by Juniper Hart
“That’s been ongoing for years,” Landon said slowly. “Why do you know about Wren?”
“I don’t, not really,” Henry replied slowly. “But it seems like her brother, Jordan, took out one of the bigger players in Bellevue, and he’s on the run now.”
“What?” Landon sat straight up and gaped at him. “Are you sure?”
“Her name just stuck out because it wasn’t common, but from what I gleaned, she cut off ties with her family a long time ago. I doubt she knows anything about it.”
Landon was on his feet, his mind whirling. What if that wasn’t her boyfriend but her brother I saw at the bar?
They both had dark hair, the markers of a Lycan. It could have been Jordan Archer just within his reach. How did I not know what was happening? This is unforgivable!
“Where are you going?” Henry yelled after him. “You should rest for a bit before—”
But Landon was already out the door and in the hallway before Henry finished his sentence.
He needed to find Wren and find out what was going on before something terrible happened.
11
As Wren had suspected, Christiana was furious when she brought Jordan home.
“He can’t stay here!” her roommate cried the moment they walked through the door. “Wren, what were you thinking?”
“He’s got nowhere else to go,” Wren muttered, dragging Christiana into the kitchen so that her brother wouldn’t overhear, but the damage was done. Jordan stood uncomfortably in the living room, looking about uncertainly. “Don’t go anywhere,” Wren warned him. “I’ll be right back.”
“You’ve spent years trying to get away from him, from all of them!” Christiana exploded, refusing to keep her voice down. “How can you bring him here now?”
“Chris, he’s still my family. He won’t be here long.”
“What is he doing here at all? Did the pack abandon him or something?”
Wren was reluctant to answer. If she told Christiana the truth, she was sure her roommate would make him leave. She needed to come up with a plausible story to keep Christiana from asking too many questions.
If she asks around, she might learn the truth anyway, Wren reasoned. And she’ll inadvertently sell him out.
“Chris, I’m asking you to trust me on this,” she told her friend quietly. “I wouldn’t have brought him here if there was another option.”
“I’ll just go,” Jordan said, appearing in the doorway.
“No!” Wren said quickly. “Just stay—for now. We’ll figure something out.”
“Wren…” Christiana said warningly. “This is not a good idea.”
“She’s right,” Jordan said without emotion. “It was a mistake coming to you.”
Shame flooded Wren as she thought about what Jordan had told her. Had he really sacrificed himself for her? Wren had never considered that there had been no real repercussions to leaving, that no one had bothered to look for her, especially when she hadn’t left the Seattle area.
“He’s not going anywhere,” she said firmly. “End of discussion.”
Jordan didn’t seem convinced, not when Christiana glowered so openly, but to Wren’s relief, her friend only stormed away without saying another word.
“She’s going to get me caught,” Jordan said nervously. “It’s not safe to stay here.”
“She won’t say anything,” Wren assured him. “She doesn’t want anything to do with the pack any more than I do. You don’t need to worry about Chris.”
“Even so,” Jordan insisted, “I can’t stay here. I need to get out of Seattle.”
“And go where, Jordan? If what you’re saying is true, you need to clear your name. There’s nowhere you can go where they won’t find you.”
“They’re determined to destroy me, Wren,” Jordan muttered.
“Why now? Why you?” Wren wanted to know. “Surely, if they needed a scapegoat, they could have used someone not nearly as important.”
Something wasn’t adding up, and Wren wasn’t sure if her brother was withholding information or if he sincerely didn’t know the reason.
“It’s a long story,” Jordan sighed, making Wren tense.
“Well, I’ve got time,” she reminded him, her tone sharp. “I think I deserve to know what’s going on, don’t you?”
Jordan studied her face warily and sighed, crossing his arms over his chest before shaking his hair so that the strands fell over his forehead.
“I’ve been planning my escape for a while, too,” he confessed. “Dad found out about it, and he threatened to go after you like he always did when I made any waves. I told him that I didn’t care this time, that I was going, and suddenly Rivers was dead, and I was being hunted.”
Wren’s blood ran cold as she understood what her brother was suggesting. “Are you saying that Dad set you up for the murder of another Enchanted?”
Jordan turned his head away and shrugged. “I have no proof that Dad did it himself, but the coincidence is pretty big,” he replied. “What am I supposed to think?”
Wren shook her head. “I have no idea. I don’t know anything about what’s happening with the packs anymore.” But I might know someone who does…
“What are you thinking? I know that look on your face.”
“Nothing,” Wren lied. “I’m not thinking anything.” She ushered Jordan out of the kitchen, toward the living room. “Just get some rest tonight,” she told him. “Tomorrow, we’ll work on a plan.”
“I can’t sleep,” Jordan protested. “I’ve been on the run for two months.”
“More the reason for you to sleep now. You’re safe here.”
Jordan eyed her. “Why the change of heart, Wren? Guilt?”
“I guess so,” she snapped back, annoyed that he was questioning her motives. “If you want, I can throw you out.”
“I wouldn’t blame you if you did.”
