Beneath the Broken Moon: Part One: Shifter/Vampire Romance Read Online Free PDF

the blood and fear that coated me.
    “You don’t know?” He straightened his spine, and ferocity creased his forehead. “What do you mean you don’t know?”
    Mother placed a hand on his thick arm. “Honey, maybe she doesn’t—”
    Father snapped his attention toward Mother and snarled at her. His gaze was so intense it would have made anyone else spill their guts at his feet. He turned his head back to me, his eyes narrowing. Now I knew why Chandra had acted off; Father was in a seriously bad mood. “What about when you woke up?”
    “When I woke up, I found my way home.” I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself enough that he wouldn’t downright accuse me of lying. But with the way he was acting, it was hard. I didn’t want him to strike Mother or anyone else.
    Leaning in closely, he growled, “You better not be lying. Do you understand?” I quickly nodded. “Good. You know I’m fully capable of disciplining you, right?”
    Fear choked me. He wouldn’t think twice about hurting me. He called it ‘disciplining,’ but that didn’t cover what he did. What he seemed to enjoy doing. “Yes, Father.” My voice broke slightly, and I wanted to avert my eyes, lean away from him, do anything to gain distance between us, but that wasn’t the way to handle him. Not as a werewolf. He’d believe me to be guilty, which I was if truth be told, but he couldn’t know that. He’d kill me if he thought a vampire had tainted me.
    “Doctor Matthews will be here shortly. Go up to your room. Don’t make things difficult for him. He’s coming all this way because you couldn’t stay out of trouble.” His lips curled back in disgust, and he straightened to his full height.
    I pulled away the cozy blanket and tried to stand, but my muscles weren’t cooperating. Dizziness swept through me, and I bit my lip against the wave of nausea roiling my gut. “I don’t feel well.”
    Father grabbed me by the front of my blouse, popping a few buttons in the process, and hauled me from the chair. The tips of my toes barely touched the ground as he lifted. Breathing became difficult, and the gnawing pain in my shoulder grew almost unbearable as my shirt pressed into it. Sheer hostility filled his eyes, and he watched for signs of my pain.
    I groaned and wriggled, trying to take some of the pressure off my shoulder by holding myself up, but he hefted me higher.
    “Dear, I’ll help her to her room. She’s hurting. Please don’t cause her more pain.” Mother stood a few steps behind my father. Fear was evident in her widening eyes. She didn’t want to get involved, didn’t want to upset Father, but she loved me. Loved me enough to risk Father’s wrath.
    Father’s grip fell away, and I plummeted to the ground. A loud smack of flesh sounded simultaneously with me thudding against the floor. I lay on my uninjured side and blinked my eyes to see Mother on the office rug with a big red handprint on her cheek. Blood trickled from her lower lip.
    “Don’t tell me what to do. She’s my daughter. I can discipline her how and when I see fit. She left us to worry over her whereabouts. And look at this.” He whirled, waving his hand at me. “She comes back injured and ‘not knowing’ what happened. The little bitch knows how important she is, especially when she’ll be meeting her mate tomorrow.” He crossed his arms over his chest, and he slid his gaze over my body. “Damn. With the condition she’s in, I’ll probably need to reschedule.” He paced across the room and back, retracing his steps in a circular track. “I don’t want the boy thinking he’s in for more trouble than she’s worth.”
    I stayed on the ground, unsure if standing would provoke him further. Instead, I tried to lie as still as I could. My shoulder didn’t like this position, but I remained quiet.
    Mother climbed to her feet slowly, regaining her prim posture. She glanced between her husband and me. It was apparent she wanted to do something,