He’d done this.
He and Brandon.
And now, Avery would pay the price.
“It’s done,” Gideon growled. “She’s Pack. Talon.”
“She’s in so much pain,” Brandon gasped, and Parker moved to hold the other man up. “And not just from what happened on that field.”
Walker looked up at that moment, his eyes glassy. “Yes, it’s something more.”
“Goddess help us for what we’ve done.” Gideon’s plea radiated through them all, and Parker bowed his head.
They’d saved Avery’s life, but at what cost?
“It’ll be a few hours at least,” Walker said after a moment. “Come back in a little while, but give me some time to work.”
Parker never truly understood how Healers worked within a Pack since it was different for each of them, but he did know that a lot of their work was personal. And though he’d just told the others he would protect Avery, he knew he needed to give Walker privacy to Heal what he could.
Each change was different. Each Healer was different. Each Alpha…different.
Parker wasn’t a Talon member, but watching how the Talons worked, he knew that their Pack did everything in their power to ensure their Pack’s safety, even when the cards were stacked against them.
Brandon tugged on his shirt, and Parker followed the other man to one of the other rooms without saying a word. Leah and Gideon both left, as well, and Parker could scent their mates waiting on the other side of the building. He craved a mating bond of his own, and it had nothing to do with the fact that a bond would save his life.
He wanted someone to hold, to hold him when he couldn’t take the pressures of this war or his life anymore. Yet, he had no one.
“We need to clean off the blood,” Brandon said after a moment. “There are two big sinks here.”
Parker shook his head, clearing his thoughts. “Okay.” He wasn’t sure he had much more in him right then to say anything more.
They cleaned off their arms and necks, standing side-by-side in silence. They both needed a change of clothes, but he figured that wouldn’t be happening until they made it back to the house. And that probably wouldn’t happen until after Avery woke.
He’d been in worse positions in his life. A little dried blood wasn’t going to kill him.
“We shouldn’t have left her there,” Brandon bit out after a moment.
Parker cleared his throat. “I know. It’s our fault.”
“Damn straight, it is. We fucking left her to that rogue. Didn’t even scent the bastard until we were right on top of him. She’s lying there dying, maybe becoming a shifter and having her entire life changed without her consent, and we’re the ones responsible.”
Parker turned on Brandon, his wolf waking up again, anger filling him. “Yeah, I get it. But don’t fucking yell at me. Got it? There’s nothing we can do now except make sure Avery knows she’s not alone.”
Brandon snorted. “Yeah, like’s she’s going to want to be near us when she wakes up and realizes what happened. You’re not an Omega, not Pack. You can’t feel what I do, Parker. She’s hurting. She’s always been alone, always frightened. And yet we did nothing about it.”
Parker threw up his hands. “We don’t know anything about her, damn it. We did what we were supposed to do and brought her back to the meeting place. We didn’t invite her into the wards or give her a damn cup of tea because we don’t know her. She could still be an enemy for all we know.”
Brandon raised his chin. “An enemy we brought into the Talons. Not the Redwoods. So you wouldn’t understand.”
Parker growled. “You think I don’t understand enemies? That I don’t understand traitors within a Pack? Do you not know what I came from? What monster forced a mating on my mother? He used dark magic to make sure she got pregnant. You remember that part in the history lessons? She had to run from this Pack because your dad, your former Alpha, couldn’t stand the sight of her anymore and was too chickenshit to do anything about the Centrals. So my mom, a woman you knew, ran away with her brother, an outcast from the Pack. And then I was born with no Pack, no family beyond the two people who had sacrificed everything for me. So don’t tell me I don’t understand, Brandon. The blood in my veins is proof enough.”
Brandon sighed, reaching out for Parker at the same instant. Parker didn’t move back as Brandon gripped his arm, keeping him steady. He just didn’t have much left these days to fight.
