Page 1 of Moonlit Nights & Northern Lights
Prologue
MERIDIAN MEDICAL RESEARCH CENTRE, GREENWICH, LONDON
EIGHTEEN MONTHS AGO
There are three things you should never do on a full moon: drink tequila, break into heavily guarded facilities, or stand this close to the unfairly gorgeous wolf you’ve been crushing on for weeks. Tonight, I was batting three for three.
“Ready?” Dev whispered, his shoulder pressed against mine as we lurked in the shadow of Meridian Medical Research Centre. The fire-exit door he’d wedged open earlier—during his fake courier delivery—gaped invitingly. Almost too inviting, really. Like those venus fly traps Priya kept on Killigrew Street’s kitchen windowsill, that Issac liked to feed toast to.
“Born ready.” The full moon burned under my skin like a fever, and I flexed my fingers, trying to ignore the way my wolf scratched at my insides, desperate to break free. Probably not the best night to attempt corporate espionage, but when Dev had texted about a homeless shifter ranting about his missing mate and an unmarked van, waiting wasn’t an option. “Though my boss is going to murder me when he finds out I did this without his permission.”
“Well, you know what they say.” Dev’s grin flashed white in the darkness as he eased the door wider. “Sometimes it’s better to ask forgiveness.”
I threw him a smirk to keep up the pretense that I was super cool, but inside, a spike of icy fear reared its ugly head. What if Sebdidn’tforgive me? What if he kicked me out of Killigrew Street? The thought sent my heart into a panicked spiral, my most painful memories threatening to resurface. Even now, years later, the phantom ache of those severed pack bonds made my wolf whimper. Killigrew Street was the first place that had ever felt like home. Seb, Kit, Priya, and Issac were my family now.
I couldn’t lose that.
“You okay?” Dev asked, because I’d frozen mid-stride.
The moonlight caught Dev’s profile, highlighting those perfect cheekbones that belonged on a runway rather than skulking around a medical facility. Trust me to fall for a journalist who looked like a supermodel. He smiled at me, and my stomach did that annoying flip-flop thing again. The past few weeks of investigating with him had been torture—the casual touches, the lingering looks, the way his hand would rest on my lower back as we pored over documents.
God, I was pathetic. Here we were, about to break multiple laws, and all I could focus on was how his cologne mixed with his natural scent, creating something that made me want to roll over and present my belly.
“We’ll just poke around for a second, then get lost.” Dev’s voice dropped lower, rougher. That hint of South London in his accent always got stronger when he was excited. “Quick in and out.”
“What about the cameras?” I whispered, eyeing the building’s exterior.
Dev’s smile was smug. “Taken care of. Did a full recon this morning during my ‘delivery.’ External cameras on this side are down—maintenance issue they haven’t fixed. And the internal system…” He checked his watch with practiced nonchalance. “Should be on a loop for exactly twenty minutes starting… now.”
“You hacked their securitysystem?!”
“What? No. I know the night supervisor at Sentinel Security. Marcus owes me after I helped someone in his pack.” Dev shrugged like having connections to every supernatural in London was perfectly normal. “He’s looping the feed from eleven forty to midnight.”
“Twenty minutes?” My heart rate kicked up. “That’s cutting it close.”
“Then we’d better be quick.” Dev winked, already moving toward the door.
I nodded, following him through the door like the lovesick puppy I was. ButChrist, the way his shoulders moved under his fitted black T-shirt should have been illegal.
Focus, Rory.Focus. Missing shifter. Possible corporate corruption. Definitely not the way Dev’s jeans hug his—
“Watch your step,” Dev whispered, catching my elbow as I nearly tripped over a cleaning cart. His touch lingered longer than necessary, sending sparks racing up my arm.
Great. Perfect. I was obviously determined to make a complete tit of myself in front of the hottest wolf in London. At least the darkness hid my blush.
The moment we slipped into the main part of the building, antiseptic hit my nose like a punch. Motion sensors flickered to life, bathing sterile corridors in harsh fluorescent light. Both of us flinched—enhanced senses are a bitch sometimes.
“Seriously, though.” I kept my voice low as we crept forward. “Did that guy at the shelterreallysee someone from Meridian bundle someone into a van?”
“He was completely convinced.” Dev paused at a corner, scenting the air. “Kept saying nobody would believe him because he was drunk, but heknewwhat he saw. And given the other disappearances…”
I nodded. We’d been tracking missing shifters for weeks—all lone wolves from the streets, all vulnerable. The kind of people nobody would miss.
The moon pulsed again, making my jaw ache, desperate to elongate into its snout. This was a bad idea. We should have run this past Seb.Should’ve done anything except break into a facility on a full moon night.
But Dev was already moving deeper into the building, and I’d never been good at making sensible choices.
The research centre’s second floor was a maze of identical offices. Dev moved with purpose, like he knew exactly where he was going. I tried to match his confidence, but mostly I was distracted by how the fluorescent lights caught his hair.
