Blink.
The wolf from the infirmary with a nice smile. Gone.
Blink.
The sentry she had first talked to when she’d come to the den. Gone.
Blink.
The maternal dominant male who had helped her learn how to use her wolf for the goodness of others. Gone.
Avery’s tears salted her tongue as she dropped her now empty gun and launched herself at the nearest human who had decided her new family needed to die because of the blood that ran in their veins.
She stabbed at him with her knife, and though she now had faster reflexes, she was still too slow. The man grabbed her arm and twisted. When she called out, both Brandon and Max ran to her, claws out.
She was too new to use her claws but damn it, she didn’t want to die this way. So she kicked out, hitting the asshole right in the balls. He let out a squeak before letting go. When he doubled over, she kicked him in the head.
“Holy hell, Avery,” Max said with a pained grimace. “Remind me to never get on your bad side.”
She opened her mouth to say something equally as inappropriate, but then the world went bright white before going black.
She pried open her eyes and screamed out in horror. The bomb that had gone off had sent so many of her family in different directions, she didn’t know where to look. Brandon lay off to her side, struggling to get up.
Parker and Blake were too far away to have been hit by the blast, but they were running toward the melee.
But what made her scream was not her mates, but the one wolf who could always make her smile.
Max lay on his back, blood pooling around him on the grass, turning the green to rust. McMaster stood above him, a knife in his hand as he slashed at the unconscious wolf, a gleeful smile on his face.
“You’re an abomination!” McMaster yelled. “Your kind is the reason our people are dying!” He slashed again.
Bile filled Avery’s throat as she moved through the pain and saw Max’s prone body in full. He no longer had any of his right arm below his elbow, as the blast must have taken it. But the wounds on his chest were worse as McMaster slashed and cut.
Why wasn’t anyone shooting at him? Why couldn’t anyone help? Her ears rang, and she knew others were coming toward them, but it wouldn’t be quick enough. There wouldn’t be enough time.
So she did the only thing she could.
She somehow found the strength to stand before leaping on McMaster’s back. The man screamed and, thankfully, fell to the side and not on top of Max. The man who had been the root of so many of their problems rolled over and tried to get up, but his eyes widened as both of them realized what he’d fallen on.
The knife he’d used to hurt Max now lay embedded in his chest, his own life’s blood pooling around the two of them.
“They’ll know what you’ve done,” McMaster spat, blood flowing from his mouth. “I’ll still win.”
“You’ll be dead.” She punched him in the face before staggering to Max, knowing there wasn’t a lot of time. She cupped his face before reaching down and praying she’d find a pulse. When she felt the beat of his heart, she let out a sob and took off her jacket to staunch as much of the blood as possible.
“Walker!” she yelled. “We need you!” She had no idea if the Healer was even still alive. She only knew that Max wouldn’t survive without him.
Brandon fell to her side, blood and cuts covering his body and he pressed his hands down over hers. “Walker’s coming, Avery. Walker’s coming.”
Parker ran past her, Blake right behind him as they made sure McMaster was dead. “He’s dead. Killed by his own knife.”
The man who had orchestrated it all was dead, yet Max still bleeding beneath her hands. Bullets still firing over her head. Why wasn’t it over?
“I don’t know what to do,” Avery whispered. “I don’t know what to do.”
Parker leaned forward. “Walker’s almost here,” he whispered.
“Parker!” Blake yelled. “Get down!”
Then Avery was pushed onto Max as Parker slammed into her, Blake on top of both of them.
Avery knew that no matter how long she lived—if she survived this battle—she would never forget Parker’s scream.
Never.
Chapter Twenty
Parker lifted Blake’s body off his and tried to come to grips with what he was seeing. His baby brother lay in his arms, his eyes wide with the surprise of death and blood covering his chest. Blake had taken a bullet meant for him, yet Parker didn’t understand why.
Why.
Avery and Brandon would still have each other if Parker had died. Blake hadn’t yet found his mate or mates. Damn it. His brother should still be there. He was supposed to fight by his side and make stupid jokes and help Parker clean up the mess. He’d wanted to watch Blake grow up into the man he was destined to become and eventually find his mate. Parker had thought he’d have Blake by his side when Isabelle found her mate so the two of them could be the typical big brothers and kick the man’s ass if he did anything wrong or got too close.
He’d thought he’d have countless days with his little brother.
Blake should not be bleeding by his side, his eyes vacant as death took his due without recourse.
This was not his fate.
The moon goddess had lied.
She’d taken everything.
And Parker didn’t know what to do.
Walker came forward at that instant and pushed the others out of the way to help Max. Avery ran her hands over Parker’s face and down to Blake, tears streaming down her cheeks. Brandon stood behind him, shooting anything that came too close that didn’t smell of Pack.
Yet Parker needed to get his head out of his ass and onto his family. His brother would not die in vain. Max would not lay bleeding in vain.
The prophecy whispered through his mind again, and he knew it was the moon goddess who spoke. The moon goddess who couldn’t save his baby brother.
