Chapter 1
I sighed. Today was going to be a long day as it was the Lunar Festival. This year, Crimson Crescent was hosting the event that takes place over a weekend around the third month of the year. The last day of the festival coincides with the full moon with everyone leaving the next day on ‘New Moon’. I huffed out a breath which clouded in the chilly March air. Watching the trades’ people work back and forth setting up the various stages, booths, and dancefloors. The Crimson Crescent’s Alpha had gone all out.
I pulled my coat closer to my body, sighing again as I knew I would be dragged out onto that stage and made a spectacle of. The Alpha did this on almost every holiday and celebration, even if those celebrations were not strictly Werewolf holidays. I was once the Luna of this pack when it was not called Crimson Crescent. I am not a werewolf; I am a werewolf’s mortal enemy. But my God and Selene saw fit to grant me a werewolf mate. Imagine my Alpha’s shock and horror at being granted me for a mate.
It seemed like yesterday…
I am from the line of van Helsing. I am supposed to be a Hunter; one who kills all that goes ‘bump’ in the night. My family sent me to kill my Alpha, as you can imagine, that didn’t go according to plan. I first saw him walking out of a coffee shop with his beta (and one-time best friend until he betrayed us). I had watched him for weeks, learning his routine and when he’d be alone for the best possible chance for attack.
My opportunity came on the first day of the Lunar Festival. I had negotiated my way onto a catering crew and was in the ballroom of the Pack House. The catering company tasked me with setting up the wine and champagne glasses. I was busy with that when he walked in unexpectedly, and completely alone. It looked like he’d just been for a workout, his firm body glistening with sweat. Now, I am a woman and I reacted as any hot-blooded woman would… I stared; slack-jawed at the Adonis he was. I then dropped the glass I was holding, quite literally shattering the moment.
He came over to help me clear up the mess we’d made. When we touched it was like I had been electrocuted. I reared back and away from him so quickly I bumped into the table, spilling the glasses onto the floor making more of a dangerous mess. I crouched into a defensive posture, thinking he’d tased me somehow. He raised an eyebrow at me, and I went from defence to offence. I struck out at him with my knife, slicing the arm he raised to defend himself against my attack; he threw me back against the table and more glasses toppled. I got cut in several placed for my trouble. He’d grinned at me when he noticed the cut.
“You think a knife will take me out? I am an Alpha. It’s going to take more than that.”
“Not really, you’ll know in a second.” I grinned ferociously back.
“What?” His eyes crossed and he stumbled. My grin grew bigger. What I didn’t expect was the twinge I felt in my chest which caused me to stumble, too. The Alpha launched at me, realising I had poisoned him with Wolfsbane. A cheap and dirty trick. I had the strength of a werewolf, but not the teeth or claws. So, preventing one from shifting was the best way to ensure death… and survival.
“What the fuck?” When we collided, I felt the surge of electricity again. This time he felt it, as well. I was pinned against a wall with the Alpha’s hand around my neck. He’d pinned my knife wielding hand to the wall above my head. I struggled against him. I eventually resorted to headbutting him, causing him to let go.
“What the hell? Do you have some kind of werewolf superpower? How are you electrocuting me?” The Alpha blinked.
“You felt that?” He looked astonished.
“No Shit, Sherlock! I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t.” I underestimated his speed and strength again and I was pinned to the wall again, this time by my front. The Alpha then sniffed my neck where it joined my shoulder and then licked me. Now the electric shocks had an altogether different reaction. Shit!
“No!” My mind was screaming at me to push him away, but my body wasn’t listening.
“You’re a Hunter. One of the strongest I have met. You must be of the Van Helsing line.” What the actual? The Alpha new of my family?
“How did you know?” My voice was all breathy and turned on, his scent invading my nostrils making me hornier than I had ever felt before. From what I could tell, the Alpha was far from unaffected as well. Damn!
“My father warned me I would meet one of you, one day. What he didn’t share was how the Huntress would be my mate.” I froze at his words.
“No, I am not your mate! I am a Hunter of the van Helsing…. Aah!” The Alpha licked and then sucked the spot on my neck again. SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! FUCK! FUCK! FUCKITY! FUCK! I tried to get away from the Alpha again, I only managed to push my ass into his growing erection. This time it was him that moaned; and damn if it wasn’t the sexiest sound I’d ever heard.
“So, what do we do now?” The little vixen in me rubbed my ass on his erection again.
“You’re going to stop doing that. And I’m going to let you go. Sadly, my exquisite Huntress. I’m going to have to lock you in my cells until I can get our Emissary to come and evaluate you. The doors to the ballroom burst open and the Beta and a few warriors ran in, surrounding me and the Alpha. I was not fighting my way out of this one. I almost whimpered when the Alpha let me go; he seemed to hate doing so as well.
“A Huntress? Who would be stupid enough to send a Huntress after you? And during the Lunar Festival.”
“I don’t know, Marcus. But you are not to touch a hair on her head, until Miriam looks at her. She is my mate.”
“She’s what Chris?” The Beta looked aghast and was about to protest.
“My mate! I can’t kill her, and neither can anyone else until we get to the bottom of why the fuck I have a Huntress of the van Helsing line as a mate.” Okay, so I wasn’t going to be killed…yet.
“She’s a van Helsing? Shit, Chris. That’s serious. Who’d you piss off with that amount of clout?” Huh? I was sent to kill an Alpha. I wasn’t hired. My family… FUCK! This had Cousin Harold written all over it. When I got out of this… situation… I was making that asshole each his own meat and two veg! How had he convinced my father to take out a contract. And who was this, Alpha Chris?
“Who are you?” I was manacled in heavy steel. Not even my abnormal strength could break them. I just stood there, confused, angry… aroused? Between two pack warriors.
“I am Christian Du Pont III. I am the third Alpha of the Black Moon Pack. Who are you?”
“I am Lina Del Mare.” The ballroom got suddenly eerily quiet.
“FUCK! You’re not only a Van Helsing, but a Del Mare? Chris, this is some serious shit.”
“Your mother was killed by my father in failed treaty negotiations. Although, I suspect there is more to that story. Luca, fetch Miriam and tell her to come to my office ASAP. Let’s go.” Alpha Chris turned on his heel and left the ballroom. Seeing him leave made my knees buckle and I crumpled to the floor. I didn’t know he was the son of my mother’s (supposed) killer. There were too many questions and not enough answers here for my liking. Things were not adding up!
I was dragged to my feet, by the Beta. He smelt like a wet dog had relations with a durian. I gagged on the smell. The other werewolves didn’t smell too bad; they smelt like the forest after a thunderstorm. So, why did the Beta smell to bad?
“You stink!” I swallowed my spit again.
“No, I don’t Huntress. You are as greasy as all of your kind. I can’t wait to flay the flesh from your body and fuck you with a burning iron rod.” Umm… like was that supposed to be scary?
“Pfft! Big, scary Beta. I am pissing my pants!” I rolled my eyes at him. He went red with rage and slapped me across the face, cracking my bottom lip. Blood began to seep down my chin and onto the white button up I was wearing. An ears-splitting howl reverberated in around the ballroom. The guards fell prone onto their bellies, dragging me with them. My knees banged painfully on the parquet flooring. Another painful howl filled the air. I snorted when the Beta… Marcus… whimpered under the Alpha call. I grinned, spreading my blood across my front teeth.
“You’re in trouble now, asshole!”
