Max needed to know, and Mitchell needed to tell those who’d been with him his entire life why he kept his secrets.
He just hoped they could forgive him.
And that one day, when things fell apart around him once again, they’d help him figure out how to live without his soul.
“Why did you need to see us?” Gideon asked once everyone had gathered in Mitchell’s living room. They normally didn’t meet there, in fact, he wasn’t sure they’d ever had a meeting there, but he needed to be in his home for this. He wasn’t sure he could have told them what happened if he’d been anywhere else.
Gideon sat on the couch with Brie by his side. Brynn and Finn had come from their home in the Redwood den since Mitchell wanted his cousin there, and Finn was family now even if he wasn’t Pack. Ryder and Leah took seats on the floor next to Kameron, while Walker stood near the doorway with Charlotte, Bram, and Shane. The latter trio wasn’t Brentwoods, but they were part their inner circle. Max stood by himself on the other side of the room, though Parker, Brandon, and Avery were seated near him at the long table that rarely had any use except to hold paperwork.
He wasn’t sure he’d ever had this many people in his house before, and his wolf wasn’t sure he liked it. But this was his family, his circle, and he had been lying to them long enough.
“Is it about Dawn?” Brandon asked. As the Omega, the other man probably knew more about what Mitchell felt than anyone, but he’d hidden so much from them.
“Almost,” Mitchell said. He let out a breath and looked up into the faces of those that cared for him. He never should have kept Heather from them, but it hadn’t been because of them that he’d hidden her. He’d tried to protect most of them from the former Alpha and the rest of that particular hierarchy, and in doing so, he’d kept his secrets so long that he wasn’t sure how he should begin today.
So, instead of agonizing any more than he already had, he told them about Heather. Spoke of his father, and his reasons behind the secrets. Told them about the accident and how she hadn’t been changed.
He told them how he’d lost part of himself and knew he wouldn’t be whole again.
He didn’t speak of Dawn, but her presence was felt nonetheless.
And when some of his family cried, the others held him or yelled—not at him, but at the fates that had tried to destroy their family once again, he knew that he’d taken one step closer to healing.
He just didn’t know what he would do with that new scar on his heart. Dawn deserved far better than him, and yet he couldn’t let go.
And now that he’d talked it over with his family, there was a small part of him growing in size with each passing moment that told him he might not let her go. Ever.
Betrayal coated him like it had before, but this time, it didn’t stay quite as long, didn’t feel quite as suffocating.
What did that mean? He didn’t know, but he knew he needed to keep Dawn safe. Safe from the rogue that had wanted to take her out, safe from the Aspens that might want to prove something and make a move against the Centrals…
And finally, safe from him.
EMBERS
“Nothing is going as I planned,” Blade growled low. “But then again, I didn’t send out the best of my collection.”
Blade had been keeping wolves from various Packs that had dared to come through his lands over the years. He wasn’t like the humans who thought they knew best and performed tests, cutting open shifters just to see if their blood still ran red. He only kept them locked up, near starving, and slowly but surely severed their bonds to their Packs. That was, if they even had them. Some were lone wolves with no ties to others and no family to come after them to begin with.
Parker had been one of the only wolves he’d let off his land, that damn Redwood-now-Talon wolf had been far too visible and connected to too many for Blade to do what he normally did.
And that was to show all shifters under his “care” that he was the most dominant, most powerful wolf. He was the Alpha of all Alphas and should be recognized as such. Or at least, that was what he called himself. He growled. The Aspens were one of the strongest Packs in the world, if not the strongest ever. And once the world realized that, he would have that title in truth.
One day, when the time was right, he’d show the rest of his Pack and the rest of the world his power, and they would bow before him.
He growled, his claws tearing through his fingertips. Just thinking of other Packs made him want to gouge something. He still couldn’t quite believe that the moon goddess had given the Central Pack their powers back. That fucking abomination of a group of wolves now had a fucking Alpha and a Beta and would probably have more in their hierarchy soon. And if they were left unchecked, they would bring another demon into the world and fuck up everything.
The Centrals were everything that was wrong with the world of shifters. The Centrals being allowed to live in relative peace was evidence that the Packs weren’t taking care of their own. They weren’t taking out the ones that proved themselves to be damaged. They were no longer keeping their wolves a secret and ensuring that they were the elite species.
Hell, these wolves were so mundane, they didn’t even know the existence of other shifters. Only Blade knew that. He was the only Alpha who had more than wolves in his Pack. That clearly meant he was the more evolved and the one to rule all the Packs.
If only the others would get in line.
Once Blade was done with the Centrals, and then the Talons—and even the Redwoods—they would all bow before him.
As was his due.
“You’re growling over there with a manic expression on your face. It’s a little dramatic, don’t you think?”
Blade turned at the sound of Scarlett’s voice and frowned. “What are you doing here?” He hadn’t scented her come into his bunker office, but then again, Scarlett was a powerful fire witch, part of the Aspen Pack, and could hide her scent if she so chose. She didn’t always since not all of the Aspens knew of her power, but she liked to sneak up on some of them and learn their secrets. He was not pleased that she was doing it with him.
