“Are you saying I’m of that line?” Or was it something more.
“You are both,” she answered, not looking at him. “You are of that lineage, yes, but you are something more, as well. You were him.”
Brandon blinked. “Are you talking about reincarnation?” One day, he would sit down with the rest of his family and tell them about this conversation with a goddess about wolves and reincarnation, but he was pretty sure either way he’d feel off-kilter.
She nodded, still not looking at him. “That is one word for it.” She looked at him again. “I grow old, young one. As do my people. The world has changed so much in such a short time, and I’m afraid of what might come next.”
Chills racked his body. If a goddess was afraid…then perhaps there truly was no hope for them.
“What can we do?” he asked, his voice breaking.
“There is one…” She trailed off. “There is a chance. Beyond the lines and divisions, there is one who can save you, save us. One that will need your help.
“A wolf of three Packs can break their will or unite them all.
“Once united, the Packs will reveal…
“If broken, the Packs will fall…”
Her mouth didn’t move as the last three sentences were whispered in his ear. He blinked, trying to understand what had just happened. But before he could ask, he opened his eyes and found himself once again in his bed, Avery wrapped around his side and Parker tucked in safely behind her.
Holy shit.
He sat up, carefully untangling himself from Avery so he wouldn’t wake her or Parker. He let the goddess’s words roll around in his brain as he tried to make sense of them. But the thing was, he’d heard those words before—from Parker. It was the same prophecy the European elders had told him when Parker had touched the spear.
Between that and the moon goddess, whatever those words meant, it was important. He looked over at his mates’ sleeping forms, a frown on his face. The last two sentences of the prophecy seemed to be the outcome of the first. Meaning it was who the prophecy was about that was important.
And there was only one person Brandon knew that carried the blood of three Packs within his veins.
And he was sleeping in Brandon’s bed.
Before Brandon could let that settle over him, the house shook as an explosion rang out. He was out of bed and had his feet stuffed into his boots in the next instant. Parker had done the same thing next to him, while Avery scrambled out of bed, sliding into the jeans they’d left on the floor the night before.
“What’s going on?” she asked, her voice alert for this time of night.
Brandon’s phone buzzed on the nightstand, and he answered it quickly. “What is it?”
“Bombing outside the north gate,” Mitchell answered, his voice a growl. “You and Parker get out here now and be ready to fight. There’s a group of men and women in all black with guns and other weapons, ready to take us down.” He paused. “Send Avery to the infirmary with Leah. She’s not ready to fight yet, but she can help there.”
Brandon bit out a curse. “Got it.” He tucked his phone in his pocket and slid on a shirt. He’d have to fight in sweats, but that was fine since he might have to shift later anyway.
“We heard,” Avery said as she tied her shoes. “Wolf hearing is something I’m going to have to get used to.” She spoke so quickly, he knew she was trying to hold back her panic. This wasn’t the world she’d grown up in, and hell, it wasn’t quite the life he’d had either, but she was still moving forward as best she could.
Parker kissed her hard, and then Brandon moved closer to do the same.
“Be safe,” Brandon said softly.
Avery looked between them, her eyes gold. “You two are the ones going out there, so you both had better be safe.” She gripped their hands. “Take care of one another, okay?”
Brandon squeezed her hand and nodded before pulling away and heading out of the house, Parker by his side. Avery jogged the other direction, and people moved quickly around them, going to their posts. The maternals and submissives would protect the children, while the dominants would secure the perimeter and fight. If anyone somehow got through the wards, the adult wolves inside would fight to the death for the children, regardless of their wolf’s dominance. It was how their Pack worked—at least now. It hadn’t been that way under the old Alpha—his father’s regime—and that was one thing Brandon was happy about.
Parker and Brandon hurried to the north gate in silence, no words needing to be said. He firmly pushed all thoughts of prophecies and reincarnation out of his mind, his wolf ready to take down anyone that threatened his den. They were at Mitchell’s and Kameron’s sides quickly, each of their wolves ready.
“What do we have?” Brandon asked. This wasn’t Parker’s Pack, and though things might change soon, it was Brandon who needed to ask the questions.
“Bombing knocked down a few trees and fucked with some of our surveillance, but no one was hurt,” Kameron said. “Only problem is that there’s a group out there dressed like fucking commandos, and they’re way too organized to be a simple hate group.”
“Shit,” Parker growled.
“Shit is right,” Mitchell spat. “We’re waiting on the go-ahead from Gideon, but we’ll have to take them out. Either by knocking them unconscious or literally if they’re a true threat. We already staked our claim on this land in front of the world, and rolling back now will do us no good.”
Brandon nodded, agreeing. When Gideon let out a howl, he growled, moving forward with the rest of them. The die had been cast, and now it was time to protect their den—even if it left a mark on their souls in the process.
As soon as they’d slid through the wards, the unit in front of them moved, guns firing before anyone had a chance to take a breath. Brandon ducked out of the way, his wolf at the surface so his reflexes were faster than normal. He took down the closest attacker, knocking him out so he’d be down for the count for a few hours at least. Parker fought at his side, doing the same to the human near him. They didn’t want to kill anyone, but damn it, these guys were firing at them, and Brandon knew blood would spill that night.
