Forever Broken

by Carrie Ann Ryan

He would never be alone again.

  And then he broke Blade’s neck. One crack. The end.

  There wasn’t any pain. Wasn’t any terror.

  Max had lived through enough pain and horror for a lifetime. And he wasn’t going to wait for Blade to find a way out of it.

  The man had seen his empire fall, had seen those he used and abused attack him.

  He had seen the artifact he had put his entire life into finding and using fade away to dust.

  And he saw the goddess that he’d apparently thought to make use of reject him and give the power he coveted to those he had tried to kill.

  That was the torture the man received.

  And, wherever Blade was now, maybe he found the torture he truly deserved.

  Or maybe he found the peace he never had.

  Because now, Max knew that he and his people would finally be able to find their own peace.

  Because the evil Alpha was dead.

  The terror was gone.

  Those who fought with Blade screamed in horror, the Pack bonds of hierarchy changing as the Alpha was now dead, and there would be a new Alpha, Heir, and so many other positions filled as those who died vacated the roles.

  The Aspens fell, but not the Pack itself. Audrey stood in the remnants of the battle, and Max knew there would be more to come. There would be more they needed to talk about, so much more. But Blade lay dead beneath him, and the other Alphas came to make sure, to ask questions, but Max didn’t hear any of it.

  Instead, he turned to his mate and pulled her to his chest.

  The battle was over. Peace had yet to come. But part of it was over, at least.

  Maybe now he could sleep.

  Maybe now he could rest.

  Maybe now he could believe.

  Chapter Eighteen

  They say at the end of a battle, that some can see the heavens, that others can only breathe in their hells.

  Cheyenne had never known exactly what that meant until these recent weeks. In the days since the battle, in the weeks since Blade was no more, the idea of restructuring and settling into peace hadn’t settled easily on everybody’s shoulders.

  But to Cheyenne, it was almost as if it were a new birth.

  She wasn’t the Cheyenne she had been before. But then again, she wasn’t the Cheyenne she’d thought to become either.

  She was the Cheyenne she needed to be, the Cheyenne that Max wanted her to be.

  Her mate, her co-Supreme Alpha.

  What a strange world it was, what a strangely odd and yet thrilling world.

  She sat in her room that she shared with Max, in the house that he had built for himself but that they now were making their own.

  She was no longer in his home, but theirs. And she was within her den, with her Pack, but she also had a new title that they were only just starting to learn about.

  Gideon was the Talon Pack Alpha until he decided to step down, and his daughter, Fallon, took his place. Of course, first, she would become Heir once Ryder was ready to step down. But that would be many, many years from now. Maybe even a century or more.

  Because there was peace. Finally, there would be peace for the Talons.

  Cheyenne could feel it in every breath she took, in every day that passed as their wards grew strong, and their people finally came out into the daylight as if they could breathe again.

  Only this time, there was one that could connect them all—two that could connect them all.

  The moon goddess had declared Cheyenne and Max the Supreme Alphas.

  And that was such a strange title to her, that she had only taken it as a joke at first. She’d thought, surely, it had to be a joke when it came to Blade. But now, it was truth.

  They needed to decide what would happen, and where they would live, and how the idea of having one large Pack would work. But for now, she would live within the Talon den with her mate.

  The others around the field had heard what happened, and because it was the moon goddess herself that had made the proclamation, her voice loud, strained, in pain yet powerful, people had taken to calling her and Max “Alpha.”

  To say that her life had completely changed would be an understatement.

  In the coming years, they would decide what it meant to be the Supreme Alphas, but Parker had begun to pave the road already.

  When he became the Voice of the Wolves, a title that hadn’t been used in centuries but one the moon goddess herself had given to him, he had connected the Packs. Even if it was just the idea of a treaty or a way to message or contact one another. The Packs in this country and around the world had a small thread of connection.

  And now Parker would be the one to help them realize exactly what it meant to be the one the Alphas answered to.

  For now, Cheyenne knew the Alphas wouldn’t be forced to answer to her and Max in a way that negated the Alphas’ powers, but they could be the ones that made sure whatever happened with Blade didn’t happen again. And ensure that no wolves succumbed to summoning a demon from the underworld. Or even allowing the Pack to disintegrate within itself.

  Someone needed to make sure the Packs were healthy, that they were being heard.

  Being cut off from each other and the rest of the world for centuries had been important and needed, but it had hurt some in the end. So, Max and Cheyenne would find a way to make sure all of the Packs were heard and would be cared for. And maybe, if needed, they would be relegated. She didn’t want to be that kind of Alpha, she wasn’t even sure she liked the title at all, but the moon goddess had given it to her, and she was going to learn what it meant.

  But she had her mate by her side, her love, and she knew they could make it through.

  “You’re thinking about the title again, aren’t you?” Max asked as he came forward. He kissed her softly, and she sighed. She loved this man with all of her heart. He had surprised her at every turn, with every breath. She still couldn’t believe that he was hers.

  She couldn’t believe that she was actually going to be around to see those end of days. She’d thought she would die at that battle, and she knew Max had thought so, too.

  But they’d both won. And had found a new purpose.