“You asked me to come, remember, your Alphaness?” The statuesque redhead rolled her eyes, leaning against the open stone doorway. She made a motion as if to buff her nails, and tiny flames danced along her fingertips.
“That fucking Beta killed three of my rogues and wasn’t even badly hurt in the process.”
“Well, you did send the wolves far too close to Talon territory, if you don’t mind me saying.”
He did, but since he needed her help just then, he didn’t say so. Scarlett was testy on a good day, and he wasn’t in the mood for her theatrics.
“I needed him out if I want to get to Dawn.”
“And why is this one little wolf so important to you?” Scarlett prowled toward him, and he sighed. She moved more like a cat than a human witch, but since she was mated to one of his soldiers who was a cat, she must have picked up some of her mate’s tendencies through the years they’d been together. Hence why Scarlett hadn’t aged a day since she formed her bond. Her magic had only grown, as well. “She’s awfully young for you, don’t you think?”
Blade let out a growl, his wolf rising to the surface, and Scarlett dutifully lowered her gaze. “She’s the sister of that damned fake Alpha and spending far too much time with the Talon Beta. There’s not a bond there, but they have something going on, something that can only strengthen the Central and Talon treaty. We can’t let that continue.”
Scarlett nodded; flames dancing along her hands again. “And what do you need me to do?”
Blade let his wolf rise fully, his eyesight shifting ever so slightly, telling him he was seeing through the gold rather than his human eyes.
“Distract those who would protect her. My men will get the girl and bring her to me. Once I have her, I’ll make her one of my pets…much like the others.”
As if knowing they were being spoken of, the wolves he’d captured let o
ut pained whines. Damn shifters, he thought, they never should have come to him for help or a place to stay. He hadn’t been placed on this earth for charity. The moon goddess had given him a far greater purpose.
“I can do that.” She paused. “You’d better watch out for Audrey,” Scarlett said casually. “She’s sniffing around again.”
His Beta was getting far too curious for her own good. Too bad he couldn’t take her out like he had her predecessor. There were, sadly, only so many accidental deaths he could cover up. As it was, he already had to keep an eye on his son and Heir since the boy wasn’t shaping up how Blade wanted him to.
He sighed. Pack politics took far too much energy, especially when others didn’t cower before him.
But they would.
Soon.
They’d tremble before they bowed and recognized him as what he truly was.
Their savior.
Chapter Fifteen
Dawn leaned into Cole’s shoulder and sighed. “Did you sleep at all last night?”
“A little,” he answered softly. “I’m a little energized, though, like my wolf got a boost when the bonds hit.”
They stood on their porch like they were before when the Pack became whole, and she couldn’t help but stretch, soaking in the power that radiated off her brother’s skin. He was a force to be reckoned with. A protector. An Alpha.
He cleared his throat, and she looked up at him. “What?”
“Do you want to talk about where you went last night?”
She blew out a breath. “Not really. Plus, if you have to ask, then you already know.”
“You smell like him, Dawn. Not just in a way that says you’ve been near him once in a while…” He paused as if trying to come up with what he was trying to say. “You’re different around him. Altered when you come home from being with him. Not in a bad way, but…I don’t know. It’s like you’re more settled and yet not at the same time.” He shook his head and pulled away from her so they could see eye-to-eye. “He’s so dominant, Dawn. Not just in his wolf, but also in the way he holds himself. I’m not going to lie, he intimidated me when we first met, and he started training us. He holds himself back and seems…almost dark. I never would have thought he’d be the one for you.”
Dawn gripped the railing and looked off into the forest, knowing some of her Pack was out there running in wolf form after their hard run the night before and not wanting to go back to human just yet.
“He’s not mine,” she said firmly. And though she kept telling herself that was okay, that she didn’t need to be with him, she knew that wasn’t exactly the case anymore. The more time she spent time with him and the more she felt the bonds that connected her to her Pack, the more she knew she’d been lying to herself from day one.
Mitchell could have been her mate in another life, yet she wanted that bond in this one. Wanted the man she’d learned he hid beneath the hard shell that he’d made for himself as a result of his countless trials and tribulations.
“Dawn…”
She shook her head but couldn’t look at Cole. “He’s not mine,” she repeated. “He’s not my mate.”
“Are you sure? Because Walker told us that the mating bonds are changing; they’re not the same as they were before. It could be that your wolves just don’t recognize what is what yet. It could take time.”
“No, that’s not it,” she said quietly. “We’re potentials. We’ve known for longer than we allowed ourselves to see. But in the end, we won’t be mates.”
Cole let out a low growl and reached for her hand. She pulled away before he could touch her, but that only made him growl louder.
“Has he hurt you? Who the fuck does he think he is to not want you as his mate? He’d be damn lucky to have you in his life? If he’s fucking using you, I’ll end him.”
Goddess help her when it came to dominant males.