The group might be highly organized and much more than a simple hate-crime group, but the wolves were better, faster. Each of his Packmates took down the enemy one by one, not having to take a single life. He knew this was too easy, and felt that there was something wrong, but he couldn’t stop to think about it or he’d end up dead.
As soon as they’d gotten the last one down and began tying them up, a click sounded in Brandon’s ear, and he turned. Mitchell threw Parker to the ground next to them, and time froze.
His cousin roared, blood gushing from his leg as he rolled off Parker and slammed his hand over the wound. A clearly shaken Parker snarled before leaping up higher than Brandon thought possible into the tree closest to them. Moments later, a man with a rifle fell out of the tree, neck broken and his body lying in a heap like a ragdoll. Parker jumped out of the tree at that instant, his gaze gold, and his chest heaving.
Brandon let out a breath, kneeling at Mitchell’s side and trying to stop the blood flow.
“Hit my fucking artery,” Mitchell gritted out. “Fucking coward, doing that after everything else was clear and he thought he was safe.”
Parker growled low next to them. “Would have killed me,” he said, his voice all wolf, no trace of man.
“But it didn’t,” Walker put in. “Now get out of my way so I can heal him. Mitchell, you’re going to have to shift, and it’s going to hurt like a motherfucker, but it’s the only way I’m going to be able to stop the bleeding out here.”
Mitchell paled but did as he was told. Brandon helped Parker strip Mitchell out of his clothes as the others worked to form a protective circle around them. It would be too dangerous to move behind the wards, but no one dared say that.
Brandon saw the guilt in Parker’s eyes and knew he’d have to do something about it soon, but first, he neede
d to make sure his cousin was safe. Mitchell didn’t make a sound through most of his shifting while Walker clamped his hand over the wound. Having to shift with someone holding you and while you were in pain had to be excruciating, but it wasn’t until the end when Walker had his hand on Mitchell’s fur that his cousin let out a small whine. That enraged Brandon’s wolf, and he let out a tiny growl, pissed off that people were still trying to kill his family just because they weren’t normal.
Finally, Walker wavered, his body weakening from the amount of power he must have had to use on Mitchell, and Parker went to help the other man stand. “Let’s get back inside,” Walker said when he was on his feet.
“I’ll stay behind to help clean up the mess,” Parker said, his voice devoid of emotion.
Kameron shot Brandon a look, but Brandon shook his head. If Parker needed to do something to get over his guilt, then, for now, he would let him. When they were alone with Avery or even alone together later, he’d figure out the best way to make sure his mate understood that this wasn’t this fault.
The blame belonged to those who wanted to hurt them. Those that didn’t understand them. And each attack was getting more organized and hurting them more and more. There was only so much they could take until one day they broke.
The prophecy came to his mind again, and Brandon froze. It meant something…but what? What could they do when the world seemed bleak and there were no obvious answers?
Brandon wasn’t sure, but no matter what, he wouldn’t let those he cared about drown alone.
Not again.
Chapter Fourteen
“Avery’s still at the infirmary?” Parker asked as he sat down to take off his boots.
“Yeah, Leah is helping her get to know the area since she felt like she couldn’t do much,” Brandon answered. The other man sat on the coffee table across from Parker, a frown on his face, but hadn’t said much since Parker had come back home from cleaning up after the attack.
“Mitchell doing okay?” He did his best to keep his emotions out of his words, but since the man was the damn Omega, Brandon didn’t fall for it.
“He’ll be fine. And what happened wasn’t your fault.”
Parker shook his head. “I don’t want to get into it.”
“Well, tough shit. I don’t really give a damn what you want right now. I’m going to give you what you need.”
Parker’s head shot up as heat went straight to his groin. “That sounds like you want to bend me over and fuck me.”
Brandon growled again and pinched Parker’s chin. “I just might, but first, you’re going to listen to me. You are not at fault for what happened tonight. That loser with the gun is—was.”
“But if I hadn’t been so much slower than usual, I wouldn’t have needed Mitchell to throw me out of the way.”
Brandon snarled. “You don’t know that. You honestly don’t know that, and Mitchell was the one that risked himself. He did it because that’s the kind of man he is. He could have yelled at you. Hell, I could have yelled to you, but Mitchell was faster than that. He has a death wish. He puts his life on the line every damn time he can. I don’t fucking know why, but I’m going to find out. What happened tonight was not your fault.”
Parker closed his eyes, trying to get the sight of Mitchell’s blood pooling around him out of his mind. “I still feel like shit.”
Brandon sighed. “Well, yeah. You have a curse on your body that can apparently only be fixed by mating, and since none of us are there yet, you’re weakening.”
He opened his eyes, frowning. “I don’t want us to go into eternity together only because we want to save each other’s lives. We all deserve better than that.”
Brandon moved forward and rested his hands on Parker’s thighs. Parker’s cock filled, pressing against his pants. And since he wore sweats, he made a nice tent. He looked down at Brandon’s waist and held back a grin. It seemed Brandon had also pitched a pretty nice tent.
“We’re going to have better than that. We have time.” The other man let out a breath, his hands rubbing Parker’s thighs.
