by Maia Dylan
“Hunter and Dane sent out a couple of their best to do some digging. Zane and Riley Harrison.” Kyle had met them both at the station when they came in to talk to Ty about settling in Grey River. Their reputation as both trackers and investigators was almost legendary in the Enforcers, as far as he could tell.
“He’s heading to Grey River, isn’t he?” Melaina whispered.
“Yeah, Melaina, we think he is. Zane caught wind of the fact that Aristos is slowly shutting down shop around the country and moving everything he has to his property in Oklahoma City. Whatever he is planning, it will be big, and it will be here, and I want to make sure when we put that fucker out of our misery that all the women he fucked over are here to see it! I’ve decided I can no longer stomach the fact that he is breathing the same damn air that I breathe, and now that I know the shithead is, here in my state, that offends me even more. We are rallying here for this war he is hell-bent on bringing, and I want all my pack here, fighting to shred this fucker and his entire army of supped-up psychic asswipes into tiny pieces so we can all piss on the pieces and send them to hell.”
Kyle and Grant both barked a laugh, but one look at their mate and Kyle knew she wasn’t feeling the humor. No, their mate had an entirely different expression on her beautiful face. Bloodlust. She wanted to be there when her father’s life was ended, more than anything in this world.
“Now that sounds like a plan I can totally get behind.” Melaina’s tone matched her expression and Kyle felt his own thirst for blood rise to match it. “We’ll leave immediately. Let all three of them know your suspicions about Aristos. Tell them I’m coming. I am sick of that bastard holding those I love over my head, and as I have discovered, I am one vindictive bitch and vengeance will be mine.”
Chapter Twelve
Grant couldn’t stop peeking glances at his mate. Melaina had become increasingly quieter the closer they got to Grey River. They’d collected Kyle’s truck from the towing company that had hauled it away from the motel they were staying in and hit the road as soon as they were able. Melaina’s withdrawal hadn’t been as obvious in the beginning of the thirteen-hour drive. But now that they were only an hour out, it was more than evident.
He and Kyle had tried to get her to talk about whatever was bothering her in the beginning, but she’d stubbornly refused to acknowledge that anything was. Their bond gave him no hints, either. It simply disappeared into a black void. If Grant had encountered anyone else, he would have suspected Jax, but their mate was a woman with unequaled psychic ability so it was not beyond the realm of possibility that she had the ability to put up some kind of shield around herself.
The tension in the cab of the truck had been building, and Grant knew it would only be a matter of time before his brother would—
“Screw this!” Kyle growled as he turned the wheel sharply to his right, taking them off the shoulder of the road they were traveling and into a darkened layby at the side of the road. The truck came to a rocking halt as he slammed on the brakes.
Kyle slammed the handbrake on and turned to frown at their mate. “What is it? Something is wrong and I don’t need the über psychic skills you have to tell that. Something has you withdrawing from us, and you’ve shut yourself off from our bond. Now, what the hell is it?”
Grant sighed as their mate crossed her arms over her chest and got a stubborn look on her face. He turned with a sigh to mirror his brother’s position. “Baby, what is it? I would have thought you’d be getting more excited about getting to Grey River, but it seems to be the exact opposite. Aren’t you excited about seeing your sisters?”
Melaina’s gaze had been locked to the front window, staring out into the muted light of predawn. But when he mentioned her sisters, her eyes flicked to his for just a moment and he inhaled sharply at the emotions he saw there. The anticipation and excitement he had predicted were most definitely there, but there was something he hadn’t anticipated. Fear.
Their mate was scared, and he had only ever seen her eyes shimmer with that emotion on the night they had claimed her. When the door to the van that held Pepper prisoner had opened and that man was holding a weapon to her head, Melaina had been terrified.
“Are you scared about seeing them?” Grant asked softly.
Melaina’s gaze turned to his once more but this time stayed. Tears shimmered in her eyes and Grant wrapped his arm around her. He tucked her up under his shoulder as Kyle reached out and placed his hand on her thigh, both of them helpless against her sorrow and giving her the comfort they knew she would never have asked for.
