Moon Stolen: Raven Moon Wolves, #2

By Marty Mayberry

They stole Asher from me, and I'm going to make them pay.

Everly
The Drudge Pack took Asher from my arms, and my sister's murder is wrapped up in their secrets. Long ago, witches forced a spell on me, hiding my past and my future, and it's time to break the bindings and unleash my true potential. Ash is mine, and I'm taking him back. If the Drudge Pack gets in my way, they'll learn what happens when they cross a wolf with vengeance blazing in her heart.

Asher
Claiming Everly as my own was the best thing I've done in my life. And the worst, because now I've exposed her. The vicious Drudge Pack wants her, and I'm their bait. Once captured, they'll kill her to keep her from destroying them. I vowed to protect her from all threats, and if that means my life is forfeit to the Drudge, it's a price I'm willing to pay.

Moon Stolen is Book 2 in the Raven Moon Wolves Series. Expect a dual POV, twisty suspense, and plenty of romance between a determined woman and a wolf shifter hero.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Marty Mayberry
• Release date: Jan 16, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215943496

Book preview

1

EVERLY

Istood on the pier, listening while Asher’s father tried to manipulate him. Tears swam in my eyes, because it was clear I’d endangered him with my past and whatever waited for me in my future.

If only I’d pushed him away.

But I loved him, and we were fated. I knew this in my bones. There was no denying us.

Asher’s Dad glared at me. "I thought I could save you from that."

His words hit me with the blow he intended. I staggered at the rage I saw on his face. My dad told me I was special, a mix of both the human and fae worlds. That it was vital I lived. That someday, I’d understand why I was so important.

The symbol on my back burned, and when I touched it, I jerked. My gasp rang out. The serpents were moving, coiling, and snapping as if they were desperate to break free.

Fuck the Drudge, Ash said. If you need money that bad, divorce Mom and marry one of them yourself.

It has to be you, his father snapped.

Why? Ash asked.

There’s a legend.

I’m not part of some clichéd legend, Ash shouted.

Marry Olivia. It’s the only way to save you, his father said, his hand locking down on Asher’s arm, holding him in place. I tried to get you out of it. This isn’t what I want for my son, for my pack’s future alpha.

Does all this have to do with the symbol on Ev’s back? Ash asked.

The serpents stilled as if they were listening.

You revealed her when you asked about it before you left for school. Don’t you see? I’m trying to fix it.

Leave her alone. She has nothing to do with this.

No, I had everything to do with this. I’d endangered Asher solely by living, by loving him.

Forget about her. Asher’s father slammed his fist on the table. It’s over for her already. If you step aside, there may be a way we can pull you off the path you’ve started. Let the hybrid go. They have plans for her.

Plans…

Runs, my wolf said, the urgency in her voice making my heart leap. Runs as far and fast as you can. Almost too late!

It was already too late when I met him.

I won’t do it, Ash said. His gaze met mine, and the sorrow I read there stole my breath. My eyes filled with tears as I staggered into the restaurant’s weathered wall. You can’t stop me. You can’t stop us.

He wrenched away from his father and started toward me.

Something unbelievable rose from the sea behind him. It belonged in a dark fairytale.

No, in a nightmare.

Water sluiced off its human-octopus body, dashing onto the churning water below.

I gulped, and my hands lifted.

While his dad grabbed his arm and shouted, the creature loomed over Asher.

My legs unlocked, and I raced toward him. Watch out!

A tentacled limb snapped around Asher’s waist. Another coiled around his neck while others latched onto his legs.

My fingers straining, reaching, I ran toward Asher.

I came so close. I almost touched him.

The symbol on my spine burned like I was newly branded, and the serpents gnashed against their bonds.

Asher was hauled off the pier.

As it dragged him into the water, I ran toward the rail, ready to dive into the sea and protect him, but his dad grabbed me and hauled me backward.

My scream ripped out. Ash! No, no. Please no!

His father’s grip tightened around my waist. Flames licked through me, but when I tried to latch onto them—to use them to rip this man apart—they slid beyond my reach.

