When The Moon Rises

Cade’s POV.

I grab my jacket and put my phone in the pocket, ready to leave to meet Sienna. She’s so lovely, I’m lucky to have had her and her friends make me feel so welcome. I definitely was not expecting a warm welcome if the Red Forest pack knew where I’d come from.

As I’m tying my shoes, my father appears in front of me, and I hold back the sigh of annoyance. I don’t have time for this right now.

“Cade, a word,” he says.

Before I have time to argue, he turns and goes into his office. Muttering under my breath, I follow him in.

“Yes, father?”

I wonder what it is I’ve done now, always the disappointment, me.

“How was the pack? Did they treat you well?” He asks gravely, his face is absolutely miserable, he constantly looks pissed off.

“Very well, Sir, they were incredibly welcoming.”

“Good, good. How was the practice? Did you get all the help you needed?”

“Yes, Sir. Doctor Greene was very helpful.”

“Good. Your exam is in two weeks, are you prepared?” He asks.

I resist rolling my eyes, I really don’t have time for this right now, I have to meet Sienna.

“Yes, Sir. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go meet someone,” I reply, groaning as my mother comes into the study.

“Meet someone? Is it a girl?” My father asks and I give him a look that shows just how annoyed I am that he’s said that.

Great, he’s going to set mum off now.

3...2...1...

“A girl? What girl? You’ve met a girl?” My mother asks inquisitively, her eyes bright with excitement.

I open my mouth to reply but the phone on my father’s desk rings. He gestures for us both to leave the room, I roll my eyes as Mum hooks her arm in mine and guides me out of the study, asking questions that I don’t even hear.

“Mum, I’m meeting a girl, but she’s just a friend. She’s not my mate,” I tell her, trying to dislodge my hand from her vice like grip as she pulls me into the kitchen and sits me down.

“What do you mean she’s just a friend? Is she pretty?” My mother asks, flicking the switch on the kettle.

If she thinks I’m going to sit and have a cup of tea and tell her all about it, she’s very much mistaken.

“She’s very pretty Mum, but she’s a brunette, you know blondes are my type,” I sigh heavily, knowing this isn’t going to stop her.

For the next five minutes, I’m quizzed on everything about poor Sienna, it’s probably a good thing I didn’t invite her onto our territory, Mum would have pounced on her.

“Anyway, I’ve really got to go meet her.”

I manage to slip away and out of the kitchen. I grab my coat and rush out of the back door and across the garden into the forest, it’ll only take me a couple of minutes to walk to where I told Sienna to wait for me.

Sienna’s POV.

“You’ll come across a clearing that’s on the border”

He made it sound so easy, but here I am, over a mile later and still trekking through leaves! If I were wearing my suede boots, I’d have killed him, but luckily my black ones are withstanding the hike.

“Just typical that I’d lose phone signal,” I mutter angrily out loud to myself, checking my phone for the millionth time to find it still says No Service.

I sigh with relief as the trees part and I enter a large clearing, this has to be what he means.

I wait for a few moments, turning my airplane mode on and off again, hoping to find some signal.

A noise cuts through the silence that raises all the hairs on my body. A howl, long and loud, sounds through the trees. I shiver as I realise that wolf must be from Black Mountain pack.

Goddess, what am I doing here?

I try and calm my breathing as I frantically look around for anywhere to hide. My eyes land on a large tree on the opposite side of the clearing, its branches are low enough that I could climb it. Another howl sounds, this time followed by more.

There’s a group of them, and they definitely sound closer.

My heart beats rapidly as I panic and run across the clearing to the tree. I swing my handbag over my shoulder and lift myself up onto the first branch. I carefully stand up on it and reach for the second branch above me, pulling myself onto it.

I look down and suddenly wish I hadn’t, I hate heights and I’m about three metres off the ground. That’s enough to make me feel uncomfortable. I grip the trunk of the tree and check my phone again, still nothing.

Goddess, I’m gonna kill Cade.

A growl makes my stomach twist into knots, I sneak a look down at the ground and quickly slap a hand over my mouth to hold in the scream. Two grey wolves walk under the tree, their eyes searching around.

Are they looking for me? Do they know I’m here?

I’m not even trespassing! If they find me, I can explain, and they’ll realise it’s all a big misunderstanding.

“You! Come down from there!” An authoritative female voice sounds from bottom of the tree. I look down and say my prayers as an angry face looks back up at me.

I start to slide off the branch and down the tree, when I reach the ground, she grabs my handbag off of me.

“I’m so sorry, this is such a misunderstanding-” she cuts me off before I can finish.

“Put your hands behind your back, now,” she orders, and I quickly do as she asks.

She hands my bag to a man who starts to go through it.

“Oi, be careful with that,” I snap, he glares at me and continues his search.

The woman with the angry face roughly grabs my wrists and clips silver handcuffs tightly round them. I realise I’m surrounded by four wolves and three people, the bitch and handbag-groper included.

“This is a complete mistake, I’m not trespassing, I’m meeting a friend,” I tell her, she ignores me and turns her head over to the trees behind her.

She lowers her head, and it occurs to me someone important has arrived. All the wolves and the two guys bow their heads in respect, even the bitch lowers her head. I look over her shoulder to see who’s coming and immediately regret it.