It was the least he could do after what his unit had done to their Pack and the other wolves around the country.
People shuffled around him, and Shane mentally leaned toward the voice that had calmed him, even if it had only been for a moment. This Bram could help him, and Shane didn’t know why. The only other time he’d reacted like that was when he’d smelled a sweet and floral scent in the room with him earlier. Whoever had owned that scent hadn’t spoken, however, so he didn’t know who it was. He only knew that that person wasn’t in the room with them now.
He didn’t want to think about how he could suddenly discern scents so easily now.
“Wake up,” Bram whispered in his ear. Shane shivered at the feeling of the other man’s breath on his neck. “You need to get up. Lying in bed will only prolong the pain. We’ll help you, damn it. But you need to help yourself first.”
“Nice bedside manner there,” the first voice said wryly.
“Shut up, Brandon,” Bram growled. “Not all of us are Omegas and good with things like this.”
“If we brought in Charlotte, she might be better at it,” the second voice, the one that held all that power, said slowly. There was a hint of something Shane couldn’t understand in the other man’s voice but whatever it was seemed to raise Bram’s hackles. Shane could feel it.
“You aren’t our Alpha, Gideon,” Bram snarled. “She doesn’t need to be part of this. You saw her before.”
Her. Charlotte. Could she be the bearer of the sweet and floral scent? Shane didn’t know, but listening to them fight like this was giving him a headache. Though, really, he already had one so it was just making it worse.
Shane cracked one eye open and forced himself not to close it again when bright light practically blinded him.
“There you go,” Walker said from his side.
Shane couldn’t see the other man, or anything other than blinding light for that matter, but each of the men in the room had a distinct voice so Shane could tell them apart. And now he even knew their names. That had to count for something since everything else was out of his control.
It took him a few more minutes, but soon he was able to keep both eyes open. He started to take in all he was seeing. Two men stood at the end of his bed, and from their facial features, blue eyes, and light brown hair, he figured that they were brothers. Gideon and Brandon. His gaze tracked to the left, and he knew this Walker had to be their brother, as well. The three looked so much alike it was a bit scary.
When he finally allowed himself to look to the right, his body stiffened despite the calm he so desperately craved. This one was Bram, the one that had helped him fight through the pain with just his voice and presence alone. He couldn’t afford to ask why right then as he was trying to keep conscious, and was aware that he wasn’t exactly safe from those who might want to hurt him for the crimes of his former boss.
Bram had startling brown eyes, and they studied Shane’s face just as he studied Bram. Bram’s dark brown skin was stretched tautly over his cheekbones and firm jaw, and he’d cut his black hair so short there was only a bare glimpse of it over the crown of his head. Shane’s hair had once been that short in boot camp, but he’d been allowed to let it grow far longer than regulation length when he’d been working for Montag.
He hadn’t understood at the time that it was because Montag wanted his men and women to blend into the human population to be able to kidnap wolves and the people he’d wanted to change into shifters.
Shane had never been part of that, and while he was grateful he didn’t have blood on his hands, he knew he wasn’t completely innocent. He should have found out about Montag’s true intentions long before things had gotten as far as they had. People died because Shane hadn’t known the truth.
And now he would have to face this Pack and all the Packs out there with that knowledge.
“Drink this,” Walker said from his side, and Shane pulled his gaze from Bram. “You’re dehydrated, and since you kept moving, we couldn’t keep an IV in you for long.”
Shane frowned and looked down at his arms and legs. They’d shackled him to the bed with thick chains. In fact, now that he looked closer, this wasn’t a normal hospital bed, but rather one that had thick metal bolts around the sides.
“You were hurting yourself,” Brandon said softly, his gaze on Shane’s. “The beds are for shifters when they get hurt and can’t control their wolf. It keeps us safe, and keeps the patient safe.”
“We can unchain you now,” Walker said as he checked Shane’s vitals. “As long as you control your need to bang yourself into walls and things, you’ll be okay.”