“Just go to sleep, Jordan. I’ll grab you a pillow and blanket.” He didn’t protest as Wren went to search for linens. “I’ll see you in a couple hours,” she told him, turning for her room.
“Wren?”
“Hm?”
“Thank you. You know I wouldn’t be here if I had somewhere else to be.”
“I know.” She shuffled to her room, where Christiana waited for her.
“This is not going to fly,” her friend growled. “You’re bringing trouble right to our doorstep.”
“Only if you say something,” Wren retorted. “No one will think to look for him here if you don’t say anything, Chris.”
“You’re being naïve if you think that. They’ll come here because it’s the last place he’d be,” she insisted. “What’s the point of running from the pack if you’re inviting them right to us, Wren?”
“Can we not do this tonight?” Wren asked tiredly. “Just give me a few hours to come up with a game plan—”
“What game plan?”
“Chris, please.”
“You’re not thinking!” Christiana snapped. “And you’re going to drag me down with you.”
“I’m not!” Wren sighed. “Just give me a chance. I promise, he won’t be here long.”
Chris grunted in frustration. “Whatever, Wren. I’m not going to insist you throw him out, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Wren was silent as her friend left the room, leaving her alone to ponder the predicament she’d found herself in.
Can I use Landon Burke’s attention to my advantage now? she wondered, biting on her lower lip. An image of the Lycan and Linda together in the car made her skin crawl, but she shoved her personal feelings aside and tried to focus on what was important: clearing her brother’s name. Assuming Jordan was speaking the truth.
She knew venturing in the direction she was thinking was treading in shark-infested waters, but it was the surest way to get to the bottom of what was going on, wasn’t it?
Wren lay back on her bed and stared at the ceiling for a long while, the sleep she’d wanted
to get eluding her as a plan slowly formed in her mind.
I have to get in good with Landon Burke and find out what’s happening between the packs.
The only stipulation was, she had to ensure that the Councilman never found out what she was doing. She shuddered to think about what the punishment would be.
12
When Landon arrived at his office on Monday morning, he was stunned to see Wren Archer waiting for him.
“Do you have a minute to talk?” she asked.
“I— Sure,” he replied, his heart racing as he tried to figure out why she’d come. “Let’s go in my office.” His assistant gave him a reproving look.
“You have a meeting with production in ten,” the assistant reminded him.
“They can wait,” Landon told her, closing the interior door. He gestured for Wren to sit. “Want a coffee or something?” She shook her curls, her eyes darting around the space like she was searching for a place to rest her gaze. “What are you doing here, Wren?”
“I…” She paused and cleared her throat. “I just wanted to apologize to you.”
He was surprised by her answer and cocked his head to the side in confusion.
“Apologize for what?” he asked, his mind traveling to when he’d last seen her in the parking lot of The Quarry, entangled with Linda.
“I’ve been nasty to you,” she said quickly. “And I realized you’ve been kind to me.”
A fission of alarm ran through Landon as he detected a note of insincerity in her, but he didn’t comment on it.
“I hadn’t noticed,” he replied.
“Well, I have, and I just wanted to say sorry. I think I will come to the ball after all—if the invitation still stands.”
“It stands for everyone,” Landon said quickly, his eyes narrowing slightly. Does this have anything to do with her brother being a wanted fugitive?
He hated that he was asking himself that at all, but he knew he couldn’t dismiss this unwarranted visit at face value. There was a reason that Wren had made a specific trip to his office.
Wren rose from her chair, her eyes still averted as she studied her own hands.
“That’s it,” she said falteringly. “I’ll let you get back to work.” She turned for the door, and Landon called out before he could stop himself.
“I’m not seeing Linda.”
Wren stopped mid-step and glanced over her shoulder. “It’s none of my business,” she said quickly.
“I just wanted you to know that,” Landon told her gruffly.
“Does she know that?” A grimace fell over Wren’s face as soon as she spoke, and her eyes met his for the first time since entering the office.
“I could probably make it clearer,” Landon agreed sheepishly. Wren held his gaze a second longer before turning back toward the door. “Wren…”
“Hm?”
“Maybe you could be my date to the ball.”
Her shoulders tensed visibly, and a shadow fell over her face. Landon instantly regretted asking her. As if on cue, his head began to pound, and he cursed Brey for making such a shoddy infusion. But he knew now that it wasn’t Brey’s infusion that was the problem.
“Never mind,” he said quickly. “Sorry I asked.”
“No, no!” Wren cried hastily. “I’m… good to go with you to the ball. Thank you for asking.” She forced a smile on her face that looked painful to uphold, and more confusion sparked through Landon.
What is she really doing here? She doesn’t want anything to do with me, really.
“Hey, while you’re here,” he said casually, “have you seen or heard from your brother lately?”
Wren’s expression didn’t change, but there was a mass darkening of her already inky eyes which told him he’d hit a nerve. “Why? Why are you asking me about him?”
“I’ve heard some disturbing rumors about him,” Landon answered. “Things I can’t really ignore.”
“I don’t deal with my family. I haven’t in a long while.”
