pinning me beneath her.

Shit, she’s been a wolf a whole lot longer than I have.  I didn’t want to think that my killing of the rogue was a fluke, but I’d had help then.  This was one-on-one, though, and I couldn’t receive help.

To get her off of me, I bit one of her ears.  Ricky yelped in pain, and moved away from me.  Before I could get to my feet, she tackled me, her jaw clamping down on my neck.  Her teeth hurt as they tried to sink into my skin, and I tried not to cry out in pain.

But with her on top of me, I was able to kick her in the gut.  She released me, allowing me to retaliate.  I went for her neck as well, and shook my head trying to cause as much pain to her as possible.  If she couldn’t handle it, then hopefully she’d tap out.

Unfortunately, she stamped one of her paws on my face, almost hitting my eye.  Ricky then tried to bite at my face, but I kept dodging her.  I needed to get her off of me, get the upper hand.  So I kicked her again and again until I kicked her hard enough to send her flying.

Ricky skidded against the gravel, and struggled with her footing.  I took a chance, and ran at her, growling my frustration.  I was pissed at her for essentially ruining my mating day, pissed that she was jealous that I was London’s mate and she wasn’t, pissed that she was trying to take my position within the pack away from me.  So I wasn’t going to hold back against her when I tackled her again.

Instead of biting her, I just ran into Ricky, flipping and disorienting her.  When she landed, I tackled her again, this time, grabbing the scruff of her neck.  Vigorously shaking my head, she yowled and tried to get away from me.  I wanted to make her hurt, make her question her actions in the future if she ever crossed me again.

To see what she would do, I released her and stood my ground, growling as viciously as I could.

Ricky barely moved, just breathing heavily.  I thought she was going to give up when she snapped at my leg, clamping down on my ankle.  Before she could roll us or knock me off balance, I bit at her neck again, using a little more force than I had before, drawing some blood.

Then, she completely took me off guard by releasing me and standing.  With me still on her back, she ran around the perimeter of the little arena until I fell off of her.  As soon as I gained my footing, I took off after her, nipping at her hind legs.

Grabbing her tail, I pulled as hard as I could.  Ricky yelped, and lost her footing.  I attacked her again, pulling at the loose skin of her neck.  Ricky continued to cry out, but I didn’t let up.

I only stopped when London sternly commanded, “That’s enough, Selina.  I think Ricky wants to concede defeat.”

While Ricky stayed low to the ground as she crawled out from under me, I growled at her.  I just wanted to make my message loud and clear to her and everyone else here.  And that message was do
not
mess with me.

With her tail between her legs, Ricky slunk off, disappearing into the pack.  Giving a snort for good measure, I turned and ventured back to London’s side.  Sitting beside him, he addressed the pack one last time.  “Alright, now all of you get out of here.  Selina’s my mate, and alpha to all of you.”

After everyone left, London gathered my discarded clothes, and we climbed the stairs.  He held the front door open for me, and I made my way to the second story, slipping into his room.  My mate followed me, and tossed my clothes on the floor as I hopped onto the bed.

Shifting back into my human form, London asked, “Are you okay, Selina?  Did she hurt you?”  Concern was written all over his face, and his eyes never wavered from mine as he sat beside me on the bed.

“I’m fine.  My wrist is a little sore, though.”

He took a deep breath, and slowly let it out.  “Well, you’ve secured your place beside me in the pack with that little display.”

“Do you think anyone else would challenge me?”

“It’s extremely unlikely.  Now outside of the pack, that’s a different story.”

I leaned into him and rested my head on his shoulder.  “Hopefully that won’t happen.”

London wrapped an arm around me, and kissed the top of my head.  “Why did Ricky have to pick a fight with you today of all days?  I bet she ruined the mood, huh?”

“A little.”  I moved to look at him, and bit my lip as nervousness flowed through me.  I had taken down the rogue that attacked me.  I had defended my position as alpha against London’s ex.  Yet I was still a little scared about sleeping with him.  Taking a breath to try and calm my nerves, I told him, “Well I’m already halfway there, and you seem to be a bit overdressed.”