The Awakening: Book 1 of The Bloodmoon Wars (A Paranormal Shifter Series Prequel to Luna Rising) Read online

  The Awakening

  Book 1 of the Bloodmoon Wars Series ( A Paranormal Shifter Romance Series)

  Sara Snow

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  © 2020 Sara Snow

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of the trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Contents

  1. Elinor

  2. Elinor

  3. Elinor

  4. Cyrus

  5. Elinor

  6. Skye

  7. Elinor

  8. Elinor

  9. Elinor

  10. Elinor

  11. Elinor

  12. Elinor

  13. Elinor

  14. Elinor

  15. Elinor

  16. Skye

  The Luna Rising Universe Continues…

  Also By Sara Snow

  Enjoy This Book? I would love to hear from you…

  About the Author

  1

  Elinor

  Rain clouds gathered overhead, and thunder rumbled in the distance as the sun began to set. The beautiful splash of orange and red signifying sunset was nowhere in sight, and like everyone else, I hurried to get the last items I needed from the market before heading home.

  With the hood of my cloak down, a sudden heavy wind had my hair dancing wildly around me, blinding me momentarily before I swatted the strands away from my face.

  “Um, yes, sorry, I’ll take three,” I said to the woman behind the stall, and she held out bags of seasoning. “I’ll have those onions as well.”

  “Hey, are you done?” my best friend Skye asked anxiously. “I really hate the rain.”

  I glanced over my shoulder to see her frowning deeply, and I hastily threw the onions in my bag.

  “Yeah,” I told her as I walked away. “I’m almost done. I just need . . .” My words trailed off as I looked around the market, trying to find a vendor who had what I was looking for. “Oh, there, rabbits. Hey, Mr. Wilber!”

  A frail human looked up from where he was stuffing a dead rabbit into a crate. “Elinor, how are you?”

  “I’m good, just doing a bit of shopping for Mother.” I stepped up to his stall as he removed the rabbit from the crate. I grinned as he held it out to me.

  “I think this one will do, yes?” the old man inquired. “A gift for your sweet mother.”

  I shook my head wildly. "Thanks, Mr. Wilber, but I can't take this for free."

  He waved his hand dismissively. “Nonsense—it’s a fine rabbit.”

  "Oh, I agree, which is why I have to . . ."

  Skye stretched her hand out towards Mr. Wilber. "Oh, you know how this one is, Mr. Wilber. I'll take it for her. You go on and pack up now. Get home before this rain starts." Skye grabbed my arm and began pulling me away while smiling and waving goodbye with the rabbit in her other hand. She turned to look at me. "I was not about to stand there and listen to you two go back and forth." She shoved the rabbit at me. "Take it, and let's go."

  “Goddess, you’re bossy sometimes,” I teased with a chuckle.

  A clap of thunder echoed above us. I looked up at the darkening sky and wondered if I’d make it home before the rain started. I’d hoped to secretly practice a few new fighting techniques I’d picked up until sunset, but my mother interrupted my carefully laid plans. Now here I was, stuck with doing shopping, even though she could have asked someone else.

  Skye whimpered beside me, hugging herself under her brown cloak, her dark brown doe eyes darting from side to side with anxiety.

  Ever since we were kids, she'd always hated the rain. But it had gotten worse after her first transformation. She’d shifted into her wolf form for the first time during a thunderstorm, and it hadn’t been a smooth transformation. It had taken her three painful hours to shift entirely, and it was never far from her mind. Now, whenever there was a bad thunderstorm, she became anxious and, occasionally, even a little mean.

  “I’m sorry I kept you out for so long. I shouldn’t have asked you to join me.”

  She shrugged. "I wanted to come, and we didn't know it would rain. I got a day off from work. Why didn't someone tell me that becoming a pack doctor was this time-consuming?"

  I laughed as we made our way through the crowd. “That’s what you get for trying to avoid joining the Werewolf Guard.”

  She growled in the back of her throat. “Not everyone wants to put their lives at risk like you do, Elinor. I’d rather spend my time saving lives versus taking lives.”

  “The Guards save lives, too,” I mumbled to myself as I spotted two guards conversing a few steps before us.

  As I approached them, they looked our way, and as customary for greeting someone considered a royal, they made fists with their right hands and placed them above their hearts.

  “Elinor,” they greeted me in unison as I walked by. “Do you need us to accompany you home?”

  I shook my head. “No, no, we’re fine.”

  Yes, I was a royal, an Alpha-born. I was the first child of Alpha Grayson, leader of the Blackmoon Pack. While many people might wish they were Alpha-born, my pedigree felt like a curse to me.

  I glanced behind me. Both guards were already gone, no doubt off to do what they did best—protecting humans and other supernaturals. That’s what the Werewolf Guard was for. Because of our strength and speed, werewolves were the protectors of this world. We were hired by all species to be guardians.

