Tattered Loyalties

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  “Well, you all have experience now anyway,” she said, trying to ease the awkwardness.

  He gave her a small smile before it fell from his face. She’d grown up around an Omega who’d been through hell and back so she understood the pain of Brandon’s burden made it hard for him to want to be around others. She wouldn’t push him as long as he didn’t look like he needed a reprieve.

  Gideon’s hand came around the back of her neck, and her wolf perked up. He kept his attention on Mitchell as the two of them spoke, but the mere fact that he couldn’t keep from touching her made her heart swell.

  Each of the Brentwoods had their secrets, and one day Brie hoped they felt comfortable enough with her to share them. Or at least some of them. After all, she didn’t need to know everything. She only wanted to feel as though she was part of the family. She was getting there at least. Soon everyone was leaving, and she found herself standing outside on the doorstep talking to Walker. Gideon had gone to Mitchell’s place with Brynn to discuss something about the ongoing hunt for Leo. She knew the lieutenants were around her, felt their presence, so she wasn’t truly alone.

  He might have been one of the youngest since he was one of the triplets, but as with Brandon, Walker’s responsibilities made him seem far older. While there was an odd innocence around Brandon that she couldn’t put her finger on, Walker seemed as though he kept his secrets close to his heart.

  The Healer looked over his shoulder and lowered his voice. “I have been remiss in my duties, Brie.”

  She tilted her head. “How do you mean?”

  “I never asked if you needed some form of birth control once you moved in.” He didn’t blush or sound embarrassed, but she could tell from her wolf that this wasn’t a comfortable topic for him. Mostly likely because his brother, his Alpha, her mate was near.

  She bit her lip and shook her head. “I…I’m not on anything, and we haven’t talked about it.” Stupid, she knew. It wasn’t as though they could get diseases, and they hadn’t used condoms because, at first, they needed the connection, and now…well, she hadn’t wanted to. “Let me talk with Gideon about this. We’ve been stupid not to.”

  Walker gave her a small smile. “You’re newly mated and the Alpha pair. Of course you’re going to want children. The only matter is timing, and now that I’ve made you uncomfortable, I’ll leave you to your mate.”

  She shook her head then gave the Healer a hug. “Thank you for looking out for us. Since we wolves can’t have children outside of a mating, it’s not something we think about.” She cursed herself. “Though my mother raised me better than that.”

  Walker patted her cheek, and she smiled. “No worries. If you and Gideon didn’t subconsciously want children, you both would have stopped it. It’s the way of the wolves.”

  With that, he left her on the doorstep, confused as ever. In this day and age, accidental babies were a thing of the past usually, but she should have thought ahead. She put her hand on her stomach and shook her head. She’d talk with Gideon, but she had a feeling he’d feel the same way. Pregnancies, despite the size of the Jamensons and Brentwoods, were rare in their world. Each birth was a blessing from the goddess.

  “Brie?”

  She turned on her heel at the sound of an unfamiliar voice, her mouth dropping at its owner. “Iona?”

  The other woman ducked her head, keeping her gaze below Brie’s. “I didn’t realize it was a family dinner night. I’ll come by another time.”

  The fact that this woman who’d once shared Gideon’s bed and had been slated to mate him had lowered her gaze puzzled Brie. She didn’t know what to think of Iona and yet had never had a conversation with her. She shouldn’t have let her emotions and whispers from others cloud her judgment, but she’d done just that.

  “It’s fine. Is there something you wanted? If you’re here to talk to Gideon…well, I don’t know if my wolf will allow you to do that right now.” She might not be dominant, but she was this woman’s Alpha female.

  Iona raised her face but didn’t meet Brie’s eyes. “I understand, and if I was in your position, I would do the same thing. I’m actually here to apologize.”

  Brie blinked. “Huh?”

  The other woman cracked a smile. “Yeah, I guess it’s a surprise to me too. I just wanted to let you know that what the elders cooked up wasn’t my idea. They’re my dominants, so I had to do what they said since they called it a Pack matter. I know Gideon isn’t my mate. I was a little peeved when he shut down our relationship.” She winced. “But it wasn’t anything like what you and he have now. So I’m sorry if I caused you any pain.”

