Packless (Hunter Moon Academy)

By Simone Leigh Martin

I thought I belonged with my foster family in the mountains. And even though life was hard, and the Devil of the Horn thought I was his, I was getting by. Because I didn’t need much, not when I had Darkness, my foster brother. But one kiss, and I’m sent away to an academy for shifter wolves, where I learn the meaning of the word dud.
Packless, clawless and clueless. I’m the lowest of the low, a dud wolf who can’t shift and has no pack to call her own. But there’s enough of a wolf inside me, the packs who run the school won’t let me go.
And the heirs to their packs – Marshall, Sawyer and Arras – keep finding reasons to remind me of my place. On my knees. Or under their claw. So why does Jasper Arras look at me like his wolf has claimed me for himself?
I fail their tests, and make enemies in high places, but there’s more to me than the girl with a broken wolf. And when I get a chance to run, to finally have a place where I belong, I’m going to take it. And a bunch of alphadouches better stay out of my way...

Packless is a full-length paranormal romance, and is the first book in the Hunter Moon Academy series. It ends on a cliffhanger and is recommended for 18+ due to language and sexual situations. If you like sexy, dark paranormal romances, where strong girls are tested and bad boys lose their hearts, this is for you.

Other books in the COMPLETE series:
Book 2 – Clawless
Book 3 – Heartless
Book 4 – Fearless

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simone Leigh Martin
• Release date: May 14, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005039363

Simone Leigh Martin

Simone has a dozen dark, delightful books in the pipeline.Why so many? After twenty years in corporate work, she decided to spend some time doing what she’s always loved to do - creating fantasy worlds and putting interesting female characters in difficult situations.Simone has always loved Science Fiction and Fantasy, and is an avid reader of Sarah J Maas, Stephen R. Donaldson, Karen Marie Moning, Jennifer L. Armentrout, David Eddings, Holly Black and Faith Hunter, to name a few.Her books have a strong paranormal/romance vein. She describes her genre as stories for readers who love fairytales, magic and romance... with a dark twist or two!She can be found in Western Australia, with her husband, two daughters and Coco, the best rescue cat in the world.Share the journey with her at https://www.simoneleighmartin.com

Book preview

Chapter One – VAIL

Friday night was game night in the Chance house, and I had an Eiffel Tower to build. I dropped a couple of sodas on the slab of pine Driftwood had carved for our dining table, and pried open the jigsaw box. Want to finish the Empire State, or go French with me? I called to my foster brother, Darkness. You can do the sky, since you’re late to the party.

Can’t, he muttered, swooping past me in a musky cloud.

I twisted around to look him over. He wasn’t just wearing cologne. His hair was slicked back, that floppy bit at the front tamed with something more than sweat or engine grease. Where are you going, all prettied up?

Mind your own, he told me, fiddling with the buckle on his belt. It was a new one and I was pretty sure his boots were either fresh hand-me-downs, or he’d spent a good hour polishing the cracks out of his old ones.

Driftwood came in and looked Darkness over. Sharp, he said, and headed into the kitchen. I rolled my eyes, but Darkness did look sharp, and something pricked my chest when I realized why. You got a date?

Something like that.

I tried to nod, but my neck felt like a rusty spring. I knew Darkness dated, but that was a bunch of us going for pizza after school. We never had much money, so the only way we could really date, was if we pitched in and split the costs. Or the only way he could date, since no guy had looked sideways at me since I got boobs in the eighth grade. You going for pizza?

No, he said sounding distracted. He was looking for something, and it took me a moment to realize what it was. Since I’d given it to him for his last birthday, I always kept an eye on his wallet, and I now pulled it out from under the puzzle box. I gaped when I flipped it open. Freaking hell, Dar, that’s a lot of bacon! Did you rob a bank?

Give it here. He snatched it out of my hand, but I was already moving towards my room. Don’t you go without me! I’m getting a Pepperoni all to myself!

I was pulling on my boots when I heard an engine rumble. No way was he leaving without me! Grabbing my jacket, I ran to the window, but Darkness’ tail light was already disappearing up the mountain. I stomped out in search of Driftwood. Why didn’t he wait for me? And how did he get so much money, anyway? He still owes me at least half a pizza for letting Sally Drears drip her strawberry shake all over my good jeans.

Not tonight, Vail, Driftwood said, and held up a puzzle piece. Want me to do the sky?

