Brian's Freedom

by Fel Fern

  A.J. breathed in and out, but nearly lost it when he saw the rest of Kyle’s texts. Kyle wanted to drop by to pick up the rest of his belongings, the things A.J. had told him to take away a week ago. What the fuck? A.J. had expected him to be courteous, at least, but Kyle only had the guts to reply to his message now.

  His heart sank at the last line.

  Arriving there in fifteen minutes.

  “Shit.”

  A.J. muttered a couple more curses under his breath before putting on some boxers and a robe. He quietly closed the door behind him, relieved Brian hadn’t woken up. With his phone to his ear, A.J. tried calling Kyle, hoping to convince his ex to come by another day. The last thing A.J. wanted was to upset Brian, especially when he scared easily. Not that A.J. could blame Brian, after all he’d been through.

  Last night was amazing. Did that mean today had to be shitty?

  “Pick up,” A.J. muttered.

  When that didn’t work, he texted Kyle, but the son-of-a-bitch didn’t answer. The doorbell rang and A.J. quietly seethed. His wolf wanted to wreck something, but he didn’t want Brian waking up to the sight of him pummeling his ex.

  A.J. yanked the door open with a growl. Before meeting Brian, he’d been nothing but miserable since Kyle had left. Hell, on bad days, he’d nearly wanted to toss his pride aside and beg Kyle to give them another chance. Seeing Kyle’s arrogant face now, A.J. wanted to wring the human’s neck.

  “What the fuck, Kyle? Why didn’t you answer your phone? You should have told me you were coming earlier.”

  A.J. glowered at Kyle when Kyle pushed past him.

  “Why? You have plans?”

  A.J. didn’t rise to the bait. He walked to the closet and dragged out the box containing Kyle’s stuff. “There. Leave.”

  Pouting, Kyle regarded him for a couple of seconds. “Don’t be like that, A.J. We’ve been together for a long time. Can’t we be friends?”

  A.J. wanted to tell Kyle to go fuck himself, but settled for a curt “no,” instead.

  Not getting the point, Kyle rolled his eyes and moved closer to him. A.J. shoved him away when Kyle placed a hand over his chest. Kyle frowned.

  “Come on, A.J. Surely we’re beyond petty fights.”

  There was only one reason Kyle would act this way.

  “What? Your latest conquest dumped you?” A.J. asked, not bothering to hide the cold in his voice.

  Kyle feigned looking hurt, because that was what the human was good at—acting. A.J. learned the hard way Kyle only stayed with him because the human liked boasting he had a powerful werewolf as his boyfriend. No one would mess with Kyle after that, and given A.J. had found out Kyle owed a lot of people money, he guessed Kyle assumed half a werewolf was better than none.

  “You were never cruel, A.J.”

  “Funny. I recall you did the hurting first. Besides, I’ve moved on and so should you. Take your stuff and leave before I kick your lying ass out.”

  Kyle narrowed his eyes, his gaze lingering on A.J.’s door. “I see you found someone to replace me.”

  A.J. turned at the sound of a gasp. Brian stood there, wearing one of his shirts and nothing else, holding onto the frame of the doorway so hard his knuckles turned white.

  “Handsome little thing. I recall you like them young,” Kyle said, sneering.

  “Get the fuck out before I rip out your throat,” A.J. warned.

  A flash of teeth finally sent Kyle moving. Kyle quickly took the box and ran out, leaving A.J. with Brian. He turned, not liking the look Brian gave him.

  “Sounds like you do this often. Pick up strays, I mean,” Brian said, lifting his chin.

  A.J. took a step toward him, but Brian shook his head, furious expression on his face.

  “Don’t come any closer,” Brian whispered.

  “I’m not going to hurt you.”

  “Physically, no, but you’re capable of injuring my heart.”

  A.J. balled his hand into a fist. “Brian, I don’t know what you overhead, but you’ve probably misunderstood something.”

  “I knew last night couldn’t be real. What was I expecting? A guy like you won’t go for skinny, awkward, second-hand goods.”

  “Don’t call yourself that. Didn’t I tell you not to?”

  Brian scoffed. “You’re not my anything. You don’t get to give me commands, and besides, it’s the truth. After that incident, no one wanted me. Why would I assume you’d keep me?”

