by Morgan Fox
Reyes scoffed, “Dominic, must you always talk about Megan that way?”
Rolling his eyes at his friend, Dominic argued, “Reyes, if you only knew what—”
“Shut up, all of you,” Sebastian’s voice rumbled. “I don’t give a rat’s ass about any of that bullshit. What I do care about is getting Mason’s body to Dr. Shaw and fast. Jonah, tell Dominic and Reyes where the body can be found and take it to the doc immediately. Ryken and Luken—” He paused, eyeing the men with a level of intensity that would have frightened most anyone. “Wait for me in my study. We’ve got several things to discuss.” He turned as if to dismiss everyone from the room, but quickly grasped his brother by the arm. “Come right back when you’re done.” Brie knew it was because the three of them needed to talk about what had happened with Mason Levi—or how she had killed him to be more exact.
Sebastian turned to see that his men had still not left the room, hovering like a bunch of old women at a gossip convention. “Why is everyone still here? Do you need a formal invitation? Get moving!”
Dominic grunted. Reyes shifted his weight, following Dominic as he stalked out the front door after Jonah. Ryken and Luken glared at Sebastian, retreating to his study, both glancing back several times to see Tabitha. Brie sighed as the room was finally empty of everyone but her, Sebastian, and Tabitha.
Staring down at her friend, Brie noted the deep lines of worry surrounding Tabitha’s eyes and mouth from days of running for her life. She warned, “She’s going to freak when we tell her everything.”
Sebastian placed his hands on her shoulders. “You have a remarkable way with words, my dear, and you can ease her mind,” he assured her. “She’ll be fine.”
Biting her bottom lip, she muttered, “Do you think Ryken and Luken told her that she’s transitioning into a wolf? That she’s becoming a lycan?”
He shook his head. “Only one way to find out,” he murmured. “Wake her up, honey. Let’s get this over with.”
Nodding, Brie touched Tabitha’s temples with her fingertips, and Tabitha opened her eyes, blinking repeatedly as if the lights in the room were too bright.
“Tabitha? Can you hear me?” she called out softly.
Tabitha groaned. “Yes. I can hear you. What happened to me?” She gently stroked her head at the spot where the large gash used to be. The only thing remaining of the spot was dried blood.
“You were attacked on the way to the cabin,” Brie said calmly. “Do you remember anything?”
She closed her eyes, rubbing her temples. “We were ambushed coming into the ranch. Ryken and Luken told me to run.” Her eyes opened wide, panic washed over her face. She sat up. “Oh, God. Are Ryken and Luken okay? Did they get hurt? Where are they?” She twisted around, glancing all over the room, eyes searching.
Brie sat beside her, wrapping her arm around Tabitha. “Ryken and Luken are fine. They know you’re okay as well. Don’t worry, honey, everything’s all right now.”
“Brie?” she whispered, shaking her head. “I was so scared. Strange things have been happening to me. Strange things I don’t really know how to explain.”
“Maybe I can help.” Sebastian’s voice boomed around the walls of the room, drawing their attention towards him.
Looking up at her mate, Brie said, “Tabitha, this is my fiancé, Sebastian McCarthy. I believe you’ve already spoken.”
With a curt nod, Sebastian extended his hand. “Ms. Burns. It is a pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve been eagerly awaiting your arrival.”
She took his hand and gave it a solid shake. “Right, I wish I could say I was excited to be here, but really I—”
Brie interrupted, “You’ve been through a lot, and there’s so much we need to talk with you about.”
“Really? Like what?” Tabitha asked, sounding a tad sarcastic, as if the news Brie wished to share with her couldn’t get any worse than what she’d already been through.
Sebastian folded his arms over his broad chest and arched a brow as he asked, “Tabitha, have you been attacked by a wild animal recently?”
Tabitha scrunched her forehead, and huffed out a breath. “What is it with you people asking if I’ve been bitten by an animal?”
“Tabitha, honey, I know this is all strange,” Brie said in a manner as comforting as she could.
