“Ballard is going to notice this shit,” he grunted, lowering his hand and folding his arms over his chest.
“He will, which is why you’re going to take the tracker and drive your bike to the nearest truck stop in Billings, Montana. By the time Ballard figures out he’s missing, the snow will have started. He won’t come looking until spring, and by then, this truck will be in a million pieces, and that asshole can eat shit. He won’t be able to prove his driver died here. Drive twenty miles an hour down the mountain and slower on the corners. Don’t go over sixty and slow your ass down on the passes like an 18-wheeler would drive with an empty trailer. When you get to the truck stop, find a truck with out-of-state plates and plant the tracker somewhere on its trailer. Get this bitch unloaded and then get her buried on the side of the mountain until spring. Move, we’re wasting daylight,” I growled, lifting my hand to signal the truck carrying the herbs from the field to back up.
Once the truck was in place, I went to the shed to retrieve my gloves before heading back to unload the cargo. Saint watched me silently, as if he was waiting for me to thank him for interfering. He’d only created more work for everyone by murdering the one crazy son-of-a-bitch who would drive up the mountain to deliver the canned foods.
Jumping onto the trailer, I grabbed a bale of wet herbs and tossed it onto the ground, immediately getting back to work. If I were lucky, I’d be so exhausted tonight and stink from sweat that Saint would seek rest elsewhere. Or maybe he already intended to do that? He’d claimed rights to me with his bite while leaving himself free of mine.
That had stung, and it made my wolf furious that he’d rejected her mark. Not that either of us should care, but if I were honest, it did sting. He was the perfect male for me, picked by the wolf god, Fenrir, and Saint had rejected me.
Lucas jumped onto the trailer, grabbing my shoulder when Larson stepped up, checking my forehead. He smiled, knowing I was going to send his ass away. I’d heal quickly enough and didn’t need him to fuck with my wound.
“That’s a nasty gash,” Larson complained, holding up the suture kit. “Let me fix it, Brae.”
I stepped back, tilting my head as a soft smile played on my lips. He growled loudly, producing the stapler, which I yanked from his hand and slammed against the wound four times before handing it back. Larson groaned, staring at the fresh blood caused by the staples. I felt eyes on me, turning to look at Saint, who stared at us. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he pursed his lips.
Lucas handed me a water bottle, which I used to wash off the blood before handing it back, and started working again. The trailer bounced, and I peered over my shoulder as I lifted a bale. Holding it up, I waited for Saint to move aside. Instead, he stood there, looking at the wound then stepping out of the way so I could throw it to the men waiting to take it to the shed for storage.
“You could have been hurt worse than you were, Brat,” Saint grumbled, lifting a bale to toss to the ground.
“The child could have been killed, and I would have only been wounded. One of those things is permanent, and the other isn’t. It was an easy choice to make. Now, either throw the bales over the side or get out of the way. We have five more trucks coming in today. More deer are expected, which need processing, and the hay for the horses has to be stocked, so pick a chore.”
Saint smirked, grabbing two bales and tossing them over the back of the trailer. “Your shirt is wet, and I can see your nipples, Braelyn.”
“Then stop looking,” I replied icily.
We worked side-by-side until country music started playing from inside the courtyard. Colt Ford’s Workin’ On echoed through the speakers, and I was guessing it wasn’t something Saint and his men jammed out to very often. I sang along with those around me, continuing to work until sweat trickled into the gash on my forehead. The music changed, and a rendition of My Mother Told Me started, and the entire courtyard paused, singing the song loudly as the children danced around.
A smile played on my lips as I noticed Saint peering at the men, women, and children who belted the song. So we’d watched Vikings a lot, but up here, it was Blu-Rays and recorded shit through the winter, and we didn’t bother staying inside any more than necessary during spring and summer.
Saint’s eyes met mine, then narrowed before dipping to my lips. Memories of our summer spent working together and escaping to find somewhere to make out filled my mind. He shook his head, and I shoved the memories to the back of my mind, into the box where I kept them, refusing to let them back out.
