Tattered Loyalties

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed her knuckles. Max let out a soft laugh next to him, but Gideon ignored it.

  “We need to know what Leo and Shannon’s plan is,” Gideon continued. “They not only wanted Brie to die and for them to become the leaders of the Talons, but they had another plan.”

  Brie bit her lip. “They said they wanted to take over the Redwoods as well. It sounded like they were the Centrals all over again.”

  “And what did the Centrals want?” Gideon asked, though he knew the answer, dread in his belly.

  “Once they got the Redwoods, they’d have been unstoppable,” Brie answered. “They wanted to rule the humans, not only the wolves.” Her eyes widened, and she shook her head. “In order to rule them, they’d have shown the world who they were. You don’t think…”

  Gideon cursed. “With all our plans of the tunnels and political maneuverings in case the wolves were revealed, someone on Shannon’s side might have been in on that.”

  “What good would revealing who we are do?” Brynn asked, fear in her gaze. “We’re not safe out in the human world. Humans try to silence what they don’t understand.”

  “We’re leaping to conclusions here,” Ryder said, ever the voice of reason, but even he sounded skeptical.

  “We need to be on alert for that as well,” Gideon said. “We’ve been hiding for so long, becoming more and more insular as time passed because the humans were getting so close, that if Leo shows the world who we are, it could be disastrous.”

  “We don’t know that’s what he wants,” Brie said. “That might have been what the Centrals wanted, but that doesn’t mean he’s on the same path. For all we know, he just wants to rule in secret until he dies.”

  Gideon let out a breath. “Leo has never been one to stop once he gets what he wants, no matter who he has to kill along the way.”

  He refused to look at Max and Mitchell when he said it, but he felt their tension. Leo was their father, the man who should have cared for them above all else. Instead, he was the man they would have to kill in order to keep their people safe. The brothers would do it, just as Gideon had done with Joseph, but it wouldn’t be easy.

  They were on the brink of war, the battlefield full of secrecy and pain.

  Gideon’s communicator beeped, and he looked down at it, answering at once. “What’s going on?”

  “Leo and Shannon are right outside the wards,” the soldier began. “They have a pup, Alpha. They said if you and Brie don’t come to meet them, they’ll kill him and then others one by one until you do.”

  Gideon growled, low, deadly. “We’re on our way.”

  The others had heard the conversation and were already on their way out the door. He kissed Brie hard and tugged her close.

  “I’m going. You can’t hold me back.”

  He sighed, pulling her with him as they ran toward the sentry post. “I can’t hold you back, Brie. I also can’t let that pup die.”

  “We’ll fight for the Pack, Gideon.”

  He squeezed her hand, his wolf on the prowl. The war had come to them, and this time, there was no turning back. There was something off about this, and he knew they were running into a trap, only he didn’t see a way out.

  Lives were on the line, and he had one shot at saving them.

  He hoped he hadn’t made a mistake.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Brie’s wolf raged, wanting to kill the man in front of her and, at the same time, not wanting to fight. Her submissive nature had never been in such juxtaposition, but she didn’t care. She’d fight to protect her mate, her family, and the pup in human form in Leo’s hold. It didn’t matter that it went against everything her wolf wanted deep beneath the surface. The only thing that mattered was her home.

  Leo and Shannon had amassed at least eighty wolves to take down an entire Pack. Brie didn’t understand how the two thought they would win, other than the fact that Gideon and the others wouldn’t allow the pup to be hurt. So once they saved the little boy, they would be able to go all-out.

  That was, unless, the other two didn’t have something else up their sleeves. Brie had a feeling there was something far worse in store for her family, and she had no idea what it could be.

  “It is simple, nephew,” Leo called out. “Release the Pack to me, and I won’t kill this pup.”

  “Jeremiah!” a woman, the pup’s mother yelled behind Gideon and he cursed. Jeremiah’s parents must have arrived. He wouldn’t let them go through the pain of watching their son die.

  The pup in question howled and whimpered, trying to wiggle away. Leo squeezed his arm, and the little boy quieted. Brie growled, her claws threatening to come out.

  Gideon didn’t even look at the child, and she knew this had to be killing him. There was no way he’d give up the safety of the Pack for one person, but he also wouldn’t allow the pup to die.

  They would fight.

  Good, because Leo and Shannon needed to die.

  As did the other wolves who fought with them.

  Ryder came up behind her and leaned forward, his voice low enough for her ears only. “Only five of those wolves are ours.” A pause. “Were ours. The rest are lone wolves. That would explain the fights Gideon has had to deal with in the past weeks.”

  She nodded, keeping her eye on Shannon. The woman looked too pleased at the turn of events. The Talons could rip these wolves to shreds, yet Leo and Shannon looked as though they were the ones with the upper hand.

  There must be something she was missing.

  “You cannot win this,” Gideon called out, his voice pure Alpha. The power of her mate washed over her, giving her a strength she didn’t know she could possess.

  “So be it.”

  Leo threw the pup toward Shannon and clicked a receiver Brie hadn’t seen in his other hand.

