“Are you going to tell me what’s going on between you and Parker?”
He schooled his features, annoyed with himself that he’d forgotten how perceptive this submissive wolf was. “What do you mean?”
Sadness lingered in her eyes for a bare moment before she let out a soft sigh. “If that’s the way you want to play it, I understand. But I have a feeling it’s not only Parker your wolf is confused about.”
Brandon didn’t say anything in response, his silence enough of an answer for her it seemed. He stayed with Brie for another hour, knowing they both needed the time together so they could settle. They were only two members of the Pack, but two of the pivotal members in terms of its health. With Gideon’s wolf in constant demand, his brother and Alpha needed his mate as well as the rest of his hierarchy to be healthy and intact. Only Brandon wasn’t sure any of them could be truly whole anymore.
He pushed those thoughts from his mind and made his way to the infirmary after leaving Brie. His wolf came to the forefront as he walked, surprising him. Not because his wolf was there, considering that with his powers, his wolf was always working on some thread of emotion, but because his wolf seemed to truly care about what happened to Avery.
Hell, Brandon cared about what happened to Avery, and he knew it wasn’t only because she’d been under his care when she left him and Parker, only to be attacked by a stranger. He wasn’t sure what to make of it, but he knew he’d have to figure it out soon. Between dealing with Parker and now Avery, his head hurt, and he hadn’t even spoken to them yet.
And he sure hadn’t dealt with that kiss.
He nodded at Walker as he walked through the infirmary doors but didn’t stop to say hello. If his triplet needed him, Walker would call on him. The Brentwood clan might be secretive beyond measure most of the time, but they were slowly learning to rely on one another.
Avery lay on her bed, pale but almost fully healed. Thanks to the shifter DNA now running through her veins, she wouldn’t even end up with a scar from the attack unless somehow a witch’s magic or a special salt were rubbed on the wounds. Those two things were the only ways he knew of for a shifter to scar, and he thanked the goddess that neither of them had been used on Avery.
She’d been hurt enough from the attack, and being forced to look at a daily reminder would be too much. Of course, she would now share her body with the soul of a wolf and would have to deal with the aggression that came in waves from that. He wasn’t sure where she’d lie within the hierarchy—dominant, maternal, submissive, or somewhere in between—as their human forms and personalities didn’t always mesh with what their wolves needed. There were shy dominants, and outgoing submissives like Brie, but those weren’t the norm.
None of that mattered at the moment, though.
Avery had to be strong enough to survive her first full moon…and she didn’t have a lot of time to heal beforehand.
“Brandon.”
At the sound of her ragged, soft voice, he looked up and focused on her face. She was pale, fear within her eyes, but alive. He had to focus on that. Anything else would just make him insane.
The fragile bond that lay between them, which told him that she was Pack to his Omega, burned—newly made and tenuous at best.
Parker cleared his throat from the bedside, and Brandon finally looked over at the man whom he’d done his best not to think about all day.
Why was this so awkward?
“I brought sandwiches and soup from the house,” the other man said softly. “I didn’t know when you’d show up, but I brought some for you, too.”
“Walker said I could eat whatever I want and even get out of the infirmary and into…well, I don’t know where,” Avery said softly. “But I don’t have to sleep here after tonight for what it’s worth.”
“You can stay with us,” Brandon blurted. He hadn’t known he was going to say that until it was already out of his mouth, but now that the words were out there, he couldn’t take them back. And, honestly, he wasn’t sure he wanted to.
Parker gave him an odd look as if assessing him before nodding. “There’s enough room,” the other man said after a moment.
Avery’s eyes were wide. “I don’t even know you. Why would I move in with you? Hell, everything’s moving too fast. I feel like I’m two steps behind and never going to catch up.”
The worry and fear that bled off her in waves slammed into him, and Brandon did what he’d been born to do and took care of them. He wrapped himself around the emotional cords and brought them into himself, his wolf taking care of the rest by fading them into the complicated network of bonds he held for the Pack. His own psyche would absorb whatever came at him, but he wouldn’t show that he felt what the others did. Not always.
Avery’s eyes widened. “You’re taking my pain,” she whispered. “Stop it. I need that so I can remember that this isn’t what I signed up for. And you shouldn’t hurt yourself because I’m hurting.”
Brandon stopped and moved to sit beside her bed. “It’s my duty.”
“I don’t want to be your duty.”
Tension filled the room, and Brandon shifted on his seat.
“Let’s all get something to eat,” Parker said, ever the mediator. “Full bellies will help us think.”
Brandon took the offered sandwich and bit in, letting the mustard and roast beef pull him out of his mood. “I wasn’t aware I had roast beef in the fridge at home.”
Parker grinned. “Leah stopped by with groceries since she said you’d probably only have protein shakes. She wasn’t wrong.” He met Brandon’s eyes, studying him. “Though I don’t think she knows why you only drink those these days,” he whispered.
“Will you tell me why?” Avery asked, and Brandon pulled away from Parker to look at her. Why was it that he couldn’t focus with either of them near? And, hell, put the two of them together, and he almost lost control fully.
Brandon didn’t answer her, but he wasn’t sure she wanted an answer right then. She played with her soup, her brows furrowed.
