THE RIPENING (Dark Side of the Moon Book 1) Read online

  It was huge. At least thirty rooms. If it were daytime and the weather were better, she might be drawn to explore such an interesting find. However, if this was indeed her destination, she was certain that it was abandoned. The very inkling that the prim, proper and wealthy Douglases might come within fifty miles of this place was laughable.

  Just then, there came the low snapping of damp wood beneath the pattering of the rain and Yuna froze. That single sound reminded her how very alone she was, and if there was anyone out here, there was little she could do if she ran into them.

  Her heart raced at the thought as she quickly looked around. Her enchantment with the abandoned house quickly faded into something more like wariness. The gaping windows looked almost like mouths ready to swallow her whole.

  Snick.

  There it was again.

  Yuna began to back slowly towards the safety of her car. Whatever was out there was probably just some nocturnal animal hunting for its supper, but she'd feel a lot safer with a few inches of metal between her and the wilderness.

  As she was slowly making her way backward, the rain begin to lessen slightly and the clouds thinned enough for her to make out the shape of a huge, glowing, near-full moon. Pale light glistened off raindrops and they seemed suspended in the air for one ethereal moment.

  Then it was all shattered by the most bone-chilling snarl she'd ever heard.

  With a sharp intake of breath, Yuna whirled towards the woods, and stopped breathing.

  Silhouetted beneath the treeline was a shape much larger than any animal she knew to live in these woods. The height of it dwarfed her, so that she could tell even from ten meters away, and it had fixed her with two glowing, large eyes that were situated at the level of her head- the creature seemed somehow to walk on two feet.

  “Oh. My. God.” The words were barely above a whisper, and yet the thing's ears pricked in awareness.

  It had heard her.

  Throwing its head back, the animal emitted an ear-piercing howl and Yuna turned and fled. Her legs grew wings as she raced across the clearing towards the car, keys in a trembling hand. She slammed into the door with enough force to wind herself and dropped her umbrella as she fumbled for the right key, cursing the other ten or so that stood in her way.

  It was mere seconds, however, before the creature caught up with her. Crying out in terror, Yuna dodged only just in time and the creature hit her car hard enough to cave in the driver’s side door.

  Oh, Shit.

  Blindly, the young woman scrabbled for the hood of the car, using it to launch herself in the opposite direction as she ran pell-mell for the tree line. Funnily enough, it occurred to her that she should be screaming, but she barely had enough breath to run. As soon as she entered the cover of the trees, the moonlight lessened considerably beneath the canopy. The ground beneath her feet was uneven and mud-slick. It was all she could do to keep from slipping.

  The heavy breathing and constant pounding behind her let her know that her pursuer was right on her heels. She could practically feel the heat of hot, fetid breath as she tried mightily to avoid knocking herself senseless on every other tree. The forest here wasn't too dense, but the creature on her tail seemed incredibly fast and agile. Yuna was operating on little sleep, and as it was, she could barely see in the gloom.

  When she went down, it was almost like watching herself in slow motion. She skidded on a mud patch and lost her balance, arms flailing, as her feet disappeared from beneath her. If she'd been given the opportunity, she would have hit the ground, hard. Instead, her attacker caught her by the hair, yanking her back to her feet to roar into her sweat-slick face.

  A combination of fear and pain finally drew from Yuna the scream she hadn't known that she possessed. She struggled and writhed as the thing lifted her physically into the air by her scalp before slamming her against a nearby tree hard enough to silence her- and perhaps crack one or two ribs. When she'd finally fallen silent, it roared at her again. Up close, she could see that the large, yellow eyes were deep set over a long, scarred muzzle that housed teeth the size of pocket knives. Its head rested on a thick neck, which was built upon shoulders and a torso bulky with muscle. Its legs were bent backwards, like a dog or wolf, and both hands and feet hosted sharp, serrated claws.

  A monster.

  It was all Yuna could do not to faint as the thing finally turned from her, its grip still death-like on her hair, and began to drag her back toward the edge of the forest. The pressure on her scalp was near unfathomable, and she was certain that it was going to rip her hair right off the top of her head. She was pulled through sharp brambles, over rocks and finally out behind the back of the huge ruin of a house that she'd seen before.

  Surprisingly, there was a roaring fire behind the house. Perhaps she'd been too busy examining the place to notice it before, but the glow was intense, and the size was startling, considering the continuing rain. Around the flickering light, however, were at least ten more animals like the one that currently had her in its grip. They were of all heights and colors, from deep red to raven black, each as individual as a person; but all of them hosted the same intense yellow eyes and dripping jowls.

  Yuna knew, at that moment, that her death was imminent.

  She should have never come out here.

  She'd been so blinded by her need to find out what had happened to Luther that she had never stopped to consider how safe it was for a single woman to come so far out into the wilderness on her own. She was going to die horribly- and no one would ever know that these animals were here. How many others had perished like her, and how many more would continue to?

  All at once, she was dropped before the searing heat of the fire and the congregation of creatures began to snarl, hoot, and howl in anticipation of their next meal. Yuna cringed back from the din, holding her hands to her aching head. Please, God, just let it be over soon.

