Fated Moons (New Dawn #6)

Prologue

PROLOGUE

FIVE YEARS AGO…

N ever in a million moons did Jackson Ledger believe he’d ever be back on the East Coast. When his mother packed him and his siblings up, moving them across the country when he’d been fifteen, it was about making a fresh start. All they wanted to do was put the pains of the past behind them.

Only, that had proved to be impossible.

He slipped from the driver’s side of his rental and strolled down the driveway toward the home of Titus and Ellen Ferguson, located in a small town in Vermont. Jackson had visited the farm a few times after his father had been sent to prison and The Nightfall Pack had shunned his family. He remembered how kind Titus had been to his mother. How he’d offered her protection and refuge.

But if she’d taken it at the time, because of Jackson’s age, he would have been stripped of his alpha status. Not that it would have mattered. No one respected his status because of his father and that was before the murder. However, his mother had hoped that over time, the leaders of The Nightfall Pack would see that Jackson was nothing like his dad and give him a seat at the table.

That had never happened.

Titus’ home was bigger than Jackson recalled, and the land spanned as far as the eye could see. He strolled toward the large porch that wrapped around the two-story country house. He swallowed. Hard.

He stood before Titus, the leader of the largest pack in all of North America, and his three sons, as well as the great wizard Trask Blue. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to kneel, bow, or break out in prayer.

Titus was not only a wise and great leader but also sat at the head of the Twilight Crossing Council’s table. His sons, Chaz, Nico, and Drew, were all Twilight Officers, tasked with policing the paranormal world and ensuring that no harm came to any creature, including humans.

Although, Drew was an officer in training as he was barely eighteen.

“It’s been a long time since our paths have crossed,” Chaz said. “You’re looking well.”

“I’m surviving.” Though, Jackson should be thriving. His career had taken off. He was at the top of his game, and yet everyone enjoyed reminding him of who he was and the stock to which he’d been born.

“You’ve chosen an interesting career,” Trask said. “You’re quite the actor and California is the place to be. But we heard you’re considering a role that would film in New York.”

Jackson had never met Trask before, although he’d heard about him from a few in Hollywood. The great human wizard. It was a rare combination. Actually, Trask was the only one of his kind. Half-human, half-wizard. He was revered and feared.

And with good reason. People didn’t understand how a human could harness such great power.

But the world seemed to be shifting. The cosmic energy that all creatures tapped into had changed, and no one could pinpoint the source.

Good or evil, it was there.

There were theories. Myths. Stories passed from one generation to the next. Most were centered around the idea of the wolfairy.

The Legend of the Princess and the Wolf.

But Jackson couldn’t waste his time with such nonsense. His life was constantly in turmoil and something had to give. If not for his sake, for his family.

“That’s not public knowledge. How did you hear of it?” Jackson asked.

“A vision,” Trask said.

“Are you going to take it?” Titus asked. “And if so, how does your pack feel about that?”

“I mean no disrespect, but I’m not sure how my decision would affect any of you.” It was never good to question or argue with such a powerful man, but Jackson didn’t understand why this mattered. “The Twilight Crossing Council spoke its peace years ago. My father’s punishment was handed out for his crime. My pack and their decisions with me and my family are within their rights.”

“That may be true,” Titus said. “But you have chosen to stay with The Nightfall Pack, who have continued to shun you and your family. They don’t have a large faction on the West Coast, but they do have numbers in parts of Pennsylvania, New York, and Connecticut. You coming back could cause them to act negatively and like I told your mother years ago, I would respond and they won’t like what I would do.”

“My mother made me aware of that conversation.” Jackson nodded. “Forcing them to accept me as an alpha wouldn’t do me any favors. Our problems started long before my father committed murder.”

“That brings me to why we summoned you here,” Titus said.

Jackson did his best to breathe slowly. His life had been one of heartache and pain. But lately, it hadn’t been so bad. He worked. He supported his family. More than enough money was rolling in. The world outside his pack accepted him, for the most part. It wasn’t the best life because being a lone wolf had its obstacles. But it wasn’t the worst.

“It’s unhealthy for a wolf to be living on the fringe of his own pack.” Chaz arched a brow. “I don’t care if what they do is within our laws. The only one who has committed a crime here is your father. And you are an alpha. It would be best if you had a seat at their table. You should have been able to lead their faction in California. They denied you that birthright.”

“My father’s transgressions could not be easily overlooked. Not when royal blood was shed. The human law and the Twilight Crossing Council law punished him accordingly.”