Not tonight, Driftwood, I snarked back, and slammed into my bedroom, tossing my jacket against the wall.

I stared out the window at the inky darkness. Nothing much twinkled on the mountain range known as the Horn, since electricity was for doing, not for looking. But in the distance, I could see a faint glimmer through the trees. There was always something doing at the Barakats. I pulled a face as I thought of Darkness’ mystery money. I knew he was saving for a new bike. But would he really get all tricked out to go buy a trail bike from the Barakats? Those boys were the definition of wild, and the only people who dressed up to visit were the girls from the Kitty Cat club in Ridgemont.

I rested my chin against the cold glass, and huffed out an annoyed breath. The only other thing the Barakats were good for was weed or moonshine, but Darkness was too clever for that.

He was always warning me off the Barakat boys and their evil deeds. They weren’t friends, exactly, but whereas our cabin ran off a generator half the year, the Barakats always seemed to have the best of things. The newest bikes and the best rifles, even when the rest of us were scraping under the sofa cushions for pennies. The one time I’d been inside their sprawling ranch home, I’d been shocked stupid by all the luxuries, including a television the size of a picture window and a hot-tub looking out over Mount Whitnor. They even had fairy lights on their back porch, the exact kind I was always nagging Driftwood to get for my room. I remember looking at Trey, the eldest Barakat, in a new light for a moment. They still dressed like a bunch of shaggy-haired dog turds, but they sure knew how to put a bit of sparkle into the Horn.

The next time I’d thought about those fairy lights, was when Trey had grabbed me after school. It had been about six months ago, and I’d started to notice he was hanging around more often. He had twin brothers in my grade, so maybe he was just giving them a ride. Or checking on his drug empire, since half the damn school reeked of Barakat weed. Either way, every time I turned around, there was Trey watching me with his eerie yellow eyes.

It made me jumpy. Not just the eyes, but the things I saw in them. My dad once said you couldn’t trust a man who never looked you in the eye. But I would have given up a month of free pizza to never have a window into Trey Barakat’s soul again.

But that day I’d had my head down, scuffing lines through the gravel while I’d chewed on my lip. I’d been stewing over a party I’d heard about, but didn’t get invited to, when he pushed me up behind the workshop, his hands caging me against the hot metal siding.

Nearly all grown up, my pretty V. His wild, yellow gaze licked down my body, even though I was in my dusty jeans and one of Darkness’ old tees. What you gonna do then?

Kick your ass for looking at me like that. It’s what I wanted to say, but I didn’t need Darkness to tell me to steer clear of Trey’s temper. Instead, I’d told him the truth. That a popular kid was bragging about a party he was throwing while his folks were out of town. No Horners, which is what the townies called us from the mountain. Not unless I wanted to come in a bikini and serve shots between my tits.

I’d expected Trey to ogle my chest, like talking about it gave him a free pass, but instead his eyes had held mine. And something had shifted there. Like a film of oily black across that disturbing yellow. A scent had risen off him, sharp and tangy, and the hairs on my nape had stood on end. My fists had clenched, expecting some kind of explosion. But he’d just asked for the kid’s name, then got my trail bike for me from the rack. It was a beat-up, faded beast, but he knew it on sight, since it was one of his hand-me-downs.

And he was handsy, too, as he’d got me settled on the seat. Next time you’re looking for a party, V, you just follow those pretty lights you like so much, he’d said, and I’d tried not to pull a face. Partying with Trey, ‘the Devil of the Horn’, Barakat was a firm no, but that popular kid never had his party, and the townies never mentioned my tits again.

I stuck my head out the door. Driftwood was turning the puzzle piece between his fingers, and staring into space. I’m reading in my room. Don’t wake me.

Are you reading or sleeping?

I ignored him and bolted my door. They were both used to that, since all the nicest things in the cabin were in my room. Except now Darkness had a new belt buckle and was shining his shoes on a Friday night.

My bedroom was perfect for discreet exits. It looked up the back of the mountain, and I could step straight from my window to the raised edge of the veggie patch. Those damn fairy lights were taunting me, but I had to admit they were a good beacon in the dark. And all the dirt bike riding had carved a useful path between our houses. But my heart was still beating hard, my palms damp. I knew Darkness was most likely just playing video games and droning on about the bike he was going to buy, but I had to see. I had to know.

Or at least I thought I did, until I drew up outside the window to one of the Barakat bedrooms. I’d never been that far into their house, but that one room was always lit up, a lamp burning through the dark like a sleepy eye. I didn’t know who slept there. Again, I didn’t want to know. But they weren’t sleeping, anyway.