“I knew Lexi and Logan. We all did. But we also couldn’t do anything about it. We were being tortured daily, and our Pack was dying because of the older generation. I didn’t even know that she’d been cut from the Pack because I wasn’t the Omega back then. I didn’t know anything about it until it was too late.” The other man paused, and Parker’s breath finally settled. “I’m sorry for saying what I did. I’m just pissed off, and you’re the only one here for me to lash out at.”
Parker let out a breath. “Same. It’s just all a little too much, you know?”
Brandon nodded, his gaze resting on Parker’s lips. “I know.” Then the other man leaned in, and Parker didn’t move away, no, he moved forward.
Brandon’s lips were soft yet strong, the kiss tentative, as if neither was sure why they were doing this. Parker closed his eyes, letting the taste of the other man settle on his tongue.
Then the reality of what was going on hit him, and Parker pulled away, clenching his fists at his sides.
“Shit. This is not the time for this.”
Brandon’s breathing was just as ragged as his. “There’s never going to be a time with the way things are going.”
Parker met Brandon’s gaze, hurt and indecision running through his body. “I need a mate, Brandon. Not a fuck. And you’re not my mate. This can’t happen again.”
And with that, he pushed past Brandon, knocking the other man back, and stormed out of the building. He was going to fucking lose it if he weren’t careful, and yet…and yet, he couldn’t get Brandon’s taste out of his mind.
He’d just made a mistake, and if he weren’t careful, he’d do it again.
Soon.
Chapter Five
Agony seared over his skin, and a scream ripped from Brandon’s throat. He rolled to the side, trying to get away from the animal’s fangs, but it was too late. It bit into his side, tearing the flesh away from him. He held up his arms as it went for his face, and he screamed again, the beast’s teeth digging in.
The wolf—he could clearly see it was a wolf now—left him on the ground, bleeding and in pain and jumped at Brandon’s two brothers. Shock covered their faces as they tried to fight off the wolf, but it was too late. Soon, the three of them lay on the ground, blood covering them as they each tried to catch their breath.
The wolf in front of them blinked, its eyes full of remorse as if it had just come back to itself rather than the monster it had become.
Brandon looked at his two brothers again, wondering why Walker and Kameron were wearing such different clothing and why things felt…off.
Pain seared his side once more, and he woke up.
Woke up.
Brandon lifted a shaky hand to his face and wiped off some of the sweat. Hell. That had all been a nightmare. Yet it had been the most vivid dream he’d ever experienced. It felt as if it were a memory, not something he’d just made up. But that couldn’t be the case.
For one, he had more than two brothers. He just happened to be triplets with Kameron and Walker. Plus, he’d never been in a fight like that alongside the two of them. He’d felt weaker during the dream, almost human. None of them had been wearing the right clothes, and even the forest around them had looked off…younger, maybe.
Plus, he had a feeling the wolf attacking them had been trying to change them yet hadn’t known how. That made no sense, though because he and his brothers had been born and not made.
Brandon pressed his head back into his pillow and tried to shove the weird dream from his mind. Watching Ave
ry almost die and then having Gideon bring her into the Pack with freshly made bonds must have triggered the weird dream. As for why Walker and Kameron had been in it, well, he’d always felt more of a connection to them than the others in his family. They may be fraternal triplets, and at their ages, even the two to six-year age differences between them all didn’t mean much, but he’d shared a womb with Kameron and Walker.
It counted for something, even if he couldn’t explain it.
But then again, he was the Omega of the Talon Pack, there were lots of things he just knew and couldn’t explain.
Brandon once again ran a hand over his face. His body had broken out in a clammy sweat, and his vision kept blurring. Hell, he felt like he did whenever the wards buckled, and he knew that wasn’t good. Whatever had caused that dream had truly fucked with him.