Once the truck was empty, I jumped down, removing the gloves to accept a bottle of water as You are the Reason started, sung by Calum Scott and Leona Lewis. My stomach clenched, and my eyes slid to the stereo where Toralei stood, her arms folded over her chest. I wanted to strangle her, knowing it was my song for Saint. That song and Unsteady by X Ambassadors made me need him close, and now that he was here, I wanted him to leave before he ruined every part of me that still loved him.
Exhaling, I stared up at the sun to determine the time, then lowered my eyes to assist the oversized trailer into the yard. By the time we finished working, it was time to go to the kitchen to help the staff prepare food for the extra people Saint had brought with him.
“Where the hell are you off to?” he asked. I spun on my heel and narrowed my gaze on his muscular frame.
“I help the kitchen staff after assisting the outside workers. I normally work from dawn to sundown and then fall into bed stinking like a stuck pig, three days after being hung up to dry for the smoker.”
“Not today, Brat,” Saint snorted, dragging his eyes over my dirty attire. “Tonight, you eat beside me. Go freshen up. There are things you and I need to discuss.”
I swallowed hard, glaring at him before I swung my attention to where the kitchen staff waited. Clearing my throat, I explained what was happening while Saint and his men waited behind me, listening. At their groans and cross looks at Saint, I assured them that even if they served the pigs who had invaded slop, I’d still love them.
We approached the hall, and Saint grabbed my arm, staring at me. “You do this shit every day?” At my confused look and sharp nod, he snorted. “You cut wood and throw bales of hay and herbs, all day, every day?”
“No, just when they arrive. Tomorrow we’ll be getting the second shipments and fixing the outcrop buildings. The day after that, we’ll be building an add-on for the people who come up the mountain before the freeze starts. Some live below in sparse buildings that won’t protect them against the cold. And after that, we’ll continue doing whatever the hell needs to be done to feed the pack and protect them from the elements until the snow thaws.” I wrenched my arm out of his hold, walking away while he stared after me.
“That there is a Viking woman, Saint. If you don’t want her, I sure the hell do,” Leif snorted. “It’s a rare breed that will work from dawn until sundown, protecting her people. Fenrir blessed you, even if you can’t see it, daft bastard.”
“She rejected me and banished my crew, allowing her father to torture us. She may be the most gorgeous creature I’ve ever seen or wanted, but she’s as cold-hearted and evil as her father.” I swallowed, overhearing Saint’s words, frowning as I replayed what he’d said. I didn’t slow down or even acknowledge the men as I entered my room, flinging off my clothes before jumping into the shower and pulling out the staples from the healed skin with my claws.
I hated the new Saint while still craving the old one that whispered into my ear, brushing his knuckles against mine in the courtyard when no one was watching. He had been the one thing driving me to keep moving forward, and now that he was back, he was screwing up everything.
I leaned back against the shower stall and closed my eyes. His scent hit me, and I opened my eyes, jumping as I found him leaning over me, staring down at my naked body.
“We’re moving to a larger room tomorrow. Yours is too small, and we need a larger bathroom.”
“I like my room. You can move,” I muttered, staring at his mouth.
Saint’s lips tipped into a wolfish smile as he turned, grabbing my shampoo and pouring entirely too much into his palm. Still, I didn’t complain or rail against him using it while my eyes slid down his sinewy body, noting he was hard and ready to go. He turned to face me, his mouth opening to expose his canines.
“You’ll be handling that problem soon enough. Wash the dirt off your body. We have more guests showing up.”
“You can use your hand for whatever pleasure you had planned for yourself. How are these new guests getting here?” I asked, wondering how they could sneak up the mountain without setting off any of the alarms.
“I won’t need my hand. I’ll use you, and the other matter is none of your fucking business, Brat. Wash up. I don’t want my guests meeting the mother of my children in filth from her working all day.”
My heart clenched at his words and got stuck on the mother of my children. I glared at Saint, hating him more for calling me that. He knew I wanted babies, and I had a feeling he intended to change his mind on that, too.
