Luna Grey Read online

  First I’d like to thank you for purchasing this book. I hope you enjoy the story. I’d love if you could drop me a review if you do, it’d mean the world to me and it’d help me reach more readers!

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  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 1

  Eric sighed as he fell onto the plush red couch at his family’s hunting cabin. He ran an uneasy hand through his blond hair, his brown eyes sullen as he heard his father and brothers in the kitchen discussing their hunting trip.

  “So, where’d you get this one?” he heard his brother Brent ask.

  “The usual,” his father chuckled.

  “What’s she look like?” his other brother Craig queried.

  “She’s a pretty thing, fair skin, blue eyes and blonde hair. Her father sold her to the market to cater for his drug addiction I heard,” his father stated. “Now, when will Trevor and his boys arrive?”

  “They’ll be here next Monday, it’s the soonest they could get away,” Brent gave a frustrated sigh.

  “So be it,” his father strode into the living room and turned to Eric.

  “Now, this’ll be your first time partaking in our family hunt. You’re 18 now, and it is tradition,” his father sat down on the armchair across from him. He crossed one leg up on his knee as he tapped his fingers on the arm of the brown leather armchair. His dark brown eyes were fixed on Eric as scratched at the light dusting of stubble on his jawline.

  The fire crackled in the fireplace next to them, and Eric turned to look at the dancing flames.

  “It’s very fun bro, you’ll love it!” Brent came in and jumped onto the couch beside him, sprawling out and forcing Eric to shuffle to the end to avoid his brother’s legs.

  “Now, Eric, since it’s your first hunt, I have chosen to have you take care of her, feed her and such. Each year we rotate who winds up with the responsibility,” his dad cocked his head. “This year it’s yours. Craig will show you what to feed her and what you need to do. Trevor and the boys won’t be here for a week so we’ll spend the time wisely. Tomorrow I’ll be taking Brent into town to meet with some business partners out this way. Chances are the next few days we’ll be away while we get plans sorted and attend meetings. You and Craig will stay here and keep an eye on everything, got it?” his father clasped his hands together as he raised an eyebrow at his youngest son.

  “Got it,” Eric nodded as Craig joined them from the kitchen with a beer in hand. He passed others around to everyone and gave Eric a displeased look.

  “Alright Eric, let’s get started. The sooner I show you everything, the sooner I can head off,” Craig rolled his eyes as his father clucked at him.

  “You’re staying with Eric. He’ll need to stay supervised since it’s his first time,” his father’s voice was wrought with authority, not a tone to be taken lightly.

  Craig shrugged though; he’d never held much respect for their father. Brent had always been the favourite, whilst Craig had rebelled against his wishes over the years. But he still partook in the family gatherings and traditions despite never being quite close to their father. He loved their mother dearly, and Eric had always despised his high place in their mother’s eyes. He was the baby of the family, but both his parents seemed to hold his siblings in higher esteem despite his best efforts. Craig was the eldest and lived out of home, whilst Brent had recently moved back in to help their father run his real estate business. He was learning all he had to know about the investors and how to play the game.

  Eric on the other hand, cared little about the business. He loved to work with cars, and had become an apprentice mechanic to his parents’ displeasure. They hated his ‘pathetic’ job, wanting all their children to have some form of high paying career.

  Craig had become a doctor, which had only pleased their mother more.

  “You coming?” Craig called out from the kitchen.

  Eric groaned but got up at the sharp look from his father as Brent smirked.

  “Alright, breakfast she gets porridge, lunch, make her a sandwich of some sort, and dinner, whatever you feel like making her, got it?” Craig leant against the counter.

  “That’s it?” Eric raised an eyebrow.

  “Give her toilet paper as she needs it. That’s about it, not too difficult I hope,” he grinned before taking a swig out of his bottle. “Now, you best make her some dinner. Keys for the basement are by the fridge, everything should be pretty easy to figure out from there,” and with that said, Craig strode back into the living room, leaving Eric to come up with a dinner meal for their ‘guest’.

  Eric unlocked the door to the basement and flicked the light on before he tromped down the stairs.

  He held a plate with a few heated up slices of pizza on it. He hadn’t checked with the others, already knowing that they’d frown on his choice of meal.

  Eric drew in the scent of the musty basement, and sighed as he spied the large cell at the far end.

  He had always hated the dark, dingy basement on their family trips. He still remembered when he’d first asked his brothers what the cell was for when he was just a small boy.

  Brent had laughed and said it was for him when he didn’t behave, whereas Craig said it was for any rogue werewolf that they found on their land.

  They owned thousands of acres here in the mountains, and they spent most holidays here where they could shift and roam freely.

  Eric had grown up under the impression that pureblood werewolves were somewhat royal, which was what his family was.

  But he’d always hated this ‘tradition’ of theirs ever since he’d heard Brent bragging about his ‘catch’.

  He smiled sadly as he approached the cell and knelt down. The woman inside the cell skittered back onto her bed, staring at Eric with wide, terrified eyes. He could only imagine what she’d been through being sold on the black market.

