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Chapter Fifty-two
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Cirque du Lune Chapter Fifty-three
ElsieA flood of familiar scents washed over me as blurs of browns, creams, grays, reds, and blacks lept through the gaps in the trees like a mighty rushing river. There they were, my chosen family, the rogues who banned with each other, searching for a safe glimmer in this dark world of ours. I felt my throat contract as I caught sight of Carl clinging to Shirley's fur while he whipped a rusted metal pipe through the air. There was a fire in his eyes, which was more potent than any flame he breathed.Jules's whole body stiffened from the crown of his greasy hair down to his toes. It seemed he hadn't prepared for the potential of the entire circus following him into the woods. The reassuring sight of Carl and Shirley proved that the pack of wolves wasn't coming to help him; they were coming to aid me. Jules was no longer in control of all these rogues, and I knew that simple fact had to scare the living shit out of him. I saw the irritation flick across his face as his skin tightened
Cirque du Lune Epilogue
Oliver Time flew like it never had before. Was this what it was like to be truly happy? Shit, if this was happiness, then I never knew it before. It had been five years since Jules went after Elsie. Five years that had gone by as quick as a cricket. Five blissful years that were a dream compared to all my years before. The first thing we did was weed out all of Jules's cronies after that night. As a whole, we decided it was best if we left them in the hands of the Sundrop pack. They caused unnecessary bloodshed in their pack territory. It was only fitting that they could decide their fates. It also saved us a heap of trouble, making it a win-win for all parties involved. Cirque du Lune officially went belly up the night Jules died in Lousianna—some of the performers and lackeys packed up and left soon after. Without Jules, everyone was free to do what they wanted, without his shadow of tyranny looming over them. Everyone could finally breathe without the threat of poison engulfing t
Cirque du Lune Prologue
Unknown POVI laid on the grass underneath the night sky, listening to the faint song of a nearby cricket. I twirled a lock of my hair around my finger as I scanned the cloudy sky, searching for constellations.Was that blood on the moon? It couldn’t be. Blood on the moon was a bad omen. My momma had always said that blood on the moon meant that blood would be spilled. Nothing was going to happen tonight; that was just an old wolves’ tale.Clyde should be coming home soon; nothing would be out of the ordinary. It would be a perfectly normal night. Goddess, how I wished he would hurry up.Clyde should have been home already. Of course, the Alpha needed him l
Cirque du Lune Chapter One
Oliver“Oliver Graham, get your keister moving! The boss will be in any minute!”I groaned as I rolled off of my bed in the back of the workshop. Sleep had glued my eyes shut during the night. I aggressively rubbed at my lids, just trying to be able to pry them open.My name is Oliver Graham. The year is 1934, and I turned twenty-two a few months ago. I didn’t think there was anything too special about me.When I was a child, I never thought I would be sleeping in the back of a carpenter’s workshop. Covered in a constant layer of dust and living off of the scraps I could afford. I never thought I would be orphaned by twelve, either. Sometimes life is just a bitch.I had done a little bit of everything in the past decade. When my parents first died, I worked as a field hand for a neighbor, but that didn’t last long. I worked in a bakery, mechanic shop, a dinner, a hotel, a mine, a manufacturing plant, and a few other jo
Cirque du Lune Chapter Two
Oliver"Have a good night, Oliver," Richard called over his shoulder as he opened the front door. He had a cigarette hanging out of his mouth as he tipped his hat to me. Richard smoked like a fiend at work; his wife didn't like him to smoke at their home. She said that the cigarettes stunk up their house."Night, boss," I called after him as the door swung shut, wafting one last puff of smoke into the workshop. I made my way through the machinery and tables, enjoying the quiet. I plopped down on my bed, letting my eyes lids close. It wasn't busy or even a demanding day, but I was exhausted. I was perpetually shot. Finally, I heard the rumble of Richard's truck leaving the shop.I pried my body up to rummage through my small chest. This wooden box housed my only belong
Cirque du Lune Chapter Three
Oliver The icy realization of leaving the key to the shop down at the river was devastating. It slowly trickled down my spine before manifesting into a nauseating pit in my stomach. I couldn’t bring myself to go back and retrieve the key. The light of day had dwindled away hours ago, and with whatever was down there, it wasn’t a risk I was willing to take. I loitered outside the workshop until the streets became bare; no noise but the faint hoot of a barn owl somewhere out in the distance. The rest of the town had drifted off into a peaceful slumber. Thank goodness our town was relatively quiet, and no one stayed up late. As I had waited, I had figured out what my plan was going to be. I wasn’t going back to the river, that was for sure, but I couldn’t sleep outside on the street. I knew that the Millers had gotten a new shipment of hay for their horses last weekend. Without another thought, I made my way to their property and waited until the last li