“I heard that, too,” he agreed, though he didn’t believe a word coming out of her mouth now. He’d been around a lot longer than Wren. She hadn’t even hit the age of full maturity to stop aging. “If you know where he is, Wren, I would hope you would tell me.”
“Like I said, I don’t know much about what’s going on with my family. I don’t really even like to call them my family.”
“What about those guys who were bothering you at the nightclub? Would they know where he is?”
Wren’s mouth twisted into a frown. “I have no idea.”
Landon rose from his chair and made his way around the desk, folding his arms over his chest.
“You may not believe this, Wren, but I care about all the packs equally.” She snorted before she could stop herself and covered it with a fake cough. Landon grew defensive. “Why are you scoffing? It’s true. It’s my job on the Council to represent all the packs.”
“It might be your job, but let’s face it, Mr. Burke, you only care about the higher classes.”
“That’s not true!” Landon growled.
“I’m not here to fight with you,” Wren said, holding up her hands in surrender. “Honestly. I’m just saying that we’ve known for a long time that you don’t care about us.”
“Then why do you think we’ve opened the gala to everyone?” Landon pressed. He hadn’t realized that he’d covered the distance between them and now stood towering over Wren. She didn’t look fazed in the least.
“It’s a nice gesture, Mr. Burke,” she said, “but it doesn’t change the fact that the lower classes are running amok while you continue to ignore them. Having a function which no one can afford to attend is hardly the way to win over the poor. You claim the money goes to help us, but does it really? Who decides where the funds go?”
Landon opened his mouth to argue, but he suddenly realized that her impassioned speech came from somewhere deeper than any political protest he could muster.
She’s lived it her whole life. She’s a victim of the warped system, and I helped put her there.
“I have to go,” Wren said, whirling away, but Landon grabbed her arm. Even though she didn’t pull away, she glanced at his hand before raising her head to meet his gaze.
“Things are going to change,” he promised her huskily. “It might have taken a while for us to get there, but things will change.”
A half-smirk formed on Wren’s lips. “I guess I’ll believe it when I see it,” she replied.
Landon couldn’t stop himself, whether because of her cynicism or his mounting headache, but he dropped his mouth to hers, pressing his full lips against Wren’s. Almost instantly, the pounding in his head disappeared, and a warm feeling swept through him like he’d never known.
Wren’s eyes widened, but she didn’t move, her mouth parting to deepen their embrace until their tongues jutted out to meet. Energy sparked between them, and Landon’s hand cupped her cheek, the heat of her skin igniting him further until he had spun her fully, and they fell into one another.
Wren gasped, pulling away to stare at him. Still, she did not attempt to wriggle free, the perplexity in her face clear.
“What are you doing?” she breathed, and Landon could feel the rush of her blood through the thin material of her jacket. Instead of answering, he again moved his mouth toward hers, and Wren reached up eagerly to snake her fingers through the hairs on the back of his neck, permitting her eyes to fall closed.
This is what I’ve been missing, Landon thought, their connection undeniable now. He had been skeptical of Lane’s explanation, of Miriam’s spell all along. It never occurred to him that he could ever want for a mate as badly as he wanted Wren, and yet there he was, picking her up to wrap her long legs around his waist and place her on the edge of his desk.
Wren sighed again, dropping her head to the side, and he explored the sweet flesh of her neck and ears, his breaths causing goosebumps to explode along her skin.
“What if someone comes in?”
she murmured, although her voice was so low, he wondered if she wasn’t speaking to herself.
“No one is coming in,” he assured her, his fingers sliding over the firm lines of her high breasts to tease the rigid nipples. He couldn’t be sure if he was telling the truth. There was a production meeting in the boardroom, after all, but it was the furthest thing from Landon’s mind as his headache was replaced by a heady feeling of pleasure.
Her clothing stripped away, Landon laid Wren across his desk and paused to stare at her in a trance-like haze.
“What is happening?” she moaned softly, her guard chipped away with each kiss he administered upon her lithe body.
“You’re my mate,” he told her. “And it’s time we stopped fighting it.”
Wren’s teeth clamped onto her lower lip, her calves rising to embrace his waist and draw him closer, but as Landon entered her, he read the worry in her eyes.
She’s not convinced. She’s wary of me.
He shoved the thought out of his mind, pulling their bodies closer so their flesh melded into one another, the fire between them growing with each thrust of his body. There was no resistance anywhere except in Wren’s eyes, and he wondered why.
She’s spent so long protecting herself that she doesn’t know how to let her guard down.
“You’re not alone,” he murmured in her ear, his words escaping in short, uneven breaths. “I’ve got you now.”
Wren mewled, the heights of her passion mounting, ankles locking behind him, and Landon had never felt more in tune with anyone as he did at that moment.
He grunted deeply, flowing himself into Wren, and she bucked upward to meet his climax with her own, the two oblivious to the noise they were making or the attention they might be attracting. In those moments, the rest of the world didn’t exist—there was only one another, and Landon didn’t want it to end.
Wren trembled beneath him as he shuddered, burying his face in the small of her neck to regain his composure and control.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled without looking up. “I couldn’t help myself. I think I’ve known from the minute I saw you that you and I belong together.”