Moon Revealed Read online

  Moon Revealed

  Mirror Lake Wolves - Book Six

  Jennifer Snyder

  Contents

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  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Thank You

  About the Author

  MOON REVEALED

  MIRROR LAKE WOLVES - BOOK SIX

  Copyright © 2018 by Jennifer Snyder

  Editing by H. Danielle Crabtree

  © 2018 Cover Art by Cora Graphics

  © Depositphotos.com

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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  1

  “No, the bell peppers need to be chopped finer than that,” I said as I leaned over Eli’s shoulder.

  He laughed. The rich sound of it vibrated through our tiny kitchen, bringing a smile to my face. I hadn’t thought I’d get to hear him laughing so soon. I figured it would be weeks, maybe even months. Not because he was upset with me but because he was pissed with how unfair life could be.

  We’d said goodbye to his father—our previous alpha—only last night.

  “Says who?” Eli spun to face me while pausing in his chopping motion.

  “Says the recipe.” I flipped my phone around so he could see for himself. “In the picture it shows finely chopped bell peppers, not chunks.”

  “It’s all preference.” He flashed me a half smile that I noticed didn’t reach the corners of his eyes but any semblance of happiness I could get from him I’d take. “I don’t think they have to be paper thin and microscopic like in the picture. It’ll still taste just as good with them a little bigger.”

  “Fine, but don’t make them too big.” I glanced at my phone, checking to see what the next step in the breakfast recipe was. I was glad I’d thought to go grocery shopping and get ingredients for something we could make together. It was definitely helping get our minds off things.

  I wasn’t trying to make Eli forget his dad. I was only trying to keep him from drowning in his emotions.

  It seemed to be working.

  “Okay, how’s this?” Eli asked as he sliced another section of yellow bell pepper thinner than he had before.

  “Much better,” I said. “It looks more like the peppers in the picture.”

  “Good. See, my chopping skills are improving.”

  I kissed him on the cheek before hoisting myself up onto the kitchen counter. “That they are. I’ll turn you into a cook before long.”

  “You mean your own personal chef.” Eli winked as he flashed me another half-hearted smile.

  He was trying. I was trying. However, I knew all either of us could think about was his dad and the fact that he was gone.

  Eli was our pack’s alpha now.

  “I didn’t say it. You did,” I teased.

  I reached for the onion and placed it near the cutting board so he would know it came next in the recipe.

  “It’s okay. I don’t mind cooking for you,” he said. “Someone has to make sure you eat.”

  “Oh, I would eat even if you didn’t cook for me. Trust me. I’d cook for myself, but food always tastes better cooked by you. Nobody likes cooking for themselves. Everything always is better when someone else makes it for you. That’s why so many people eat out.”

  A crooked grin twisted his lips. Satisfaction slithered through me. I would help get him through this one smile at a time. He’d be okay. I would see to it.

  “I think you’re wrong. People don’t eat out because food tastes better when someone else makes it; they eat out because they’re lazy,” he said. He finished slicing the last bit of yellow bell pepper up before reaching for the sweet onion I’d set out.

  “I can see that being true most of the time, but I really think it’s because nobody likes to cook. For themselves. For anyone.”

  “What about the people working there? Don’t you think they like to cook?”

  I shook my head. “Not at all. They only cook because somebody pays them. There’s a difference.”

  A rich, robust laugh burst from Eli. It was the best thing I’d heard in days. “Your dislike of cooking is hilarious. Makes me feel special knowing I was somehow able to get you to cook me grilled cheese and tomato soup once.”

  “I completely forgot about that.” I grinned. “You should feel special. I don’t cook for just anyone.”

  “I haven’t forgotten about it at all. Now, I feel prouder that I conned you into cooking for me.” Eli wiggled his eyebrows. I leaned in to give him a kiss.

  My lips pressed against his, and I felt like I was home. I reached out and laced my fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. My body pulsed to life with desire, but I knew now wasn’t the time to give in. Eli was hurting, even if he wasn’t showing it, and I didn’t want to take advantage of that. It didn’t feel right.

  I pulled back. My teeth sank into my bottom lip as I slipped off the counter. I retrieved a pan from one of the lower cabinets, and then placed it on the stove. After switching the burner to medium heat, I opened the fridge and grabbed the eggs. Eli was mute as he chopped the onion. He chewed the inside of his cheek, seeming consumed by his thoughts.

  What was he thinking about?

  When the question ate at me long enough, I opened my mouth to ask.

  “A penny for your thoughts,” I said, even though I’d always hated the expression.

  Eli made a noise that sounded as though air were stuck in his throat. “Why do people say that?”

  “I’m not sure where the expression came from, but I know people say it because they want to know what others are thinking.”