“First, if any man hurt me in that way, I’d be the one to handle it. Not you. You might be my big brother and now my Alpha, but I don’t need you to beat up any guy in my life. I’m strong enough. Secondly, he’s not using me.” She swallowed hard. “If anything, we’re using each other. Both of us knew going in that we weren’t going to complete the mating bond even though we wanted to be near each other for the time being. Thirdly, we each have our reasons, and I’m not going to share those with you because they are personal, but know that it’s not just him.”
It wasn’t, she reminded herself. It didn’t matter that her feelings were changing, and she knew she’d hurt so bad in the end that she’d find it hard to breathe, but it wasn’t Mitchell’s fault. He had gone through hell and back, and sometimes, there was no way to heal those kinds of wounds.
“I still want to hurt him.”
“Why? Because I’m having a sexual relationship with a man that I chose, knowing there is no future? A future I, myself, don’t want?”
“Because I don’t want my baby sister hurt.” He pulled her into his arms before she could push him away and hugged her close. “I’ll never stop you from doing what you need to do, but I’ll always be here for you.” He kissed the top of her head, and her wolf brushed along her skin, finally relaxing after a long night of tossing and turning.
“I love you,” she whispered.
“Love you, too, Dawn. Love you, too.” His wolf’s presence wrapped around hers, and she let out a slow breath, settling slightly. She was far too confused and on edge to be truly settled, but at least she could breathe again.
After a few minutes of peaceful silence, Douglas came over to speak with Cole. Since everything was all still so new and they were still learning how their Pack would function, Dawn left them alone to, presumably, talk about den business. One day, there would be more people in their meeting, such as an Heir that would help lift the coming burden from her brother’s shoulders. For now, though, the elders who had protected her as a child and had saved them all would be there to aid Cole when he needed advice and to help with their growing and evolving den.
As for Dawn…well…she’d be there for him, too. She was still Pack, even if her wolf felt pulled in another direction for some reason. And Cole was still her big brother. She’d do anything she could for him—except stay away from the wolf who could tear her soul apart.
Later that evening, Dawn found herself being led through the Talon gate once again. Brie had texted earlier and asked if she wanted to come by just to talk and play with the baby, and Dawn had said she would be there. When Dawn texted Mitchell to let him know she’d be at the den, he’d told her he would meet her at the Alpha’s home.
She still wasn’t sure what they were to each other beyond a potential disaster, but she wasn’t going to waste any more time second-guessing her choices. She wanted this time with him, her wolf needed it. And if it weren’t for the fact that she understood why he couldn’t give her more than what they had, she might have been left wanting.
She pressed her forehead to her steering wheel after she parked and let out a sigh. She kept spinning herself in circles when it came to her place in her Pack, and now her place with Mitchell. She hated that others’ fates made her continuously doubt her own choices in life. Once her wolf came to terms with the moon goddess’s decisions, she’d be able to get over herself and do what she always did in the Pack—anything she could to help others. And when she finally got it through her skull that yes, she wanted that bond with Mitchell and got over it, she’d be happier. She’d been naïve to think she wouldn’t want the mating bond once she found her link to her Pack. She honestly hadn’t known what it would be like to even have one bond, let alone another that connected her to a wolf so intimately that she’d never be able to put a name to the sensation. But Mitchell couldn’t have that, and she’d gone into their relationship thinking the same of herself.
Any pain she felt would be on her and her alone.
He hadn’t changed the rules.
Her heart had.
“Damn it,” she muttered. “Stop agonizing.”
With a determined grace, she slid out of her car and headed to Gideon and Brie’s. She waved at some of the wolves she passed who smiled at her. She knew they scented Mitchell on her, but they kept their distance and didn’t ask questions. For that, she was grateful. Others seemed to respect his privacy because of his attitude.
At that thought, she stumbled. No, she was not grateful for his attitude because she damn well knew why he had it. Bile filled her throat, and she swallowed it back.
She loved him.
That was the only reason she could think of that she’d be feeling this way. Because if she were honest with herself, she’d gladly give up her happiness with him—something she was already doing—if she could make it so he didn’t have to live with the pain that scarred him. Her hands shook as the revelation hit her.
If Mitchell had still been mated to Heather, if somehow the other woman had become a wolf and her mating bond to Mitchell held true, then he wouldn’t have lived through the pain that forever shadowed his soul.
And Dawn wouldn’t know he was her potential.
A mate that would never be hers.
There would be no bond.
There would be no future.
And, somehow, Dawn had to remind herself that she’d gone into everything in the past few weeks knowing that was the case.
“Dawn?”
She froze at the sound of Mitchell’s voice and looked up. Somehow, she’d kept walking toward Brie’s home but hadn’t made it there. Instead, she stood near a group of trees along the path, her palms sweaty and her heart aching.
“Dawn?” he asked again, this time coming right up to her and running his hands down her arms. This was why she kept falling deeper and deeper for him. Because no matter how much he tried to keep his distance, he was always there to make sure she was safe. He constantly touched her, a little caress here, a gentle graze there. It was as if his wolf and his human half didn’t understand that they needed to keep each other in check. But Dawn was doing exactly the same damn thing, so she couldn’t blame them. She couldn’t even blame herself.
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