An Alpha's Choice

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  Finn found himself outside in a forested area he couldn’t recognize. “I don’t know what land we’re on.” If the humans had been stupid and brought them to the wrong Pack’s land, it would be another pain in the ass to deal with.

  “Brynn?”

  She didn’t answer.

  “Fuck.” He kept going and blessed the moon goddess when he found an old Jeep that reeked of the dead humans. He quickly put Brynn in the front seat and checked her pulse. It was weak, but she was still alive. He kissed her forehead then slammed the door and ran to the other side. It was an older model vehicle, so he could at least hotwire the thing. Any newer and he’d have been fucked.

  He slammed on the gas and sped his way down the road, praying he could recognize a major highway or landmark. They’d taken his phone when they’d kidnapped him and Brynn, but the car had a communication system so he could make a call as soon as he knew where he was. He reached over for Brynn’s hand and gave it a squeeze. She didn’t squeeze back, but he could feel her pulse. She was alive. For now.

  As soon as the road ended, he saw the major highway and let out a breath. They were close to the Redwoods. Thank fuck. He dialed his father’s number using the on-call system as it was the first number that came to mind.

  “Yes?” His father’s voice was a growl, the wolf so close to the surface that Finn could practically scent it.

  “Dad.”

  “Finn? Thank the goddess. Where are you? Are you safe? We’re coming to get you.”

  And just like that, Finn almost relaxed. He couldn’t, not with Brynn unconscious and bleeding by his side, but his father’s voice and strength meant everything.

  “I’m on my way to you. I’m about twenty minutes out. I’ll talk about everything when we get there.” His voice broke. “Brynn’s hurt, Dad. Bad. Can you call the Talons and have them send Walker to you? I’m closer to you than them. I’m afraid if I keep going to their den I’ll lose her.” He let out a breath. “Maybe Hannah and the others can at least help with some of the wounds while we wait for Walker to Heal her.”

  Kade paused. “Your mother is calling now. We’ll take care of your mate. Get her here. Get yourself here. We’ll help you and then we’ll find whoever did this and make them pay.”

  “The two who did it are already dead.”

  Kade growled. “Good. But we don’t know if it was just the two of them.”

  “No, no we don’t.” Finn frowned. “Have Reed and the others come, too. And some of the Talons, if they can. I have a knife that we need to look at. There’s something on it that’s not quite right. It’s not magic. I don’t know what it is, Dad. And they used tranqs on us that actually worked.”

  “Fuck. Meet us at the clinic. Get here, son. Get here.”

  “We’re on our way.”

  He sped his way down the highway, knowing he was dangerously close to getting a ticket, but he didn’t care. This was Brynn’s life. His torso ached, and he knew he’d need some Healing of his own, but that would just have to wait.

  When he drove through the wards, he didn’t slow down. Brynn’s breathing slowed with each passing minute. He slammed on the brakes in front of his uncle’s clinic and jumped out of the Jeep with it still running. He went to Brynn’s side of the vehicle and opened the door, pulling her into his arms. She’d soaked the front seat with her blood, and he held in a growl. He needed to be strong for her, and freaking the fuck out because of the sight of her blood wouldn’t help anyone.

  His uncle North, a doctor, ran toward him, Hannah and the others on his tail. “Walker and the Talons are almost here. They were on their way to us anyway when you called. Give her to me, Finn, and let’s get inside.”

  Finn growled. “I’ve got her.” He pushed past the others and stalked into the house, Brynn’s body shaking in his arms. Finn set her down on one of North’s medical beds and moved back but kept his hand on hers.

  North and Hannah came in with Mark at their side.

  “Take care of her first,” Finn gritted out. “Do what you can until Walker gets here.”

  Hannah went to him and pulled him away. He reached for Brynn, but his aunt was stronger than she looked.

  “Mark and North will do what they can. Let me look at you.”

  “Help her. Please.” His wolf whimpered—the first time he’d heard that sound in ages. Damn it. Why couldn’t he be normal?

  “They are. And I need to Heal you. You’ll both be whole, and then we’ll move on to the next thing. You aren’t doing your mate any good bleeding on the clinic floor like this.”

