“Yikes. Don’t want that.” She smiled at Brayden playfully.
Was sheflirtingwith him? My bestie and I needed to have a little talk later. I had dibs on Brayden.
Unless of course she was Lena, then I’d have to slink away into the shadows and hate my life.
And why was he saying Silas wouldthinkshe was Wren, like she wasn’t? Brayden clearly thought Leah was Lena because she had all of these memories. My mood suddenly soured, but I knew I had to be there for my bestie and not let her go alone to meet the Elder Fae.
“Greywolves are—” I started and Leah waved me off.
“Maddy told me everything. This is so awesome,” she squealed.
Wow. Leah was everything I wasn’t in that department. She was taking this in stride when in the same situation I’d already been trying to flee who I thought were my kidnappers. I guess it helped that I was here, and not to mention she’d seen me shift out front with Silas.
“Hey.” I looked at her, remembering how she’d shot one of Silas’ cronies to keep me from being abducted.
She looked up at me.
“Thanks for having my back,” I told her. “With those other wolves.”
She nodded. “Always.”
TEN
It was a silent car ride to the broken-down cabin that served as a front to the portal that held the Elder Fae’s prison. We took Leah’s vehicle, which was a large SUV. Brayden drove with my best friend in shotgun. Leah was all wide-eyed and rosy cheeked when Brayden explained everything to her about the Elder Fae. He hadn’t explained crap to me, just threw me into the belly of the wolf, but Leah was getting the five-star treatment. The Amorak had texted Brayden that Leah was his wolf without needing a hearing, so that was the only good thing to come of this.
Awesome. Not jealous at all.
“I’ll wait out here,” Maddy said, picking up a long stick and leaning against Leah’s SUV as she drew in the mud.
Lucky.
I slammed the door a little harder than intended and gained a raised eyebrow from Brayden. Clearing my throat, I whisked past him and linked arms with Leah.
Mine,I thought to him, hoping he got the point.Back off my bestie until we know if she’s your mate or your sister-in-law.
After that thought, I stilled. “Can I speak into your mind?” I asked him over my shoulder.
He shook his head. “One way radio. Alphas only.”
Phew.
“What do you mean?” Leah asked.
He must have said something into her mind, because her face lit up. “Cool.”
Well, there was solace in the fact that he couldn’t hear my every thought.
Once we got inside, Leah scrunched her nose, lifting her shirt up to cover her mouth.
“That’s the lamp.” I flicked my gaze to the side table and Leah’s eyes widened. Brayden had told her what touching the lamp would do in the car and then she’d proceeded to ask five million questions about it.
I stepped over to it and then looked up as Brayden crossed the room. He was watching me curiously, eyes going from Leah to me and back to her, and my heart ached a little for him. It must be awful not knowing which one of us was his soulmate. I needed to be more compassionate. I’d always been hotheaded and impulsive.
And I saw him first dammit.
Brayden stepped in front of Leah and I, dwarfing us with his large frame, and then reached out, asking for our hands.
With delicate fingers, Leah slid her hand into his and it took every ounce of control I had not to growl and smack it away. I didn’t know what had gotten into me, but ever since Leah showed up, I was feeling all kinds of possessive rage. I cleared my throat and laid my hand on top of theirs as Brayden’s thumb came over the top, pressing into my skin.
