Page 1 of Crimson Moon Falling

Chapter 1

Riley

The wheels of the private Pack plane bumped across the tarmac as I gripped the leather armrests. Mangus, the massive black hellhound lounging at my feet, grunted as we bounced before settling into a smooth roll toward the Jackson Hole Airport terminal. Athena, the snowy white hellhound, blinked her brilliant red eyes.

Outside my window, the jagged Grand Teton mountain stood against a dazzling blue sky. The breathtaking wilderness was the type of terrain where people often disappeared. Just like my father had.

“You can let go of the armrests now. We’ve landed.” Bennion’s lips twitched. He was a Pack Beta from Oregon with a grating, vaguely superior manner, weathered skin, and sun-streaked hair.

I released the armrests. “Thanks, I wasn’t aware.”

“Anytime.” His low-key patronizing vibrations would’ve been off-putting if my emotions didn’t usually exist in a frozen state since Roswell. Except in my nightmares. There was nothing low-key or emotionless about those.

Mangus nudged my hand, and I scratched his ears. Across from me, Freda Benton sat, her white-blonde bob razor-straight. When the plane stopped moving, she unbuckled her seatbelt and stood. Then she began strapping on two semiautomatic pistols, a telescopic baton, a taser, and pepper spray.

“We need to move quickly through security to minimize your exposure.”

After I’d been kidnapped and tortured in Roswell, Conall wanted me to have two bodyguards. Ash had warned me that most Alpha Mates were assigned a security detail, but I doubted many of them worked outside their Pack territory. We were figuring it out as we went.

“It’s Yellowstone National Park, not a war zone,” Bennion smirked as he slid his Glock into his side holster. I grabbed my backpack and duffel bag as Athena stood and stretched.

Freda’s lips tightened. “Neither was Carlsbad. Or Roswell. If you don’t take her safety seriously, I’ll have the Alpha reassign you.”

Bennion’s eyes narrowed. “I never said I wasn’t taking this seriously.”

I jerked my chin at him. “He can just go back home. I don’t need two Betas and the hellhounds too.”

“The Alpha’s orders are that you have at least two bodyguards with you when you’re away from home,” Freda reminded me.

There it was, that phrase they all liked to recite. Alpha’s orders. I wasn’t immune to his pull either. The bond between us tugged at me even now, a constant awareness of distance and direction, like a compass needle always pointing toward him. But because of the implant, the bond felt muffled and cold.

We disembarked into a rustic, western-style terminal of exposed wood beams and massive windows, and headed toward the rental car area.

Two Federal Bureau of Cognizant Investigations agents stood on the sidewalk wearing earpieces and nondescript business attire. Their suits stood out amid the western wear and outdoor clothing. They didn’t approach us, but the taller man pulled out his phone and made a call.

Freda’s eyes narrowed, but no one said anything. Since Roswell, some kind of government agent always seemed to be tracking us.

The smell of jet fuel filled the air as we followed the signs to the rental car agencies. My phone buzzed with an incoming text, and I glanced at the screen, expecting to see Conall’s name.

Unknown Number: Hello, pet. You and I have unfinished business. Enjoy Yellowstone

My heart thumped, breaking through the coldness. Whipping my head around, I searched for him. His deep, chillingly reasonable voice echoed in my mind. Commander Adrian Marlowe knew I was in Wyoming.

Freda appeared at my shoulder. “I smell your fear. What’s going on? Is it the agents back there?”

I shoved my phone in my pocket. “Let’s get on the road, then we’ll talk. Gunnar is meeting us at the superintendent’s office.” The text turned my insides to ice water, and the scar on my shoulder where the brand used to be throbbed with pain. But I was done letting that bastard take from me.

Bennion stopped beside me and held out his hand. “Show me your phone.” We stood in the flow of travelers, a pocket of tension amid the cheerful vacation chatter.

For a split second, I considered handing it to him just to keep the peace, but we were exposed here, and he wasn’t in charge.

“No. Keep walking.” I turned toward the rental car buildings. Mangus pushed past Bennion, almost knocking him off his feet.

Aggression bled off Bennion as he grumbled, but Freda followed me, staying close to my back. There was no line at the counter. I signed the forms and grabbed the keys.

The vehicle was a large, nondescript gray SUV with three rows. I started for the driver’s side, but Freda shook her head. “Bennion, you drive. I’ll sit in back with Riley.”

I glanced at the Beta. “He doesn’t take this detail seriously, and his annoyance and impatience are giving me a headache. How about you drive, I ride shotgun, and he can sit in the back with the cadejos.”