He felt as if someone had hung him up and wrung him dry and yet he hadn’t actually been in a fight the night before. It had been Parker doing all the heavy lifting while Brandon had stood guard over Avery. It had made sense at the time since Parker was slightly more dominant than he was, as well as a better fighter. But then Brandon had seen how weak the other man had looked afterward. He hadn’t mentioned it and hadn’t said anything to the others, but Brandon was worried.
Both of them were walking a fine line, and yet he wasn’t sure what they were going to do about it.
Just like he wasn’t sure what they were going to do about that kiss.
Shit. He hadn’t meant to kiss Parker like that. He hadn’t meant to kiss him at all. Ever. Just because his dick happened to want the other guy, didn’t mean he did. Both he and Parker were looking for their mates, and it was clear now that they weren’t it for each other.
The moon goddess always showed their wolves who their potential mates were. That’s how it had always worked.
And nothing had happened between the two of them that indicated they could be mates. Meaning that kiss had just been in the heat of the moment, and since neither of them wanted a fuck—as Parker had put it—there was no use going down that road.
He rubbed his hand over his heart. Only…only something was different. He could remember the first time he’d seen Parker after he’d come back to the country, the first time they’d been near each other in years. There had been…something there. Something he couldn’t quite understand, but then it had vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
Brandon forced himself into a sitting position, ignoring the aches and pains throughout his body. There was something different with the Pack bonds. He’d noticed it for the first time when Shane had come into the Pack. Shane hadn’t been changed the normal way because of something General Montag had done to him, and because of that, Shane wasn’t exactly a normal shifter. When they’d introduced that into the Pack, the bonds between each of them had altered slightly.
This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened, of course. The Redwoods had done something similar, but nothing to this extent from what he could glean from their bonds. And even with his former Alpha and the hierarchy, they’d forsaken their duties for so long that the moon goddess had begun to shun them—not even allowing them to have an Omega to help heal their emotional wounds. He’d never blamed her for that decision, not when he knew that any Omega at that point in time would have died under the onslaught of betrayal brought on by their former Alpha.
But for some reason, Brandon had a feeling that something far deeper than Pack bonds had been changed. There were more bonds than just those between the hierarchy—the Alpha, Heir, Omega and so on—and the rest of the Pack. There were also mating bonds.
He closed his eyes, praying he was wrong.
Because if something had altered the mating bonds, or rather, how mating bonds were made, then the entire basis for how shifters found their other halves would be forever changed.
He shook his head and got out of bed. He was probably just overreacting because of the dream. That and Avery and Parker, of course. He had far too much on his plate, and was now trying to make things worse by overthinking.
He strode naked to the bathroom so he could jump in the shower and wash off the sweat from his dream. His body still ached, but he had things to do today. While he wanted to go straight to Avery and check in on her, since she’d been unconscious the last time he’d seen her, he had to check in with Brie for their weekly visits. Since she was pregnant with her first child and a submissive at that, she needed a little extra care right then. Gideon was protective as hell, and Brandon knew that sometimes Brie just needed time to breathe. Since he was the Omega, it was his duty, and privilege in this case, to help.
He quickly took a shower and got dressed so he wouldn’t be late. He’d slept past his alarm again, and knew he’d have to grab a protein bar on the way out. Knowing Brie, she’d have a baked good of some sort for him to munch on, as well.
He ran into Parker in the hallway and froze. He hadn’t seen the other man since the kiss and wasn’t sure what to say. He wasn’t about to apologize, but acting like nothing had happened didn’t seem right either.
“I’m off to see Avery and check if she’s awake yet,” Parker said instead of good morning.
Brandon nodded. “I’ll be by after I check in on Brie.”
Parker’s eyes widened. “Is she okay?”
“Yes, but we do weekly meetings to check in on each other and the Pack. I’m sure your Omega does the same with the pregnant women in your Pack.”
Parker visibly relaxed. “Yeah, Drake does. Maddox still goes around with him too most times since he still feels such a strong connection to us all.”
Brandon couldn’t help but smile. “You’re lucky you have so many Pack members who want to help.”