Shane snorted, then coughed. Walker sighed and gave him more water. The coolness soothed his parched throat, and Shane was grateful.
“Don’t snort or laugh or yell,” Walker said. “In fact, take a bit before you talk. You’ve been out of it for four days, and you’ve been screaming for most of it.”
Shane drank more water with Walker’s help as the others unchained him. Something inside pushed at him, but when Bram moved closer to unchain his wrist, that inside thing calmed ever so slightly.
Gideon, the Talon Pack Alpha studied his face. “I brought you into the Pack. Do you remember that?”
The memory of Gideon cutting his palm resurfaced and warmth slid over Shane. “You…” He cleared his throat. “You made me Pack?”
Gideon nodded. “The moon goddess, our patron and the one that created our people long ago, told me to. She doesn’t normally speak to us, and the fact that she did tells me you have important information for all of us. Or maybe you’re important for another reason. I don’t know exactly, but we brought you into the Pack because the bonds that hold us as one were needed to keep you alive.”
Bram let out a curse, and Shane did his best not to stare at the man that intrigued him so.
“How does that work?” Shane asked roughly. “And thank you.” He paused. “Thank you.”
Gideon shrugged, but Shane had a feeling he wasn’t as nonchalant as he seemed. The man held the power of an Alpha, and Shane had been able to feel it even through his haze of pain.
“You saved my brother’s life. Saved that of his mate. We’re even.”
Shane shook his head and tried to sit up. Walker immediately moved to help him. He didn’t like lying down while the others stood around him. He was already feeling weak. He didn’t want to be truly helpless.
“You risked your Pack for me, so no, we aren’t even.”
Something like pride filled the Alpha’s eyes, and Gideon nodded. “Then earn your gift. As for the bonds, each wolf is connected to each other through bonds, though some not as strong as others. Not everyone can feel them, but the network of them added together creates a Pack. The healthier the wolves, witches, and humans in a Pack, the stronger the connection. As Alpha, I feel those bonds more than any other. It’s my job to rule, to protect, to aid.”
“As it’s my job as Healer to use those bonds to Heal physical wounds,” Walker put in.
“And I take care of the emotional ones as the Omega,” Brandon added. “Or I try to.” The other man grinned, but Shane saw a sadness in the man’s eyes that he couldn’t quite place.
“And you?” he asked of Bram, who had been quiet up until this point.
“I’m a Redwood, not a Talon,” Bram answered. “I’m the Alpha’s enforcer, his protector. I think they’re called lieutenants here.”
Gideon nodded. “Same role, different name. We have a few other roles in the Pack, but those are our immediate ones.” He frowned. “Do you know what happened to you, Shane?”
Shane met the Alpha’s gaze, but before he could speak, a woman walked into the room. Gideon let out a growl, but his face softened at the sight of the woman.
“What are you doing here, Brie?” the Alpha growled softly.
“I heard your voices and knew Shane was awake,” Brie said with her brow raised. She looked around the very large man and waved at Shane. “Hi, I’m Br
ie, Gideon’s mate. How are you feeling? Did they let you at least get up and try to move around before they started to interrogate you?”
Despite the situation, Shane smiled. He’d read about Brie in the past, of course, much like he had Gideon, but no one had mentioned that her mere presence could make him feel…protective and eased.
“Brie, you shouldn’t be here.” Gideon’s words were low, but Shane could hear the softness in his voice, a gentleness that must only be for his mate. “Not in your condition.”
Brie rolled her eyes. “This is the man who saved Ryder, and there are four of you in here to stop him if he suddenly has the idea to attack me. I know I’m safe, and you need to calm down, grumpy wolf.”
“Brie, honey, Gideon is an Alpha wolf with a pregnant mate. Being calm isn’t going to happen until way after the baby is born.”
