Page 5 of The Wild Moon
“What’s his deal?” Jo asked as Derek grinned and turned away, unfazed by my look.
“He’s just one of Johnathan’s ass-kissers,” I muttered. “They take great pride in seeing how much I hate coming back here. It’s like an ongoing victory for them. I don’t know.”
“What a bunch of assholes,” Jo said.
“Forget ‘em,” I said as the crowd stilled, the low mumble of whispered conversations coming to an end.
They could feel it. As could I. The time was almost here. Soon the pale white orb would rise in the sky, and the Wild Moon would overcome us all. I inhaled sharply, feeling the groundswell of excitement rise up all around us. Three hundred different sets of pheromones filled the air.
There was something about the full moon that set a shifter free, and even now, in my eighth time through it, I was still caught off guard by the fierce exultation of eroticism that flowed through the pack.
“What’s going on?” Jo asked as the people around us began to strip.
“Lars is going to climb up there,” I said, nodding my head at the rock formation. “He’ll stand on his very own Pride Rock, make some arrogant little speech to remind us that we’re all part of the pack, then we’ll shift.”
“Oh. Okay. But why is everyone getting naked?”
“Do you really want your wolf getting stuck in your sports bra?” I said, the heady scent of sex warming my body. There were so many gorgeous people around me.
Men. Women. Couples. Blood was swirling through my veins, filling my body with warmth. I longed to join them. Skin gleamed in the light of the house, illuminating soft, supple curves and thick, powerful arms. My breath was growing shallower.
Keep it together. For Jo!
“It’s always uncomfortable the first time,” I said as Jo started to strip, looking to me for confirmation. “But it gets easier.”
“Dan? Are you okay?” Jo asked, staring at me.
“Just … a lot,” I said, trying not to stare at all the flesh around me.
Some of the pack were like me, doing their best to restrain the baser desires the Wild Moon brought to the surface. Others were far less caring and stared openly, drinking in the veritable buffet of sights in front of them.
“We are the Seguinpack,” a voice intoned over the group of nearly four hundred shifters gathered in the back of the Aldridge house.
I looked up to see Lars Aldridge, naked and strong, standing on top of his three-tiered Pride Rock formation, lording his Alpha status down over the rest of us.
My wolf basked in the Alpha’s presence.
I wanted to tear his throat out.
“We are the Seguinpack,” I repeated back, along with everyone else, even Jo, who joined in at an elbow from me.
“We look after our own,” Lars said, spreading his arms wide.
Who does this fucker think he is? Jesus? What an arrogant prick.
“We look after our own.”
I repeated it back, same as the others. Sometimes I hate myself. Why couldn’t I manage even that little bit of resistance? It’s not like Lars was using his Alpha command to force us to repeat after him. Yet here I was, swept up in the heat of the Wild Moon anyway and doing as I was told.
“We have one Soulshifter among us tonight,” Lars said, pointing to where Jo stood at my side, naked and doing her best to hide her nudity.
I stood beside her and panted like a dog in heat, ignoring the rest of Lars’ little speech about looking out for Jo. I’d never given in to the feelings before, never lowered my inhibitions enough to take part in the reckless mating that came with the Wild Moon, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t easy.
“Dan,” Jo whispered as attention turned away from her. “I’m afraid.”
“The Wild Moon is upon us,” Lars intoned. “Prepare.”
I looked down at my friend and smiled. “Me, too,” I whispered as the moon came over the horizon. “Be strong.”
