The Crystal Moon Curse: Book 5: TAKEN

Chapter 6. Parents

KYRA

A deafening howl shakes the air in the woods around the house. Louder than the others from the night before and distinctly different. There is a furious, commanding depth in this howl that has me sitting up on my bed, my spine tingling.

Like the night before I know this call is for me, but my entire body reacts in a completely different way, one I don't understand.

My skin and blood rush with awareness, and I resist a captivating pull drawing me toward the window.

I'm torn between burning curiosity and abject fear.

My heart thunders as the ferocious demand again shakes the air and rattles my bones. There is a tone in the howl I don't recognize, something I have not heard before. I find myself desperate to hear it over and over again.

The saner part of me keeps as far from the window as possible and my ass firmly in bed.

I try to sleep but again the resonating howl shatters the evening sky and any attempt to block it out. My ears almost hum as the sound drives straight to my belly and a strange warmth spreads across my abdomen descending lower.

"Crack a breadstick," I grumble as I jump from my bed. I can't just lay here anymore with that wolf outside driving me crazy.

Leaving my room, I rush down the stairs and halt in my steps as Boaz stands at the end staring up at me. Dressed in nothing but shorts, his torso slim and bare, washboard abs on display, he fills the hall with the scent of sweaty bear man. I wrinkle my nose as I head down toward him.

"What's going on?"

He frowns and nods his head toward the back of the house.  "Udyr wants to see you in the tavern."

I follow him as he leads us down the long dimly lit hall.

"I thought her said I wasn't supposed to go there," I say as we enter Udyr's office through one door and into the tavern through another.

The tavern's familiar aroma of beer and salt is doused by the heavy, powerful scent of wolves.

"Wolves, Bo," I warn and freeze. Boaz turns to place a heavy hand on my shoulder.

"It's okay Ky, there's only two of them in there. Udyr, Jenson, Dad, and I will be with you."

Confusion keeps me frozen in place.

"Why? Why do I need to be in there, what do they want?"

Boaz shakes his head, frowning. "You should hear it for yourself," he turns to open the door to the bar slowly. I feel his hesitation which makes me even more unsettled about what is going on.

My feet move with lead-like reluctance as I follow Boaz into the tavern. The door closes behind us and I begin to tremble as the powerful scent of werewolves strengthens and agitates my wolf. She moves inside me prickling at my skin, pushing to the fore and I pull her back trying to calm her down.

The tavern is empty, void of customers, unusual for this time of night. Chairs are upended on tabletops except for one table in the middle of the room where Udyr and Uncle Borra sit cross-armed opposite two werewolves.

Jensen stands behind them with his arms folded glaring at the male and female pair whose eyes immediately turn and fixate on me the second I walk in the room.

My footsteps falter as I watch them both lean forward and scent the air. Their eyes flicker gold as they examine me from head to toe. I feel like I'm being dissected and snarl in reflex.

They stop their examination and turn to each other, their eyes glazing over strangely.

Boaz stops next to Jenson and I unashamedly use their broad shoulders as a shield peeking between them to look back at the male and female wolves staring at me.