“Strange?” she spat. “What was strange was watching Ryken turn into a freaking werewolf then tell me I was going to turn into one as well the next full moon. But what really chaps my ass—”
Just as she was about to finish, Jonah stepped into the room and moved to stand beside Sebastian staring down at Tabitha.
“I’m sorry, Tabitha. This is Jonah McCarthy. Sebastian’s brother,” Brie shared, swallowing back the need to confess more.
Timing was everything.
Sebastian shifted his stance, arms still folded over his massive chest, glaring down at her and Tabitha. Brie frowned at him.
Shifting his gaze to Tabitha, Sebastian muttered, “You were saying?”
“Oh, right,” Tabitha said, rotating her position on the sofa to stare at Brie. “What really chaps my ass is that you’re engaged to a man you never saw fit to introduce to me before. How can you honestly be getting married to a man you just started dating?”
Brie cleared her throat. “Well, actually I’m not just marrying Sebastian. I’m marrying Jonah, as well.”
“You’re what?” Tabitha blurted out, springing up to her full height, staring wide-eyed from one masculine face to the other.
Brie stood, hands reaching out to comfort her friend. She said, “Tabby, calm down.”
Shrugging off Brie’s hand, Tabitha erupted in anger. “Don’t tell me to calm down, Brie. What the fuck’s going on with you? The Brie I knew would never be so foolish.”
“Ms. Burns.” Sebastian’s voice crawled with annoyance. A deep timbre that Brie had heard one too many times when she had done something incredibly wrong and was about to be scolded.
“Don’t ‘Ms. Burns’ me, you overgrown barbarian. How dare you take advantage of my best friend? What have you done to her? Filled her head with nonsense, manipulated her into thinking you are werewolf gods? Is this some kind of cult, ‘hot, brawny men in the middle of the woods’ kind of cult?” She put her hands up, waving off their chance to interrupt her. “Don’t tell me, you have a few females lurking around to satisfy all your wild and crazy needs? What kind of freak show is this?”
“Tabitha, that’s enough!” Brie shouted, the palm of her hand itching with the need to smack the ever-loving hell out of her friend. She had crossed a line, one that wounded her deep inside her heart. “You are insulting me and my fiancés, and I really don’t like it.”
“What?” Tabitha gasped. “You’re actually defending this? You actually want this kind of life?”
“This is my life now, Tabby. I’m in love with Sebastian and Jonah, and I have been for years. For too long, I allowed my shyness and fear to stop me from admitting my true feelings for these men. But something finally happened that gave me the courage and strength to live life as I saw fit, regardless of what others think.” Brie took both Sebastian and Jonah’s hand and turned back to Tabitha. “But this works for us, Tabby. I couldn’t live without them. They are my life now.”
Tabitha took a long moment to look them over. Her eyes lingered on their clasped hands. Her eyes watered.
Hesitantly, she asked, “Are they lycans, too?”
Sebastian squeezed Brie’s hand before responding, “Yes, we are lycans, Ms. Burns. Just as Ryken and Luken are lycans.”
“Dominic and Reyes?” she quickly asked.
“Yes,” Jonah said dryly.
Tabitha ran stiff fingers through her tousled hair. “I need a beer.”
“You don’t drink,” Brie reminded her.
“Maybe I need to start,” she said, sitting back on the sofa with her hands covering her face as she rested her elbows on her knees.
“Tabby,” Brie said, sitting beside h
er once more. “What is your relationship with Ryken and Luken?”
Tabitha’s expression changed into a curious and surprised stare. “What does that have to do with anything?”
Sebastian again responded, “Because, Ms. Burns, if they violated you against your will or persuaded you to—”
Hands out in front of her as if to try and stop a moving train, Tabitha blurted out, “Whoa? Stop. I shouldn’t have said anything to you on the phone. I was scared and truly freaked out.”
“So they didn’t hurt you?” Jonah asked.
“No!” Tabitha cried. “Ryken and Luken would never hurt me. They protected me and…Look, I don’t see why telling you how I feel about them is important. Just know that I’m grateful to them for getting me here safe and sound, okay?”
Sebastian released a pent-up breath of air and glanced at Brie. Telepathically, he said, Take Tabitha up to her room, and get her settled in. I’m going to have a nice little chat with the twins.