Parker swallowed hard. “I guess.”
Brandon let out a breath. “I guess I’ll see you when I get to the infirmary.”
Parker nodded. “I don’t plan on leaving her side if I can help it.”
“I’ll be there soon.” He turned and walked away at that, hating the awkwardness between the two of them. Hell, they’d always had this weirdness, but now, it was worse. It didn’t help that they were forced to live together thanks to his meddling Alpha, either.
The feeling in the den was tense as usual, and he did his best to untangle some of the worst parts as he made his way to Gideon and Brie’s. His wolf did a lot of it without Brandon’s help since it was so instinctual, but sometimes, the threads of emotions needed extra care.
Brie opened the door before he could knock, and he couldn’t help but smile at her. She’d always been soft and beautiful, a fierce submissive who protected her dominants even if they didn’t think they needed protecting. Now, she was even more radiant and about as big as a house.
Not that he’d mention the last part to her or Gideon. Ever.
“Brandon,” she said with a smile. “Gideon just left to talk with Kameron and Mitchell about the rogue, but I’m glad you’re here and didn’t have to cancel.”
Brandon leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. He didn’t hold her close in a hug anymore since Gideon was more territorial than usual given her advanced pregnancy, but he could at least get away with bussing her on the cheek. And Brie needed touch, even with her big, bad Alpha of a mate growling next to her.
“Should you be standing?” he asked, sidestepping the rogue conversation for now. He’d help on that front if they asked, but he knew his role in the Pack, and Brie was the main focus, at least for this hour.
She rolled her eyes, exasperation evident on her face. “You sound like Gideon now.”
Brandon smiled despite his rough morning and led her into the living room where she’d set out fresh pastries and homemade orange juice. If he wasn’t afraid of Gideon ripping his face off for doing so, he’d have been jealous at how much Brie took care of what was hers. Gideon was a tad possessive with his pregnant mate.
“I’d be more afraid if it were Walker who told you to get off your feet, not Gideon. He always
says that.”
She maneuvered herself to the couch, and he didn’t help her. She might be a submissive wolf, but she still had fangs.
“He’s all broody and won’t let me help him with anything.” She gestured toward the food. “Eat. Though I didn’t make it as he told me to sit down on my pretty ass this morning.”
Brandon choked on the pastry he’d just put in his mouth. “So did Gideon bake this?”
Brie narrowed her eyes. “Is it burned?” They both let out a soft laugh. “Of course, he didn’t do this. He can cook, but he can’t bake. Mom sent these over from the Redwood den.”
Brandon leaned back on the couch and smiled, his wolf content in Brie’s presence. He might be the Omega, but he was still a dominant wolf. Being around someone of Brie’s power and inner strength soothed him as much as his ties to her would soothe her wolf.
“I forgot your mom runs the bakery within the den.”
Brie smiled widely as she ran her fingers over the swell of her belly. “I learned to bake at her side in that place. It’s been open for as long as my mom and dad have been mated. I’ve been thinking about opening one here, but I just don’t think I’ll be able to find the time. I know we’re in the middle of a hundred things that are far more important, and a bakery doesn’t seem like much of a need. But, sometimes, we need the domestic side of life to remember what we’re fighting for.”
Brandon frowned, thinking. “There are wolves in the den that usually live outside during times of peace. They had to give up their jobs and homes in some cases because they weren’t safe where they were. I know some are trying to fit in, but not all are doing it as well as they’d like. You should talk to Mitchell. He might know of a few that could help you get things going, or at least feel like they’re needed.”
Brie’s eyes lightened. “Mitchell would know exactly who I need.”
“He’s the Beta. It’s his duty. And I think his wolf needs to work on something like that instead of death and war.”
They were both quiet for a moment, aware that no matter how hard they tried to worry about den matters, the outside world would always be looming around them.
Fractured Silence (Talon Pack Book 5) Page 6