Pain ratcheted through my chest, splitting me wide open. I had to reach Ash before he drowned. I had to save him like he’d saved me.

They’d taken him. The Drudge. In my soul, I knew it.

I had to get away and find Kia. She must be wrapped up in all this—as was her tentacled friend I saw in the dorm’s lobby. I’d make her tell me everything she knew, or I’d burn her with a blast of fire so hot, she’d be ash before she realized it was coming.

Good, you’ve got her, someone said from behind me.

Asher’s dad turned me, keeping a firm grip on my arm.

Richard, the infamous alpha of the Drudge, strode across the pier, his footsteps heavy thuds on the wooden planking. Great catch, Thurston. She … I need to find out what she is. After that, I’ll take care of this little problem for you and your boy. My … underwater friends will hold him for me. A gruesome smile cracked his face. We wouldn’t want to mess him up too much. That would upset Olivia.

You’ve got to help Asher, I shrieked. My knees turned to jelly as fear consumed me. He was sucked in. He’ll drown!

Runs … my wolf cried, gnashing her fangs. Runs from them all.

Ash! I shouted, straining to break free.

Take her, Thurston said, thrusting me forward.

I stumbled into Richard’s arms, and they snaked around me, his grip reinforced with magic. Darkness sunk into my skin, claiming all that was left of me, binding something deep within me.

Richard’s gaze fell on the charm and crystal dangling together from the chain around my neck. His fingers clawed at them, and, with a yank, he ripped them away.

The back of my neck stung. I leaped, trying to take them back, whimpers of dismay ripping from my chest.

Thurston took them from Richard. His arm snapped out, and he threw them as far out to sea as he could. They sliced into the surface and disappeared from view.

Pain exploded inside me. First Ash and now my sister. My father made charms for me and my sister. We could communicate anywhere.

I’d never find her or Asher now, and my connection to Chloe was gone.

Get my son back, Thurston growled. I promise, I can make the fusion work.

Before we give him to Olivia, we may need to purge him, Richard said with distaste.

No, I cried, though I didn’t know what a purge was. Leave him alone.

If nothing else, we can use him to control her, Richard said.

I’ll make sure he no longer cares what happens to the mutt, Thurston said.

And that was where he was wrong. Asher and I … We were one. We needed each other. We were hopeless without the other.

I have ways of making shifters forget. Thurston pressed his fist against his chest and dipped his head forward. This, I promise you as your enforcer, your second, the alpha who will do whatever he must to protect our packs and the Drudge.

See that you do, Richard said with a scowl.

Movement behind him caught my attention. Kia stood near the restaurant’s wall, where the sun didn’t reach. When our gazes met, she tapped her finger to her lips.

I was bound by Richard’s arm and his insidious magic. It crept across my soul, seeking … I hastily erected a wall around my power to hide it, but I doubted my barrier would keep him out for long.

Kia rushed forward and for one second, her face flickered into something I couldn’t define. Scales? I wasn’t sure. The image was gone before I had time to absorb it.

She tumbled against us, and when Richard lost his balance, she ripped me away from him.

He shouted, backing away with his hands lifted. Smoke coiled off his blackened fingers. He looked down at them in horror, then snarled at her.

What had she done?

Taking my hand, Kia yanked me toward the shore.

Come with me if you want to see Asher again, she said.

Take me to him.

I will when I can.

Richard bellowed. Blasts of fire rocketed around us as we raced through the restaurant, across the beach, and up the path to the campus, leaving the flaming world behind us.

Kia didn’t stop when she reached the woods. No, she dove into the darkness.

And I followed.

2

EVERLY

Iran behind Kia for what felt like miles, until my tears dried, and fiery pain scorched my lungs. Through it all, the symbol on my spine burned. I could feel the serpents writhing.

The woods enfolded us, sucking us into its cool, deadly embrace. The last time I was here, my wolf and I were attacked by fiendish creatures pulled straight from my nightmares. We’d escaped and run into Asher.

