Lisa Kessler - Moonlight

Suddenly her hand fell away. Oh God, I’d forgotten there was another baby coming! Panic was back in full force. While one tiny life cried in my hand, another was fighting to be born. I couldn’t put him down, but I couldn’t leave the other one. Lana needed me.

“Got your hands full?”

Never in my entire life had I been so happy to see Jason. He took over, helping Lana to deliver Malcolm’s twin while I stayed beside her, doing my best to encourage her. When we heard the second cry I rested my forehead to Lana’s, and we both laughed and cried. Two healthy babies. She did it.

But Jason was quiet.

I turned toward him, my brow furrowed. “Is everything all right?”

He nodded and looked up at us holding a tiny, wriggling, wailing baby, but Jason no longer resembled the calm and cool doctor. His jaw was slack and his gaze unsure. “It’s…a girl.”

Lana smiled, holding out her arms to embrace her new daughter, but Jason and I just stared at one another for a second.

“How can that be?” I asked.

“I’m not sure, but there’s more.” Jason tipped his head toward our new daughter. “She’s not a werewolf.”

I raised a brow. “But little Malcolm is… I caught his scent right away.” I leaned closer to Lana and our baby girl. I inhaled and realized what had confounded Jason. “She’s a jaguar.”

Jason nodded and started to smile. “No wonder they were moving around so much in there, Lana. They were already fighting.”

She looked up at me with an exhausted smile. “Dogs and cats chase each other, isn’t that what you told me the night we met?”

“Yes, but what did I know, huh?” I settled Malcolm into the crook of her other arm and nodded as I kissed her. “They’re beautiful.”

“What should we name her?” She smiled at our new daughter.

“How about Madeleine?”

“Madeleine.” She kissed her forehead and looked up at me. “I like it.”

Jason helped cut the umbilical cords and finished cleaning Lana up before he quietly vanished and left me with my new family. I laid beside her in the bed and stroked her hair back from her forehead.

“You’re amazing.”

Lana smiled up at me. “You weren’t half bad yourself.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t more prepared.”

She kissed each new baby. “I think we did a pretty good job anyway.”

“We did. I’m not sure any werewolves have ever been born without an identical twin, let alone a jaguar. We didn’t know that was even possible.”

Lana laughed, nuzzling the twins. “And they said I was amazing. You two were just born, and you’re already one of a kind.”

“They’re incredible.” Gradually my smile faded away. I sat up and sniffed the air, my brow furrowing with worry.

“Adam? Is something wrong?”

I didn’t want to scare her. This was an amazing night, filled with two tiny miracles she cradled in her arms. I buried my concern and leaned over to kiss her brow.

“Everything’s fine. Just rest. I’ll be right back.”

She began to nurse the babies as I closed the door and went down the hall. Aren and Jason went silent when I walked in the room.

My brother grinned and got up to give me a tight hug. “Congratulations, bro.”

“Thanks.” I clapped his back and pulled back to meet his eyes. “But we need to be careful.”

Aren’s smile vanished. “What’s wrong?”

“I thought I caught Sebastian’s scent.”

I opened the door to scan the property and froze. Sitting on the doormat was a flower arrangement and a card. I picked it up and opened the card.

Take care of your new family. –S

I crumbled the card and dropped it on the floor. “I think Nero is going to be back… if they aren’t already here.”

Aren crossed his arms over his chest. “We won’t let them near Lana.”

“I don’t think Lana is what they’ll be after.”

Both of them looked confused. I stared over at the door to my bedroom knowing that Lana and our babies were inside. They were my world now.

“The babies… Our daughter…”

Jason ground his teeth together, and Aren’s shoulders tensed. “We’ll stay on alert,” Aren growled. “No one is coming near my niece and nephew.”

Jason added, “We’re on it Adam. I’ll gather the Pack.”

I gripped each of their shoulders. “Thank you.”

Aren started to smile. “Go keep your wife company, and get some rest while you can.”

I watched them go and took a deep breath. I was the Alpha now, and I wouldn’t live my life in fear.

Lana’s eyes opened when I came back in the room. I’d never seen anyone look so beautiful.

With two tiny lives resting in her arms, her eyes sparkled up at me. “Look Malcolm, Madeleine, your daddy’s back.”

The weight of the future lifted from my shoulders. This was my family. I got into bed beside Lana and kissed each cheek of our tiny twin babies. “Welcome to the Pack.”

This series may not have ever happened without Ray Bradbury’s challenge to me to write 52 stories in 52 weeks. Moonlight began as one of those stories, but after I’d written it, the characters wouldn’t leave me alone. While I continued the weekly challenge, I also wrote this book and the second, Hunter’s Moon . I’ll be forever grateful to him for that inspiration.

I also need to thank my agent, Laurie McLean, for her passion for the Moon series and her confidence in me and the books. Having you in my corner has been exciting and I look forward to many more books together. Thanks also go out to Theresa Cole at Entangled for reading the books and making sure the Moon series had a home with Entangled Publishing. I’m also grateful and super lucky to work with my fabulous editor, Danielle Poiesz, who took this wolf pack and made them ready for public consumption. I have learned so much from you!

Thanks to my publicists Renee and Sarah for always looking for new ways to find new readers! You rock! And to my amazing street team, the Night Angels, you have been so crucial in helping me get the word out about this book. I’m grateful to every one of you! Thanks to Denise for your beta reading excellence and to Panda for being my second set of eyes.

And special thanks to my amazing husband, Ken. Your belief and faith in me and my stories makes me feel like anything is possible, and that is the most priceless treasure ever.

The dry Las Vegas wind stung my eyes as I rounded the corner of the building, scanning the shadowed parking lot for my prey. Even the dark of night couldn’t cool the desert heat wafting up from the pavement. The stench of the spy’s fear stung my nostrils, making the corner of my mouth twitch. I could admit I was eager to take this guy down, but knowing he was scared shitless sweetened the deal considerably.

For the past six months, this secret had festered inside me like an open wound. I’d been traveling too often. Instead of protecting my Pack back in Reno, I had found myself sneaking around, unable to stop myself from tracking her. Protecting our enemy.

Sasha.

The wolf inside of me growled, aching to fight for this woman I barely even knew, who’d tried to kill me. Twice. I forced a slow breath into my lungs. Patience. I could wait this guy out. My bum ankle left me little choice anyway.

All my senses were on full alert, adrenaline pumping through my veins. Nero was still searching for her, and this guy was the latest in a string of scumbag informants looking for easy money. With a bounty on her head, they were eager to provide proof that she was still on the loose.