  He looked down and sighed. Blood oozed out of his wounds but he was so numb from seeing Brynn like she was, he could barely feel the pain now.

  “My helping you won’t hurt her, Finn.”

  He met his aunt’s eyes and nodded. “Okay,” he whispered. “But Hannah? She’s not my mate yet. I can’t feel her. I only know she’s alive because I felt her pulse. It’s killing me.”

  “They found a way, son,” Kade said from the doorway. His father came close and gripped Finn’s face between his large hands. “They found a way,” he repeated. “But first, I need to know you’re okay.”

  Finn felt his mother at his side, her hands on top of Hannah’s as his aunt Healed him. It might have been the Alpha female aiding the Healer with power, but he thought it was more of a mother helping her son. Warmth spread through him as his wounds knitted back together.

  “How?” Finn croaked. “How?”

  “You’ll have to die, Finn,” Hannah whispered. “Just like you did as a little boy. You’ll have to die so we can put you back together again.”

  Finn blinked then looked over at his mate. She hadn’t woken up, but the blood had stopped pouring. His body went numb at his aunt’s words.

  Death.

  He’d always known he’d died that day.

  Fitting he would have to die again.

  But without the connection to Brynn, he knew he’d feel like he was dead anyway. She was worth more than anything, even his life.

  “Do it,” he whispered. “Kill me.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “No. You can’t just kill him.” Brynn paced inside the clinic, her hands on her hips. Walker had come to Heal her when she’d been unconscious. Thanks to whatever chemical was on the blade, it had taken a lot of energy on all their parts. Her face Healed quickly, but her hip took so much damage that she’d forever hold a scar.

  A scar to remind her of the day she’d almost lost her mate.

  And she’d be damned if she’d lose her mate again.

  “Its not a true death.”

  Finn’s words brought her out of her thoughts and into the present. She flipped him off. “Fuck you. You don’t get to die to try and see if you can fix your wolf. We’re not doing that. We’ll find another way.”

  Finn stopped in front of her, halting her pacing. “If it allows me to be with you in truth, then I will gladly die. They’ll bring me back.”

  Brynn growled. “No.”

  “Do you think I want my son to die?” Kade, the Alpha, asked. “Do you think this is an easy decision?”

  “It’s not yours to make,” Brynn snapped.

  Kade growled low, which made her brother Gideon growl back. Great, now there was an Alpha asshole challenge to deal with.

  “Brynn,” Finn whispered. “It’s my decision.”

  “It should be ours,” she said. She knew she sounded petulant but damn it, she couldn’t allow him to be hurt. Because the solution wasn’t just him dying. No, he had to die the exact way he had before. They’d have to break every bone in his body once again and kill him so Hannah and Mark with Walker acting as an anchor could pull him back into the land of the living. Hannah was older now, more experienced. And everyone trusted she would be able to fix the bond that had been tattered between Finn and his wolf.

  And once that happened, he’d be able to mate Brynn.

  It so wasn’t worth it.

  “It’s not happening,”
she said softly. “We should be worrying about who took us. Not this.”

  “Brynn,” Gideon growled. “We are worrying about that, and dealing with it. But right now, you and Finn need to mate correctly. It’s going to fuck up the Packs if you don’t. You know it. You ran away from him before because of it.”

  Brynn sucked in a breath and glared at Ryder. “Traitor.” She’d voiced her fears, and her brother had told the others.

  “They needed to know,” Ryder said with no shame. “But listen to Kade, will you? Oddly enough, this isn’t all about you.”

  “What?” she asked, confused as hell. Why did everyone know more than her? She hadn’t been out of it for that long, had she?

  “Like I said, I don’t want to hurt my son,” Kade said somberly. “But it’s not only about your mating. If his connection isn’t right with his wolf, it might have hurt his connections to the Pack, as well.”

  She met Finn’s gaze and wrapped her arms around his waist. He hadn’t put a shirt on from before, and she could still see the slightly puckered new skin forming over his wounds.

  “Is this true?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never been the Heir without having the thread to my wolf be…off. If I can help my Pack more by doing this, if I can save my people? Of course, I’d do it. But, Brynn? You are it for me. I’d do it for you in a heartbeat.”

