Page 1 of By the Blood Moon

Chapter 1

Finn

FIVE DAYS UNTIL HALLOWEEN

Autumn in Silver Rapids was momentary and breathtaking.

Stands of birch, black cottonwood, and aspen flew by as Finn drove the winding road home. He couldn’t help but stare at the fleetingly vibrant colors; hues of yellow, red, and orange reminding him of the way Jaime’s hair shifted and caught in the firelight. The golden foliage appeared almost glowing in the setting sun, a stark contrast to the deep, bluish-green of Loon Lake interrupting autumn’s sprawl across the Alaskan tundra.

He couldn’t wait to be home, and share these last few chilly evenings outside with his mate before the winter snows drove them in for the next six months.

Just as Finn was turning off the highway onto the stretch of road their cabin sat on, Silas called. “Hey, are you and Jaime doing anything for Halloween?” he asked, voice filtering through the truck speakers.

Finn shook his head, even though Silas couldn’t see the movement. “We didn’t have plans to leave the house, but I knowJaime’s disappointed that we probably won’t have any trick-or-treaters living so far out of town. Why? Do you want us all to do something?”

Byus all, Finn meant Sheppard, Silas,andSam, who had been living with Silas for a few weeks now. Both he and Jaime wondered what the hell was going on between the two of them, but the last time Finn had pried Silas nearly bit his head off.

So now they all danced around the topic, and Finn kept his nose to himself.

“Yeah, Sam and I thought you and Jaime could come over. Sheppard has to stay on top of some things at work, and we don’t have much in the way of decorations, but we may have a few trick-or-treaters stop by. We could put on a couple of scary movies, maybe?”

Finn smiled, remembering how he’d always spent Halloween at Silas’ when they were kids. They’d go trick-or-treating and stuff their faces with candy before crashing on the living room floor, a sugar coma in full swing.

When Si’s parents went to bed, they’d sneak on scary movies they were definitely too young for, spooking each other on purpose with imaginary shadows and figures lurking in windows until they were too tired to keep their eyes open, passing out in a pile of candy wrappers and gangly limbs.

For a handful of years, Si’s mom and dad had even let them dress up as “werewolves,” and they’d shift into their partial forms, ears and fangs out for the world to see, and giggle together as peopleoohedandaahedover how realistic their costumes were.

“I think Jaime has enough Halloween decorations for the whole neighborhood,” Finn said, chuckling. “We can come over early to get everything set up. I’ll talk to him and let you know.”

Gravel crunched underneath Finn’s truck tires as he pulled into the driveway, saying goodbye to Silas and parking behindJaime’s car. Golden light spilled from their cabin windows in the blue dusk, beckoning him out of the chilly autumn air and into the warm embrace of their cozy living room, where the fireplace was surely crackling and the faint scent of watercolor paints lingered.

Finn cherished coming home to those little things; the evidence of his mate’s growth and healing over these past few months never ceased to make him smile.

But mostly he just loved coming home to Jaime.

Home.

We’re home.

His wolf’s pleased rumbling wasn’t referring to the cabin they shared together.

He stepped out of the truck, his work bag slung over one shoulder, and made his way up the path, dimly lit by solar lanterns staked into the ground on either side. The crisp, autumn days that both he and Jaime loved so much were drawing shorter and shorter now, and soon it would be fully dark when he returned in the evenings, like it had been when he left for work this morning.

Jaime often stayed up late reading or painting, and so he usually slept in a bit longer in the morning, only stirring just as Finn readied for the day. Pressing a kiss to Jaime’s soft, sleep-messy hair before he left for work was one of his favorite things, but it grated against an ancient instinct in him to leave when the sun hadn’t yet risen, his wolf grumbling about his mate being alone and asleep and vulnerable.

It made him restless. It feltwrong.

This morning had been especially difficult. Showered and fully dressed, Finn had bent down to kiss Jaime’s temple and whisper a goodbye. He’d poked his head out from the covers to mumble something unintelligible, before rolling over and tucking back into their warm bedding. Finn had whined, andnearly buried back underneath the covers with him, work and responsibilities be damned.

Sensing his predicament, a sleepy smile had appeared on Jaime’s mouth. “If you had it your way, all you and I would do for the next six months is hide in this bed and hibernate, like the bears.” He’d reached out, taking Finn’s hand and pressing a kiss to the back of it. “Go to work, baby. I’ll be fine. I love you.”

All of Finn’s wolfier instincts had been dialed up in recent months. Claiming Jaime last spring had thrown kindling on the fire that had otherwise simmered low all his life, and his wolf had grown even more insistent as the bond he shared with Silas and Sheppard grew stronger. Their childhood and time in the military had brought them together, yes, but that bond of friendship and brotherhood had developed into somethingmorethese past few weeks. Something deeper.

Pack, Finn’s wolf whispered.

His wolf spoke to him a lot more now. Sometimes the noise became too much, overwhelming in a way Finn hadn’t learned to manage before. Silas and Sheppard helped him navigate the newly intense feelings. So did Jaime.

But they both knew that Finn’s difficulty in leaving Jaime this morning had been more than just the battle with his newly awakened wildness.

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