by Bec Adams
“We’ll just wait here,” he said, his confidence with the weapon very obvious. Clearly computers weren’t the only human technology to have claimed Brigden’s attention over the years.
Thankfully several more wolves weren’t far behind Gideon, but when the man didn’t morph into his grizzly bear the fight was over quickly. Gideon held him by his human throat and waited for the alpha and several others to bind the man with iron shackles on his wrists and ankles.
“Will that hold him?” Suzanne asked Brigden.
“I don’t know,” Brigden said, still eyeing the naked bear-shifter.
“It will,” the man said, his eyes sad as his brother struggled against his bindings. “I understand why he hates me. I don’t know why he involved other shifters, though.”
“Unfortunately, I think I do,” Gideon said as an unconscious werewolf still in wolf form was carried past them. “We’re still figuring things out, but it seems the beta of Dry Creek was unhappy with the alpha’s decision to modernize. We’re not sure how he and Josh Holks are connected, but the sighting at Suzanne’s home and the search that followed was a set up to make Jay look guilty and get me away from Suzanne so that Josh could abduct her. I don’t know details, but trust me we’ll find out.”
He leaned over, lifted the gun from Brigden’s grip, and handed it to the naked man. “Thanks for your help, Jay. I would never have gotten the upper hand if you hadn’t been able to distract him.”
“What took you so long?” Jay asked with a familiar smile. “You were supposed to be right behind me.” Suzanne felt confident now that he was the man she’d been working with for the past year.
“Sorry about that,” Gideon said with a laugh. “I wasn’t expecting to be attacked by the wolf who was supposed to be beside me.”
“Yeah, well, it looks like Shaw did us a favor. He saved us both a heap of time by revealing his involvement quite thoroughly.”
“True,” Gideon said with a relaxed smile as he held Suzanne close.
“This is all your fault!” The words were screeched and angry, the woman’s fury very obvious as she marched toward them. “Fucking human lover.”
Gideon dragged Suzanne closer, pushing her behind him as the woman screamed her vitriol and came at them. But instead of continuing her tirade, instead of stopping to yell some more, she ran at them faster. At the last moment she morphed into a silver wolf and darted past them, aiming for Brigden.
Suzanne screamed as blood filled her vision.
Chapter Ten
Brigden should have seen this coming. Honestly, he’d felt more hatred from this pack than he had from many others combined. The fact that the beta had been willing to attack Gideon—a future beta of the Shy River pack—said a lot about how desperate the man had been to take over the Dry Creek pack. They should have realized that his mate wouldn’t be happy with the outcome.
Brigden had been on the receiving end of more than one hateful sneer from this woman in the past couple of days.
The she-wolf bit viciously at his stomach and chest, the frenzied attack aiming for his face and throat even as he struggled to protect himself. Gideon was there in an instant, dragging her away, growling viciously from his human throat as he passed her to someone else to deal with. The attack was over in moments, the beta’s mate quickly subdued, but Brigden’s knees buckled as his injuries took their toll. There should have been pain, but it was somehow absent as he felt Gideon’s and Suzanne’s fear for him. Suzanne cradled his head, somehow stopping him from outright hitting the ground, but it was Gideon’s reaction that brought tears to Brigden’s eyes.
“It’s going to be okay, baby,” he said as he held his hands over the ragged wounds on Brigden’s chest and stomach. “Just stay with us long enough to shift. Can you do that, baby? Shift into your wolf form for us.”
He tried to nod, but his muscles wouldn’t work. It took longer to get started, the lessons of his childhood somehow missing as he struggled to change forms.
“Don’t die on me, Brig,” Gideon said as his hands pressed harder. “I can’t lose you. Not when I’ve just found you.” He shuffled on his knees, his terror very clear in every hoarse word. “Damn it, Brig. Change.”
Somehow that last order permeated the mist in his mind and he remembered what he needed to do. It hurt like hell, but it was worth it to hear the relief in Gideon’s voice. He rested in wolf form, too tired to try and crawl out of Gideon’s embrace. It was too late now anyway. Their secret was well and truly out.