“A wolf of three Packs can break their will or unite them all.
“Once united, the Packs will reveal…
“If broken, the Packs will fall…”
“The wards,” he gritted out, his hands covered in his and Blake’s blood. “The wards.”
Avery looked at him with confusion in her gaze as she tried to wipe the blood from his face. It didn’t do much good since she had just as much blood on her hands. “What are you talking about?”
“My ancestor made the first wards. The witches were the ones to strengthen it. Maybe…maybe the goddess is saying it’s me who will remake the wards.” As soon as he said the words, he knew what he’d said was true.
Only, how?
He looked down at the blood on his hands that mixed with his brother’s and knew the answer. “Blake and I are of the first hunter. It’s our blood. His sacrifice.” He choked out the words before slamming his hand to the ground. His brother’s blood already seeped into the soil, and Parker used his free hand to claw at his own arm, making more blood pool into the grass and dirt.
“My blood,” Parker growled out to the moon goddess. “Our sacrifice. His sacrifice. Take it and help us, damn it!” He knew it wasn’t the right thing to say, wasn’t as ritualistic as what the moon goddess might have liked, but his brother had died in his arms, and he couldn’t think of anything else to say.
Avery looked at him with wide eyes before placing her hands on his. “Our blood. The blood of your mate.”
Brandon did the same. “All of us. All of our life force. Take it. Protect our people.”
“Unite us,” Parker continued. “Save our Packs.”
Thank you.
The moon goddess’s words brushed over him as the wards slammed into place. Far more powerful than he’d ever felt them, they were like a bubble over the den area, thrusting deep into the earth and extending out to the surrounding roads and trees, creating the haven that had once been safe for all wolves. Parker let out a scream as power surged through him an
d into the wards, as if the moon goddess hadn’t been able to do anything without this one moment.
He felt her power and grace create the wards, forming bonds within bonds as the den was once again not only hidden from view but also safe from those who would attack it.
Then the unbelievable happened.
The wards shot out, a wall of blazing hot magic going in all directions. Avery leaned into him and Brandon as the wards’ power rushed forward, yet the immense heat didn’t hurt them. Instead, it pushed every single one of their enemies away, a wall of fire and ice, protecting those it hadn’t been able to fully protect for too long.
In the end, the Talons stood on the battlefield, their bodies shaking from the new power sliding over their bodies. It was as if the wards had rejuvenated them. Max gasped below them as he opened his eyes, pain-bright, but Walker forced the wolf to go back to sleep to Heal.
Avery held Parker close, Blake’s body still in his arms, and Brandon stood behind them still, protecting them from an enemy that seemed to have been knocked back by the moon goddess herself.
“You did it,” Avery said, her voice raw.
“We did it,” Brandon countered.
“But at what cost?” Parker asked, his throat aching. He held Blake to him as his mates comforted him. If he hadn’t had Avery and Brandon by his side, he wasn’t sure what he would have done.
The others moved around them, trying to understand what had happened as they took care of their wounded and dead.
But Parker stayed where he was, knowing it wouldn’t be long before who he waited for appeared.
Because they would come. They would see.
The Redwoods arrived not long after, bringing Parker and Blake’s parents with them. Lexi, Parker’s mother, screamed, her body shaking as she ran toward them. North blinked at them, falling to his knees as he fully caught sight of the scene. It was his twin brother, Maddox, who lifted him up and helped him to where Avery, Brandon, and Parker kneeled, and Blake lay.
His family had come for their sons.
The battle had been won. The war, Parker knew, might end soon. The mastermind behind it all lay dead, and the world had seen what he’d done. The wards were back in place, stronger than ever.
But his brother was dead.
Countless had died.
Parker looked around at the bloodstained battleground, remembering the first battle he’d seen and the fire that had consumed so many. They had won that war, and Parker knew they would win this one. There was no other choice.
But no matter what he did in the future, he would not forget this day. His mates would not forget this day. The sacrifices that had been made on the battlefield would be forever remembered and honored.
His mates helped him stand as the others took Blake’s body, and Parker wrapped himself around Avery and Brandon. Avery kissed his jaw, while Brandon kissed his temple.
Parker might have lost a part of himself in the battle, but in the arms of his mates, he found something else. He found his reason to fight, his reason to live. Blake wouldn’t have wanted him to break down and hide. He hadn’t sacrificed himself for Parker to do so. And for that, Parker would live.
But he would remember.
Always.
Epilogue
Two Days Later
Brandon lay in bed with Avery tucked to his side, Parker on the other side of her, his face finally calm in sleep. They’d made love for the first time since the battle that morning and now were taking a nap before they went to Gideon’s home for a council meeting. They’d needed each other and to remember what they had fought for.
Avery let out a groan, and Brandon loosened his hold on her. Parker’s eyes opened, and Brandon reached out to caress the man’s hip softly.
They’d lost so much on the battlefield and yet had gained their new wards. Wards that seemed to be far stronger than anything anyone had seen in their long lives. It seemed that going forward in this new age of knowing and technology, their wards would be there to protect them from too curious eyes.
