In the quiet town of Silver Peak, Luna Blackwood, a werewolf is hoping to abandon her life and start a new one altogether but her past quickly catches up to her when a string of murders happen in the town just a few days after her arrival. A local detective named Alex Carter quickly jumps on the case and his path eventually crosses with Luna's own. Two of them are immediately attracted to each other but they have to confront their pasts if they want to have a future together. And for that to happen, Luna has to embrace a side of her that she has been trying to run from while going against an enemy far more ruthless than anything she has ever faced.........
1: First encounter
Luna's POV
"What do you think?" A voice said behind me and I shifted my attention away from the dead body to see an extremely handsome young man dressed in a striped, blue shirt walking towards me. The hands of the shirt were folded halfway and they revealed hairy forearms.
"What do I think?" I asked, wondering what he was talking about. He thrust his hands into his pocket as he came to stand beside me.
He stared at the dead body for a few moments before bringing his eyes up to meet mine. "Of the corpse. Brutal, isn't it?"
"Oh," I said and returned my attention to it. "I don't know. Probably an accident or something."
"You're kidding, right?"
"No. I'm serious," I answered. I could feel his eyes on me and I avoided meeting them.
"We both know this isn't an accident. Doesn't even look close to it. This is something more....." he struggled to find the words, ".......deliberate. And calculated."
"Yeah, I guess," I said, feigning disinterest.
"I don't think I've seen you around here before. You're new to the town, yeah?"
"Yes. I've only been living here for a week now."
He crouched suddenly and with his other hand, he pulled out a pair of gloves from his pocket. "These marks," he said as he wore the gloves, "they don't look normal. Have a look."
"I don't think that would be necessary. The cops are responsible for that, aren't they? And I can tell you are one. I am nothing but a concerned citizen."
"Are you?" He asked as he traced the large slashes across the victim's chest.
"Excuse me?" I said, surprised by his question. I had a very good idea of what caused those slashes but I dare not mention it to anyone. Not if I intended to live a quiet life like I planned to do in the town.
He grunted as he rose to his feet then he removed the gloves from his hand. "This is the second murder in three days and this is also the second time I am seeing you, the first being at the scene of the first murder. I doubt if that is a coincidence."
"What are you accusing me of?" I asked. I was starting to get irritated by him and I felt the need to leave.
He smiled and said, "Relax. I am not accusing you of anything. I am just stating my observations." He held out one slender, well-manicured hand to me. "Alex. Detective Alex Carter."
"Luna Blackwood," I replied as I shook his hand. "If you don't mind, Detective Carter, I have to head back to work."
"Oh. Where do you work? I might have a few questions for you later."
I eyed him skeptically and he chuckled. "Don't worry. I am not trying to hit on you or anything. All I care about is solving these murders and I would stop at nothing to achieve that. If you don't want to tell me where you work, then you can just give me your contact information instead."
He was reaching into his pocket for his phone when I said, "Josie's bookstore. It is-"
"The small bookstore on Glendale," he interrupted. "I am familiar with it. I guess I'll see you later then, Blackwood."
He smiled at me again and I returned a half smile to him before walking away. He seemed very friendly and I wondered if he was like that with everyone or it was just me. As I made my way back to the small flat I lived in, I found myself more and more interested in the detective. He hadn't seemed surprised by the corpse and that made me suspect that he knew more than he was letting on.
The sun was already rising when I got to the bookstore and I checked the time on my watch. It was just a few minutes past eight yet the bookstore was almost filled with people. I made my way to the small area with a desk which served as my workspace and I was just setting in when Josie appeared.
"You're late," she remarked.
"Yeah. Sorry about that. I had to attend to something important," I replied as I turned on the computer on my desk.
"Have you seen Mrs. Winslow? She's been asking for you since she got here."
I jerked my head up to look at her when I heard that. "What for? I already did everything she wanted yesterday."
"If there's one thing you would have learned by now, it is that you can never satisfy that woman. I'm even surprised she hasn't gone bananas on you yet." She turned sideways and her eyes widened in mock surprise. "Uh-oh, here she comes. Goodluck." She winked at me and hurried away.
The old woman appeared before my desk and the look on her face told me that a storm was coming.
"Mrs. Winslow. Good morning," I said in a very polite manner. "What can I do for you today?"
She sized me up with her eyes, ignoring my greeting, then she brought out a small list from her bag which, as it turned out, contained a list of ridiculous books she wanted. I spent the next hour trying to fulfill her request only for her to tell me that she would no longer be needing them and she left before I could even react. I was so furious that I nearly yelled after her as she walked away. Instead, I sighed and returned to my desk to do other things. I had barely been in my chair for two minutes when I noticed someone looming over me.
Looking up, I found myself staring at none other than the handsome detective from the murder scene.
"Hi, Blackwood," he said. He looked very worried and I was about to ask him what happened when he produced his phone and thrust it at me.
