Training took two hours, and then he called it quits for the day. He had his own duties for the Talons to complete, and he didn’t want to tire out the group since most of them had day jobs and shifts for the den. He also needed to get away from Dawn as soon as possible. Her scent wrapped around him, tightening with each bend and sway of her hips. She was a damn good fighter, and if she’d been any other wolf, he’d have helped her more one-on-one, but he forced himself to stay back. Instead, Cole had helped her with things she needed a little more practice on while Mitchell stood back and watched.
There was something terribly wrong with him if he couldn’t get this one wolf out of his head, and he didn’t want to think too hard about what that could be.
Pushing those thoughts from his mind, he made plans with Cole to come back when he could, and headed to his car, Dawn by his side. The future Alpha had stayed back to talk with his men and woman who would one day help him run the Pack. Dawn, however, had offered to walk Mitchell to his car before she headed to wherever she needed to go.
Once again, this woman was going to kill him.
“Thank you for doing this,” Dawn said as she wiped the sweat from her brow with her forearm. “I know you have plenty of other things to do, and coming into a non-Pack to show us how to defend ourselves wasn’t on the agenda, but you did it anyway. So, thank you.”
He shook his head. “It’s what any Pack should do. And I know Jasper, the former Beta of the Redwoods, is stopping by, as well.” The Redwoods’ new generation had recently taken over the hierarchy, but Jasper, one of Mitchell’s friends and confidantes, had time on his hands these days to help the Centrals. It didn’t hurt that Jasper was also Brie’s father and connected to the Talons in that way, as well. With so many connections between the Redwoods and Talons, sometimes it was as if they were one large Pack with two Alphas instead of two distinct groups.
Oddly enough, with all they’d been through, Mitchell didn’t mind that as much as he probably should.
“I like Jasper,” Dawn said with a smile. “He and his mate are sweet and really do their best to help us figure out what kind of Pack we need to be. Plus, I love the fact that they’re also Brie’s parents and Fallon’s grandparents. You can tell they love their daughter so much, and they still watch over her even though she’s mated to an Alpha. There’s just so much history there, you know?”
Mitchell nodded, the subject of mates setting him on edge as always. “We all have history,” he said slowly. “Some good. Some bad.”
The light in her eyes died, and he knew he hadn’t said the right thing. She was born into the most infamously traitorous Pack, after all. She knew all about the wrong side of history.
“Shit, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. You didn’t mean it like that, and I’ve spent my whole life the daughter of a Central. Others have it way worse than I do because they were actually alive during the war and have scars some can see, many you can’t. I’m just me.”
He wasn’t aware he was standing right in front of her, the heat of her skin warming his, until he had her cheek in his palm. “I don’t think you could ever be just you.” Damn it, what was he saying? He needed to get out of there, needed to go home and never look at this woman again.
“Mitchell?”
In answer, he once again proved himself a fucking idiot and kissed her. Unlike before, this wasn’t a hot and heavy, barely breathing, needing you kiss. This was softer, tempting, and sweeter.
And because of that, it hurt that much more.
He pulled away, resting his forehead on hers. “Fuck.”
“What are we doing?” she asked, her voice small.
The wrong thing.
He didn’t say that, though. He’d already been an ass to her once, and she’d done nothing to him except be the tempting woman she was. It wasn’t her fault that she wasn’t his mate. Wasn’t her fault that his mate had died years ago and left him a broken shell of a man who didn’t understand how to do anything except walk in the shadows of the life he’d once lived in secret.
“I don’t know,” he finally answered, his voice equally as soft.
Whatever it was, though, he knew they’d both lay broken and bleeding in the end.
He didn’t know any other way.
Chapter Eight
Dawn hadn’t slept more than a few scattered minutes the night before, and it wasn’t only because of the attack that had left her life and secrets open to those who hadn’t known before. The same attack that had put her soul and future on the line. She still couldn’t quite believe that Mitchell had kissed her. Again.
And just like before, he’d run away as quickly as he was able as soon as the reality of the situation hit him. Not that Dawn actually knew their precise reality since she didn’t know why Mitchell fought so hard against wanting her. It wasn’t as if she knew him at all.
She only knew the stories she’d heard, the tales of the dominant fighter that had saved so many.
And while she might want to know him better, she wasn’t sure that would be a good idea for either of them. She’d seen the darkness in his eyes, the hurt that he’d tried to hide, and she honestly didn’t know if she had any right to pry into that. He had gone though what had to be countless horrors with his former Alpha and then once again after the Unveiling. Who was she to see the man beneath the hard exterior?
Annoyed with herself for becoming so philosophical in the morning without her coffee, she made her way into her kitchen where her mother was making pancakes and bacon, and her father was working on the computer. He worked at all hours of the night as a financial advisor for a major company in the city and was using his expertise in the field to help the Pack. Future children in her den would never have to worry about education and going off to college—their way would be paid with the Pack funds like it was supposed to be. She might even be able to do that once things were a little more settled with the Centrals. With everything being so up in the air, it was hard for her to make any firm plans about who she wanted to be when the dust settled.
