Full Moon Torn

With war breaking out, these two men must fight
harder than ever to keep their love and not let the
world tear them apart.

Knox has been at Moon Compound for over three
years. His life forever changed when his mate was
brought  in,  injured  from  the  cruel  captivity
endured  at  the  hands  of  hellhounds.  Now,  torn
between  protecting  Whitley  and  letting  him  help
his  pack,  Knox  loses  the  battle  with  his  wolf  and
turns feral.

When Whitley is summoned back to Moon

Compound, he finds his beloved mate locked in a
cell to protect both himself and others at the
compound. Whitley knows what to do, but isn't
sure Knox will agree to the consequences.

Authors Note: For better reading enjoyment, it is
best to read the series in order. Thank you.

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This  book  is  a  work  of  fiction.  Names,  characters,
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author’s  imagination  or  are  used  fictitiously.  Any
resemblance  to  actual  events  or  locales  or  persons,
living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Full Moon Torn

ISBN: 978-1-77111-974-0

Cover art by Carmen Waters

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Chapter One

Two Months Ago

hitley stared across the field as numerous
pack members were laid to rest. The few

that stood by were shaken to their very core to see
the  number  of  the  pack  dwindled  to  next  to
nothing.  Whitley  reached  over  and  grabbed  his
mother’s  hand  as  his  father’s  coffin  was  lowered
into the ground.

Beside his mother, stood Brendan and Ripley.

The two were an anchor amongst the devastation
that they were forced to live through. How in the
hell  had  this  all  happened?  The  year  before,  the
world  had  seemed  so  uneventful  as  the  pack
passed their days doing the work that would have
them  thrive.  Now,  he  and  his  brother  was
irrevocably changed; they had been captured and
bore  the  scars  of  that,  and  they  had  lost  a  loving
father.  A  father  that  loved  his  sons  and  wife  so
dearly that he sacrificed his own life to keep them
from the fucking hellhounds that Whitley knew all
too well.

Jackie Nacht

Whitley glanced over his shoulder and saw

Knox  standing  beneath  a  tree  in  the  shade  of  the
noonday sun. Something had changed in the man
since  Whitley  had  met  him.  Sure,  he  still  looked
like  the  powerful  Alpha  that  he’d  woken  to  see
holding  his  hand  after  his  capture.  But  the
gunmetal  gray  eyes  had  hardened,  and  his  short,
dark  hair  was  in  disarray  as  if  he  cared  little  to
tame it anymore. His muscles seemed to bulge, as
if he was just waiting for an attack at any moment.

Whitley had lain in the infirmary of Moon

Compound  recovering  from  his  capture  while
Knox  sat  beside  him  all  those  months  ago.  Knox
had  only  left  him  once  during  the  full  moon  and
had come back the next day, battered and bruised
from his shift. Whitley told him to go and recover,
but  the  stubborn  ass  had  refused.  Giving  up,  he
and  Knox  had  spent  two  days  in  a  twin  bed,
holding  each  other  as  they  healed  from  their
wounds.

Even though the two of them had been in pain

from their injuries, those were the best moments of
Whitley’s  life.  He  fell  hard  for  Knox.  His  mate
became  everything  to  him,  until  the  world  came
crashing  in  between  them.  Their  relationship
didn’t  end;  it  just  became  a  painful  long-distance
relationship.  Others  had  done  it  before,  but
somehow,  with  all  the  shit  surrounding  them,
both he and Knox had a difficult time being apart.
It might be necessary, but it wasn’t easy. Whitley

Full Moon Torn

rubbed his aching chest at the very thought of not
having Knox near him. All those nights…

Ever since his mom and dad called Whitley

home,  Knox  hadn’t  been  the  same.  No  one  was
safe,  and  loved  ones  were  forced  to  make  tough
choices.  Now  that  his  pack  was  left  in  ruins,
Whitley  felt  it  was  his  duty  to  do  everything  he
could to help out. With so few left and so much to
rebuild,  there  was  no  choice  for  him  but  to  help
the  pack  until  he  could  once  again  be  with  his
mate.

Shifting his gaze, Whitley watched as silent

tears  tracked  down  his  mother’s  cheek.  What
would it be like to lose your mate? Whitley’s chest
tightened at the thought of anything happening to
Knox.  He  thanked  the  gods  that  Knox  was  still
living  in  Moon  Compound,  guarded  and
protected.

Numbness crept into him as one of the pack

females  ended  the  ceremony.  When  silence
reigned  in  the  air,  Whitley  expected  everyone  to
clear  out,  but  like  him  and  his  family,  everyone
seemed  frozen  to  their  spots.  They  were  lost.  A
lost  pack  of  no  more  than  eighteen.  What  were
they going to do? This was not something a pack
recovered  from.  Whitley  could  only  stand  there
because  he  had  no  fucking  clue  what  path  to
follow.

A hand at his shoulder caused him to turn.

Staring up at his handsome mate, Whitley tried to

Jackie Nacht

voice the void that now filled him. His mouth
opened and closed a couple of times, but for some
odd reason, he was at a complete loss. Even words
failed him at this moment.

Knox pulled him in and embraced him. Whitley

soaked up the comfort for all it was worth. “I…”
Whitley choked on the single word.

“You don’t have to say anything. Just hang onto

me for a minute and I’ll get you out of here.
Okay?” Knox murmured before he kissed Whitley
on the head.

Whitley nodded. He couldn’t voice anything,

fearing if he did, he wouldn’t be able to hold back
the pain that threatened to overpower him. He
would not cry; he needed to be strong for his pack
and for his mother.

Time stopped as Knox held him. He was aware

of his loved ones leaving them and walking away
toward their homes. Whitley was thankful that
Ripley and Brendan were able to get away to help
him with Mom. She had been beside herself losing
Dad, and Whitley was overwhelmed.

“C’mon. Let’s get you back to the house.” Knox

put his arm over his shoulder and guided him
toward their home. The walk was short, only a
quarter of a mile away.

They reached their destination without saying a

word to one another, both lost in their own
thoughts. Whitley had a feeling he knew what was
going on in Knox’s head. He was sure his mate

Full Moon Torn

was going to try to get him to return with him to
Moon Compound. He remembered the fight they
had just weeks ago as he left the infirmary to make
his way back to his pack to reassure his parents
after his captivity.

Whitley sighed as he packed the few items that his

mother had brought when he had come to Moon

Compound after being tortured. “I need to get back.”

“This is where you’re the safest.” Knox argued with

him, standing at the door with his arms crossed,
blocking the doorway. As if that would stop Whitley.

Didn’t Knox know how much it was already killing him
to leave his mate?

“Do you know what it did to my parents, thinking

they lost both of their sons? Brendan can’t go back. We
know that he’ll never be able to visit the pack long due

to his feral blood. The reassurance falls onto my
shoulders, Knox. Plus I’m twenty. I really don’t belong

here yet. I’ve overstayed Elder Lewis’s hospitality as it
is.”

Knox growled, “He’d let you stay, and it doesn’t

have to be on your shoulders to go back to the pack.

They’ve been coming here and seeing you. They can
continue to see you. I need you here.” Knox’s voice
grew hoarse at the end.

Whitley watched as Knox visibly swallowed. It was

killing him to have to leave. The obligation to his pack,

to his family and to his mate had him torn and
confused. “Knox,” Whitley whispered.

Jackie Nacht

“I can’t protect you if you leave these walls.” Knox

approached, grasping him by his shoulders.

“My father and mother are the pack leaders and both

Alphas. Knox, I’ll be protected, and I can come see you
all the time. I just need to go back for a while. I left,

running after Brendan, and you know what happened.”
Whitley glanced down at the floor. He would be

haunted by his capture for the rest of his life. His body
still ached from all the scars covering his flesh. They felt

tight, and where muscle had been torn beneath the
surface there was a lot of scar tissue that knotted and
pained him.

“Yeah, I do. Who is going to be there for you when

you wake up screaming? Who is going to talk you

through the panic attacks? Just stay another
month…please.” Knox pleaded with him.

“I can’t. If I stay another day with you, I’ll never

leave you. I just have to go and say goodbye. Pack up

my own stuff. Please.” Whitley shook his head, trying
to stave off the emotions bubbling up. He knew what he
said was true. Staying any longer with Knox would

mean staying forever. He wanted to make love to his
mate, and now that he was feeling better, nothing was

in the way of making that happen. If they mated,
Whitley would never have the closure he needed

because of being ripped away from his pack.

This would only be for a small amount of time. Yeah,

he knew Knox wasn’t going to be there, and that was
another small reason he needed to do this. Whitley
needed to know he could take care of himself and stand

Full Moon Torn

on his own two feet. In the last month, it had been easy
to have Knox to lean on when his fears took over.

Whitley wasn’t a fool. He knew he wasn’t ever going

to be the same after his capture. There was no way he
could erase something that horrifying from his life

completely. However, he didn’t want it to cripple him
and his mating. He needed to work his way through it

so he wouldn’t have to use Knox as his crutch for the
rest of his life. It would hurt now, but he and Knox

would be happier and healthier in the long run.

Plus, he just wanted to say goodbye to his parents

and pack. He wanted to go back and pack his own

things in order to move to the next chapter of his life.
He wasn’t going to have others do it. He needed to do

this on his own.

However, it didn’t mean he had to close the door

completely. “Can I call you?”

“Anytime you need to.” Knox pulled him close and

embraced him.

Whitley could feel him visibly shaking.
“I won’t be gone forever,” Whitely murmured. “I’m

coming back. When I come back, we’ll be together.
Mates.”

Knox didn’t say a word, but tightened the embrace

all the more.

“Whitley. Whitley. You have to step up.”

Knox’s voice brought him back to the present.

Whitley ascended the steps to the front porch

and entered his parents’ home. Brendan and

Jackie Nacht

Ripley were sitting on the couch with his  mother
in  the  middle  of  them.  Brendan  appeared
completely rung out. His brown puppy-dog eyes,
so  much  like  Whitley’s,  were  completely
bloodshot from emotions and loss of sleep.

It was painful to look at his brother, seeing

what happened to his brother during the capture.
Thank the gods for Ripley. He loved his brother
unconditionally and nothing, not even hellhounds,
could break their mating. Brendan had scars
marring his flesh from attacking his own mate and
Whitley during their capture.

That was one of Whitley’s worst reoccurring

nightmares.  Not  that  he  had  lost  his  life  to
Brendan,  but  that  Brendan  and  Ripley  had
managed to kill each other that day and succeeded
with  the  cruel  intentions  the  hellhounds  had
attempted  in  caging  them  on  the  full  moon
together.  If  they  had,  Whitley  had  no  doubt  the
other  would  have  gone  completely  feral  after
destroying  their  own  beloved  mate.  As  it  was,
they all had the scars, a constant reminder of what
almost happened on that fucked-up day.

Knox guided him to the back of the house

where his room was located. Whitley broke away
from Knox and sat on his queen-size bed while he
toed off his shoes.

Knox closed the door behind him and leaned

against it. “Is there anything I can get you?”

Full Moon Torn

Whitley lay down on his back on the bed. “Can

you just come and lie with me for a minute?”

Knox nodded before he walked over and

removed his shoes. Knox lay down next to him
and grabbed a hold of Whitley, brushing his hair
back. The feeling of those fingers combing through
his hair soothed him like nothing else ever would.

“When do you have to go back?” Whitley

murmured into the quiet of the room.

“Tomorrow. I know the full moon isn’t for a

while, but the loss has taken a toll on your brother.
We need to get him and Rip back to the
compound.” Knox brushed his lips over Whitley’s
hair.

“But you could stay for just another day.”

Sheesh, do I sound needy. Exactly what I didn’t

want to do to my mate.

“I can’t.” Knox’s voice was hoarse with

emotion. Whitley had no clue why just a couple
more days could hurt.

“I understand,” Whitley said, but he didn’t. He

was  completely  and  utterly  confused.  Knox  had
been  at  Moon  Compound  three  years.  He  should
be on his way to leaving the place. Why would he
have  to  be  there  like  a  pre-tran  about  to  go
through his first shift?

“You could come back with me, Whit. You’ll be

safe there. I can’t even think about what
could’ve…” Knox broke off.

Jackie Nacht

It killed Whitley that he couldn’t do as Knox

suggested. He no longer felt safe here in his own
home, if you could even call it that. It sure didn’t
feel like that to him anymore.

Then, he thought of the others he’d grown up

with and his mom. “I wish I could, but my mom
just lost Dad and most of the pack. I’m needed
here. I’ll come see you soon.” Whitley held Knox
tightly. He didn’t want to let him go.

“I understand. If it were my pack, I’d do the

same thing you are. Let me hold you a little bit
longer.” Knox leaned down and lifted Whitley’s
head up before brushing his lips against Whitley’s.

Whitley returned the kiss with all the feelings

he had for Knox. His fingers grasped Knox’s thick
chest  while  he  worked  his  mouth  over  Knox’s.
He’d  loved  his  mate  since  the  first  time  he  felt
Knox  holding  his  hand  in  the  infirmary  after  his
capture.  Knox  had  been  patient  and  kind.  There
would be no other for Whitley. This was his wolf
for life.

The two broke apart and stared at each other.

Whitley could see the love in Knox’s gray eyes,
but there was also something else. “Knox?”

Knox brushed his thumb under Whitley’s eye.

“Sleep.”

Whitley lay his head back down on his mate’s

chest. He closed his eyes and listened to Knox’s
heartbeat. It only took moments. Whitley felt safe

Full Moon Torn

for the first time in a while, and he closed his eyes
and let sleep take him.

Groaning, Whitley opened his eyes to the

darkness. Glancing at the clock on the nightstand,
he realized he had been out for more than a couple
hours. Swiping his hand down his face, Whitley
became aware he was alone in the bed.

Upon getting up, he took care of business

before he made his way out to the living room and
kitchen area. The place was quiet, too quiet.

His mother was sleeping on the couch with a

handmade quilt over her. Whitley moved toward
her and adjusted it, tucking her in.

“Whitley,” his mom said in a sleepy voice as

she opened her puffy eyes.

“Where are Brendan, Rip and Knox?” Whitley

sat down next to his mom on the couch.

“They left a little while ago. They were

struggling and called in to have someone come
pick them up.” His mom sat up and brushed her
long brown hair back.

“They…left?” Whitley glanced down at the

ground. He knew they had to go, but so soon? He
thought he would at least have them all here for
dinner and the night.

“The day took its toll on your brother and the

others. They thought it would be best to get back
in case it became too much and they needed to go

Jackie Nacht

into lockdown.” Mom brushed a strand of hair out
of his eyes. “Are you okay?”

Wow, wasn’t that ever the question. Whitley

doubted  he  would  ever  be  okay.  Right  now,  he
could feel the emptiness of his mate’s leaving like
a  wound  to  the  chest.  It  was  painful  and  dark
without  Knox  there.  However,  he  had  to  put  his
needs aside and help his pack and mother.

Mustering a smile he couldn’t feel, Whitley

replied, “I’ll be fine.”

Oh, how far from the truth could he ever be.

Full Moon Torn

Chapter Two

A Couple Weeks Later

nox seethed in the common area as Oren
came over and sat next to him. He loved that

Oren and Daegal had finally gotten their shit
together and were happy, but he couldn’t stand
being in this room another minute.

“How are you doing?” Oren asked.
Across the room, Knox watched as that fucker

Duke  was  giving  the  small  Omega,  Myles,  shit.
Myles was one of the smallest shifters there, only
five  foot  six  and  sweet,  too.  Yeah,  that  was  the
right  word  for  him.  Sweet,  because  even  during
his shift, the noises he would make while in pain
were these little, Ow. Ow. Ow, while everyone else
was screaming their fucking heads off.

“I fucking hate this. Every month, it’s the

same.” Knox gritted out.

Knox watched as Duke grabbed a hold of

Myles.

Enough!

Jackie Nacht

In an uncontrollable rage, Knox crossed the

room. He was all over Duke, pounding into the
Alpha, uncaring if he killed the asshole. He was
thirsty to end this guy as his fists connected over
and over with Duke’s face.

Shouts could be heard from a distance. Sloan,

his best friend and Alpha, was there screaming at
him, but he was lost. Lost to the anger, the smell of
blood; he craved more.

Then, suddenly, Knox was pulled off. How

dare they take him from his kill? A growl erupted
deep within him and unleashed on those that
interfered.

He was ready to go back at Duke when Malach

came into his vision. The look of sorrow on his
face had Knox baring his teeth. Malach pulled a
syringe and struck him with it.

The world became fuzzy along the edges, and

Knox suddenly had a little clarity. What the hell am
I doing? That was his last thought before he fell
into darkness.

* * * *

Groaning, Knox woke, feeling like hell as he came
to on the cement floor of his room. What the fuck?

Slowly, he got up and, for the first time, got a

good look around his room. The place was
completely destroyed. His mattress was in shreds.
His beloved pack pictures were ripped apart and

Full Moon Torn

even Whitley’s shirt lay in tattered ruins. Letting
out a whimper, he fell and crawled over to the one
thing he clung to each night.

