“Go on, baby.” His wolf prowled, wanting to know if her thoughts were going in the same direction as his. He had a feeling he knew who was behind it all, and if he were right, this wasn’t going to end anytime soon.
“I think they wanted the visible person of the Centrals and Sam might have either gotten in the way or was practice for me, as I said. My brother might be the Alpha, but I was the easiest one to get to. Killing me wouldn’t be an outright declaration of war, but it would have hurt my family and the others. As for attacking Mitchell?”
“They wanted to get him out of the way,” Kameron growled.
“Make it easier to get to you and, frankly, hurt the Talons for daring to stand in his way.”
Max’s words filled the room, and Mitchell knew he wasn’t the only one who put things together.
“You think it was Blade,” Gideon said slowly. Interesting that the Alpha only mentioned the man, not the Pack.
“I do,” Mitchell said, and the others nodded. “And you do, too.”
Gideon let out a curse. “Our Pack is finally strong, and I’d hoped we would be at peace for longer than this, but I think you’re right.”
“Blade has never been happy with how we handled the Unveiling, and he put his contempt on the table for the Centrals becoming a Pack—as if he could stop it.”
“He tried, though, and I don’t think he’s through with whatever plans he has,” Walker said softly.
“He didn’t get what he wanted with Dawn, and we killed some of his wolves.” Max growled low, his brother still not fully in charge of his wolf’s anger like he used to be.
“Wolves that didn’t scent of Aspen,” Kameron reminded them.
Dawn cleared her throat. “For a moment, I thought I scented Aspen under the witch’s fire, but I could just be projecting. I thought it smelled familiar, though, like Audrey but different.” His mate shook her head. “I just don’t know.”
“And we don’t have any proof either way,” Gideon growled out. “I’m meeting with the Redwoods tomorrow to discuss what we need to do to protect our own, and I think I should bring Cole into this, as well.”
Three Packs with three Alphas of various strengths and experiences would make for an interesting meeting, and one Mitchell wasn’t sure he wanted to miss.
“Whatever comes, though,” Gideon continued, “we’re not going to back down and let this happen again. We were too lax after trying to find our calm again once we gained our wards back. Never again.”
“We’ll find the proof,” Mitchell said after a moment. “And I can’t help but think that the moon goddess sent Audrey to us right now for a reason.”
The others talked some more about what they needed to do for the den to keep them all on alert while Mitchell let what had happened over the past few weeks circle in his head. He knew Blade was behind all of this, he just couldn’t prove it. And no matter how strong the Talons were, even with the help of the other Packs, they were no match for the Aspens—and no one wanted another war. What made it worse was that he wasn’t even sure all of the Aspens were in on what Blade was doing. It was clear that Audrey had her misgivings about her Alpha, or maybe she was just as devious as Blade, trying to get on the Talon’s good side. All Mitchell knew was that he would not let anyone else hurt his mate or his family. He’d forever have the image of his brother lying in a pool of blood in his mind, and now the sight of Dawn on the cabin floor would haunt him.
He’d make those who dared to come after his family pay.
Those that had directly hurt Dawn were already dead, and that was the only reason Mitchell was even able to sit here in this room without going wolf.
Dawn slid off his lap, and he blinked, coming back to the present rather than locked in his head. “Let’s go home. Nothing can be done today, and I’m still a little tired.” She sent a flare through the bond, and he knew she was just making an excuse to get him alone. And he was grateful. Considering Brandon and Walker gave him knowing looks, she hadn’t quite shielded herself well when she did it. It was just one more thing he’d love teaching her about as they learned to live as mates within a Pack together. He’d never done it before, and was still feeling like a pup himself with their relationship.
They said their goodbyes, knowing this wouldn’t be the last time they met with the others to discuss what to do with this new enemy that seemed to relish remaining unseen. They’d find their answers, though. Mitchell had absolute faith in his Pack and family.
Dawn tangled her fingers with his and walked by his side on their way to his—their—house. She had moved in the day before, and he’d shown the place to her parents and Cole. He knew he’d be spending a lot of time at the Central den these days, and he was glad of it. Anything he could do to make this easier for Dawn, he’d do. As it was, she’d quit her job at the coffee place because Gwen offered her a job at the daycare the moment she saw Dawn. And Dawn’s three human friends were already planning to visit so they could get to know this den rather than the Centrals’. Somehow, he and Dawn were learning to mix their lives and keep who they were separately as they learned how to navigate these new waters together.
“You’re lost in your thoughts again,” Dawn said, tugging at his arm so they came to a stop between two large trees.
“Lots on my mind,” he said simply.
She reached up and kissed his jaw before putting her hand over the mark on his shoulder where she’d sunk in her fangs the night before. They were well and truly mated, their bond healthy and growing each day. One day, they might even develop new talents from it like others who could feel emotions or even talk to one another through the bond. He’d grow with her and change over time with a mate by his side.
Part of him ached for what he lost, but when he slept with Dawn in his arms, he knew he could live while feeling that loss. It had taken him far too long to learn to forgive and heal, but it had taken a wolf with kind eyes and a rambling wit for him to take a chance he never thought to take.
