But no one would know if that would have happened.
A future as bright as theirs would never come to be because someone had run them down with a spray of bullets, wiping out their potential bond and existence before it even stood a chance.
She braced herself against her bathroom sink, knowing she needed to suck it up. She couldn’t be who she was and look like she wanted to sob in a corner because of the unfairness of it all.
She and Finn had lived. Yet Franklin had not. And Seth would take months to fully heal.
Brynn met her gaze in the bathroom mirror, annoyed that her wolf was still so close to the surface. She’d need a run soon because there was no way she’d be able to keep in control at this rate. Her wolf wanted blood, and yet it couldn’t have it. Not with so many uncertainties.
She let out a breath and moved back into her living room, not surprised to see Ryder there, sitting on the couch with his forearms resting on his legs. Her brother was the quiet one of the group. All of her family had been through hell, and Ryder had his own past to deal with. Because of that, he would sit down and listen to anything she had to say without judgment. He was such a good brother that way.
And she honestly didn’t want to talk to him right then.
“Brynn,” he said softly. “It wasn’t your fault.”
Damn the man and knowing exactly what to say. He wasn’t even the Omega, and yet he knew the heart of the matter. Brandon, the true Omega and one of the Brentwood triplets, was even better at it, but he did his best not to look too hard at her emotions. He loved her enough to know that one wrong tug on the bond and she’d break.
Brandon had to know she was dying inside.
And from the look on Ryder’s face, he knew, as well.
She didn’t answer him. She knew it wasn’t her fault logically, but since when did wolves use pure logic?
“I know you’re hurting from Franklin, but Brynn, it’s more than that. You’ve been hurting for over a year.”
She looked away, not wanting to face him but knowing she couldn’t hide anymore. “We all have reasons for our pain,” she hedged.
Ryder growled softly. “Don’t cop out. Do you think I can stand by and watch my only sister hide away from herself because of a new pain? It’s not the same as it was before. If you were merely healing from what Dad did to us all those years ago, then I’d stand back because we all needed time after that. We still need that time. If your strain on the bonds between us were due to the unrest in our world, then I’d stand by your side and fight whatever enemy we faced. But this is different, and we both know it.” He reached out and gripped her hand, surprising her. The Brentwoods hugged and touched one another when needed because, after all, they were wolves. But Ryder didn’t go out of his way to be affectionate. He had his reasons—ones she didn’t press because, as he’d said, they had a right to their own way of healing.
“Brynn.”
She met his gaze, her heart in her throat. “Finn is my mate,” she blurted.
Ryder’s eyes widened, his jaw going slack. “What the fuck?” he rasped.
Tears filled her eyes, surprising her. She didn’t cry. She couldn’t. Ryder looked at her and moved to her side, pulling her into his arms quickly. She rested her head on his shoulder, her body trembling.
“Tell me what happened so I don’t kill him,” he whispered. “Or maybe I’ll kill him anyway. Fuck the treaty.”
Her quiet and soft-spoken Ryder.
“I knew the first time I saw his face full-on.” She sucked in a breath. “I mean, I’d seen him in the distance when he was younger, and even saw him a bit more a few years ago. But it wasn’t until Gideon and Brie’s mating ceremony that I knew in truth. Finn was mine. My wolf wanted him, pushed me so hard I almost shifted right then.” She wiped her face, annoyed she’d let the tears fall in the first place.
“And he just walked away?” Ryder asked. He didn’t yell, didn’t growl or move so quickly that she startled. Instead, he sat there and let her speak.
She told him everything that had happened since the mating ceremony when she’d looked at Finn’s face and knew he didn’t know, that the moon goddess had made a mistake with her.
She was nothing but a mistake.
Ryder held her closer as she finished, even telling him about the alley and Finn’s words. She blushed during it, but she didn’t care. It felt good to tell him about it all. She would have told Brie since the other woman was her only female friend these days with all of the dominance challenges, but this was the one thing she couldn’t go to her for. Not when Brie and Finn were so close.
“Oh, Brynn.”
She snorted, her sinuses pulsing after her hard cry. “I know.”
“What are you going to do, baby girl?”
She smiled at his words, despite the agony in her heart. She wasn’t a little girl, nor a baby anymore, but Ryder was her older brother, and some things would never change.
“I don’t know. I hate that I’m sitting here crying and worrying about myself when our Pack is hurting. Seth will wake up soon, if he hasn’t already, and know he doesn’t have the future he thought he would. How selfish am I that I can’t just get over this?”
“You’re not supposed to get over it. And I think you’re breaking harder now because of what happened this morning. You’re allowed to feel more than one thing. You’re allowed to be hurting because of something that has been grating on you for far too long. I don’t think worse of you for it, and you can be damn sure none of the others will.”
She didn’t say anything, her mind still working through everything that had happened even in the last week.
“I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but Brynn, you need to tell him.”
She shook her head. “I can’t. If I do, I’ll be weak. He’ll know that weakness, and I can’t allow that to happen.”
