Read Online Hyena Moon by Jeanette Battista - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jeanette Battista
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with the werehyenas from the previous evening. He didn't want to worry her. "How're things up there?"
"The usual." Her voice was dry. "A lot of work to be done up on the mountain." Cormac's father owned a company that built custom mountain homes for those who could afford them. Summer was the busy building season. "Lenore is bored. Typical summer."
"She driving you crazy?" Cormac's little sister was a going to be a junior in high school in the fall and probably hated the relative sameness of summer in the Appalachians.
"Not yet..." The sound of the other extension being picked up cut her off.
"MOM?!" Lenore's voice boomed on the other end of the line and Cormac winced. His sister could be extraordinarily loud when she wanted to be. "Is that Mac on the phone?"
"Hey, sis."
"Oh my God, Mac you have to save me from this place. I am about to die from boredom. Please tell Mom and Dad I can come for a visit. PLEASE!"
"Lenore!" His mother sounded like she'd had enough. "Get off the phone."
"Mo-om!" Cormac was always amused by how his sister was able to put so much inflection into a one syllable word.
He took pity on her, trying to let her hopes down easy. "Look kiddo, it's not a good idea. Things are a little tense down here. Maybe when it calms down some."
Lenore slammed the phone down and Cormac pulled the phone away from his ear. He rubbed the back of his neck. He felt like he had gotten put in the middle of something and he wasn't sure exactly how. And it wasn't a good idea for his non-shifting sister to come down to Miami when they still weren't sure if they were in a war or not. He put the phone back to his ear. "That went well."
He heard his mother sigh. "You have no idea."
Cormac laughed at the exasperated tone in his mom's voice. "That bad, huh?"
"She's been impossible. It hasn't helped that she can't see Wyatt." Cormac remembered his dad mentioning that Lenore's best friend turned out to be a werebear. "She's been frustrated and bored."
"Not a good combination for a fifteen year old."
"Or her parents." Cormac heard the frustration in his mother's voice.
He decided it was best not to pursue that loaded line of conversation. "Is Dad around?"
"In his study. I'll get him for you."
"Love you, Mom."
He could hear her smile through the phone. "Love you too, sweetie."
Cormac heard her knock on a door, her muffled words, and then she passed the phone off to his father.
"Mac? How are things there?" His father's voice was deep and powerful. It was the voice of the pack Alpha. Even in casual conversations, the authority was there. It made conversations with him difficult.
"Good so far." He debated about whether to tell his father about Kess' idea and decided against it. "Kess has got everything pretty well in hand down here. We've only had to deal with one incursion and that was out in the Everglades."
"Anyone get hurt?" His voice sounded tense.
"No. Kess got two, I got one, and a gator got the other. We're all fine." Cormac tried to sound nonchalant. He didn't want to worry his dad or make him think he couldn't handle things down there.
"How's Finn doing?" His father's voice sounded more curious than tense.
"He's good too. He's been a big help." This was as true as it was surprising. Finn had never been what anyone would call a go-getter when they were at home, but Miami was bringing out a side to him Cormac had never seen. His cousin was steadier, more reliable these days.
"Anything else to report?"
"Ah, I talked to Lenore. She wants to come down." Cormac wasn't sure what was going on with his parents and Lenore, but thought his father should know that Lenore was petitioning to come down to Miami. He was pretty certain his father would be in agreement with him that it wasn't the best of plans.
"She's been at your mother nonstop almost since you left." There was a note of exhaustion in his voice. "She's persistent, I'll give her that."
"She kind of got mad when I told her it wasn't a good time."
"I'd
"The usual." Her voice was dry. "A lot of work to be done up on the mountain." Cormac's father owned a company that built custom mountain homes for those who could afford them. Summer was the busy building season. "Lenore is bored. Typical summer."
"She driving you crazy?" Cormac's little sister was a going to be a junior in high school in the fall and probably hated the relative sameness of summer in the Appalachians.
"Not yet..." The sound of the other extension being picked up cut her off.
"MOM?!" Lenore's voice boomed on the other end of the line and Cormac winced. His sister could be extraordinarily loud when she wanted to be. "Is that Mac on the phone?"
"Hey, sis."
"Oh my God, Mac you have to save me from this place. I am about to die from boredom. Please tell Mom and Dad I can come for a visit. PLEASE!"
"Lenore!" His mother sounded like she'd had enough. "Get off the phone."
"Mo-om!" Cormac was always amused by how his sister was able to put so much inflection into a one syllable word.
He took pity on her, trying to let her hopes down easy. "Look kiddo, it's not a good idea. Things are a little tense down here. Maybe when it calms down some."
Lenore slammed the phone down and Cormac pulled the phone away from his ear. He rubbed the back of his neck. He felt like he had gotten put in the middle of something and he wasn't sure exactly how. And it wasn't a good idea for his non-shifting sister to come down to Miami when they still weren't sure if they were in a war or not. He put the phone back to his ear. "That went well."
He heard his mother sigh. "You have no idea."
Cormac laughed at the exasperated tone in his mom's voice. "That bad, huh?"
"She's been impossible. It hasn't helped that she can't see Wyatt." Cormac remembered his dad mentioning that Lenore's best friend turned out to be a werebear. "She's been frustrated and bored."
"Not a good combination for a fifteen year old."
"Or her parents." Cormac heard the frustration in his mother's voice.
He decided it was best not to pursue that loaded line of conversation. "Is Dad around?"
"In his study. I'll get him for you."
"Love you, Mom."
He could hear her smile through the phone. "Love you too, sweetie."
Cormac heard her knock on a door, her muffled words, and then she passed the phone off to his father.
"Mac? How are things there?" His father's voice was deep and powerful. It was the voice of the pack Alpha. Even in casual conversations, the authority was there. It made conversations with him difficult.
"Good so far." He debated about whether to tell his father about Kess' idea and decided against it. "Kess has got everything pretty well in hand down here. We've only had to deal with one incursion and that was out in the Everglades."
"Anyone get hurt?" His voice sounded tense.
"No. Kess got two, I got one, and a gator got the other. We're all fine." Cormac tried to sound nonchalant. He didn't want to worry his dad or make him think he couldn't handle things down there.
"How's Finn doing?" His father's voice sounded more curious than tense.
"He's good too. He's been a big help." This was as true as it was surprising. Finn had never been what anyone would call a go-getter when they were at home, but Miami was bringing out a side to him Cormac had never seen. His cousin was steadier, more reliable these days.
"Anything else to report?"
"Ah, I talked to Lenore. She wants to come down." Cormac wasn't sure what was going on with his parents and Lenore, but thought his father should know that Lenore was petitioning to come down to Miami. He was pretty certain his father would be in agreement with him that it wasn't the best of plans.
"She's been at your mother nonstop almost since you left." There was a note of exhaustion in his voice. "She's persistent, I'll give her that."
"She kind of got mad when I told her it wasn't a good time."
"I'd
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