“Talk to us, Blue Eyes,” Kyle said quietly, his tone almost pleading. “Why would the thought of seeing the three people you have protected, loved, and bled for your entire life cause you angst?”
Melaina took a shuddering breath as she leaned into Grant and reached down to tuck her tiny hand around Kyle’s. “I am not a nice person. I have done some pretty horrendous things to people in my life.”
“Bullshit,” Kyle snarled.
Melaina shook her head. “I have. Jesus, look at what I did to the two of you. I turned the most beautiful, sensual, loving experience of my life into a preemptive strike. I mean, who the hell does that?”
Grant squeezed her tightly against him, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead. “Melaina, we know that you’ve done everything you’ve done to protect the people you care about. We understand that.”
Melaina’s head lowered and Grant felt a shiver roll through her slender frame. “But will they?” she whispered.
Kyle leaned around and gently lifted her chin with his hand until her gaze met his. “They are your sisters, one only in blood, but all three of them through the hideous actions of a man who should have been all about protecting you. They will understand.”
Grant turned his head to lean his cheek against the crown of her head. “You don’t see yourself like we do. When we look at you, baby, we see a strong, passionate, sexy-as-all-hell woman with a loyal and protective streak a mile long. A woman who has lived her entire life putting others ahead of herself, and because of an unfortunate stroke of luck, was sired by a fucktard who made her doubt her own worth. For that alone, your father deserves what’s coming his way.”
Kyle’s growl filled the cab. “And in case you’re wondering what that might be, it’s a pack of pissed-off wolf shifters and a couple of lions with a debt to settle, all of whom are vying for the opportunity to be the first to chew on the bastard and rip his throat out.”
Melaina tensed slightly and Grant lifted his head so he could see her face. “Aristos deserves what is coming his way, on that we are in complete agreement. But it will not be a wolf or a lion that makes that a reality. It will be me.”
Grant’s first reaction was to disagree with a vehement hell, no, but the look in her eyes brought him up short. Melaina’s startling blue eyes had lightened almost to the arctic blue of their kind, and he shared a quick glance with his brother.
“You need this,” Grant whispered, “don’t you, baby?”
Melaina met his gaze, and then Kyle’s, before answering. “I do. I know it sounds vindictive, but I—”
Kyle’s growl cut her off and when Grant looked over, his brother was frowning. “No, Blue Eyes, it doesn’t sound vindictive at all. To us, it sounds like poetic justice. You’ve told your mates that this is something that you need. Which means it is now our mission in life to ensure that you get it.” Kyle’s face morphed into a fierce grin. “And it will be our fucking pleasure to make sure that happens and to be there to watch when you make that bastard scream.”
They got back on the road, and although Melaina was still withdrawn and he could feel her anxiety down the link she had reopened, there was excitement building in her also. Grant tried to imagine what that would be like for her. Melaina had lived and fought for the freedom of the three women who were now waiting for them outside Country Blue to join them for breakfast, and this would be the first time they would all be together and they would be free.
They passed the sign that told them they were home and Kyle drove them slowly into town. The weather was starting to warm up, and the morning was turning out picture perfect. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, the mountains still had snow at the top, and they surrounded the town with their majestic beauty. They passed Xanthe and Rowena’s store and there was a homemade banner stretched out across the two stores.
“Baby, look.” Grant pointed and Kyle slowed the truck to a stop at the curb. The sign read Store Closed for Family Celebration.
Melaina frowned. “Oh, you don’t think we’ll be interrupting anything important, do you?”
“I’m going to go with a no on that one, love.” Kyle’s tone was dry and both Grant and Melaina turned in his direction.
