My stomach pitched at the thought that he knew what we were fighting against. He knew. And suddenly I was questioning everything.
“You know what that is?” I asked, feeling like someone had just punched me in the stomach.
He glanced at me, almost scared for a moment, before he looked away. He didn’t answer me, and it angered me more. “Is that why you’re here? Why you suddenly came back after being gone for over three years!?”
“Jade, let’s ask these questions after we’re out of this.” Brandon pointed to the left. “This way.”
He pulled me along, and we opened to a clearing. I watched as he reached down, running his hands along the ground, seeming to search for something. I turned, looking around the trees, knowing it was still following our tails. I then heard a click and turned back to Brandon. He held a trap door open into the ground, and my eyes widened. “How did…”
I didn’t get the question out before he grabbed my hand, yanking me with him through the doorway. We fumbled down a few steps before he slammed the door shut. I heard a loud click behind us.
It was utterly silent, and a cold shiver rolled over my body in the darkness. I felt Brandon’s hand tug slightly, taking me further down the steps. It was only a few before I heard another door open, and we stepped into a bunker. Lights were hanging, filling the room with a low light.
There were a couple of beds pressed against a corner, and a huge table with papers spread out over it. There were clothes on the floor and snack wrappers on the bed, telling me that this place was used regularly. My eyes widened at the space and how he seemed to know his way around.
I tried to catch my breath as he walked over toward the table, moving past it toward a duffel bag that sat on the ground. “We will be safe here. Once I know it’s gone, we will head back to the training ground.”
I swallowed as I watched him rip open the duffel bag, digging around. He pulled out some supplies and yanked a chair out. He sat down and looked at his shoulder. He wiped at the blood, wincing as he did.
I licked my lips. I was angry at him for keeping this to himself. Angry that I had no idea what was going on. But I also knew he needed help with his wound.
I walked over toward him, and his eyes flicked up toward me. I took the rag out of his hand and dabbed it with the disinfectant he had taken out. I wiped at his wound, trying to find my words.
Brandon didn’t look at me as he placed his other arm on the table. “I’m sorry.”
It was silent. There was no sound except that of the rag being dabbed on his wound. I stared at it, taking in the marks. It wasn’t like a wolf bite. His teeth were longer and punctured deeper. Any normal person would need a stitch, but the healing ability that shifters had was already taking effect.
“We built this place when we came into Belrose. Well, Asher and Westley built it. They stay here mostly to track and keep up on the surrounding area.”
I kept my lips sealed as I pulled the rag bag, dipping it back into the disinfection.
Brandon tapped his fingers on the table. “I know you have questions, Jade. Ask them.”
I dapped the rag onto his wound, wiping the blood away. “Does my brother know?” I asked softly.
Brandon nodded his head, and my stomach pitched. I tossed the rag onto the table and took a step back. I turned, looking around. I walked toward one of the beds and sat down, needing space between us.
“Is that why you’re back?”
Brandon nodded. “That was a hybrid. They are a new group that formed several years ago. They are originally eithervampires or werewolves. We’re not entirely sure how they came to be, but they possess the genetic components of both. Their main goal is to wipe out shifters entirely.”
I swallowed, taking the information in.
“Why are they here?”
Brandon rolled his shoulder, making a face as he did. He leaned back on the chair. “Because the pack is weak and they are looking for a place to set down roots and form a solid location as their base. They normally move at night, work together, but they don’t have a home place. At least, none we’ve uncovered.”
It suddenly made sense. The lessons. Him taking over as Alpha. The concern is about keeping the pack and everyone safe. It was a job.
It hurt. It was like someone was reaching into my chest and ripping at every nerve in my heart. I’d been telling myself he was here for a job, that he was doing everything for a purpose, and he was. But a small part of me was hoping I had been part of the reason he was here. A part of me was hoping I had mattered. That Ilsa mattered.
I chewed on my lower lip, my hands shaking in my lap. Brandon noticed his eyes narrowing on them slightly before looking back up at my face. “Jade…” his voice dipped softer.
“Do we matter, or is this all part of your job?” The words came sharp like a knife, the anger bubbling to the surface. “All of this? Is it just so you do a good job and get a pat on the back? What about Ilsa? Did you buy the house for now and plan on leaving once this is over?”
I shook my head, feeling tears burning in my eyes, and one question I knew I had been thinking about over and over. “Are you leaving when this is over?”
Brandon frowned. “No.”
