Voice of Vengeance

Chapter 12

(Euan’s P.O.V)

Night of the Full Moon:

It’s the night of the full moon and it’s time for my first shift. This momentous occasion was being marked by a party for all of those who are shifting for the first time tonight. My mother started this tradition after they fought the dark Fae all those years ago. Dad, gramps, and grams told her they didn’t really do anything particularly special for those who shift for the first time. They reasoned it was a family thing and wanted to keep it that way. Well, mom blew that idea out of the water. Throwing Full Moon parties for those who will be shifting for the first time. Followed by a pack run after all the pup’s shift. Owen was going to be shifting for the first time with me, along with about twenty other pups. The packhouse was a flurry of activity, getting it ready for the party later tonight, and all I could do was sit and think about Juniper. It had been a week since my birthday, and I hadn’t had the chance to see her since. We had interrogated the rogues over the last few days, and we still had no information as to why they wanted Junie so badly.

“You know, if you keep up with that facial expression, your face is going to end up frozen like that.” My sister, Fallon, giggles.

“You know just as well as I do, Fallon, that that’s not true,” I say, before turning to her grinning.

“Maybe not, but you’ve been a scowling grumpy butt for the last week!” She huffs, clearly annoyed by my attitude.

She’s 10 and her name-calling is obviously not as sophisticated as the rest of the family’s, but, that doesn’t mean I can’t tease her. I clutch at my chest and gasp in shock and hurt.

“I’m not a grumpy butt! You take that back, little miss, or I’ll tattle!” I say.

“You wouldn’t.” She states, narrowing her adorable blue eyes at me.

Of all my siblings, she looks like mom’s twin but with dad’s eyes, and I’m the only one who is dad’s twin but with mom’s eyes. Our other siblings: Flynn and Rory, Ronan, and the other set of twins, Rowan and Bridget, are impeccable mixes of our parents.

“Just watch me!” I say, poking out my tongue before pretending to go off and find our mom.

“Wait! Euie! I’m sorry I called you a grumpy butt!” She shouts as I hear her little feet pattering behind me.

“Excuse me young lady, were you calling your brother names?” I hear our father say.

I stop walking, chuckling silently to myself when Fallon’s footsteps stop abruptly, and she bursts into tears.

“I’m s-s-sorry, d-d-daddy!” She cries.

I rush back to her and where dad is holding her in a hug. She’s a daddy’s girl through and through and could probably get away with murder. To be honest, if she killed someone, dad would show up with acid or a shovel to help her out.

“Shh, it’s okay baby girl.” He says, rubbing her back as her crying calms down.

“I know you were just playing baby sis. I wasn’t going to tattle on you. I promise.” I say, bending down so I’m at eye level with her.

“I’m s-s-s-sorry Euie!” She hiccups.

“It’s okay Fallon, I forgive you. Now, let’s go see if we have any cookies. I’m in the mood for chocolate chip. What about you?” I ask, standing up and holding my hand out to her.

She beams up at me, releasing her hold on dad before grabbing my hand.

“Cookies make everything better.” She says in a whisper that was meant to be conspiratorial.

I hear dad laughing as we make our way into the kitchen, stealing two freshly baked chocolate chip cookies without being noticed. We quickly eat our cookies before I make my way up to the Alpha floor. We don’t live in the packhouse, but we still have the whole top floor designated for the Alpha family. I pass the time playing video games with my brother, Ronan, since the twins, Flynn and Rory, had been banned from video games because of their making fun of Junie. Dakota whines in the back of my head, missing our mate and wanting to be near her.

Can’t we just go by their house and, oh I don’t know, sniff around?

Seriously? We’ll see her in a few hours. She’ll be here because Owen is shifting tonight too.

Yes, but that’s a few hours from NOW. And I want to sniff her NOW.

I sigh, rolling my eyes at my weird-ass wolf. I couldn’t help the jolt of excitement that coursed through me thinking about seeing Juniper tonight. After a few hours of playing video games with Ronan, our mother tells us it’s time to get ready for the shift. I toss on a robe, just like all the other pups shifting tonight, and make my way to the garden of the packhouse.

“Cross River pack! Thank you all for being here for these young men and women, embarking on their first shift, and joining the ranks of our shifted pack members. Tonight is special as not only is your future Alpha King, Euan, shifting for the first time, but so is your future Royal Beta, Owen.” Dad booms out to the crowd in the gardens.

The pack howls and cheers for us, as the wind shifts. The smell of roses and sweet oranges wafts to me. I shiver. I can’t see her in the crowd, because I know that she’s probably hiding in the back, wearing all black and her signature hoodie.

“After the shift, we will all shift and join our newest wolves on a pack run!” Dad finishes.

That’s when Owen and I both collapse in pain, Dakota pushing forward to shift. I feel my bones breaking and rearranging, my face morphing into a snout. All around me the others are screaming and yelling in pain, their wolves pushing forward just like Dakota. My yells soon turn into a howl, and I stand up on four legs, looking down at my pure white paws. Dakota lifts his head and howls to the moon, giving thanks to our Moon Goddess. I look over at where Owen was, and I see a sandy-blonde wolf howling his own thanks to the Moon Goddess.

The other newly shifted wolves howl with us, along with the rest of the pack that is in attendance. They all get undressed and shift into their wolves as Owen and I take the lead on the pack run, since we are the future leaders of the pack. The feeling of the dirt, leaves and broken branches under my paws feels like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. I feel more alive in this form than I ever had before. My hearing, speed, sight, and smell is more heightened than they were before.

Where are you going? I ask Dakota, seeing that we are heading in the opposite direction that the group is heading.

I want to see our mate. So, I’m going back to the packhouse. We’ve been out here long enough.

Well, alrighty then, I guess we’re done running.

Dakota traces Junie’s scent back to the backyard of the packhouse and we see that she’s by herself, under one of the trees, reading under the moonlight and the light that’s coming from the twinkle lights that my parents had the staff hang up around the backyard. She doesn’t notice our approach, and we take full advantage of it, just sitting and staring at her. She looks up from her book and startles when she sees us.

“Hi, Euan. I don’t know your wolf’s name so I’m going to call him wolfy for now.” She signs, and I hear her giggle.

Dakota walks over to her and begins to sniff around her, her scent sending shivers of pleasure through us. She starts to laugh louder, Dakota’s breath tickling her skin.

“Dakota! Leave Junie alone.” We hear mom shout.

Dakota whines but doesn’t stop sniffing our mate.

“Dakota! Stop!” She booms in her Royal command.

Dakota whines again but steps away from Junie, sitting on his haunches.

“Give Euan back control and shift, please,” Mom says, holding out a new robe for us.

Shifting back, Juniper averts her gaze, a slight blush on her cheeks as I get my robe on.

You could have gone behind a tree, Euan, you embarrassed Junie. Mom scolds through the link.

She’s my mate, she’s going to be 18 soon enough and she’ll be able to bask in the glory that is my body. She needs to get used to seeing it. I joke back.

She’s still underage Euan. She hisses.

I know that, mother, I’m painfully aware of that fact. I snarl.

Watch your tone with me.

I huff in annoyance before turning to Juniper and grabbing her hand, feeling the sparks on my skin.

“Let’s go get some ice cream. I need some sugar.” I say, before dragging her into the packhouse.