Destiny Disgraced

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  If he weren’t such a jerk, he might have been nicer to her, but he needed to keep her at a distance. He needed to keep everyone at arm’s length.

  “She’s easy,” he said with a shrug before handing Fallon over to her mother. “Gideon said he wanted to talk to me,” he added instead of saying hello.

  Brie ran her hand down Fallon’s back as the little girl started to doze off. It must have been near her naptime, or the little girl wouldn’t have started to fall asleep so easily. She was usually a burst of energy and babbles.

  “He had to go meet with Kade, but he told me he texted you.” She rocked back and forth as Fallon fell fully asleep in her mother’s arms. The little girl would one day be Alpha—a first for the Talons, and maybe even all the Packs as Mitchell hadn’t heard of a female Alpha before. It wasn’t that they weren’t strong or capable because, hell, female dominants were tougher than most men he knew. No, it was because becoming the Alpha, Heir, Beta, Enforcer, Omega, or Healer wasn’t something someone could fight for or try to attain. Those titles were bestowed—he held back a mental cringe at that word—upon them by the moon goddess. The goddess had made the first wolf, the first shifter, and also determined the hierarchies needed for a Pack. Mitchell hadn’t learned until recently that those first goddess-touched were Talons. In fact, the first wolves who made the Pack were actually reincarnated as the triplets—Kameron, Walker, and Brandon.

  Mitchell still wasn’t sure he quite believed that and, hell, didn’t know if he wanted to, but it wasn’t his business, so he chose not to think about it.

  “Mitchell?”

  He shook himself out of those thoughts and held back a curse as he pulled out his phone and saw that he had indeed missed a text from Gideon. “I didn’t feel it vibrate and didn’t have the ringer on since we were training. Sorry to bother you at naptime.”

  Brie just smiled and shook her head. “You’re never a bother. Do you want to come in for something to drink? I’m headed to the maternal council meeting in a bit, but I have an hour or so.”

  Mitchell was shaking his head before she’d finished her sentence. He preferred being alone to having Brie so close where she saw too much of him. And it always hurt him when he remembered exactly who she reminded him of.

  He quickly pushed those thoughts from his brain and did his best not to rub at the three jagged scars on his chest. He’d been too in his head today and needed to do something different, or he’d end up drowning himself in a bottle of tequila later and be of no use to anyone.

  “I need to pick up a few things from town. I should get on that. Do you need anything?” The den was pretty self-sufficient and had enough land to remain that way for years, but they’d been trying to do more outside the den walls since the end of the war. Mitchell was only doing his part, he reminded himself. He wasn’t running away. Not again.

  “Can you pick up a bag of coffee beans from that shop down on First?” she asked with a bright smile. “I know I can get beans in bulk online or even at another store, but now that I’m allowed caffeine again, I seemed to have found myself a new craving. If it’s out of your way, though, I can pick some up later.”

  Mitchell nodded even as he went through his memory to see if he’d ever actually been inside that shop. He knew that Brynn loved that place and still went there with her mate, but he didn’t venture into coffee shops much. Too many people, and way too many scents for his wolf nose.

  “Just tell me what kind you want and how much, and I’ll pick them up.” He made a note in his phone when she told him the name then gave her a nod and walked away.

  His wolf had begun prowling inside him, and he wasn’t sure if it was about Brie or what she represented. Either way, he needed to get far enough away that he could calm his wolf and forget about the pain that he lived with every day.

  Because the one thing they didn’t talk about when it came to mating was that if a bond broke, a wolf could still feel it. Mitchell felt the echo of what had been, the life he’d been promised, with every breath.

  But he’d lost all that, and had learned to live like he was now.

  His mate was dead.

  And wolves like him didn’t get second chances.

  Ever.