“He’s your mate also?” Hensen Bright asked in a calm voice.
“Yes, he is,” Gideon answered defiantly. It was clear that he was ready to fight anyone necessary to get his mates to safety.
“Congratulations to all of you. I’m glad to see you finally happy, Gideon.” Hensen’s tone sounded very genuine. “Why don’t you take your mates back to the cabin while Canlon and I clean up here?”
Gideon seemed relieved. He and Hensen had been friends for a long time, but Brigden had felt his lover’s tension as he’d waited for the man to react. Thankfully it seemed they had one friend at least.
Judging by Gideon’s father’s reaction, Hensen might be the only one they had.
* * * *
Gideon lifted Brigden into his arms more comfortably and then carried his wolf back to the cabin. He made certain that Suzanne was right beside them.
“Will he be okay?” she asked worriedly.
“He lost a lot of blood, but he changed in time. He just needs to rest.”
Brigden lifted his head and tried to lick at Suzanne’s face, obviously trying to reassure her. If he had the link that Gideon and Suzanne shared, he wouldn’t have needed to even try to move while he was so exhausted. Gideon really hoped that Brigden’s theory about originally being human was true, because he had every intention of claiming this man as his own. No more hiding. No more worrying what the pack might think. No more fretting about being banished.
He was claiming the man he loved, and they’d deal with the fallout together.
He could feel Suzanne’s approval in his mind and gave her a grateful smile.
“We should clean him up a little. He’ll be more comfortable.”
Gideon nodded. Brigden’s fur was matted with drying blood, and even though the wounds were sealed, he would heal faster if he shifted once more.
“Brig,” he said, his voice hoarse as the emotions of the day’s events started to catch up with him. He swallowed, determined to protect his mates no matter what. “Baby, can you change one more time for us? We want to get you cleaned up and then I promise we’ll both hold you close while you recover.”
Brigden groaned as the change began, the effort costing him dearly. He slumped into Gideon’s embrace, unconscious once it was done, but at least in human form it gave them a chance to check the wounds on his chest and stomach. Thankfully, the skin had knitted together quite well, only silvery lines showing where once ragged wounds had gaped. They might fade a little more over time, but would probably always be visible.
And would always be a reminder of Gideon’s failure to protect the man he loved.
“Gideon, this wasn’t your fault,” Suzanne said in a tone that would have made an alpha proud. “No one saw that coming. Not you. Not me. Not Brig. Not even the shifters around us expected her to do what she did.” Suzanne stepped closer and pressed a kiss to his shoulder—the only place she could reach without disturbing Brigden.
“You’re my mates. It’s my job to protect you.”
“No,” she said defiantly. “It’s our jobs to look out for each other. We’re not children. You can’t hover over us every moment of the day.”
He wanted to growl at her for reading his thoughts so easily—that discussion on personal boundaries was well overdue—but she preempted that, also.
“Don’t even think about it. This is not the same thing. I agree I may have stepped over a line or two by raiding your memories, but we’re still getting to know each other. Eventu
ally we’ll find a limit that suits us both—all three of us if claiming Brigden creates the true-mates link as well—but you feeling guilty over what happened is not something I will tolerate.”
“Ditto,” Brigden said softly without opening his eyes.
Gideon could already hear the arguments Suzanne had lined up in her mind. He gave her a smile and decided to worry about everything later. He had both of his mates with him. They were both safe. Right now he just wanted to hold them close for a very long time.
“Now that we can arrange,” Suzanne said, reading his thoughts once more as she stepped into the bathroom and turned on the shower, “as soon as we get cleaned up.”
* * * *
Many hours later, Suzanne still lay naked in Brigden’s embrace, Gideon’s arm over both of them, holding them close.
“Suz?” Brigden whispered quietly. “Are you awake?”
“Yes,” she whispered back as she realized Gideon had finally fallen asleep.
