Hunter's Moon

Aren led me back into the living room. Neither of us talked about his brother’s impending visit. What was there to say? Adam had every right to be pissed. I had kidnapped his wife less than a year ago. I had also shot his twin brother. That pretty much guaranteed I wasn’t someone he’d be happy to see again, let alone help.

Aren sat on the sofa and reached for one of the remotes. The stereo lit up and Elvis came crooning through the surround sound.

I smiled. “I never would have pegged you for a fan of the King.”

“My mom loved Elvis. That’s why she named me Aren and didn’t spell it traditionally. Elvis’s middle name was Aron with only one A.”

I rested my elbow on the back of the sofa. “Most kids hate their parents’ music on principle.”

He put the remote back on the table and met my eyes. “We lost her when I was little. I used to play her records, and it’d remind me of her. I didn’t want to forget.”

A lump in my throat threatened to suffocate me at the hurt in Aren’s eyes. I did my best not to think about my own parents. I had never really dealt with the pain of their loss. I dove into caring for my baby sister and never looked back. Did I even remember what kind of music my mother liked?

Before I could say anything, the front door opened. We both turned to see Adam filling the doorway.

His green eyes flicked from Aren to me and quickly back to his twin. “She can’t stay here. You’re putting the entire Pack in jeopardy.”

“Hello to you too.” Aren got up from the couch and went to his brother. They clasped their forearms, and then he took a step back. “I’m sorry we had to come back, but this guy is good. We wouldn’t be able to take him out on our own.”

“You have no right to bring the Pack into this.” He pointed at me. “This is her mess, not ours. I’m already in deeper than I should be by hiding her sister.”

“Thank you for helping her.” I got up and came around the couch, but I didn’t move any closer to the agitated wolf. “How is Nadya?”

His jaw clenched, but he answered even though he wouldn’t look at me. “Your sister is fine. She’s been helping Lana with the babies.”

After I said her name out loud, I wanted to see her. Now. But if she was with Lana, I could bet I wasn’t getting anywhere near her.

Adam’s attention shifted to Aren again. “Tell me what you know.”

We shared how we found the Beretta and our conversation with Sebastian about the Lycan Squad. The information about Nero being mixed up with the military didn’t faze Adam the way I thought it would.

He crossed his arms “Impossible.”

I had enough years interviewing suspects to recognize that flicker in his eyes. He was hiding something about these military werewolves. Interesting.

“Sebastian told us the unit was top secret. Even some people with top security clearance didn’t know it exists.” Aren shrugged. “I don’t know why he’d lie about that.”

“He’d lie because he’s a weasel.” Adam shot his glare my way.

I raised a brow, doing my best not to get in the punchy Alpha’s face. “I’m not a big fan of Sebastian either, believe me. But he’s very well connected inside Nero. If he says there’s a werewolf squad in Special Forces, then there probably is.”

Adam ran a hand down his face, shaking his head. “You’re asking too much, Aren. We can’t risk the Pack. We’ve always kept to our territory, and we’ve never had any problems with other wolves. If there are other Packs out there, or werewolf Special Forces squads, we’re better off staying out of it.” Adam went for the door. “I’m sorry I can’t help you more, but taking in her sister is as far as I can go.”

“We won’t stand a chance against this guy alone.”

Adam stopped and slowly turned around. “If it were just me, you know I’d have your back in a heartbeat, but if we let Sasha stay here, the entire Pack, my family, all of us would be at risk. I’m the Alpha now. Their needs have to come first.”

I shifted my gaze from Adam to Aren. The Alpha was right, but we’d already been in Reno too long. That Green Beret could be in town for all we knew. Tracking the Lotus owners in Nevada and tracing one to Reno wouldn’t be that tough with Nero’s resources at his disposal. He’d come looking for me, and when he found me, Nadya would be his, too. Adam knew something, and if it might help me keep this guy away from my sister, then I needed the intel. Now.

Rounding the couch, I marched up to Adam. “You know something you’re not sharing. Ante up, wolf. We don’t have time for this. Your brother trusts me. That should be good enough for you.”

He lunged toward me, forcing me to step back. His muscles were taut and his eyes narrowed. “You are in no position to question me about anything. I have every reason not to trust you.” His voice lowered to a growl. “In fact, I could kill you now, and I don’t think anyone would miss you.”

Aren stood between us in a heartbeat. He shoved his brother. Hard. Adam fell back, smashing the glass coffee table. He popped back onto his feet with surprising speed.

Aren widened his stance, his eyes locked on his twin’s. “So help me, Adam, I don’t want to hurt you, but if you threaten her one more time I will. That’s a promise.”

Adam stared at his brother, then over at me. “You claimed her.”

I had no clue what he was talking about, but Aren nodded. “I did. You know I didn’t choose this. It chose me.”

Adam growled. “What has she chosen?”

Both brothers turned their attention on me. The tension sparked, almost palpable in the air. “I’ve chosen to do whatever it takes to keep my sister safe.”

Adam shook his head. “Not good enough.”

My brow creased in frustration. “What do you want from me?”

Neither brother spoke.

I opened my mouth, but before I could say a word, a loud bang sounded from outside. Some kind of explosive detonated. Aren pulled the door open. The tree right outside the cabin gate was on fire, and the gate itself tilted, warped and leaning off the guide track. A wall of intense heat blew through the door, and black smoke plumed into the otherwise blue sky.

“What the fuck?” Aren rushed out the door with Adam right behind him.

I glared at the fire for a second, before it all clicked. Starting after them, a bullet whizzed past my ear and embedded itself deep in the side of the log cabin.

I dropped to the ground and shouted. “It’s a trap!”

Adam and Aren let go of the hose they were pulling out and ran around the corner of the house as silent bullets danced across the dry dirt, chasing their steps. I crawled behind a planter on the deck, peering through the foliage as I drew my weapon.

“Come on, you gutless bastard,” I whispered. “Show yourself.”

Sirens echoed in the distance as my index finger caressed the delicate trigger. But nothing moved. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears while I waited for more gunfire. By the time the fire truck finally arrived, I started breathing again. He wouldn’t attack with so many people around. Publicity and any chance of being apprehended would be a death sentence for a bounty hunter who knew too much.

If Sebastian was right, this guy needed to be careful. If Nero didn’t kill him, the government might.

Aren appeared around the side of the house, walking down to talk to the fire department. The firefighters were already at work dousing the hot, hungry flames, as Adam came back up the steps.

“The explosion was just a ploy to get us outside.” At least he was speaking to me now, instead of guttural threats. “He figured he could pick us off from a distance.”

I nodded, still scanning the landscape. “Looks that way.”

“Thanks for the shout out.”

I let myself glance over at him for a second. “No problem.”

“If he saw me with Aren, it won’t take long for him to connect the dots on this one. Damn.” He raked his fingers through his hair, pulling it back from his forehead. “I shouldn’t have come up here.”

I sighed. It was a little startling to see Aren’s deep green eyes on another person. “I know you have every