Gabriel POVGabriel felt like he had been put on a roller coaster without being buckled in correctly. He was angry and felt betrayed. When Gabriel heard the elder man's voice speak about his parents being murdered, he saw the color red cloud his vision. First, he had beat his uncle who was still lying in the sand dazed, in a duel. Next, he heard that his parents had died in a fire that had been set intentionally to kill them. What next? And who would have even dared to kill his father and mother?His eyes slowly shifted to the beaten shifter lying on the ground. It couldn't be…"Fennick Herman, you have been charged for the murder of Elijah and Louisa Herman," Shaman Kai stated with an angry face as she stomped her foot. "The police are on their way here to arrest you for your crimes. You will spend the rest of your days atoning for your actions that should have been addressed long ago."As Fennick tried to sit up from the sand a distant police siren could be heard making its w
Lucy POVLucy stood in Gabriel's bathroom applying makeup with Sara. Sara seemed louder and more talkative than usual after she and Vance had come to Gabriel's place to get ready for the barbeque party. Lucy felt like she could not get a word in edgewise while Sara gently swept the makeup brush full of glitter across her face. Sara wore a smokey midnight blue-colored theme of makeup on her face with white glitter sparkles adorning her eyes and cheeks. She explained to Lucy that wolf shifter parties were always wild, loud, and a blast. All shifters dressed for the occasion, the males wearing their best plaid shirts and cowboy boots while the females wore their best summer dresses and boldly applied their makeup. To match her makeup, Sara wore a midnight blue dress with a round neck and a laced scalloped design that stopped a few inches above her knees. She wore sparkling silver earrings that fell to her shoulders and her hair was swept back in a side part. Lucy wore a long sleeve
Lucy POVLucy scanned the crowd wondering who had just screamed just when she noticed Aunt Gertrude. She stood with her hands clasped over her mouth, staring down at Samson who was down on one knee and holding out a ring. Samson's smile glowed and he looked handsome with his silver fox hair swept back as he awaited Gertrude's answer."Yes!" she exclaimed. She looked like a ray of sunshine in her yellow dress as she started to cry tears of joy. "Yes, oh, how I've dreamed of this day."Lucy whooped loudly as other shifters joined her with cheers and shouts of congratulations. Gabriel whistled loudly and clapped his hands, elbowing Lucy, "Looks like you are going to have to help plan a wedding!""I guess so! Wedding business and Luna blessings just got added to my to-do list." Lucy clapped harder as they watched Samson stand and slide the ring onto Gertrude's finger. Lucy walked toward her aunt to congratulate her. "Auntie, congratulations. I'm so happy for you. We have a lot to d
Lucy POVOver the last couple of days, Lucy and Gabriel were busy ensuring they laid a strong foundation for the beginning of the Stray Moon Pack. This entailed visits to both lands, filling out endless paperwork, smoothing any ruffled feathers with the merge of the two packs, and continuing to foster friendships between the pack members. Lucy was so proud of both of them, and how much they had accomplished.Lucy had also been offered the title of pack healer because of her background in nursing. She was thrilled that the title came with two offices on both plots of land where she could attend to any mishaps, concerns, or even expectant mothers. Sara and Vance had their first check-up with her yesterday, and everything seemed to be progressing along for Sara and her pregnancy. Soon they would be able to find out if the pup was a male or female. Lucy felt bitter-sweet as she began attending to Sara's care and needs in her first trimester of pregnancy. Could that be her someday? Ma
Lucy POVWell, I'm definitely not in Colorado anymore, Lucy Carrigan thought as the Arizona sun shone brightly in the sky. Moving from a well-known landscape for skiing and mountain climbing to a cacti-filled terrain can be a shock to one's nervous system, especially with the Sedona heat making all the difference. Lucy did not like the sticky feeling of sweat droplets trickling down her back into her underwear. She wiped her brow as she stared up at the bloom of an Agave Americana plant. This was such a different plant in comparison to Colorado's Quaking Aspens, Rocky Mountain Junipers, and Lodgepole Pines. Lucy huffed as she bent over, placing her hands on her knees and taking in a deep breath. Perhaps she shouldn't have come here. It was so different from home…what had she done? Had she made a mistake coming here?She stood back up quickly, stomping her foot. No. She had come to Sedona often in her childhood to visit her mother's old ancestral home, which was owned now by her
Gabriel's POVNot too far down the rural desert road were around thirty acres of land where a group of people lived together as a makeshift family of sorts. At least, that's what someone with human eyes would believe. Officially, the land belonged to Gabriel Herman but Samson Strider had built the compound with his own two hands. Samson had brought them to the land years back after they had been disowned by the Moonlight Pack and had been sheltering other stray wolf shifters who needed a home ever since. Those who joined him also helped him build a place of peace and tranquility away from the shame of losing the pack they had known and thought was their home.A loud clang of tools dropping on the paved ground and a gruff voice shouting obscenities came from the garage area."OW! Sh*t! Sam!" Samson scurried over to the voice. There he saw two legs sticking out from under the unnaturally large, gilded-colored truck taking up two parking spaces as it was lifted into the air."Yes,
Gabriel POVThe Sedona heat hadn't yet affected the Dry Creek trail, since it was still early this bright Friday morning. Gabriel was enjoying a jog through the underbrush of a variety of plants and cacti as he trudged through the sand on the pathway. He was happy to let off some steam after feeling frustrated the day before.He paused by the dry creek bed at the bottom of a small hill, taking a moment to quench his thirst. The air was just starting to begin to feel dry on his throat, and the sunshine was peaking over the red rocks over the horizon, causing him to work up a sweat. The thing about the Sedona blue sky was its extreme beauty overturned any previous views of the sky one had ever seen. A sound of a lizard scurrying by brought Gabriel back to reality. The lizards and birds were still active around him in the quiet ambiance of the desert environment. He looked at the ground around him taking in the various stones and red dirt, happy to let his mind drift and wander off be
Lucy POVLucy had just completed her first part-time shift at one of the many coffee shops in town. She hung her apron out back, patting it affectionately. It had been a while since she worked a retail job like this; it was at a different pace from the nurse position she had back in Colorado. She sighed, not wishing to think about her fast exit from the medical world. She felt like it had been her true calling… what she was destined to do… to help people. I'll just have to try and help people while I make their coffee, she thought, biting her lip. She was going to look at this from the bright side. She exited the coffee shop and made her way to her car. She had been thinking about the interesting veterinarian known as Gabriel all day. Not only was he extremely good-looking, but he also had a professional job and possibly owned the veterinarian business he had mentioned. She plugged the address for Holy Grounds Cafe into her phone and realized it was just a short drive down the