Chasing Moonlight

By Cora Zane

Blaze Logan can't figure out why Shelby keeps avoiding him, especially since he's sure the shy beauty is his mate. When she breaks one date too many, he goes to her cabin to call her out, only to find her in the throes of a painful transformation.

Shelby's secret is out. Unable to control her inner wolf, she is at the mercy of the moon. Determined to help her gain control no matter what it takes, Blaze is going to have to act fast in order to help her. She’s chasing moonlight, and the full moon is only days away.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cora Zane
• Release date: Feb 12, 2018
• ISBN: 9781370934317

Cora Zane

Cora Zane is probably best known as the author of the Werekind Werewolf Series of e-books. She began writing professionally in 2005 and has since published over twenty stories through multiple publishers, including Cleis Press. Her erotica work has been called "Surprisingly Kinky" by Library Journal, and a "Charasmatic Standout" by Publisher's Weekly. She is also a former P.E.A.R.L. finalist and a winner of the Freya Award. Primarily an erotic romance and erotica author, she has also published horror and slipstream stories in various anthologies. You can visit her online at www.corazane.com.

Book preview

1

The hot August night smelled of wolf, burn barrels, and lust. Across the ruined, century-old homestead, motorcycles revved, the rumbling engines opening to a full throttle roar that blanketed the riot of catcalls and rock music. Blaze Logan pushed through the crowd, looking for Shelby, the one woman who held his heart in her hands.

He spotted a slender woman with long, straight black hair walking along the rows of motorcycles, and his heart leapt. Was it her?

Tense and hopeful, he followed behind her a few minutes, but then the woman turned her head, and he glimpsed her angular profile—definitely not Shelby. His heart sank. Frowning, he stopped near one of the burn barrels and scanned the crowd.

Miller’s Landing was packed for a Thursday night—to be expected when heading into a full moon weekend that just happened to coincide with the annual Silver County festival.

He hoped the crowded atmosphere hadn’t driven Shelby off, but he recognized the possibility. It had taken some careful maneuvering on his part just to get her to speak more than a few words to him. She was painfully shy and mostly stayed to herself, so it was likely a large gathering like this wouldn’t be her thing. A small voice at the back of his mind warned him she might be a no-show, but he still wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, even if this wouldn’t be the first time she’d stood him up.

He made his way back to the row of motorcycles closest to where he had parked. A dark cloud of disappointment had begun to settle over him. He continued to scan the crowd, but Shelby was nowhere to be seen, and he was right back where he started. Again. This made what? His third complete walk around the landing?

Cursing under his breath, he was about to head back to his bike when his older brother’s best friend, Chase, came walking up, his arm around his pretty, blonde mate, Betsey.

Hey, man, what are you doing out on a school night? Chase grabbed him in a bear hug, hard hands patting leather.

Just out wandering around. Blaze pulled back. He kept an eye on the crowd, afraid that if he stopped looking for Shelby, he might miss her.

On the prowl? Betsey teased.

Chasing tail is more like it. Chase kissed his mate upside the head.

Blaze snorted. The only tail he was interested in chasing seemed to have a talent for avoiding him. When did you guys get here?

About thirty minutes ago, Chase said.

Blaze nodded. So, did you catch Drake and Libby? They’re around here somewhere.

Yeah, we talked to them for a minute. Chase wrapped an arm around Betsey. They went for a run.

Blaze clenched his teeth. He tamped down the sudden stab of jealousy that came unbidden. A wave of guilt immediately followed. It was tough being the last guy left unmated within his close circle of friends, but he couldn’t begrudge his brother having a mate. Drake loved Libby. He’d be lost without her.

Hey, Blaze!

He turned toward the feminine voice, hoping to find Shelby, but it was the flirty redhead from the post office. Dread curled through him. What was her name? Amanda? Miranda? Madeline? Tonight, instead of her too-tight uniform, she wore a tiny pair of cut-off jean shorts that showed off a pair of mile-long legs and the cheeks of her ass. Dark eyes glittering with mischief, she bit her lower lip and did a slow, sexy dance in the bed of her pickup truck. A blatant attempt to lure him over.

Chase lifted a black brow. I hope you were looking for trouble.

Not tonight. And definitely not with her.

Betsey chuckled. If nothing else, you’ve got options.

A frown creased his forehead. Not a chance. Look, I’ll catch you guys later. He gave Chase a fist bump.

Sure thing, dawg. See you at work tomorrow.

Blaze headed toward his bike before the redhead could get any new ideas. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her feelings, but his mood was officially shot to shit. It sucked, but he had no one to blame but himself. Shelby hadn’t exactly promised to show up. She’d told him she might, so it wasn’t technically a date. What made it worse; she’d pulled this same dodge on him last week when he’d asked her to meet him for coffee. Next time, he’d make double damn sure to get her phone number.