If what Tabitha said is true…the words went unspoken, but she knew that Sebastian would use his better judgment when deciding what to do about Ryken and Luken. They had gone against his orders and that had to be addressed.
Silently nodding, Brie told her, “Tabitha, I’m sure you’re tired. Would you like to get cleaned up and change?” Smiling, she clasped her friend’s hands in her own. “I’ve got a closet full of clothes for you to pick from. There’s a room upstairs where you can shower and rest.”
Tabitha nodded, her eyes staring down at the ground, still full of unspent tears.
Standing, Brie kept her arm around her friend and led her up the stairs.
When they reached the top of the landing, Tabitha asked, “Are you really happy, Brie?”
“Yes, Tabby, I am. I’ve never been happier.”
“And you’re okay with the fact that you’re going to be married to not one but two werewolves?”
Brie giggled. “Actually that’s the best part.”
Tabitha raised her gaze to meet Brie’s. “How do you mean?”
Brie grinned. “You know…the sex of course. Surely, you noticed that sex with Ryken and Luken was far beyond that of any normal sexual encounter you may have had before.”
A hidden smile emerged and Tabitha said, “Oh, that. Yes. That I did notice.”
Holding her friend’s gaze, Brie said, “Ryken and Luken are pretty amazing, aren’t they?” Her heart warmed at just the thought of the two men she’d grown very fond of within a very short time period—men soon to be an extension of her own family.
Tabitha sighed. “Yes, but I wish they weren’t,” she admitted, honestly.
Brie’s brow furrowed. “Why would you say that?”
“Oh, Brie, you know why.” Tabitha moved into the room, and stalked over to the window, glancing outside into the night.
Shaking her head, Brie told her, “Tabby, you can’t keep doing this to yourself. If you’re happy with Ryken and Luken, then enjoy it. It’s not like you have to run out and marry them.” Frustration welled inside her. Damn it, her friend was the most stubborn woman she’d ever met. “Shit, you can’t keep avoiding your emotions.”
“I’m not avoiding them,” she spat.
“You are avoiding them, and you’re scared,” Brie argued.
Shaking her head, Tabitha screamed, “No. I’m. Not!”
“Yes,” Brie hissed. “You are, and I understand why, but you still need to face facts, Tabby. Things can be different for you if you just allow it. Don’t let your past failed relationships and family issues drag on any longer. You’re a grown, intelligent woman. You can enjoy relationships and live your life like everyone else.”
“I can’t,” she yelled, fist balled at her sides. “You know I can’t. It’s impossible. I can’t let anyone in. Every time I try, it only leads to disaster. I’m not supposed to have a happily ever after. That’s you, Brie. Not me.”
“Bullshit, Tabitha,” Brie groaned through gritted teeth. “You can’t keep living in the past or worrying that every time you let someone in, they’re going to hurt you. It doesn’t have to be that way. You learned to trust me and you can learn to trust them. You’d be amazed at how patient these brutish-looking men can be. They’re honest and caring men, Tabitha. They would never intentionally hurt you.”
God, it was killing her to see her friend so afraid of an emotional connection. The loneliness in a life like that tore at her heart, ripped it to shreds and stomped all over it.
“You don’t know that,” Tabitha murmured.
Brie frowned. Sadness and regret consumed her heart. “I wish you could have seen how worried Ryken and Luken were for you when you were unconscious. They were honestly terrified that you were seriously hurt. They care about you, Tabitha. You’d have to be blind not to see it.”
Tabitha turned away from the window, her face red with the fever of her emotions running through her. She moved to sit on the edge of the bed. The soft fabric gave way under her weight. Her hands gripped the round knob of the footboard.
Softly, Tabitha asked, “But what if they treat me like my family did? What if they grow tired of me and consider me more of a burden than a prized treasure? I couldn’t go through that kind of treatment again, Brie. It would kill me to be rejected by them.” She choked back a sob. “My family fucked me up enough and I can’t afford to let that happen to me again.”