  He frowned softly as he took in her small frame. She was undernourished but not too skinny, but she certainly needed a shower. She was covered in dirt and her hair was tangled, and he pictured how his father and brothers probably dragged her down here. Her flimsy, once white dress was torn and dull, and he wondered how long she’d gone without a shower. He drew in a breath, taking in her feminine fragrance and her pureblood scent.

  “What’s your name?” he murmured as he slipped the plate through the slot at the base of the door.

  “Dad doesn’t want us to talk to her,” Craig appeared at the top of the stairs. “Don’t forget her purpose.”

  Eric clenched his jaw and the woman whimpered softly as she huddled on her bed. He took in the small cell, the toilet at one end and a sink with soap. He noted the almost finished toilet roll and took in her bed. She had a plump pillow thankfully, but the thin sheet for a blanket would not be enough for the cold nights they’d get here even if she was a ‘wolf.

  He turned on his heels and gave a frustrated sigh as he headed back up the stairs to get more toilet paper.

  He took some from the basket in the main bathroom and headed back down, ignoring Brent’s calls at how ‘fuckable’ she looked.

  He hated the way his brother looked at women, and his blood boiled at what this woman would endure. What his family had planned for her, their ‘tradition’. It was something he had never been proud of or found any satisfaction in knowing.

  Eric found himself standing before the cell, and he clenched the toilet roll in his hand as he fumed. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been standing there raging ins
ide at his family’s tradition and ways, but the woman was chewing slowly as she stared at him cautiously. She’d snatched the plate up at some point and now eyed him with interest as he stood before her.

  “Here,” he sighed and slipped the roll between the bars, feeling sorry for the woman within. He stared at her, imagining what she must be feeling, and his gut twisted in shame as he looked down.

  He didn’t understand the ways of his people sometimes. This woman didn’t deserve this. He had no idea who she was or what sort of life she’d lived, but now she’d be impregnated by one of his relatives and carry a child, who would then be taken from her and she’d be thrown back out on the street. She’d be reimbursed with some cash for her time and ‘labour’, but it couldn’t be enough.

  He growled at his family, at the tradition that had been passed down.

  His eyes slowly rose back to the woman, and he chewed his cheek.

  He hurried upstairs, hearing his father and brothers laughing as they watched TV and returned with a cloth in hand.

  “It’s not much, but at least you can clean yourself up a bit,” he smiled softly as he held it through the bars for her.

  She stopped chewing and stared uncertainly at him as she slowly stood.

  “I hope the pizza is good enough, let me know if you’re still hungry,” he murmured, keeping his voice low so as not to anger his father.

  She cocked her head at him with a gentle frown as she hesitated before gingerly taking the cloth and retreating quickly.

  Her fear and unease unsettled him.

  He hated taking part in this.

  “Thank you,” she whispered, and Eric’s eyes softened at her quiet voice.

  “I’m Eric,” he mumbled, unsure why he’d bothered to tell her.

  “Luna. Luna Grey.”

  He barely heard the whispered name, but he smiled as his heart sank. Luna, such a pretty name. He let out an uneasy breath and turned away.

  “I’ll bring you breakfast in the morning, have a good sleep if you can,” he trudged up the stairs unhappily, feeling her curious gaze follow him.

  He wouldn’t be able to sleep easy tonight. Not now.

  Chapter 2

  Luna watched as Eric left and she was plunged back into darkness. She gently slid her plate onto the floor; thankful for the cheesy pizza he’d given her. It was more than the older man had given her.

  This young man and the storm swirling within his eyes intrigued her. She was still struggling to come to terms with her fate, but ever since her father had sold her to the trafficker, she’d given up any hope of freedom. After her mother died, her father had become lost and merely a shell of the man he once was, and he’d lost all sight of his daughter. He’d fallen into the trap laid out for him by the drug world, and before she knew it she’d been sold. The betrayal and pain had been crippling, and she’d cried and screamed, not understanding.

  But crying wouldn’t solve anything, and she’d absolved to try to make it out alive, that was all that mattered now.

  She had a younger brother who had gone to live with their Aunt after their mother’s death, and his image and love was what she clung to desperately. She had to get back to him. He was all she had left. Their Aunt was a nasty woman who was making her brother work hard on her farm, only seeing him as a means to an end.

  She had to get out of here and find her way back, but she’d tested the cell in the darkness the night before, and there was no way out.

  She sighed and played sadly with the cloth in her hands. She’d done everything to help her father, and this was her payment.

  Luna gritted her teeth angrily as the tears flowed, and she sobbed quietly into the darkness.

  Movement eventually ceased upstairs, the wooden floorboards overhead no longer creaking and moaning under the weight of her captors.

  She leant against the freezing wall behind her bed and stared at the lone window at the top of the far wall. A sliver of moonlight lit the musty basement, and she took the opportunity to drag herself to the sink and clean herself up. She wiped at her cheeks, feeling her pores free up from the grime and dirt. God what she wouldn’t give for a shower. She’d been in the hands of a trafficker for over a week and then sold to these men, and in all that time she’d not seen a bucket of water and a sponge let alone the luxurious insides of a shower.