  “I…I don’t know what to say. I suppose Shannon and the others would have just found another wolf to fill your spot.”

  “I think so. It’s so stupid really. But in the end, he got his true mate, so I guess he wins.”

  Brie smiled at that. “Yeah. I guess he does.”

  Iona opened her mouth to speak then turned on her heel. The hair on the back of Brie’s neck stood on end, and her claws came out.

  “Run! Get in the house!” Iona shouted as two wolves came out of the dark and pounced.

  Brie would not run.

  Another wolf jumped toward her, and she slashed at its side. It would take too long for her to shift, but she could defend herself. She sent a shock through the mating bond, hoping Gideon would come. She wasn’t stupid. There were way too many wolves for her to win on her own.

  Iona sliced at another wolf who came at her and she fought them off. “Go, Brie! I’ll hold them off.”

  Brie growled, kicking at another wolf, her own wolf not knowing what to do. She didn’t want to fight, but she had to in order to survive. She felt more than saw the lieutenants come out of the darkness, blood covering their bodies. There must have been more fighting than she’d seen.

  She’d turned to take down another wolf when someone came up from behind her. A pressure injector pressed against her neck, and she shouted, her mind going fuzzy.

  The darkness swallowed her whole.

  Brie woke to her own screams.

  She blinked once. Twice. She tried to lift her body but found herself chained down to a table.

  Her mother had once been in this position. It’s how she’d become a werewolf.

  “You’re awake. Good.”

  That voice. She knew that voice.

  “Leo?” she asked, her voice hoarse. She licked her lips, only to find them covered in blood. Oh goddess, how long had she been out, and where the hell was she? She needed to remain calm. That was the only way she could get out of this because, if she started to let the fear take over, there was no way she’d survive.

  The man standing above her smiled, his eyes bright and wild. He looked so much like the other Brentwoods, but the taint of madness on his face changed everything. She’d known that this man was out in the wild…waiting.

  How he’d gotten so many wolves on his side, inside the den wards, she didn’t know.

  Gideon was beyond enraged right now. She felt his pain, his anger through the bond, but it was faint, as if she was too far away to feel it fully. If only she knew more about their bond. Some wolves could speak to one another through it, and some could pinpoint their exact locations.

  Hers and Gideon’s bond was far too new.

  And worrying about what she couldn’t change wasn’t going to help her today.

  “I see Gideon has been filling your head with my past deeds.” Leo licked his lips then ran a hand down her arm.

  She flinched, trying to pull away, but he’d strapped her down too firmly. There was no way she could move. She might have the strength of a wolf, but these chains were reinforced with something magical. He’d have to release her, or someone would have to find a key in order for her to get lose.

  Her heart beat loudly, and suddenly a wash of pain slid over her. It was as if her body was finally allowing her to feel exactly what the bastard had done to her. She could feel that all of her clothes were still
on, so at least she’d been spared that agony, but there were slices all over her legs and stomach.

  Leo grinned again and held up a bloody scalpel. Her eyes widened, and her wolf pushed, trying to get free. It was no use though. She was at his mercy until she came up with another plan.

  “Yes, Gideon told you much of what we did. Did he tell you of our experiments on the submissives?” He sighed. “No matter how much we dug, we never could find their wolves. Damn shame but submissives were worthless anyway.” He leaned closer, his putrid breath sliding over her. “I can’t believe my nephew mated a submissive.”

  She growled, trying to bite at him, but he pulled away too quickly.

  “I like your style, wolf,” he bit back. “Maybe Gideon liked that too. That’s why he stuck with you. Maybe he felt sorry for you because he watched all those little wolves being cut up into tiny pieces.”

  He threw his head back and laughed while bile rose in Brie’s throat. If this was part of what Gideon had grown up with, she was surprised the others had grown up as sane as they were. Leo was a monster.

  “Would you be as beautiful if you were cut into tiny pieces?” he murmured.