Chapter Nine
Saint
I sat in a chair in Braelyn’s room, waiting for her to leave the shower. Memories of our time together played through my mind, craving to go back to those moments. The problem was, we couldn’t ever go back to how it was prior to my being banished. I wasn’t the same person I’d been when she’d thrown me to the pack. She hadn’t given me mercy, and I couldn’t offer her any now, even if I wanted to.
Braelyn had rejected me in the worst possible way a mate could. I’d bared my soul to her, showing her everything I was, promising her the world. It hadn’t been enough for the pampered little bitch. Yet, I still craved her. I wanted to believe that she hadn’t been a part of what I’d endured, that she didn’t know about the evil her father had planned for me, but there were hints that made me believe Braelyn had known, and she had still banished me.
Eryx had shared in my fate, having been sold to the same unfeeling, murderous bitch that had purchased me. Together, we’d been ripped apart and sewn up afterward. Harold sold his people, members of other packs, and humans into slavery to be endlessly tortured or murdered on camera as entertainment for the cruel and evil creatures living amongst us. You didn’t escape that type of thing unscathed. Death was always the end goal.
An entire year of endless torment and pain had passed before Leif and the Gemini twins, Enzo and Ezekiel, had found our location and freed us. They’d given us an option: heal and hunt down other sites used to torture immortals and humans or return to our pack. The choice had been easy.
Eryx and I bonded with them, meeting hunters and others who all shared one cause—end the trafficking of anyone unfortunate enough to be sold on the black market. Our first focus was to find the rest of my crew that had been banished with me, bringing them out of their endless torment one by one. When we’d finally been reunited, we aimed our sights at coming here and bringing down the head of the operation.
I had warned everyone that Braelyn was my true soul mate, even if she’d rejected me. I didn’t necessarily want to hurt her, but I did want to break her down to bare-bones and see if she was worth saving. If I discovered that she’d been a part of her father’s operation, I’d agreed to release her, giving her a chance to run before we hunted her down. This was the fate given to the others who had knowingly helped torture and murder innocent people. None of them escaped our hunt alive.
The problem was that I couldn’t prove one way or the other if Braelyn was involved. I wanted to save her, and there was a slim possibility that she hadn’t been part of this mess if what Brae said was true, and she thought she was saving me from her father instead of delivering me into his hands. But the Brae I had known would do whatever she’d been told, jumping to fall in line when her father commanded her.
I’d asked her once to leave here with me, to just slip into the sunset and leave this place. She’d scoffed it off, and within days, she’d rejected me and humiliated me in front of the pack. I could still hear her words, filled with hatred and loathing like I was the fucking villain in her story.
“You lied to me. This isn’t love or anything to do with mating. It’s just lust that you made me feel. I hate you,” she’d paused, her entire body trembling while nothing escaped the grip she held on herself. I couldn’t smell or sense her emotions over the anxiousness that swelled from me and the pain she was causing. “I never want to see you again.”
“Don’t do this, Brat. You don’t mean what you’re saying. You’re my fucking air, Braelyn. You are my soul. I can’t breathe without you. Come on, Brat, it’s me. I let you in so you could see the parts of me that no one else has. Please don’t do this to me, to us. I love you. I love you more than I ever thought possible to love another person. Brae, look at me. This is us. This isn’t you, because you love me, too. I know you do. I feel you as deeply as you feel me.”
“I never want to see you again. You need to leave and get as far away from here as you can. Do you hear me? Leave and don’t come back. I never loved you. I never wanted you. I couldn’t love you, ever.”
Anger had pulsed through me as her father snorted, watching as his pretty daughter tore out my soul and shredded it while the entire pack watched.
“I will come back here, and when I do, I will destroy you and everything you love. Last chance, Princess. Change your mind.”
“I can’t ever change it. I have decided. Leave!”