  The words washed over her and her hands shook. “I…I guess it needs to happen, then.” She didn’t hold on to hope that things would work. As long as Finn made it out alive, that would be all that mattered. A mating bond between her and Finn would only be second to the breath in his lungs as far as she was concerned.

  Finn cupped her face and gently brushed a kiss over her lips. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” She held back tears. She wouldn’t cry in front of these people. The only one she would cry in front of now was Finn. He was her rock and she hoped she was his. “I don’t want you to hurt.”

  Finn gave her a sad smile. “I think it’s inevitable.”

  Brynn shuddered out a breath. “So when does this happen?”

  “Now,” Hannah said, her voice strong. For a woman who was about to kill Brynn’s mate, she looked remarkably calm. That was, of course, until she looked into the Healer’s eyes. Hannah was breaking inside, and Brynn had a feeling if this hadn’t been Finn, she wouldn’t have done it. Hannah was trying to right a wrong she hadn’t truly committed, and it was hurting everyone.

  Brynn let out a breath and pulled away from Finn, keeping her hand in his. “Hannah. You didn’t do this. Caym did. I know that, and I bet you everyone in this room does, as well.”

  “Damn straight,” Josh growled. He wrapped his arm around Hannah’s waist while putting the other firmly around Reed’s.

  “But she knows that, doesn’t she?” Reed added.

  Hannah rolled her eyes at her mates then nodded. “I know that. It doesn’t absolve me of the guilt I feel, but I know it was the demon that did this. Now I’m going to fix it.” She raised her chin. “We are going to fix it. And if it brings Finn even more into the Pack and allows him to help our people with more power? Then all the better.”

  She flexed her fingers and nodded at the table. “Lay down, Finn. We’re going to do it all at once. Each of the dominants in the room will break a bone, maybe two. However they can hold on to you and do it so it’s as quick as possible. It won’t kill you, not fully, but then we’ll have North send you over the edge with a cocktail of drugs that works on wolves. When you’re gone…” her voice broke. “When you’re gone, Mark and I will Heal you, but better than before. Walker will guide us since he doesn’t have the bonds to you that we do, but as Healers, we have our own ways of acting as anchors.”

  Brynn blinked as the small, curvy woman spoke of breaking bones and killing Finn in a medical manner. The woman was Finn’s aunt; family, and Pack, and spoke of it as if it were nothing. The strength inside Hannah for her to be able to do that was astounding. Brynn admired her all the same. Even if her wolf hated her just a little bit for what she had to do.

  Finn kissed her again, this time hard. “I’m coming back.”

  Brynn refused to let him go. “I’m not leaving the room, Finn. I’m going to be here during it all.”

  “You don’t have to watch this.”

  “Yes. I do. I need to. I need to be here for you. Don’t ask me to leave because I won’t.”

  Melanie came to Brynn’s side and gripped her hand. “I’ll be with you. I…I can’t break my baby,” she whispered in Brynn’s ear.

  Kade came to them, his face solemn. “I’ll stand by the two of you, as well. My wolf won’t allow me to do what needs to be done.”

  His words weren’t a sign of weakness, but rather one of strength. He loved his son, his Heir, so much that he couldn’t hurt him—even if it were needed.

  Finn kissed Brynn once more then nodded at his parents. “It’ll be okay.” When he went to the hospital bed and sat down, Brynn thought her wolf was going to jump out of her skin and kill anyone who dared touch her mate.

  Kade positioned himself in front of Melanie and Brynn, an odd look on his face. “Remember this, Mel? I seem to remember having my brothers hold me back when you were changed.”

  Melanie closed her eyes and put her hands on her mate’s chest. “I remember. I remember you screaming for me. I don’t want to have to scream for my boy, Kade.”

  “It’s okay if you do,” Brynn said softly. “I’ll be screaming.” There was no use lying.

  “And that’s why I will hold you both back. Our Finn will be strong.” There was a promise in Kade’s words that allowed Brynn’s wolf to breathe. This man would soon be her Alpha if things worked as they hoped. He was a good man. But right now, all she wanted to do was make sure Finn was okay.

