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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Please purchase only authorized electronic editions,
and do not participate in or encourage the electronic
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author’s rights is appreciated.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters,
places, and incidents either are products of the
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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reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or
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Full Moon Torn

Moon Compound, Book Five

Jackie Nacht

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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

Jackie Nacht

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.

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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.”

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“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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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

Jackie Nacht

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

Jackie Nacht

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

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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.

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“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

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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.

Jackie Nacht

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.

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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

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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.

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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

Full Moon Torn

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:

www.jackienacht.com/blog

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/jackie.nacht?ref=tn_t
nmn

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/JackieNacht

Document Outline

Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Epilogue
About the Author

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