  “Fuck. You.”

  He slapped her, and her head hit the back of the table hard. “Bitch has a spine. Good to know.” Leo let out a sigh. “I can’t kill you yet, you know. It’s not in the plans. In fact, I have to keep you alive. I can mess you up some, let you bleed, but you’re not going to die until I get what I want.”

  An eerie kind of hope slid through her. “What do you want?” she asked. If she wasn’t going to die at that moment, then she’d get everything she could out of him. This man wanted to hurt her mate and Pack. He needed to die.

  Leo sighed. “I want what I deserve.” When he didn’t elaborate, Brie asked again, not giving up that small amount of hope.

  “You’re a means to an end, Brie. Simple as that. Once Gideon finds you, then our plan will be in place. There are only a few more things that must be done, and then I will get everything I’ve wanted for decades.”

  He slapped her again, and she saw stars. “But before that, I get to have my fun.”

  The blade slid into her stomach, and she screamed. He laughed again, but his attention was on his work. He’d said he didn’t want to kill her, but oh goddess, it hurt. A fiery pain on an edge of a blade.

  He made two more cuts along her thighs, but she didn’t scream this time. He seemed to enjoy it too much. Instead, she let the tears fall down her cheeks, her wolf silenced. She would get out of here, and then she’d find a way to kill the bastard.

  “He’s coming.”

  Brie looked to the right and growled; her wolf was back in the game.

  Shannon, the fucking Talon Pack elder, shook her head. “He shouldn’t have mated you,” she said simply. “You would have been safe with the Redwoods.” She patted Brie’s cheek, and Brie bit the bitch’s hand.

  When Shannon slapped her, she didn’t even feel it, her wolf too enraged.

  The elder cursed, shaking off the blood. “Stupid little bitch,” she muttered. “You would have been safe. At least until we were ready to take down the Redwoods as well. Instead, you had to be so self-sacrificing.” She rolled her eyes then narrowed them over Brie’s head. “Stop looking at her like you want to cut her up some more. We need to leave now.”

  “Is everything prepared?” Leo drawled.

  “Yes. Of course. I know what I’m doing.” Shannon dug her claw into Brie’s side, sending a blinding pain throughout Brie’s body. “Now be a good girl and deliver a message. Tell your fucking mate that this isn’t over. This is but one phase.”

  Brie sucked in a breath, gaining her strength. “He’ll cut your bonds. You’ll be a lone wolf.” She swallowed hard, the pain pulling at her, draining her. “You won’t be able to get any more of your wolves into the den to fight. You’ve shown your cards.”

  Shannon smiled then and dread slid down Brie’s spine. “Have I?”

  With that, the elder and Leo left the room. Brie pulled at her chains, trying to get free, but it was no use. Without the key, there was no way she could get out. Blinking away the agony, she searched the room for the key and shouted when she saw it in the corner along the wall. If someone came in and found her, they could get the key.

  She just prayed that Gideon would get there soon. She didn’t want to be saved like a damsel, but she knew when she was out of her depths. She’d fought back, but it hadn’t been enough.

  Next time she wouldn’t make it that easy.

  Her mating bond pulsed, and she let out a shout. “Gideon!” He was close; she knew that much. She pulled at the chains again, knowing it was futile, but she refused to lie back and wait to be rescued.

  Her mate ran through the door, his body in human form, but the wolf in his eyes.

  “Oh fuck, little wolf.” He came to her side but didn’t touch her, as if he was afraid to hurt her.

  Tears slid down her cheeks, but she didn’t care. “The key. Get the key.” It hurt to speak now, the adrenaline fading away now that he was there.

  “Where’s the key, baby?” he asked, his voice a soft growl.

  “The corner,” she whispered, finding it hard to speak.

  “Get the key, Brynn,” he shouted behind him.

  “On it. Oh sweet mercy,” the other woman gasped. “Oh, Brie, honey, we’ll get you out of there.”

  “I think they’re magic-infused,” Brie said, trying to keep speaking so she wouldn’t freak out now that her mate was here.