  He flashed me a no-shit look. “It’s such an odd statement. You can’t even buy anything with a freaking penny.”

  I cracked an egg into a bowl and waited for him to tell me what he’d been thinking. I knew all this penny talk was him stalling. Didn’t he know I knew him better than that?

  When I reached for the second egg, he made the same strangled noise as before.

  “We should call it something else,” he said. “I really can’t stand that saying.”

  “Me either.” I cracked another egg into the bowl. “What do you want to call it instead?”

  “I don’t know.” He shrugged. “But it should be something better than that.”

  “Better than a penny?” I smirked. This was such a strange conversation.

  “Yeah.”

  His dark brows pulled together. He was serious.

  I focused on picking out a bit of eggshell that had slipped into the bowl while trying to think of something better than the penny analogy. Money seemed to be the only thing my mind could think of.

  “How about keep the change?” I asked, thinking it was clever. Sort of like I was telling him to keep the penny since neither of us seemed to care for the saying
.

  “Keep the change,” he repeated. “Actually, I like that.”

  I flashed him a small smile. “Me too.”

  I didn’t backtrack to why the analogy had been said in the first place. Instead, I left it alone. I figured all of this talk about pennies and change had probably made him forget what he’d been so lost in thought about anyway. Maybe it was best I didn’t know.

  “So, what’s the next step in the recipe?” Eli asked. “Anything else I need to cut up?”

  “Umm, I’m supposed to whisk the eggs with a little bit of milk, spray the pan, and then we’re supposed to add the veggies in along with a cup of cheese,” I said as I reached for a fork because we didn’t own a whisk. Our kitchen supplies were limited. “Then we’re supposed to put a lid on it and let it cook for a few minutes without touching it.”

  Eli crept up behind me as I whisked the eggs with my fork. I could feel the heat of his body pressing against my backside. My thin sleep shorts and T-shirt were no match for his heat.

  His woody, fresh scent, masculine and familiar, made its way to my nose. It had my knees buckling. My body wanted to melt against his, but I fought the urge. Eli brushed against me as he reached into the cabinet above the stove and grabbed the cooking spray. His hand rested on my waist, sparking my entire left hip to life. He seemed unaware of the inner turmoil he caused me.

  After Eli sprayed the pan, I poured the egg mixture into it and stepped back so he could scrape the vegetables in before I sprinkled the dish with cheese. This was the first time since I moved into his trailer we’d cooked together. I had never made omelets before, but I’d eaten them often at home. Gran always made the best ham and cheese ones.

  “And now for the lid,” Eli said as he scraped the last little bit of vegetables into the eggs. He headed to the sink to rinse off his cutting board and knife.

  I grabbed a lid that was a little too big for the pan we were using and covered our omelet.

  “Now, we wait,” I said as I hoisted myself back up onto the counter. My eyes dipped to my phone as I read the instructions once again, hoping we weren’t missing any steps. “Crap.”

  Eli dried his hands on a dish towel. “What?”

  “We forgot to add three tablespoons of salsa.” So much for our southwestern omelet.

  Eli tossed the dish towel on the counter and headed for the fridge. “It’s okay. We can just add it on top.”

  I opened my mouth to tell him that would work, but his phone rang. It echoed through the otherwise silent trailer, startling me. My gaze drifted to the clock on the stove. It was just after eight in the morning.

  Who could be calling this early?

  My stomach dipped. I had a feeling they weren’t calling with good news.

  Eli headed to the living room where his phone was on the coffee table.

  “Hello?” he answered. “Hi. Yeah. Good morning to you too.”

  My brows pinched together. His tone was off. Why did he sound so surprised by whoever was on the other end? Hadn’t he glanced at his caller ID before answering?

  “Okay. I can round everyone up,” he said, causing my stomach to flip-flop. “Thanks for calling. I’ll see you in a little while.”

  Eli shifted his gaze to me once he hung up.

  “Who was that?” I asked.

  “Rowena Caraway.”

  The flip-flopping in my stomach intensified tenfold at the mention of her name. Why would she be calling? And why so early in the morning?

  The ward.

  I’d nearly forgotten my last conversation with Ridley in light of everything else. She’d mentioned they were able to put the ward in place, but that it had been difficult. We assumed it was because of the Sire Brand runes set in place on the Midnight Reaper group of vampires that had made it difficult.

  Ridley was supposed to call me with news on the rune and an update on the ward. She was worried, same as Rowena, it might not hold. Had something happened overnight, or was Rowena calling to wish Eli congratulations on becoming the new alpha?

  “What did she say?” My voice quivered when I spoke. I cleared my throat, hating my nerves had betrayed me.

  “She said she wants to meet this morning to discuss some things.”

  “Things involving the ward?” I asked even though I knew that had to be it.