He sighed. “You will never be weak, no matter what you think. Your wolf needs this, as do you. And Finn needs it too, baby girl. He needs to know what he’s missing. If you don’t tell him, then I might be forced to kick his ass because I’m so fucking pissed that he’s hurting you by not knowing, Brynn. There has to be a reason, and hiding from it isn’t helping anyone.”
She licked her lips. “What happens when I tell him? What then? Both of us will know that we’re missing something.”
“Or maybe you can find a way. Never discount the moon goddess.”
Brynn had been discounted her entire existence thanks to the moon goddess and her grand plans. It would take more than a nudge from her brother for Brynn to bare her belly and the truth. She’d spent far too long proving that she could handle anything. She wasn’t sure she was ready—if she could ever be ready for Finn to knowingly turn her away.
For if he did that, she’d shatter in truth.
And there was no coming back from that.
Persuasion
The delicate balance between peace and war was not something to be cared for lightly. When one wanted to gently align key elements so said balance would shift at the precise moment, then nothing else could matter.
Senator Charles McMaster knew better than anyone that the art of war wasn’t fought in one evening. Instead, it took years to put the key pieces in place. With the aid of General Keith Montag, the plan would fall into place soon.
It was all about persuasion.
Persuading the right humans to fall in line.
Persuading the right shifter-haters to act when required.
Persuading the right doctors to follow him into the abyss of shifter research.
Charles adjusted the knot of his tie so it lay perfectly over his chest. It wouldn’t do to look anything but perfect. The world needed to see a caring and compassionate activist in one frame, and one who would stand up for their rights in the other.
Wolves could never be allowed to know who truly controlled their future.
Because one day, they would feel the true agony of their existence.
“Are you
ready to see the subject?” Montag asked, his voice almost a growl. The man was so uncouth, almost like the wolves they hunted. But Charles needed Montag for his plan to work.
Charles turned toward the General and raised a brow. “Of course. Has there been any progress since the last phase of the moon?”
Montag shook his head. “No. The damn beast won’t shift. But we’ll get him to. If not, then he’ll end up with the others, and we’ll find a new subject.” Montag shrugged. “It’s not like we don’t know where the others are.”
Charles nodded slightly. “True, of course.” They’d known for far longer than the wolves were aware, but then again, Charles did his best to be one step ahead of the game.
He followed Montag toward the lower basement where the beginning of their journey had occurred and where many of the next stages would remain. Cages lined the walls while a door at the other end of the long room led the way to the more…daunting prospects.
This was only phase one, of course. Charles needed the humans to remain fearful of what they didn’t know. The wolves were playing nice so far and being oh so careful. That wouldn’t remain the case for long so Charles would do what he could to ensure that he used this pause in their hostility to his and Montag’s advantage.
He would soon…persuade the next set of humans to fight in his war. Only they wouldn’t know they were doing it until it was too late.
Charles stared dispassionately at the wolf in human form, who huddled naked in the cage. If it didn’t shift soon, it would die. Maybe not by genetics, but by those Charles employed. It wouldn’t do for him to do it himself. He didn’t do the dirty work. That’s why he had Montag.
The General kept the cage shut but stuck a cattle prod through the bars. The beast screamed, but again, didn’t shift.
What a waste.
No matter, however. Soon, the next step in his plan would take place, and the humans would remain fearful of the wolves they didn’t know. It was unfortunate that the Heir had saved that small child. It was even more unfortunate that it looked as if the Heir and the Talon woman had done their best to save the two wolves who Charles had been keeping an eye on. The humans were seeing those two act with valor far too many times for Charles’ liking.
He needed the masses to fear the wolves, not pause to think of those two’s actions.
It seemed he needed to add one more piece to the plan.
A little prodding, a little persuasion, and the extremists who had been unknowingly aiding him would keep up their work.
The beast screamed again, and this time, Charles let one side of his mouth lift up in a grin.
The delicate balance would be his to play with, his to manipulate. It was what he’d been born for. It was what others would bleed for.
Chapter Nine
Finn ran a hand over his mouth, nodding at the sentries at the Talon gate. He slid though the wards, ignoring the pinpricks of sensation dancing along his skin. When he went through the Redwood wards, it was as if he were coming home, the magic welcoming him. This was more like something agreeing to let him stay, but not for long. The magic knew he wasn’t a Talon and wanted Finn to know that, as well.
The wards provided the last set of protections for their people, so he wouldn’t begrudge it. If they didn’t have them, then there would be no barrier between them and the humans. And until the wolves knew exactly what the humans were going to do, then the wards would be needed. The magic kept humans out; not animals or weather. It even let trees grow and seed on either side. It only kept those that would—or could—harm them away.