I felt the air move around me, sharp hipbones at my back. I froze, just as Trey whispered in my ear, You creeping up on me for a change, V?

I shuddered. Both that he’d casually admit to stalking me, and at the feel of his body behind mine. Guys didn’t go for me; I’d worked that much out from my few fumbled attempts at flirting. It was painfully ironic that the one guy I wanted nothing to do with was pressing his groin to my spine, and every inch seemed delighted at the contact. He made a strange sound in the back of his throat, but I couldn’t tear my eyes from the window.

What you looking at, little V? I tried to turn, but he caged me in, same as that day against the workshop wall. Only this time he bunched his knuckles and rapped on the window. The girl looked up first, and I saw she was older than I thought, but still beautiful. Wild blonde hair and long red nails, cutting grooves in Darkness’ sweat-sheened skin. Hey, lovebirds, Trey called. You got an audience. Want me to invite her in?

Darkness’ eyes slammed into mine. They were glossy, unfocused, but the sight of me standing there made them widen in horror. But he didn’t stop moving, his face clenching tight as the girl pursed her lips and blew me a kiss. Or maybe it was for Trey, who was chuckling darkly into the side of my neck. Ducking under his arm, I fled into the darkness, his amused voice calling after me, Don’t be a stranger, little V.

Chapter Two - VAIL

I waited for Darkness to come home that night, but it was dawn before I heard his bike come tut-tutting down the hill. I was on the back porch when he was near enough to see me, although his head refused to turn in my direction. His hair was mussed, and my fists clenched at the memory of those long red nails pulling on his curls. I wanted to scream a hundred questions at him, and give him the silent treatment at the same time. I settled for a face like spoiled milk. I hope you showered! Bad enough you were at the Barakats, but you had to go rolling around in their sheets as well. You probably have fleas! Or a VD. Did you think about that, Dar?

He got off his bike and looked up at me, dark circles carved under his eyes. I used a rubber. He paused, then gave me a small grin. Three, in fact.

Got your money’s worth then, I spat.

Something slid across his face, like he was about to tell me he was sorry. But instead, he just patted his pocket. Charlene didn’t even charge me for the last time.

I wanted to scream. Maybe I did. I knew I looked like a crazy person, yelling at my brother and kicking the porch rail. But he was my brother. He belonged to me, not Charlene with the long red nails. And the thought of her knowing something about him that I didn’t, made me want to rip that smirk off his tired face. You look like shit, I told him instead.

And you sound like a jealous kid. He stomped over to the porch steps, his jaw as hard as rocks. But I could see a mark on his neck, as bright as if he’d cut himself shaving. My stomach lurched as I realized it was a lovebite. I’m not jealous, I feel like puking! Looking at you is giving me the heaves, Dar.

Just leave it, Vail.

I felt something crumple in my chest. Darkness was looking at me like I was the worst pain in his ass, and clueless to boot. It was like my heart was disintegrating with every annoyed twitch of his face.

I shouldn’t have followed you up there, I mumbled.

No shit. But you did. Just like you should stop talking about it now, but you won’t.

I watched as he shoved his hair off his brow, his boots thumping up the porch steps. I noticed one was undone, the laces trailing behind. He was going to face-plant one of these days. Didn’t matter how many times I told him. I opened my mouth to say it again, and his shoulder hit mine. Another annoyed glance slid my way.

Something in me cracked. Maybe it was my heart, or just my temper. Wrenching on his arm, I pulling him back around towards me, then gave him a little push. His eyes flew open, wide with shock, and then his feet were stepping into air. I had one fleeting moment of satisfaction – he wasn’t going to ignore me now – before he grabbed my wrist and pulled me with him.

It wasn’t far to fall. Just six steps, but each one had a wooden edge, and there was hard-packed dirt waiting for us at the bottom. I was rammed tight against Darkness as we fell. I caught a glimpse of his panicked face. My brain was having a hard time accepting what I’d done. Had I really pushed him off the stairs to get him to look at me? What kind of lunatic did that?

Remorse flooded me, but when I tried to flip him round, he was having none of it. Strong arms clasped me tighter to his falling body, my head tucked under his chin. My stupid brother. Stubborn to the bitter end.