After picking up the pieces, he couldn’t detect

any of Whitley’s scent on it any longer, and the
soft fabric was so small, it was no longer a comfort
when his mate was so far from him.

A vision of his mate came to him. Whitley had

those  beautiful  brown  puppy-dog  eyes  that
connected  him  with  Brendan  as  brothers.  Brown
hair that was cut short with it a little longer in the
front. His mate had the appearance of an Omega.
Slick, lean muscles and only about five foot eight,
but hell, Whitley was sharp. Knox knew his mate
would  forever  keep  him  on  his  toes  if  they  were
going to be together. He was the perfect package
for Knox, and Knox had fallen hard for his mate.

A noise came from outside his cell.
Knox swallowed a golf ball-sized lump in his

throat as he turned to look at his cell door. Lukas
and Malach were watching him through the bars.

“What’s going on?” Knox’s voice felt shredded

and raw.

Lukas glanced over at Malach as he adjusted his

cattle prod on his hip.

Malach, the head guard, stared at him. The look

on the guard’s face was foreign as if he pitied
Knox.

Why?

Jackie Nacht

“You’ve been in and out of it for weeks. What’s

the last thing you remember?”

Knox had to think it over for a minute. “The

fight with Duke.”

Malach glanced down at the ground before he

looked  back  up  at  Knox.  “That  was  close  to  six
weeks  ago,  Knox.  Full  Moon  is  tonight.  You
already  went  through  one  and  didn’t  even  know
it.  You’re  getting  too  strong  for  your  cell,  Knox.
We have to transfer you to the feral wing.”

“What?” Knox shouted, getting to his feet and

crossing the room toward the guards. It didn’t go
unnoticed that both guards pulled not one, but
both their cattle prods out.

“There has to be a mistake.” Knox grasped the

bars. He knew what lost time meant. He wasn’t a
fool. How the hell did he miss an entire full moon?

Knox was fully aware that since Whitley had

obligations  with  his  pack  and  family  that  Knox
and his wolf had been in constant battle with each
other.  Knox  tried  to  use  logic  and  reason  to
explain  to  himself  why  Whitley  couldn’t  be  with
him. His wolf wasn’t about logic or reason. It was
about instinct, and his wolf knew his mate was in
danger  away  from  him.  The  two  had  been
splintered  for  a  time.  Knox’s  shifts  had  been
getting  more  difficult.  Now,  he  knew  what  his
wolf and human side torn apart would do to him.

He was going feral.
“I can’t.” Knox tried pleading with Malach.

Full Moon Torn

“It’s not typical for someone as far along in

your shifts to go feral. You’re coherent now.
You’ve been in a slow buildup, and we’re hoping
we can do something to bring you back. We’ve got
Whitley coming back here to help you through
your shift.” Malach put his cattle prod away.

“I won’t bite Whitley. I can’t do that to him.

You’ve seen what happened to his brother.” Knox
shook his head. He would never change Whitley.

“We’re not bringing him here to have you take

his  Omega  blood.  We’re  just  going  to  have  him
talk  you  through  your  shift.  We  have  to  transfer
you  to  the  feral  wing.  You’ll  be  stronger  tonight,
and  I’m  not  sure  these  bars  will  contain  you.”
Malach paced outside his cell.

“I don’t want him to see me like this. He’s

already gone through too much.” Knox fell to his
knees, still holding the bars. Shame crept into him
as he thought of his mate seeing him.

Oh my gods. Had Whitley needed me and I hadn’t

even been aware enough to be here for him? He just
lost his pack. Whitley had probably tried to call.

Malach kneeled outside the cell and brought his

hand  through,  lifting  Knox’s  chin.  Malach’s  gaze
captured  his.  “There  is  no  shame  in  what’s
happening  to  you.  You  need  to  understand  that
what  has  happened  to  your  mate  directly  affects
you  as  well.  I  was  there,  Knox.  I  was  there  with
Whitley.  I  know  if  he  were  my  mate,  I  would  be
exactly  as  you  are.  You’ve  seen  the  damage  of

Jackie Nacht

what he’s been through. You love him. There is no
shame in being torn apart by his past. What you
both need to do is heal and get that future of yours
worked out for the both of you. You both need
each other. It’s not a weakness.”

“His mother and pack need him right now,”

Knox whispered.

“We know that, and we’re working on helping

him  out.  Brendan  has  already  talked  to  Elder
Lewis.  A  pre-tran  shouldn’t  have  to  carry  it  all.”
Malach pulled him up through the bars. “Do you
think  you  can  walk  with  us?  We  have  to  chain
you. No choice.”

Knox nodded. “I can walk.” Wait. “How come

I’m in my room and not the feral wing already?”

Lukas shrugged, fresh wounds on his face.
What were those from? And Malach had a bunch

as well. What did I miss? Was there another battle and

I couldn’t even be here to help my friends?

“You’re strong, but so far, your cell doors have

been holding. We thought with you being in your
environment, seeing some of your pictures that
you could pull out of it. Sloan and Oren have been
visiting you a lot, too.”

“They have?” Gods, he couldn’t remember that

at all.

“All your friends have been here. They’re

concerned about you.” Malach came up and stood
next to the door, waiting for him.

Lukas opened the door.

Full Moon Torn

Knox crossed the room and picked up a small,

tattered  piece of  Whitley’s  shirt. It  was  dumb;  he
knew  that,  but  it  was  a  small  comfort  he  could
focus on while he shifted tomorrow night. Hell, if
he  remembered.  Thoughts  of  him  going  feral
spiked a fear inside him he had never felt before.

Lukas pulled the chains out, and Knox locked

up. His heart began beating faster.

Malach held his arm out to Lukas, stopping his

advance on Knox. “Knox, we okay?”

Knox eyed those chains as he clenched his fist.

“Not sure,” Knox gritted out.

“Do we need to sedate you?” Malach asked in a

level voice.

“Yes.” He could feel himself succumbing.
Before Knox could go over the edge, Malach

was on him, Lukas pulling out a syringe. The two
fought him as they struck him on the thigh.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” Knox murmured as

he felt the meds kicking in.

Malach brushed his hair back, eyes sorrowful.

“You have nothing to be sorry for. We’ve got you,
Knox. We’ll take good care of you.”

Knox’s eyes closed. He wished he were

stronger.

The next time Knox came to, he was completely

naked. At least the room was warm, which was
completely different from his own room. His room
always had a slight chill. By the look of the door,
he knew he was in the feral wing. The door was

Jackie Nacht

solid steel with only a small window. It was
probably for the guards to check if one of them
had broken their fucking neck in an uncontrollable
rage.

The implications of what was happening to him

finally sank in, and he sat up, hugging his knees to
his chest. Even if Whitley was able to come for
him, it was already too late. He knew it. He could
no longer control his wolf as it was. This was
going to be it for him. Losing weeks at a time until
he no longer came back.

Knox prayed to Geri that he could see clarity

come morning, that his mind would not be lost to
the madness. He spotted the beloved tattered part
of Whitley’s T-shirt and scrambled, picking it up.
He hugged it as he rocked in the middle of the
cell.

“Please, Geri. Please let me come back to him.

Whitley needs me. He does,” Knox said over and
over as he could feel the sun going down.

Knox prayed and prayed to Geri, begging the

god to hear him and help him through the night.
His voice was raspy when he heard the sound of
the door at the end of the hallway opening.

Knox didn’t even have to see who was coming.

He knew that his Whitley was here.

Full Moon Torn

Chapter Three

hitley walked through Moon Compound in
a haze with Rayce. He hadn’t been able to

believe it when Rayce, one of the guards and
Peyton’s mate, had come for him, telling him Knox
needed him. At first, he’d thought Moon
Compound was under attack and panicked. Then,
he thought Knox had been injured.

This was so much worse.
An injury you could heal from. Feral was life

changing.  He  saw  it  every  time  he  looked  at  his
brother  and  Ripley.  Yeah,  they  were  happy  and
mated,  but  they  would  never  be  able  to  leave
Moon  Compound  and  never  be  able  to  play
during the full moon.

How could they keep this from me? He had called

several  times,  and  each  time  was  a  different
answer.  He  was  beginning  to  believe  Knox  was
rejecting  him.  Then,  his  brother  called  and  said
Knox was having a little trouble, but not to worry.
They  were  all  helping  him  out.  The  fuck  they
were.

Jackie Nacht

Heart heavy, Whitley walked into the feral

wing  where  Knox  was.  The  air  changed  upon
entering. The malice and wildness  was almost its
own  living  force  as  he  passed  feral  after  feral  in
cells on both sides of the halls.

Each and every one of them would go through

hell  and  back  tonight,  and  Whitley  was  going  to
be  there  to  witness  the  man  he  deeply  loved  go
through the very same thing. The thought of what
Knox  was  about  to  go  through  caused  his  breath
to hitch.

Whitley spotted Malach in front of a steel door.

The  handsome  guard  stood  heavily  armed,
brushing  black hair out of his  blues eyes. Several
scars  marked  the  exposed  flesh  on  Malach’s  face
and  arms.  Unfortunately,  Whitley  knew  exactly
where  each  and  every  one  of  those  scars  came
from.  Whitley  had  many  himself  from  the  time
they had been captured by the hellhounds. He still
refused  to  show  anyone  his  back  and  chest,
including Knox.

There was a cot in front of the door as well as a

chair. If they thought Whitley was going to be able
to sleep tonight, they were all fucking crazy.

“Is that where he is?” Whitley asked Rayce.

Gods, his voice trembled.

“That’s where Knox is at for the night.” Rayce

pointed to the door.

Whitley took a deep breath before he passed

Malach and looked into the small window with

Full Moon Torn

bars in the door. Knox sat naked in the middle of
the floor, rocking and holding his knees to his
chest. Whitley’s chin trembled with emotion. He
was trying to be strong.

Whitley had never, in all the time he knew his

mate,  seen  him  in  such  a  vulnerable  state.  Knox
had always been the strength in their relationship.
Those  months  in  the  hospital,  taking  care  of
Whitley  and  soothing  him  when  the  nightmares
were too much.

Now, Knox was living a nightmare.
Whitley grasped the small window, trying to

swallow the damn lump that was choking him. He
knew  the  implications  of  Knox  being  here.  His
brother  was  somewhere  behind  one  of  these
doors.  Trying  to remain  strong,  Whitley gazed  at
Knox.

Oh gods!
Knox was staring at him, and it was the first

time he had seen those gray eyes since they
parted. It was like night and day. Oh, if eyes were
a window to a soul, Knox was in fucking hell.
They were wild and untamed.

“Whitley,” Knox whispered hoarsely.
There were so many things that had happened

in his life, but none was worse than this moment.
“Is this because…” Whitley broke off, guilt
overwhelming him as he turned to look at Malach.

Jackie Nacht

Malach came over and shook his head, “This is

because of the war. No one, including Knox, will
ever  say  you  didn’t  do  what  was  right.”  Malach
blew out a breath. “This war has affected a lot of
us.  Knox  knew  you  needed  to  be  there  for  your
pack  and  your  mom.  It  doesn’t  mean  his  wolf
understands. The two have ripped apart. He’s no
longer in control of his wolf. He won’t be the last
one  this  happens  to.  War  can  make  any  wolf  go
feral. It’s in human nature to understand, but our
wolves only see in black and white. They don’t see
the gray area that is vital to us.”

“Is there anything I can do to help him? Why

didn’t  you  bring  me  here  sooner?  I  would  have
come.  He  needed  me,  and  I  wasn’t…”  Whitley
thought  of  his  brother.  “Can  I  give  him  my
blood?”

Malach closed his eyes. “Right now, Knox still

has  a  chance.  Elder  Lewis  wants  to  see  how  he
does this full moon. With you here, he may work
himself out of this. His wolf seeing you may calm
him  down.  It’s  been  a  really  long  time  since
someone  has  gone  feral  this  way.  We  just  aren’t
sure  how  far  gone  he  is.  It’s  case  by  case  and
everyone is different.”

Malach scratched the back of his head. “We

didn’t bring you in sooner because we’ve had our
own set of problems. Moon Compound was
attacked recently. We had to make sure the place
was airtight before we brought anyone else in.

Full Moon Torn

We’ve had more guards brought here since our
area seems to be the target. Moon Compound is
safe, but the surrounding packs…” Malach stared
at Whitley knowingly. The packs in the area were
vulnerable and at risk of being wiped out like his
was.

Whitley’s mind whirled with the information.

There is more than one way to go feral? So it wasn’t
just the young shifting for the first time?

“You think it will work?” Whitley turned to

look at Malach. What he saw in Malach’s eyes was
not a comfort by any means. “You don’t think it’s
going to work?” Whitley mumbled.

“We have to see. Hope,” Malach answered.
Whitley stared back into the small barred

window. Knox was up and pacing. The sun was
going down, and the full moon would be here
within the hour.

Knox turned, and his nostrils flared at him.
Whitley wasn’t prepared when Knox moved

faster than he could track him.

His arm snaked out and grabbed Whitley by

the back of the neck. “What the fuck are you doing
here?” Knox growled in a low voice.

Whitley stared at his mate. Knox’s eyes flashed

in and out of madness. Whitley couldn’t put his
finger on how he knew; he could just see it when
Knox went in and out like a flickering candle.

“You need me here. Mate,” Whitley whispered.

Jackie Nacht

Knox roared at him before he released Whitley.

Whitley fell on his ass, shocked that his mate
could turn so fast. What the fuck is happening?

His damn heart ached with the sounds coming

from  Knox’s  cell.  Whitley  scrambled  away,
pressing  his  back  against  the  brick  wall  in-
between cells. Wrapping his arm around his legs,
Whitley  listened  to  the  incoherent  growls  and
screams  begin.  He  had  only  heard  this  one  time
before,  and  it  had  been  the  worst  moment  of  his
life. It was during his capture, when Brendan and
Ripley were in the cage with him.

The sounds brought the past to the present, and

Whitley began shaking in terror. It was a horrible
thing to love your brother, but fear his feral side.
How could he not when Whitley’s nightmares
were filled with the moment Brendan had turned
on him in the cage.

After they were rescued, his brother had asked

over  and  over  again  for  his  forgiveness.  Whitley
had  forgiven  his  brother  instantly,  knowing  he
couldn’t  control  his  wolf.  He  would  never  share
with  his  brother  that  he  still  feared  him  in  his
dreams. That he stared at the scars his brother had
given him and shivered. He loved his brother too
much  to  hurt  him  with  the  knowledge  of  his
nightmares.

Malach knelt next to him, putting a comforting

hand on his shoulder.

Full Moon Torn

“What do I do, Malach? How can I help him?”

Whitley’s voice shook with emotion.

“Talk to him. Let him know you’re here and

safe. When he shifts, let his wolf scent you. Don’t
put your hand through the bars, just stand next to
the window. The last thing Knox would ever want
to do is to harm you unintentionally.” Malach
stood and peered into the window of the cell next
to Knox’s.

“Who’s in the next cell?” Whitley asked, trying

to take his thoughts away from the horror of the
moment.

“Your brother,” Malach stated flatly.
Whitley’s breath caught. Two of the three

people he most cared for in his life were in these
cells, ripped from their wolf.

Licking his dry lips, Whitley stood and stared

back into Knox’s cell. Knox was scratching at his
own flesh with lengthening nails. Blood flowed
from the deep wounds. The shift was upon him.

Clearing his throat, Whitley stuttered out,

“Knox, I’m here. Whitley.” It sounded horribly
weak even to his own ears, the words and his
voice. He wasn’t even making any sense.

Stepping up his game, he tried once again.

“Knox, you need to look at me. See, I’m safe. Your
mate is safe and here to help you. Look at me,
Knox. Look!”

Knox’s head whipped around, and his gaze

seemed to penetrate all the way to Whitley’s soul.

Jackie Nacht

Eyes dilated and wild, Knox continued to stare at
him while he paced like a wild animal waiting to
break free.

“Talk to me, Knox. Talk to me, mate.” Whitley’s

voice cracked with raw emotion.

Knox opened his mouth as if to speak, then his

face contorted in agony.

Whitley witnessed it, gripping the bars as

Knox’s bones began to break and hair began to
grow. It was typically painful to shift, and Knox
must be in pure hell, but he was so lost, it didn’t
seem like he gave a fuck as he continued to harm
himself with his own claws until his hands became
paws.

As bones broke, Whitley whimpered, “Knox.

Stop  hurting  yourself.  Please,  Knox.  I’m  here,
mate.  I’m  here.  It’s  going  to  be  okay.  No,  Knox,
stop scratching yourself. It’ll be over in a minute.
Please  stop!”  The  self-destruction  was  Whitley’s
undoing. Tears ran unchecked as he kept pleading
for his mate to stop.

The horror of watching his mate shift was more

than  he  could  bear.  Every  man  had  his  breaking
point  and  seeing  Knox’s  femur  fracture  tipped
him  over  the  edge.  Whitley  choked  out  another
sob  as  he  watched  his  mate  contort  and  crack.
Dear  gods,  he  had  seen  a  shift  before,  but  seeing
his mate…

Whitley’s vision was so blurry, he could barely

see as Knox’s shift finished. His mate stared at him

Full Moon Torn

in wolf form, growling threateningly at him. Knox
charged the bars, and Whitley jumped back just as
the large head made contact with the window.

