Prologue
From the journal of Dr. M. Granger - Journal Entry 522
Today during General Miller Sloan’s debriefing, he revealed that a female human subject was bitten by the last surviving member of the second Lycan Green Beret Squad. The General reported the female survived the initial attack, and we have confirmed through outside sources that she displays psychic abilities and subsequently survived the conversion.
According to our primary research, a human mind cannot metabolize the sudden adrenal gland stimulation. Yet this woman is still alive. I am anxious to run thorough testing on the subject before her inevitable demise. The research would prove to be priceless to our mission.
Unfortunately, the female subject is under the protection of a werewolf Pack in Reno. Delivering her to our research center is currently impossible without attracting police attention. In order to study the effects of the altered werewolf DNA, I will be traveling to Reno, Nevada to “assist” in her treatment. Nero is arranging the details with the General’s assistance.
Project Moonlight is alive once more.
Chapter One
Nadya
“How come I don’t feel anything yet?” I held my hand up toward the moon, waiting for the silver light to work its magic. For the past three weeks—since the night my blood had been tainted. I’d been coming to terms with my fate and because I couldn’t change it, I’d done my best to embrace it. I could wallow in terror and be a victim, or I could do my best to really live with whatever time I had left. I chose to live.
The closer the full moon got, the more my excitement grew. How many people would ever experience becoming a wolf? I could worry about the consequences later.
“You will,” Jason replied, but he gave off waves of concern. In fact, almost all the Pack members present were full of worry, tense and uncertain.
I sighed and dropped my hand to my side. “Why don’t you guys go on ahead? You’re making me nervous.”
Jason shook his head. “That’s not a good idea.”
“Let’s be honest. If something goes wrong, you don’t know how to help me anyway.” Hearing me say the words out loud would ruffle Jason, but it was true. Even though he was the Pack’s doctor, no one knew how my body would react to the change since I’d been bitten by a genetically mutated werewolf.
My throat started to burn. Was I finally shifting? “Please go. I don’t want to do this with an audience.”
Jason ground his teeth together and looked over at Adam, the Pack’s alpha. “You take the Pack. I’ll stay with her.”
“No.” I shook my head and stared at each handsome male face until my gaze locked onto a pair of dark eyes set in a chiseled emotionless face. Perfect. “Gareth. He can stay with me and signal you if I have any trouble.”
I’ve been able to sense and experience others’ emotions since childhood, my “gift” as my mother called it. After years of practice, hiding my reactions to people around me usually came as second nature. But I almost laughed when waves of surprise and shock slammed into me from Jason and the rest of the Pack.
“Is there a problem?” I did my best to keep my expression neutral.
Jason opened his mouth to say something a couple of times before he gestured in Gareth’s direction. “Yes, there’s a problem. I’m the doctor in this Pack.”
Gareth walked toward Jason and crossed his arms. “You don’t think I’m capable of letting you know if she sprouts two heads?”
Jason straightened, the hot feel of his aggression prickled along my skin. At least it took his mind off being concerned about me dying during my first full moon.
“It’s not that simple.” Jason’s voice was low and menacing, not like the quick thinking doctor I’d spent time with over the past few weeks. “We don’t know how Fonthill’s bite will affect her. She could suffer a brain hemorrhage or an outburst of paranoia. I’m pretty sure you’re not equipped to handle that.”
“Give me a little credit.” Gareth’s jaw twitched as he ground his teeth. “You’d be surprised what I can handle.”
“All right, stop it.” I winced as an invisible vise tightened on my head. “If I do have some strange reaction, we don’t even know if you can treat it with medicine. If this is going to be my one and only shift, I don’t want to do it with a bunch of guys who are so worried about me that I can’t tune it out. Is that too much to ask?”
“Sorry.” Jason met my eyes. “I was just… Why him?”
“Why not? Are you surprised I chose the only one of you that isn’t part of a matched set?” All werewolves were born as male twins. I guess I’d been so wrapped up in dealing with my new…situation, that I hadn’t given it much thought. What happened to Gareth’s twin?
Adam stepped up beside me, interrupting my thoughts. “Your sister will kill us all, literally, if anything happens to you.”
“I know but standing around watching me isn’t going to keep me safe, either. Go do your wolf thing.” I lifted my head a little, hoping they wouldn’t notice my knees were starting to tremble. Something was happening to me.
After a tense moment, Adam scanned the rest of the Pack. “Go ahead to the lake. I’ll be right behind you.” He turned to Gareth, clasping his forearms in the traditional greeting of the Pack. “If there’s any sign of trouble, howl, and we’ll haul our asses back here in a heartbeat.”
Gareth nodded. Adam walked over and pulled me into a hug. I closed my eyes, grateful for the comfort. He and his twin Aren were quickly becoming the big brothers I’d never had. He whispered against my ear. “It hurts like hell, but there’s no better rush on earth than running with the wolves.”
“I’ll be fine.” My skin started to itch. “See you soon.” I left off the I hope.
He nodded and jogged into the darkness.
Wiping sweat from my forehead, I did my best not to stumble on my way over to a nearby boulder to sit.
“Why me? That twin excuse is bogus and you know it,” Gareth said.
For a moment I had forgotten I wasn’t alone. I looked up at him, unsure how to answer his question. Gareth was everything I wasn’t. My eyes were green; his were as black as a moonless night. My fair skin practically glowed in contrast to his, and tattoos wound around his biceps. I usually enjoyed the company of others, and Gareth seemed happy to stay in the shadows and keep his distance.
He looked dangerous, but in the short time I’d known him, he’d always made me feel safe. I’d even caught him smiling once when I held Adam’s baby, Malcolm, on his motorcycle. He had a surprising smile that had warmed me for a brief moment before he sobered again.
But I didn’t know him. Maybe no one did.
He towered above me, waiting for my answer. His broad shoulders blocked the moonlight, but I could still see him perfectly. One perk to being bitten? I had amazing heightened senses now.
So why did I choose Gareth to stay with me?
“Because you care the least.”
His brow furrowed. “I don’t get it.”
“The others are making me crazy with their worrying. This is tough enough without feeling the fears of six other werewolves pressing on me. I’m an empath, remember?” I gasped and fell to my knees. It felt like someone jammed a hot poker into my abdomen.
Gareth knelt beside me in a flash, but he made no attempt to touch or try to help me to my feet. “If you want to wear those clothes again in the morning, you’d better get them off now.”
If I wasn’t in so much gut-wrenching pain, I might’ve been shocked he just told me to get naked.