Ash.

I wanted to howl out my fury. Drop to my knees and cry.

He was ripped from my arms. He was gone.

But I wouldn’t give up on him. I wouldn’t give up on us. I’d find him, rescue him, and reunite us again.

My sister’s murder was connected to his kidnapping, and my first goal had morphed into two. I’d find out what happened to her, and I’d rescue Ash.

Then I’d destroy the Drudge Pack.

Kia raced ahead of me, leaping over fallen logs and running around big rocks strewn across the path.

I followed, wild strands of my hair sticking to the drying tears on my face.

She cast terrified looks over her shoulder as we bounded deeper into the forest. From the highest point on campus, the area containing the woods appeared small, but magic controlled this part of the world. While things could appear in one way, the reality was often different. Deadly different.

Where are we going? I called out. My voice echoed around me like something had grabbed onto my words and scattered them in multiple directions.

Shh, was all she said.

Hell, no.

I came to a stop. Shoving my hair off my face, I tried to control my ragged breathing.

Kia ran a few more paces before halting. She didn’t turn. Only her flexed hands at her sides gave her away. You’ve got to keep going. We can’t stop here.

Tell me where you’re taking me. I trusted her but only to a point. She’d kept things from me, teasing me with hints of what she could be and what role she might play in my life. We’re having this out before I go farther.

Pivoting, she stomped back to me. I said we can’t stop here, she hissed. Her wild gaze scanned the woods, and she shuddered. They’ll find us if we don’t hide.

We’re bolting through the woods. We’re not going anywhere. They’ll find us when we get tired and drop from exhaustion.

She stiffened. I know where we’re going.

Is this going to play out like everything else? You’ll allude to something but never give me a clear answer?

I’m asking you to trust me for just a few minutes more. What you need to know will be revealed soon.

I need to know now, I said through clenched teeth.

A snap from our left echoed around us. It was followed by chittering and a guttural yip.

Runs, my wolf said. Like never before, runs!

Her urgency sped through me, lighting me aflame.

Something nearby jerked out a howl. The sound sunk into my bones, seeking the marrow. My skin prickled over with goosebumps.

Do you want to wait around for them to come closer? Kia asked, her voice shrill. Her face shifted slightly, like it had done before, as if she wore a mask, and it lost its magic briefly before she reinforced it.

"What are you?" I asked. I latched onto her arm. Did I think she’d run and leave me behind?

Maybes, my wolf said.

I need you to trust me. Kia looked down at my hand, and I loosened it, retracting my claws. Come with me. I don’t mean you harm.

I swallowed, a gulp of fear shoving itself down my throat and dumping into my belly.

If you want to get Asher back and find out what happened to Chloe, then you need to do a few things, she said.

My gasp slipped out. They’re connected. I knew it.

Of course. The pupils of her eyes unfocused before she locked her gaze on my face. Everything is connected at Ravenmire.

Tell me.

"Perhaps I should tell you instead," someone said from our right.

Alimar slunk from behind a stand of trees and strode toward us, dark, dangerous, and broody—in a bad way, not a sexy way.

Others found him appealing, if the tittering of my classmates whenever he stalked past was anything to go by. For some reason, I could never see him like they did.

Chitters and howls rang out from nearby.

Enough, Alimar barked.

Silence echoed around us as if someone had pulled the plug and whatever hunted us in the forest was sucked down a drain.

What did you do? I asked, taking a step back from him. He spooked me.

He moved toward me, keeping pace as I retreated.

He stalked me.

I asked them to stop. His lips curled up slightly before smoothing. Surely you don’t want them interrupting our conversation.

I don’t have anything to say to you.

No? He shrugged. Perhaps you don’t and perhaps you do. Time will tell, will it not?

He glared at Kia, and something unspoken passed between them.

Don’t take too long, she said with a huff. Pivoting, she stalked up the path, continuing until she had slipped out of view.

I need to speak with you, Everly, he said cryptically.

I’m not giving you another taste, I said, crossing my arms on my chest.