“You were a small boy. You should not pay for the sins of your father.” Titus waved a hand dismissively. “While I can force your pack leader to give you a larger role in your pack, I do understand it would cause more of a problem if I did that. However, I want to offer you refuge in this one. For you to become part of our family.”

Jackson pondered that offer for a few minutes. When his father had committed the unspeakable, killing a royal witch, Jackson’s life had already been a living hell. This was just one more way his old man got to torture him. A few years later, his mother couldn’t take it anymore. They packed up their shit and moved from Upstate New York to California. The change should have given them all a new lease on life, and in some ways, it had.

But Chaz was right. Any wolf trying to survive without the support of his pack was a walking dead wolf and it had been slowly killing his spirit.

“My life is in California,” Jackson said. “My family. My career.”

“You can have an acting career anywhere. If you take that role, you’d have to come here anyway. We believe moving back would be good for you and your family,” Nico said. “You need wolf brothers and sisters. So does your family. And regardless, we have tribes everywhere. You could be an alpha with us.”

“Perhaps, but if I return, my old pack will take claim. While they won’t give me a seat at the table, they will expect my loyalty. They will demand it, even though they will still shun me. You know how this works. Leaving one pack to join another is highly frowned upon, for any reason.”

“I have two roles when it comes to wolf packs. One is leader of my own, the second is to represent all wolf packs at the council,” Titus said. “I demand their respect, and they must, in turn, give it. If I make a claim to you and your family, and the council agrees, which they will, your pack will have to honor it. Of course, it is your choice. But we do have an ulterior motive.”

“And what is that?” Jackson asked.

“This is where it gets tricky, because we’re not exactly sure.” Trask clasped his hands together. A bright-green ball appeared. Tiny pulses of electricity filled the space between the ball and Trask’s hands. “These visions have come to me at different times. I don’t know what they mean. I don’t know how they are connected. But you are part of a bigger plan for our future.”

“I understand visions and they change as people make choices.” Jackson held Trask’s gaze.

“That is very true,” Trask said. “Have you ever heard of the Legend of the Fated Moons?”

Jackson jerked his head. “I believe every young wolf is told the story of wolves imprinting on fairy witches at young ages, long before they come of age.” Jackson chuckled. “But one has to believe that fairies will return to this realm and that they will connect with witches, who generally don’t like them. Not to mention it mixes the concepts of how wolves mate in the first place. Imprinting isn’t something that happens very often and is reserved for mating with other species that believe in soulmates and cosmic connections.”

“I’ve studies fairies.” Trask played with the ball in his hands. “They believed in soulmates. Their existence was based on it. But centuries ago, they didn’t mate outside their own species, except for the occasional human. However, it was rumored some mated with wolves. It’s also believed that royal witches believe in soulmates.”

“But that’s different than fated mates, which is reserved for alpha wolves, wolf leaders, and some mythical creatures that don’t exist.” Jackson couldn’t believe he was having this conversation. “What does any of this have to do with me?”

“Take a look.” He pushed his green ball closer.

Jackson peered inside. He saw himself on the red carpet with a woman, but he couldn’t make out who she was. Then something similar to a twister appeared and the woman flew up to the sky. Another woman, who had her back to him, crumpled to the floor, holding her throat before evaporating. And then two little puppies appeared on the farm and then ran off with two other wolf puppies. Above, in the dark sky, appeared two moons. Trask clasped his hand together and the ball disappeared. “I’ve had others. And they change. But mostly, I have this sensation that you belong here and that the Legend of Fated Mates is coming.”

Jackson bit back a laugh. “If that’s true, then wolfairies are coming too, and that has to happen first. Which means the Legend of the Princess and the Wolf is around the corner.”

“Yeah, sometimes Trask goes off the rails.” Chaz did laugh. “I honestly don’t buy into the legends or the myths. But I don’t like what’s been happening to you. I agree with my father. You should be a member of our pack.” Chaz rested his hand on Jackson’s shoulder. “You don’t have to give us an answer today. Or even tomorrow or next week. Hell. Take your time. Move across the country and see how it goes. If your pack stakes a claim, you don’t have to banish it right away. You have the leader of the most powerful one at your disposal. But this should be and is your home.”

“I will need to think it over and discuss it with my family,” Jackson nodded. My mother may not want to come back here, and I will not leave her or my siblings in California.”

“Take all the time you need.” Titus shook his hand. “This farm will always be a safe haven for you and those you love. Remember that.”

“Thank you.” Jackson turned and made his way toward his rental. He glanced over his shoulder. A sense of belonging filled his soul. He wanted to trust it, and even if he did, he wasn’t sure he deserved it.