A Cursed Moon: A Weird Girls Novella (A Penguin Special from Signet Eclipse) by Cecy Robson Page B

night. You should have howled a
call
the moment those spirits showed up.”
    “Why? Because Celia was with me?”
    Aric paused. “In part, but also because you were in danger, and so were the humans we’re sworn to protect.”
    “Nah. You would’ve been too distracted trying to get Celia alone so you could make out with her.” Aric stared at me, probably torn between snapping my neck and laughing. Either way, the prick didn’t deny it.
    He cleared his throat, struggling it seemed to wrangle in his patience. Hmm. Wonder why?
    “Your pack is not your enemy, Bren. You have to stop perceiving us as such.”
    I opened my mouth, ready to make some wiseass remark. But considering I dragged my tail into danger and took Celia along for the ride, I knew the bastard had a point. I’d needed them, and had waited too damn long to
call
in our location.
    Aric watched me, his expression stern. “I hate to admit it, but you did a hell of a job tracking Dan. I don’t know if another
were
could have fixed on such a weak trail.”
    “So?”
    A smirk cut through his serious demeanor. “So I think I found the perfect forum for your skills.”
    I rolled my eyes. “You want me to teach the little pukes at the Den how to track, don’t you?”
    Aric grinned. “Damn, Bren. It’s like you can read my mind—just no sex talk. Stick to the subject and you won’t piss me off.”
    “Okay, if I must. But what if one of the little bastards has a question about getting laid?”
    “Then you can direct him to me.”
    “Shouldn’t I direct him to someone who’s actually getting some?”
    Aric pinched the bridge of his nose and growled something about me being a monstrous pain in the ass. He pushed off the door frame to leave, but I stopped him.
    “Can I ask you something?”
    At first I thought I pissed him off enough to say no. But then he crossed his arms again and gave me a stiff nod. “Go ahead.”
    “My dad failed to
turn
my mother wolf. How the hell did I manage to
turn
Dan?”
    Aric abandoned the doorway and lowered himself into the old beat-up leather chair by my bed. He leaned forward, resting his arms on his thighs. “Bren, the
turning
process is complex; it’s not just about piercing another’s heart and transferring your wolf’s essence. If it were, we’d have more
weres
. The Elders believe the donors and recipients have to be spiritually and physically tough to endure one soul’s invasion of another’s.” He shook his head. “Even then, if their love for each other is weak, they’ll fail.”
    I growled defensively. “You sayin’ my parents’ love wasn’t strong? You don’t know shit. They were mates, goddamn you!”
    I should have known better than to challenge an Alpha, especially one who’d already whooped my ass. And yet for some reason, Aric didn’t respond with aggression.
    His shoulders remained relaxed and he continued, dismissing the growls that continued to burn a hole in my gut. “I told you what the Elders believe. What I didn’t explain was that a lot can go wrong. Your father could have released your mother too soon, or his fangs may not have punctured her heart deep enough. I didn’t know your father. But I know it killed him to cause his mate pain.” He lowered his head and stared at his palms. “If he didn’t commit to the task out of fear of hurting her, he failed her even before he began.”
    I took in the sadness creasing the edges of his eyes. “Are we still talking about my folks?” I asked like a dumb-ass.
    Aric paused, then slowly leaned back. He ignored my question and glanced between me and Dan. “I think it helped that Dan was dying. Your desperation to save him committed you to
turning
him. Under other circumstances, I can’t be sure you would’ve survived.”
    I paused to think about what Aric said. “I guess that makes sense. Here’s the thing, though, most successful
turns
occur between mated couples—or those who love each other deeply.”
    Aric nodded.