I came down hard on his chest, those newly-formed slabs of muscle knocking the wind out of me. But he took the full force of the ground – and my weight, too – his face going white with pain. Fuck, V! He managed to gasp, and all my anger and unease was blown away at his bewildered words.

I’m sorry! I sat up quickly, hugging my aching ribs. Shit, are you okay, Dar? I didn’t mean to…

But as I made to scurry back off him, his hand clamped down on my thigh. Don’t move. Just… wait a minute.

Even knocked to shit, I could feel the heat of his hand through my jeans, knew the shape of every pad of his fingers as they dug in. I had to be hurting him worse, sitting on him like this. His back would be throbbing, especially with the amount of gravel washed up in the last rains. Driftwood had told me to rake it, but I’d argued it was Darkness’ turn… Just like him, I was stubborn to the bitter end.

I studied his face, my fingers itching to smooth that flop of hair in front. Even knowing that woman had run her nails through it didn’t kill the urge. Really? I frowned down at him. Aren’t I hurting you?

His gaze darkened then, a look I felt right down to my winded belly. It made me squirm a little, and his other hand clasped my thigh. Instead of pushing me off, he pulled me forward an inch. Something hard rubbed against my jeans and he groaned.

I froze. I’d heard him make that sound last night. For a moment an image of his sweaty face was laid across the one below me, and I remembered the way he’d moved. The roll of his hips. The way his hands had clenched her shoulders, while her long red nails had dug grooves in his spine… Was he thinking about her now?

The thought made my sore belly flip and I pushed down on his arms, trying to wriggle out of his hold. But he just groaned again and slid his hands to my waist. Fuck, you’re killing me, V, he mumbled. Why are you always right there?

I didn’t know if he meant last night, or every other day of his life since my dad died and left me here. I didn’t get a chance to ask, because his hand drifted to the back of my head, and he pulled me down for a kiss.

My first, or the first that mattered. This was the moment. The one we’d both been dancing around, I realized now. All those frowning looks and shoulder checks, those unnecessary touches and prying questions. We’d just been trying to work our way to this place, where Darkness’ lips were on mine. Both hot and soft. Familiar and strange. When his tongue slid across my seam, my hips jerked down, grinding against his.

Darkness! Driftwood’s bark tore his son’s mouth away faster than a blow. And the look that bloomed in his eyes, it was worse than any sucker punch. Worse than the horror I’d seen through the window last night. Like it shamed him to have our kiss shining on his lips. To prove it, he rubbed the back of his hand over his mouth, and pushed me sideways, into the dirt. I was too quick to go sprawling, leaping to my feet and turning to Driftwood to explain.

But Darkness was thumping my shoulder again as he went past. His voice was thick with disgust as he stomped back up the stairs. Shit, Vail. I told you to leave it alone! Can’t you get that through your thick head?

***

Darkness disappeared up the mountain for the rest of the day, and didn’t come home that night. Or the next. By the third night, as I washed the dishes beside Driftwood, I asked if we shouldn’t go look for him.

He’s fine, Vail. Just gone up to stay with Clayton’s boys for a few days.

I scowled out the window at that. Clayton Barakat had spawned four devil sons, then gone feral, living buck naked in the far north, if the rumors were to be believed. I hate those boys, I muttered, thrusting the plate at Driftwood to dry.

They have their place, like everyone in the Horn.

I snapped my glare his way. You’re too nice, Driftwood. Trey Barakat is scum.

Instead of arguing, a flash of pain touched Driftwood’s face and he stopped drying the plate in his hands. For a long moment he just stared out the window. It was too dark to see much, and our reflections were in the way. But he looked like he had all the problems of the universe on his shoulders. I tried to think of something to take the sting out of the air, but I kept seeing Darkness in my head. Not wrapped up in that woman he’d shined his boots for, but on the porch steps, his face twisted with disgust…

I’ve got you a place at a good school, Driftwood said abruptly, breaking into my aching thoughts. It’s an Academy for smart kids. They can help you, Vail, in a way I can’t anymore.

Help me? I wasn’t the best student, but my grades were good enough, and the teachers never had to call him in like they did with other kids. Wait a second. I don’t need a new school, Driftwood. We’re already a month and a half into the year. And you and Darkness help me fine.

He placed the dish on the pile and turned to me. It’s all arranged. You start classes on Wednesday.

Wednesday? In two freaking days? I can’t. I don’t want to. When he just looked at me, I dropped the bowl into the sink with a thud. What academy? I never heard of anything like that in Ridgemont.