Shane marveled at the connections and the way they all acted with one another. They were truly just a family with their own issues and jokes. They weren’t the monsters some of the humans tried to make them out to be. He’d always known there was something more than what Montag said, but seeing it firsthand told Shane he’d made the right choice.
“Congratulations,” he murmured, and Brie’s eyes lit up.
“Thank you. How are you feeling?”
Shane decided to go with honesty. “Like the man I once saw as a mentor turned out to be a traitor to his country and a monster. And then that same man created some kind of serum he was sure would turn me into a wolf like you and injected it into me without my consent. They didn’t know what would happen to me, but before they could cut me open and see how I worked, I escaped and ended up on your doorstep. Now I’m here, part of a Pack that might resent the fact that something is wrong with me, that I wasn’t changed like the rest of you are or were, and I’m just now learning to breathe again. Only I don’t know why I can now, and the fact that it might have to do with the man standing beside me and not anything within myself worries me. So I don’t know what I’m feeling beyond overwhelmed and freaked out.” Shane took a deep breath, aware the others were staring at him like he’d lost his mind. “Am I a wolf? Did it work? Or am I going to be something else you might need to put down if I become a danger? Or worse, will I die before you get a chance to do that and hurt someone along the way? I don’t know who I am anymore, but I’ve been asking myself that question long before Montag injected me with whatever he did.”
There was a tense silence, and it was Brie who spoke first. “That is a lot for one man to feel. Wolf or not.”
Shane closed his eyes, trying to ignore the fact that Bram hadn’t moved a muscle during his entire speech. He didn’t know why he cared so much about what Bram thought, and that worried him as much as, if not more than, whatever poison filled his veins.
“We’ll discuss the serum once you’re out of bed,” Gideon said after a moment. “As for if you are wolf or not, we don’t know. You scent of wolf, but it’s different. We’ll go down that road when we need to. Any wolf who is turned needs time to learn to control the beast inside. Usually, it takes a human being near death and the bite of an Alpha or a very dominant wolf to start the change.” A pause. “The human population doesn’t know that yet.”
“I’m not exactly human anymore, am I?” Shane asked wryly.
“I guess not,” Gideon said with a snort.
Walker and Brandon had been quiet during the conversation, but Shane felt their studying gazes. Bram, however, was pointedly not looking at him. Why was a Redwood wolf in the Talon den anyway? There were far more questions than answers at this point, and that unnerved Shane to no end. He solved puzzles for a living, and now he seemed to be the puzzle itself.
“What do we do now?” Shane asked.
“That’s up to you, isn’t it?” Gideon asked.
Shane pressed his lips together, knowing the Alpha was lying…or at least partially. There was no way Gideon would let him leave the den now as he was, but there were things Shane could do to help. At least, he hoped so.
“I risked my life for one of you, but I’d have done that no matter what. I don’t need to be even for that. I’m here because I had nowhere else to go.” He paused, knowing he was changing his life once again. Forever. “You have me. My loyalty. My…whatever I am. You took me in when you didn’t have to, and I will do everything I can to repay you.”
Gideon nodded, a thoughtful gleam in his eyes. “You left your people—in essence, betrayed them because they were betraying humanity and the world. I get that. I admire that. But not everyone within the Pack and outside it will be happy that you’re here. But I speak for my Pack and my family as I welcome you. I don’t know what’s coming next, but I have to trust the moon goddess and the fact that you came to us when you knew I could kill you on sight. You’re Pack now, Shane. Earn it. Help us save our people.”
Our people.
Shane nodded, but his mind whirled. He was Pack, but was he wolf? What would happen when he tried to shift? What would happen when Bram left the room, and he couldn’t control himself anymore?
Bram.
Why did Bram matter? And who owned that sweet and floral scent from before?
His life had changed irrevocably, and though he’d come to the Talons for help, he had a feeling a cut on the hand wasn’t all that was required to be entered into the Pack. It wasn’t that easy. Gideon was right. He’d betrayed Montag, and the General wouldn’t take that lying down.