“Oh, my.” Melaina’s whisper, filled with awe, almost inaudible. Gathered in the car park of Country Blue was the vast majority of Grey River. Their Alphas, Ty and Trent, were standing on either side of their mate Faith, each of them holding a swaddled baby to his shoulder. Country Blue’s owners, AJ and Sam, stood near the door, their mate Cassadee standing on the step below them. Pretty much the entire fire and sheriff’s department were there behind them. Rowena and her three mates stood near the front, next to Angel, Chris, and Noah Carson, their son Mateo waving from his mama’s hip. Grant recognized many of the Enforcers standing in the crowd as well, including Tomas and Diego Reyes. But Grant didn’t think that Melaina saw any of them there.
Her gaze was locked to the three women who stood at the front of the group, their eyes tracking the approach of the truck. Grant recognized Xanthe White, who stood on the left with Hunter and Dane just behind her. On the right was Parris Church. The last time Grant saw her had been the day he and Kyle had started the search for their mate. They had made a promise to her and Xanthe that they would bring Melaina back, and today was the day they made good on that promise.
That meant that the slim, diminutive woman in the middle with the massive riot of red curls must be Pepper. She stood with her hand clasped in Parris’s, but her bright green eyes remained on Melaina in the truck.
“Looks like the family celebration is yours,” Grant murmured gently. Kyle climbed out of the truck and helped Melaina out his side as Grant stepped out his side and walked around the front of the truck. The three of them made it halfway across the street when Pepper suddenly sobbed out loud, dropped Parris’s hand, and ran toward them. Melaina cried out as she met her and the two women gripped on to each other.
In seconds, the two were joined by Parris and Xanthe, and Grant felt the sting of tears at seeing the four women embrace his mate. More than a few tears were shed by the people of Grey River as the sisters cried, laughed, and celebrated their freedom, and Grant was positive of one thing. Every single person in that car park that morning would do everything they could to ensure that freedom was never, ever taken from them again.
* * * *
Melaina took another deep breath, desperately trying to calm the anxiety that still swirled within her. She was sitting at one of the tables in the restaurant, conversations filling the room around her, and was surrounded by people she knew would not hurt her and had, in fact, fought for her and her sisters’ freedom on more than one occasion, but still she fought the urge to flee. She had no idea where it came from. For what must have been the hundredth time, her mind tracked her movements through her exit plan as her eyes followed the most direct path out the door.
“It will get easier,” Parris said from her place across the table from her, and Melaina met her gaze across the table. “I don’t think the instinct to plan an escape route ever actually leaves you.” Parris grimaced as her gaze quickly tracked across the same path Melaina’s had just moments before. “I’ve been here over a month, my mates hardly leaving my side, but still I look, watch, and plan.”
Melaina nodded. “It’s hard when that’s all you’ve ever known. But it’s good to know it gets easier.”
Xanthe leaned in and Melaina looked over at her sister and felt her heart give a little flutter at the ability to do so. “You’re safe here, Melaina. Nothing can hurt you here.”
Melaina sent her a reassuring smile despite the fact that she knew better. Evil always had a way of finding a way in. Always had and always would. When she came here determined to save Xanthe, she had researched the hell out of everyone her sister had contact with. Everyone had demons, and many of them had found their way to Grey River. Most of the women at this table and the tables that surrounded them had their own brush with evil in this town. The evil that had not only found its way to Grey River but almost won the battle.
“But evil hasn’t beaten us yet.” Kyle’s voice, strong with determination and confidence, came down their link and she flinched slightly. She was usually so careful about keeping her psychic shields up that she was surprised he had been able to lurk within her mind like that without her knowing.
“Hey!” Kyle complained, a thread of humor in his tone. “That makes me sound like some kind of sick stalker.”
“Excuse me, but I resemble that remark,” Grant added and Melaina giggled out loud.
“Melaina?” Pepper asked quietly from beside her, and Melaina turned to look at her in shock. In the weeks that Pepper had been here, she hadn’t spoken to anyone but Parris, and from what Parris had told her, never in front of anyone else. “I don’t think I have ever heard you do that before.”
Melaina frowned. “Do what?”
“Laugh. Never in all the time we have been together have I heard you laugh.” The conversations around the table died down.