Never another taste, my wolf said with a shudder.

In exchange for a charm that would let me slip through any locked door, he touched my forehead. This gave him access to parts of me I kept buried deep inside. A taste, he’d called it.

I don’t need another sample, he said. I found what I sought with the last.

You said he didn’t take anything we needed to keep hidden, I said to my wolf.

Didn’t. Was locked down.

Yet…

He lifted his hand in front of my face, dangling something that winked in the bitter bit of sunshine daring to slice through the forest. Looking for this?

The charm from my dad and Alimar’s crystal swayed between us.

I snatched them from him and pressed them against my chest. My knees shook with relief that quickly turned to fire. How did you find them?

He made a tsk sound. You really need to take better care of your possessions. Someone disposed of them in the sea, which is not where they belong.

I lifted my chin as I stuffed them into my pocket. I didn’t throw them there.

No, it wasn’t you.

Why did you go after them? It didn’t make sense, unless he knew how much I loved the charm—yet, why would he care?

They’re both a part of me. The slick smile he flashed contained secrets I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. Let’s just say I know how to find things that are connected to me.

The crystal.

His head tilted. That too.

Drawing attention to Dad’s charm could be dangerous.

Thanks, I said, grudgingly.

I repaired the chain.

Huh?

His finger flicked to where I’d stuffed it into my pocket. You can wear it again. It’s as good as new. He glanced around the woods, his expression pleasant, as if we took a walk through a flower-covered meadow on a warm summer’s day. Aren’t you curious to know why I was looking for you?

He baits you, my wolf said. Takes care.

He’s trying to play me, but for now, I don’t have any reason not to see where he’s going with this.

I’ll always be able to find you, Everly, he said. If I didn’t know this slimy fae better, I’d think a touch of warmth filled his eyes.

Beyond creepy, dude, I said as I shoved past him.

Don’t you want to know how I can find you? His voice lifted as I strode up the path.

Snarling, I stopped, my hands fisting at my sides. Okay, tell me. My words came out sarcastic, but I guess I really did want to know what he had to say.

You’re my half-sister, Everly.

3

ASHER

Ispiraled down through the ocean with multiple tentacled limbs wrapped so tightly around me, I couldn’t move. I was drowning, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.

Everly.

If only I could see her face, touch her one last time.

My father let this beast take me. He hadn’t fought or protested. And all I could feel about that was anger. I should feel hurt that he was happy to see me die, shouldn’t I? Instead, my feelings for him felt burned, scorched across the surface.

Cauterized.

The creature that dragged me off the pier rushed through the water, propelling himself with kicks of his thick legs, down into the endless black depths of the sea.

Twisting, I tried to break free, to smack him, but my body moved in slow motion, hampered by the compressing weight of the water. My useless struggles slowed, and I hated that I couldn’t find a way to escape.

I reached for the last bit of magic I held trapped inside, but I couldn’t grab onto it. It would be useless to me, anyway. I’d only mastered masking spells, nothing I could use as a weapon.

Seaweed tangled around me in a noose, covering my face as the creature being continued to suck me deeper into his world.

His upper body undulated like a merman, his long dark hair and tentacled limbs streaming behind him.

I tried to shift but it was like the connection between me and my wolf had been severed. Stark fear filled me.

Wolf? I asked, but he didn’t reply. I couldn’t feel him or sense him. Why? Wolf!

Only emptiness remained where he’d been, and the idea that he’d left me or had been stolen ripped me apart.

The beast continued to spiral downward. My lungs ached. I kicked, but my efforts lacked strength. I’d spent it flailing after we hit the water.

Just when I thought it was over, we bottomed out. He tightened his tentacled grip around my chest and dragged me across the bottom covered with broken shells, rocks, and sunken logs, toward a large cluster of boulders.

My vision blurred, and my lungs screamed for air.

The watery world closed in as I was hauled into a hole on the side of the rock mound.

The guy thrust himself ahead of me, yanking me through a rubbery membrane. He