Beneath the Broken Moon: Part Two: Shifter/Vampire Romance by Sarah Makela

Word spread quickly and lives could be shattered.
    I sat on my bed, trying not to think about those issues, but a tiny niggling thought plagued me. What if we ended up like Chandra’s family, on the streets? If no one supported my father’s business, we’d become homeless.
    The thought didn’t scare me, just made me numb. Here I’d been worried about fulfilling my birthright and having children, and my family might lose it all because of what my father had done.
    Rubbing a hand over my face, I kicked off my house shoes and crawled under the covers, more than ready for a renewing sleep. Hopefully when I woke up, life would be better.
    Pulling the comforter to my chin, I closed my eyes. Sleep tugged at my consciousness, and I began to drift off. Footsteps pounded up the stairs, but I lingered on the edge of consciousness. Maybe Father would go to bed and not bother me.
    On the way home, he’d cursed a blue streak under his breath, fuming at himself. His aggression had been barely restrained, but the angry power oozing from him concerned me. However, he was known for his mood swings...
    No, I wouldn’t think that way. He cared for his own reputation, if nothing else, and the ability to say he married me off to a hotshot soon-to-be Alpha like Brendan fit the bill. But that might very well not happen at all.
    The footsteps moved toward my parents’ bedroom at the end of the hallway, but they paused. I held my breath. Any sleepiness I felt faded away.
    The person came back toward my room and stopped at the door.
    I watched the door through my eyelashes, continuing to breathe normally as if I were asleep. This person couldn’t know how much they frightened me. If it was my father, it would give him the ammunition to blow up at me.
    The knob turned, and the door creaked open.
    I closed my eyes, feigning sleep, but the eerie feeling of someone stalking toward me while my eyes were shut freaked me out.
    The door closed behind the intruder. I desperately wanted to see who it was and tell them to go away. A hand touched my foot over the blanket, slid to my knee, and then my hip. It took all my willpower not to recoil. The desire to grab the hand and toss it away overwhelmed me.
    The scent of Father’s cologne, mixed with the overpowering smell of his favorite whiskey, burned my nose. A chill chased through me before I could control myself. Father only drank when he was furious. Fear and anger sparred inside of me like two trapped beasts, causing my pulse to accelerate.
    The blankets were ripped from my hand. My eyes snapped open to see him leaning over me. I tried to scream, but he slapped a meaty hand over my lips.
    “No you don’t. Not this time. Your mother is asleep. We wouldn’t want to wake her, would we?” he said, slurring his words. His tone was a mix of annoyance and disgust. His slid his other hand over my torso, curving across my stomach and up to my breast. He squeezed it hard enough to bruise.
    Could this be what Chandra meant the other night? I didn’t want to hurt my father...but I wouldn’t let him do this.
    He hopped onto the bed in a clumsy drunken leap and nearly fell off in the process. His eyes were full of loathing—maybe even self-loathing. “You were supposed to bring this family out of the hole it’s in.” He voice cracked a little, as if he’d cry. It broke my heart to see him this way, even though I was terrified. “Instead, what happens? You screwed things up, you stupid girl. Do you know how hard I worked to have Brendan Kelly mate with you? Do you know how prosperous he is? His father is the Alpha,” he said, his voice a harsh whisper.
    Neal Kelly was the Alpha of Alphas? Tears burned my eyes. Now I remembered him. Father had pointed him out at one of the meetings when I was younger.
    Neal wouldn’t save me from my father, but my desperation didn’t want to listen. “No, Dad, I didn’t mess up.” My voice lacked any emotion, which fit the increasingly numb sensation that sheltered