Fire Moon by Miss CrazyPlantLady (phonics reading books .TXT) 📖

and I gestured to the empty kitchen, "Do they not live here?"

The meeting room was packed with wolves and now, other than us and the five of them, the house was a deafening silence. No loud thuds or running feet, not at all like my father's house. Pack members came and went all day. The higher ranked pack members stayed at the house, ate breakfast with us and to have no one else here in his house was extremely odd.

His face finally faced me as he held my dark eyes in the paint pots of his, "This is my house."

I frowned, "So, no one else but you, lives here?"

A shake of his blonde head and he took a bit of his chicken. I watched as he chewed with his powerful jaw, the muscles moving under his cheek and his head angled at me after he swallowed, "Only my Betas and our Gamma, if they wish to." Bain is the other Beta like I predicted.

August's scent lingered around us, like a sweet mixture of cedar and jasmine. It filled my nose as I leaned in, "Are you mated?" almost as if I burnt him, he flinched but I frowned, "You asked me first."

His lips twitched with amusement but he shook his head after watching me for a few seconds too long, "No pup, not yet" his voice a whisper.

I watched him place his dishes in the sink and stroll out of the kitchen. Taking his scent with him.

Urith took his seat the second August was gone and pushed my plate away, "I just spoke to the Gamma."

I hadn't met the Gamma yet; they weren't at the meeting but not that I could tell which one it was. The Gamma was usually the oldest and wisest member of the pack. More knowledgeable than the Sigma and wiser than the Beta. Third in command in most packs, some packs rank their Deltas above the Gamma and my father ranked our Deltas above our Gamma. Our Gamma was my uncle, eldest offspring on my mother's side, Wren.

Urith clicked his finger, "Focus, Changeling" his tone cold and calm, "I asked about the Changeling books and she told me that they disappeared the night your father did."

My face heated and I felt sick. I knew what that meant. Why would my father have those books? He hasn't shared them with us, his own offspring and who happened to be Changelings. I felt my hands struggle to not shake, "So my father must have them" I stated.

Urith watched my face, almost looking for something and he nodded, "That was my guess."

Sam's warm hand landed on my shoulder and I looked up to see him sign, "Home time?"

I nodded, turning to Bain and Quinn who were in deep conversation, "Is it okay if we head out?"

Bain waved me off, not turning to me, "Yeah Changeling, same time tomorrow" he gestured to Alice with his head, "Leave the ungrateful baby at home."

Alice gave him a vulgar gesture before storming out and I frowned at the serious conversation between Bain and Quinn but I ignored their strange behaviour and my eyes met Urith's, "I'll get those books."

Leaving him with my silent promise, Sam and I headed out to the frozen landscape outside.

It was late into the night when I sat at the dining table. Blankly staring at my bowl as I stirred the thick, green-brown paste with a sigh and I looked up at my father who was devouring his. I had just finished my shift at the book store and I was still sore from the training that morning. Our Deltas just finished their dinners and had gone back to the territory's edge.

This "stew" was reminding me more of mud than food. I put down my spoon and I cleared my throat, no response from my father, "Can I ask you something dad?"

He stopped eating to wipe his face and he frowned, "What's wrong?"

We were the only ones at the table, father said the other members had pack duties and mother was always too tired to join us. Who knew where Morgan was and lately, he's been a real arsehole so, I don't even care that he's not here. Alice was definitely on her phone somewhere.

I took a drink of my water and looked up at my father, "Do you know anything about Changelings?" I noticed his immediately tense jaw, "What I mean is, I don't know anything about my condition and I thought maybe you had some old notes or books about it?" my voice was quiet and unsure, stuttering on my own words.

My own eyes staring back at me and my father continued eating with a shake of his head, "The only books I have is in your study and if there's none in there, then that's it."

My blood thinned, raced and scorched through my body, spreading like a wildfire. He was lying to me. His body gave it away with his fingers grasping the spoon with white-knuckle intensity, with the slightest reddening at the base of his neck and he refused to meet my eyes again.

He had lied to me.

Irritation tickled my skin and my frown deepened, "What about mum, did she have any?"

My mother was a Changeling before she found her wolf, she would have to have some and she would let me read them. My attention snapped back to my father as a growl echoed through the room, he was not only angry but angry at me and I felt my body freeze with caution.

His eyes burned with the rage under his skin, "I said there is none, Eden" his voice thundering, "Do not bother your mother with your silly questions."

My eyes flickered with the command and I gave a tight nod. My body relaxed as he stormed out of the room, my eyes watching him climb the stair and finally out of sight.