  “Get into position,” Hannah ordered. Mark stood by her side near Finn’s head. Walker stood behind them, his hands on both of their shoulders. Gideon, Ryder, Mitchell, Josh, North, Cailin, Logan, Maddox, and more of the Redwoods and Talons crowded around the table. Each of them put both hands on a different part of Finn’s body, bracing themselves.

  Goddess. They were really going to do it.

  They were going to break him.

  A growl that ended on a whimper slid from her lips, and Kade put his hand on her uninjured hip. “Hold,” he whispered.

  Melanie made a similar sound and leaned into her mate.

  “Ready?” Hannah asked, her voice steady, though Brynn couldn’t see the other woman through the mass of bodies.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be,” North whispered.

  The others nodded in assent.

  “Now!” Hannah called.

  The sound would forever haunt Brynn’s dreams. Each wolf moved at once, breaking the bones in their hands. It echoed off the walls, in her mind, and in her heart. Finn called out once then went silent. Brynn screamed and pushed at Kade, who held on to her, strong. She pulled her gaze from the mass of bodies to her mate’s Alpha and glared.

  She kept pushing until she truly saw the wolf in his eyes and the grey hue to his skin. This was killing him just as much as it was killing her. That was his son behind him.

  Fuck it all.

  “Move back,” Hannah called out. The group surrounding Finn moved as one. Brynn watched their faces. Each looked sick, ashen, and ready to vomit.

  Good.

  “North. Do your thing,” Hannah said softly.

  North swallowed hard, and Brynn pushed at Kade, her wolf in control.

  “No!” she screamed.

  “Hold,” Kade whispered, his voice a tad weaker than before.

  North jammed a needle into Finn’s skin, and Brynn broke free of Kade. She knew the Alpha had let her go. She was no match for him. But honestly, it was too late. The beat of Finn’s heart slowed.

  Slowed some more.

  Then stopped.

  Finn was dead.

  Gone.

  Lost.

  Hannah began cha
nting, her arms outstretched over Finn’s upper body. Mark’s lower register joined her in the chanting, though his hands held steady over Finn’s head. Brynn gripped Finn’s hand, begging him to come back. Come back to her.

  “You can’t die on me fully, Finn Jamenson. I’m going to kick your ass if you don’t come back.”

  “She means it, too,” Mitchell murmured.

  “Come back,” Melanie whispered.

  “Come back,” Brynn repeated.

  She waited.

  She didn’t know how long, but she waited. Hannah kept on her feet, her mates holding her up at the end, with the others holding Mark and Walker up. Finn never moved. Never twitched.

  His hand grew cold in hers.

  He had died.

  Not just a little death, not partially dead.

  Truly dead.

  She threw her head back and howled. Others joined her, but she wasn’t sure who it was—a mix of Redwoods and Talons.

  Finn’s hand twitched in hers.

  Brynn swallowed hard and looked down, willing Finn to wake up. “Wake for me, Finn. Open your eyes so I know you’re there. Come back to me.”

  His eyelashes fluttered, and Hannah moved back, passing out from exhaustion in her mates’ arms. Mark and Walker leaned on others as that group left the room, their attention on those who had risked their lives for her mate. Brynn only had eyes for the man she loved.

  His eyes snapped open. “Brynn.” His voice was strong, not as if he’d just freaking died in front of her.

  “Oh, thank the goddess.” She leaned down and captured his lips with her own. Finn’s hand went to the back of her head and he deepened the kiss. She let out a surprised moan before pulling away. “Finn?”

  He sat up, looking fully Healed. His eyes glowed gold. “My wolf. I can feel it. I can hear him. I can feel you, Brynn. Holy fuck. Is this what you’ve been feeling all this time? How the hell can you manage?” He slid off the table and kissed her again, only to break away when someone cleared their throat.

  “I take it your bond to your wolf is stronger?” Kade asked.

  “Yes. I can…I didn’t know how much I was missing.” There was an awe to his voice she hadn’t expected. She put her head on his chest, the strong heartbeat under her ear soothing her in a way she hadn’t thought possible.