Between the Harvest and the Moon

“Barnes, did you complete the order yet?”

I tapped my pen repeatedly against the bar counter. Earlier that day, I’d received a letter notifying all business owners that a pack of werewolves would be assuming control of Franklin County next month. If we had any demands, we were to write them down.

Alpha Jackson Powell had added a note at the bottom—said he wanted to get to know us and asked that we write a little about ourselves before the meeting.

He sounds like a damn schoolteacher, I thought, rolling my eyes.

“Barnes!” I shouted.

“I hear ya, boss.” Barnes stepped out from the storage room. He moved towards the bar and sat across from me. “I made sure to order enough beer to drown a pack of wolves.”

“Good,” I said, not looking away from the form in front of me. I let out a sigh and plopped myself onto the counter, blowing out a raspberry.

“Still trying to figure out your demands?”

“Demands are easy,” I said, lifting my head. “Pretty much, you break it, you buy it. And let’s not forget—nights before the full moon cost extra. You know how rowdy those fuckers get.”

Barnes snickered, “That I do. So… identities then.”

I shoved off the counter and grabbed a glass and my favorite brandy and poured myself a glass. “Your identity, I’m not too worried about.” I waved the brandy bottle toward Barnes. He nodded. “It’s mine.”

Barnes leaned in as I was pouring him a glass. “You know you could just say you are an average witch who just so happens to specialize in combat.”

I snorted. “Yeah, and what would happen if the wolves recognized the Reaper who slaughtered hundreds of their kind on the battlefield?” I took a sip of my brandy. “The wolves would be pissed off chasing me out of town.”

Barnes took a sip of his drink. “Are you just going to run before they get here?”

I shook my head. “No.”

I looked around the bar as the sun dipped lower, leaving a golden glow stretched across worn wood and scuffed floors. Alternative rock bled into a slow country song from the speakers—loud enough to feel, not so loud you couldn’t talk. The kind of music that made people linger, made them drink more than they planned.

The smell of oak, whiskey, and brandy filled the room—familiar, grounding, mine.

The bar rose two stories, the upper level lined with railings where important guests liked to sit, looking down like they owned the place. A massive mirror stretched along the back wall behind the bar, reflecting amber light and half-finished glasses, watching everything whether I wanted it to or not.

“The Harvest Moon Saloon has been my home for the past year. I’m just going to be honest and pray to the goddess, Hestia for the best.”

Barnes took a final gulp of his brandy. “Well, whatever happens, I’m with ya, Sophie.”

“Thanks, Barnes,” I said, holding the rim of the glass to my lips a moment longer than necessary, breathing in the brandy before finishing it.

Just then, the hairs on my arms stood on end. Magic gathered in the room—thick and prickling against my skin, like the air before a storm.

Barnes noticed too. He jumped up, eyes glowing green as shadowy daggers formed in his hands.

I felt my own magic resonate, steady instead of sharp. I knew that signature.

“Stand down, Barnes.”

He looked at me confused and dismissed his daggers. “Sophie?”

I took a deep breath as the concentrated magic opened into a portal.

A man stepped out, dressed in a blue suit and red tie. His blond hair was brushed back, immaculate—and irritatingly familiar.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Julian?”

My cousin smirked as he closed the portal. With a flick of his hand, the front door vanished. “Now, now Sophitia Arcturus. Is that any way to speak to your favorite cousin?”

“Being my only cousin doesn’t make you my favorite.”

Barnes bowed his head towards Julian. “Your Highness.”

Julian clapped him on the back. “Good to see you, Barnes. Hope the future queen hasn’t driven you mad yet.”

I grumbled and grabbed a beer from the fridge. Julian didn’t show up for casual visits. I popped the cap and chucked it at him. It hit him square in the chest.

“You know damn well I denounced my claim to the throne,” I said. “I don’t want it.”

Julian’s glare thickened the air.

Barnes looked between the two of us, reading the shift instantly. His jaw tightened just slightly before he lifted his hands.

“I’m gonna check inventory,” he said, already backing toward the hall. “Looks like you two have things to talk about.”

He didn’t wait for a response before disappearing into the back.

Julian relaxed and sat on the bar stool. “You know the Elders won’t accept a male heir taking the throne.”

“Does it look like I give a damn?” I leaned in closer. “If that’s why you’re here, open your portal and fuck off.”

“My cousin, you always did have such colorful language,” he said sarcastically. I just rolled my eyes taking a drink of my beer. Julian sighed and his shoulders sank. “I’m not here to try and convince you to come home… mother sent me here for another matter.”

I raised my brow. “Oh?”

Aunt Sonia had actually contacted Julian. She has been hold up in her precious Sanctuary for years—cutting all forms of communications with the rest of the world. This should be interesting.

I walked back to the fridge and grabbed a beer for Julian because he looked like he could use one. “Then why is my aunt—the Queen of Witches—sending you?”