Cirque du Lune Chapter Four
Oliver"Hurry up!" Chester's voice assaulted me as I hastily fumbled with the buttons on my shirt.After I admitted to Chester that I slept in the Miller's barn, he graciously allowed me to follow him home like a lost dog to use his shower.I couldn't tell you the last time I even was in a residential bathroom, let alone a shower. I had forgotten how solid a shower actually felt. I just wanted to let the water rain down on me for hours. I hated to admit I had lost track of time; until Chester banged on the door, pulling me out of my haze."Hold on!" I called through the door as I patted down my damp curls."The rest of the town
Cirque du Lune Chapter Five
OliverA loud clunk followed by a distinctive hum echoed through the tent before six vibrant spotlights fell on the center ring. There he was. Jules was dressed in white britches, knee-high black books, a crimson tailcoat, and a black top hat. His blonde hair was slicked back in his typical hairstyle.Of course, he was the ring leader! Why didn't I think of that before? Why else would a random Frenchman be in town?"Mesdames et Messieurs! I proudly present my wolves!" Jules's voice bounced off of the tent, his last statement catching everyone off guard.Whispers engulfed the audience. "Wolves?" "What does he mean?" "Are we in danger, mommy?"Before I made out any other words, the sound of paws hitting the ground radiated from beside me. I instinctively gulped and scooted closer to the older couple I was sitting beside."It's okay, son." The old man leaned over his wife and tried to comfort me. "I have been to many of a circus, and they alway
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Cirque du Lune Epilogue
Oliver Time flew like it never had before. Was this what it was like to be truly happy? Shit, if this was happiness, then I never knew it before. It had been five years since Jules went after Elsie. Five years that had gone by as quick as a cricket. Five blissful years that were a dream compared to all my years before. The first thing we did was weed out all of Jules's cronies after that night. As a whole, we decided it was best if we left them in the hands of the Sundrop pack. They caused unnecessary bloodshed in their pack territory. It was only fitting that they could decide their fates. It also saved us a heap of trouble, making it a win-win for all parties involved. Cirque du Lune officially went belly up the night Jules died in Lousianna—some of the performers and lackeys packed up and left soon after. Without Jules, everyone was free to do what they wanted, without his shadow of tyranny looming over them. Everyone could finally breathe without the threat of poison engulfing t
Cirque du Lune Chapter Fifty-three
ElsieA flood of familiar scents washed over me as blurs of browns, creams, grays, reds, and blacks lept through the gaps in the trees like a mighty rushing river. There they were, my chosen family, the rogues who banned with each other, searching for a safe glimmer in this dark world of ours. I felt my throat contract as I caught sight of Carl clinging to Shirley's fur while he whipped a rusted metal pipe through the air. There was a fire in his eyes, which was more potent than any flame he breathed.Jules's whole body stiffened from the crown of his greasy hair down to his toes. It seemed he hadn't prepared for the potential of the entire circus following him into the woods. The reassuring sight of Carl and Shirley proved that the pack of wolves wasn't coming to help him; they were coming to aid me. Jules was no longer in control of all these rogues, and I knew that simple fact had to scare the living shit out of him. I saw the irritation flick across his face as his skin tightened
Cirque du Lune Chapter Fifty-two
OliverAs the last wolf disappeared into the thickets, I waited as the last snaps of twigs and crunch of leaves faded. I expected a cold crash of fear to overtake me as I looked at Eddie. Unexpectantly nothing even remotely resembling fear licked at my belly. There was an eerie calm seeping out of the earth and weaving through the trees. I swiped my tongue across my cracked lips, dampening them to ensure we were still operating.I let my eyes fall back on Eddie; I only felt a wave of anger for every second, every minute, every day his existence had plagued me. From that wave, adrenaline raced through my whole being. He had to be stopped now, and it didn’t matter what he did to me; he just had to be stopped.“What’s it like to know you weren’t good enough for that bitch of a broad?” Eddie flashed his teeth, stained with a grimy yellow film from years of smoking and drinking. I knew that cold, cruel smile plastered on Eddie’s face was only to get a rise out of me. From Eddie’s eyes, I k
Cirque du Lune Chapter Fifty-one