Clamping his hand over his mouth, Whitley’s

breath hitched as he watched Knox hit his head
against the door over and over again. This could
not be…

Malach came over, eyes solemn.
Whitley stared at the guard. “It didn’t work,

did it?” Whitley covered his face with his hands,
shaking uncontrollably.

“I think it’s too early to tell,” Malach hedged.
“Don’t fuck with me, Malach. I’ve seen too

much in this life already. It didn’t work, did it? I’m
too late.” Whitley growled, anguish replaced by
raw anger.

“No,” Malach stated in a firm voice.
Despair seized Whitley. He had been in horrible

situations in the last year, but nothing compared
to losing his mate. He knew what he was going to
have to do. However, after hearing about Brendan
and Ripley, he knew it wasn’t a full cure. He
would never be able to run with his mate, never be
able to hold him during the full moon.

Whitley tried not to blame himself, but it was

difficult  when  he  had  to  leave  Knox  before.  He
thought  back  to  Malach’s  words  and  approached
this  with  a  maturity  beyond  his  years.  War.  War
changed  the  best  of  men.  He  couldn’t  think  of
blaming himself at the moment. He had to think of

Jackie Nacht

a way to resolve the problem. Just like he had to
resolve the situation with his impossibly small
pack now.

It was difficult to come up with answers and

decisions while sitting against the wall hearing his
loved  ones  hurting  themselves  against  their
confinement.  They  needed  him;  they  all  needed
him. But how, he was only one man and couldn’t
be  in  two  places  at  once.  He  knew,  given  the
choice, he would remain with Knox. His heart was
here, and Knox needed him now more than ever.

The door at the end of the hallway opened, and

Lukas entered the wing. Lukas had been the guard
that had been captured with Whitley and the
others.

Lukas approached him and squatted down next

to him. “I was coming to check on you and Knox.”
Lukas’ voice was low and deep, etched in concern.

“It didn’t…” Whitley said, jumping as Knox hit

the door again.

Fuck, now was not the time for crying. He

needed to be strong, dammit.

“Ugh…I have to think. Figure out how I can

help him and the pack. I need to...” Whitley trailed
off.

Lukas swept his fingers through his dark blond

hair  in  obvious  frustration.  “You  need  to  talk  to
Elder Lewis in the morning.  He’ll help you come
up with a solution. Let others help you and your
pack.  It’s  honorable  how  you  are  trying  to  help

Full Moon Torn

others, but even the strongest of men couldn’t
handle the task you are taking on.”

“Lukas is right.” Malach interjected. “Go talk to

Elder Lewis in the morning. He’ll help you with a
solution.”

Whitley nodded. “I don’t want to lose anyone

else to this damn war. And this is only the
beginning?”

Lukas stood. “It is. That’s why we’ll all have to

count on each other.”

Knox’s room quieted down, and Whitley got up

to take a peek inside. Knox was sitting in the
corner as if he was prepared to charge. The image
brought back what had happened with his
brother.

Whitley hadn’t talked to Malach and Lukas

much since their capture. “I still have
nightmares,” Whitley confessed as he walked back
over and sat down.

Lukas walked over and glanced into Brendan’s

cell. “We all do, Whitley. Remember, you weren’t
alone down there. You can always come and talk
to us if they become too bad. I’ve talked to
Malach.”

“You have?” Whitley turned and glanced at

Malach.

Malach nodded. “He has, and I’ve gone to him.

We survived hell. Unfortunately, that doesn’t
come without a cost.”

Jackie Nacht

Lukas came back over and sat next to Whitley.

“If you are okay with it, Malach, I’ll sit with
Whitley here. I know you have other halls to go
check on.”

Malach nodded before he turned and took off.
Whitley tucked his legs up and rested his

forehead on his knees. “I want to heal him now,
Lukas. I want him to bite me, take my blood. If I
could just spare him anymore of this tonight…”

“I know you do. Tonight, we’ll watch him

together. Then, in the morning, you and Knox can
talk. I think Knox doesn’t want any more on your
plate at the moment. He doesn’t want to burden
you further,” Lukas said as he rubbed the back of
Whitley’s neck.

Whitley looked up at Lukas’ sea-foam green

eyes. “It’s not a burden, Lukas. I’ll do anything to
help him. I love him.”

“We know you do. He knows it, too,” Lukas

murmured.

Whitley stood, brushing his backside off, and

approached the door without touching. If his mate
suffered, he was going to let Knox know he was
there with him. He would talk all night if he had
to. What he was going to say, he wasn’t sure, but
he was going to talk until he couldn’t any longer,
flinching every time his mate hit the door,
inflicting wounds to himself.

Full Moon Torn

Chapter Four

he next morning, Whitley felt like hell. His
throat was raw and his eyes were bloodshot

from staying up all night.

Only moments before had Knox’s room

quieted. Whitley stood, swaying with fatigue.

Lukas was right there, opening up the door.
“Hang on, Whitley. I have to make sure he’s

lucid.” Lukas murmured before he stepped in by
himself. A moment later, Lukas came out. “He’s
alright. You can go in and see him now.”

Walking in, Whitley tried to prepare himself

but failed miserably. Fatigue forgotten, Whitley
rushed to Knox who lay naked on his side,
bloodied and bruised.

There wasn’t an inch on his mate that wasn’t

battered from the night before.

Knox moaned pitifully as he and Lukas rolled

Knox to his back.

“We’ll need Lachlan to come in and see him.

He’s in pretty rough shape.” Lukas’ lips thinned
as he stood over Knox.

Jackie Nacht

That was the biggest fucking understatement

Whitley  had  ever  heard.  Whitley  sat  on  the
ground  as  Lukas  left  and  put  Knox’s  head  in  his
lap.  Brushing  the  blood-crusted  dark  hair  out  of
his mate’s eyes, he leaned down and gave a gentle
kiss to the split lips.

“I’m sorry,” Knox whispered.
Whitley stared down at his mate, amazed he

was even conscious, let alone talking. His mate
was talking to him, which meant that he wasn’t
completely lost.

Whitley took a quivering breath, “You have

nothing to be sorry for.”

Knox winced and shifted uncomfortably before

saying hoarsely, “I needed to be strong for you.
You didn’t need this burden put on you.”

Whitley shushed Knox with another soft kiss,

“You don’t need to be sorry for this. If anyone is
sorry, it’s me for leaving you.”

Knox lifted his bruised arm to Whitley’s face.

“You did the right thing. I don’t blame you. Your
mom needed you and so did your pack.”

Whitley held Knox’s hand to his cheek with his

own, leaning into the touch. “I won’t leave you
again. I’ll find a solution.”

Lachlan came in and started working on Knox.
Whitley’s head spun at all the damage his mate

had done to himself.

Elder Lewis came into the room, eyes locked on

Knox before turning to Whitley.

Full Moon Torn

“Come with me, Whitley,” Elder Lewis

beckoned him out of the room.

They didn’t speak as Whitley followed Elder

Lewis down several hallways until he entered the
man’s office. Whitley’s nerves grew as he moved
to sit in the chair across from the ornate desk.

Elder Lewis sat across from him, gaze assessing

Whitley. The scrutiny of the elder seemed to
penetrate Whitley to his core as if searching for
something, but what? Whitley had no idea. He just
hoped that when the elder came to a conclusion, it
wasn’t disappointment that the elder saw in him.

“For one so young, you’ve had many

obligations come before you.” Elder Lewis leaned
back in his chair, reclining slightly. It seemed like
a casual pose, but Whitley knew better.

Clearing his throat, he answered, “Age does not

matter when things happen in life. I was needed.
I’ve just tried to do my best to help.” Whitley
stared down at his hands clenched in his lap.
Help, hell, he felt like he was failing everyone.

“True. However, you’re still healing yourself.”

Elder Lewis tapped his thumb on the desk.

“I’m fine,” Whitley whispered, glancing up at

the elder.

Elder Lewis raised a brow. “You are?”
Whitley went to say yes, but stopped himself.

Elder Lewis would see the lie. He had too much
respect for the elder to tell him a lie.

Jackie Nacht

Instead, he sidestepped the question. “Knox

needs help and so does my pack. I need to be with
my mate, but I can’t abandon my pack. There are
so few left. My mother is still grieving as well. I…”
Whitley stopped. He just didn’t have the answers.

“How many of your pack is left, Whitley?”

Elder Lewis asked solemnly.

“There are only eighteen of us left, sir. That

includes Brendan and me.” Whitley scrubbed his
hand over his face. Too damn few.

“I’d like to talk to your mother, she is the

residing  pack leader  Alpha in  the pack now, and
discuss protection, perhaps moving here to Moon
Compound.  We  can  make  room  and  give  your
pack  sanctuary.  It’s  not  the  perfect  solution,  but
they won’t have to be vulnerable to attacks with so
few.”

“You would do that?” Whitley asked, shocked

that was even a possibility.

“If I could do it for all packs, I would, but we

just don’t have the room. We may have to remedy
that.”

Whitley watched as Elder Lewis rubbed his jaw

in thought.

Would his pack want to move on Moon

Compound land? Whitley wasn’t so sure. Yeah, it
wasn’t a prison, but sometimes, it sure as hell felt
like it. Moon Compound had scared the hell out of
Whitley when he first woke in the infirmary. If he

Full Moon Torn

hadn’t had Knox and Brendan, he would have
been terrified.

However, every night, his pack lay in fear. Most

slept  in  the  safe  house,  unable  to  sleep  in  their
own  beds.  With  guards  surrounding  them,  they
might  finally  be  able  to  close  their  eyes  for  a
moment. It would help Whitley greatly. His pack
and Knox would be in the same location. It would
fix  the  worry  of  having  to  walk  away  from  his
mother and pack to help his beloved mate.

“I think it sounds like a solution. When will you

contact my mother?”

“As soon as we are finished here. I think the

sooner we get your pack here, the better it will be
for everyone. I’ll have to talk to Lukas, Malach and
Rayce about escorting you. We may even want to
have Bo and Keegan come. As enforcers, they can
guarantee protection better than even the guards.”
Elder Lewis stood and began to pace behind his
desk.

“Can I request that Brendan and Knox come

with me?” Whitley stared at the elder pleadingly.

“Knox isn’t stable enough, Whitley,” Elder

Lewis told him softly as he stopped to stare ate
Whitley.

“He will be. I’m going to exchange my blood

with  him  as  soon  as  Lachlan  allows  it.”  Whitley
knew  the  consequences.  Knew  he  would  shift
early and that his wolf would be wild. Maybe with
the  way  Knox  had  slowly  changed,  things  might

Jackie Nacht

be different. Or maybe it was just wishful
thinking.

“Are you prepared for what will happen? You

saw what you will become on the full moon with
your own eyes last night.” Elder Lewis came and
stood over him.

Whitley had witnessed enough ferals to last a

lifetime. His brother, brother-in-law and now his
mate. He was prepared to go to the dark side with
them all to help his mate.

“I love Knox. I’ll do what it takes to help him. If

I had known leaving would…”

Elder Lewis sighed before he took a seat in the

chair next to Whitley. “A man goes feral for many
reasons.  The  only  one  you  know  of  is  during  a
shift, and that’s because it’s the only type of feral
you are used to seeing around Moon Compound.
Others are a lot less common. Knox is one of those.
It wasn’t just you that turned him feral. Knox was
never a stable shifter, always inclined to his wolf
working  against  him.  That  was  his  first  hurdle,
which he never quite overcame. His friends being
attacked, captured and then you, his mate, coming
in  injured.  The  cocktail  was  already  made  before
you ever left to help your pack. Knox was always
on the verge.”

The way Elder Lewis explained it made much

more sense.

Elder Lewis continued, “It’s not uncommon to

discover many who never even showed signs of

Full Moon Torn

going feral doing so during times of war. Losing a
mate, a child or a pack can be the catalyst to going
feral. It isn’t in one night either. It’s a slow process,
unlike a wolf turning feral during a violent shift.”

“Are you saying Knox will get worse in time,

sir?” Whitley brushed his hair out of his face. He
wasn’t sure how much worse it could be than last
night.

“In time, his human side will follow his wolf

side  without  your  blood.  His  human  side  is
already  being  affected.  He’s  been  in  and  out
lucidly  for  the  last  six  weeks.  We’re  pretty  sure
your blood will be the stabilizer he’ll need.”

The thought of Knox going completely feral

made Whitley’s stomach churn. “When can I
exchange blood with him?”

“You can do it today. The only problem is that

we  aren’t  sure  how  it’ll  work.  You  haven’t
obtained  your own  wolf  yet.  We  aren’t  sure  how
this  is  going  to  affect  you.  Brendan  had  already
shifted when he aided Ripley.” Elder Lewis stared
at Whitley, eye to eye.

If the elder was seeking answers, Whitley didn’t

have  a  single  one.  Elder  Lewis  was  right;  he
wasn’t  sure  what  would  happen  to  him.  His
brother,  Brendan,  had  told  him  how  he  mated
Ripley before. A  little reckless and a whole  lot of
bravery  is  what  Whitley  always  thought  of  his
brother.  And  love.  Brendan  loved  his  mate  from
the  moment  he’d  seen  him.  Brendan  had  told

Jackie Nacht

Whitley how he met Ripley, and he could hear the
love in his brother’s voice. The brokenness and
despair when he thought he couldn’t be with
Ripley.

Whitley had known from the moment he

opened his eyes after his capture that he loved
Knox. He might be young, but there was love
between them.

Meeting Elder Lewis’s eyes, he answered, “I’m

going to exchange blood with him this afternoon.
I’m not sure what will happen, sir, but please talk
to my mother and pack and get them here to
safety.”

Elder Lewis nodded. “I will. I’ll talk to your

mother and then prepare the guards to bring your
pack here.”

Whitley squeezed his eyes shut in pure

gratitude. “Thank you.”

Whitley felt fingers cup his chin, and he opened

his eyes.

“It’s as it should be.” Elder Lewis stood, turned

and went behind his desk, reaching for his phone.
He didn’t pick it up, instead waiting for Whitley to
leave.

Whitley stood, confused by Elder Lewis’s last

words and made his way out of the office.

He was lost in his thoughts as he made his way

back to Knox. He was happy he was getting help
from Moon Compound to get his pack a sanctuary
from this war. Blowing out a breath, he navigated

Full Moon Torn

his way back to the feral wing, knowing he was
going to have to talk to Knox about what they
were going to do.

Whitley could admit he was nervous. He could

not care less what happened to him, but what if
his unshifted blood wasn’t enough to help Knox?
Could he get another Omega to come and give
blood to his mate? The thought left a bad taste in
his mouth.

Exchanging blood hadn’t worked before for

him.  When  they  were  captured,  they’d  tried  to
bring  Whitley’s  wolf  around  with  him  biting  one
of the guards. It didn’t work at all, and he had to
fight  in  his  human  form  in  the  cage.  The  only
other human in the cage had been Avery, and the
poor Omega was so damaged from the drugs the
hellhounds  gave  him  that  he’d  suffered  cruelly
from seizures.

Please, Geri, let this work. I’m terrified.
He came upon Knox’s door and saw that

Lachlan was still in there with him. Giving them a
moment of privacy, he went to his brother’s room.
He  looked  in  and  saw  that  his  brother  wasn’t
alone.  Ripley  had  Brendan  in  his  arms,  and  they
were talking softly to each other. They were  both
heavily bruised in the face. Ripley was sporting an
eye  that  was  completely  swollen  shut.  Then,
Whitley looked deeper. The two had been through
hell,  but  as  they  stared  at  one  another,  Whitley

Jackie Nacht

could practically feel the love that was between
them, even from the doorway.

After turning away, Whitley walked back to

Knox.  He  entered  just  as  Lachlan  met  him  at  the
door, clapping him on the shoulder. Whitley took
the  time  to  stare  down  at  his  mate  then  knelt
down  to  slide  onto  the  new  mattress  that  Knox
was  lying  on.  He  moved  as  close  as  he  could  to
Knox without touching his mate’s injuries.

“He’s in and out, Whitley. Yell out if you need a

guard.” Lachlan called back.

Whitley nodded, letting Lachlan know he heard

him, but never taking his eyes off of Knox.

“Knox, how are you feeling?” Whitley

whispered, brushing a dark strand out of his
mate’s eyes.

“Oh, you know,” Knox rasped out.
“I need you to do something for me. It’s

important,” Whitley murmured, grabbing Knox’s
hand.

“Anything,” Knox stared at him, pain etched on

his face.

Whitley knew he was about to have an

argument from his mate. Knox would fear hurting
him, but Whitley knew this was the only way.
Staring at Knox intently, he responded, “I want
you to bite me and take my blood, mate.”

Full Moon Torn

Chapter Five

nox couldn’t believe Whitley had just asked
him to do that. He’d seen firsthand what a

mate blood exchange with a feral did, and he
wasn’t going to do that to Whitley.

“No.”
“Knox, please.” Whitley sat up, staring down at

him.