Again with the philosophy.
Her wolf shook its head in disgust, and Dawn pushed those thoughts from her mind.
“Hi, baby, breakfast is almost ready.”
Dawn leaned forward and kissed her mom’s cheek. They were about the same height, and her mother, Mona, only looked a few years older, if that. Soon, they’d look the same age thanks to their shifter genetics.
“Good morning.”
Her mom set the spatula down and gave her a bone-crushing hug. “Good morning, baby. I know we didn’t get to talk last night, but I’m so happy you’re home and safe.” She kissed Dawn’s cheek before going back to flipping pancakes. “Can you refill your father’s cup and maybe, if you’re in the mood, make me a mocha? I have the espresso machine set up, but no matter what I do, I can never get it done as good as you.”
Dawn smiled and kissed her mother’s temple. “I’m a professional, after all.” She tried to keep her tone light, and the conversation steered in the direction of coffee instead of the attack. She hated that she’d worried her parents, but it wasn’t as if it had been her fault. Her parents trained alongside her most days and knew the dangers of their people. Yesterday, however, was just the first time something had occurred when Dawn was on her own.
“Are the girls coming today?” her father asked when he leaned back in his chair after saying thank you for the refill.
Dawn’s wolf stirred, and she nodded before going to make mochas for herself and her mother. They didn’t have much money, but Dawn had found an old espresso machine at a thrift shop and gifted it to the household last holiday season.
“Cheyenne, Aimee, and Dhani should be here after lunch. Aimee texted last night and asked if they could come and talk, and I figured it would be a good way to get it all out in the open.”
“Your friends are good people,” her mother said with a soft smile. “They’ll understand why you had to keep your wolf a secret from them. I
think they must have just been overwhelmed yesterday with the attack.” She blew out a breath. “I’m so proud of you for fighting for yourself. And while I’m glad Mitchell was there in the end, I know you could have done what you needed to do.”
Dawn couldn’t help but smile. As sweet and cute as her mother looked, there was a fierce predator beneath the skin that spoke of her mother’s strength. She’d lived through the Central War, after all, and had come out sane and with her mate by her side. Mona knew how to fight and fight well.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Dawn said wryly. “And I’m going to train harder. I don’t like how the rogue caught me by surprise.”
“I don’t like that a wolf was out there to attack you at all,” her father snapped, his wolf in his tone. “There’s something coming, I can feel it.” Her father’s wolf was always attuned to the wind—as if it could tell things were off around them before any of the others could. He wasn’t a true foreseer like it was rumored one of the Talons was, but he was close.
“What do you mean?” Dawn asked, alert.
Her dad shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know. I’ve been having dreams again.”
Her mom went to her dad’s side and gripped his shoulder. “Rand?”
“It’s not just the moon goddess business,” her father said slowly. “It’s something different. Hell, it feels like more than one thing is coming right now, and I can’t really figure it out.”
Dawn went back to finishing up the drinks while she tried to process everything her father had said and what he hadn’t. Something was coming, all right, but these days, it always felt like that, so she just didn’t know. But since there was nothing she could do about it, she would focus on enjoying this time with her parents before she went and met her friends and showed them around her small den.
The Centrals didn’t have much, and for good reason, but one day, Dawn hoped they would be a Pack people could respect. That was her one true hope.
Even if it seemed so far out in the distance she couldn’t quite comprehend what it would look like.
“Hey, dorky girl,” Sam said as he came to stand by her on the porch. “The girls from the coffee shop stopping by today?”
Dawn rolled her eyes and grinned at her friend. “Yep. I’m nervous,” she said honestly. And she wanted to speak with Mitchell, too, to talk to him about what had happened before, and yet she knew that might all be a little too much for her at the moment.
“Don’t be,” Sam said softly. He wrapped his arms around her for a tight hug that soothed her wolf in a different way than even her parents or Mitchell did. “They love you and probably just want to know everything about your life because they’re curious and caring.”
“What if they hate me?” she whispered.
“They won’t. They love you,” he repeated.
She let out a breath and leaned against her friend. Sam knew the girls, of course, but she knew he put himself on the outside looking in more often than not. That was just who he was, and one day she hoped he’d put himself out there more, maybe get to know Cheyenne, Dhani, and Aimee a little better. She knew he’d kept his distance because describing his relationship to Dawn was difficult without her friends knowing they were wolves. Plus, knowing too many shifters was always a recipe for disaster when it came to secrets.
But soon…soon there would be no more secrets.
At least not too many.
Sam held her tightly for a moment before saying his goodbyes so Dawn could have her privacy. With a sigh, she headed out toward the edge of the den to meet her friends. She wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans and watched the SUV pull into the small lot right outside the wards. Since the girls had never been there before, and weren’t part of a Pack, going through wards the first time could be tricky depending on the person, so it would be easier to walk through them rather than have them drive and possibly end up overwhelmed by magic.