Snarling in frustration, he stepped through the break in the trees and made his way to where he’d parked his Harley. There, he shed his leather jacket and tossed it over the seat. His shirt was the next to go, then his boots, which he dropped on the ground beside his bike before he stripped out of his jeans.

The moonlight kissed his naked skin. He closed his eyes a moment and willed it to give him peace, despite the ever-present instinct that told him only his mate could ease the restlessness in his soul. He raked his hands through his hair then rolled his tense shoulders. Ready to run, he shifted into a large gray wolf and loped into the woods.

The trails were familiar to him, and he navigated them easily, a specific destination in his mind. The night winds ruffled his thick fur, and he stopped a moment to lift his nose and sniff for signs that someone else might have walked along this particular deer trail.

Wood smells pervaded, filling his nose with the pungent tang of pine sap, rocky soil, and prey. The only predator, man or wolf, he scented was himself. A good thing, because he’d become territorial about this patch of land and the woman who lived nearby.

Shelby.

Ahead, the trees thinned away, revealing a flat rock outcropping. It jutted from the grassy ledge overlooking a short stretch of curvy, Lodge Pine Road. The wolf stood near the drop point and looked down the hillside, which sloped away in a carpet of meadow grass and wild flowers to a tiny cabin nestled securely in a pocket of fir trees on the opposite side of the valley.

Hunger burned in him, a knot of anxious fire that gnawed at him no matter what form he took. He had called to her many nights, and still she hadn’t come to him.

Wolf shifted back into man, and Blaze stood naked on the ledge. His inner beast caged for the moment, he narrowed his eyes and searched the homestead below for signs of his woman.

Her ghost white ’67 Mustang sat in the driveway. The cabin lights were out, even the single porch light that sometimes burned well into the day. No telling flicker of color from the TV through the gauze drapes covering her living room window, but she was there. No doubt about that. Her very nearness called to him, urged him to go to her, present himself as her mate and claim her.

Gruff laughter rumbled in his chest. What would she say if he did just that? She’d probably call him crazy and run like a frightened rabbit. No. He couldn’t risk scaring her away. She avoided him well enough already.

He rolled his neck to ease the taut muscles there. Never had he wanted a woman so much. Desire for her skirted a fine edge between torment and arousal, but his interest in her covered far more than just sex. He wanted to hear her voice and breathe in her scent. He wanted to know her secrets, her dreams.

He needed to be close to her. Hell, he needed her. She was on his mind every waking moment. He fantasized about running with her, kissing her, making love to her in the moonlight while her soft black hair spilled through his fingers like so much silk. Just imaging her looking at him with love shining in her eyes was enough to make his inner wolf struggle for dominance.

Shelby. Her name was a whispered prayer.

Usually women flocked to him, even the human females aware of who and what he was. But Shelby was different. She stayed to herself. If she had any close friends, he didn’t know who they were. He had tried repeatedly to draw her out, to clue her in that he wanted to spend time with her and get to know her better, but she still withdrew from him.

Blaze clutched his hands in his hair and bit back the urge to shift. He’d tried his best to keep a reasonable distance, but being away from her for days at a time was becoming unbearable. How much longer could he take this separation? Frustration built inside him until finally, he lifted his chin to the moon and let out a long, sorrowful howl, a desperate plea for mercy. The silver notes shivered on the air, beckoning Shelby to come to him, to save him, to ease his body and salve his heart.

It shouldn’t be like this. The full moon was still days away. It was happening too soon.

Shelby Whitman’s body didn’t listen. It had a mind of its own when it came to rhythms, and it screamed now, now, now!

Searing pain rippled down her spine and shot through her limbs, sending a throb of panic straight to her brain. She quickly rolled out of bed and dropped to the floor, bracing herself for the next wave to hit.

Her foot connected with the legs of the nightstand and toppled it over, sending the alarm clock and her grandmother’s antique rose lamp crashing to the floor. But that was the least of her worries. Her joints popped loudly as they fought unsuccessfully to reshape themselves, and Shelby threw her head back in agony, her mouth forming a silent O.

A growl worked its way up from her throat. The unfamiliar sound terrified her, even though it came from her own body. She doubled over, gasping for breath. Through the heavy fall of her hair, she noticed the patterned moonlight spilling across the bedroom carpet. Serene and pale, the carpet diamonds glowed less than a foot away.

Seeking a distraction to take her mind off the fact her body was trying to turn itself inside out, she slid her hand across the floor to touch the shapes.

The moonlight tickled her skin, triggering another spasm. This time it started at the back of her neck, an uncomfortable prickling that crawled along her spine. The sensation shot down her left arm, and in a sudden shock of pain, thorny claws extended from her fingertips. Hot tears blurred her vision. Was there no way to stop it?

An eternity passed before the contractions finally abated. Shaken and weak, she collapsed onto her back and sobbed while rolling her