“I love you,” he said into the quiet silence. He’d never stop wanting to say that to her. He’d taken too damn long as it was.
Her eyes brightened. “I love you, too.”
“And I know I told you before, but this mark,”—he put his hand on her shoulder over where he’d bitten her—“I wanted to do that before the cabin. I need you to know that.”
She smiled at him and hugged him close. “I know. We might have been forced at the last moment, but only in timing, not desire. I’ll never doubt what you feel for me. I can feel it in my heart and soul. How can I think anything different?”
He blew out a breath and held her tightly. Another couple walked past them and smiled. They didn’t have the normal weariness in their eyes when they passed him, and he let out a rough chuckle when they were out of earshot.
“What’s so funny?” Dawn asked.
“You changed me.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh? How did I do that?”
“I’m not the bastard Beta of the Talons anymore. I think I’ve lost my edge.”
She rolled her eyes, and he fake glowered at her. “Oh, shush you. Just because you smile at me doesn’t mean you can’t kick ass. You’re still my dominant male of a mate, who is all growly and broody. Don’t worry, baby, I still love your furry butt.”
He snorted, shaking his head. “My butt isn’t furry.”
“So you say…” She laughed and tried to wiggle away as he tickled her, and he couldn’t help but revel in the way their mating bond pulsed.
“Just wait until I get you home,” he growled, and she licked her lips.
“Promises. Promises.”
He’d thought he understood what he was walking away from when he hid from what he could have with Dawn. He had no idea.
Dawn had lived up to her name, and was indeed his new breath of life. She was everything he hadn’t known he needed. She centered him and wrapped him in a sense of peace.
He’d lost a piece of himself before, but now, after taking a
chance, he’d found so much more of who he could be.
And one day soon, when they faced their new enemy as one, he’d show the world who they’d messed with. Because the Talons had not only gained a new member, they’d gained a new purpose.
And they would not fail.
No matter what.
THE END
Coming Next:
Walker and Aimee
A Note from Carrie Ann
Thank you so much for reading DESTINY DISGRACED. I do hope if you liked this story, that you would please leave a review! Reviews help authors and readers.
The Talon Pack series is an on going series about the Brentwoods and their Pack. Each book is a stand alone but you can go back and start with the first book, Tattered Loyalties to see where this Pack started. The series is also set in the same world as the Redwood Pack series only thirty years later. You can read the series in any order.
Up next is all about Walker and Aimee in Eternal Mourning. These two will have their work cut out for them but I can’t wait to see what happens. After that, the last two Brentwoods, Max and Kameron need their HEAs in their books as well. As for after that? Well you will just have to see! Love my paranormal romances and want more? Let the world know by reading and reviewing the Talon Pack series!
If you want to make sure you know what’s coming next from me, you can sign up for my newsletter at www.CarrieAnnRyan.com; follow me on twitter at @CarrieAnnRyan, or like my Facebook page. I also have a Facebook Fan Club where we have trivia, chats, and other goodies. You guys are the reason I get to do what I do and I thank you.
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Happy Reading!
The Talon Pack:
Book 1: Tattered Loyalties
Book 2: An Alpha’s Choice
Book 3: Mated in Mist
Book 4: Wolf Betrayed
Book 5: Fractured Silence
Book 6: Destiny Disgraced
Book 7: Eternal Mourning (Coming Feb 2018)
Book 8: Strength Enduring (Coming July 2018)
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About Carrie Ann
Carrie Ann Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary and paranormal romance. Her works include the Montgomery Ink, Redwood Pack, Talon Pack, and Gallagher Brothers series, which have sold over 2.0 million books worldwide. She started writing while in graduate school for her advanced degree in chemistry and hasn’t stopped since. Carrie Ann has written over fifty novels and novellas with more in the works. When she’s not writing about bearded tattooed men or alpha wolves that need to find their mates, she’s reading as much as she can and exploring the world of baking and gourmet cooking.