Even though Shane had spent his life protecting others, he might have made a huge mistake in coming here. His actions, in the end, might prove to be the lynchpin that destroyed them all.
Chapter Four
Charlotte’s wolf once again pushed at her, and she knew she’d have to go for a run or perhaps a hunt soon. She may have just gone on one with Bram, but it hadn’t been enough. Her wolf scraped its claws along her skin, an uncomfortable pinprick of sensation that had her eyes watering. The fact that she’d run with Bram, who was usually the reason she needed such a hard run in the first place was not lost on her.
Now, there seemed to be another man in the mix to push at her wolf.
Yet she had a feeling that no amount of running would help her.
How the hell had she gotten herself into this situation? She hadn’t been lying when she’d laughed hollowly at Finn’s words when she’d first seen Shane. When she’d first met him. How could she trust the moon goddess like so many of her Pack? It hurt to even think about.
“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong, or do you want me to try and guess?”
Charlotte turned at her mother’s voice and shook her head, a small smile playing on her face. Since wolves didn’t age past their thirtieth birthday—and sometimes even a few years before then—Ellie and Charlotte looked more like sisters than mother and daughter. Technically, they were sisters, but Ellie had adopted Charlotte when she was a young child, and Charlotte had called the other woman her mother since the day she had been brought into the Redwood Pack from the bowels of the Central Pack. The two of them had long, dark hair with bright brown eyes. Though they had two different birth mothers—thanks to their father, the former Alpha of the Central Pack, finding two mates in his lifetime—they looked much closer than half-sisters with their light brown skin and shapely hips and curves.
Charlotte wasn’t sure what she would have done without Ellie and Maddox in her life. They’d brought her hope in the darkness, and when her little sisters had been born, showed her that family was more than blood ties and history.
It was what you made it.
Thinking of how her life had once been, chained in a basement and hidden from the world, Charlotte wrapped her arms around her mother’s waist and hugged her tightly. Ellie didn’t say a word as she hugged her back, the familiar comfort of home and family sliding into Charlotte with that one touch.
“I’m going crazy,” Charlotte whispered after a moment.
Ellie slid her hand over Charlotte’s hair before pulling back so they faced
each other on a fallen log she’d sat on outside her parent’s home. The sun was shining, and the breeze that slid over them was cool, but not too cold. Sitting here, where she’d sat so many times before, she could almost forget there was a battle going on outside of their borders and that her life had been rocked from its foundation once again just by walking into the Talon infirmary.
“Why are you going crazy, my love?” Ellie asked.
“I think…I think the moon goddess hates me.” Tears stung the backs of her eyes, and Charlotte cursed herself for being so weak. She couldn’t be crying, not when so many others were in worse positions and situations than she was. She should be grateful, and yet she couldn’t quite find the happiness she knew could be hers if she only gave in. Or maybe there wasn’t any happiness at all, and her world would continue to crumble.
Ellie sucked in a breath, taking a moment before she finally spoke. “I used to think that,” her mother said softly, surprising Charlotte. “About me, that is. That the moon goddess hated me. Then I found a purpose in fighting against the Centrals and found my Maddox, your father. I think that sometimes, fate and the scary world of mating and shifters takes you down a direction you never thought would be possible.” Ellie met her gaze and cupped Charlotte’s cheek. “I’m here if you want to discuss specifics. Or, I’m here only to listen. But know you’re never alone, Charlotte. Never.”
Charlotte closed her eyes and sighed. “I need to sort everything out before I can talk about it.”
Ellie just smiled and shook her head. “You know, some people do this thing called conversation to sort things out.”
She rolled her eyes at her mother’s words. “Yeah, well, I’ve never been one to take a shine to convention.” She leaned forward and kissed her mother’s cheek. “I need to go to the Talon den.” A pause. “I promised Walker I’d be there.”
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