Denying Fate ( Moonlight Trials Series #1)

Chapter 7 – No more hiccups…

Karma’s POV

I was laughing my head off, watching Chase try his hardest to hang Christmas lights on the outside of the pack house. His dad was laughing too as Chase wobbled on top of the ladders trying to clip in the snowflake hanging string lights. His face was a picture of pure fear, but he was trying to act all high and mighty, earlier, saying how he could hang them faster than anyone else in the village. Most of the village was already done and were slowly gathering around the packhouse now. His face was becoming redder and redder.

His future Beta, Dan, was slowly bringing out another ladder to try and help him, causing laughter to erupt again from a few bystanders. Alpha George was joined by Luna (Aunt) Leah who stood on her tiptoes to whisper something to him. He smiled lovingly at her, and she rested her head on his shoulder. I looked at how much they loved each other and stared at Chase. I loved him just as much and felt warm when I thought about how that would be us in the future. Chase was looking down towards Dan but noticed me stood there, all wrapped up in my hat and scarf. He smiled and me and blew a kiss causing a lot of people to coo around us. I knew I had gone red so buried my face deeper into my scarf.

I turned around and noticed the Alpha and Luna looking at me. Alpha George whispered something to Aunt Leah who smiled but looked sadly at me. When she noticed I was watching them she immediately put on her best smile before turning to the cooers and getting them to start decorating the pack house with Chase and Dan. Why had she looked so sad?

Later that evening I decided I needed some quiet from everyone being so excited over Christmas. So, I grabbed a blanket and a book and went to sit in the garden behind the packhouse, it was just on the edge of the woods that lined our village, but it was well within the pack borders. Everyone would be at the packhouse tomorrow, and it would be extremely busy and sociable, so I wanted this alone time before it happened as well. Chase was happily enjoying a Christmas eve drink with Dan and the other wolves of a similar age. Chase had wanted me to stay but understood why I didn’t want to. I had friends but I wasn’t really that sociable. I could hear Christmas music bellowing from the giant front room in the packhouse and the Christmas lights, which eventually went up, were glowing softly from the house. I was within the lights reach so I didn’t need a torch or anything, plus my eyesight was amazing.

I settled into one of the loungers in the garden and started reading my book. It was a story written by humans about werewolves, and it was scary how close to reality they wrote, but it amused me how some of the stories played out, always love stories ending in the girl getting the boy or the other way around. Usually involving bad boys winning over the girl despite bullying them or the girl needing rescuing and her knight in shining armour turning up. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t the best fighter or even bravest she wolf around but I could hold my own when I needed to.

I was reading for a good half an hour when I heard a sound in the woods. It sounded like leaves rustling in the wind but louder, like they had been disturbed, and there wasn’t any wind tonight. It was a completely clear sky and probably only about 3 degrees centigrade. Chilly enough to see my breath but nice. I c****d my head to the side to get a better listen at the sound. It sounded low to the ground, not a person walking, so maybe an animal who was meant to be hibernating had awoken by mistake? Suddenly Kismet piped up.

What is with you? She seemed angry.

What? I asked her, confused at the tone.

Why aren’t you going to him? She asked annoyed.

What are you talking about Kis? I asked, now getting annoyed at her, trying to get back into my book.

Can’t you smell that? I could almost hear her sniffing up, causing me to sniff the air again. I shot bolt upright when I smelt it.

Finally! I could sense Kis rolling her eyes, but she shut up. The scent I smelled was extremely familiar and I knew it. Charcoal…

Trackers POV

She looked heavenly, sat all wrapped up in her brown, cosy blanket. The moon light glowing off her pale hair and skin, causing her eyes to shimmer as she was feeling different emotions from her book. What I wouldn’t give to be curled up in that chair with her, her sat on my lap with the blanket over both of us. Her reading while I cuddle her from behind. I crawled along the forest floor, closer to her, to get a better view. I just needed to smell her amazing scent to curb my wolfs enthusiasm, for want of a better word, about going to her daily. He had sensed that she felt the pull between us and wanted nothing more than to take her home there and then and no amount of me explaining that she wasn’t 18 and fully aware yet would calm him.

I knew I was playing a dangerous game the closer I got to her. There wasn’t a wind tonight and if she wasn’t concentrating on the book hard enough, she would definitely smell me if not hear me. As if reading my mind, she suddenly looked up from her book and stared in my direction. I knew she couldn’t see me as she looked confused, but she was sniffing. I cringed and tried to flatten myself as best I could to the ground. Her eyes turned back to her book, but I could see she wasn’t reading, her eyes were flashing between her beautiful blue, grey eyes and a really dark grey so I knew she was talking to her wolf.

Her eyes went wide, and she stared again in my direction. Damn! She had definitely noticed I was here. I had two choices, run as fast as I could and know she would see me but hope I got away before she could catch up to me and start questioning me again. Or my second choice, just own it and talk to her. I was trying to decide what option to take when she called out.

“I know you’re there…” She paused. “I don’t know your name, so I guess I’ll just call you caretaker.” Where had that nickname come from? Oh! I glared, remembering how the stupid Alpha called me that, despite knowing I was my mother’s son. I hated him; this was all his fault. I stood up and walked towards Karma.

“The names Tracker!” I said, confidently. Her eyes seemed to register something. Maybe she remembered me? A faint memory?

“Tracker?” She said, it sounded amazing coming from her lips, and I wanted to hear her say it more.

“Yep! Do you remember me yet?” I asked, hopefully.

“No, but your name sounds familiar. Who are you?” She asked, her head c****d cutely to the side, like a puppy hearing a new sound for the first time.

“Not yet princess. It’s not time, it’s not long until your 18th birthday. I’m sure you can wait for your mate until then.” Her eyes widened in fear.

“Chase is my mate…” She stammered, suddenly cuddling her book as if for safety. I had to stop Break, my wolf, from growling through me. I closed my eyes and poised myself.

“No, he isn’t, that stupid boy doesn’t deserve you. I’m your mate, and you know I am. You felt it.” She was shaking her head as I said it. She got up from her chair and was starting to walk back to the house. “Karma!” I shouted and started to reach out to her, but my voice held her still.

“I can’t have two mates!” Karma whisper shouted, turning on me; I could sense the sadness pouring from her. Two mates?

“Two…. You feel the pull to Chase too?” I asked, shocked but angry. What kind of sick joke was this?

“I do, but…” She trailed off and looked at the floor. I stepped towards her and put my hands on her arms. The sparks were there. “but I feel it more towards you…” I sighed in relief as she had clearly felt the sparks again.

“Good, because I feel them only for you. You’re meant to be with me Karma and you know it deep down. Anyways, even if you didn’t want to be, do you really think Alpha George would accept an omega as the future Luna?” I knew I’d hit a nerve there as she gasped and stepped away from me, the horror clear on her face. She looked disgusted at me.

“He already has! How do you know so much about us? Who the hell are you?” She hissed, keeping her voice from cracking into a shout. I couldn’t tell her. It would ruin my plans, I wanted to tell her, I did. But I didn’t want to hurt her or spoil the things that I needed to happen to the stupid future alpha.

“You’ll have to ask your stupid Alpha about that but trust me Karma, on your 18th birthday you’ll not have to make a choice. You’re mine and I won’t let anyone else, especially a spoiled papered prince, have you. I won’t let the past happen again.” I saw confusion on her face, but I didn’t want to make this any worse than I already had. I turned to flee. “Listen to your wolf Karma, she knows the truth.”