www.CarrieAnnRyan.com
More from Carrie Ann
Montgomery Ink:
Book 0.5: Ink Inspired
Book 0.6: Ink Reunited
Book 1: Delicate Ink
The Montgomery Ink Box Set (Contains Books 0.5, 0.6, 1)
Book 1.5: Forever Ink
Book 2: Tempting Boundaries
Book 3: Harder than Words
Book 4: Written in Ink
Book 4.5: Hidden Ink
Book 5: Ink Enduring
Book 6: Ink Exposed
Book 6.5: Adoring Ink
Book 6.6: Love, Honor, & Ink
Book 7: Inked Expressions
Book 8: Inked Memories (Coming Oct 2017)
Montgomery Ink: Colorado Springs
Book 1: Fallen Ink (Coming Apr 2018)
The Gallagher Brothers Series:
A Montgomery Ink Spin Off Series
Book 1: Love Restored
Book 2: Passion Restored
Book 3: Hope Restored
The Whiskey and Lies Series:
A Montgomery Ink Spin Off Series
Book 1: Whiskey Secrets (Coming Jan 2018)
Book 2: Whiskey Reveals (Coming June 2018)
The Talon Pack:
Book 1: Tattered Loyalties
Book 2: An Alpha’s Choice
Book 3: Mated in Mist
Book 4: Wolf Betrayed
Book 5: Fractured Silence
Book 6: Destiny Disgraced
Book 7: Eternal Mourning (Coming Feb 2018)
Book 8: Strength Enduring (Coming July 2018)
Redwood Pack Series:
Book 1: An Alpha’s Path
Book 2: A Taste for a Mate
Book 3: Trinity Bound
Redwood Pack Box Set (Contains Books 1-3)
Book 3.5: A Night Away
Book 4: Enforcer’s Redemption
Book 4.5: Blurred Expectations
Book 4.7: Forgiveness
Book 5: Shattered Emotions
Book 6: Hidden Destiny
Book 6.5: A Beta’s Haven
Book 7: Fighting Fate
Book 7.5: Loving the Omega
Book 7.7: The Hunted Heart
Book 8: Wicked Wolf
The Complete Redwood Pack Box Set (Contains Books 1-7.7)
The Branded Pack Series:
(Written with Alexandra Ivy)
Book 1: Stolen and Forgiven
Book 2: Abandoned and Unseen
Book 3: Buried and Shadowed
Dante’s Circle Series:
Book 1: Dust of My Wings
Book 2: Her Warriors’ Three Wishes
Book 3: An Unlucky Moon
The Dante’s Circle Box Set (Contains Books 1-3)
Book 3.5: His Choice
Book 4: Tangled Innocence
Book 5: Fierce Enchantment
Book 6: An Immortal’s Song
Book 7: Prowled Darkness
The Complete Dante’s Circle Series (Contains Books 1-7)
Holiday, Montana Series:
Book 1: Charmed Spirits
Book 2: Santa’s Executive
Book 3: Finding Abigail
The Holiday, Montana Box Set (Contains Books 1-3)
Book 4: Her Lucky Love
Book 5: Dreams of Ivory
The Complete Holiday, Montana Box Set (Contains Books 1-5)
Stand Alone Romances:
Finally Found You
Flame and Ink
Ink Ever After
Dropout
Delicate Ink
“If you don’t turn that fucking music down, I’m going to ram this tattoo gun up a place no one on this earth should ever see.”
Austin Montgomery lifted the needle from his client’s arm so he could hold back a rough chuckle. He let his foot slide off the pedal so he could keep his composure. Dear Lord, his sister Maya clearly needed more coffee in her life.
Or for someone to turn down the fucking music in the shop.
“You’re not even working, Maya. Let me have my tunes,” Sloane, another artist, mumbled under his breath. Yeah, he didn’t yell it. Didn’t need to. No one wanted to yell at Austin’s sister. The man might be as big as a house and made of pure muscle, but no one messed with Maya.
Not if they wanted to live.
“I’m sketching, you dumbass,” Maya sniped, even though the smile in her eyes belied her wrath. His sister loved Sloane like a brother. Not that she didn’t have enough brothers and sisters to begin with, but the Montgomerys always had their arms open for strays and spares.
Austin rolled his eyes at the pair’s antics and stood up from his stool, his body aching from being bent over for too long. He refrained from saying that aloud as Maya and Sloane would have a joke for that. He usually preferred to have the other person in bed—or in the kitchen, office, doorway, etc—bent over, but that wasn’t where he would allow his mind to go. As it was, he was too damn old to be sitting in that position for too long, but he wanted to get this sleeve done for his customer.
“Hold on a sec, Rick,” he said to the man in the chair. “Want juice or anyt
hing? I’m going to stretch my legs and make sure Maya doesn’t kill Sloane.” He winked as he said it, just in case his client didn’t get the joke.
People could be so touchy when siblings threatened each other with bodily harm even while they smiled as they said it.
“Juice sounds good,” Rick slurred, a sappy smile on his face. “Don’t let Maya kill you.”
Rick blinked his eyes open, the adrenaline running through his system giving him the high that a few patrons got once they were in the chair for a couple hours. To Austin, there was nothing better than having Maya ink his skin—or doing it himself—and letting the needle do its work. He wasn’t a pain junkie, far from it if he was honest with himself, but he liked the adrenaline that led the way into fucking fantastic art. While some people thought bodies were sacred and tattoos only marred them, he knew it differently. Art on canvas, any canvas, could have the potential to be art worth bleeding for. As such, he was particular as to who laid a needle on his skin. He only let Maya ink him when he couldn’t do it himself. Maya was the same way. Whatever she couldn’t do herself, he did.
They were brother and sister, friends, and co-owners of Montgomery Ink.
He and Maya had opened the shop a decade ago when she’d turned twenty. He probably could have opened it a few years earlier since he was eight years older than Maya, but he’d wanted to wait until she was ready. They were joint owners. It had never been his shop while she worked with him. They both had equal say, although with the way Maya spoke, sometimes her voice seemed louder. His deeper one carried just as much weight, even if he didn’t yell as much.
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