Night of the New Moon

Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Timber's POV

The floor was moving.

Slowly I flitted into consciousness, but while my mind was hazy, I was aware of several things at once. One, I was laying down. Two, I was cold. Lastly, number three, I was moving. Or, to be more accurately, whatever I was laying on was moving. I cautiously sat up, my head aching. "Fuck," I whimpered, touching my head slightly. What the hell ran me over?

"It'll get better." The voice was calm, familiar. A shiver rolled over me it. Realization flooded me when I remembered everything from before. James. Shadowkin. My eyes flashed over to the left, where James sat, with his feet propped up. We were obviously in a very large, very comfortable car. "When you fainted, you hit your head pretty hard," James added. I eyed him, swallowing past the dryness in my mouth

"Where are we?" I croaked, then cleared my throat.

"Newport," he answered casually.

"Washington?" I cried out.

"Of course. We're going to find your father," he said. I sat back, confused. Why would they try to find my father? He hadn't been one -- he had been a man who made it possible for me to be here, and then ditched. Why would I want to meet him? James sat up, dropping his feet.

"You're in danger. The only way you'll be safe is if we return you to your father, where he can keep you safe from those who fear your kind. Word leaked thirty years ago that he was retiring from being King, and that makes you valuable," he said softly. I just watched him, unsure of exactly what he was saying. My father had been a King, a very powerful one from the sound of it all. That didn't make me valuable. Why would it? I was nothing,

James huffed impatiently. "You don't understand, do you? You're the next rightful rulers of the shadows, Timber. You are next to take on the title of Queen of the Shadows."

I sat up quickly. "No, I'm not. I can't rule anything. I'm not even full Shadow. I'm a half-breed. Half-breeds don't rule over the Shadowkin," I denied, trying to stop the panic that was causing my heart to explode. "I'm not a Queen."

James sighed softly, his eyes watching me. It was eerie, but had a shocking ability to calm me. "You don't have to take over, Timber. You just need to talk to your father. Set up some security for you, just so you're safe." I took a deep, shuddering breath; my mind raced. How was this happening to me? I was not the person for any of this. I just wanted to go home to Brynn and Smoke, home to where I was raised.

I cleared my throat. "How far is this place; this Valley of Hales?" I asked. I had never heard of the Valley of Hales, or the Land of Eternal Light, or any of it. How did James know? Yes, he was an Alpha and leader, but he wasn't old. Only the older Shifters usually knew about stuff like this.

"Well, the portal to this land is in Neah Bay. We'll be there in about ten hours, if we're quick about stopping," he said. I rubbed my head, aware of the aching pain in it. "Are you hungry? We have a little spare time to stop for food, if you want," he offered, watching me in the same quiet nature he always had. I shot him a look, and his lip twitched into a smile.

"I'm fine," I answered, although I was anything but. I wanted to be in the forest, home with the wolves I called family. The noise of cars and people hurt my ears, since they were noises I were not accustomed to. James nodded slightly, looking uncomfortable. My head still pounding, I sat back and closed my eyes.

"What are you doing?"

"Sleeping," I grumbled.

I heard James shuffle around, and several minutes passed before something soft touched my head. I opened my eyes, and almost screamed at the sight of the very large, very male wolf in front of me. It was strange seeing a wolf in a car, and yet, oddly calming. It was James, I knew. The eyes gave him away. I eyed him, waiting warily. He did nothing except flop down on the seats, resting his head on his paws to watch me.

Alright then. If he wasn't going to hurt me, or do anything, I was going to sleep again. My head hurt too much to stay awake for ten hours, much less another minutes. As I fell asleep, I could have sworn that the last thing I heard was a soft humming, the nip of teeth on my skin, and then a gentle breeze on my entire body. It had to be the tiredness. Those were only sensations from sleep. That's all it could be.