  They’d been fighting for each other that day.

  And now they had time.

  Time.

  Time to figure out what this new world meant for them and how they would create a family together. Because they wanted pups, they wanted a future, they wanted a life. And now they had a chance for it all.

  She finally leaned back and spoke. “I just don’t know if we’re going to be allowed to stay here? I mean, are we?”

  Max nodded. “We’ll always have a home here, and we’ll always be Talon Pack members, even if the bonds are slightly different.”

  Her bonds to the Talon Pack had changed since the moon goddess spoke. Cheyenne could still feel them, but it was as if the connection meant that they were loved by the Talon Pack but not fully a part of them. And then, a week after the battle, she and Max had each woken up in the middle of the night, clutching at their hearts, a thread of power now connected to the Redwood Pack surprising them. And then a week later, the Central Pack. A week after that, the Thames Pack.

  It seemed that they would be connected to every single Pack that they made a personal connection with over time.

  That was what it meant to be the Supreme Alphas. Her bonds weren’t like those that Gideon had with his Pack, and she realized that after she had asked him straight out what would happen to her and Max.

  Nobody knew exactly, but they knew that they would figure it out together.

  So far, the world hadn’t turned against them, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t happen eventually.

  “So we don’t have to leave?” She bit her lip. “At least not yet?”

  He shook his head and then kissed her again. “No, we don’t have to leave. But we may one day find a home outside the den, much like some of the wolves did in the past. Not everybody has always lived with
in the den. It was only recently that we were forced to because of the war with the humans and then with Blade. But if we’re not at war, then we can live anywhere we want. And you know Kade said that we could have a home in the Redwood den if we wanted to. And we could. We could go hang out with my cousin and see her babies grow and maybe watch our babies grow up there. If we ever want to visit Europe and see the lands there, Allister said we can come visit the Thames Pack. And you know Audrey said that the Aspens are open to us, as well.”

  She nodded. The connection to the Aspen Pack had shown up after the one with the Thames. It was fragile at best, tattered and frayed at worst. Blade’s son had been chosen by the moon goddess as the new Alpha, and every other member of their hierarchy that had been corrupted by evil had either died on that battlefield or turned to dust right after Blade died.

  Cheyenne knew that was due to the moon goddess. And she wondered what the goddess had sacrificed to make it happen.

  Because there was a reason the goddess hadn’t stepped in before this, hadn’t sacrificed more than she had. Goddesses and gods weren’t supposed to play with humanity and shifters, but she had…more than once.

  And Cheyenne wondered what would happen next.

  “Chase is the Alpha? Right?” she asked, her voice soft.

  “Yes, and Audrey is helping him as Beta. Chase was gone for a while, he hadn’t been able to come back thanks to his dad. But there’s a new Alpha, a new hierarchy, and the Aspen Pack is going to get healthy eventually. And I think maybe we’ll be able to help that. I don’t know how exactly, but the goddess gave us this power, this role, for a reason.”

  “I don’t want to take advantage of it or forget about it. I want to help. When I first realized I was going to be a Talon Pack member, I tried my best to think about exactly where I was going to fit in and how I could help out. That’s why I threw myself into being the Conduit.”

  Max nodded. “I understand, believe me, I understand. I threw myself into being a council member and then helping you figure out exactly how we were going to stop Blade. I never truly felt like I belonged. And then, I did. I did because of you. And now we have a role, a title, and a place. And we’re going to make sure that the shifters of this world understand that they are not forgotten, they are not left behind because they are different.”

  “We’re going to take care of our people, Max. We’re going to find a way to protect them all.”

  And then her mate kissed her, and she fell in love with him all over again.

  She was a Pack member, but she was more than that. She was a shifter. She was an Alpha. And she was mate to one of the greatest men she’d ever known.

  And this was just the beginning for her.

  For them.

  Epilogue

  Max sat in Gideon’s house, and this time he didn’t feel like he was on the outside looking in. This was his home, his family. And even though he and Cheyenne would soon be leaving the den to go and visit the other Packs around the United States and then the world, these were the people in his life that he would always have in his heart. There would be centuries with these people, and he’d already had over a century with most of them. He couldn’t wait to see where they ended up next. But this was his family, his heart.

  No matter where he went, they would always be with him.

  Much like the woman at his side.

  Cheyenne smiled up at him before moving back to talk with Dhani about something important.

  They were leaving the next morning to visit the Aspens before they headed over to the other side of the country. The President of the United States wanted to meet with them so they would get that out of the way before they went to meet with the other Packs. The President was on the shifters’ side and actually had a family member who was part of a Pack, so it wouldn’t be dangerous. It would just be another momentous occasion in a very long year of change for them.

  “I can’t believe that you’re leaving us, at least for a little bit,” Gideon said. Max met his Alpha’s eyes and realized, once again, that he could meet his cousin’s gaze and not back down. Because Max was an Alpha now, too. He would always think of Gideon as his Alpha, his family. But, technically, Gideon wasn’t his Alpha anymore. That didn’t change the way he felt, though. He was inside Gideon’s den, Gideon’s territory, so Gideon was Alpha here. Max didn’t know how exactly things would work when they visited the other dens, but that was something he and Cheyenne would figure out together. They actually planned to bring a few wolves from the Talons and the Redwoods with them, wolves that wanted to take the journey and roam. They weren’t ready to leave their Packs but wanted to see the world. So, they would be part of his and Cheyenne’s detail. They wouldn’t be Packmates, wouldn’t be his Pack or hers, but they would be there so he and Cheyenne weren’t completely alone when they visited the world.

