Page 8 of The Red Moon

I shake my head. “I wish it were for a better reason. This is Dimitri,” I say and gesture behind me.

Alexey studies him for a moment, first Dimitri’s eyes, then his boots, and finally the way he walks forward cautiously. “There are no trip mines here. Unless you always walk like you have a stick shoved up your⁠—”

“We need your help, Alexey,” I cut him off. “May we come inside?”

He peers up at me, even tilting his head to do so. “Da.” Without looking away, he points at Dimitri’s feet. “Make sure he wipes those big things on the mat.” With that, he retreats to the entrance and out of sight.

I look back at Dimitri, his face losing slack. “Did you know there weren’t trip mines?”

“Of course not.”

We sit at a small makeshift table, the overwhelming smell of dust and mold building in the ceiling tiles impossible to ignore. The rusty machinery throughout the structure only adds to the stench, giving a coppery taste in the air. There’s a cot in the corner closest to us, the mattress motheaten and uncomfortable at best. At the far side of the room sits five computer monitors, one of which is showing a camera feed fixed on the SUV parked outside.

“Love what you’ve done with the place,” I say leaning back and crossing my arms. I’m not sure why I kept this little bunker away from my father when I found it, but now—all things considered—I have little remorse in doing so. Like the rest of the pack, I had no idea the Russian government was not only keeping tabs on us with their periodic visits but also had a twenty-four-hour surveillance on the property as well. Alexey was the last soldier here when I first stumbled in, seeking shelter from the heavy rains. It wasn’t until he saw the gashes on my chest that he lowered his rifle and offered aid. And in return, I guess I kept his whereabouts secret so no other wolves would come sniffing him out.

Alexey lights a cigarette and scoffs out a cloud of smoke. A subtle grin tugs at one side of his face. “You haven’t even seen my pleasure room yet.” He chuckles and hacks phlegm from his lungs. When his eyes return to mine, there’s a seriousness to them, like all his years in service come flooding back in an instant. His posture stiffens. “Why are you here, Nikolai?”

I point to the cigarettes sitting in front of him, and he hands me one along with the lighter. I scorch the end and lean back again, letting the smoke burn the back of my throat before blowing it upward to circle around us. “My brother has taken someone important from me.”

The wrinkles at Alexey’s forehead deepen and practically reach his receding hairline. “So, let me get this straight. Your brother. Dat big bastard.” He points his cigarette at me like an accusatory finger. “Took something from you, and now you want my help to get it back?”

“Ms. Nat is not a thing,” Dimitri corrects him and leans forward.

Alexey chuckles again. “Easy big man. Let’s not⁠—”

I wave my hand and cut him off. “Dimitri is right. Natalia is everything. And I will kill my brother. My father. The entire fucking bloodline if it means getting her back.” The cracks on my forearms reappear despite the mental blocks I put in place the second I stepped inside.

Alexey takes notice, his gaze flicking to the small bits of fur breaking free. That doesn’t seem to frighten him, though. It’s when he looks me in the eye that his face drains of color. He lifts his hands in surrender and shakes his head. “I meant no disrespect, Nikolai.”

I cup my face in my palms and take another breath, praying to whatever god will listen I can find some ounce of control. I never had to worry about shifting unless there was a full moon before. Now, it’s almost impossible to keep this wolf from clawing out of me.

Sorry to be such a burden, the wolf says sarcastically.

Taking another drag, I exhale and lean as far as the chair will let me. “Izvini.” Sorry.

“You were about to change … weren’t you?” Alexey asks and checks his watch. “That’s not possible? The next full moon isn’t for another⁠—”

“I don’t need it anymore,” I say matter of factly.

Alexey glances from me to Dimitri and back to me. “Need what anymore? The moon?”

I nod, holding the cigarette between my lips.

“Can I … can I see it?”

The wolf inside me growls, and although I can’t see him, he’s undoubtedly smiling a horrible row of sharpened teeth. I like this idea.

“Will you help us or not?” I leave no room in my voice for a rebuttal. A simple yes or no will do. If he agrees, then we might have an actual shot at getting my little wolf back without dying in the process. If not, there’s one last option which could result in a much longer and more painful death than my pack has planned for me. I’ve seen the humanity Alexey has, even to someone that could only be considered half-human on his best day.

He stands from the chair abruptly, our gazes evenly matched. “You want me to go against your family? To start a war with the Vostik pack?”

I nod again.

Alexey turns away from me. “I wasn’t kidding when I said I had a pleasure room.” Walking to a closet door, he retrieves a key from his front pocket and fidgets with the padlock. When the door swings open and the overhead lights flicker on, a certain unease builds in my stomach. The same sensation I get when I’m around … silver. Inside the closet lining both sides of the room are guns. Grenades. Axes. Even knives. From wall to wall there are weapons containing the one thing the lore ever got right about us. The one thing that can stop my kind. “Ever since you wandered in here, I had to make sure I was ready in case you weren’t the only one to find me.”

I stand and ignore the pit twisting my stomach, taking stock of his impressive arsenal.

Alexey snorts and raises an eyebrow. “Let’s kill some fucking werewolves.”