Those sad brown eyes weakened Knox’s

resolve. Knox cleared his dry throat. It was
fucking killing him from last night. “You have
been through too much already. I won’t add to it.
This isn’t something that you can walk away from,
Whit. It will change you forever.”

“I can’t lose you, Knox. I love you. I need you.”

Whitley’s voice broke.

If there was anything Whitley could have said

to sway Knox, it was those words. Still. “What
about your pack? Your mother?” Knox knew they
were both vital to Whitley.

“Elder Lewis is working with my mom to get

them moved here. They’ll be safe here from

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attacks.” Whitley said and Knox’s lips thinned in
thought.

Knox thought about the situation for a moment,

mind  churning  to  come  up  with  a  solution.  He
hadn’t  been  able  to  think  too  clearly  lately,  rage
always  on  the  verge  of  consuming  his  thoughts.
An  idea  came  to  mind  and  instinct  fought
savagely  with  him  for  a  moment  before  reason
took over.

“I’ll bite you,” Knox choked out.
Whitley nodded and leaned down, going for

Knox’s neck.

“No, Whitley.”
“But you said...” Whitley began.
“I said I would bite you. I won’t have you take

my fucked-up blood in you. I won’t have you
suffer any more than you already have.” Knox
reached up and cupped Whitley’s cheek.

“We’re mates. We exchange blood, Knox. I

want that bond.” Whitley leaned into his touch.

“Not today, Whit. Today, I’ll take your blood,

and then, we’ll go get your pack together.” Knox
moved his hand, brushing his fingers along the
smooth skin of Whitley’s neck.

“So you want to mate me, just not today?”

Whitley’s eyes were almost his undoing. They
looked upon Knox as if he’d rejected his mate
altogether.

“Not today.” Knox would have to think about

this. Now was not the time to change his mate

Full Moon Torn

forevermore. He was in too much pain and on the
edge.

Whitley leaned down, baring his throat to

Knox.

Knox could see Whitley’s Adam’s apple bop as

his mate swallowed nervously.

“I’m not sure what to do.”
“Kiss me,” Knox rasped out.
Whitley turned his head and stared down at

him with a soft smile on his face. Whitley leaned
down and took his mouth.

Knox’s breath hitched as he got the first taste of

his mate in a long time. Knox’s aching jaw worked
as  he  took  the  kiss  deeper,  grabbing  Whitley  by
the back of the head. He wanted to be consumed
by  his  mate  at  that  moment.  His  whole  body  felt
like  hell,  but  the  tongue  dueling  with  his  felt
nothing short of amazing.

Soft lips moved over his split ones. He wanted

this to last forever, but Whitley pulled away from
him. Knox gazed up at Whitley’s kiss-swollen lips.
Moving  his  hand  around,  he  touched  them  with
the  pad  of  his  thumb.  A  calm  came  over  him  for
the  first  time  in  a  while.  That  one  kiss  settled
something  deep  inside  him.  His  mate  was  here.
He was okay.

“I think—” Knox began.
As if reading Knox’s thoughts, Whitley

interrupted him. “I think you need to bite me. It’s

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begun, Knox. Let’s stop it before I lose you
completely.”

“Do you know something I don’t know?” Knox

asked.

“I had a long talk with Elder Lewis. Let’s just

say  we  all  assumed  incorrectly  about  ferals.
There’s  more  than  one  way  to  go  feral,  and  each
path is different to the end result. Please, bite me. I
want  to  take  care  of  you,”  Whitley  pleaded  with
him.

“You’ve been trying to take care of everyone. I

don’t want to be one more responsibility that falls
on your shoulders,” Knox huffed out, frustrated
and feeling damn weak for an Alpha.

“Then bite me so we can stand side by side.

Look at all those months I was in the infirmary
and you helped me out. We help each other when
one is down.” Whitley brushed his hair back, and
the small gesture felt so damn good.

Gods, Knox hoped he wasn’t going to regret

what  he  was  about  to  do.  He  grabbed  a  hold  of
Whitley’s  wrist.  It  would  be  easier.  Thinking  of
tasting  his  mate,  his  canines  grew,  wanting  to
claim the man for himself. The reasoning behind it
didn’t matter. Long-denied instinct was beginning
to take over as he brought the wrist to his mouth.

His canines sunk deep into the slender wrist,

and blood trickled into his mouth. The flow wasn’t
heavy at first, but Knox took heavy pulls, trying to
tie his mate to him for life.

Full Moon Torn

He could feel his wolf stirring, craving to give

his blood to his mate. With the last of his control,
he pushed his wolf down and continued to drink
from Whitley’s wrist. Please, gods, I want him to bite

me. Please give me the strength to save him from this
fate.

Clarity came slow, and he felt himself sinking.

One moment, he got a clear view of his mate,
gazing in concern, and then, his body felt heavy as
his head spun. He dropped Whitley’s wrist to
stare dazedly up at his mate.

“Knox, are you okay? Knox!” Whitley shouted.
Knox tried to work his mouth a couple times. It

was like the world had been out of focus for a
time, and the vision of Whitley came in sharp and
beautiful.

Then, the agonizing consequences of last

night’s shift took over, and he felt himself fall into
darkness.

* * * *

Knox moaned miserably as he felt himself coming
to. He didn’t even have to open his eyes to know
that  he  was  no  longer  in  his  cell.  The  smells  and
sounds  were  all  different.  There  was  a  gentle
pressure  in  his  left  hand,  and  Knox  squeezed,
knowing who was holding it.

“Knox, can you hear me?” Whitley said from

above him.

Jackie Nacht

Knox slowly opened his eyes to see himself in

the infirmary. He tried to talk, but his mouth felt
like it was stuffed with cotton.

Whitley propped his head up on a pillow before

he turned and brought back a cup. Whitley placed
the cool drink to his mouth, and Knox sucked it
greedily. Water never tasted so damn good.

Pulling away from the straw, he finally spoke.

“What happened?”

“You took my blood and then passed out.”

Whitley brushed his hair back. “How are you
feeling?”

That was a really good question. His body felt

like complete shit, but his mind felt clear. He
didn’t feel like he was fighting his emotions as he
lay staring at his mate. “Okay. I think.”

“It’ll take time for you to get you back on your

feet. I’ll stay with you for the next couple days
while you heal, and then I have to go and get my
stuff and bring the pack here.” Whitley kissed his
temple. “I’m here for good, Knox. I’m not leaving
you ever again. Finally.”

“I want to come with you.” Knox grabbed

Whitley’s hand, hoping his mate could wait a
couple extra days until he healed.

Whitley stared down at him, and Knox

wondered what his mate was thinking. “I wanted
you to, but wasn’t sure with your condition. We’ll
just have to make sure you’re one hundred
percent before you travel.”

Full Moon Torn

“Thank you.” Whitley would never know how

grateful he was for the patience. It was a new
starting point for them, and Knox wanted to do it
right. Whitley had said side by side, and by the
gods, Knox wanted to do that at this very moment.

Whitley leaned down and gave him a gentle

kiss on the lips. He couldn’t wait to make Whitley
his own. They had never been able to, injuries and
duty putting the barrier between them. Now, they
had the chance to be together without the
sacrifices to others.

“I love you,” Knox moaned into the kiss.
Whitley kissed him for a moment longer before

he pulled away from the kiss, eyes closed as if he
was relishing his taste. His mate licked his lips,
and Knox could do nothing but stare at the sheer
pleasure crossing his mate’s face.

“I love you. Please let me be your mate after

this. I want us to finally be together. It’s our time
now,” Whitley murmured.

“After we pick up your pack, we’ll come back

and be together,” Knox answered.

“I want you to bite me, too, Knox.”
“We’ll see about the bite. Take it one day at a

time.” Knox hedged. He knew his stubborn mate
was going to win the battle, but he just wanted to
make sure there was no other way to spare him
the cruelty on the full moon.

“How’s your pack doing? Are they safe? You

haven’t talked about them.” Whitley crawled on

Jackie Nacht

the bed and lay down next to Knox without
touching him.

As much as Knox wanted the touch, he was

thankful that Whitley was mindful of his injuries.

“My pack is a lot older and more settled in Iron

Mountain  than  most packs.  Sloan  and  I  are  some
of the youngest in the pack. Both our parents are
Alphas.”  Knox  wondered  why  he’d  never  talked
about  his  and  Sloan’s  pack.  Maybe  because  they
were  so  stable  in  a  world  that  was  constantly
changing.  He  could  always  count  on  them.  Or
maybe he had so many things coming his way at
Moon Compound that if it wasn’t right in front of
him, he wasn’t focusing on it.

“So your parents are still alive?” Whitley asked.
“Uh, yes, they come see me from time to time.”

Knox chuckled. “They wonder what’s taking me
so damn long in here. They said both Sloan and I
were so spoiled growing up that our wolves are
forcing us to grow up.”

Whitley gasped. “Do they really mean that?”
Knox shook his head, the movement reminding

him of his head injury. “No, they love us. They all
just  want  to  give  us  a  hard  time.  We  may  be
Alphas,  but  being  two  of  the  youngest  doesn’t
give  us  a  lot  of  authority.  I  can’t  tell  you  how
much  our  Alpha  wolves  detest  that  thought.”
Knox winked at Whitley.

Whitley chuckled. “It’s strange hearing about

the dynamics of other packs. They’re so

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different…” Whitley trailed off with a frown on
his face.

Knox knew what his mate was concluding. Yes,

his pack was different. Only Whitley’s pack had
been altered irrevocably.

Whitley and Knox lay there in the silence of the

hospital wing. The area was open so Knox could
tell it was empty except for one small Omega. By
the Omega’s visitor, it was easy to guess the other
patient was Avery. Cass was sitting next to his
small mate, biting his nails.

Knox’s brow furrowed and then jumped when

the steel doors opened into the infirmary. Duke
walked past them without so much as a glance,
making his way to Cass.

Cass stood swiftly, rubbing his palms on the

front of his jeans. He cut Duke off before he made
it all the way to Avery’s bed.

Even though Knox strained his ears, he couldn’t

make  out  the  heated  argument  between  the  two.
And  heated  it  was,  because  Duke  was  making
angry  gestures  and  pointing  furiously  toward
Avery.

Duke turned and stalked away.
Knox stared at Whitley’s wide-eyed gaze as

they heard Duke thunder out of the infirmary.

Knox glanced over at Cass, and saw one of the

people he’d once most disliked in Moon
Compound come undone. The Alpha squatted
down in the middle of the infirmary and covered

Jackie Nacht

his face, body shaking. Before Knox could even
offer aide, Cass got up quickly and went over to
Avery, placing a kiss on his mate’s forehead then
running out of the infirmary.

“What do you suppose that was about?”

Whitley asked.

Knox frowned. “Whatever it is, it’s not good.”

Full Moon Torn

Chapter Six

t took more than a week to get everyone healed
and ready to pick up Whitley’s pack. Whitley

had told Brendan and Ripley, and they insisted on
going as well. Whitley was honestly grateful his
brother and mate were coming. He wasn’t sure if
this was something he would be able to handle on
his own.

Whitley sat in his pack-home bedroom,

gathering  a  couple  boxes  to  take  back  to  Moon
Compound.  Knox  was  in  the  kitchen,  helping
Whitley’s  mother  collect  everything  they  would
need.  There  wasn’t  much  in  his  room.  Life  was
simple  in  the  pack.  A  few  pictures  and  some
clothes and those were about it.

Whitley looked around his room. At one time,

this had felt so much like home. After his capture
and the attack, this place no longer had that feel to
it anymore. Sighing, Whitley stood and glanced
out his window.

Guards were carrying boxes to vehicles they

would be taking to the docks. Elder Lewis had

Jackie Nacht

sent  a  team  of  them  to  help.  The  only  one  that
wasn’t  there  was  Lukas.  He  stayed  behind  with
Kyle.  Kyle  had  lost  his  mother  in  the  hellhound
attack.  Oren  and  Lukas  had  found  Kyle,  and
Lukas  had  taken  care  of  him  ever  since.  Kyle
hadn’t  been  back  since  the  attack.  The  little  guy
was  terrified  to  leave  Lukas’  side.  The  two  had
formed  an  attachment  on  that  day,  and  Lukas
treated Kyle as if he were his own.

Kyle was helping Lukas at Moon Compound

getting ready to welcome everyone. Kyle knew his
pack was coming, but none of them thought it was
a good idea to bring the little boy back to the place
where he’d lost his mom. Right now, Lukas was
probably coloring with Kyle. The little guy
constantly had a crayon in his hand.

A knock came to the door, pulling Whitley from

his thoughts. As he turned, he watched as Knox
came in. His mate was still looking a little rough.
The bruises had taken on a yellowish tint, and the
cuts and scratches were healing, but they weren’t
entirely gone.

“Everything going okay?” Whitley walked over

to  Knox,  embracing  him.  He  was  still  concerned
about Knox. So far, the doctors thought everything
worked  with  the  blood  exchange.  However,  the
doubt  always  trickled  into  Whitley’s  concern.  He
feared his blood just wasn’t strong enough to heal
his mate.

Full Moon Torn

“Yeah, kitchen’s done. Your mom’s in her

bedroom packing, and then we’ll be all set to go.
We’ll  be  leaving  here  in  a  couple  hours.  Malach
wanted  me  to  tell  you  to  be  ready  to  go.
Everyone’s  just  about  ready.”  Knox  leaned  down
and gave him a gentle kiss.

“Is Mom doing okay? I should have helped

her.” Whitley nipped at Knox’s neck before he
pulled back and went over to his closet, pulling
more clothes out.

“There wasn’t enough time for you to help her

and to pack your own stuff. Plus, it was nice
helping your mom. I think she likes me.” Knox
winked at him.

“Of course she does. What’s there not to like?”

Whitley tossed a bunch of hoodies into the box.
He should fold them, but oh well.

Knox scratched the back of his head, sitting

down. “Well, I suppose I wasn’t sure if she would
take it well about you coming to live with me or
her going to Moon Compound.”

Whitley sighed and sat down next to Knox.

“She doesn’t blame you if that’s what you think. I
can’t really speak for her, but for me, this place no
longer feels like home. Too much has happened,
too much is lost. It just seems…empty. I think it’ll
be good for the pack to move. We need a new
beginning.”

Knox leaned over and rested his head on

Whitley’s shoulder. “I love you.”

Jackie Nacht

Whitley kissed the top of Knox’s head. “I love

you, too. C’mon, we better hurry and finish up, or
they’ll leave without us.”

Forty-five minutes later, Whitley carried the last

box out of the house. He turned and took one last
look  at  the  cabin-style  home  before  he  climbed
into  the  SUV  with  Knox.  His  mother  was  sitting
up front with Malach, who was  driving. Brendan
and  Ripley  were  in  the  vehicle  in  front  of  them
with Bo and Keegan.

Bo and Keegan had been helping out the guards

a lot at Moon Compound while they trained Rayce
and the Gamma, Peyton.

Whitley watched his mother from the backseat

while  Knox  had  his  arms  wrapped  around  him.
She  hadn’t  cried  once  while  packing  up,  which
made  Whitley  wonder  if  it  wasn’t  a  good  thing
that  they  were  moving.  Did  she  view  their  old
home like he did now? That it was nothing but a
reminder  of  their  loss.  Whitley  would  never  ask
her, but one day, he hoped his mother would talk
to him about it.

Reaching up to the front seat, Whitley squeezed

his  mother’s  shoulder  in  comfort.  He  would
always  be  there  for  her  if  she  needed  him.  She
turned  and  gave  him  a  reassuring  smile  before
turning back as the Jeep took off.

The drive to the docks took a bit of time. By the

time they got there, it was only about four hours
before the sun went down. They would have just

Full Moon Torn

enough time to get to the island and get back into
Moon Compound before it got dark.

They were really going to have to move fast to

pack up the boat.

The guards jumped out of the vehicles and

moved  quickly,  unloading  the  vehicles  and
putting  the  boxes  on  the  boat.  When  one  vehicle
was emptied, a guard would take it to the storage
unit  where  they  housed  the  inland’s  vehicles.
Everyone  was  moving  efficiently,  and  Whitley
worked with Knox as they got his mom loaded up
and settled in. She might have worked quietly, but
she  was  an  Alpha  female,  strong  and  sure  as  she
carried  not  only  her  stuff,  but  other  pack
members’ as well.

Whitley turned to help a pack Alpha, Strike.

Strike  had  been  injured  in  the  attack,  one  of  the
few  Alphas  that  lived  through  that  day.  His  arm
was  savagely  scarred,  and  he  was  still  having
trouble  using  it.  He  was  trying  to  help  two
Omegas  get  their  stuff  boarded,  but  even  with  a
month to heal, the Alpha was still struggling.

“Strike,” Whitley grabbed a box out of the

Alpha’s hand. “I’ve got this one. Why don’t you
grab your tools?”

Strike grunted out a thanks before grabbing an

old  toolbox.  Unfortunately,  there  were  a  lot  of
tools  that  Strike  had  to  leave  behind.  The  box  he
carried  was  old  and  belonged  to  his  grandfather.
Following  after  the  original  owner  of  the  tools,

Jackie Nacht

Strike fixed anything and everything in the pack.
And Whitley remembered helping Strike out on
small jobs when he was younger.