  He and Cheyenne figure that’s how things would work out eventually, them picking up random wolves and even cats along the way. Perhaps even some other shifter types if they discovered them. They would find who worked well with them for a little bit, and maybe even sometimes a bit longer, and their detail would have a never-ending supply of people who wanted to see the world.

  It was a different way for a wolf, but after so many years of trying to find their way, he felt like this would work for them. He could feel it in his bones.

  “I’m not leaving for long,” Max said.

  “I know, but it still feels like you were just a little baby boy running around with your little cloth diaper.”

  “Thank you for that image. Make sure you tell Cheyenne that before we leave.”

  Gideon threw back his head and laughed. “Oh, don’t worry, I already did.” Fallon ran up to them at that moment, and Gideon leaned down to pick up his baby girl. She wasn’t a baby anymore, but she was still young enough to be Gideon’s little girl. Of course, when Fallon ended up being the Alpha of the Talon Pack in many, many years, Gideon would probably still think of her as his little girl. Woe be to anyone who dared come into Fallon’s life and want to be her mate.

  Brie waddled out of the kitchen and towards them, heavily pregnant with the couple’s second child.

  Max just grinned as Gideon’s eyes glowed gold with such possessiveness that Max wasn’t sure that Brie wouldn’t just melt on the spot.

  Brie was going to drop that baby at any moment, and it was insane that Gideon was actually calm enough to allow her around so many other people. It probably helped that they were family.

  Max talked with his cousin for a little bit longer before turning to Brynn and Finn, who were watching Mackenzie dance around them, Brynn heavily pregnant with twins. Apparently, once a battle with a dangerous egomaniac Alpha ended, everybody went and got pregnant. He and Cheyenne were waiting a little bit longer before they started a family because they needed to figure out exactly what this Supreme Alpha business meant. But they would have a family, a large one if he and Cheyenne had anything to say about it.

  “I can’t wait for you to come and hang out with our Pack,” Brynn said with a smile. “I mean, it’s not like you’ve ever spent any time at the Redwoods’.” Finn rolled his eyes and kissed his mate’s head, his hand possessively landing on her stomach. Max just laughed and talked with his cousin for a bit longer before moving on to the next couple.

  Ryder and Leah were feeding each other from opposite plates like they were hopelessly-in-love newlyweds instead of having been mated for a few years already. The two were disgustingly sweet with one another, and their son, Bryson, was off chasing Fallon, who, in turn, chased him back. It reminded Max of how he and Brynn had used to play years ago. Ryder and Leah hadn’t started on a second child yet, but they had been thinking about it. Max figured by the time he saw his cousin again, the couple would have another child, maybe even two. Because the way Leah kept watching the pregnant women walk around the room, he could see the yearning in her eyes.

  Cheyenne had moved over to speak with Charlotte, Bram, and Shane. The thr
ee were holding their newborn twins, each rotating the two babies as they spoke. Genetically, the children were clearly Bram’s with their dark skin, but Shane was also their father in every way that mattered. Max figured that the next babies Charlotte had would be genetically Shane’s, and no matter what, they would be considered full siblings. Because that’s exactly how triads worked within the Packs, and Max was thankful for it.

  Speaking of triads, Parker, Brandon, and Avery were sprawled out on one of the couches in a heated discussion about birth canals. Max really didn’t want to know why they were talking about that, but the three were talking loudly enough that pretty much the whole room could hear. Avery lay against Parker with her feet up in Brandon’s lap, her ankles so swollen that Max was worried she would never be able to walk again. She was having a difficult pregnancy but wasn’t letting anything stop her from doing what she needed to do. Since she was going to drop a set of triplets any day now, she was likely beyond ready for labor. It was insane that so many twins and triplets were being born into his family, but after having so many years without having any children born into the Pack at all, apparently, the Brentwoods were making up for lost time.

  Mitchell held his baby son in his arms as Dawn worked on making the bottle for him. She’d also had a difficult pregnancy and had needed to go straight to formula instead of breastfeeding thanks to it. He didn’t ask questions but knew that Dawn had talked to Cheyenne about it a lot. But any time that Dawn needed extra help with the baby in the middle of the night, Max and Cheyenne were right there. This was his nephew, not a second cousin. And though he felt all the newborns and children were all his nephews and nieces, this baby was special. Because he was the first one born to Mitchell and Max’s branch of the family.

  He couldn’t help but be a little selfish with the baby’s time.

  Walker and Kameron were in a heated discussion about sports for some unknown reason. Max vaguely remembered them talking about sports before, and he figured that it was something the two decided they needed to talk about so they didn’t have to talk about their daily duties. Max didn’t mind, but he really had no idea what they were talking about.