  Chapter Two

  Dawn Levin’s feet hurt, and her hair smelled of coffee and, for some reason, hazelnut, but since that meant she had a job and therefore a paycheck, she didn’t care. Her wolf stretched her legs before curling up for a nap inside her, and Dawn held back a smile. She’d gone running late last night under the crescent moon since she wasn’t able to sleep, and her wolf had wanted to play. So now, at least one of them was partially satisfied for the time being.

  The human part of her, well…at least she had a job and a relatively stable roof over her head once she went back to the den.

  She filled another order, pulling two shots of espresso as she frowned. Was her home technically called a den? She wasn’t sure, but her family had always called it that since they didn’t have another word for it.

  She was a Central Pack wolf. A wolf who technically didn’t have a Pack at all since the Centrals weren’t yet recognized by the moon goddess or many of the other Packs in the country. Before she was born, the former Alpha and many of his followers had done horrible things and ended up killing most of the Pack in the process.

  Dawn had been taught the violent history at a young age like the rest of the children she’d grown up with. The elders hadn’t wanted there to be secrets. They’d also wanted any hotheads within the Pack to learn from past mistakes.

  “Dawn, hurry up. We’re running behind.”

  She winced at her boss’s words and went back to making foam. She could usually do most of her work in her sleep, but with her brain going in a thousand different directions today, she apparently couldn’t quite keep up.

  The door opened and she looked to see her friend and fellow wolf, Sam, walk through holding his empty canvas bag. He was their delivery boy and jack-of-all-trades. She liked the fact that she had a Pack member who ventured out of the den every so often, but she knew she still did more than others. Sam was learning to be more human these days since her Pack had hidden themselves even more after the Unveiling, but now she had a friend she got to see every day outside the den, as well.

  “Hey,” he said with a wink. “Got anything for me?”

  She nodded and gestured toward the end of the coffee bar. Since her boss was still watching, she didn’t talk to Sam before he headed out, but she knew she’d see him back at the den. He was older, and their wolves far different, but they fit together nicely on the fringes of a Pack that wasn’t a Pack.

  “Vanilla latte with two pumps of vanilla,” she called out, pulling herself from her thoughts, and set the drink on the counter before going back to the long line of cups waiting for her. She needed to keep her head on her work and not on a past she couldn’t change.

  Only it was never that easy since she lived with reminders of that past every day. Her people were on the verge of becoming a true Pack, recognized by the other Packs and the moon goddess. No one knew why they knew, but there was a knowing in the air, and the other Alphas around them apparently knew it, too. She wasn’t sure what it all meant except for the fact that things would change soon. Dawn just hoped it would all be for the best.

  Her Pack didn’t have an Alpha or a Healer, or anyone that could truly help their people in times of need. That meant there hadn’t been any matings since her parents mated before the Centrals fell. And without matings, there were no more babies or growth.

  Therefore, a maternal dominant like Dawn had no purpose other than to smile and make coffee and hope that any income she had would be enough for their meager coffers.

  And that was enough of that. She went back to focusing on the coffee orders. She was just finishing up the last of the rush when the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Her wolf perked up, causing a mix of fear and anticipation to slide over her skin.

  Him.


  She knew it was him.

  Only one person in the world made her feel this way.

  Someone she’d never truly spoken to.

  Mitchell Brentwood. Beta of the Talon Pack.

  And pain in her ass.

  Why this wolf was in her coffee shop, she didn’t know. She’d been working as a barista for a few years now and had seen many of the Talon Pack members walk through the door, yet Mitchell wasn’t one of them. The only reason she even knew who he was came from the fact that he visited her den often these days. He met with her brother at least once a week and had been there when the wards fell that fateful day. But he’d never spoken to her.

  And for some reason, that pissed off her wolf to no end.

  He was too damn sexy for his own good, as well. All dark and handsome with hair a deep shade of brown, light brown skin that didn’t look as if it came from the sun but from genetics, and even darker eyes that bored holes into her.

