MadMoon

Regina Carlysle

High Plains Shifters, Book 6

Madden Moon knows what the woman is
the second she walks into the old café. Shifter. Wolf. Trouble. Struck by her
beauty and the air of exhaustion about her, the leader of the Texas Rogues
wishes her straight out of town. But as the mating energy of their species
sizzles between them and her enemies approach, Madden has no alternative but to
bring the beautiful lycan under his protection and into his bed.

Runaway Lana Vronski is in big
trouble. As she races through the woods, local wolves in hot pursuit, she
believes all is lost until she’s rescued by oh-so-sexy Madden. When he offers
her sanctuary and sex hot enough to singe them both, she accepts his proposal.
But it isn’t until the mating heat between them burns wildly out of control
that Lana learns her true salvation awaits in his arms. Lana’s enemies are
relentless, however, and will stop at nothing to rip her from the arms of the
man she loves.

A Romantica®
paranormal erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

Dedication

This book is lovingly dedicated to my readers and fans.
Thanks for your encouragement, patience and support. Most especially I’d like
to thank reader and friend extraordinaire Lana Hinton Galindo, who lifts me up
and makes me laugh when I most need it. This one is for you, babe!

He scented her the moment she opened the door of the old
café. He didn’t know who she was but
what
she was couldn’t have been
clearer.

Shifter.

Wolf.

Madden Moon’s nostrils flared as the rich, spicy smell of
the female curled through his brain, igniting base instincts that he promptly
pushed aside to reexamine at another time. The she-wolf was an icy blonde,
beautiful and wary. Though he’d never been a fan of short hair on a woman, the
edgy pixie cut suited her delicate features. Her eyes, even from the distance,
were a dark, exotically tilted midnight blue, thickly lashed and currently
narrowed as she halted and stood skittishly in the doorway. The stranger shot
him a quick glance and the single panicked look spoke volumes. She knew he was
shifter too.

For a moment it seemed she’d bolt and head back out into the
dark of night but that didn’t happen. His spectacular hearing registered the
low growl of her belly. Then as her gaze shifted away, she squared her
shoulders and hurried to a corner booth across the room from him.

As High Alpha of the Rogues, it was his responsibility to
keep tabs on shifters who might pass through this area of East Texas. This
poor, bedraggled little thing didn’t seem much of a threat to anyone. She looked
stressed-out and exhausted. Still, he covertly watched her as she ordered
something from the menu and gulped down a tall glass of ice water. By the time
she’d finished that and started to drink her coffee, the waitress had set a
plate containing two large burgers and a heaping mound of fries in front of
her.

If he hadn’t known she was shifter by her scent, the woman’s
enormous appetite would have given her away.

She glanced up at him and Mad had the good grace to look
away. It was hard as hell to avoid staring at her, wondering about her and
trying to figure out why she seemed so distressed. He might be a wolf but he
was also a gentleman.

Most of the time.

Mad finished off the last of his coffee and leaned back
against the faded faux leather of his favorite booth in Joe’s Hot Griddle. The
remains of his fried ham, eggs and buttermilk pancakes littered the aged
laminate table. The only twenty-four-hour-breakfast joint in Sweetridge, Texas,
wasn’t even close to being
hot
tonight. No more than two or three customers
filled a room that could easily accommodate eighty. That was fine. It suited
his mood. Mad wasn’t in the mood for company nor was he feeling particularly
chatty.

Joe Grubbs, the shifter elder who owned the place, wearing a
dingy white apron over the girth of his belly, ambled up with a pot of coffee.
Without asking, he poured Mad another cup. He tilted his head toward the
she-wolf who was busily devouring her meal. “Wonder who she is.”

“No clue but I figure I’ll find out soon enough. Probably
just passing through. If that’s the case, she can go in peace.” After grunting
his thanks for the coffee, Mad motioned for the man to sit. “Why aren’t you out
hunting with the others tonight, Joe?” Mad eyed the older man over the rim of
his cup.

Joe shrugged. “Somebody’s gotta earn a buck or two around
here. These days I’m feeling my age and those men get out of control with the
bloodlust. Thirty years or so ago, I liked hanging with the rowdies, but now
the thought of it just wears me out. I took a pass. But I could ask you the
same. Figured you’d be out there ramrodding that mangy pack. Instead you’re
here and looking morose as hell.”

“Just restless.” As High Alpha, it was his duty to tear up
the woods and raise a little hell, all in the spirit of camaraderie and
brotherhood, but he didn’t have the heart for it. He didn’t have to be psychic
to know something was in the air.