“If you’re going to rub me, you might as well make it worth it,” Parker teased.
Brandon’s grip tightened. “Tease.”
Parker lifted his butt to pull down his sweats. Since he hadn’t bothered to put on underwear, his cock sprang free, as hard as a pipe. “Not teasing. I want your mouth on me.”
Brandon raised a brow. “I’ll suck you down, but that means I get to fuck your face later.”
Parker snorted. “A negotiation?”
Brandon reached forward and squeezed the base of Parker’s cock. Hard. Parker’s eyes crossed, and he gasped for breath.
“Negotiate all you want,” he croaked.
“I think I will,” Brandon said before he leaned down and swallowed him whole.
Parker loved blowjobs. He loved eating pussy, as well. There was nothing as intimate as someone you cared about—someone you were falling in love with—with their head between your legs and vice versa. And while Parker felt he was talented at giving blowjobs, he had nothing on Brandon.
Holy. Hell.
Brandon hollowed his cheeks, using his tongue and suction to make Parker almost blow his load too soon. Then the other man scraped his hands down Parker’s thighs, and once again, Parker almost lost it.
Not wanting to end too quickly, he tugged Brandon up and took his mouth with his. The other man’s lips were wet and swollen, and he could taste himself on his tongue.
Brandon was still jerking Parker off as they made out on the couch, so Parker slid his hand under the edge of Brandon’s sweats and squeezed the other man’s length. Soon, both of them had their pants off and were lying face to face on the couch, kissing and sucking on each other’s mouths and necks, all the while, jerking each other off while thrusting so they rubbed against each other, as well. He hadn’t made out like this since he was a teenager and had found a human boy who liked it rough.
Now, he was a man with healthier appetites and had a fucking sexy male in his arms.
“I need you,” Parker gasped as Brandon did this twisting move with his hand that made Parker’s eyes cross.
“No room here,” Brandon bit out. “We’re both too big.”
“Yeah, we are,” Parker teased.
Brandon rolled his eyes. “Yeah, you’ve got a big cock. Me, too. Let’s play with them some more in bed where I can spread you out.”
A sensual shiver slid down Parker’s spine, and he stood up with Brandon, following him to the bedroom. Usually, Brandon was the calmer of the two of them, less likely to make a joke or laugh. Yet, apparently, as soon as Brandon got naked and his cock got hard, the man had a sense of humor.
Between Brandon and Avery, Parker was one lucky man.
The two of them stood at the end of the bed after Brandon had pulled out the lube from the bedside table. They were still kissing, running their hands all over one another as if they couldn’t stop.
“Are you going to fuck me this time?” Brandon asked, need in his voice.
Parker leaned forward and bit Brandon’s lip. “As long as you fuck me next time.”
“Deal.”
They kissed some more, their bodies heating as their hands slid over one another, and they readied each other for what was to come. Eventually, Brandon lay on his back, his fist pumping slowly over his cock as Parker spread the other man’s legs.
“Let me know if I hurt you.”
Brandon raised a brow. “Thinking mighty big of yourself there.”
Parker narrowed his eyes and thrust slightly, pushing the head of his cock past Brandon’s ring of muscle.
“Shit. Okay, fuck, yeah, you’re big.”
Parker froze. “Am I hurting you?” He licked his lips, sweat beading on his forehead.
“No, just surprised me. Keep going. You slicked me up already, Parker. You’re not going to hurt me.”
Parker ran his hands down Brandon’s thighs before holding onto the other
man’s hips. “Okay, then.” Then he pushed in a little bit more. Then a little bit more. Then, finally, they both moved as one, their bodies sweaty, their mouths meeting, and Brandon’s cock between them.
Parker would never forget the glassy-eyed look that swept across Brandon’s face as he came. Parker followed him, the bond between them flaring once more as it tried to settle into place. But without the mating mark, it wouldn’t stay. They kissed a few more moments before Parker pulled out and went to get a washcloth to clean them both. Soon, they were holding one another, aware that Avery would be home soon and would be able to join them in their pile of limbs and heat.
As they fell asleep, tangled as one, Parker didn’t think about the near miss and what had happened earlier. Instead, he dreamt of the two people in the world who could make him see life for what it was and what it needed to be.
And he didn’t worry what would happen if they never bonded…because if he thought about that, then he might never sleep again.
Chapter Fifteen
Avery pressed the shutter down once more, knowing that the shot in the end would be exactly what she wanted. She lowered her arms, her camera in her hands and a sense of peace washing over her for the first time in what felt like weeks.
She was a photojournalist, or at least, that’s who she had been. That’s what she’d made herself so she could do something in a world where she felt helpless and in need of a life where she was something more. Some of the wolves outside the den had cleared her old apartment for her safety, and now she had her camera and everything she needed for work—not that things would ever go back to the way they once were.
She let out a sigh and turned away from the building she’d taken a photo of. She wouldn’t take pictures of her new Packmates unless she had their permission, but there were sites in the den she knew she needed to capture. While many were tense about what was going on around them, there were still key slices of life happening that proved, no matter what, people lived.
Fractured Silence (Talon Pack Book 5) Page 14