Brie leaned over and hugged Tabitha. The sadness in her friend’s words pulled at her heart and knotted in her belly. Tabitha shuddered in her arms as she held her. Hard sobs rocked her body, tears flowed from her eyes.
“You’re right, Brie,” she whimpered. “I am scared and I don’t know how to change that. No matter what my heart feels for them, my head just won’t get out of the way.”
Brie cupped Tabitha’s sweet face in her hands and smiled down at her. She said simply, “Take it day by day, Tabby. Give things a chance with Ryken and Luken. Embrace the changes you are going through. I can’t guarantee it will be easy, but you owe it to yourself to try.”
Tabitha wrapped her arms around Brie, and she sobbed harder than she’d ever heard or seen Tabby do. She was glad she was there for her friend. The overwhelming emotions Tabitha was experiencing were long overdue, and she’d be there for her for as long as Tabitha needed her. After all, that’s what best friends did, no matter what.
* * * *
Sebastian summoned Ryken and Luken to appear in front of him. Ryken and Luken did as commanded. Their faces were strained with nerves, and their broad shoulders were filled with tension. They knew they had gone against his specific instructions, and knew exactly why they now stood in front of their alpha, preparing to face the punishment Sebastian felt they deserved.
Glaring down at the twins now on his shit list, he said, “I’m grateful that you made it safely to McCarthy Ranch with Ms. Burns in one piece.” He paused, glancing over their wincing faces as if they were waiting for him to rip their heads from the shoulders. “However, I’m not pleased that you not only revealed your true selves to Ms. Burns, but you defied my explicit instructions to not touch her. Yes, gentlemen, I’m very much aware that you have slept with my mate’s best friend, and I’m none too happy about it. What the hell were you thinking? A human with no ties to us could have cost you both your lives. Did you even consider that your reckless behavior could have gotten all of you killed?”
Sebastian moved around his desk and propped his ass on the edge, crossing his feet at the ankles. He brushed a stiff hand over his whiskered jaw, his eyes darting down to the ground and back up again. Both Ryken and Luken appeared grief stricken as if they had lost their only means for living.
Pausing to take in the sight of the solemn twins, he could feel their growing bond, the one they shared with Tabitha. Sebastian understood the mating bond perfectly. He’d experienced the mating bond recently, and he wouldn’t change a thing about his mate and the time they had shared together.
“Ms. Burns is a beautiful lady,” Sebastian sai
d and both Ryken and Luken immediately glanced up to meet his eyes. Surprise filled their gazes. “And I can understand the challenge of keeping your paws to yourselves. Not so long ago, I suffered from the same affliction.” With an arched brow and sympathetic glare, he stared at them. “She did explain in her own, nonverbal way that the act was consensual.” He licked his dry mouth. The conversation of their sexual activities was truly the last thing he wished to discuss with them. “And I think you should avoid contact with Tabitha.”
“But Sebastian—” the twins argued in unison.
He raised his hand, blocking Ryken and Luken’s objecting remarks. “And even though it goes against my better judgment, I’m not going to restrict you from seeing her again. In fact, I think it would be wise if you helped her during her transition. This will be a very difficult time for her and since she’s already comfortable with you both…” His unspoken words lingered in the air.
“You mean it?” Ryken all but barked out.
Sebastian nodded. “But only if she wants your aid. I don’t want to learn of it later that she told you jackasses to take a hike. Being with her should be her idea, not yours or your damn cocks’. Got it?”
“Yes,” Ryken said, a smile appearing on his face for the first time all night.
“Of course, Sebastian,” Luken said, sharing the same knowing smile.
“Then, get out of my sight before I change my mind,” he told them, and like rats, they scurried off and he knew exactly where they were headed.
Like he’d told them, not too long ago, he suffered from the same affliction—the need to be with his mate, no matter what, even if that meant jumping up onto a two-story balcony to get to her.
Chuckling to himself, he turned in search of his own mate. They had things to discuss. Possession ruled his brain as the most alarming need to hold her in his arms fired deep inside his soul. His Brie was a delicate flower on the inside, even though she tried like hell to seem otherwise. She would need him more now than ever. He and Jonah would be there for her, forever and always.