I looked at what he was showing me and I found myself staring at something I had never expected to see again in my life
Abigail Winter has always lived a shy, secluded life, until she meets and falls in love with bad boy Lucas Westmore. While hanging out with her best friend, Emily Collins on her twenty-sixth birthday, Abigail is directed to Lucas' path and she soon finds out that there is more to him than there is on the surface. Events quickly roll into one another and they find out that they are connected to each other in various, unexpected ways. As events unfold, Abigail is left with a very hard choice to make, a choice that could possibly change her life forever. But, will it be in a good way or a bad way?
It was supposed to be a marriage of convenience, but Carrie made the mistake of falling in love with Kristopher. When the time came that she needed him the most, her husband was in the company of another woman. Enough was enough. Carrie chose to divorce Kristopher and move on with her life. Only when she left did Kristopher realize how important she was to him. In the face of his ex-wife’s countless admirers, Kristopher offered her 20 million dollars and proposed a new deal. “Let’s get married again.”
"Who is she?" I asked, feeling tears well up in my eyes. "He met her at the Alpha training camp," he said. "She is a perfect suitor for him. It snowed last night, indicating that his wolf is happy with his choice." My heart sank, and tears made their way down my cheeks. Alexander took my innocence last night, and now he is taking that thing in his office as his Luna. **** Emily never shifted on her 18th birthday and became the laughingstock of the pack. When her old crush, Alexander Black, returns from Alpha Training, she never expected him to be her mate. After a night of passionate love, Emily finds out that young Alpha Alexander has taken a chosen mate. Heartbroken and humiliated, Emily runs off and disappears from the pack. Now, five years later, Emily is a high-ranking warrior in King Alpha's army, specializing in sensitive matters. When her best friend invites her to a night of music and laughter, she never expects to run into her mate, Alexander. Will Alexander figure out it is Emily? Will he chase after her, and most of all, will Emily be able to keep her secrets safe?
There was only one man in Raegan's heart, and it was Mitchel. In the second year of her marriage to him, she got pregnant. Raegan's joy knew no bounds. But before she could break the news to her husband, he served her divorce papers because he wanted to marry his first love. After an accident, Raegan lay in the pool of her own blood and called out to Mitchel for help. Unfortunately, he left with his first love in his arms. Raegan escaped death by the whiskers. Afterward, she decided to get her life back on track. Her name was everywhere years later. Mitchel became very uncomfortable. For some reason, he began to miss her. His heart ached when he saw her all smiles with another man. He crashed her wedding and fell to his knees while she was at the altar. With bloodshot eyes, he queried, "I thought you said your love for me is unbreakable? How come you are getting married to someone else? Come back to me!"
Allison fell in love with Ethan Iversen, the soon-to-be Alpha of the Moonlight Crown pack. She always wanted him to notice her. Meanwhile, Ethan was an arrogant Alpha who thought a weak Omega could not be his companion. Ethan's cousin, Ryan Iversen, who came back from abroad and was the actual heir of the pack, never tried to get the position nor did he show any interest in it. He was a popular playboy Alpha but when he came back to the pack, one thing captured his eyes and that was Allison.
22-year-old Evelyn Carter is attempting to start over in California while avoiding her past. She will be embarking on a new career path as a private school teacher. She is smart, attractive, and doesn't put up with nonsense. Who wouldn't notice her? However, what happens when she attracts the attention of someone unwilling to let her go? Who wants her and nothing else after falling in love at first sight? A 25-year-old billionaire CEO and single father, Lucian Carrington. He takes what he wants and he is also a very dangerous man. All it needed was one look at a stunning woman to realize she was HIS, even though he doesn't believe in relationships because they always end. Preview: Miss Carter, you will be mine. I say firmly. "Release my arm, Mr. Carrington, before I force you to." She says, seeming to smile at me. I give her a sly smile. Squeezing my wrist with her other hand, she twists it uncomfortably. I gave a painful hiss. "Don't underestimate me, Mr. Carrington." "This is the only time I will allow you to walk away from me, Miss Carter." She glared at me as she turned. "Mr. Carrington, I am no possession of yours." I was left standing there when she opened the classroom door and left.
Due to the plight of her family, Phoebe had no choice but to embark on the path of selling herself. In an accident, she had a tangled night with Alexander. Everything began to derail, and even if she fled to the ends of the earth, she would still be found by him and entangled... *** Phoebe screamed in frustration, "What do you want from me?" What was this supposed to be? He raised an eyebrow wickedly. "What do I want? You'll find out soon enough." With that, he hoisted her up and carried her back into the office. The door slammed shut with a kick, and he cleared the desk with a sweep of his arm before laying her down on it, his body pinning hers in place, completely trapping her in his grasp. Every cell in his body was telling him he wanted her. He wanted to claim her again. This time, there would be no escape for her-he wouldn't let her slip away. Never again. If he had suffered for five years, then this woman wouldn't get off easily either!