Out for four seconds.
Hold for four seconds.
I peer in through the glass door at the warm, cozy space. The soft glow of ambient lighting spills out, highlighting the rich wood tones of the tables and the comfortable, plush seating. There are families eating their evening meals together, their laughter and happy conversations creating a gentle hum that puts me at ease. Even standing outside, the air carries the faint, appetizing aroma of home-cooked food. Everything about it feels safe and inviting.
I can do this.I am in control.
The hostess greets me, and I give her Brett’s name. “Right this way,” she says with a friendly smile. I walk behind her, running my hands along my hips again.
Then he’s there, and I stand stock-still, staring at him. The family resemblance is unmistakable. But even if it wasn’t, my tiger can sense the familial connection instantly. It’s in his scent, different and yet similar. Like how Sofia and Ryan share a citrus undertone that the other wolves I’ve met do not.
He flares his nostrils as the hostess stands between us awkwardly waiting for me to sit. She must be so confused about the intensity of this moment.
“Thank you,” I say, taking the menu from her hand and sliding into the seat across from Brett. He waits until she walks away to say anything.
“You’re not a wolf,” he comments, inhaling again to confirm what he already knows.
“No, my mother was a tiger; I got my animal from her side.”
“Incredible,” he says, sitting back in his chair. “Dad never told us about you. I’m so sorry to be the one to break it to you, but he died a little while back. No, that’s not entirely true. He was killed.”
I nod my head, unsure if I should reveal what I know or not. But I don’t want to be a hypocrite. I don’t want to start our relationship with a lie. Still, I need to ease into this.
“Killed?” I ask, tilting my head and studying him.
“Yeah, he… he wasn’t a good guy. He was involved in some seriously shady shit, and I guess it caught up with him.” I let out abreath I didn’t realize I was holding. These aren’t the words of someone who was involved in the trafficking operation.
“That’s how I found you,” I say hesitantly. “Some files were sent my way. My mother was trafficked by the organization your… our father was involved with. She’s dead too.”
“I’m so sorry,” Brett says, taking my hand. Warmth hits my eyes, and my vision blurs with unshed tears. Relief and loss tangle together. The fantasy I had growing up will never happen the way I dreamed of, and the perfect family who had been looking for me all along doesn’t exist. But sitting here with Brett—with mybrother—I don’t feel like I’m alone in the world.
“You had said about bringing Michael too?”
“Yeah,” Brett agrees, nodding his head. “I decided it might be best if it were just the two of us this time.”
We order food and chat about everything and anything while eating. I learn that Brett is a perfectionist like me. He focused on academics, also like me, and went to business school before returning to the pack. As the eldest, he took over as Alpha when his father died, and he’s now involved in running his pack’s investments. He tells me about how his father’s death hit Michael the hardest, with him being younger and not an alpha wolf.
Their mom struggled with losing her mate too, of course. I wonder if she knew what a monster the man she was mated to was. If she knew the depraved things he did to other women before coming home to her and his family. I hope not. I hope no one knew how awful things were for his victims. Because the alternative is that they knew and just didn’t care.
I tell him about myself too. About my practice and growing up with humans. About suppressing my tiger for years until I met other shifters. But I don’t tell him about Ryan or my time in Lunar Eclipse. I’m not sure why exactly. Maybe because I don’t know where I stand with Ryan.
Brett gets the check and walks me out to the car with plans to meet again soon, with Michael there too next time. Brett hasn’t told him about me yet; he wanted to make sure I was who I said I was first. I want to give him a hug, but I don’t want to push that on him too soon. We have years of making up for lost time together ahead of us.
My cheeks hurt from smiling when I turn away from him to get into my car. I want to tell Ryan about this. I can see now he was only worried about me. Just like Brett was with Michael. I was too hard on him. Although I need to talk to him about why he didn’t answer the phone. I’m not okay with him giving me the silent treatment.
My tiger pushes me to forget the phone and go find him. More insistent now than she has been over the past few days. She’s been growing more frantic, more on edge, more desperate to seek him out. I’d pushed her back into that box she spent so long in, but she doesn’t want to stay there anymore. Maybe I should just tell Brett about Ryan. Then at least I can ask him about the mate bond and how to settle my tiger. But just as I’m about to turn back toward him, a damp cloth is pressed to my mouth, and my tiger springs to life, slashing out with claws and teeth.
I can’t tell who is behind me, just that he’s strong. I can’t smell anything other than the harsh burn of chemicals. My claws connect, slicing through skin and hitting bone, but my movements are sloppy.
My strength fails, and my speed slows to a halt. Black encroaches on my vision as panic surges in my chest. I hold my breath, trying not to inhale any more of the noxious fumes. More hands are on me as my mind spins, desperately grasping for any way to free myself. Any way to escape the impending oblivion of unconsciousness.
I twist and push, but it’s no use. The fight is over. I’ve lost. Darkness takes hold, and I’m gone before I can even think of a way out.
Chapter Forty-One
Ryan
My wolf stumbles into a clearing and collapses onto the ground. My paws are bleeding, and deep gashes run along my underbelly. Other wolves circle me. I don’t know who, and I don’t care. They’re here to end me, and I’m ready to let them.
