Night of the Wilding Novella EBOOK (Storm Moon Shifters and Moonfell Witches Series)

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One
There was only a razor-thin crescent of moon visible as Maverick Hale, alpha of the Storm Moon Pack and owner of Storm Moon, his club in Wimbledon, London, unleashed his wolf in the enormous grounds of Richmond Park.
He was accompanied by a select number of his pack members: Domino, his female Head of Security; Arlo, his Pack Second who managed the club; and Vlad, the club’s Deputy Manager. They were his inner circle, privy to the secrets and issues that he kept from the rest of the wolf-shifters. There were others in that select group, such as Grey, the human Deputy Head of Security, and Jet, his human spy, but they weren’t part of the hunt that night.
It was mid-June and hot, and London felt unsettled, as if something lurked beneath the blazing sun. The glare that daylight brought was almost too bright. It slanted into every corner, and the heat had made the ground hard and dry, and the grass brown. Dust rose around his pounding paws as he raced through the grounds, his three companions spread around him. It felt good to cut loose at night, and even better that it was just past the new moon. Darkness was welcome.
Without warning, half a dozen rabbits bolted into view, white tails bobbing as they bounded across the field, and rather than set off in pursuit, he waited, senses alert for what might have disturbed them. Even with his excellent night vision and acute sense of smell, he sensed nothing untoward, yet they raced away as if spooked by something. Maybe it was him they sensed. He was a predator after all, and as he wasn’t hunting, hadn’t bothered to disguise his approach.
And then a screech sundered the air, and a huge owl soared overhead, talons outstretched. Spotting Maverick, it swooped and headed directly for him. Even as Maverick sensed that something was wrong, because owls in general did not attack wolves, he still responded as his instincts demanded. He snarled, back legs bunching beneath him, ready to spring at the threat.
It was a Tawny Owl, larger than most, and its amber eyes blazed with a fiery orange light, much as Maverick’s probably were. They gleamed gold when threatened, and although an owl wasn’t really a threat to a creature of his size and speed, the fact that it was being blatantly aggressive was enough to provoke a reaction. As he leaped towards it, the owl turned swiftly, avoiding his snapping jaws, and its claws raked through the thick fur on his shoulder blade before rising on powerful wings and wheeling away.
Maverick landed softly on his paws, cursing his clumsiness. The bird was swifter and more agile than he had expected for such a large creature. And that’s why wolves don’t chase birds. Idiot. A wave of dizziness swept over him, and he slumped to the ground, shifting quickly back to human. The dry grass scratched his bare skin, and he barely had time to register that he’d shifted without really intending to, when Domino raced to his side and shifted, too.
“Are you all right, Mav? I saw the owl attack you.” Her long, dark hair fell over her face as she crouched to inspect his wounded right shoulder. “Claw marks, but they’re not deep.”
“They sting like a bitch, though.” He twisted to look at them. “They don’t look too bad.”
Domino inhaled deeply, and an odd expression swept over her face. “You smell different. What’s going on?”
Maverick’s hand flew to his shoulder, coming away sticky with his blood. He sniffed tentatively. “Can you smell poison? I must admit, I feel…odd.” He shook off his irrational fear. “It was just an owl. I can’t be poisoned. I’ll sleep in my wolf tonight. It will pass.” Shifters were preternaturally strong, and healed quicker than humans, especially if they stayed in their primal form. His gaze swept his surroundings, but the owl had disappeared, and so had the rabbits. In a few seconds, though, Vlad and Arlo loped towards him, shifting to human, too.
“We saw what happened,” Arlo said. “Tried to follow it, but it vanished too quickly. Somewhere over Two Storm Wood. Any idea why it…” And then he stopped speaking, eyes darting to Domino and Vlad before settling on Maverick again. Arlo was his best friend, who he’d known for years. He was mixed race, with a Jamaican dad and English mom. He was normally laid back and easy-going, but his face was now creased with fear. “Where’s your wolf, Mav?”
“Where it always is, you twit.”
“No, it’s not. I can’t sense him.”
Maverick could always feel his wolf. It was a part of him. The wild nature at his very core. It gave him superior strength, speed, an excellent sense of smell, and acute night vision. It also made his human side stronger. All wolf-shifters were superior to humans in every way. And as the alpha, he was quicker and stronger than his pack, but he kept his natural aggression tightly leashed. He wasn’t a monster. Even so, his wolf lurked close, ready to rise should he need it. He felt for it as he always did, and then realised why he felt so odd.
It wasn’t there.
“What the fuck?” Maverick’s hand flew to his chest, as if he could feel it just under his skin, and he sought deep within himself. Had it fled out of fear? Was it hiding in some part of himself he didn’t know he had? All stupid questions. His wolf never ran. “It must be here…” He stared at Domino and Vlad, seeking reassurance. “Can you sense it?”