  She ran her fingers through her tangled blonde hair and sighed as she glanced down at her dishevelled and disgusting clothing. At least she had a toilet.

  Eric tossed and turned, unable to succumb to sleep. He was cosy and warm in his bed, but it angered him even more as he thought about Luna and the flimsy blanket she had.

  He growled and pulled himself out of bed, creeping down the hall and into the living room. He waited momentarily for his eyes to adjust to the darkness before fetching a thick blanket from the cupboard. He was careful not to make a sound, dreading the idea of being caught. She was merely a tool for their bloodline, and his family would frown at his attempts to make her comfortable. As long as she was alive and reasonably healthy, they were happy.

  Eric crept into the kitchen and silently unlocked the basement, thankful for his thick socks that muffled his footsteps. He made his way down into the darkness, not daring to turn on the light.

  At the bottom of the stairs he welcomed the sliver of moonlight through the window as it lit his way. He crossed the room to the cell and pursed his lips at the sleeping form of Luna. She was curled up under her thin blanket and was shivering. Eric could feel the cold stone floor through his socks, and he withheld a growl at her bare feet. If only his family could see how wrong this was.

  “Luna…” he murmured and knelt down as she shifted at the voice. She rolled over and revealed her face from under the blanket, and Eric caught his breath.

  The dirt and grime had been covering such beauty, which he could now see, and his throat constricted as the realization of just how young she was hit him. She would be no older than him.

  Her ocean blue eyes engulfed him as she stared, and his heart pulled as she sat up and tiptoed over. He grimaced at the thought of how cold her feet would be, and he instantly sat down and pulled his warm socks off. He offered them to her along with the thick blanket and she frowned as she accepted them through the bars.

  “It’s cold tonight,” Eric stated and she rolled her eyes. He relaxed at this and sat back as she threw the blanket on the bed and quickly pulled the socks on.

  “You’re different,” she murmured as she climbed onto the bed and faced him as she wrapped the blanket around herself.

  “What do you mean?” Eric cocked his head as he took in her fair features.

  “You’re not like them,” she flicked her head to the ceiling.

  Eric gave her a half-hearted smile and looked down guiltily.

  “Thank you Eric,” she whispered, and his eyes shot up to her as his heart fluttered. Hearing her say his name pleased him deeply, and he couldn’t understand why.

  “I wish I could do more,” he mumbled as he looked up at the ceiling in frustration.

  “Help me escape then,” she pulled the blanket tighter around her.

  It sure was cold down in the basement, and Eric could see his breath before him. His skin had goose bumps already and he was losing feeling in his toes.

  “I can’t,” he growled and looked away, unable to meet her questioning eyes.

  “Why?” she pleaded, her voice breaking.

  He looked over and felt the shame and guilt wash over him. Her eyes glistened in the darkness and he clenched his jaw. She was so scared and confused.

  “My father would…” he trailed off, not sure if he should tell her about his family.

  “The older man is your father?” she murmured as she frowned at him.

  “Yeah,” Eric sighed in defeat.

  “Oh,” was all she said as her eyes dropped.

  “He has the key for you cell on a chain around his neck. He’s the only one allowed to release you,” Eric explained, hat
ing the look of hopelessness on her face.

  “What do you all want with me anyway? Why am I here?” she asked, her voice hitching. She drew in deep breath to calm herself, knowing that if she raised her voice too much they’d get caught.

  “I…” Eric was at a loss for words. He couldn’t bare the thought of telling her the truth. Seeing the despair that she’d surely have would devastate him.

  Luna searched his face, seeing the uncertainty. What was he keeping from her? What was he hiding?

  “I’m sorry, I can’t tell you,” he choked as his throat tightened. Her eyes were fearful, and the deep blue sparkled in the dim lighting. She looked enchanting in the soft moonlight, her pale skin and soft lips mesmerising him. Her blue eyes bore into him, and he stared, captivated by her beauty and pull.

  “Why?” she murmured.

  “I just can’t,” he growled as he hastily got to his feet. He dragged his gaze away from her pleading eyes, hating himself. Such a beautiful creature, but her family would destroy her. They’d break her down and take whatever innocence she had left to offer the world.

  Eric turned away and retreated upstairs, ignoring the soft cry for his return.

  Eric dreamt of black monsters chasing Luna through the forest, their red eyes gleaming through the darkness. Her screams split the air as branches tore at her white gown. She stumbled as she fled deeper into the forest, her blue eyes not daring to glance back for fear of finding her attackers upon her.

  Eric watched helplessly as she ran, the fear and terror driving her on as the howls rose behind her. He wanted to leap down from his viewpoint above her and snatch her up. He wanted to protect her from the horrors behind her.

  Luna vanished into the air and the scene changed, and Eric stared around him at the forest. His eyes widened as his brothers stepped out of the shadows, their red eyes locked onto him as they smirked.

  “You caught her brother, nice job,” Brent chuckled and gave him a twisted grin.