  “Cameras,” Kameron snapped. “He’s going to film us fighting.”

  Brie sucked in a breath. She’d been right, though it was a far-fetched thought. What Leo was doing went against every boundary she could think of. “What are we going to do?” They couldn’t shift on camera, nor could they technically fight. Damn it.

  “We save our Pack,” Gideon said softly. “Don’t shift. Not even partially.”

  “If it’s a live feed, we’re fucked with the authorities,” Ryder put in.

  “I have contacts with the local law enforcement and others,” Brynn said, not surprising Brie in the least. Every Pack had help from humans who knew about them and could be trusted. It was how they’d stayed in the shadows for so long. “As long as we don’t kill or shift on camera, we will be fine.”

  “Then we get the pup and the cameras,” Gideon growled, “and we take out the rest.”

  “Be safe,” she whispered to her mate, wanting to hold him but knowing she couldn’t. They might be inside the wards, but they wouldn’t be for long.

  “Always,” he said back.

  Leo shouted for his wolves to move forward. They couldn’t go past the wards, not with Gideon there to cut the ties of those who had once been Talons. But with that pup out there, some of the Talons would have no choice but to go out there and fight.

  Gideon stepped forward, and Brie wasn’t surprised. Her mate would not let anyone fight when he could do it himself. He wouldn’t be Alpha otherwise.

  She followed her mate just as something exploded right outside the wards. The ground shook, and Gideon gripped her hand, keeping her steady.

  “Go!” he shouted, and the rest of the wolves moved.

  They kept their human shape, their hands not even going to claws, but they fought for the Pack. They needed to step outside the wards to do so, but in this case, it was more important to contain the threat than have relative safety inside a magical enclosure.

  A small woman came at her, and Gideon let her go to fight a larger man. Brie blocked the kick to her face and punched the woman in the face. The other woman tried to bite her, her face elongating somewhat so her fangs came out. G
oddess, Brie prayed that the cameras hadn’t caught that. Brie knocked the other woman out but didn’t kill her. She could still hear the cameras on them. Kameron and Mitchell had gone to find them and dismantle them, but until they did so, everyone had to be careful. There would be no telling what would happen if word got out about the things that went bump in the night.

  “Got one!” Kameron yelled over the fighting, and Brie cheered inside even as she fought another wolf. She was trying to get to the pup and put him behind the wards—most of them were—but Shannon had circled herself with so many other wolves, it was difficult. The fucking elder looked like she was a cat that had finished the cream, holding the boy close while she dodged other wolves trying to attack her. The wolves on the elder’s side of the battle were throwing their bodies in front of her, protecting her with their lives.

  They all would die though.

  It had to be that way.

  Brie just hoped they didn’t risk their future to make it happen.

  Brie rolled to the ground as someone tried to jump on her then kicked the person’s feet out from under them. They snarled at her, and she kicked them in the face. They passed out, and she moved on. She hated fighting, but she’d been taught by the best to protect herself in either form.

  Shannon smiled at her again, and Brie wanted to claw the look off the bitch’s face. “You can’t win this, submissive trash.”

  “No, honey, you can’t.” Brie pounced on Shannon, having seen Brynn standing behind the other woman. Brynn twisted Shannon’s arm, forcing the elder to drop the boy. Brynn caught the child in one arm as Brie snarled, bringing Shannon to the ground.

  “I got you baby, I’m taking you to Mom and Dad,” Brynn said to the pup and Brie kept fighting. The boy whimpered, but didn’t cry. Strong little pup.

  She punched Shannon in the face, her rage simmering, ready to blow. She couldn’t yet. Not until she knew her people were safe from prying eyes.

  Gideon growled beside her, his hand on Leo’s neck. “Kameron?”

  “I’m missing one! I can hear the damn camera, but I can’t find it.”

  Brie kept Shannon pinned to the ground, squeezing tight. She could see the other wolves being pinned in the same fashion. As long as they didn’t kill on camera, they’d be okay.

  “You won’t find it.” Leo grinned. “It’s time for a new beginning. The time for wolves. The humans have been living in gluttony and pride for far too long. They will die by our hands. They will scream for mercy from our sharp teeth and claws.”

  Dear goddess, the man was insane.

  “Kameron!” Gideon yelled.

  “Got it!” the Enforcer shouted back.

  “Too late,” Leo said then howled, his body shaking. Gideon snapped Leo’s neck just as Shannon tried to lift up. Just like that, the man Gideon had once called uncle and had haunted his dreams was dead.

  “Never again will you hurt my family.” Brie snapped the other woman’s neck quickly, not wanting to prolong the fight. She wasn’t cruel, but the death didn’t weigh on her either.

  Gideon pulled her into his arms, kissing her hard as the other wolves took care of the enemy.

  “What did he mean by too late?” Brie asked, her voice shaky.

  “I have no idea.”