“Did it really happen? Did Gideon tell everyone we’re mates?”
She could feel his anguish and realized that Brigden had probably slept through most of the things that had happened since he was attacked.
Hensen had dropped by a couple of times to let them know what was happening and to check on Brigden. He’d seemed genuinely supportive, and for that Suzanne was truly grateful. She knew how much Hensen’s friendship meant to Gideon.
“Yes, it really happened,” she said as Brigden’s arms tightened around her in worry. “But it’s not as bad as it seems, Brig. We’re going to be okay.”
“Gideon’s father?”
“Is not important,” she said, trying to keep her voice down. Gideon’s father was a narrow-minded asshole. He’d left without saying good-bye to his son or even checking that Brigden was okay. Regardless of their relationship, they were still both skilled and valued members of the Shy River pack until the alpha said otherwise.
“Have we been banished?”
Suzanne shook her head. Brigden needed to rest, and she didn’t really want to get into a full explanation of what had happened while he’d been recovering from life-threatening wounds. Of course, trying to protect him like that was probably as annoying to him as Gideon trying to blame himself for the attack on Brigden was to her.
“Eadan Barclay ordered both Hensen and Canlon back to the pack within forty-eight hours, but a quick call from the alpha of Shy River a few hours later reversed that order without explanation.” She rolled carefully in his arms, the vision of his wounds still very clear in her mind even if they barely showed now on his skin. “Nothing has been said about the three of us, so we still have no idea what is happening at Shy River. Whatever is going on, the only thing that seems clear at the moment is that the beta and alpha are no longer in agreement.” She took a deep breath and tried to control the anger. “Other than that, we haven’t heard anything from Shy River yet.” She’d always hated silence. Not knowing always seemed worse than dealing with bad news, but at least they’d had a bit of good news. “The alpha of Dry Creek dropped by to check on you and apologize for his beta’s mate’s behavior. It seems that the beta, his mate, and Josh Holks had conspired to nearly reveal shifters to the world and make sure that Jay got the blame. It would have given the beta a chance to take over the Dry Creek pack and then move them deeper into the mountains and further away from technology.”
“That wouldn’t save them from discovery,” Brigden said sadly. “Knowledge is the only thing that can save shifters now. Not knowing what humans are capable of makes them no less capable of annihilating us.” He closed his eyes, almost like he was too tired to continue the conversation, but then he startled as another thought occurred to him. “If the plan was to nearly reveal shifters to humans, why did Josh hang around? Jay was already the main suspect. Why not cut and run?”
She shook her head, unsure what to say. “Josh isn’t talking, but the beta says Josh came here to kidnap me. Kidnapping the bear-cub was too easily contained, but me going back into the office with my purple-hued skin would have set off all sorts of investigations and medical testing. It’s very likely that my werewolf status would eventually have been revealed.”
“So he really did want to out shifters to humans?”
“They don’t think the beta realized Josh planned to go that far—the beta apparently planned to be a hero by ‘stopping’ me.” She didn’t even want to think about how he might have done that. It didn’t seem like something she would have survived. “But Jay has confirmed that his brother has been in contact with other small groups of shifters all over the world who are deliberately trying to test human reaction. For what purpose nobody is really sure.”
“I know enough about humans to know that’s a very bad idea.”
“Me, too,” Suzanne confessed quietly. She knew individual people were smart, but it was when governments, special interest groups, conspiracy theorists, and fanatics got involved that things would become very dangerous for everyone, not just shifters.
Brigden was quiet, and for a moment she thought he’d fallen asleep until he asked, “How did Gideon know who was who? Josh and Jay are physically identical in every way, even scent.”
