Page 1 of Under A New Moon

One

Galen

The work kept Galen’s mind off things.

He’d been doing it for years, coming up on ten, he figured. The thing about it was that it made sense. No matter what happened, the boxes fit together nicely. Every time.

A forklift whirred behind him. “Outta the way!”

“I hear ya, Val!” he shouted over his shoulder and ducked to the side before the impatient Val decided to dump a load of boxes on him. Not that he couldn’t take it. He clapped the cardboard dust from his gloves before he removed them and tucked them into his back pocket. “I’m taking five!”

Two of his coworkers on the ground issued half-hearted waves.

The bosses didn’t care how many breaks they took so long as the work got done. Galen liked the monotony of it. Hell, he preferred it to the alternative.

He shook his head.I’m not thinking about that shit, tonight.

There was never a moment when he could forget, though. The wolf lived under his skin, writhing on cool nights like this, when the stars were at their brightest. He glanced up to take them in, inhaling the medley of aromas on the air.

The warehouse sat at the edge of the woods, so he could taste all the wild scents that drifted by. Hot rubber, cardboard dust, and human sweat kept him from smelling anything inside. Out here though, he had no choice but to notice the reek of the stagnant river or the smarting stench of deer shit. They reminded him of the home he couldn’t return to, and he hated it.

Still, it was nice to get away from the noise.

He found a spot on a log and sank onto it, crossing his legs.

Galen wasn’t making the most of his skills. He knew that. With his strength and speed, he could become a bounty hunter, or a bodyguard, or even serve as muscle for the dragons. Not that they needed it.

He watched the others work.

They didn’t move as fast without him, and they’d be hard-pressed to complete the whole order by morning if not for him. He’d earned this break.

Galen’s spine went rigid.

His nostrils flared. Without moving, he sampled the scent again.A wolf, likely several. A chill crawled up his back.They’re watching me.

He whipped his head to one side, seeing no sign of the intruders. The other side held no more answers, so he stood and faced the darkness. His lip curled to reveal his teeth, already growing sharp. Galen didn’t like making use of the wolf but he would if he had to.

They were probably just scouts for his father, keeping an eye on him. Wolves lived for battle. And since the Veil fell it had taken everything from both metahumans and mundanes to keep from engaging in constant bloody battle.

Amidst all that, wolves vied against each other. While the dragons were attempting to consolidate their race under Draconis Fire, and the witches tried to form bigger and bigger covens, the wolves were still a scattered and fragmented group.

He didn’t recognize the scents, but that didn’t mean they weren’t new to the pack. He flexed his powerful muscles, dropping into a defensive stance. “Come on, then,” he murmured into the woods. “You want some? I’ll give it to ya.”

There was no answer.

Of course, there was no answer.

The scent faded slightly in the wind. Whatever was spying on him had backed off, but they were still watching. He felt their eyes on him. A growl ripped from his throat. The wolf had taken hold and wanted to make its presence known too.

He stifled another growl and huffed. “Fuck you,” he said to no one.

Whoever it was, they had no spine, lurking in the shadows like this. If they decided to attack, he’d be ready. He always was.

Disgust settled on his heart as he retreated to the warehouse. Kit was having trouble with something, shouting at Val over the issue. Galen may have been the son of an alpha, but the only creatures he commanded were these dopes.

They were pretty easy to deal with, once he had gotten used to their scents. Some humans smelled better than others, and Kit and Val weren’t exactly the pinnacle of good hygiene.

He tried to distract himself with the work ahead, but his focus was behind.

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