Julian accepted the beer I handed him and took a long gulp. “King Alexandros is holding a mating ceremony next week.”

I smirked. “So, he’s looking for his queen now that he declared war with the vamp—”

My breath stutters, the sound cutting off before it can finish. For a split second, something cold slips under my skin, tightening around my chest in a way I can’t immediately shake.

I swallow hard and look away.

Julian doesn’t press. He knows better. He only nods, his brow furrowing slightly as he continues. “Looks like it. The Elders and my mother are worried another war could break out. We don’t want history repeating itself.”

I laughed softly, forcing the sound. It all started thirty years ago, when King of Wolves found his mate. The queen's hatred for our kind twisted the king's heart and declared war against us.

I crossed my arms and leaned back. “So what? That war is over. It has been for four years now. We’re at peace with the wolves.”

“We both know that werewolves can change for their mates. If his new queen has the same hatred for us. The treaty won’t matter.”

“Then what do you want from me? To be ready to fight another war? I was eighteen when I went in, and I gave four years of my life to that fucking war. I’m done.”

Julian grabbed both of my hands. “That’s not what we are asking.”

“Then what are you asking?” I snapped, pulling my hands away.

Julian straightened his tie. I could tell he was nervous. “Mother wants you to infiltrate Arcadia Castle.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “For the love of Hestia. Julian…”

“Only infiltrate. You go in disguised as a maid, find out who his mate is, then report back to us. We’ll handle the rest.”

I paced back and forth behind the bar. “Why me?”

“Because you can block your scent longer than any other witch we know.”

I exhaled sharply. “You should know that you came in at a very bad time. Alpha Jackson is about ready to take over this territory. I have to make sure my bar is ready to accommodate wolves.”

“I have read the report. The Alpha won’t be here for a month and the ceremony is next week. Let Barnes handle the bar.”

“That’s easy for you to say.” I rubbed my hands over my face. “The answer is no.”

Julian gave me a pleading look. “Sophie…”

I raised my hand. “Don’t Sophie me. That face may have worked when we are kids, but it won’t work now.” Julian looked dejected. “Julian… the plan won’t work because his Alpha-Beta, Benjamin Theron, will recognize me. Remember? I kicked his ass in the Battle of the Smoky Mountains. I’m pretty sure he is still holding a grudge against me.”

Julian slipped a hand into his suit jacket and produced a small jewelry box. “We already thought of that.”

Inside lay a pair of plain, almost forgettable earrings. “They’re enchanted to change how you’re seen. With your scent-blocking spell in place, the wolves won’t smell the magic on them.”

I grabbed the box and turned it slightly in my hands, the metal catching the light in a way that made them look far more ordinary than they had any right to be.

Too easy.

That was the problem.

Julian wouldn’t be here if this were simple, and I wouldn’t be standing behind this bar if I still believed in clean solutions.

For a moment, I said nothing, just staring at the earrings while the weight of it settled in—wolves, politics, everything I had already walked away from.

I exhaled slowly and set the box back down.

Then I looked up at him.

“Since you want me to risk myself and the treaty, what do I get in return?”

Julian gave off a surprised expression then relieved that I was actually getting convinced into taking this crazy mission. “Mother has promised that she and the Elders will never bother you about the throne ever again. You can live out your days here in Rangeley, Maine in peace.”

I scoffed. “Heard that before.” I tapped my finger on the bar counter. “You swear, this will be the last I hear about the throne. That you will actually leave me alone.”

Julian smiled. “At least let me say hello every now and then.” I pressed my lips together. “Yes, I swear, we won’t bother you about royal matters.”

“And no more secret missions. I’m one hundred percent retired after this.” I pointed my finger at him.

Julian offered his hand. “I Swear. Deal?”

I took his hand. “Deal.”

Julian loosened his tie. “Thanks, Sophie. That’s a lot of pressure on my back. Still—” He glanced around the bar. “Are you sure it’s wise to have a place like this in soon-to-be wolf territory, given your background? You could always open a bar back in the south—in witch country.”

“Nah, witches don’t know how to act around me with their pity expressions. Even though wolves are quick to anger and horny as fuck… they’re lively.”

Julian finished off his beer. “If you say so.” He then snapped his fingers and a portal appeared behind him. “I will be back in the morning to pick you up. That way you have time to plan and bring Barnes up to speed.”

I finished off my beer as well and nodded. “Yeah. I hear Colorado’s nice this time of year. Might even enjoy it if no one tries to kill us.”

Julian huffed a laugh then stepped into the portal, closing it behind him.

I sighed as I walked around my bar and looked outside. The sun had fully set, streetlights flickering on one by one.

I opened The Harvest Moon Saloon because I needed somewhere to put everything I couldn’t carry anymore—something loud enough to drown out the nights when the past came looking for me.

My stomach clenched. I had a feeling this mission was going to bring trouble.

I closed my eyes, took in a deep breath.

“Fuck.”