  “Possibly. She said I should ask my second-in-command to be present, as well as anyone else I’d like to keep informed when it comes to the Midnight Reaper vampires.”

  My heart lodged in my throat. Something must have happened. Whatever it was it couldn’t be good if Rowena was calling a meeting.

  2

  I waited outside for Rowena to arrive. My cover was walking Moonshine, but I was actually burning off nervous energy. I could count on one hand how many times the witch had stepped foot inside the trailer park.

  This had to be something big.

  My eyes closed. I’d been a fool to think after last night’s run things were going to get better for my pack, a fool to rely so heavily on a ward Ridley had already mentioned might not do what it should.

  A breeze blew sending red and yellow leaves floating to the ground from nearby trees. Moonshine barked. A smile quirked at the corners of my lips. While Winston had a thing for squirrels, Moonshine seemed to have one for falling leaves.

  Hers was much cuter than his.

  A white SUV came my way. I knew it was Rowena. I remembered seeing the vehicle parked at the inn. My gaze zeroed in on the vehicle. Would Ridley be with her? What about her daughters?

  As the SUV came to a stop behind my car, the presence of the Caraway witches slipped through the air. Even if I hadn’t witnessed them pulling up, I would have felt them. They possessed an earthy presence. It emanated from them in waves. It was strange how I’d never noticed it when I was around Ridley. Maybe it was because her magic wasn’t strong.

  When the engine to their SUV cut off and a young woman with dark hair slipped out of the passenger seat, I knew the earth magic I sensed spurred mostly from her.

  This was always the way with Raven Caraway. How could I have forgotten?

  Raven was like a storm—fierce and wild. She reminded me of Mother Nature. Elemental magic oozed from her. It wasn’t warm or comforting; it was cold and foreign. Not that Raven was evil; she was just different.

  Then again, weren’t so many of us living in Mirror Lake considered different by most standards?

  Raven’s dark hair whipped around her face as another gust of wind blew, sending more leaves flying.

  Was she creating it?

  Unease prickled across my skin and my wolf stood at attention. Raven’s lips twisted into a smirk as though she knew she was causing me to feel on edge. I often thought she did things, like screwing with the wind, to make herself seem intimidating.

  She had when we were in high school.

  Raven was a few years older than I was, but I remembered when I was in ninth grade, I once saw her arguing with a girl in the restroom over something. A boy, I’m pretty sure. The other girl had circled Raven in an intimidating way, threatening her. Raven had remained calm though, until the girl mentioned she thought all of the rumors about the Caraways were things they’d made up themselves. She’d said they were nothing but cries for attention. Raven had given the girl the same smirk she flashed my way now and sent a powerful gust of wind soaring into the restroom. It was so strong it pinned the girl against the block wall of the bathroom.

  “Hey,” Ridley said as the backdoor to the SUV slammed shut. A small smile twisted her lips as she adjusted her glasses. “I think we’re a little early, but that’s something my aunt prides herself on.”

  “It’s fine. How are you?” I asked as I tugged on Moonshine’s leash, pulling her toward the steps of our trailer.

  “I’m good.” Her voice trembled slightly. She was lying. Then again, why would she be here with her aunt if things were all right?

  I’d sent her a text earlier asking for more details, but she claimed she coul
dn’t give me any.

  It had aggravated me, but I wasn’t about to push her. I understood her aunt was like her alpha. Whatever she said went. Ridley was low on the totem pole of the Caraway witches. Her powers weren’t nearly as strong as her cousins’ or her aunt’s. It had been explained to me once that the Caraway witches powers transferred through the females. Since Ridley is a female Caraway through her dad she’d inherited some of the family’s power, but not as much as if her mother had been the Caraway to transfer it.

  “Hello, Mina.” Rowena smiled as she rounded her vehicle.

  “Hi,” I said as I bent to pick Moonshine up. I started to the wooden steps of my trailer. “Please, follow me inside.”

  “I’m not sure I understand what this meeting is for,” I heard Dorian say when I opened the front door.

  “Hey.” I stepped inside and set Moonshine down. “They’re here.”

  “Good morning,” Rowena said. Her eyes locked on Eli as she entered the trailer. She was dressed in black leggings and a flowing white long-sleeved tunic that made her look as classic and chic as she did friendly, but we all knew she wasn’t here for friendly reasons.

  Tension radiated from the witches. We all could feel it.

  “Morning,” Eli greeted her. He motioned for the three of them to step farther inside.

  “Thank you.” Rowena made her way into the living room. She nodded to Dorian and Frank, flashing them both a tight-lipped smile.

  I watched her position herself on our couch. Raven moved to sit beside her, but Ridley remained standing. She adjusted her glasses and let her gaze drift to the floor.