  She only hoped that, wherever he was, Luther was safe.

  Just then, there was a high-pitched yipping that far outpaced all other sounds in its frequency. As if some invisible signal had been posted, every single one of the animals present fell silent. Yuna watched, speechless, as a large, auburn-colored beast stalked through the crowd, shoving aside the others present as he continued his high-pitched yipping. Gradually, the language lowered into a series of low, throaty barks as the thing looked over its peers. It seemed almost as if it were challenging them.

  Great. One of them was claiming rights to her.

  After a moment of silence, both a smaller, sable-colored animal and a larger, shaggy gray one stepped forward to confront the lone challenger. Together they heckled and shoved at him; and though his build pronounced him the largest animal there by far, he didn't use that size to his advantage. He let himself be punished physically until finally a rough and violent scream escaped him and he lashed out at the sable-colored beast behind him, drawing blood with those lethal claws.

  With that, he turned to face Yuna, utterly fearsome in both his size and tone as he snarled, grabbing her about the waist to fling brutally over his shoulder and head back for the cover of the forest. Trembling violently in fear, the young woman tried not to hyperventilate as a mixture of sweat, blood and tears stained her face. She was too tired to struggle, and even if she did, the thing would probably rip her limb from limb.

  It wouldn't be long now.

  Sure enough, within minutes, the creature reached a relatively grassy clearing in the woods and dumped her on the damp moss abruptly. Yuna bit back a cry at the soreness of her limbs, covering her face with both hands. She didn't want to see it coming. Death on wicked, brutal wings was not the last thing she would witness in this world if she had anything to do with it. Tensing, she waited for the first tearing bite.

  It never came.

  After a full minute in which she was too frightened to even chance moving, slowly, the young woman peeked through her fingers and out into the clearing.

  It was utterly empty.

/>   The rain had finally stopped and a moon that was a single sliver short of being full, floated in and out of wisps of clouds, illuminating the ground below.

  She was alone.

  Yuna could hardly believe her good fortune. Slowly, the young woman stood on shaky legs to look quickly around her. Maybe it was playing games with her. Waiting for her to run off so that it could hunt her like a rabbit. She shuddered at the thought.

  Minutes passed.

  Had it really gone? Biting her lip, the young woman scanned the forest so fervently her neck grew sore. She had to run. Somewhere. Away from here. If she stayed in this clearing, she'd almost certainly perish.

  Torn, she hesitated for one last moment before turning on her heel and bolting in the direction that she knew to be opposite from the house, the bonfire, and the bevy of monsters out for her blood. She only made it about three steps before slamming into something unyielding, solid, and very large.

  “Yuna!” Before she'd opened her mouth to scream, the very last voice she'd expected to hear in that moment invaded her consciousness in a flood of warmth and familiarity. Her head jerked up to see a familiar pair of icy blue eyes glinting in the moonlight.

  “Luther!?”

  “Yuna.” His reply was firm, voice controlled and tight. Even as relief flooded her system at his mere presence, the young woman realized something was wrong in the way that he spoke. Even more so when he took her arms in a firm, almost painful grip. “What are you doing here?”

  “Luther!” she exclaimed, looking back over her shoulder as she searched for the creature who had left her only moments before. “We have to get out of here. There are things here, monsters- they're all gathered at that abandoned house over there and they're after me!”

  “Yuna.” The man in front of her had turned demanding, actually shaking her to recapture her attention. When she turned back to face him, his face was twisted into a look that she couldn't read. “How did you find this place? Why did you come here?”

  Suddenly affronted, the young woman pulled from his grip, glaring up at him. “I was looking for you. You left without a single word or explanation as to where you were going. After you fucked me, or don't you remember that part?”

  A long, chilling howl emitted from behind them and she tensed, immediately remembering the imminent danger. “But we can talk about that later. Luther, we have to leave. It's not safe here.”

  “Yuna, you have no idea what you've done.” Luther drew both hands, hard, over his face before looking down at her again, his expression a mixture of sorrow and fury. “I left because it was for your own good! You can't be here right now.”

  “Then let's run! Please, Luther!” Taking his hand, Yuna tugged at it, trying her hardest to move him. She could no more have moved a mountain when he planted his feet firm. Turning back to him, the young woman fairly screamed. “Luther, they'll kill us!”

  Any further words she might have had died in her throat, for the man staring down at her, the man whose hand she held tight, had bright yellow eyes and teeth like knives.

  She'd fainted.

  Of course she had. He was surprised it hadn't happened when Liam had brought her into the firelight- or indeed at the first sight of his brother in his canine form. But then again, she'd always been a tough one.

  Luther, for his part, was still reeling from her sudden appearance.

  The clan had been gathered around the fire, drawing strength from its heat; and after three days of intense preparation, his father had finally proclaimed him ready to receive the Alpha strain. In those three days, he'd emptied himself of all emotions, all claim he thought he might have had to the life he'd led before, and he'd begun to contemplate his new duties. Even Magnus had been impressed with his concentration, commenting that he'd never been completely certain that Luther would have the strength to leave the human world behind.

  On the eve of the full moon, after a lifetime of doubt, he'd finally been ready to take the weight of his duty upon his shoulders.