  Her wolf scratched at her, either wanting out or wanting to growl at the man waiting in line, but Dawn did what she did best and ignored it. She had a job to do and bills to pay. Thinking about why a wolf annoyed her wouldn’t help any of that.

  Of course, as soon as she thought that, Mitchell met her gaze and raised a brow. Yes, she was a Central wolf working as a barista at a coffee shop downtown. It wasn’t as glamorous as some of the other jobs wolves had, but she only had a home-schooled high school education, and that wasn’t enough for some places.

  So, instead of focusing on why this wolf set her on edge, she went back to making drinks, only to stop again when the familiar scents of her best friends walked through the door behind Mitchell.

  Aimee, Dhani, and Cheyenne were human and some of the best women she knew. She’d met each of them over the past seven years working outside the den. And while she felt she could tell them almost anything, they didn’t know she was a wolf. At first, it was because nobody knew about the wolves, and then, after the Unveiling, well… she’d been afraid to tell them who she truly was.

  But everyone knew Mitchell Brentwood was a shifter. He’d been on the front lines during the battles and was televised all around the world. And while they may know his title, nobody knew exactly what the position entailed. The Talons and Redwoods had done their best to keep as many of their secrets and traditions as close to the vest as possible. Information like that in the wrong hands could spell catastrophe. The evidence of that was in the Unveiling itself, after all.

  Once again, she shook off those thoughts and smiled at her friends, ignoring the way Mitchell followed her gaze. She really hoped that Mitchell wouldn’t take the opportunity to speak to her for the first time. She didn’t want to have to answer the hard questions from her friends about how she knew him.

  While Cheyenne and Dhani went to grab their usual table, Aimee came over to the counter where Dawn was working and smiled. Of her friends, Aimee was the sweetest. While the others could be sweet, they also had an edge to them that Dawn and Aimee lacked. She figured that’s why they all meshed so well; they each brought something different to their friendship and always looked out for one another.

  Of course, Dawn would probably be a better friend at the end of the day if she actually told them who she truly was, but she couldn’t. While she knew that none of them were bigots, she was still worried about how they would feel about her once they knew the truth. She’d hidden for so long, she didn’t know how to open up. What made it worse was that if and when she actually told her friends about her other nature, she’d have to explain to them about her Pack’s past. She wasn’t part of a true Pack like the famous Talons and Redwoods. And she wasn’t even a lone wolf like some others out there. Her Pack was somewhere in between, with a legacy shamed by disgrace. And even though she hadn’t been born when everything occurred, she still carried that shadow.

  “Hey, you,” Aimee said as she pulled up in front of Dawn. “We called in our order ahead of time since we knew you’d be busy.”

  Dawn looked down at the drinks in her hand and smiled back at her friend. “Working on them now, actually. I didn’t look at the names since I was in the zone.” Or at least she should have been. “I’ll have your drinks ready in a minute if you want to wait here and keep me company.”

  “No problem.” Aimee leaned over the counter and let out a small sigh.

  Dawn knew that sigh, it meant that Aimee was feeling a lot more tired than she let on, but Dawn couldn’t say anything about it. Not when Aimee got all secretive and pasted a smile on her face whenever Dawn mentioned it. And despite all of Dawn’s enhanced senses, she couldn’t figure out if Aimee’s exhaustion came from working too hard at the diner or if there was something else going on.

  “I’d take a break with you guys, but we’re in the middle of our rush,” she said, changing the subject while pulling two more shots of espresso. She sucked in a breath as Mitchell made his way to the front of the line and ordered coffee beans rather than a drink. She didn’t know why she was suddenly disappointed that she wouldn’t be making him anything, and she silently cursed herself for even thinking that.

  “Is that Mitchell Brentwood?” Aimee asked, her voice low. But it wasn’t low enough, not for a wolf. Because Mitchell turned sharply at Aimee’s question and frowned at Dawn. “Crap,” Aimee muttered, her face going beet red.