Looking at his friend now, Whitley could see

the man held a whole lot of guilt on his shoulders.
“Strike.” Whitley grabbed Strike by the shoulder,
turning him.

“Yeah?” Strike wouldn’t even look him in the

eye.

“It wasn’t your fault, you know. You saved my

mom. I’m indebted to you.” Whitley could feel a
presence behind him and knew it was Knox.

Strike shook his head. “I saved her, but I didn’t

get to your dad in time.”

“Don’t,” Whitley whispered.
“Don’t what?” Strike continued to stare at the

ground.

“Don’t carry that with you. That wasn’t your

fault.” Whitley watched as Strike stiffened before
he nodded and walked away.

Turning, Whitley stared at Knox. “I feel like we

have so far to go. There’s so much pain and guilt.
Are we doing the right thing by moving
everyone?”

Knox nodded. “Yeah, we are. Your pack still

owns the land. No one is telling them that one day
they can’t return. It’s just they need some time to
heal. Some of the most damaging wounds are the
ones unseen. Maybe you should talk to Colin. He
pack was attacked as well and they lost all but the

Full Moon Torn

Avery, Peyton and him. Sometimes, talking to
someone who has lived through it can help you.”

“Maybe. I’d just like to go to bed one night,

close my eyes and not think for a while.” Whitley
blew out a breath before he got his ass back to
work.

Knox walked next to him. “Tonight, when we

get back, why don’t you come and stay in my
room? Tomorrow, you can help the pack move in.
I think everyone will be so tired when we get back
that everyone will just flop anyway.”

“I’m there.” Whitley couldn’t think of a better

way to end this draining day than in the arms of
his mate.

“We better move. We’re losing daylight.”
Whitley doubled the effort, and soon, the pack

was  ready  to  go.  Everyone  was  loaded,  and
Whitley  sat  near  the  bow  with  Knox  as  the  boat
left  the  dock  and  made  its  way  toward  Moon
Compound.  Everyone  talked  loudly  over  the
sounds  of  the  boat  pushing  through  the  chilly
Lake Superior water.

The soothing sounds of the water and the

rocking of the craft made Whitley’s eyelids grow
heavy.

He opened his eyes to find that he had fallen

asleep on the journey, and his neck was achy and
stiff. Even aching, the feel of Knox’s heat as he
held him from behind felt so damn good. He was

Jackie Nacht

just about to close his eyes again when he realized
they were almost to the Moon Compound dock.

“We’re here already?” Whitley yawned and

stretched his arms over his head.

“Yeah, you slept the whole way. My guess is

that you haven’t had a lot of sleep in the last
couple months.” Knox leaned over and gave him a
quick kiss before they both stood up as the boat
approached the dock.

Everyone scattered to get their items and get

the boat tied down. It was a flurry of activity as
the guards got people loaded up in Jeeps to get
them back to Moon Compound.

Zeke, a new guard to Moon Compound, pulled

his  Jeep  close  and  began  loading  Whitley’s
mother’s  things  into  it.  His  mom  looked
exhausted,  so  Whitley  was  grateful  to  the  young
guard.

Sloan and Colin came up to them as they got off

the boat. Sloan hugged Knox. The two embraced
for a moment, and Whitley could tell there was an
exchange of words. It must not have been bad
because Sloan pulled back with a smile and patted
his best friend on the shoulder.

Sloan walked back to Colin as Whitley grabbed

a box. “Is everything okay?” Whitley asked.

“Yeah, Sloan’s just checking on me. I told him I

feel better now than I have in a long time. It’s the
truth, too.” Knox grabbed a box from Whitley and
carried it over with him to the Jeep.

Full Moon Torn

Soon, they were loading up the vehicles in the

dark. Whitley was bone tired by the time he
climbed into the back of a Jeep. Once they started
on their way to the compound, the cool breeze
hitting his face felt so damn good, especially after
all the hard work that day.

They were about two miles into their drive

when Malach slowed the vehicle. “What is that?”

Knox sat forward, staring out from the

backseat. “I don’t know. Wait.”

Whitley turned and looked into the dark, tall

grasses. There had to be more than a dozen of
pairs of eyes, and they were all focused on their
caravan.

Jackie Nacht

Chapter Seven

nox grabbed a hold of Whitley as all the
vehicles became surrounded by hellhounds.

They came out of the darkness one by one until
the shifters were outnumbered at least three-to-
one.

Rage coursed through Knox. Hadn’t this pack

been through enough? And how the fuck did they
know they were going to be here? This was no
accident. This was planned. They had been
waiting for them.

“Whitley.” Knox held back his mate as he tried

to jump out of the vehicle.

“My mom is in the vehicle in front of us. I need

to get to her,” Whitley said in a panic.

Knox shook his head. “Stay where you are.

She’s with Zeke, Bo and Keegan, and there isn’t
anyone in this caravan equipped to deal with
these assholes better than those two.”

Malach was in the front seat on the radio, and

Knox heard the tail end of the conversation. “We

Full Moon Torn

need backup immediately. Two miles from Moon
Compound.”

Malach dropped the radio, going for his prod

and gun.

“You have any weapons we can have?” Knox

yelled out over the hellhounds, who roared into
the night.

The group began charging the vehicles en

masse.

“Knives and prods in the front seat!” Malach

yelled.

Malach handed Knox a cattle prod before he

jumped out of the open Jeep. Guards piled out of
each vehicle, protecting the small pack as
hellhounds met them head on. Some shifted while
others fought in their human form.

Knox had just landed on his feet when a

hellhound made contact with him. Unsteady, he
caught himself on one hand on the ground to keep
from completely falling down. Knox turned when
he caught sight of a movement. There was a roar
right above him, and Knox watched Whitley raise
a knife then stab the hellhound over and over. The
hellhound backhanded Whitley, and his mate
went flying into the door of the vehicle.

Knox quickly climbed to his feet, strength

coursing through his veins as his mind focused on
two things, protect and kill.

Jackie Nacht

Knox grabbed the hellhound and, with a

strength that was foreign to him, twisted the neck
of the asshole that touched his mate.

Hellhound after hellhound came at them, and

Knox  grew  more  enraged.  He  couldn’t  see  the
others  in  the  fight  and  was  sure  that  lives  were
being  taken  as  he  prodded  one  hellhound  and
punched  another.  He  kicked  to  the  side  just  as  a
hellhound  was  attempting  to  make  contact  with
Whitley,  and  Whitley  turned  his  knife  on  the
fallen hellhound.

Malach screamed out, “Bo, try to bring your

group over here.”

Whitley’s mom approached with Bo and

Keegan. They shielded three  of the younger pack
members.  Whitley’s  mom  wasn’t  shying  away
from battle, but protecting the young  in her pack
better than some hard-trained soldiers. She fought
with a smoothness and cunningness that exhibited
her  Alpha  status,  taking  out  hellhounds  as  they
tried to attack her tiny pack.

As they grouped together, Whitley fought next

to his mother, and Knox could see clearly who had
trained Whitley. The mother and son fought much
the same, with a skill that the hellhounds were
having a difficult time matching. Key hits to body
parts were how the two took their enemy out.

Brendan and Ripley fought their way through

the melee, berserker rage coursing through them
as they wasted the hellhounds in their path. The

Full Moon Torn

hellhounds were literally ripped apart limb by
limb by the two ferals, leaving them bathed in the
blood of their enemy.

Knox took a fist to the side of his head and

turned on the bastard. He wanted to keep an eye
on his mate, but he needed to fucking focus or he
was going to be killed.

They needed backup, and if it didn’t come

soon,  they  weren’t  going  to  survive  this.  Knox
roared,  and  he  finally  felt  what  Ripley  and
Brendan  felt.  The  strength  of  a  feral  coursed
through  his  veins.  He  dropped  his  weapons,
feeling  they  were  a  weakness  to  his  hands  and
strength.

Necks twisted under his grip, and life was

extinguished before they could utter a protest.
Any hellhound who came near his mate didn’t
draw their next breath.

Knox was so focused on protecting Whitley, he

didn’t know how the others were fairing.

But the hellhounds continued to come, and

even Knox in his feral state was beginning to lose
the battle. Just when he thought all was lost, tiny
hairs stood on end all over his body.

Malach stood next to him. “What the…”
“Portal,” Keegan shouted over to them.
Time stood still for a second as a Knox’s body

went into lockdown and a huge, fathomless hole
opened up right before his eyes, not ten feet from

Jackie Nacht

him. Knox stared, thinking for sure that more
hellhounds were about to come through.

What he didn’t expect was a breathtaking man

to  come  through  the  portal.  Long,  beautiful  red
hair caught up in the wind of the portal. His eyes
matched  the  color  of  his  hair,  and  even  the
intricate facial tattoo that surrounded one eye was
the same shade. The man wore no shirt, but tight
black pants and dark boots. The man had wicked
shoulder  armor  that  carried  on  down  to  his
forearms. Knives and swords were strapped to his
sleek,  tan  body,  but  that  wasn’t  the  most
threatening weapon on the man. He  was holding
out  a  bow  and  arrow  that  had  unnatural-looking
flames  at  the  end  and  began  firing  them  at  the
hellhounds.

A hellhound screamed before disintegrating in

the most horrifying way, his body caving in on
itself. The man fired bow after bow, killing off the
enemy quicker than Knox could track him.

The man kicked a hellhound out of Knox’s way

with a power far superior to even his own.

Knox took his first breath since the portal

opened and realized the world could move again.
He fought hard against another hellhound.

“Here,” Whitley shouted, handing him another

knife just as Whitley got done taking out another
hellhound.

Knox turned to attack a hellhound and came

face to face with the stunning newcomer. The man

Full Moon Torn

winked at him before throwing a blade over
Knox’s shoulder.

When Knox turned, he came face to face with a

hellhound who then fell, making choking noises.

“What the hell did you hit him with?” Knox

asked and turned back, only to realize he was
talking to himself. The stunning man was, by then,
next to Bo and Keegan, taking out more
hellhounds with ease. Three additional hellhounds
fell to those horrible knives.

Soon, only one hellhound was left, and the man

with the red hair picked the enemy up by the
neck. It shocked Knox to see the strength of the
man. Yeah, he was muscular and six feet, but the
hellhound he was holding by his neck had to be at
least six foot five and outweighed him by a good
seventy-five pounds.

“Where is he?” The man’s voice had a lethal yet

sensual quality to it.

“I don’t know who you’re talking about,” the

hellhound choked out.

The redheaded guy pulled out a thin blade with

his  other  hand  and  stuck  the  hellhound  in  the
chest.  “You  know  exactly  who  I’m  talking  about.
Where  is  my  brother?”  The  man  seethed  with
anger toward the hellhound.

“Fuck you, incubus,” the hellhound spat.
The incubus dropped him before he delivered a

quick blow with the blade to the hellhound’s

Jackie Nacht

heart. The hellhound let out ear-piercing screams
as his life was extinguished.

Bo and Keegan with Malach stepped forward

and approached the incubus.

“Prince Aodhan.” Bo bowed his head in

respect.

Prince Aodhan removed his blade from the ash

that remained of his enemy, raising a brow. “Not
fairing too well these days, gentlemen?”

“They ambushed us just as we were relocating

a pack.” Bo spoke to Prince Aodhan as if he knew
him.

“That is their way of fighting. They have no

honor.” Prince Aodhan wiped the blade clean
before approaching the three young. “Little ones.
Are you all right?”

The three little guys hugged Whitley’s mom’s

legs for dear life, but they all nodded that they
were unharmed.

Aodhan smiled. “Good. I need to go. I have

more hordes to hunt.”

“Is it true? Do they have Eth?” Keegan asked

Aodhan.

Knox watched as Aodhan’s face contorted in

rage. “Kidnapped him and brought him here,
making a slave of him. I’m fucking tired of their
kind enslaving us. War has broken out in hell. My
father is down there fighting, but I’ve been sent to
search for Eth.”

Full Moon Torn

Malach stepped forward. “We are at war with

the same enemy. Maybe there is a way to help
each other out?”

Aodhan glanced over at Bo and Keegan,

winking at the two. “I already help out. Bo and
Keegan, you know how to reach me.”

The incubus didn’t stay around long enough to

say anything else. The world stopped once more
as Aodhan opened a portal and left them all in the
darkness.

Knox turned, staring at Whitley. His mate had a

small cut to his face, but otherwise seemed
unharmed physically. But his eyes… the raw
terror in them had Knox reaching for Whitley and
pulling him into a tight hug.

“Are you hurt?”
“Surprisingly, no. My back may be bruised

from hitting the car, but right now, I feel nothing. I
don’t know how I came away from that attack
unscathed. Are you okay? How are the others?”
Whitley murmured into his shoulder.

Knox glanced over Whitley’s shoulder to see

that there were a lot of people banged up, a few
guards appeared to be seriously hurt, but he
didn’t see any losses. They were lucky.

“I’m fine. Your pack is okay.” Knox kissed the

top of Whitley’s head.

Vehicles approached, and Knox watched as

Elder Thorfinn jumped out of the front car,
scanning the area.

Jackie Nacht

It became a bit chaotic as medical came through

and gathered the more injured of their group. This
wasn’t something Whitley or his mom needed to
see. The pack, so fresh from an attack, didn’t need
to see any more blood that had been spilled.

Knox called out, “Malach! Let’s get the less

injured in the vehicles and get them back to Moon
Compound.”

Malach nodded and began gathering the pack

into the Jeeps.

“Good idea.” Whitley stared up at him and

placed a soft kiss on his lips, “Are you okay?” he
whispered.

“I’m okay.” Knox leaned down and gave his

mate another kiss.

“You look…different.” Whitley brushed his

thumbs under Knox’s eyes.

“How so?” Knox frowned.
“Your eyes are the same as my brother’s and

Ripley’s  after  battle,  but  you  don’t  seem  to  be
having  as  hard  a  time  controlling  yourself  as
them.”  Whitley  frowned  before  glancing  over  his
own shoulder.

Knox looked in the same direction.
Ripley and Brendan were both being talked

down as they stalked back and forth between
Rayce and Peyton.

Knox rubbed the back of his head, “I think

they’re on another level than me. I had better

Full Moon Torn

strength during the fight, but I don’t know. I don’t
feeling it coursing through my veins right now.”

Knox shook his head. It was hard to explain

what  his  body  was  feeling.  Glancing  at  the  two,
Knox  realized  he  definitely  wasn’t  in  the  league
Ripley  and  Brendan  were.  The  two  seemed  like
they  were  ready  for  round  two  while  all  Knox
wanted to do was get everyone the hell away from
the scene and into the safety of Moon Compound.

“Let’s go help the others.” Whitley pulled Knox

by the hand as they helped get the pack back into
vehicles.  Most  were  in  shock,  some  physically
having  to  be  helped  into  the  Jeeps.  Others,  like
Strike,  were  helping  out  even  though  they  were
covered in their own injuries.

Whitley’s mom was the last into a vehicle. She

had her own wounds, but she was a great Alpha
and pack leader, making sure each one of her pack
was headed to safety. Finally, she jumped into the
Jeep in front of them along with the three little
ones, driving them toward the compound.

Knox climbed in next to Whitley and followed

the  female  Alpha  toward  Moon  Compound.  His
hands  shook  uncontrollably  on  the  wheel,  body
catching  up  with  the  aftermath  of  the  battle.
Tonight was going to be a long night.

Jackie Nacht

Chapter Eight

hitley stared at himself in the mirror the
next morning. He didn’t even feel the eye

injury from last night, but his entire left eye was
completely swollen shut from taking a hit he
could barely remember.

He thanked the gods that everyone made it out

of the ambush with their lives.

He needed to check on his pack, but this

morning was about him and Knox. He had gotten
up  early  and  embarrassingly  talked  to  Malach
about  getting  some  one-on-one  time  with  Knox.
The guard gave him a set of keys to a spare room,
and  Whitley  had  left  red  faced.  Well,  he  wasn’t
going to mate with Knox for the first time without
a door! C’mon!

They had known each other almost six months,

and  this  would  be  their  first  time  together.  Sure,
they  had  played  around  a  little,  especially  when
Knox  was  feeling  better,  but  the  clothes  always
remained on, at least from his end.

Full Moon Torn

Blowing out a breath, Whitley removed his

shirt. Long puckered scars covered his torso, and
he turned to glance over his shoulder. There was
hardly a spot on his back that wasn’t raised scars.
Gods, can I do this? His mate was going to be
completely

horrified

touching

him.

The

hellhounds were passionate with their whippings
and true masters at causing maximum damage.

Whitley knew Knox wasn’t so shallow as to

think he was ugly because of scars he’d received
from the enemy. It was just that Whitley himself
was shamed by them and had a hard time facing
them. Each time he saw them, they reminded him
of his month in captivity.

“Hey, I’ve been looking for you.” Knox stood in

the doorway of the bathroom.

Whitley gasped and covered the front of

himself with his shirt. “I…um.”

“What are you doing?” Knox’s brows furrowed

in confusion.

Whitley shook his head. “Nothing.”
Knox gestured toward the shirt. “No, this. Why

are you covering yourself?”