Harold dragged me and the others away from her. He told me to run, to leave before he released the alphas on my friends and me. I thought that was the end until I saw the alphas waiting for us at the bottom of the mountain. Harold never intended for us to escape, and I suspected Braelyn hadn’t either. It had been a ruse, one that was orchestrated in advance to make the pack think we’d left in banishment.
Braelyn slipped from the bathroom, her wide, blue eyes slowly meeting mine from across the room. She was the most beautifully crafted woman I’d ever encountered. Her hair was a mess of colors, which might look awkward on other women, but it worked for Brae. Her auburn curls were mixed with caramel strands that hung in sinful waves down her back and over her shoulders. Nordic blue eyes, the color of freshly frozen lakes, watched me, knowing I fully intended to fuck her again.
Her tiny button nose flared, and those pearly white teeth pinched her bottom lip between them. I could scent the arousal of her tight pussy, see the way her eyes widened while peering between me and the closet. She was planning to run from me or to fight.
“Come here.” She lowered her head as her eyes slanted into an untrusting glare. “I’m not asking, Braelyn.”
She didn’t move, her body sliding against the wall toward the closet with her hands gripping the towel. Panic entered her pretty eyes, and I smirked at the scent of fear that filled the room, mixing with arousal. She may hate that I’m her mate, but she craved me as much as I craved her traitorous ass.
“Do you prefer I force you to do everything? I won’t ask again. I will make you come to me, either by scent or as your alpha, Brat. Choose how you wish this to play out.”
Braelyn pushed off the wall, dragging her pretty feet the entire way until she stood before me. Leaning up, I snatched the towel she was using to shield her body from me. She’d grown up in the ten years I’d been gone. No longer the girl with a hint of the woman she’d become, Braelyn was all sexy curves and ample breasts that begged to be suckled, and I noted the small, caramel-colored patch of hair that covered her sex was neatly manicured.
Braelyn had never been short, not even as a child. She wasn’t as a woman either, and I enjoyed I didn’t have to crouch to touch or reach her. Lifting my hand, I gripped her hips and sat up further. Moving one foot to the chair, I stared between her legs at her healed sex. Inhaling, I growled at finding my scent gone from her body.
“You washed my scent away, Brat? That wasn’t smart,” I gro
wled, leaning closer to drag my tongue through her pretty, pink flesh. Her hand landed on my shoulders and tightened as I tasted her arousal.
Finding out that Braelyn was a virgin during our mating ceremony had floored me. It left me stunned after being told repeatedly about all the men that Brae had entertained, using them to get anything her father wanted. She’d whored herself out to the highest bidder, just like she’d planned with Carlson. I’d been told the stories in graphic details a million times because my tormentor had discovered that I could ignore the pain, but I couldn’t shut off my reaction to hearing about and imaging my mate being touched by strange men. Had the stories all been a lie, or had they killed the men she’d seduced once her father had gotten his payment? How she’d maintained being untouched in the most basic way, as a highly sexual wolf, was beyond me.
Braelyn’s soft moan filled the room, and I chuckled at how responsive her body was to me. She fucking hated that it caved to the baser needs of sex. Braelyn despised she was as defenseless as I was for the shit happening between us. This was the reason I’d pushed her away.
If I let her claim me, I’d go to war to protect her. Shit, chances were I still would. I’d let her see my flaws and the part of me that no one else ever had or would. I’d let her into my heart, deeper than anyone ever had been except my mother, and then she’d ripped it out.
I lifted without warning, grabbing Braelyn’s body to move her to the bed. She didn’t fight me, but I sensed it was coming. I could smell the alpha within her needing to test me. It was basic fucking wolf genetics. Alpha mates ripped one another down to the most primitive form to see which one would be more dominant in the relationship.
Once Brae was sprawled out on the bed, I let my hungry gaze slide over her form. Fuck, she was the most gorgeous woman I’d ever seen in my life. We’d never gotten to this stage of our mating, and now I was rushing through it. I’d marked her, setting claim to her soul, and she was mine now. That knowledge left me reeling with how to handle her.
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