Brandon, Mitchell, and Kameron stood near the entrance, each of them glaring at Finn. Nothing new considering the three of them weren’t too keen on their family member spending so much time with a rival male wolf. Brandon and Kameron were two of the triplets but were easy to tell apart considering one was the Omega while the other the Enforcer. Brandon exuded a sense of calm about him because that was his duty and the way of his wolf. Kameron was the Enforcer and looked the part. The Enforcer’s job was to protect the Pack from outside forces. They were stronger than most wolves and could sense danger from outside the den walls. Their bonds to the Pack were a form of warning beacon that allowed Kameron to do what he could to save his Pack from a battle before it happened. Finn wasn’t sure he’d ever seen the man smile. In fact, he wasn’t even sure he’d seen an emotion at all from the man. He was ice, harsh and cold but damn good at his job. Such a contrast to his emotional Omega triplet. As Brandon needed to taste every single emotion in the Pack, it made sense that though the two looked alike with their dark hair, dark eyes, and strong jaws, they didn’t act alike. Walker, the other triplet who was somewhere else in the den at the moment, was the Healer and fell somewhere in the middle of the two when it came to ice versus warmth.
Mitchell was just an asshole.
The Beta of the Pack was the Brentwood cousin and Max’s brother. Finn loved Max. Everything Max did, he did with a smile. He was sweet and loved taking care of those he considered his own. Finn had no idea how Mitchell was able to care for the day-to-day needs of the Pack when he didn’t smile, only sneered. Of course, the man could just do that for Finn because, like he’d said, Mitchell was an asshole.
It probably didn’t help matters that Finn thought Brynn should have been Beta once the moon goddess chose the next generation after the previous Alpha and powers had been killed. Brynn knew her Pack inside and out and put her whole body and soul into their needs and protection. Yet she’d been shunned from the bonds that could have helped her Pack so much more. The fact that the Beta position had gone to a cousin rather than Gideon’s immediate family was just another slap in the face. Finn knew Brynn loved her entire family, but it had to hurt to see that she couldn’t have the same bonds most of them did.
He held back a curse as he remembered the look on her face when they’d lost Franklin. She’d blamed herself, even though he’d tried to tell her it wasn’t her fault. She wouldn’t listen to him or Walker. She’d gone into herself and walked away before he could do anything to help her.
He wasn’t sure what he would have done if she’d have given him a chance, but he would have done something. He couldn’t stand to watch her in pain and not try to soothe her aches.
“Is there a reason you’re here, Jamenson?” Mitchell asked, his brow raised.
Kameron glared.
Brandon studied his face.
Finn didn’t lower his gaze. His wolf was stronger than all three of theirs. Maybe not combined in a fight, but in terms of dominance, Finn won.
“I’m here to see Brynn. Thanks for the welcoming committee.”
“You’ve got a mouth on you, pup,” Mitchell growled.
Finn raised a brow. “True. I come by it naturally. Now are you going to let me pass? Or are we going to have an issue?” Others had started to gather around them, uncertainty and pain coming off them in waves. Damn it. They’d just lost a Packmate and needed someone to blame. He didn’t want to fight, but he also knew these people needed to heal. Finn let his shoulders drop.
“I wanted to make sure she was okay after what happened,” Finn said softly. “Plus, we need to talk about the next phase of our plan.”
“And you couldn’t do that by phone?” Brandon asked, not unkindly. It was as if the wolf were trying to put his finger on something but couldn’t quite get it. Finn didn’t understand either.
Finn shook his head. “Some things need to be done in person.”
Kameron narrowed his eyes but stepped to the side. “Be careful, Finn. She’s in pain.”
Shock slid through Finn. Kameron wasn’t the emotional one, far from it, yet the astute statement surprised him. It seemed Finn needed to keep an open mind when it came to these Brentwoods.
“I don’t want to cause any more,” he said as he walked past the three. He knew he’d caused a fair share of his own when it came to her, but he hadn’t meant to. They just grated on one another, and with the sexual attraction simmering
between the two of them, things were bound to explode.
By the time he made it to her place, others had checked him out but hadn’t come up to him. It made sense as he wasn’t a Talon, but his wolf didn’t like the challenges each one presented. This wasn’t his Pack, and he couldn’t stare down the other wolves and expect submission like he could with the Redwoods. Though he didn’t tend to do that anyway with his own Pack, considering they had a symbiotic relationship.
As he lifted his hand to knock, the door opened and Ryder stepped out. Finn moved back and let the other Heir move farther onto the porch.
“Finn,” Ryder said with a growl.
That was surprising. Ryder never growled at him. The two of them held the same positions in the Packs and held a mutual respect for one another. What had happened since their last meeting?
Finn tilted his head and studied Ryder’s face and saw a knowing in his gaze.
Well, fuck, what had Brynn told him?
“Ryder, go home,” Brynn said softly from the doorway. “I can handle this myself.”
“Watch yourself, wolf,” Ryder snapped then loped away, leaving Finn confused as hell.
“What the hell just happened?” he asked as he turned toward Brynn. She had her hair down so it brushed the tops of her breasts. She wore a pair of tiny shorts and a tank with no bra. Her nipples pebbled against the fabric under his gaze, and he had to swallow hard so he could keep breathing.
“Are you going to come in? Or are you going to stare at my breasts for the rest of the evening?”
He pulled his gaze from her chest, though he would have liked to stare for the rest of the evening. That wasn’t why he’d come over though.
She didn’t move out of the way, instead, she just stared at him.
“Are you going to let me in?” he asked, knowing there was a possibility she’d say no. She’d already invited him in, but she hadn’t moved.
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