Whitley squeezed his eyes shut. He knew that

he was going to live with a lot of nightmares from
that month; this was just one more he had to face.
However, no one ever told him how painful it
would be to face his mate and show him some of
the results of the worst time in your life.

Jackie Nacht

Whitley opened his non-swollen eye as he felt

Knox approach him.

Knox took hold of the shirt and pulled it down.
Whitley wanted to hold onto the shirt

desperately, but knew that he could no longer
hide from his mate. Once his scars were revealed
to Knox, his fingers felt numb and he dropped the
shirt to the floor.

Whitley stared at the shirt, unable to look at

Knox.

Knox grabbed a hold of him by his shoulders,

those also scarred severely, and pulled him in.

Whitley felt tiny kisses to his neck and

shoulder, and Whitley buried his face into Knox’s
shoulder. “When you look at me, do you only see
what happened to me?” That was his worst fear.
That Knox would never see him as anything more
than a prisoner who had been tortured by the
hellhounds.

“No, I see my mate.” Knox’s hands skimmed

down both his arms. “I feel the heat of my mate
and know that he’s alive, here with me.”

“I don’t want you to see all my scars and think

of the worst time in my life.” Whitley pulled back,
staring at Knox’s gray eyes.

Knox pulled him in for a soft kiss. “I don’t. I

love you, and we’ve known each other too long
for me to see the surface, Whit. You have scars,
but I have six months of knowing you. Six months
where I see you and not that one moment in your

Full Moon Torn

life. We have our own past that allows me to see
my mate. I’m sorry this happened. You’re my
strong, caring and incredibly handsome mate.”

Whitley swallowed the lump in his throat

before answering. “I’m sorry we’ve waited so
long.”

“I’m not. Not everyone jumps into bed. We’ve

had a lot happen to both of us. The timing could
only be right for us when it was right.”

“Knox,” Whitley whispered.
“Hmm?” Knox nibbled on his neck.
“I think the time is right,” Whitley murmured

and bit at Knox’s chest through the tight black
shirt. He couldn’t wait to nibble all over his mate’s
body. “I want you to come with me.”

Knox stood back and stared at him in concern.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I am. Let’s go.” Whitley grabbed Knox’s

hand  and  pulled  his  mate  into  Knox’s  main  cell
area.  He  quickly  put  his  shirt  back  on  and
snatched  the  lube  before  he  led  his  mate  toward
the room Malach let them borrow.

Whitley chuckled as he glanced over his

shoulder at Knox who was laughing while trying
to keep up with his pace. This was the first time he
had seen his mate smile in forever. Whitley vowed
that they would cherish more precious moments
in their lives. They would laugh more even if life
got tough. Whitley waggled his eyebrows at Knox,
and his mate laughed even harder.

Jackie Nacht

They made it to the room, and Whitley opened

the door before turning and grabbing Knox. Knox
was  still  laughing  and  a  little  out  of  breath  as
Whitley  pulled  him  down  for  a  deep  kiss.  He
didn’t  want  to  waste  any  time.  They  had  waited
long enough.

Knox moaned into the kiss, and Whitley heard

more than saw Knox kick the door shut. Knox
pulled back, and there was a fire in his eyes as he
pulled his shirt over his head.

Whitley walked backward toward the bed as he

pulled his shirt off, too.

“I don’t know how you managed to get this

room, but I’m pretty fucking thankful at the
moment.” Knox toed off his shoes as he
approached Whitley.

Gods, his mate was handsome. Solid and

muscular, Whitley couldn’t wait to taste his mate.

Whitley removed his shoes and then his jeans.

He stroked his aching, hard cock as Knox removed
his pants. Knox’s huge cock sprung free, and
Whitley groaned, licking his lips in anticipation of
being filled up.

Knox stalked toward him, eyes a little more

wild as passion ignited in the room.

Whitley was ready for what Knox was bringing.

The back of Whitley’s knee connected with the
edge of the bed, so he turned and crawled to the
middle where he lay down on his back.

Full Moon Torn

Knox crawled up from the foot of the bed until

he hovered over Whitley.

Knox’s precum dripped onto his stomach, and

Whitley  reached  down  with  his  finger,  scooping
up  a  little  and  licking  it  off  his  finger.  Flavor
exploded  in  his  mouth,  and  Whitley  became
hungry.  Aggressively,  Whitley  pushed  Knox  off
and  rolled  the  two  of  them  over.  Whitley  began
nipping  at  Knox’s  flesh  before  licking  the  marks
soothingly.  The  harder  he  bit,  the  more  Knox
moaned.

“Harder,” Knox hissed as Whitley bit down

next to Knox’s nipple.

Whitley wanted his mate’s blood. Needed it.
Whitley was about to break the skin when Knox

pulled his head up by his chin. “Whitley, you need
to be careful.”

“When I said I wanted to be with you, that

didn’t just mean make love. I want all of you,
Knox.” Whitley turned and kissed the palm of the
hand that held his chin.

“But the full moon—” Knox began to argue.
“We’ll deal with it together. I know what I’m

getting myself into, Knox. You accept me for who I
am, and I accept you. I love you. Please, Knox,”
Whitley cajoled.

Knox blew out a breath, and Whitley really

hoped that he wasn’t ruining the moment. “I just
don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

Jackie Nacht

“This isn’t bad, even with the consequences.”

Whitley kissed his way down and sucked a mark
on the juncture between Knox’s thigh and hip.

“Okay,” Knox said softly.
Hopeful, Whitley looked back up at Knox. “You

sure?”

After a moment, Knox nodded. “Yes, I love

you.”

Whitley crawled back up Knox’s body and

kissed him properly, deeply and thoroughly. Their
tongues worked together, and Whitley reached
down and squeezed Knox’s cock.

His mate broke the kiss and hissed in pleasure.
Before he knew what was going on, Whitley

was flipped again so that they were in a sixty-nine
position, with Whitley facing Knox’s cock. He was
on his back while Knox towered over him. Then,
he felt the wet heat of Knox’s tongue lick a path up
his cock. Good gods, that felt so good.

Whitley grabbed a hold of Knox’s cock, and he

moaned again when Knox swallowed his cock
whole. How in the hell was he going to reciprocate
when he was seconds away from coming?

Blowing out a shaky breath, Whitley began

licking and sucking at Knox’s cock. He wanted to
give  as  much  pleasure  as  he  was  getting.  He
circled  his  tongue  around  the  head,  licking  the
precum  from  the  slit.  Knox  tasted  amazing.
Relaxing his throat muscles, Whitley took Knox in

Full Moon Torn

his mouth trying to get Knox’s cock in as far as
possible.

Whitley huffed out a breath around the cock in

his mouth. Knox was taking him all the way to the
root, and he could feel the impending climax.
With the last of his strength, Whitley tapped Knox
and pulled his cock free. He licked Knox one more
time before he attempted to turn around.

He didn’t even get fully turned before Knox

tackled him from behind. Both fell to the floor. He
barely had a chance to get his bearings on the floor
when  Knox  kissed  the  ever-loving  hell  out  him.
His  mate  was  completely  out  of  control  as  his
hands  bit  into  Whitley’s  flesh,  trying  to  get  him
impossibly  closer.  Knox  was  sliding  their  naked
cocks against one another frantically.

Whitley pulled his mouth free. “Lube. In me.”
Knox growled and picked him up, throwing

him on the bed. Knox knelt between his legs,
pouring the lube onto his hand.

Prep time was a true test to Knox’s will.

Whitley could see it as his mate stretched him. The
hand that wasn’t working at his entrance had a
bruising grip on his thigh.

Twice, Knox stopped to grip the base of his

own cock. “I’m so close to blowing.”

“I’m ready.” Whitley gasped as another finger

was added to the first two.

“You’re not,” Knox gritted out. “One more

minute.”

Jackie Nacht

Whitley grabbed the hand that was on his thigh

and pulled his mate in for a kiss. He nipped
Knox’s lower lip enough to draw blood. It was all
over after that. Whitley lost control, and Knox bit
down on his lip, their blood mingling in the kiss.

There was no more thought of stretching as

Knox pushed the head of his cock into Whitley.
Whitley was so lost to the mating that the burn
and pain of the stretch was far outweighed by the
pleasure.

Their lovemaking was fierce as Knox pumped

over and over into Whitley.

Whitley bit into every inch of flesh that he

could get to along Knox’s neck and shoulder. A
wildness built inside him, and he wasn’t sure if it
was the mating or Knox’s blood. Possibly both.

Knox was just as wild, and Whitley loved each

and every bite and hard grip. Craved it and
wanted more. He loved the little bite of pain that
was making him go over the edge. He reached
down and grabbed his hard, achy dick, stroking it
in time to Knox’s hard fucking. It only took three
strokes and he was shooting all over his hand and
stomach.

Knox roared and continued to pound into him.
Instinct drove Whitley to spread the cum

covering his hand on Knox’s chest, claiming him
with his scent.

Whitley watched as Knox’s eyes glazed in a

frenzied passion. His nostrils flared before he bent

Full Moon Torn

down and struck Whitley in the neck with his
canines.

Whitley could feel Knox shoot inside him.

Before he knew what he was even doing, he was
biting hard into Knox’s shoulder. Blood filled his
mouth, and he felt himself binding with his mate.

Whitley pulled his canines out and licked the

wound. Pulling back, he could feel the feral blood
working into his system. His breathing became
impossibly fast.

Knox pulled back, too, and the lower part of his

face was covered in Whitley’s blood. His eyes
drooped in pure pleasure.

Whitley wished he could nap, but he felt like he

couldn’t get enough air in his lungs. He gripped
his chest as his heart pounded uncontrollably.

“Knox,” Whitley gasped.
Knox’s eyes went from sated to alarmed

instantly, and he grabbed a sheet, wrapping
Whitley in it before picking him up. Knox opened
up the door and, although naked, ran like a bat
out of hell toward the infirmary.

Whitley saw the sign for the clinic before he

passed out.

Jackie Nacht

Chapter Nine

week later, Knox was getting ready for a
rooftop dinner with Whitley and his friends.

Whitley  had  been  in  the  infirmary  for  a  couple
days before being  released. It was very much the
same  as  what  happened  to  his  brother.  Deep
down, Knox had hoped that since his feral nature
wasn’t  as  aggressive,  maybe  Whitley  would
escape  the  fate  they  all  now  shared.  It  wasn’t
meant  to  be,  and  now,  like  his  brother,  Whitley
was considered a feral Omega.

Whitley walked into his cell with a smile on his

face. “Are you ready to go? The sun is going down
and the others are waiting.”

The last couple days, Knox had seen Whitley

smile  more  than  he  had  in  the  whole  six  months
he’d  known  him.  With  Whitley’s  pack  safe  and
slowly  getting  settled  and  Whitley  and  he  closer
than  ever,  the  two  of  them  could  finally  have  a
moment to enjoy each other.

Knox chuckled because Whitley was practically

bouncing on his toes. “Let’s go. I heard they have

Full Moon Torn

key lime.” Knox laughed. He knew that was
Whitley’s favorite. There had been plenty of times
after Whitley came to the compound injured that
Knox would bring him a piece from the cafeteria.

Whitley grabbed his hand, and they walked out

into the hallway of Moon Compound.

They passed a few of the residents and some of

the new ones from Whitley’s pack. Everyone was
attempting to make Whitley’s pack as welcome as
possible, and it was amazing how helpful
Whitley’s pack was. They brought the family
atmosphere that seemed to always be missing, no
matter how hard the guards tried.

Knox waved at Strike, who was talking to the

uptight  guard  Zeke.  Thank  the  gods  that  guard
hadn’t  been  with  Knox  during  the  last  couple
shifts, or he might have choked the life out of the
guy.  He  was  like  a  hall  monitor  just  waiting  to
give demerits. Unfortunately, the guard had good
reason.  He’d  lost  his  pack,  and  his  protective
instinct  to  those  he  was  assigned  was  going  into
overdrive. However, the guy needed to know they
were all adults here.

They turned the corner and were finally out of

earshot of everyone. “How’s your mom?”

Whitley had gone to visit his mother every

morning  since  he’d  gotten  out  of  the  hospital.
Knox  had  gone  with  him  only  once.  He  was
terrified  Whit’s  mom  would  be  pissed  at  him  for
exchanging  blood  with  Whitley.  But  she’d  given

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him a hug and a very understanding smile. Knox
guessed that, from one mated person to the next,
she was expressing how precious matings were.

Whitley shrugged. “She’s surprisingly doing

better. I thought she would have a hard time with
moving. When she talked to me and Brendan this
morning,  she  said  she  was  relieved  the  pack  was
safe and that her sons were here. Strike has really
taken  to  Moon  Compound.  I  think  he’s  going  to
start  training  to  be  a  guard  and  begin  military
training with all of us.”

“Yeah, I need to get back to that. Daegal is

doing a session tomorrow, and I want to be there.
I feel like I’m fighting a brick wall.” Knox
ascended the steps that led to the roof.

“Well, I’ll be starting with you tomorrow. I

don’t want to stand there in a fight anymore and
feel like I just get lucky with a knife. I’m going to
end up hurting someone or dying.” Whitley let go
of Knox’s hand and ran ahead to open the door for
him.

“We’ll be a couple of rookies amongst the

pros.” Knox laughed as they stepped out onto the
rooftop.

“At least you’ve been to a lot of them. I’m going

to make an ass out of myself.” Whitley chuckled as
they approached the group.

Knox wasn’t so sure. Whitley did pretty well

during the last battle, fighting like his mother.

Full Moon Torn

Knox had a feeling Whitley didn’t even know how
good he was in battle.

Knox couldn’t believe the setup. Several picnic

tables were arranged together with food on them.
The  area  was  surrounded  by  lighted  tiki  torches.
Several  of  Knox’s  friends  were  there.  Sloan  and
Colin  were  sitting  on  the  far  end  of  one  of  the
tables. Across from them were Peyton and Rayce.
Knox pulled Whit to sit next to Sloan.

“Looks nice.” Knox approached the table,

seeing a bottle of both red and white wine.

“What’s the occasion?” Whitley asked.
Sloan shrugged. “Sometimes it gets so damn

serious in here. I figured we could all use a night
off to just hang out.”

Knox raised a brow at his best friend. “This was

your idea?”

“Colin’s and mine. You’re looking good, Knox.”

Sloan grabbed a glass and poured some red wine
into it before handing it to Colin.

Knox glanced at Whitley. “I’m feeling great.”
And boy, did he and Whitley need a night like

this, to be able to just hang out. His friends knew
exactly what they were doing and what they all
needed.

“Have you talked to anyone back home?” Knox

asked Sloan.

“I talked to Dad this morning. They’re locked

down tight and prepared. They’re so far away
from here I can’t imagine the hellhounds targeting

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them, but they’re ready if they do. A few retired
enforcers from our pack have brought in a load of
artillery,” Sloan explained.

“Good. I’ll have to give them a call soon.” Knox

gripped Whitley’s hand. He’d like for his mate to
meet his parents when they were able to come to
visit. However, after the last attack, that might not
be happening soon for safety reasons.

“I’ve been telling Dad how you are, so they at

least know you’re in good hands.” Sloan winked
over at Whitley, who laughed.

The door opened again, and Daegal, Oren,

Brendan, Ripley and Malach joined the party.

Poor Malach, Knox set a spot aside for the

unmated  guard.  He  had  lost  his  mate  years  ago
when  he  went  feral  before  they  knew  of  any
treatments.  His  mate  had  ended  his  own  life
during a full-moon rage.

Whitley sat on his left while Malach sat on

Knox’s right once he’d beckoned him. Malach
grabbed a glass of water and drank half the
contents.

The doors opened one more time, and Deacon,

Dalton, Myles and Zeke stepped out to sit on the
opposite end of the large table.

“Do you want some wine, Malach?” Sloan

asked.

Malach shook his head. “No, I might be called

down. There’s a lot going on right now.”

Full Moon Torn

Knox’s brows furrowed as Whitley grabbed

them each a glass. “What kind of trouble?”

Malach looked over a Rayce before he

answered. “We have a Beta at Moon Compound
that we think has been creating a portal to Royal
Isle. For some reason and maybe because of a little
luck, we haven’t had a full blown portal within the
walls, just on the outside.”

“Beta?” Knox had never had a Beta in his pack.
“Betas can have the appearance of an Alpha or

Omega.  They’re  born  with  a  magic  that  they  can
harness to open portals. They can jump from here
to  California  or  even  go  all  the  way  to  the
underworld.  They’re  not  very  common,  but  very
powerful,  although  usually  easy  to  spot.  Most
Betas have a twin who is a Delta. Bo and Keegan
are  talking  to  the  Beta  they  go  through  to  get
weapons, but the guy has no clue.” Malach leaned
back and blew out a breath.

“What’s a Delta?” Peyton, the rare Gamma,

asked.

Rayce answered, “The damned. Their twin has

all  the  magic  and  capabilities,  and  they  are  born
with  none,  including  the  ability  to  change  when
they  turn  twenty-three.  They  have  no  shifting
abilities even on the peak of the full moon.”