“There wasn’t a lot to laugh about in that place, Pep,” Parris said gently.
“Oh, I know. It’s just nice to be in a place where you and Melaina can laugh and smile. It makes me happy knowing that you both still have that in you.”
Melaina frowned. “Pepper, you’re free. Aristos no longer has the ability to hurt you. You can live your life and be whatever you want to be, and you can laugh, Pep. You can laugh and enjoy life and know that we’re here for you. That all of us are here for you.”
Pepper shook her head. “I don’t think so, Laina. I’m not sure I’ll find my way to that point. I can’t find that emotion within me anymore.” Melaina’s heart ached for her.
She looked up at the sound of a pained growl coming from Tomas and Diego Reyes who sat across from her. Melaina hadn’t missed the fact that the two hadn’t taken their eyes from Pepper much during that breakfast, and they had always been close, hovering nearby. It was both comforting to know they had her back and concerning, because she had a feeling she knew why the two were so focused on her.
“What do you feel, Pepper?” Rowena Greyson asked from her place at the end of the table.
Pepper looked down the table, a slight frown forming on her brow. “You’ve asked me that before, Doctor, and I am sorry I haven’t felt safe enough to answer you. I find it hard to trust doctors, they have only ever hurt me. I get lost within myself sometimes. It has enabled me to distance myself from things, and sometimes it is difficult for me to find my way out. But to answer your question, I feel nothing. If I had to give it a name”—Pepper paused as if measuring her answer—“I would have to say numb. I’m not sure if it is true or even if it is possible, but I feel…broken inside. And I am not sure there is enough glue in the world to put me back together.”
“Fuck.” A growled curse from Tomas Reyes broke the silence that followed Pepper’s statement.
Melaina reached out and cupped Pepper’s face, drawing her gaze back to her. “Pepper, have I ever lied to you?” She waited until Pepper shook her head, her eyes locked to Melaina’s, unblinking. “And you know that you can trust me?” Pepper nodded again without hesitation. “Then listen to me very carefully, little sister. You are not broken, because those bastards were not strong enough to do it. Not my father, and certainly not that sick fuck Weir. You defied them both for years and locked yourself away to protect yourself, and you did the same damn thing
with your emotions. They’re in there, and when you feel safe enough, you will let them free and feel again.”
Pepper swallowed hard. “But what if I don’t want to feel anything again?”
Melaina smiled. “You will, Pep. You hid from the pain, and the suffering, and all that shit Aristos and Weir tried to do to your head to fuck with you and turn you into someone they could use. But eventually, your feelings will come from a place of joy, and not fear—happiness, and not pain. Those feelings you will embrace. Trust me.”
Pepper stared into her eyes for a moment, as if searching for something in her expression, before nodding. Melaina let her hands drop and Pepper turned back to her half-finished breakfast and began to eat again like nothing had happened. Stilted conversations began again, everyone at the table wanting to try for some semblance of normalcy to help the young woman who had just admitted to everyone that she thought herself broken and beyond repair.
Melaina felt a single tear slide down her cheek as she turned to look at Parris, who sat silently, crying tears of her own. Xanthe had her face buried in Hunter’s shoulder but she knew she was crying as well. From the quiver in the voices of some of the women around her, Melaina knew that they, too, felt for Pepper.
“Melaina, we’ll all help her find her way back, love, I promise,” Kyle sent down their link, sending a wave of strength and comfort with it. Melaina took a deep breath and nodded slightly. Pepper wasn’t broken. When Melaina had said she had defied Aristos, she had, time and time again. They had known her abilities were off the chart, but she had always managed to show only slight improvements, keeping Aristos confused and frustrated at the lack of progress. But progressed she had.
Pepper would never feel safe enough to be herself again while Aristos and the threat he posed to her were still a concern. Hell, none of them would be able to rest easy while that asshole was still running around. The only thing that would guarantee that Pepper could start on the road to recovery was the death of the man who she believed had broken her. Melaina was just the person to ensure that happened.