After rolling her shoulders back, Dawn made her way to the lone guard on duty and slid through the wards. Magic tingled on her skin, pressing down in one instant, pulling ever so slightly in another. It called to her wolf, and she knew that part of her home called to her, as well. Once she was through, she blew out a breath and faced the three women who had been part of her life since she first hid among the humans and became an adult.
“Hi,” she said softly, stuffing her hands into her pockets. She lowered her head, and if she’d been in wolf form, her tail would have been tucked between her legs.
“Don’t look like that,” Cheyenne tsked. “We aren’t angry.”
“We were just surprised,” Dhani added. “It’s not every day one of your best friends gets attacked by a wolf and shows her claws.” Dawn looked up as her friend winked. “Literally.”
“Are you okay?” Aimee asked, walking straight to Dawn with her arms outstretched. “You weren’t hurt, were you? I can’t believe that wolf came out of nowhere and attacked you.”
Dawn let her friend hug her as tears slid down her face. “What? You…you guys aren’t angry?”
Cheyenne and Dhani came up behind her and hugged her as well so the four of them ended up a huddled mass of tears and limbs.
“No, you dork, we aren’t angry that you hid the fact you’re a shifter from us,” Dhani said in that straight-to-the-point way of hers. “We’re angry that someone tried to hurt you and we couldn’t do anything to help.”
Dawn pulled back and wiped her face, though her friends still circled her. “The pepper spray helped,” she countered.
“Not enough,” Cheyenne disagreed. “But watching you fight just made me think that I probably need to take a self-defense class. We all do.”
“I didn’t learn how to fight in a self-defense class,” Dawn said softly. “But I’m going to train harder to defend myself anyway.”
“Good,” Dhani said. “And sure, we can’t fight against a wolf coming at us in an alley, but we can at least learn to do something.”
“The main thing is…we understand.” Aimee cupped Dawn’s face, tears in her eyes. “I always knew you were keeping something back, but I never thought it was this. I also knew that when you were ready, you would tell us.”
“It’s not that I didn’t trust you guys…”
“It’s not about trust,” Dhani cut in. “Well, not really. Wolves and witches just came out of hiding. And not everybody is out, even now. There’re no set rules or even a roadmap for telling your friends where you came from when it’s all a little magical. So, we get it. We really do.”
“But you guys looked so hurt yesterday.”
Cheyenne shook her head. “Shell-shocked would be a better description. Of all the ways to end my workday, finding out my best friend’s a shifter while being attacked by another wasn’t really something that crossed my mind.”
“But now we know, and we’d love for you to tell us more—anything you can,” Aimee said. “I’m sure there are still some things that are a secret, and we won’t pry.”
“Much,” Dhani said dryly. “We might a little.”
“It’s sort of our thing,” Cheyenne added, and Dawn laughed.
“That is true,” Dawn agreed and ducked when Cheyenne went to slap her on the back of the head.
“Wow,” Aimee said softly, her eyes wide. “You move fast.”
Dawn blushed. “I do, though not as quickly as my brother or many of the other dominant wolves I know, but I’ve had to hold myself back when I’m working at the coffee shop.”
Dhani nodded. “Well, this just means we aren’t ever going to run a marathon together. I’d pass out from exhaustion long before you even got winded.”
Dawn shook her head, amazed at how well her friends were handling everything. In her wildest dreams, she’d never imagined this would be how her coming out would unfold. She still needed to tell them about her Pack’s history, but if they could handle the fact that she got furry every once in a while, they could probably handle the road she and her family
were on now.
“You guys surprise me,” she said softly, her wolf pressing at her. She’d hated hiding her wolf for as long as she had, and she had a feeling her wolf couldn’t wait to show itself off in its full glory. That, however, would have to wait for another day. It was one thing to show off her claws and, soon, her den, it was quite another to reveal to her friends her fully shifted form.
“We love you,” Aimee said simply before smiling widely. “Now, will you show us your den? That’s what it’s called, right? Your home?”
Cheyenne bounced from one foot to the other. “I also have like a zillion questions, but I’ll refrain.”
Dawn narrowed her eyes even when her lips twitched. “You’re going to go all vet on me, aren’t you.”
The other woman blushed, and the rest of them laughed. “I can’t help it. I’m curious by nature.”
Dawn wiped her eyes, then froze as another vehicle pulled up next to Cheyenne’s SUV. Well, crap, she hadn’t been expecting to see him today.
“Is that…?” Aimee trailed off, her voice a whisper.
“Yep,” Dawn answered.
“Is he the guy you kissed?” Dhani asked, and Dawn shot her friend a glare.
“Wolf hearing,” Dawn mouthed, and Dhani’s eyes widened.
“I’m going to take that as a yes,” Cheyenne muttered. “So many questions…”
Dawn tried to ignore her friends, but it wasn’t that easy since they were going between staring at her and the two men walking toward them. For some reason, Mitchell and his cousin Walker had come to her den, and now they were going to meet her friends. Mitchell had seen the others, of course, the day before, but he hadn’t introduced himself considering the event in question.
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