Elsie The blood in my veins turned into rivers of deathly ice. The color in the world around me disappeared, leaving an unforgiving coldness closing in on me, threatening to stifle the raging of my heartbeat ticking away in my chest. This couldn’t be happening; he couldn’t be here. How far would I have to run to be able to escape his blood-drenched muzzle? Would I ever be free to enjoy the babble of a brook or the sweet aroma of fresh spring flowers? I should have known better. When did Jules ever give up? I knew the answer from the first time I saw him snap someone’s neck. Jules was a demon used to getting what he wanted, and if it weren’t willingly given to him, he would take it by force. Everyone around him were his personal puppets; every single one of us was dangling by weathered strings from Jules’s fingers. Every movement and every shadow Jules’s minions cast were calculated. At any second, Jules would decide it was time to sacrifice one of his pawns, and their lines would sev
Cirque du Lune Chapter Fifty
ElsieI had never been in a pack like this. Even my original pack was nothing compared to this. There was warmth in the air and a sense of peace that seemed to flow out of everyone I encountered. Compared to the years under Jules’s thumb or when I was in Delbert’s pack, this place was a pure ray of light.My mind was on overdrive as I met the members of my new pack. Their faces and hair colors blended into nothing but a muddled blur of a beige rainbow. I wish I could have slowed down time to take my time to memorize every person.They were all so happy and eager to see me, and I felt like an imposter; I was nothing that special. They were expecting someone they could rely on and who could lead them, and I was just a glorified performer. I could show them how to dangle from a ribbon if they wanted, but if you wanted someone who could be something of value to the pack, it sure as hell wasn’t me.Warmth crackled like electricity as Everett’s hand snaked around the small of my back. I loo
Cirque du Lune Chapter Forty-nine
OliverBirdie climbed up on an old crate that creaked underneath her; she looked like a bloody queen perched up there. There was something different about Birdie tonight. The timid girl who avoided holding eye contact with people was gone, and now a fierce woman stood before me. Roustabouts, performers, werewolves, humans, and everybody in between crept out of the shadows. Even Rosemary and Thomas slipped into view.“What’s going on?” Rosemary jutted her hip out to the side as she threw her arms across her chest. “What do you think you are doing calling us here like this?”“Attention, everyone! We have a situation!” Birdie’s voice rang out in the night air. “Earlier today, one of our troupe members found their mate.&rdquo
Cirque du Lune Chapter Forty-eight
OliverI looked at Birdie in disbelief. This dame ran so hot and cold; it was a miracle when I could actually figure out what she was thinking. This time was not one of those times; when I searched her for any indication of what was happening inside her head, Birdie’s eyes gave nothing away.Just because Elsie had left the circus and left me didn’t mean I would throw her away. Elsie would always hold a piece of my heart in her hands, and besides my own attachment to her, I had made a promise to look after her. I would keep my promise to Milton.“It doesn’t matter if she has a mate, Birdie. Whether or not you like it, Elsie will always be one of us, even if she isn’t here.” I scowled at Birdie before chasing after Carl and Shirley.“I did it for you!” I heard Birdie call after me, but I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of me turning around to acknowledge her. Besides, I didn’t even know if I bel
Cirque du Lune Chapter Forty-seven
OliverI whipped around to find Eddie peering at me from a tree. The moonlight didn’t do much for his appearance. The dried residue of his makeup was flaking off, almost like his flesh was peeling off his face.“Oh, Eddie.” I gulped. “You startled me; I didn’t know you were there.”My eyes glanced around from Birdie, Carl, and Shirley; their expressions screamed they hadn’t been aware of his presence. That caused a pit to form in my stomach.Eddie slithered into view. “Who’s gone?” I hated his voice so much; it was so ragged it made my skin crawl.“No one is,” Carl quickly muttered before reaching into his pocket to pull out a cigarette.“Don’t lie to me, Carl.” Eddie hissed as he stalked closer to me. “Where is our star? Is she who is gone?”“I-I don’t know what you ar
Cirque du Lune Chapter Forty-six
OliverNelson dropped me off on the edge of town closest to Cirque du Lune’s setup but far enough away where no one would catch a whiff of his scent. As I went to slam the door shut behind me, Nelson cleared his throat.“Yeah?” I ducked my head down as I looked back into the car at him.“If I were you, kid, I would get the hell away from those rogues; the sooner, the better.” Nelson’s voice was gruff; the way he talked about the circus and the rogues was like someone had squeezed lemon juice in a cut in my mouth.“Isn’t your future Luna one of those rogues?” I glared at that sad excuse of a man. “Have a nice evening Nelson.”I slammed the car door and started towards the soft glow on the lights, beaconing me home to the circus. I was tense until I heard the roar of the automobile rumble away. Only when I was sure he was gone did the tension in my body leave.No matter how long I wa