  “I know,” Mitchell said from their side, his eyes wolf. “They were filming far longer than we thought. They fucking shifted on camera, Gideon.” He swallowed hard, and the bottom of Brie’s stomach fell out. “It’s a live feed, meaning that whoever watched it knows that we’re real.” He met Brie’s eyes. “And knows where we are.”

  “Everyone behind the wards. Now!” Gideon shouted. “Bring the dead with you, leave no trace behind.” Her Pack moved quickly, their fear tactile. “How much time do we have?”

  Ryder sprinted toward them. “Kameron sent some of the soldiers out on reconnaissance, and Brynn is calling the Redwoods now.”

  “Fuck!” Gideon snapped. “We have resources for this. We aren’t wholly without options, but Leo fucked us.”

  Brie licked her lips, rage and fear mixing into one emotion. “Leo never wanted to be Alpha. Neither did Shannon. They only wanted change.” She met his eyes, fear warring within them as well. “This is one hell of a change.”

  Gideon cupped her face. “Kade and I have wolves all over the world ready for this, Brie. We won’t be taken down easily. We have positions in politics and the military. We’ve been waiting for thirty years for something like this, since the last war. But having them shift for us? In a battle? We’re going to be screwed for awhile now.”

  She pulled at his hand. “We need to get inside the wards.”

  “They won’t protect us for long,” Gideon murmured, his voice low. “But they can give us some protection while we see what the humans do. I don’t know if we will be able to stop the onslaught this time.”

  She pulled him through the wards, the others joining them. She kept her gaze on the horizon, the fear within her sparking into a numbness she wasn’t sure she could bear.

  “We can handle this,” she whispered. “We’re not savages.”

  “No, and we have more power than we did when we fought the last war,” Gideon said from behind her. He pulled her to face him, his eyes full of determination. “Whatever happens, little wolf, I’m by your side. I’m not leaving you. I’m not letting the humans destroy what we have.”

  She cupped his face, kissed his chin. “I love you, my Alpha. We’ll fight if we have to and find the peace we all desire. Our secrets were never going to last forever, but maybe we can find a truce in the shadows.”

  The sound of a chopper’s blades echoed in the distance, and Brie stiffened before throwing her arms around her mate’s neck. He kissed her hard, his love and passion in every ounce of his being.

  “I’m yours forever, Brie.”

  “We’ll make it through this,” she answered. “We don’t have a choice.”

  The humans were coming. The time of the wolves was coming into the light. No longer would there be magic whispered under breaths. No longer would there be shifting in the forest with the goddess’ blessing without a hint of danger.

  Change had come to the Talon Pack on the trail of a past not quite forgotten.

  Brie gripped her mate’s hand. She had the loyalties and love of an Alpha.

  They would survive.

  They were wolves.

  They were Redwoods.

  They were Talons.

  They were survivors.

  The End

  Coming Next in the Talon Pack World:

  Finn and Brynn find their story in An Alpha’s Choice

  A Note from Carrie Ann

  Thank you so much for reading Tattered Loyalties. I do hope if you liked this story, that you would please leave a review. Not only does a review spread the word to other readers, they let us authors know if you’d like to see more stories like this from us. I love hearing from readers and talking to them when I can. 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.

  Tattered Loyalties is the first book in the Talon Pack series! There will be more in this series with An Alpha’s Choice coming next. However if you’re new to the shifter world in my books, then make sure you check out the Redwood Pack series. The Talon Pack series is set in the same world and follows the Redwood Pack as well as the special novella, Wicked Wolf! Brie’s parents as well as her aunts and uncles found their mates and set in motion the events of the Talon Pack series. You don’t want to miss them in The Redwood Pack!

  Make sure you’re signed up for my MAILING LIST so you can know when the next releases are available as well as find giveaways and FREE READS.

  If you enjoyed this story, take a look at my Montgomery Ink, Redwood Pack, Holiday Montana
, and Dante’s Circle series!!

  Thank you so much for going on this journey with me and I do hope you enjoyed my Tempting Signs story. Without you readers, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

  Thank you again for reading and I do hope to see you again.

  Carrie Ann

  About this Author

  New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan never thought she’d be a writer. Not really. No, she loved math and science and even went on to graduate school in chemistry. Yes, she read as a kid and devoured teen fiction and Harry Potter, but it wasn’t until someone handed her a romance book in her late teens that she realized that there was something out there just for her. When another author suggested she use the voices in her head for good and not evil, The Redwood Pack and all her other stories were born.

  Carrie Ann is a bestselling author of over twenty novels and novellas and has so much more on her mind (and on her spreadsheets *grins*) that she isn’t planning on giving up her dream anytime soon.

  www.CarrieAnnRyan.com

  Also from this Author

  Now Available:

  Redwood Pack Series:

  An Alpha’s Path

  A Taste for a Mate

  Trinity Bound

  A Night Away

  Enforcer’s Redemption

  Blurred Expectations

  Forgiveness

  Shattered Emotions

  Hidden Destiny

  A Beta’s Haven

  Fighting Fate

  Loving the Omega

  The Hunted Heart

  Wicked Wolf

  The Talon Pack (Following the Redwood Pack Series):