  And then came the intrusion.

  Of course it had been Liam who'd found her lurking on the edge of the estate. In his animal-state, Luther's younger brother was one of the least restrained. From the bruises and cuts marring Yuna's pale skin, it was obvious she'd been treated roughly. He had no idea how long Liam had had her out beyond the property before he'd finally gained the wits to drag her before the clan. While Luther knew that their human forms would have passed strict judgment on any intruder, their wolf forms fairly salivated at the thought of violence. Luther couldn't recall any of their numbers encountering anything more sophisticated than rabbits, deer, or the occasional bear when transformed, so he had no way of predicting how safe...or endangered Yuna might be.

  When he'd caught sight of her, battered, bruised, and utterly terrified before the flames, he hadn't hesitated. Despite all the hours he'd taken to convince himself that Yuna was better off without him, and that he could learn to see her as just another transient part of his existence, the pull to rescue her from his willful and dangerous brother had been the strongest impulse within him.

  He winced as he remembered how he'd struck out at Viola when she'd demanded that he leave Yuna on the ground. Of anyone present, he would have believed that his brother's mate would be most against any potential violence. Her behavior had stung.

  And so Luther had taken Yuna away from his clan, promising something that even he himself had no idea how to deliver upon.

  To deal with it.

  The young woman splayed on the grass beneath him stirred and Luther took a breath, trying to control his impulses. With the ripening so near, he was having difficulties containing his animal side. There was a deep-seated part of him that longed to rip and tear, to feel the silky sensation of running blood and to taste its coppery tang on the air.

  But there was another part as well, a part that gazed down upon Yuna's lush, prone form, and wanted to dominate, to take, and to mark. Any possessive feelings he might have had for her outside the influence of the moon were multiplied ten-fold. She was his, and no one else's.

  How could he have come so close to forgetting?

  “Luther...?” Bright green eyes fluttered open as Yuna moaned her way back into consciousness. When full-awareness finally crept back into her gaze, her eyes widened as sheer terror filled them. “Oh, God, Luther. Your eyes...” She shut her own tightly as if to somehow refute what she saw.

  He hadn't wanted her to find out this way.

  Hell, he hadn't wanted her to ever find out, but now it was far too close to the ripening for him to hide what he was. The effort he'd taken to appear normal to her for even a few minutes was far too much to sustain for long. Now, he knew his eyes glowed with a predatory yellow light, his teeth had lengthened into canines far longer than any human's and his ears had elongated beneath a thin layer of auburn fur. “Yuna...” He tried, fighting to maintain the delicate balance of concentration that would keep the transformation from advancing further, “I'm sorry.”

  “You're one of them.” She was whispering under her breath, her eyes still shut tight. “Oh my God, you're going to kill me.”

  “Hush,” he responded fiercely to the accusation. The fact that she believed him capable of such a thing cut him to the quick. Certainly, she must be shocked at what he was, and the conditions surrounding her new discovery were less than ideal, but there were decades of history between them. His lifelong promise to never harm her had not changed. “You know that I would never.”

  “Oh, wouldn't you?” Her eyes suddenly blazed angrily as they snapped open once more. “You'd just make love to me, then leave me without a word! Oh yes, and LIE TO ME ABOUT YOUR ENTIRE LIFE.”

  She couldn't be serious.

  The woman was in an isolated forest among creatures who were capable of ripping her limb from limb and she was angry with him about hiding the truth from her?

  “Yuna, I couldn't have told you,” he returned insistently. “It was for your own safety. You've see
n how we act when we're in our other forms...anyone for miles around is in danger. Why do you think we're here, so far away from humans?”

  “But you can control it,” she contradicted him. “You've changed back! ...Kind of.” Her eyes roved his decidedly primal face before she spoke again. “Why...didn't any of the others change? Who are they?” The young woman trailed off a moment before her face drained of all color.

  “They're your family, aren't they?”

  Shit.

  “It's not just you. Your entire family is like this.” The speed with which her face contorted as she connected the dots in her head was astounding. “You change every month.”

  “Yuna, listen to me,” he interjected. “The others didn't change back because they don't have as much control. Whatever you may think about me, or my ability to manipulate my form, the fact of the matter is that you are in extreme danger from the rest of my family. It's in our nature to ...hunt. To kill.”

  As clever as Yuna was, she still had no way of fathoming what she'd stumbled into. “It's as you said: you must run from here. Get as far away as you can.”

  “But what about you?”

  Luther's eyes widened at her inquiry. What about him? She'd just discovered that he was a monster that roamed the woods, leeched in debauchery and destruction. Surely she couldn't be worried about him?

  “I'll be fine.” His reply was curt. He began to help her up, with every intention of somehow getting her back to her car and away from their ritual grounds.

  “That's not what I meant.” He was caught unaware when Yuna yanked from his grip, her expression hurt and angry. “What about your leaving me? You took everything out of your room. I couldn't reach you no matter how hard I tried. When are you coming back? We need to talk.”

  Her voice, her face, and all the years of hope and doubt that had built up in him since the moment he'd first seen her smile wracked him with a wave of guilt.

  “I'm not coming back, Yuna.”