  “Brian, wait—”

  Brian didn’t stay long enough to listen. A.J. growled under his breath when Brian retreated back into the bedroom, only to come out in his jeans and shoes.

  “That was my ex. He came for his stuff. Don’t misunderstand.”

  “Last night shouldn’t have happened.”

  Brian’s tight-lipped words packed one hell of a punch that rendered A.J. speechless for a couple of moments. A.J. started to explain again, and decided, screw it. No matter what he said, it didn’t look like Brian would listen. The Omega had made his own assumptions and wouldn’t change his mind.

  Although his wolf argued A.J. should employ any necessary means to win Brian back, A.J. knew Brian deserved better—certainly not a one-armed werewolf.

  What was he thinking, having sex with Brian last night? But didn’t A.J. deserve happiness, too? He hadn’t imagined the chemistry between them the night before, or the way their wolves felt right together. Perfect.

  If he recalled the last few hours, A.J. realized he wouldn’t regret it one bit, because last night they were two lonely souls who sought comfort from each other. Nothing wrong with that, yet why did A.J. feel so guilty?

  Without another word, Brian walked out the door.

  “What the fuck?” A.J. muttered.

  He didn’t run after Brian, but nonetheless peered out the apartment windows to see Brian downstairs, phoning someone, probably a friend. It wasn’t too late for A.J. to rush downstairs. What had gone wrong? He rubbed at his face. The mind-blowing sex, he loved, but the emotional stuff that came with any new relationship, A.J. could do without.

  Could A.J. even call what they were in a relationship?

  A.J. frowned when he caught sight of the unmarked black sedan across the street with unfamiliar plates. His wolf woke inside him, alarmed. A.J. clutched at the window frames, wondering why the fuck that car looked familiar. Last night he remembered seeing a similar car behind him. A.J. thought it was all a product of his fanciful imagination, but his instincts had never failed him before.

  Two men emerged from the car, six feet tall and entirely made of muscle. A glimpse of the revolvers flashing underneath their jackets sent A.J. running out of his apartment. He remembered to take his cell phone with him and he sent a quick text to Michella. What the fuck was happening? Who were these men and what did they want with Brian?

  This was his town, or, more appropriately, this place fell under the protection of the Darkfall Mountain pack. Those foolish enough to mess with them courted certain death. Everyone knew that, but not these bastards. After discovering the secret testing facility, killing off the humans, and rescuing the captives, the pack leaders had tightened security. A.J. also knew the pack had begun to relax their guard after so many weeks of peace.

  “Shit. Brian, I’m so sorry for not running after you right away.”

  A.J. was panting by the time he reached the elevator. The doors had barely opened before he broke into a sprint, heart racing and his breaths hitching. He’d never felt so afraid in his entire life.

  A.J. had faced nightmares in his time, monsters meant to be put down, and won fights and challenges that left permanent scars on his body, but he’d never felt fear like this. God. This terror ate him from the inside out, and he knew he would never forgive himself if something happened to Brian. By the time he was outside, it was too late.

  Chapter Seven

  Brian’s wolf started thrashing inside him right after he made the call to Jon to pick him up. He knew Jon would be back in Northfield
by now, but Brian knew he could rely on his best friend. If not, he had his wallet on him. Brian could check into an inn. All of his concerns vanished the moment he spotted the two men, dressed entirely in black, emerging from an unmarked vehicle.

  Time froze. Fear crawled down his spine, and for a second, Brian couldn’t do a thing as his mind dragged him to the past. It was on a bright and sunny morning like this, six months ago, that it happened, his kidnapping. Brian had been on his way to work when two men, dressed like this, tore him away from the life he’d known and thrust him into hell.

  “Stay the hell away from me,” Brian managed to say.

  The taller one laughed, chuckled, as if his threats didn’t matter, and he wasn’t wrong. Brian might be a shifter, but until his kidnapping, he hadn’t thought his kind were vulnerable to the level of hurt he’d experienced.

  “Don’t make this hard for us, Omega. Come quietly,” the second, the bald one, said.

  Brian finally managed to move. He could do it, run back to A.J.’s apartment and call out for help. Baldie slipped a hand into his jacket and pulled out a gun. Brian swallowed, barely dodging the bullet in time. He stumbled, scraping his knees on the gravel, but he was back on his feet in seconds. Brian refused to be taken alive again.