Blake had died protecting Brandon’s mate, and he still didn’t know how to deal with that. All he knew was that thanks to the man’s sacrifice, they all had a long time to find a way to live with that. Tatiana had also died, though her Alpha had thankfully not blamed the Talons. Instead, the European Alpha had used her death as a way to come out to the public in his own territory. Her death, too, would not be in vain.
Max is alive, Brandon thought with a relieved breath. But he would never be the same physically, and from what Brandon had felt from his cousin in these short two days since the battle, he might never been the same emotionally either.
All in all, they’d lost twenty-seven wolves. But without the wards, the number of casualties would have been far greater.
Brandon closed his eyes, holding Avery and Parker closer as he fought to calm his wolf. He needed his mates by his side more now than he ever thought possible. He needed to constantly reassure himself that they were indeed alive and well and that he wasn’t dreaming anymore.
Avery turned in his arms and kissed his chest before pressing her naked breasts to his skin. “You’re thinking so loudly,” she said softly. “Want to talk about it?”
Brandon swallowed hard as Parker ran his hand over Brandon’s side. “I was just thinking about everything that happened.” He paused. “And the fact that I think I’m still connected to the wards the same way I was before.”
Parker sat up, a frown on his face. “It’s not hurting you, is it?”
Brandon shook his head as he sat up, as well. Avery followed, tucking the sheet over her breasts. “No, but I can feel them.”
Avery nodded. “I can, too.” She bit her lip. “And I…uh, talked to Walker about it, and he said he still feels them.”
“So does Kameron,” Brandon added, running a hand down her back. “But I don’t think it’s quite the same with the others.”
“So the three of you since you were already connected to the old ones through your past lives, and now those of us who helped Parker bring them back up?” Avery asked. “I guess that makes sense. I wonder what it means in the grand scheme of things?”
“I think it means we’ll know when the wards need us again,” Parker said slowly. He gave a rough laugh that had Brandon’s eyes widening along with Avery’s. “I can feel Blake when I try to reach for the wards. It’s like he’ll always be here, you know?” He rubbed a fist over his chest. “I’m not going to get over what happened anytime soon, but I think…I think being in this Pack and being mated to the two of you is going to help me.”
Avery kissed him on the cheek before turning to do the same to Brandon. “I think so, too.” She let out a breath. “And I think we’re going to be late to Gideon’s if we don’t get out of bed.”
Brandon kissed the back of her neck. “I think he can wait just a bit longer.” Parker leaned forward and kissed her on the lips, and the three of them laid back down, taking their morning slowly.
Because no matter what happened, Brandon would never take his mates and his fate for granted. It had cost so much to have the bond they shared, and he would do anything to keep it.
“What happened on that battlefield is a travesty. The shame of the man who ran for President will be a mark on our history for generations but will not define our history. He tried to use the fear of the unknown for his own gain, and in the end, it was to his peril.”
Brandon sat wide-eyed on the couch between his mates as the President spoke to the public about what had happened to the Talons and what the future would hold when it came to the wolves.
“The proposed legislation against those who shift into wolves is unconstitutional, and I have been remiss in not making my statements clear. The shifters among us have been living within our borders for longer than our borders have been drawn. They have done nothing wrong, but they have been forced to hide for fear of what might happen to their children. And, as is evidenced by some of the corrupt people in power, their fe
ars were justified. But know this, we are working to ensure that all people in our country and around the world are safe. That includes shifters.”
“Holy shit,” Avery whispered.
“Yeah,” Parker added.
Brandon squeezed both of their hands.
“My daughter is the mate of a wolf from a Pack on the eastern seaboard,” the President continued.
“Holy shit indeed,” Gideon growled.
“And that’s not one of the people we thought were on our side?” Mitchell asked. “The people we placed in command?”
“Nope,” Gideon said. “We had no clue.”
“You have followed my daughter’s life since I came into politics and will continue to do so because you feel her life is fair game. I’ve always done my best to keep my family safe, and now her family includes the wolves of this country.” He paused. “But before I knew of her future, I already knew what I would say now. Our people need to be safe. All of our people. The laws say so, as shifters within our borders are citizens. It is a crime to attack them for who they are. It has always been a crime, but those in power have not always seen that. I see that. We need to unite. We are a country built on coming together, and now we will come together. The wolves are under our protection. They are people. And they need to be allowed to take control of their own lives. Let’s make sure we allow that to happen.”
The President began to answer questions about what everything meant law-wise, but Brandon tuned it out, knowing they’d go over it in detail for years to come. Right then, he needed to focus on the two wolves in his arms.
“Does that mean we’re safe?” Avery asked.
Gideon was the one who answered. “That means there will be no more human against wolf battles on our land.” He looked down at his tablet as he read a few things from other Alphas and wolves around the country. “If a human faction comes at us, it will be our government that stands beside us to protect us.”
Fractured Silence (Talon Pack Book 5) Page 19