  While the world slept, werewolves patrolled the night, hunting those who sought to create havoc. Becoming a member of the Werewolf Guard was my only goal in life.

  You might be wondering why I'd want to be a Guard when I was the firstborn of an Alpha, and I was next in line to lead. Well, if no one has told you, let me be the bearer of bad news—a woman can never become an Alpha.

  Yup, it was wrong, but it was how things have been done since the dawn of time . . . or at least, according to our leaders, the Werewolf Council.

  When a female was firstborn, a different role was given to her—the role of a Luna, a mother to more Alphas. As honorable as that was, it wasn’t what I wanted. I didn’t want to be remembered for my kids—I wanted a reputation as a warrior. That side of me, the part of me that wanted to spend my days training, sweating, and feeling my muscles ache, was something I had to keep to myself, downplaying my true nature every day to act like the daughter my parents wanted.

  I was born with the strength of an Alpha, but I’ve had to hold back in order to avoid outshining the true Alphas, the males in our society who possess all the power.

  At a young age, I decided that if I couldn’t be an Alpha, I'd become a Guard, still protecting my people. But that dream had been shot down by my father. My younger brother, Jackson, would take up the leader’s mantle. But since he was only seven, he still had a long way to go.

  “Thief! Stop him!”

  I skidded to a halt and spun on my heels as
those words met my ears. I spotted a human vendor waving his hand over his head in distress as a shaggy man ran off with his crate of fruit. I narrowed my eyes, realizing the hairy thief was a satyr—a half-goat, half-man supernatural.

  My legs moved before I gave them the command, and my hand released the bag and rabbit. I heard Skye’s protest, but I only had eyes for my target. I sprinted past the vendor who was still yelling and gesturing furiously.

  Despite having a goat-like torso, the thief was surprisingly fast. Satyrs weren’t known for their speed, but then, this one wasn't as tall as most of them.

  People jumped to the side to avoid being trampled by him as he ran. His light brown dreads blew out behind him as fruit fell out of the crate in his hand. He obviously hadn’t thought this through—at the end of this chase, there would be nothing left in that crate.

  After a few minutes of running, I growled and removed my cloak, the heavy thing holding me back. I called on my power, and my wolf stirred happily inside me. My eyes turned black, and my fangs elongated. I smiled on the inside as I started gaining on him, the adrenaline pumping within me, urging me onward.

  He took a sharp left, dropping the crate in his hand.

  I laughed. I could hear Skye running and calling my name, but I didn’t look back as I lunged over a stall to stay on the satyr’s heel.

  He glanced behind him, and his thick brows rose to his hairline when he saw how close I was.

  I grinned at him, flashing my fangs, and he took another right, almost colliding with a woman carrying a baby.

  With my wolf now enjoying the chase, I fell on all fours and then sprang forward, tackling him. We tumbled on the ground until we came to a stop with me straddling him.

  My hand shot out and grabbed his neck, my claws piercing his skin. “I think you dropped your crate, sir.”

  “Get off me!” he shouted with a slight lisp. Even though he was strong, I had no trouble overpowering him. “I didn’t do anything! Get off . . .”

  Finally, the sound of people gathering around us shut him up, and the owner of the stall he had robbed pushed his way through the crowd.

  “Thank you so much, Elinor,” the proprietor said gratefully. Unfortunately, some of the excitement I had been feeling faded away as a Werewolf Guard appeared.

  He gave me a stern look, and I threw an innocent smile his way as he picked the satyr up off the ground. Okay, so I was well-known around these parts for being a thorn in the Guards’ sides and a friend to the people.…

  This guard wasn't someone from my pack, but even so, I quickly grabbed Skye's arm and began pulling her away. News traveled fast around here. If this got to the ear of a Guard from my pack, my father would hear about it soon after.

  “Are you insane?” she sputtered as I took my cloak from her.

  “Thanks for picking this up for me.” I threw my cloak on. “If I lose another one, Mother’s going to have my head.”

  She stopped walking, her brows furrowed. “Elinor, can you please take this seriously?"

  I stopped walking as well and sighed. With her dark skin, if she was turning red with rage, I couldn’t tell. But I could see the emotion clearly in her eyes.

  A man came up to us as I was about to speak, removing his hood to reveal his face. Skye smiled widely, all the anger that had been pouring from her gone, and I rolled my eyes.

  "You know you don't have the right to do the things the Guards do. You could get into trouble," Cyrus—the third person in our best friend trio—chided.

  I shrugged.

  "We've been friends since we were kids, Cyrus. Do you really think I'm ever going to change? I can't just stand by idly when someone needs help." I walked around him. "Plus, I'm an Alpha-born. Remember? I can do what I want."

  Ha, if only that was true.

  “Oh, please,” I heard Skye say as we made our way back through the market. “Alpha Grayson is going to be livid if he finds out what you did.”

  “He’s always livid,” I mumbled.