“I’m a wolf.” Her words contained so much confusion, so much hollow pain, he wasn’t sure his own wolf could handle the onslaught.
Brandon set down the rest of his meal, not in the mood to eat anymore.
“Yes,” he answered, though her words hadn’t been a question. “Someone not of our Pack attacked you outside our home, and now you’ll shift.”
“We couldn’t let you die,” Parker added, his words rough. “Maybe we should have,” he said after a moment.
Brandon growled as Avery let out an involuntary gasp.
The other man held up his hands. “Shit. I didn’t mean it like that. I meant we took the choice out of your hands. Gideon had to bring you into the Talons so Walker could Heal you enough that you’d be able to survive your wounds. Not all those who are attacked and bitten to near death survive, but you did.”
And she wasn’t out of the woods yet, though he wouldn’t say that. Walker would have already told her when she’d woken up, as his brother never hid the details of what would come next. But Brandon didn’t want to throw that in her face again.
Avery studied her hands, and Brandon did the only thing he could at that moment—he reached out and put one of his hands on hers. The connection was immediate, warmth and a shocking intensity he couldn’t quite name shooting through him. Avery’s gaze flashed to his before going to Parker as the other man gripped her other hand.
Brandon swallowed hard, the circuit the three of them made almost overwhelming.
Yet his wolf refused to tell him if they were potential mates. How could this be? He’d never felt anything like this, and yet he was in the dark.
Something had happened to the mating bonds, and he needed to figure out what that was. But before he did, he needed to ensure that Avery was okay.
“The full moon is in two days,” Brandon said softly, bringing Avery’s gaze back to his. He could find peace in those eyes, he knew, if he only looked long enough—if she
only gave him enough time.
“You’ll change then,” Parker added. “There’s no way around it. Are you ready for that?”
She met both of their gazes. “I don’t have a choice, do I?”
Brandon frowned. “You don’t.” Anger boiled in his veins once more. “Not anymore. A wolf not of ours made that choice for you, and we manifested it into being so you would breathe again.”
Avery looked down at their clasped hands, concentration on the parts of her face he could see. “I said I would help you…help your people, your Packs. Now, I guess I will help myself, as well.”
At her words, Brandon’s wolf howled in respect, and his gaze shot up to meet Parker’s. The other man’s eyes glowed gold, and their wolves reached out as if needing one another for a purpose Brandon had yet to name.
This woman, this wolf to-be, was so damned strong. Stronger than the two others in this room, and he had a feeling she didn’t even know it.
No matter what happened next, what happened between the three of them, he knew Avery would go on to do great things. She was Pack now, one of them.
She was wolf.
And a small part of him whispered that one day soon…she might be his.
Chapter Six
Avery had always been good at keeping secrets. It was one of the things she’d learned to do as a child, barely able to write sentences. She’d known from a young age that the moment her father knew the truth about her, he’d find a way to silence her the same way he’d ended her mother’s life.
So she’d never spoken aloud who she was, what she could do.
Soon, she knew she wouldn’t be able to hold it back any longer. Because the new Pack threads were slowly weaving their way around her soul, and there would be no hiding what lay beneath her shields once the Alpha and his family understood what they’d brought into their Pack.
She wasn’t dangerous, but she wasn’t normal either.
She’d known that the moment she spoke to the Talons, her life would be forever altered. She’d known that one day, she would become wolf and run on four paws. She’d share her soul with another being and learn to become something that had once only lived in fairy tale books and the nightmares of those who didn’t understand.
She’d seen it.
Yet she hadn’t known how it would happen.
Nor had she known why she’d seen the vision. She’d never once seen her own future when her mind lost control and she was forced to see what hadn’t yet come to pass.
But for some reason, this vision had come to her, and she’d known it was more important than any of the others she’d had.
Now, she stood under the full moon, the wind in her hair, and fear almost too much to deal with. But the moon’s rays covered her like a well worn blanket and she felt like she could breathe again. Maybe. Parker stood by her side, his hand on hers, and she tried not to lean into his touch like she wanted to. Before the attack, she’d been attracted to not only Parker but Brandon, as well. And now, whatever was going on between the three of them only seemed to intensify.
Her senses were overwhelmed by the scent of them, of the trees, the sky, the birds. Everything seemed so loud and bright, and she couldn’t quite focus. Maybe she’d be able to deal over time, but right now, it was all too much.
“Gideon and the others are right beyond those trees,” Parker explained after a moment. “While normally you’d want someone connected to the Pack near you for your first shift, I figured you might like a little privacy. As you know, Brandon wanted to be here, as well, but he…well, he won’t be shifting tonight with us.”
There was more to what he was saying—or not saying—but she pressed her lips together and nodded. How had she ended up in this clearing with him? One minute, she’d been walking to her car after meeting with some of the most powerful wolves in the area, and the next, she was in the woods, about to get naked and change into a wolf.
How did things like this happen in real life? It didn’t make any sense.
But there was no use trying to fix things what couldn’t be fixed. She just had to move forward and try to figure it all out. One step at a time.