It’s not in Ridgemont. It’s over near the Huntington Peaks.

I snatched the bowl out of the suds and attacked it with the sponge. "The Peakers? Is it a cult school? That’s where you want to send me?"

It’s not a cult. They just keep to themselves out that way.

I dropped the bowl again, splashing the front of my shirt, but I didn’t care. My mind was whirling. That’s pretty much the definition of a cult, Driftwood. And how am I meant to get there and back every day? It has to be eighty miles if the roads are good!

You won’t have to. It’s a live-in arrangement.

My heart dropped into the sink, right alongside that slippery bowl. A boarding school? No way!

It’s the best school in the area, and they’ve already accepted you.

You know I don’t care about school that much! And how will I get back to see you on weekends once the snows come? You know the buses won’t run past winter break. My voice caught. He wasn’t expecting me to come back on weekends. I wasn’t just going away to school. I was going away, period.

I bit hard on my lip, grabbing the edge of the sink to stop myself falling. If this is because I kissed Darkness, I’m sorry. And I promise I won’t do it again.

Driftwood suddenly dragged me in for a hug, soapy hands and all. I breathed in his pine scent, but for once I wasn’t comforted. You did nothing wrong, Vail. This is just the way it needs to be now.

I pushed back, leaving a soapy handprint on his shirt. "But I don’t want to go. Driftwood… Dad, please!"

I’m sorry, Vail. But we’re just going to have to see this through.

Chapter Three - VAIL

Only Driftwood wasn’t my dad, and please wasn’t enough to change his mind. He might not have called this punishment, but I knew when you had to see something through, it wasn’t because life was handing you a prize. Not that I expected it to. But I’d never imagined that in just a couple of days I’d be leaving everything I’d ever known behind. Or I’d be traveling nearly a hundred miles to a school I’d never heard of.

Driftwood drove me down the mountain, every bump in his rusty truck forcing another little wedge in my aching soul. He didn’t hang around for goodbyes, just slung my duffel bag at some guy in a black uniform like he was the one being torn to bits. There was a moment where I thought he might snatch me back up and toss me in his rattletrap, but the driver opened the back door to his big, sleek car, and Driftwood was gone in a spray of gravel. Everything else was pretty much a blur until the car rounded the Gateway, a natural cliff face bordering the only road into the Huntington Reserve.

The Peaks rose up in the distance, sharp and gray. I’d never been this far east, since I wasn’t kidding when I called it cult lands. I’d kind of hoped that the mountains would talk to me, but there was nothing familiar about these jagged peaks. The Horn might have had its sharp edges, but this was something else. Dark forest covered all but the highest ridges and those poked into the sky like snapping teeth. I’d been feeling sick since I’d dragged myself out of bed; staring up at the Peaks’ vicious smile didn’t make me feel any better.

The driver pulled up to an iron gate set in a long stone wall. We’d been driving alongside it for a while, and I’d figured it was to mark some important part of the reserve, but now I had to wonder if it wasn’t some movie star’s house. Or maybe a mobster in hiding. Who else had a guardhouse and a front drive that curled into the distance as far as you could see?

Welcome to Hunter Moon Academy, Miss Chance, the driver said. It wasn’t lost on me the gate had clanked shut before he extended the greeting. There is a school brochure in the pocket in front of you. In case you have any questions.

Part of me wanted to snap at him. Like where the hell was I? And maybe next time offer your captive their reading material at the start of their long-ass journey. But fighting, as Driftwood liked to remind me, was a drain on your emotions. It ate up your passion and oxygen and hope. And I already felt about as hopeful as the roadkill wedged in the car’s wheels.

A feeling that only grew as we rolled to a stop at the end of the drive. Hunter Moon Academy looked exactly like it sounded. A rich-kid prison that didn’t bother with pretty playing fields and inviting facades. Just a great pile of old stone rising from the forest like a forgotten tomb. No gargoyles, but

Reviews for Packless (Hunter Moon Academy)

[anchevdm18 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Really enjoyed this one. Hopefully book 2 is just as good

[karen.vagas · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book loved reading this so into underdog versus world

[Lindsay Dronen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really need to read the rest of the series! It sucks so bad when this happens. Great book though

[Danielle Van Den Berg · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Please add the other books in the series. I need to finish the story

[riley bando · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Pleaseeeee get book 2, 3, and 4 on here. Great story and I’m dying to know what happens nexts