  Never again. That had been his mantra after the rescue. I will never be weak again. Yet here he was, acting like prey. Couldn’t the fucking world leave him in peace? He couldn’t rely on shifting because they’d shoot him before he could finish. Baldie fired again, and Brian silently willed his feet to run, to keep on running.

  Pain tore across his shoulder. The agony nearly distracted him, but Brian forced himself back up. It took him a second to realize Baldie was firing at him on purpose, leading him away from A.J.’s apartment and inside an alleyway where no passerby could see what happened next. He tried to go back to the safety of the apartment where A.J. waited for him, but the hail of bullets proved to be a deterrent.

  God, and Brian had thought this town was the safest place on earth.

  Brian ran toward the alley, hoping to make his escape there. His lungs burned for air, reminding him he needed to start exercising if he managed to make it out of there alive. Seeing the dead end, Brian swallowed, coming to a halt. The two men blocked the alleyway, guns pointed at him. Brian took several steps backward until his back hit the brick wall.

  “There’s nowhere left for you to go, Omega.”

  What else was new? Brian looked left and right, eyes wild. He opened his mouth to scream. Surely someone would hear him. A.J. might even come to his rescue, or a passerby would call for help, but only a surprised croak came from his mouth. His trembling hands touched the feathered dart sticking out of his neck.

  “Latest paralyzing agent, courtesy of the Alpine Industries’ labs,” Baldie said proudly.

  Feeling his legs give out, Brian slumped against the wall. He fought to remain awake, but his vision began to turn blurry, a familiar scenario. Not long ago, a couple of men in black had trapped him and stabbed a syringe in the side of his neck.

  The next thing Brian knew, he’d woken up in a transport vehicle chained to another unlucky bastard. He remembered cold sweat had swept through his entire body. Panic set in, and he had started pounding at the walls of the vehicle until one of the guards silenced him with a sharp jab to the ribs.

  Brian fought to remain awake. He couldn’t bear to wake up inside a damn vehicle headed for certain hell again, because he knew, deep down, he wouldn’t live through the experience twice. Besides, these humans weren’t dumb. They’d probably set up a new shop far away from Darkfall and his hometown, somewhere A.J. wouldn’t be able to find him.

  A.J.…Damn it, Brian had so much to say to A.J. If Brian ever got out of this, unlikely as that was, he’d tell A.J. everything, including the reason why he ran. That he was terrified of facing the truth, that they were mates, perfect for each other in every way. Maybe that’s why Brian had hugged A.J., instinctively, when A.J. had first rescued him and the others.

  Seeing a familiar figure clutching a shotgun one-handed behind the two mercenaries trapping him in the ally, Brian cried out. He tried to warn A.J. to keep away, but all he managed was a gasp. His vision started to fail him, but he couldn’t fall unconscious yet. What was A.J. thinking?

  A.J. wielded the gun with expertise, even with one hand, and fired at Baldie’s partner first. The guy went down, howling and clutching at his shot leg. Brian had to give the partner credit for trying to shoot A.J. again, but A.J. kicked the gun away. Baldie whirled, eyes narrowed, but he wasn’t as inexperienced as his partner.

  “A crippled shifter thinks he can take on a pro?” Baldie sneered.

  He pulled out a syringe from his pocket. Did that contain paralyzing agent, too? Brian’s stomach did a strange flop. Not A.J., too. To his shock, Baldie plunged it into the side of his own neck and then tossed it aside. He seemed to undergo some kind of strange seizure. Growling, A.J. aimed, about to take another shot. Brian knew it would be difficult, given A.J. might end up shooting him, too.

  Baldie drew his gun with godlike speed. He dodged A.J.’s next carefully aimed shot with uncanny speed, and he took a shot of his own, hitting A.J. squarely in the chest.

  No, God, don’t take him away from me right after I’ve found him. Time slowed to a crawl. Everything seemed to move in slow motion, like in the movies, but this was real life. A.J. stumbled, but Baldie shot him again, this time aiming for his stomach. More bloodstains appeared on A.J.’s shirt.

