The Alpha's Oracle (SAMPLE, IronMoon #1)

A Is For Apple, B is For...

 I woke up the next morning with a swollen lump on my neck, and a mess of bruises. Big purple bruises that looked like some kid had painted storm clouds all over me. I groaned and laid in bed for a good long while. Whatever the doctor had given me had flattened me and I was still pretty groggy. But I had no trouble remembering where I was: Iron Moon's pack house.

When I finally managed to sit up I realized I was naked.

Who had undressed me?!

I looked down at my naked body. Yes. Completely naked. Not even my panties! I patted myself with my good hand in disbelief. Naked. "What the hell?!" I exclaimed. "Please have been the doctor... please have been the doctor..."

And not Gabel.

Had Gabel undressed me?

I burned red with total mortification. I looked around for something to wear, and instantly spied a blue silk robe. I grabbed it and tried to put it on, but I moved too quickly and the bite mark on my neck stabbed into me. I fell backwards onto the bed and moaned a bit.

Stupid.

With a lot of careful effort I managed to get my arm through the sleeve. Then I looked around the room. It was cream colored, like I remembered from the previous night, and big. There was the bed, and then another little part of the room with its own couch and table and flat-screen television on the walls. And I had my own huge bathroom, with a tub so deep I could have drowned in it.

The most creepy thing was there were clothes in the drawers and in the immense closet. And shoes. I flipped through the pretty dresses and tops on hangers. "Who was here before me?" I asked myself. I sniffed the clothes but all I smelled was soap and dry cleaning fluid.

I want to see if I can resist.

Was I not the first woman Gabel had brought back?

It was a terrifying thought.

That was probably a secret too big to keep in a pack, so I figured I'd find out pretty quick if that was true or not. But then I decided it didn't matter. The day before I hadn't been able to think about any of this, and I guess I had thought I should convince Gabel I was suitable to be his Mate. Because that's what Mates did. That's how Mates were.

But I didn't want to be with to him. He was crazy: he wanted to be King Alpha. Alphas fell at his feet if he picked up his phone, so he probably expected me to fall to the ground too.

Gabel wanted to resist me? I'd made it really easy for him. I'd ignore him. He probably thought I'd throw myself at him trying to get him to Mate with me because I wanted to be his Luna, or I was afraid what would happen if he didn't want me.

But I wasn't like other girls. I was a Seer, and I was a powerful Seer. That automatically gave me status within a pack. Any pack. I didn't have to fight for status, I didn't have to pair myself with a powerful male. I had my own status, from the Moon Herself, and nobody could take it away from me.

I didn't need to kiss Gabel's toes and tell him how good he tasted. I didn't need Gabel, or his Mark, or the Bond. If we broke the Bond I still would be in Iron Moon, and I still would be his Oracle.

Someone had brought up my bags and unpacked them, which was also creepy--I had just been laying naked in bed while some stranger unpacked my things? I looked around the room until I found my scrying tools: they were still wrapped in velvet and silk, undisturbed, and had been carefully placed in the top drawer of the dresser. My assorted runestones were also there.

I took a hot shower, dried my hair and studied the stormy bruises over my body. They looked worse than they felt. Except for the swollen bite mark on my neck, which hurt like someone had repeatedly punched me with a large rock. It had swollen up a little bit overnight and probably could stand to be lanced again, but I didn't like the idea of dealing with the Doctor.