Deep in his bones, he believed something was fixin’ to roll
over him like high tide on the Gulf.

Off in the distance, he heard the howl of wolves. His men.
His pack. They’d been hunting in the nearby woods for the better part of three
hours now and, knowing some of them, their blood would be running high. It was
a dangerous time for some of the younger wolves who were known to get into a
shitload of trouble after a bloody hunt. When they were finished, they’d be
looking for a balls-to-the-walls fight and a fast fuck, in no particular order.
Gods help whoever got in their way.

Mad glanced at the woman. If she knew what was best for her,
she’d get out of town while the getting was good. One or two of those young
pups were downright dangerous and if they happened upon her after the hunt,
she’d be in deep trouble. Exhaustion seemed to roll from her body, easy to pick
up on, and he knew it would be hard for her to fight off trouble in her current
physical state.

Yes, she’d best get the hell outta here pretty damn quick.

Finally he stood and tossed some cash on the littered table
then glanced at the pretty lady shifter. He frowned and gave Joe a look. “With
the hunt going down tonight, it might be a good idea to give the little blonde
a heads-up. She needs to hit the road.”

When Joe nodded, Mad shrugged, determined to put some
distance between himself and the sexy stranger. “Best take off and see what’s what,
Joe. You take care now.”

He felt the woman’s eyes on him as he made his way to the
door and stopped to return her stare.

A sound similar to white noise buzzed in his ears and fairly
rattled his brain then stopped almost as soon as it started. Chills raced over
his arms.

What the fuck?

It was almost impossible to tear his gaze away from her.
Yeah, she’d think him rude as hell but he couldn’t help it.

She tilted her head quizzically and nervously licked her
lips.

His libido went off with a series of internal bells and
whistles but then she looked away. She was a woman in trouble. He felt it in
his bones and he wasn’t in the mood for a whole lot of grief. The dead last
thing he needed around here was to stomp out a bunch of fires. The best thing
for both of them would be for her to jump in her car and head on out of
Sweetridge, the sooner the better.

He gave her one final glance and headed out, silently
wishing her well in dealing with whatever troubles plagued her.

Lana Vronski, daughter of Alpha Master to the Snow Wolf Clan
of Colorado, watched the male wolf leave the quiet café, surprised by the lump
in her throat. Normally she wasn’t much of a crier but darn if she didn’t need
to curl up in a pair of strong arms and sob like a baby right about now. This
guy looked like the kind of wolf who could easily protect a female in trouble.
Everything about him called to her senses, reminding her of girlhood dreams of
chivalrous knights and white horses. Dumb, but there it was. She had no idea of
his nature except for her quick realization that he was distinctly dangerous.

Easily six-four, he filled out his black tee shirt and faded
jeans as if they’d been sewn onto his long, lean frame. His sandy-colored hair
was cut short and a smattering of stubble covered his hard jawline. But it was
his eyes that had captivated her. They were a pale, icy blue that focused with
a laser sharpness, missing little. Intense, oh yes. He looked like the kind of
man who wouldn’t take no for an answer and fight to the death for someone under
his protection. She could use a man like that right now.

A pang of regret filled her as she watched him leave. The
glow of neon from the sign over the door of the café splashed across his tall
body just seconds before he stepped into the cab of a black double-cab and
drove away.

Her whole body trembled.

Was it simply exhaustion or her reaction to this man?

“Can I get you anything else, miss?” The waitress, whose
nametag identified her as Lenore, watched her with knowing eyes. Lana knew from
the woman’s scent that she was one of her kind but she felt no threat.
Recognition was mutual between them and there was no need to acknowledge they
belonged to the same species.

“No, thanks. The burgers were great.”

“You look pretty tired, honey.”

Lana mustered a smile at the endearment. It hadn’t taken her
long to figure out that Texans, even Texas
shifters
, used such terms
frequently, often with complete strangers. She kind of liked that. “I am.”

Lenore leaned closer. “Listen, you’re a stranger around here
so you couldn’t know there’s a hunt going down tonight. As tired as you seem to
be, I would normally recommend a couple of area motels where you could bed down
but that’s not going to work tonight. You’d best get out of town while you can.
Those men, some of the younger ones, are liable to have their blood up. You’re
a pretty little thing but you could be as attractive as a heifer in that
pasture out yonder and it honestly wouldn’t matter to some of those jerks.
Seriously, hon, you need to hit the road.”