  Gideon ran hand over her cheek. She winced since they’d slapped her so many times, and he let out a growl.

  “I don’t know where to touch you that won’t hurt.”

  “Just be here,” she said simply.

  “Got it!” Brynn said, and the chains fell away.

  Brie tried to get up then gasped at the pain.

  Gideon let out a growl. “Don’t move. Walker! Get in here.”

  “You can pick me up,” she said softly. “I just want to go home.”

  “Home,” he whispered. “We can do that. If we move you right now though, we might hurt you more. Have Walker Heal you just a little bit so we can travel with you.”

  It made sense, but she honestly didn’t want to be in the room any longer than she had to. Brynn seemed to understand and gripped Brie’s hand. It was unhurt thankfully.

  “We won’t be that long.” The other woman tapped the earpiece in her right ear and nodded. “Kameron said that whoever was here is long gone.” She cursed.

  “Leo said that this was just a warning,” Brie put in.

  Gideon pressed his lips softly to hers, and she whimpered, not in pain but in something much more agonizing—hope.

  “Let Walker Heal you, and then you can tell us everything.”

  “I’m here,” Walker said, sadness in his eyes. “This might hurt a bit, Brie, but then it will feel warm.”

  She sucked in a breath. “I know. I broke my arm once, and Hannah Healed it.”

  Walker gave her a soft smile. “Then just let me work and don’t fight the Healing bond.”

  She gasped when he started working. He put his palms over the worst of her cuts, warmth spreading through her system. It was a tingling sensation that led into an odd knitting together of skin. She didn’t look at exactly what he was doing because she knew herself better than that.

  “Shannon!” she shouted. “Damn it. Shannon. She was in on this.”

  Gideon gave her a tight nod. “We know. I scented her outside the house as well as in here.” He cupped her face softly, careful of the bruises. “I cut her bond to the Pack. She’s shunned. She won’t be able to hurt you anymore.”

  “Where am I?” she asked, her body aching.

  “You’re in an old abandoned building outside our territory. We didn’t even know the place existed until they took you here. Come one, little wolf. Let’s go.”

  Brie shook her head and winced. “She said it was only the beginning. She
must have others working for her that are still part of the Pack.”

  “Then we’ll find them,” Kameron said from behind Gideon, rage in his eyes. “They won’t be able to hurt our Pack again.”

  Gideon kissed her again then lifted her into his arms when Walker gave the okay. “We’ll finish this discussion in the den, but know this, Shannon and Leo signed their death warrants. I’ll have no mercy for them.”

  “They don’t deserve it,” Brie said simply. He caught her gaze, and she saw the relief there. She wouldn’t think less of him because he would kill those who hurt the Pack—herself included. He was the Alpha for that reason, and she loved him—brutality and all.

  And she wouldn’t wait another day to tell him that either. Once they were alone, she’d tell him he was hers in all ways that were possible. She’d almost lost her chance once. She wouldn’t be doing it again.

  Leo and Shannon had pissed off the wrong submissive. It was time they learned about all kinds of strength.

  For good.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Brynn found herself standing by one of the two entrances into the den, her body shaking. It might have been because of what she’d seen in the torture chamber they’d found Brie in, but Brynn knew better.

  It was because of the wolf she was here to meet.

  When they’d come upon Iona bleeding in the road, still gasping for breath, Brynn’s mind had gone into overdrive. The other woman and the lieutenants had killed most of the wolves that had taken Brie, but they hadn’t been able to stop Shannon from kidnapping the Alpha female. They knew the identities of the traitors, but they weren’t sure who else was on the other side but hadn’t fought. Iona would live from sheer will alone, and the fact that she’d fought to save Brie brought her up slightly in Brynn’s book, but things had gone to hell soon after.

  They’d rallied the troops and followed Brie’s scent to Leo’s torture chamber. Brynn had been able to think through the rage to contact the Redwoods about what happened once they got back. She should have done so before they’d run after Brie, but she was thinking only of her Packmate and the consequences within the Pack, not outside of it.