Knox sat there, stunned. To have your wolf

forever imprisoned and never able to set it free?

Malach coughed. “Anyway, we’re looking for

the Beta right now but haven’t had any luck. We

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thought he might be here, but now, we also have
several  teams  out  searching  surrounding  packs.
I’m  sure  the  Beta  will  come  up  there.”  Malach
reached  forward  and  grabbed  some  of  the  lake
trout to put on his plate. “I’m starving.”

Malach had officially closed the conversation

with those words.

During the rest of the meal, the conversation

steered toward lighter small talk as they ate, drank
and caught up. It seemed everyone tried to stay
away from the problems surrounding them all.

Knox pulled Whitley closer to him as he

finished the last of his trout, taking a sip of his
wine. He didn’t want to get carried away with it,
but it was nice to just sit back and enjoy a glass
with his mate.

“Are you having a good time?” Whitley

nudged his shoulder.

“Yeah, I am. You?” Knox stared up at the night

sky. Even with the lights of Moon Compound
being this far up north, the stars were beautifully
clear. Knox felt a kiss to his cheek before he looked
down and smiled into his mate’s eyes.

“I like our friends.”
Knox stared at the group of men he had

surrounded himself with during his stay at Moon
Compound.  They  were  going  to  be  lifelong
friends.  Somehow,  Knox  got  the  impression  that,
unlike  most  residents  of  Moon  Compound,  they
wouldn’t  go  back  to  their  individual  packs.  Who

Full Moon Torn

said that after this war they couldn’t form their
own pack?

“I like our friends, too,” Knox whispered,

kissing Whitley as the idea began to grow. Maybe
he would share it with his friends when they had
another night like this. Hopefully, they would
agree. The bond they formed here with their mates
was strong enough to create their own pack.

Jackie Nacht

Chapter Ten

nox was pacing his room as he waited for
Whitley to come back from breakfast. He

had been too fucking on edge to deal with any
assholes today. The full moon was that night, and
he knew that in the next hour, he was going back
into lockdown.

With the breakfast room full of the entire shifter

population  on  edge,  there  was  no  telling  what
kind of trouble he could get into. So he’d avoided
going,  even  though  the  thought  of  Whitley  with
just  his  friends  set  him  even  more  on  edge.
Whitley  said  he  wanted  a  good  breakfast,  and
Sloan swore he’d watch him against the dickheads
that resided here. Fuck, he should have gone.

Scratching his arm, Knox knew why he couldn’t

and what  was seriously setting him off. Not only
was  it  Whitley’s  first  shift,  but  he  was  going
straight into it with feral blood. Fuck, why didn’t
he  wait?  He  should  have  told  Whitley  that  in  a
couple years they could mate.

Full Moon Torn

Knox knew the answer to that, too. There was

no way that Whitley and he would have spent the
next couple of weeks making love without a blood
exchange.  Lesson  learned.  There  wasn’t  restraint
when  it  came  to  matings  and  instinct.  They  had
bitten each other every time they made love. Hell,
Knox  still  bore  the  marks  of  their  last  time
together. Not that he minded. Whitley and he both
loved  the  marks.  Knox  showed  his  off,  wearing
short-sleeved shirts whenever he could.

Whitley came in with Lukas alongside him.

Whitley’s dark hair was mussed, and he was
sporting a split lip, but didn’t seem to be too
bothered by it.

Knox crossed the room. “What the hell

happened?”

“New recruit came in. An Alpha named

Gregor. He thought it would be fun to give me a
hard time. Biggest mistake he’s made in Moon
Compound.”

Lukas shook his head. “Yeah, well, it’s landed

your ass in lockdown for the night.”

“At least I got my pancakes.” Whitley smacked

his lips.

Knox rubbed his eyes with the palm of his

hands. He felt his anger bubbling up, the need to
take off and end the guy.

“Knox, don’t even think about it,” Lukas

barked at him.

Jackie Nacht

“How do you know what I’m thinking?” Knox

gritted out.

“Because your body is telling me everything I

need to know. I came back to get you so the two of
you could go in together. I’ll have to separate you
before sundown, but you can spend the day
together. Grab your stuff and let’s go.” Lukas
ordered.

There wasn’t too much to grab, just the shirt

that  he  had  yet  to  put  on  after  his  shower.  He
walked  out  with  the  shirt  in  hand  and  began
walking  down  the  hallway.  He  fucking  hated
having to be locked up all day, but it was only one
day  of  the  month.  At  least  with  the  help  of  his
mate,  he  had  stopped  the  motion  from  being
imprisoned every day for the rest of his life. Plus
the  madness  that  was  involved,  that  he  never
would  have  escaped.  It  was  scary  to  think  how
close he had been to never being able to share his
life  with  Whitley.  He  might  have  one  bad  night,
but he had all the other days to be thankful for.

Lukas led them to the feral wing and escorted

them into a cell. It wasn’t dark and dank like you
would think a cell to be. It was just completely
empty and void of anything except a bathroom
that could be sealed off during the shifting hours.

There was one bare mattress in the center of the

room. Whitley went over and sat on it while Lukas
locked them in. “I’ll be by later to bring your

Full Moon Torn

meals. Zeke is on shift today, so if you need
anything, holler for him.”

Knox nodded and turned to push his mate

down and fall on him.

“Humph, too heavy,” Whitley grunted.
Knox kissed Whitley on the neck before rolling

off him. “You’re no fun. We have all day in here.
Why don’t we have a little play time?”

Whitley snorted. “Because we’d just get started

and Zeke would come by telling us to zip up, that
we were breaking the rules. And no offense, but I
don’t want anyone to get a look at your fine ass.
With the way I’m acting today, I might hit anyone
who sees what’s mine.”

“We wouldn’t even get to the point of me

unzipping. Zeke would be here at the sound of a
zipper dropping.” Knox rolled his eyes. The guy
needed to seriously ease off a bit.

Whitley laughed. “Gods, Zeke needs to find a

mate stat. Knox?”

“Hmm?” Knox lay on his back next to Whitley

on the mattress and put his hands behind his
head.

“Is it going to be bad tonight?” Whitley said in

a small voice.

Hell, Knox pulled his hands back in front and

scrubbed them over his face. He knew he couldn’t
lie to Whitley, but he didn’t want to scare the hell
out of him either.

“I’ll be right across from you.”

Jackie Nacht

“That’s not an answer,” Whitley chastised.
“I know. I’m trying not to scare you. What do

you know?” Knox asked. Maybe his mate knew
and just needed the assurance.

“When I saw Peyton shift, he was in real pain. I

was just hoping that when we were in the cage, it
was more stress than anything that caused such a
rough shift for him. My brother…” Whitley
shuddered. “Yeah, he looked pretty rough.”

Knox sighed, turning to stare at his mate.

Whitley’s  brown  puppy-dog  eyes  held  deep  fear
in them. “The first shift is never easy, and with the
feral blood in you on a first shift, I’m not sure how
it’ll  be.  The  thing  is,  every  shift  is  different.  I’ve
seen guys in here six months and leave, they shift
pretty easy by month two. Others like me, well, I
was here for three years, but I’m in this place for
life. I’ll never be able to leave with how far I went.
I don’t think you’ll be able to either. I had hoped
to have a pack one day with some of the people I
met here, but I think it’s not going to happen. I’m
lucky,  though.  I  found  my  mate  pretty  damn
young, and I get to spend the rest of my days with
you.  I  can’t  be  any  more  thankful  than  I  am  for
that. I love you, Whit.”

Whitley lifted one side of his mouth in a smile.

“You’re right. I’m nervous, but I can get through
this. I have you.”

“There’s no shame in being nervous. Everyone

is the first time, but you have genuinely good

Full Moon Torn

people  who  will  be  watching  you  all  night.  They
all care about you. I might not be able to be in the
room  with  you  tonight  like  I  wanted,  but  I’ll  be
nearby.” Knox just hoped that with taking some of
Whitley’s  Omega  blood,  his  wolf  would  have  at
least  an  ounce  of  clarity.  So  far,  ferals,  even  with
the Omega-mate blood, hadn’t been able to control
their wolf the night of the shift. He prayed to Geri
that he could just have five minutes to assure his
scared mate that night.

“I love you, Knox. Will you hold me for a

while?” Whitley grabbed him, and Knox rolled
over, wrapping his arms around his mate, praying
he could comfort him just a little while longer.

The day was slow moving, and by the time

dinner arrived, both he and Whitley were pacing
the cell, scratching at their skin. The unease in the
room was building exponentially, and finally,
Malach came to remove Whitley.

Knox charged the door, and Malach pushed

him back. “Knock that shit off, Knox. Let me get
Whitley safely in his own room before one of you
hurts the other.”

“I would never hurt my mate,” Knox snarled.
Malach handed Whitley over to Rayce who put

Whitley in the cell across from him. Malach got in
his  line  of  vision.  “Not  intentionally,  but  hell,
Knox,  you  know  what’s  going  on.  You’re  feral,
and  we’ve  got  a  couple  more  hours  until
sundown.  This  is  how  it  goes  every  month.  The

Jackie Nacht

better you handle it, the easier it will be for your
mate.”

With those final words, Malach slammed his

door shut. Knox snarled at the offending piece of
steel. He paced for a while, feeling the pull already
starting. He knew when the sun must have gone
down, because he swiftly was spiraling out of
control.

He was choking on the anger and insanity

fueling his wolf, and he gritted his teeth, knowing
what was about to happen. With the last shred of
his control, he walked over to the small window to
hear whimpering across the hall.

Knox tried to clear his throat twice before he

called across the hallway. “I’m here, Whitley. I
love you, and I’ll see you in the morning, mate.”

He didn’t get a moment’s more time before he

bent over in agony. Gods, the shifts, they fucking
hurt. Bone broke and skin tore. Off in the distance,
he  could  hear  Whitley  screaming  in  agony,
causing  Knox  to  charge  the  door.  He  growled,
madness  cloaking him, and then, he remembered
no more.

* * * *

Knox wasn’t sure how long he had been lost to the
darkness, but soon, it was as though a blindfold
was being lifted from over his eyes. He whined
and realized he was in his wolf form.

Full Moon Torn

“How are you doing in there, Knox?” Malach

called through the window.

Knox whined, shocked that he understood

what was going on in his surroundings.

He heard whining across the hall and knew it

was Whitley. He ran to the door and leaped up
with his front paws, scratching the metal and
trying to get to his mate.

A sharp bark emitted from outside, and then

his mind became subdued as he felt someone, no,
some wolf working his way through the fog to
calm his feral world.

It was then that Knox realized not only was he

calm, but the entire feral wing was also quiet.
Every single feral had fallen silent to the command
of the wolf that was outside.

“I think he’s good.” Malach called to someone.

“You really want to test it?”

“Yes, I’ll bring Whitley in myself.” That was

Elder Thorfinn’s voice.

“How do we contain Knox?”
“Let the wolf do it.”
The door opened, and Knox went to charge

toward his mate when a beautiful wolf came into
his  room.  He  knew  who  this  was  and  couldn’t
fucking  believe  what  was  happening.  The  wolf
walked  over  to  him  and,  immediately,  instinct
kicked  in,  causing  Knox  to  lower  himself,
revealing his belly. The wolf nipped at him before
another presence came into the cell.

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An adorable little black wolf came timidly in

the door, and Knox knew it had to be Whitley.

Whitley crawled over on his belly to the wolf

and bared his throat.

The wolf licked Whitley before it left the room.
“I’ll be damned. I thought you were crazy to do

this, Thorfinn,” Malach said on the other side of
the door after he’d closed it. “It’s as if they aren’t
feral.”

“Oh, they’re still feral. They just have their light

now. As long as the wolf’s around, they’ll be
aware. Let’s go on down and try Brendan and
Ripley.”

“Wait, what do you mean by light? How did

you know?” Malach asked, but Knox couldn’t hear
the answer as the voices faded on down the hall.

Knox felt a lick to his face and stared down at

Whitley,  who  had  his  tongue  out,  panting.  The
wolf  looked  silly  and  was  ready  to  play.  There
wasn’t much room, but they could have a little fun
wrestling  around.  Knox  jumped  on  his  wolf,
thinking  a  miracle  had  happened,  but  he  wasn’t
going  to  think  about  that  now.  He  was  going  to
cherish  this  moment  and  play  with  his  mate  in
wolf form.

Full Moon Torn

Chapter Eleven

he next morning, Whitley woke in Knox’s
arms. He couldn’t believe what had happened

the  night  before.  He was  actually  able  to  be  with
Knox.  He’d  thought  he  would  be  in  horrible
shape,  recalling  the  last  two  times  he  had  seen
ferals on a full moon. It had started that way, but
it certainly hadn’t ended that way.

The two had spent the better part of the night

playing before they’d curled up next to one
another and fallen asleep.

But, hell, was he feeling awful this morning.

Groaning,  Whitley  glanced  down  at  his  naked
flesh  and  saw  bruises  covering  it.  So  it  wasn’t
perfect.  He  was  going  to  be  feeling  the  effects  of
the shift for a couple days.

A kiss to his nape had him hiss in pain. “Hey,”

Whitley rasped. His throat felt horrible, and he
grimaced in pain.

“The doctor will be by soon. Just hang tight.

They know it’s your first time and will be feeling

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100

pretty bad.” Knox kissed him again on the nape of
the neck.

“I want to stay in your arms so badly, but even

that hurts right now.” Whitley hissed as he rolled
onto his back. Everything that touched his body
sent pain shooting to the very center of him. He let
out short puffs of air, hoping to ease it some.

Knox rolled over to stare at him with a groan.

“You did good, mate. I’m proud of you. Hang in
there. Lachlan will be here in a few minutes.”

Thankfully, it wasn’t long before Lachlan

popped his head in the door. “I heard you did
pretty damn good last night, Whitley.”

“I did? What’s it feel like when you do a bad

job?” Whitley tried to laugh it off, but then
moaned in agony.

“No matter how good or bad you do, that first

shift is always a bit of a shock to the system.
Everyone has a pretty rough landing the day after
their first.” Lachlan began working on him before
giving him a good dose of painkillers to help him
through the first day.

Whitley was in and out after that for most of

the morning.

He woke up a couple times, and Knox was

always  there,  making  sure  he  was  doing  okay.  It
was wonderful to have his mate by his side for the
first  shift.  Most  didn’t  have  that,  some  even
having  to  go  through  it  all  alone  with  only

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101

strangers to help. Whitley was lucky that he had
Knox.

There was shuffling at the door, and Brendan

and Ripley walked in. The two were banged up,
but they both had smiles on their faces.

Malach came in after them, pulling a mattress

in.

“Thanks, Malach,” Ripley groaned as he

gingerly lay down on the new mattress.

Malach nodded before he left.
“How’d you do, little brother?” Brendan lay

down next to his mate, but reached over and
grabbed a hold of his hand.

“It wasn’t as bad as I expected, until today. I

didn’t realize it was the day after that was the
worst. I don’t remember much of the shift. I was a
little out of my head,” Whitley confessed.

The last thing he remembered was Knox talking

to him, and then, he was a wolf, walking across to
Knox. He knew he lost time there, but had no clue
how much.

“Maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing to be feral on

your first shift.” Brendan stared at him from the
other mattress.

Whitley turned to look at Knox.
Knox had a frown on his face. “I think we all

know why we had a better time of it last night.”

“The wolf. I wonder who it was.” Ripley sat up

and tried to stretch his body.

Jackie Nacht

102

Whitley felt bad for his brother’s mate. The

guy’s entire back was purples and blues.

“You don’t know who it was?” Knox asked.
Whitley shook his head. “No, do you?”
Knox opened his mouth and then stopped. He

stared at Whitley, and Whitley could tell his mate
knew, but didn’t want to let everyone know.
Hopefully, he would tell Whitley later. “Not sure,”
Knox mumbled.

Whitley felt a squeeze to his hand. Turning, he

looked at Brendan. “I’m glad it went better than
expected for you.”

“Yeah, me too. For everyone.” Whitley

squeezed his brother’s hand back.

Whitley found that one of the unspoken

traditions  of  Moon  Compound  was  the  group
healings  afterward.  Even  mated  couples  were  in
too much misery to do anything more than lay in
bed.  So,  for  the  entire  late  morning,  Brendan,
Ripley, Knox and he made small talk, napped a lot
and bitched even more.

Lunchtime came, and Whitley was starved

when his mother walked in with four trays piled
in her arms.

Knox groaned and tried to stand up to help his

mother-in-law.

“Knox, sit back down, I’ll bring it over to you. I

have this,” she soothed and set a tray in his lap.

She walked over and kissed the top of Whitley’s

and Brendan’s heads, then yeah, his mom even

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103

kissed Ripley and Knox on the top of their heads.
They both sported goofy-looking surprised faces,
but Whitley could tell by the smiles, they liked it
just as much as he did.

“I just wanted to see how you boys did last

night, especially you, Whitley, with it being your
first shift.” His mother crossed her arms in front of
her and stood at the foot of their mattress.

Whitley shrugged. “It was tough, but I got

through. Knox was here for me.”

