Under an Alaskan Moon (Sample)

Chapter 1

Thanks to RiosMorpheus for the beautiful cover and the picture above! So gorgeous.

It was freezing cold.

Faye Anders closed the door to her chicken coop and turned the light on so the chickens would stay warm. She could see her breath as she breathed. Carefully, she made her way back towards the house, wary of ice in the wavering light.

It was almost dark. She hurried to get inside where there was a fire crackling brightly in the fireplace and the beauty of heat. Shedding her coat, gloves and boots, Faye stood in front of the fire a moment to warm up before moving to the kitchen for dinner. She glanced out the window above her kitchen sink and smiled. Soft new flakes of snow sank toward the ground slowly. It was the first snow of the winter.

Faye tucked a curly strand of long blonde hair behind her ear as she stared at her reflection in the mirror of the bathroom. Small freckles patterned across her nose stood out against her pale skin while her deep green eyes gave her a wild sort of beauty. She was unaware of all this. She saw a mouth, too big; eyes, too green too round; nose, too small; freckles, well she damned the freckles. The only thing she liked about herself was her hair. Soft like silk and curly, her hair reached to her waist and could be a real bother on most days, but she considered it her only beauty.

With a sigh, she gave up trying to see what her friend talked about when she said how pretty Faye was. Faye scoffed. She wasn't pretty, but she wasn't ugly either! She was average and happy about it.

She finished brushing her teeth and hopped into her pajamas before returning to the living room. Plopping down in the giant recliner that had been her dad's in front of the fire, she grabbed a book she had been reading and curled up.

She loved her dad's great big old chair. Now that he was gone, sitting in it felt like he was giving her a bear hug. It was the closest she would ever get to her daddy's arms again in this life.

She picked up reading where she had last left off and cuddled into the chair.

.......

Miles away, Colin crouched in the brush on shaky legs. For the first time in weeks, he felt hopeful. He had scented the moose a few minutes ago and paused. It was a mother and her baby. Now the mother he wouldn't even attempt to take down, but the baby was a different story.

He drooled from the lust of the kill. He was starving and he could only hope that he had enough strength left to take down the moose. He needed food and he needed it now.

He stalked forward, crouched down. But hunger had made him careless and his paw stepped on a branch and snapped it. The baby moose looked up from where it was standing on the shore of the lake. Curiously, it stepped closer sniffing the air. Colin took another step and stumbled. The moose was frightened by now and made a noise.

The mother looked up from her position out in the lake. Quickly, she made a charge for the bank. Colin charged the baby moose with a snarl, desperation making him stupid.

If he'd been in full control of his senses he would have known to run while he still could. An angry mother moose was not to be trifled with and he knew that.

The baby moose dodged and Colin skidded on an ice patch before tumbling head over paws. With a growl, he stood back up and shook himself.

He crouched to pounce again, but was suddenly lifted through the air. His ribs stung from the force of the impact and yelped loudly as he flew into the lake. Yipping loudly, he clambered to his paws and made a beeline for the trees, thankful the moose hadn't tossed him too far out in the lake. He could hear the moose following him, her angry hooves pounding on the ground, so he ran.

An hour later, Colin staggered through the darkening forest barely able to put one paw in front of the other. His limbs ached and he was still soaking wet from his dunk in the lake. The moose had stopped chasing him a few miles back, but he had kept moving.

He knew somehow, that once he stopped this time, he wouldn't be able to get up again. He was too tired, too weak, and too hungry. If he was lucky, a pack of wolves or a hunter would find him and put him out of his misery.

Colin's wobbly legs gave out just as he caught sight of a light through a break in the trees. He crashed to the ground doing a complete somersault before flopping on his side, his wheezy breathing rattling his rib cage. His vision blurred as he pushed himself to his feet once more and stumbled towards the light.

If he didn't get help, he was going to die. Die without having met his mate, his Promise. White hot anguish stabbed his heart at the thought. His wolf lifted up his muzzle and howled long and full of agony.

Startled, Faye looked up from her book as the tortured howl rent the night air. That was a wolf. She waited a few moments to see if another howl would follow but the night was silent.

Not good.

A lone wolf near her henhouse was a recipe for disaster. Getting up from her seat in front of the fire, she pulled on her jacket and slipped her feet into a pair of fur lined moccasins before grabbing the double barreled shotgun from beside the door.

Faye opened the front door, steeling herself against the cold wind and shone  the flashlight across the yard. She stopped the beam of light when it shone on a pair of reflective yellow eyes.

It was the wolf.

He was way too close to the house for comfort and he was staring right at her. Faye shivered and not just from the cold. She checked the shotgun to make sure it was loaded and waited. If he so much as looked in the direction of her henhouse he was one dead Wolfie.

Colin froze as the blonde haired girl stood silhouetted in the open doorway of the cabin. She was beyond beautiful. Her scent caught in his nose and he forgot to breathe.

It was her! The Promise!

He crouched, shivering in the bushes, dizzy with the wave of feelings crashing over him. She was human.

The Matebond is instantaneous for a wolf my son.

His wolf was internally howling and dancing in glee, screaming, "Mate! Mate!"

Her flashlight nearly blinded him when he came back to reality. The double barreled shotgun in her hand didn't go unnoticed either and he flinched. Surely she would not shoot him!

She is human. She won't feel the matebond. Not at first.

It was time for the step of faith. He had found her. Now to claim her as his!

Making himself as small and unthreatening as possible with his tail tucked between his legs, he slunk into the clearing.

.........

Hello my shapeshifters!! How are you today? My hopes that you're well. So what do you think of Colin and Faye so far? Like them?

Let me know in the comments! Also vote please!

Thanks!

Sincerely,

Scarlett McLeod