“Our lover became suspicious when the beta seemed to know exactly where to find the bear-shifter they sought but then got nervous when Jay started to head back to Dry Creek.” She shrugged, trying to make light of what had been a potentially lethal situation. “Thankfully, the Dry Creek alpha was already suspicious of his beta and had him under surveillance, so when Gideon confronted him on his unusual behavior and the beta attacked Gideon, several Dry Creek wolves were there to help stop him.” She closed her eyes against the knowledge of how close they’d come to losing their mate. She hadn’t known at the time that Gideon’s recently healed wounds had been almost as serious as Brigden’s were a few minutes later. She rolled in Brigden’s embrace and pressed a kiss to his lips as she sensed his fear for both his mates. “What neither shifter counted on was the mating link Gideon and I share. By the time it came up in the meeting their plan was already in motion and the beta was arrogant enough to think Gideon was exaggerating. He soon learned otherwise.” She gave Brigden a forced smile—her head was starting to ache all over again—and then tried to change the subject. “Anyway, the good news is that the alpha of Dry Creek has said we’re welcome to stay here as long as we like.”
As far as Suzanne and Gideon knew, there were no same-sex relationships within the Dry Creek pack, but the alpha had offered them sanctuary regardless.
He’d even mentioned that he was looking for a new beta.
“That’s unexpected,” Brigden said quietly, obviously trying to understand the acceptance from people who barely knew them when their own pack was likely to banish them.
They held each other close as they lapsed into silence. Suzanne was still trying to sort out exactly what being a werewolf beta entailed. She’d tried very hard in the past few hours to exercise some restraint when it came to rifling through Gideon’s memories. Current thoughts and feelings were harder to control, but she actively had to look for memories. In deference to her mate’s privacy, she’d strangled her curiosity and tried to get some sleep instead.
Of course that hadn’t worked.
It took a few more moments to realize that Brigden had fallen back to sleep. Considering the amount of blood they’d washed off him, it was no surprise. It had only been Gideon’s constant reassurances that werewolves could survive such serious wounds that had kept her calm. If she’d realized he was talking from recent—extremely recent—experience, she might have reacted very differently.
She snuggled nearer, needing to be close to the men she loved, and smiled contentedly when both of her sleeping mates tightened their arms around her.
Despite the trauma of the day, she was glad that Gideon and Brigden could claim each other openly now. She wasn’t foolish enough to believe it would be smooth sailing from here on in, but she had faith in herself and her mat
es.
And that was far more important than the bigoted reactions of a few narrow-minded assholes.
Chapter Eleven
“I think this might be the best idea the Dry Creek alpha ever had,” Brigden said happily as he hurried both of his mates to the door of Suzanne’s cabin. It had been obvious that the alpha had wanted to clear out the wolves who didn’t belong directly to his pack while he sorted out a few pressing issues. Hensen and Canlon had headed back to Shy River for a few days and Gideon, Suzanne, and Brigden had decided to take a three-day honeymoon instead of dealing with whatever might happen at their own pack.
They hadn’t received any notification that they were banished, but they hadn’t exactly gotten a warm welcome either. Brigden wasn’t expecting anyone to try and contact him, but Gideon’s mother’s silence was disconcerting. She’d always seemed like such a supportive parent. Eadan Barclay had apparently been furious when he’d left Dry Creek, so Brigden hoped that Marjorie Barclay’s silence was only an attempt to wait a little while for things to calm down. It seemed almost unfathomable that she would disown her son over his involvement with Brigden.
Worrying over the possible outcomes was taking a toll on all of them. That was why a three-day honeymoon seemed like such a great idea.
“Wait,” Gideon said, wrapping his arm around Brigden and pulling him backward. He dropped a kiss on Brigden’s ear. “Are you sure about this, baby? If we go in there, I’m going to claim you, and then there will be no going back.”
“I don’t ever want to go back,” Brigden said confidently. It was probably very selfish of him. They could try to deny Gideon’s very public reaction to Brigden’s injuries. There weren’t that many witnesses, and the stories that would follow would soon be considered exaggeration and rumors. It would take some time, but they could go back to hiding their relationship and hope that things settled down. The trouble was that Brigden didn’t want to. Whatever the future held, he wanted to face it with both of his mates by his side. “I love you, Gideon. The rest is just details.”