  “Looks like it,” Dawn said with a false sense of cheer. “Nice to see you, Mr. Brentwood,” she added, trying to get his attention off her friend so she wouldn’t be so embarrassed. Why she called him by his last name like that and not his first, she didn’t know. Apparently, that’s just what she decided to do in the rush of things.

  “Dawn,” Mitchell growled low with a nod of his head. He nodded at Aimee before taking his bag of beans and walking out of the shop.

  “What. Was. That?” Aimee asked, her voice low. “He knew your name!”

  Dawn swallowed hard, annoyed with herself for the tingles going up and down her spine at the sound of her name on his lips. Just because he was a very sexy shifter and her wolf seemed to be confused around him didn’t mean she had to act like a wayward teenage pup and swoon over the man.

  “I have a nametag,” Dawn said, hoping her voice didn’t sound as squeaky to Aimee as it did to her.

  Aimee raised a brow. “Okay.”

  Dawn cleared her throat. “Anyway, here are your drinks. Tell the girls I said hi and that I’ll be by for movie night tomorrow. Promise.” She’d skipped the last two get-togethers because of Pack issues, and had missed a lot more things right after the Unveiling, so she’d promised herself she would do her best to be a better friend.

  Even if that meant telling the girls everything.

  Goddess, she hadn’t lost them, but she knew she was losing more of herself every day that she kept the secret.

  “Sounds like a plan,” Aimee said sweetly. Dawn knew Aimee would tell the others about Mitchell’s sudden need to speak to Dawn for the first time as soon as she got back to the table.

  Dawn had a feeling things were going to get complicated. She just hoped she’d be strong enough to keep up.

  A couple of hours later, when her shift was over, she texted her family that she was okay and headed to her second job at the daycare center. Even though the wars were over and wolves were supposed to be safe out in public, there were always fanatics. The number of hate crimes against wolves and witches was down from where it had been at the peak of the Unveiling, but they hadn’t been eradicated completely. People feared what they didn’t know, and were scared of anything different even more. So she texted her family every time she left one place for another just so they knew she was okay. She couldn’t do much for them considering the strength of her wolf and her talents, but she could at least alleviate some of their worries.

  Sometimes, it was difficult being the youngest member of the Centrals—or what was left of the Centrals. Children only came from mated pairs or triads. When the elders and some of the other wolves left the Central den all those y
ears ago to hide from their Alpha’s wrath, they hadn’t been able to take many people with them. Anyone left bonded to the Pack within the den died because of the Alpha’s actions. Those left were forced to stay where they were, hidden in the forest without a true Pack. And because her Pack couldn’t form mating bonds anymore, there were no new couples to create children. Yes, some of the other mated pairs could have children well into their hundreds of years, but no one else after her parents had been blessed with a child. She honestly wasn’t sure if it had been on purpose or not, and was too scared to even ask.

  It just made things worse for her wolf. Wolves were either dominant or submissive—with varying degrees within each subset. She was neither. She was a maternal dominant. That meant her wolf’s true calling was to be a protector of children. Her wolf needed to nurture and care for the young of the Pack. Yet without any pups within the den walls, a part of her always felt broken. Her wolf yearned to find its place among her people, to fulfill its duty, but the way things were going, her wolf may never find its destiny.

  Hence why she volunteered at the local daycare. She didn’t have the certification to be a full-time member and caretaker, but she could at least be around human babies enough to satisfy her wolf’s desire to take care of pups. It wasn’t ideal, and she knew her wolf wasn’t completely happy, but it was the best she could do under the circumstances. Maybe when the moon goddess finally blessed them, she’d find her place.

  Maybe then, she’d be more than a sad wolf with no true calling.

  At that thought, a shiver washed over her, and she looked over her shoulder, feeling as though someone was watching her. The hairs on the back of her neck rose again, only this time, it wasn’t because of the odd anticipation she felt when she saw Mitchell.