“What’s going to happen again?” They’d told her in the infirmary since she still hadn’t had the courage to figure out where she was staying yet, but she needed to hear it again. Hell, she’d hear it another hundred times if it meant that she might finally understand it.
Parker put his hands on her shoulders, and she calmed. He’d said that he wasn’t part of the Talons, so there was no connection between them; so then why could he calm her by just his touch?
Because maybe it was something more than a Pack need.
She pushed that thought from her head.
“When you are ready, we’ll each strip so we don’t tear our clothes. Unlike some movies, we don’t tear right through them, and we could end up getting stuck if we’re not careful. And they don’t disintegrate, so we’ll have to deal with them anyway. Then you’ll get on all fours.”
She blushed. Way to go not thinking about sex for a whole twenty seconds.
He tapped the end of her nose and smiled. “While I would like nothing more than to discuss that particular position with you, let’s wait until we meet your wolf.”
Holy. God.
Okay, now she truly didn’t know what was going on.
And frankly, right then, she didn’t care.
“As I was saying,” Parker continued. “When you’re ready, you’ll close your eyes and imagine the moon. She’s already out, full and bright, ready to wash over you and bring your new inner wolf out into the open. There’s a…bond for lack of a better word between you and your wolf. Find that small thread that will one day be something far stronger and tug on it. I know it sounds weird, but if you visualize what you will be, what you have become, it will be much easier.”
His thumb traced along her jaw, and for some reason, with him near, she knew she could do this. She could find her new path…the path she’d seen in a vision she hadn’t been meant to have. Was it because of the type of wolf he was, the Voice of the Wolves, the mediator? Or was it because he was Parker? She thought it could be the former, but perhaps it was the latter because Brandon did the same thing to her.
Once again, she wondered how on earth she’d ended up here, yet it didn’t matter. She was here now, and worrying about things that couldn’t be changed wasn’t going to help her figure this out.
“I won’t lie,” Parker whispered, “this will hurt. All changing hurts, but your first time as an adult will hurt more than anything you’ve been through. As children, those born into our life are shielded from the pain by the moon goddess. We learn what the shift feels like without pain so we can find that thread and shift easier as adults—even with the pain. Those bitten do not have that luxury, and for that, I am sorry.”
She met his gaze, his eyes gold. That meant his wolf was close to the surface according to what she’d read. Interesting. “I remember the attack,” she said after a moment. “Not all, but I remember the first bite.”
He cursed. “This might hurt more. There’s nothing to be done, no drugs to help, no other wolf that can take away that pain. Maybe we’re like the humans say and we’re truly cursed.”
She shook her head. “Those humans who say such things know nothing.”
Parker’s hand on her face tightened fractionally before dropping away. “You are truly a remarkable person, Avery.”
She shook her head, pulling away from his touch, though she didn’t want to leave the warmth of him. “No. I’m not.” She tugged on the hem of her shirt. “Let’s do this.” Going fast so she wouldn’t think too hard, she stripped down to the skin, ignoring Parker’s gaze as he did the same. He didn’t look below her face, though and she couldn’t help but feel slightly better. Apparently, wolves were just fine with nudity, and she was going to have to get over her own insecurities—but she hadn’t missed the heat in his eyes.
He wanted her.
One more
thing to worry about. Later, however, because as the moon danced along her skin, she felt its pull.
And it hurt.
She lowered herself to the ground, the leaves and grass beneath her skin biting, but anchoring at the same time. She couldn’t forget who she was, even if she was now something different.
“Find that thread and tug,” Parker whispered by her side. He set his large palm on her back, and she stiffened before forcing herself to relax. It was just so hard—pun intended—since the man was seriously attractive and naked beside her.
But she wasn’t going to look. This time.
For a woman who had visions of the future, kneeling in the grass naked next to an equally naked man and trying to turn into a wolf seemed really weird to her. But she was going to do it anyway because something deep inside told her that this was what she’d been destined to do all along—even if she hadn’t understood.
She focused on the imaginary threads she figured surrounded the bright, white ball of light within her. Maybe that’s not what a soul looked like, but it had been the first thing she’d thought of. As soon as she felt the fragile, thin thread that spoke of forest and yearning, she tugged, hoping she was doing this right.
Avery screamed out in pain, her bones shaking and her muscles on the verge of tearing.
“You’re doing it, Avery. Keep going.”
Apparently, she had been doing it right, but now that this pain kept cascading over her, she wasn’t sure she wanted to keep going…only, she had to. There was no other way.
She tugged again, this time throwing her head back in a scream that somehow became a howl. Her tendons snapped, her bones elongating after breaking and reforming. Her muscles tore, and her body broke out in a sweat before fur sprouted.
Sweet agony, she thought. A sweet agony.
And then she was Avery, human, vision holder, and daughter of a traitor no more.
Now, she was all of those things and wolf.
“You’re a gorgeous wolf,” Parker said from her side. “You did brilliantly. Even faster than some of the teenagers we have, who have been shifting for a decade. I’m going to shift, as well, and then we can run. Let your wolf to the surface, not just in body, but also in mind. She won’t lead you wrong, but you need to run.”
Fractured Silence (Talon Pack Book 5) Page 7