Lana blinked, taken aback by Lenore’s frankness, then tossed
a couple of bills to the tabletop as she stood. She’d stopped using her credit
cards when she’d realized how easy it would be for her father to track her.
Cash was running low now. Pretty soon her car would be running on fumes and
she’d be stranded somewhere. But that didn’t matter now. All that counted was
that she get the hell out of Dodge and quick. Impulsively, she hugged the
waitress. “Thanks.”

“Good luck!”

Racing out the door to the sound of wolf howls like those
she’d heard earlier, she noted that this time the primal sounds were closer.
Panicked, she stopped at the door of her small compact car and began to dig
through her purse for keys. She glanced around the mainly abandoned parking
lot. Where was the hot wolf in the badass pickup when she needed him?

Lana’s keys jangled in the bottom of her bag but her hands
began to shake as she felt a presence behind her. She whirled around, backing
up against the car, her eyes widening at the sight of nearly a half dozen huge
beasts snarling at the edge of the parking lot. The café’s lot sat at the edge
of a heavily forested area and she knew that shifting and heading deep into it
might be her only salvation. Either that or she could retreat back inside. That
option was removed when one of the wolves skulked forward and placed his body
between her and the door. Another stalked closer.

Her heart started to race until all she could hear was the
sound of it pulsing in her ears. The black leather handbag she held slipped
from her fingers onto the hot pavement. The stalking wolf snarled and snapped
as he advanced. Blood rimmed his muzzle and stained his sharp teeth. A blast of
terror ripped through her body and on a burst of adrenaline, Lana called on
every lesson learned at her mother’s knee and began to run, using the
preternatural quickness of her kind. It was her only means of escape.

Lana sprinted off, yanking her top over her head as she ran.
Somehow she managed to unzip her skirt, letting it fall to the ground, and
kicked off her sandals. Wearing only her bra and panties, she dashed deeper
into the heavy foliage of the woods, slowing only to whip off her underwear. In
a flash, she visualized her white wolf and transformed into her beast. Her
speed picked up but she feared it wouldn’t be enough. Howls went up as the pack
gave chase.

Autumn leaves crunched under the pads of her paws and a
brisk wind ruffled the fur of her coat as she raced across the forest floor.
The leafy, night-shrouded world whizzed past as her she-wolf heart thudded in a
primitive rhythm. Her panicked brain screamed at her to run fast, run harder.
Her life depended upon it. She was a stranger to this area but, as a wolf
herself, it was fairly clear this pack was in the throes of bloodlust and they
were coming for her.

For sure, her future was uncertain.

Panting hard, she wondered how these past few days had gone
from bad to worse in such a hurry. Maybe later she’d think about it all but
there was simply no time for deep introspection on the status of her strange
life. A low howl went up followed by yips and snarls, the sound all too
familiar but creepy just the same. Fear rushed down her spine and rampaging
terror seared her belly as the pack gained ground.

Suddenly time ran out as a hard wolven body smashed into
her, pinning her to the base of a massive oak. Razor-sharp teeth snapped near
her muzzle. Too close for comfort. Savage survival instincts honed by living
among her own pack kicked in. Lana rolled from beneath the heavy weight,
regained her feet and snarled, flashing fang despite knowing she was
outnumbered big-time.

The show of bravado didn’t work.

Backing up, growling low, Lana narrowed her eyes as the pack
wolves hunkered down and approached in a menacing manner. For the first time since
she’d turned tail and run away from home, she wondered what had possessed her.

Freedom.

Oh yeah. That was it.

Looking back, watching her life flash through her brain as
though it were an old-time movie, she figured a quick death at the hands of an
unknown wolf-pack was preferable to what awaited her at home. She was
outnumbered, tired and past caring at this point.

Two large gray beasts advanced, rushing toward her with
preternatural speed and in her panic, Lana shifted from wolf to woman just as
they knocked her to a bed of dead fall leaves. As a still-young wolf, her
concentration shredded and all at once she was naked. Vulnerable. Soon-to-be
dead.

She’d always been a fighter but suddenly all of that was
gone, leaving only grim resignation behind.

“We can’t do this, man. Come on. Moon will have our hides
for this.”

“Fuck him! Fuck him!”

Male laughter. “Nah, fuck
her
.”

The second she heard them speak, Lana opened her eyes to see
the wolves had shifted into their human forms. It was dark and hard to see
their faces but their lust was easy enough to smell.