  They pulled up on either side of me. I looked at Skye on my left and then at Cyrus on my right. His black hair was ruffled and curly, a few strands brushing against his forehead. He narrowed his gray eyes at me and shook his head but smiled nonetheless.

  “Where have you been?” I inquired. “You disappeared for a few days. Did you go home?”

  He moved his black cloak over his shoulder, revealing a thin cotton shirt that was rolled up to his elbows and the black tribal tattoos on both arms, then shook his head. “No, I haven’t been home in a while. I just had a few things to take care of.”

  Unlike Skye and me, Cyrus was an Incubus—a sex demon. And while demons didn’t usually mingle with other supernaturals, he was one of my best friends. In fact, he was the only one of his kind to be welcomed into the Blackmoon Pack. As a mere boy, he had proved he wasn’t like other demons. Even then, his compassion and kindness had set him apart.

  As we walked together, my eyes fell on an old witch walking toward us, her long white hair somewhat tangled and blowing in the wind. Yet, it was her pale violet eyes openly assessing me that caught my attention.

  I slowed down as her hand began to rise. “Be careful, wolf-born. Your blood is special.”

  I stopped walking and looked at her, expecting something more. But the old woman only turned and continued on her way. Looks of confusion passed between the three of us, and Skye voiced exactly what I was thinking.

  “What the hell was that?”

  I shrugged, but an odd feeling settled within me. “I don’t know. Let’s get out of here.”

  Since we could no longer hear the thunder, we assumed it wouldn't rain anymore and took a short detour home. A five-minute walk through the forest led us to our favorite spot.

  I sat down in the thick grass, and Skye and Cyrus joined me. “I’m going to ask Father again.”

  Cyrus groaned, already knowing what I was referring to. “He’s going to say no. You know that."

  “It can’t hurt to try,” I countered stubbornly.

  He only shook his head. Placing a hand behind his head, he leaned backward to lay on the grass.

  Skye pushed a strand of curly black hair away from her face. “What are you two talking about?”

  "I'm going to ask Father once more if I can join the Werewolf Guard," I told her. She just stared at me for a moment before breaking out into a fit of laughter.

  Her chuckles continued until she realized that neither Cyrus nor I were even smiling. Her face fell. “You can’t be serious! How many times have you already asked him?” She turned to face me. “I wish he would say yes, I truly do. Because I know it’s what you want more than anything. But he’ll never agree.” She sighed. “Please don’t do this again. Just focus on another career path, Elinor. There’s so much you can still do without being a Guard. The last time you spoke to your father about this, you guys had a horrible fight.”

  I reached out and picked a wildflower from the earth. “We always fight.”

  We sat in silence for a moment as I plucked the petals from the flower, one by one. He’d say yes, he’d say no. . . . The relationship between my father and me was a strained one. Other than the fact that I wasn't the boy he had hoped for, I was apparently also too ambitious as well.

  "I won't do it," I whispered after a moment as I looked up from the broken flower in my hand. "I won't be carried around from pack to pack like a merchant's goods. When it comes right down to it, I refuse to become a powerless Luna. It's ridiculous how a male Alpha-born inherits power from birth, but a female Alpha-born just automatically becomes a wife for another Alpha. I'm just as strong as many of the men in my pack. I accept that I can’t be Alpha, but why can’t I join the Guard? Why?”

  “We don’t question the fact that you’re strong, Elinor, but this is a futile battle you’re waging with your father—futile for you,” Cyrus pointed out.

  I knew he was right, but I wasn’t going to give up. Silence settled around us once more as it slowly grew darker.<
br />
  “We should head home,” I said after a while.

  “Yeah, I’m starving,” Skye grumbled as she got to her feet. Cyrus quickly did the same.

  Although I was the one to suggest we leave, I was hesitant to get to my feet. As much as I wanted to appear prepared for the conversation I had to have with my father, I was far from it.

  Elinor

  As I walked to the front door of my house, I could clearly hear everyone’s loud voices inside. Being that my house was also the packhouse, there were wolves constantly around.

  I didn’t mind it much, but I wished I had more privacy from time to time. With the keen hearing that all werewolves had, a private conversation was never actually private.

  I stepped into the house and removed my cloak. A few wolves nodded in my direction, but as I made my way to the kitchen, the pack’s beta appeared before me, shaking his head.

  I sighed as my shoulders dropped.

  “He wants to see you,” Connor informed me, holding out his hand out for the rabbit and goodies I’d brought home. “He heard about what you did.”

  “I’m not surprised. News travels fast around here. So, where is he?”

  “His office.” He patted my shoulder before turning away. “Good luck.”

  I inhaled deeply as I watched him walk away, his long blond hair swaying against his back. Exhaling heavily, I walked back in the direction of the staircase. My footsteps on the wooden stairs echoed so loudly in my ears it distracted me from figuring out what I was going to say.

  Finally, standing before my father's office, I took a deep breath, knocked on the door, and walked in. He got up immediately, rising to his towering height of 6'7”.