Alice's dark-haired head popped around the corner with the hint of concern in her fawn coloured eyes, "What was that about?"

I just shook my head, "Nothing."

She didn't believe me but she left it at that and went upstairs.

I was still sitting at the table when my uncle wandered in with holding a mug, in his pajamas and he stopped at the sight of me.

He smiled, "Why are you sitting here alone, my darling?"

I gave up on my food hours ago and I smiled back at him, "Just thinking."

He patted my head and headed to the kettle, "I need more coffee before I go back to my cave."

I chuckled and stood to chuck out my food. Pausing, I turned and faced Wren with a questioning look. He was the Gamma, he would have books.

He noticed and watched me with amusement, setting down his mug, "Is this question going to piss off your father?" he crossed his arms.

I nodded and started to retreat when Wren spoke, "Listen darling, I know what you're looking for because I was also looking for them."

I froze with my back towards him.

"Meet me in my study, 5 minutes" his voice was a low hush.

I didn't wait for him to change his mind and I legged it to my room, changing into nude sweats and tying my hair up before sliding out of my room. I kept my footsteps light as I made my way down the hall and into Wren's room.

He changed into jeans and a long t-shirt, he was standing on the ladder and grabbing several books from the shelves that covered his walls. His grey hair tousled and long.

"Shut the door and lock it" he said without looking at me.

Our eyes met once I did, without his carefree smile which was always painted on his face, he looked afraid and tired. The circles of his eyes were sunken and dark, "No one can know that I have these or that I am giving them to you."

A slow creeping fear started to grow up my spine as he climbed down with a stack of books, balancing them in his free arm and I only realized I was still standing against the door when he gestured me to come closer.

My feet felt like they were stuck in mud, heavier with every step closer and I eyed the books as I reached the desk, "Did my father have them?"

My fear increased as he nodded, "I had asked about these books three years ago, when your mother was starting to become distressed about Morgan not finding his wolf and I reached out to your father's old pack, seeing if they had any information about Changelings in their library and they told me that they had disappeared almost the exact time that your father left."

My fingers ran over the cover of the book sitting on top of the others, it's cover feeling like dusty velvet and I could see the worn marks covering it, "He took them, didn't he?"

Wren's face darkened, "I asked your father if he had taken any books from his old pack and he denied taking anything but I knew he did."

We watched my shaking fingers open the cover of the book, the scent of musk and old paper swirled around us and 'My days are numbered' was written on the very first page.

Wren let me keep looking further into the book, "I suspected that he was keeping them close to his study, I waited until it was his shift for the border work and I broke into his desk" his voice was so quiet that I could hear my own heartbeat over his words, "I found them in a locked draw in his desk and either he hasn't noticed they're gone or he doesn't know who it was."

Further into the book, it turns out to be a daily diary and I could tell from the delicate writing that the owner was a female.

"Her name was Emily and she was a Changeling, she wrote about her life everyday up until she died" Wren's eyes were watching out the window, "It explains Changelings, how to find that hidden gene, how to find your wolf and I don't know why your father wanted to hide it."

I closed the cover and stared up at him with caution, "What happens if father finds out we have these?" my voice the lowest I've ever heard it.

Wren's eyes moved to me with his dark eyes rimmed with fear, "Let's not allow that to ever happen."

That night, I dreamt of my father ripping off Wren's head after he found out that he took the books, the dream so real that I woke up almost screaming and I felt the nausea rise in my throat. My neck covered with sweat and my heart still pounding rapidly in my chest.

Soft blue light filled my room as the sun began its climb. A soft knock on my door and a red-haired head popped through.

I sighed at the sight of Sam, he smiled at my bed-hair and signed, "Time for training."

Grabbing the books from under my bed to shove them into the tote bag, they were heavy but I needed Urith's help with them, I couldn't read them here without putting my uncle in danger.

We left Alice at home, she would only be on her phone the entire time and Bain didn't seem to like her presence.

Sam stopped me before we got out of his warm car and into the freezing word outside. His eyes were searching mine, brows frowning, "Are you okay?"

I signed back, "Once I find out, I'll let you know."

He smiled, grabbing my cold hands with his warm ones before letting go to sign, "Don't overthink Eden, I know that's what you're doing and you don't need to worry because I'll protect you against anyone, Alpha or not."

Sam gave me my sign name when we were 15, he used Power and Lovely after one another. He couldn't decide, he explained after he chose both and he said that one doesn't do me justice.

Hence, the two names.

His own name being the sign for Sun, given to him by his sign teacher as