Vlad shook his head, eyes darting away to take in their surroundings, as if he couldn’t bear to look at him, but Domino kept her eyes firmly on Maverick. “No, I can’t. It’s just as Arlo said. It’s missing. I knew something was different, but I was so focussed on your injury…”
Maverick felt sick again. Dizzy. This couldn’t be happening. He was the alpha. A born shifter. You couldn’t lose your wolf…right? “It can’t have just gone!” His panic rose and his heart pounded.
Domino turned to Arlo. “Arlo, our wolves don’t just vanish, and owls don’t normally attack us, yet that owl attacked Maverick. Maybe it had poison on its talons.”
“That suppress our wolf?” He tossed his dreads in derision. “It’s not suppressed, Dom. It’s gone. And I don’t smell poison. Do you?”
Maverick felt like a child while they discussed the issue as if he wasn’t even there. Was this how it was now? No wolf, no opinion? Bollocks. He couldn’t even snarl! A wolf with no bite. It just wasn’t in him anymore. He felt so weak. So ineffectual. “Guys! I’m right here. I was fine, right up until I saw that owl. It must be responsible!”
He rose to his feet feeling diminished. Like half a man, even though physically he hadn’t changed at all. He scanned the sky, looking for the Tawny Owl. Unfortunately, he might look the same, but his eyes weren’t. Nothing was as clear as it should be. Plus, he was naked, and it was a long walk home.
“How can an owl be responsible?” Domino asked. “It doesn’t make sense. Perhaps something happened to you earlier in the day?”
“It’s been a regular day, Dom, until the owl encounter. As soon as it struck me, I collapsed…so rationally, it must be the owl.”
Vlad finally spoke. “Maybe it wasn’t an owl.”
“Another shifter?” Arlo asked.
Vlad shrugged. He was a tall, blond, and blue-eyed Dane that had been recently promoted to the role, and so far he’d been loyal and reliable. “I don’t know, but owls don’t normally attack wolves, and they don’t steal powers.”
Maverick’s voice rose with anger. “Whatever it is, how can it steal my wolf? It’s like stealing my soul!” He sighed when no one answered. “Raise the pack. Have them come out here and hunt that thing. It’s still out there somewhere.”
“Are you insane?” Arlo said, incredulous. “Let the entire pack know you’ve lost your wolf? You’ll be challenged, and you’ll lose. We can’t tell anyone. Understood?” He stared at Vlad. “Vlad?”
He nodded. “Of course. It would be a disaster. But what if we’re attacked? This could happen to any of us.”
“It might only be temporary,” Domino reasoned.
“We don’t know that,” Vlad pointed out. “It could be forever!”
Dizziness swept over Maverick again. He couldn’t lose his wolf forever. He’d lose who he was. His place in the pack. Maybe even his life. He’d made enemies. If the wrong people found out he was weak… “I need to get home.” Home was his luxurious flat above Storm Moon.
“No!” Arlo shook his head. “That’s the last place you should be. Other pack members can find you there and detect the loss. And you can’t go back with me. Jax would find out.” Jax was another shifter, and Arlo’s flatmate.
“Or me,” Vlad said. “Mads would know. I know he’s my brother, but…” He trailed off, eyes full of doubt, and Maverick understood why. Mads had struggled with Vlad’s promotion, but would he really challenge Maverick? He prided himself on being a popular alpha, but with wolves that only went so far.
“Moonfell,” Domino said decisively. “It’s the only safe place you can go. The witches have no interest in the pack beyond helping us. They will not challenge you. They can help, and right now, we need all the help we can get.”
‘I don’t need minders,” Maverick said, glaring at his companions. “I need my wolf back.”
“We three will investigate that,” she said, clearly ignoring his doubts. “And I’ll involve Grey. Maybe Jet, too. We’ll go from there.” Grey was ex-military, and always useful in a crisis. Domino squared her shoulders. “Apart from those two, we say nothing to anyone, and finding out about that damn owl is our number one priority. Is that okay, Maverick?”
Maverick hadn’t felt vulnerable for years. Not since his parents died. But right now, with three aggressive wolves looking at him, wolves who knew he couldn’t fight properly, he felt his fear rising but immediately squashed it. They must not sense that. No matter if they were his friends. They were still wolves. He nodded, needing to exert his alpha dominance now more than ever. “Yes, all great suggestions. Thanks, Domino. I’ll head to Moonfell now, but keep me updated.”
“I’ll escort you, that’s my job. You two,” she glanced to Arlo and Vlad, “start hunting—but be careful. I’ll join you when Maverick is safe.”