Page 10 of Moon's Call

“You know,” she said, bracing herself against the seat as they took another hit, “for someone who claims to be so powerful, you’re not doing great at the whole kidnapping thing.”

Gideon’s dark eyes met hers in the rearview mirror. “Shut up.”

Another impact sent them spinning toward the cliff’s edge. Through the windshield, Lorelei caught a glimpse of the sheer drop waiting for them.

At that moment, Gideon opened the driver’s door and bailed, leaving her to die alone. Yup, nobody would ever find her body.

Her heart hammered against her ribs as the car skidded over the edge.

FIVE

DRAKEN

Draken stalked out of the glass-fronted building into the sweltering summer morning. The summer heat pressed against his skin, but it was his wounded pride that truly burned. His Luna - his destined mate - had just dismissed him like some random construction worker.

The downtown streets buzzed with activity - cars honking, people rushing to work, the constant hum of city life. None of it helped settle his racing thoughts.

“I am Prince Draken of the Moonshadow Pack,” he muttered under his breath, mimicking his own introduction. “What was I thinking?”

A group of women passing by turned to stare at the attractive man talking to himself, but Draken barely noticed. His mind was too full of brown eyes that should have lit with recognition but had only shown polite confusion.

Of course, a human wouldn’t understand. He’d approached her like she was one of his kind - direct, authoritative, expecting immediate recognition of their bond. The concrete beneath his feet radiated heat as he paced the block.

“A human,” he growled, earning more strange looks from passing pedestrians. “The Moon Goddess gave me a human mate who doesn’t even recognize me.”

His wolf bristled at the slight to their mate even as Draken’s rational mind rebelled against the ridiculous situation. Any female wolf would have felt the pull, would have recognized their fated pair instantly. Instead, he got jokes about birthday presents and dream men.

“This is utterly ridiculous,” he said to himself, running a hand through his hair. “How am I supposed to explain centuries of pack law and shifter culture to someone who thinks I’m just some random crazy person?”

A businessman hurrying past gave him a wide berth, clearly marking him as someone who talked to himself on street corners. Draken couldn’t even blame him. He felt crazy - standing here in his expensive clothes, prince of his people, reduced to skulking around a construction site because his mate had essentially patted him on the head and walked away.

The ground suddenly buckled beneath Draken’s feet, and his wolf surged forward with protective fury. His mate was in danger. The pull of her magic, now familiar after three days of watching her, twisted with fear and confusion.

“Damn it all,” he growled, already stripping off his expensive shirt. His wolf wouldn’t be denied, not with her terror pulsing through their bond.

The shift rippled through him, bones cracking and reforming as his massive wolf burst forth. His clothes shredded, falling away as he launched into a sprint back toward the construction site. Let the humans gawk - his mate needed him.

“Sweet mother of—“ A businessman stumbled backward, coffee splashing across the sidewalk.

Draken’s claws clicked against the concrete as he rounded the corner. The construction site had collapsed inward, steel beams twisted like pretzels. His keen nose detected Lorelei’s scent mixed with a strangely familiar male’s, leading away from the destruction.

Chuck, Scorpio - get the SUV now, he commanded through the pack link while diving into the wreckage.Someone’s taken her.

On it, Alpha. Chuck’s steady voice echoed in his mind.

I told you—Scorpio began.

Save the lecture.Draken’s massive wolf form shouldered aside a fallen beam, exposing two trapped workers. He grabbed their shirts in his teeth, hauling them clear.Just get here.

His wolf wanted to chase after Lorelei’s scent immediately, but he couldn’t leave humans trapped in the rubble she’d inadvertently created. One by one, he pulled workers to safety, their shocked expressions at being rescued by a wolf barely registering.

The black SUV screeched to a halt at the curb. Draken shifted back to his human form behind an overturned concrete barrier, yanking on the spare clothes Chuck tossed him.

“You just had to walk away to sulk,” Scorpio said as Draken vaulted into the backseat.

“Less talking, more driving,” Draken snapped, buttoning his shirt.

The SUV peeled away from the curb, leaving behind a crowd of shell-shocked construction workers and the ruins of what should have been his first real conversation with his mate.

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