His mother’s brow furrowed in confusion, but

she didn’t ask any questions. Thank gods. Maybe
Whitley wasn’t supposed to mention the incident
that happened that night with the strange wolf. It
would sound crazy anyway.

“Do you boys need anything? I can go to the

cafeteria. I heard they are having fried chicken for
dinner tonight. Do you want me to bring some of
that up?” His mom might be an Alpha, but she
was first and foremost a caring mother.

Brendan answered. “I’d love some, Mom, but if

you can’t make it, the guards will bring us
something.”

Whitley’s mom snorted. “I’ll bring it. I’m never

too busy to take care of my boys and their mates.
If you don’t need anything now, I’ll leave you all
to rest. I remember all too well how I felt. I think
it’s crazy you all group afterward. All I wanted to
do was hide in a corner and lick my wounds for a

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104

couple days.” His mom laughed as she reached
the door.

Damn, it was good to see a smile on her face.

The more Whitley thought about it, the better he
felt that he had agreed to this move. The three of
them could all be near each other, which was
something they all needed after their loss.

Knox laughed. “It gets pretty boring healing. I

like our wolf piles, plus you have people keeping
your mind off the pain.”

His mom nodded. “Never thought of it that

way. Well, I’ll see you at dinner. Take care of each
other.”

His mother left to their goodbyes.
They lay silent for a moment before Brendan

spoke up. “She looks a lot better since she came
here.”

“I think losing Dad was tough on her, but I also

think  she  was  fearful  of  failing  the  pack  with
another  attack.  As  pack  leader,  that  was  a  lot  of
responsibility on her shoulders. I can honestly say
now, that if the pack had been attacked again, no
one  would  have  survived.”  Whitley  rolled  over,
and even though it hurt, he hugged himself tightly
to Knox.

Brendan murmured, “I know, Whit. I know.”

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105

Chapter Twelve

nox was having the best damn morning of
his life. After a couple days of healing, he

was feeling almost back to normal. Thank fuck for
wolf blood having him heal a little faster from the
train wreck he had been.

Whitley lifted Knox’s legs over his shoulders,

and then Whitley began pounding into him. It was
the first time Whitley was taking him, and good
gods, it would not be the last.

“Harder, Whit!” Knox shouted while stroking

his cock.

Whitley pulled out and rolled Knox over.
Knox looked over his shoulder as Whitley

guided his cock back into Knox. “Ahh, fuck. Right
there. Going to come soon,” Knox moaned.

Whitley gripped Knox’s shoulder while he was

filling up Knox. Whitley bent over and bit into the
flesh on the shoulder he could reach.

Garbling a cry, Knox shuddered and came

harder than he had in his whole life.

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106

He heard Whitley huff out a breath, thrust deep

two more times before his mate came inside him.
The feeling of possession overwhelmed him, and
he had another urge to bite his mate just to reclaim
him.

Whitley pulled out of him slowly and was

starting to get up when Knox turned and pulled
him down. He didn’t give his mate even a second
to get oriented before his canines bit down into the
tender flesh of Whitley’s shoulder. Desire flooded,
and Whitley struck his shoulder, biting hard.
Knox loved tasting his mate’s blood.

They pulled back from one another, and even

with their shared blood still on their lips, they
shared a feral kiss.

They could have gone on like this all day long,

but it was time for them to go back to Knox’s
room. There were some bonuses to living in the
feral wing for a few days, like the doors.

Knox staggered up and went to the bathroom to

grab something to clean them.

Whitley was behind him, laughing. “Forget it.

We need to shower.”

Knox jumped into the shower with his mate.

They had to hustle. They were supposed to be at a
training session that afternoon. There hadn’t been
any attacks since the pack moved, but they all
needed to be ready.

After hurrying out, they got dressed and made

their way to meet up with everyone. “I can’t wait

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107

to train. I want to be useful in a fight,” Whitley
commented as they walked hand in hand.

“I have a lot to learn, too. Bo and Keegan are

excellent teachers from what I hear. We’ll be able
to protect our loved ones.” Knox leaned over and
kissed Whitley.

They heard shouts coming from their hallway,

and Knox took off running toward the sound.

They stumbled to a stop, finding Cass on top of

Duke, punching and beating the hell out of his
pack mate.

Duke laughed, blood coating his face, then spit

the blood in Cass’s face.

Cass grabbed his pack mate by the neck,

twisting it violently. The sound of the neck
breaking echoed through the hallway of
onlookers, making it the last mistake Duke would
ever make.

Cass stood in a panic, trying to bolt toward the

exit of the hall.

Zeke ran after Cass and tackled him to the

ground.

Knox ran over, worried the guard might need

help.

“I have to go home. Dammit! Right now!” Cass

screamed, taking a swing at Zeke.

Malach ran past them as Knox and Whitley

stood by in horror while Cass lost it.

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108

Malach was there and had Cass pinned in an

instant. “You’re not going home. You just
murdered your own pack mate.”

Cass let out an anguished cry, and Knox

clutched Whitley.

“You have to let me go get him. They’re going

to kill him.”

“Who the hell are you talking about?” Malach

shouted down at Cass as if he’d lost his mind.

“My twin, Sascha,” Cass rasped out, and his

face crumpled. “He can’t protect himself. He
needs me. Please!”

“Twin…” Malach stared at Cass in shock. “You

don’t have a brother.”

Cass took a shuddering breath before he looked

up  at  Malach.  “I  do.  My  pack  never  noted  him
because he’s a Delta. You know what this means.
I’m  the  Beta  you’ve  been  looking  for.  You  know
what  I’ve  done,  but  I  beg  you,  please  help  him.
He’s  innocent  in  all  this.  They  said  they  would
hurt him if I didn’t…” Cass was inconsolable after
that.

Malach picked Cass up, who was hunched

over.

Knox leaned against the wall to let them pass

by. Cass was just passing Peyton when he called
out, “Peyton, you need to go to Avery. He knows
you. He’ll be scared, Peyton. He has nightmares.
Please, Peyton!”

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109

Peyton’s hands shook as they went to his chest.

“I’ll take care of him, Cass.”

Cass whispered, “Thank you,” before the

guards carried him away.

The crowd remained quiet as they dispersed.
Peyton came over, shaking his head. “I thought

he was changing. He’s been so patient with Avery,
helping  him  through  all  his  medical  issues.  Not
once  has  he  forced  anything,  even  though  Cass
knew Avery was his mate. He’s just been there. I
can’t  believe…”  Peyton  shivered  and  turned  to
look back.

Knox turned to see Lukas and Zeke covering

Duke. “I wonder what Duke’s part was in all this?
I saw Duke come into the infirmary weeks ago
and pull Cass aside. Cass seemed pretty upset,
enough that he left Avery afterward.”

Sloan came over with Colin. “Cass is from a bad

pack.  I  have  no  doubt  Cass’s  twin  is  in  trouble.  I
still  can’t  believe  Cass  was  the  Beta.  I  thought  it
would be a guard or something. Cass doesn’t even
have  control  of  his  wolf,  let  alone  opening  a
portal.”

Knox shrugged. “I don’t think we know enough

about Betas. It would probably be good to talk to
the guards and find out more about Betas for
Avery’s sake.”

Whitley hugged him tightly. “I want to help

Avery, too.”

“We’ll all help him.” Knox kissed his mate.

Jackie Nacht

110

* * * *

Knox had been searching all day. Opening the
door to the roof, he finally found the person he
had been seeking since the full moon. He walked
toward the pale blond head of his friend, who was
staring at the sun going down.

“I’d hoped I’d find you here.” Knox came up

next to his friend.

Dalton turned and gazed at him, his pale blue

eyes the same as the night of the full moon. “If it’s
questions you want to ask, I don’t think I have the
answers right now, Knox. I was just as surprised
as you were. I probably have just as many
questions, but right now, no one is talking.”

“What are your questions?” Knox asked as he

leaned on the brick wall, staring out at the fading
sun.

Knox had revealed to Whitley when they were

alone who the wolf was. The two of them had
quite a few questions as well.

“If I donated my blood, could I cure you or is it

mate blood only?” Dalton whispered. “Everyone
deserves a chance to run on the full moon and to
be with their mates. I’m so glad you got to be with
Whitley on his first shift.”

“Me, too.” Knox got choked up as he

whispered, “Thank you. It may have been by
accident, but it was a precious gift you gave us. As

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111

for changing us, Whitley and I discussed it while
we were recovering. We weren’t sure if we should
tell anyone who you are.”

“Brendan knows, I told him, so you can talk to

him.  We’ve  been  close  since  we  got  in  here.
Although  he  recognized  me  right  off.  He  was
afraid  to  say  anything  as  well.  I  would  say  let’s
just  keep  it  amongst  those  that  were  there  for
now.” Dalton tapped at the wall with his fingers.

“Okay. That’s good to know.” Knox made a

decision. “Whitley and I thought about you
changing us, and we decided for right now, we
don’t want that to happen.”

“Why?” Dalton stared at Knox in shock.
“We’re at war, Dalton. I’ve been in a fight

where  I  haven’t  been  feral  and  where  I  had  feral
blood.  With  it,  I  was  meeting  the  hellhound’s
strength  and  then  some.  I  want  to  be  able  to
protect  my  mate.  I  want  Whitley  to  be  strong
enough to protect himself if I fall. His feral blood
will only help.”

Dalton seemed to be thinking it over. “I’m not

sure what to do, but the night of the full moon, I
felt you were stronger than the others. I’m not
sure if it’s because you were the first I made
contact with or if it means something more, but I’d
like it if I could get your help on this. Bounce ideas
off you.”

Knox crossed his hands behind his back. He

was experiencing a weird sensation, like he had

Jackie Nacht

112

finally found his place. He had his mate, now he
had his leader. “I’ll be here to help you any way I
can.”

Dalton nodded. “I’ll be there next full moon. I

plan on working with the unmated ferals. See if I
can help them out. I’d like for you to be my
backup. I want to protect the guards in case
something goes wrong.”

Knox nodded, sliding into a role that felt right

even if neither one of them knew what it meant.

The sun set, and Knox left Dalton to his

thoughts. He had to go talk to his mate and make
love to him. He descended the stairs and made his
way back to his cell where Whitley was sitting,
reading a book on the mattress.

Whitley looked up from the book with a smile.

“Hey, where have you been?”

“I went and talked to Dalton.” Knox toed off his

shoes and climbed into the bed.

“What did he say?” Whitley pulled him down,

and the two lay facing each other.

“I think he has just as many questions as we do.

I told him what we were thinking, about the cure
being  in  his  blood,  and  he  has  been  thinking  it,
too.”  Knox  leaned  forward  and  gave  Whitley  a
quick  kiss.  He  hadn’t  been  gone  that  long,  but
damn, had he missed his mate.

“Did you tell him that we wanted to wait on it?

That we’ll be able to defend ourselves and loved

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113

ones better?” Whitley brushed a strand of hair out
of his eye.

“Yeah, I told him that. He said he’s going to

need my help.” Knox rubbed his hand down
Whitley’s arm. He hoped his mate understood.

“You’re going to, right?” Whitley pulled him in

tighter so they were chest to chest.

“I am,” Knox whispered against Whitley’s lips.
“I’ll be right there helping you and him, too.”

Whitley leaned forward and kissed him gently on
the lips. It wasn’t heated, but Knox cherished each
and every one of these kisses. He knew that so
many obstacles, including war, could get in the
way, but each kiss was precious.

Knox thanked Geri that he had his mate to fight

side by side with in this battle, that whatever bad
would come into their life, they would have each
other to hold. “I love you.”

Whitley rolled over on top of him. “I love you,

too.” Then, Whitley leaned over and deepened the
kiss.

He could think about what all this meant later.

Opening his mouth to the kiss, everything faded
away except for his love of Whitley.

Jackie Nacht

114

Epilogue

he helicopter banked toward the piece of shit
pack that was causing so much trouble. Lukas

was flying while Malach, Bo and Keegan sat ready
for their mission. They had a team of guards as
backup.

“You think we’re going to have trouble?”

Keegan asked.

“I know we are. The pack leader is a real dick

here. Plus, we’re raiding the place to search for a
Delta  that  we  shouldn’t  know  about.  The  only
plus  on  our  side  is  that  Moon  Compound  hasn’t
informed  him  that  his  son  was  killed  under  our
watch.  When  he  does,  he’ll  demand  retribution.”
Malach shouted over the noise.

They banked again and began landing.

Glancing  out  the  window,  Malach  could  see  the
pack  already  gathering  around,  probably
wondering  what  the  fuck  was  up  with  Moon
Compound coming here.

Bo leaned forward. “Did Cass say where he

was?”

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115

Malach shook his head. “He doesn’t know.

We’ll have to search for him and hope someone
will talk in this pack.”

They landed, and the team got out, Malach

leading them. He knew immediately who the pack
leader  was. He was an older version of Duke with
his arms crossed in front and cocky expression on
his  face  that  Malach  wanted  to  pummel.  If  he
found  out  that  Donavon,  the  pack  leader,  was
abusing his pack, there would be hell to pay.

“We’re here for Sascha,” Malach ordered. The

less words he had with this asshole, the better.

Donavon laughed. “Who?”
Malach glared harshly at Donavon. What did

Donavon take him for?  “We have your Beta Cass
in  custody  for  treason.  I  suggest  you  get  his
brother  now  before  we  have  to  search  the  entire
perimeter.”

The cocky expression slipped right off

Donavon’s face at Cass’s name. The pack began to
surround  them,  and  some  appeared  aggressive
while  others  looked  nervous.  Malach  was
beginning  to  get  a  clear  picture  that  this  pack
wasn’t  only  bad,  but  also  something  downright
evil was going on here.

Malach turned from Donavon and walked

away with Lukas. “Send teams to start searching
the area. I want Sascha found now. Look around
for anything that isn’t right.”

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116

Lukas raised a brow and whispered back,

“Want to narrow that down a little?”

Malach glanced around the pack before he

spoke softly to Lukas. “You know the shit the
hellhounds are into. I want you all searching for
any signs of hellhounds.”

“You don’t think…” Lukas’ eyes widened.
“Just a bad feeling is all.”
Malach began searching the area. It wasn’t that

big of a pack, and there weren’t many buildings.
The rest of the guards kept a close eye on the pack
that was now extremely nervous, standing in the
center of the pack grounds.

They didn’t have to wait too long before Rayce

was hollering to him, “We found him!”

Malach took off toward the safe house that

Rayce was leaning out of.

Entering, he knew the whole house was just one

big fucking façade. The entire place was like the
living nightmare he had just escaped months ago.
Weapons and torture devices lined the walls on
his way to the room where Rayce was murmuring
to someone.

Malach entered and froze on the spot. Rayce

held someone that looked like one of the smallest
Omegas  he  had  ever  seen.  Sure,  Malach  knew
Sascha  would  be  a  Delta,  but  he  never  knew  the
man would only be about five foot six inches and
a  hundred  twenty  pounds.  His  back  was  to

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117

Malach, and the whip marks there were oozing
and bleeding.

Rayce was trying to work the knots that tied

Sascha up to the ceiling.

Malach approached to help Rayce out, and it hit

him like a ton of bricks.

Rayce freed Sascha’s hands, and Malach fell on

his knees as Sascha fell into his arms.

A pained whimper escaped Sascha as Malach

turned to get a look at him. Sascha stared at him
with bright blue eyes glazed in stark terror. His
dark auburn hair was crusted with blood, and he
was covered in bruises and whip marks.

Malach felt like his heart was jackhammering

inside of him. With a shaky hand, he pushed back
the  blood-encrusted  hair  from  his  mate’s  eyes.
Sure, it was possible to have more than one mate.
He  just  thought  after  he  failed  his  first  mate  so
miserably,  that  he  would  never  be  blessed  with
such a precious gift again.

Malach leaned down and bushed his lips across

the bruised forehead. “Shh, Sascha, I’ve got you,
and I’m getting you out of here now.”

Sascha nodded, opened his mouth to say

something, but then closed his eyes and passed
out.

Fear engulfed Malach as he shouted for

medical. He watched as the medic began working
on Sascha.

Jackie Nacht

118

Malach stood, watching as they prepped his

injured mate. Sascha looked so small and fragile as
those surrounding them hurried to help him out.
Rage engulfed him and exploded. Turning, he
shifted into his wolf, clothes shredding. He had a
pack leader to fucking kill.

About the Author

Short, sexy and sweet— where a little love goes a
long way.

That’s the best way to describe Jackie Nacht’s

stories.  She  was  introduced  to  M/M  Romance
through her sister, Stephani, and read it for years.
Then,  she  thought  it  was  time  to  put  her  own
stories  on  paper.  Jackie  began  writing  short  and
sweet stories that ended with a happily ever after.

Thinking back to her own book addiction,

where  there  were  many  nights  Jackie  stayed  up
way  too  late  so  she  could  read  just  one  more
chapter—  yeah,  right—  Jackie  decided  to  write
short romances for young adults as well as adults.
Hopefully, they will give high school and college
students, or working men and women something
they can read during their lunch hour, in between
classes or just when they want to briefly get away
from the daily stresses of everyday life.

You can find Jackie at:
Website:

www.jackienacht.com

Blog:

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