  “Fuck, I don’t have time for this,” Baldie said, much to Brian’s relief.

  He met A.J.’s gaze across the alley. Be strong, Brian would have said if he had full use of his mouth. Was it his imagination, or did A.J. move his lips, trying to tell him something? Why didn’t Baldie finish A.J. off? Was it because there was silver in those bullets? The thought made Brian’s insides twist. If it was silver, the poison would seep into A.J.’s bloodstream and kill him.

  Don’t worry about me. Those were the words A.J. had uttered, Brian realized. How could he not worry? He needed to trust A.J. now more than ever, though. Brian focused on other details.

  Baldie strode to him. All Brian could do was glare at him, which only made him laugh. Without another word, Baldie threw him over one shoulder and carried him out of there.

  What the hell was this guy? No human moved like that. His gaze slid to the abandoned syringe. The Alpine Industries logo was printed on the glass. An awful realization hit Brian. This was the reason they were experimenting on shifters, to create this monstrosity that gave humans their abilities?

  Real fear finally kicked in. With a weapon like that used on humans, what could happen to the fragile peace between the supernatural and normal humans? With that lingering thought, Brian fell unconscious.

  * * * *

  A.J. remained there, slumped in the dirty alleyway while the armed human took his mate away. His mate, and A.J. had failed him. What kind of sorry shifter was he? The least he could have done was prevent Brian from leaving his apartment, but it would have been no use. Those men would probably have ambushed Brian and taken him the moment A.J. wasn’t looking.

  A growl trickled out of his mouth. A.J. coughed out more blood. He couldn’t remain here, seething and drowning in self-loathing and pity. Despite his hand feeling like lead, he managed to pull the cell phone from his pocket and dial Michella’s number.

  Pain lanced out from his wounds to the rest of his body, but A.J. had endured worse in his lifetime. Physical pain couldn’t mute his devastating failure. Those men had planned this. Were they watching Brian all this time, waiting for the opportunity to take him? Recalling Brian had told him about being alienated from his family after returning home, A.J.’s stomach coiled. Was that the reason the humans wanted to take him again?

  “A.J., I got your text, Dino and I are on our way,” came Michella’s voice on the other end.

  A.J. could only manage a painful rasp.

  “A.J.? Fuck, talk to m
e. Are you injured? Where are you? Still at your apartment?”

  A.J. cradled the phone to his ear and stared at the brick wall in front of him. He belonged here, in some dark corner, unfit for the daylight. Fuck, he couldn’t even protect the one person that mattered the most. He’d spent most of his life waiting for his soulmate to come along, and when Brian had, A.J. couldn’t even fight long enough to keep him. A part of him had died when he became a cripple, and maybe he was unfit to love another.

  “Yeah, in the alley beside my building. I got shot,” A.J. answered, voice quivering with anger. “I found him and lost him, Michella.”

  “Who?”

  “My mate. He was one of those we saved, but I lost him again,” A.J. knew he babbled, but he didn’t care. “Actually, forget I called. I’m useless to Brian, to the entire pack. You should just leave me to die in misery.”

  “A.J.—”

  A.J. ended the call and stared at the bloodstains on his shirt. He might have sustained worse injuries over the years, but he’d always healed from them. Well, except his arm, but even losing his limb didn’t compare to the pain of losing Brian. His vision worsened. How much time had passed?

  In the distance, he heard a car screeching to a halt and footsteps. He remembered seeing Michella’s concerned face and her blonde hair tickling down, bending over him, small, cool hands touching the side of his neck to feel for his pulse.

  “He’s alive,” she murmured with visible relief.

  Why were they trying so hard? A.J. certainly didn’t deserve to live after all that happened, but perhaps he could convince them to help Brian.

  Chapter Eight

  “Michella, the healer’s on his way,” said Dino in his deep voice.

  “A.J., hear that? Help’s coming,” she said, sitting beside him. Michella reached for his fingers, her warmth comforting. He could sense her manipulating the pack bonds to keep his life force alive.

  A.J. remembered all the times the Gamma had come over to his apartment the first few weeks after he’d lost his limb. He’d been inconsolable, a pain in the ass. Before the accident, he’d never been close to Michella, but she’d eventually become his friend. He felt guilty for calling her out here when she could have left him to die.