Read Online Christmas Moon by Sadie Hart - Free Book Online Page A

up the trail, her senses on high
alert. She felt the Hound magick rise inside her, swirling just
under her skin, her inner canine rising to the surface as well.
Fear prickled at the back of her neck. Whatever this was about,
apparently it was personal, and that tended to make everything more
dangerous.
    She slipped her magick out into the forest
around her, searching for any signs of danger as she headed up the
path. She didn’t want to be taken by surprise. A small smile
quirked the edge of her lips. Heck, she actually wanted to make it
to Christmas this year, actually cared . There was even the
possibility that she might want to take Hunter on a date soon
enough. A real one. Her smile widened.
    For the first time in a long time she was
looking at the potential possibilities of having a future, of
moving on with her life. And as she looked up at the snow covered
peak, felt the Hound magick swirling inside her, she realized that
she was at peace with herself. Right now, the Hound in her was
back. The woman who actually wanted to help people, to make a
difference, she was back.
    And that was the woman who had wanted to live
life, find happiness, learn to love once more. Maybe she had needed
time to find herself again, and maybe the quiet and solitude of
White Pine had done that for her, but as she got closer and closer
to the top, Bree knew it had more to do with the wolf hiding in the
shadows guarding her back than anything else. Hunter Reed hadn’t
just barged into her life; he’d breathed life back into it.
    She’d have to remember to thank him when this
was over.
    The wind swirled, bringing with it the scent
of another wolf—this time feminine. Hunter’s wolf. Bree drew her
gun and picked up her pace.
     
    ***
     
    The cold wind ripped through the trees,
ruffling through his fur as Hunter stalked up the forest, winding
closer and closer to the top. The wolf was hardly disturbed by the
frigid breeze. His ears pricking back and forth for any sound out
of the ordinary. He heard a hare move over the snow, moving slow as
it searched for food, but beyond that the forest of Wolf’s Peak lay
quiet. Undisturbed.
    His hackles prickled.
    This whole thing felt a trap. It was too
easy.
    Biting back the urge to snarl, Hunter picked
up pace. His keen gaze took in the pale landscape. The snow was
dappled with shadows and fallen branches. Brittle, yellowed pine
needles poked out from the blanket of white where the trees had
gotten too heavy with the weight of winter and had snapped under
the pressure.
    Scent pocketed in the uneven ground and
Hunter paused to inhale the smells of the forest. The closer he
dared to pace to the marked trail, the stronger the scent of Rylie
and the rogue got. So far, it didn’t seem like the bastard had
varied.
    Was he just that dumb or was Hunter missing
something?
    He had to expect that Bree with all her Hound
training would come prepared to face him, that she wouldn’t be
duped by an amateur. He had to be hiding somewhere. Hunter picked
up speed as he neared the peak. Through the trees he could see one
of the small clearings with its snowed over picnic area and old
rusted grill stand.
    He slunk along the edges, his tongue trailing
out over his teeth as he tasted the air. For the first time blood
touched his nose, sweat. Rylie . His wolf curled back his
lips to reveal fangs in a silent snarl. He’d get the bastard for
every mark he’d left on her.
    The scent drew stronger and stronger,
wrapping around the trees, curling over the snow, it until finally,
crouched in a bush near the summit edge he spotted Rylie face down
in the snow. Blood smeared the white. He lifted a paw before he
could stop himself, barely holding his wolf back from charging out
into the open.
    She was alone. Obviously hurt, but he could
see the slight rise and fall of her chest. Alive then. He scanned
the peak. The rogue had been here recently. He could smell it in
the wind. Hunter guessed the rogue had maybe left minutes ago,