Page 50 of The Enforcers: NOAH

“Deal,” he said. “And thanks.” He paused, then added, “But just so you know, I’m not licking your boots.”

Flynn gave a short laugh. “I don’t want your doggy tongue on any part of me, Wolf Man.”

Noah looked out the window again at the crazy shed. The white wolf had rushed the grizzly, and he’d shifted and was restraining him in a huge bear hug, blood dripping onto his fur from where the wolf was clawing at him.

The bear dropped the wolf and shoved him into the corner, still snarling, and then backed off and shifted back to human. Noah could hear the low rumble of his voice, talking soothingly to Tristan.

He turned to Flynn. “What’s wrong with the wolf?”

Flynn rubbed his hair, lines of remembered pain etching his face. For a minute Noah thought he wasn’t going to answer.

Finally he said, “They were trying to train us into conditioned responses,” he said. “Tris was already broken, and he ended up locked in human form. You know how that is, though—the longer he goes without shifting, the crazier he gets. And it makes him physically sick, too.”

He sighed. “When it gets really bad, something will trigger him and he panic shifts. It’s only happened twice, and both times we almost didn’t get him back. The last time we couldn’t even keep him in the crazy shed; he just kept throwing himself at the wall over and over until we had to let him out. Tank ended up following him through the woods for days, keeping him out of trouble, smacking him around until he came to his senses. It almost killed him too, being a bear that long.”

Flynn shook his head. “If Tris can’t get back this time, I’m probably going to have to put him down. And I don’t know what’s going to happen to Tank if I do.”

Fuck. Noah’s heart went out to Flynn, trying to hold this mess together. And he’d been feeling sorry for himself because he’d lost his job and been sentenced to a cushy life in a mansion, with no responsibilities and all the comforts of a five-star hotel, plus free meals and a fully stocked minibar.

And a few guys who called him names and tried to bleed him every now and then. Big fucking deal.

“Actually,” he said, “that’s one thing I might be able to help you with—or at least, Silverlake might. There are a couple of people there who have some mind-healing mojo. They might be able to do something for Tristan.”

Flynn eyed him suspiciously. “And what would they want in return? What does Jesse Travis want with Tris?”

Noah hesitated. He wasn’t supposed to talk about this to anybody but Tristan, but if it turned out Tristan wasn’t capable of making his own decisions, Flynn was the closest thing he had to an alpha.

“It’s not really Jesse that’s looking for him,” Noah said. “It’s the pack’s Second, Rafe Connors. They think your white wolf might be related to his mate.”

Flynn pushed off the window sill and went back to the couch, settling into the cushions. “Tris never said anything about having family. What makes them think that?”

Noah said, “If you saw Terin, you wouldn’t ask. Long white-blond hair, fine-boned…I’ve seen video of Tristan, and they could be fucking twins.”

Flynn tilted his head. “Lots of people look alike.”

They didn’t look like Terin and Tristan, though. Put some pointed ears on them, and they could be cast as elves in a Lord of the Rings movie. But there was more.

Noah said, “Terin’s a white wolf.”

Flynn stopped with his glass of whiskey halfway to his mouth.

“Shit.”

“Yeah.”

Flynn said, “So, she missing a brother? Or a cousin? Who do they think he is?”

“Well, that’s the problem,” Noah said. “She doesn’t know. Terin’s memory is a complete blank beyond about ten years ago, when she was found injured in the woods by a human survivalist in the Idaho mountains.”

Flynn let out a low whistle. “That’s fucked up.”

“Yeah. So you can see why she wants to talk to Tristan. If he knows who she really is…”

“Ah, fuck,” Flynn said. He sat for a moment, elbows on his knees, thinking.

Noah gave him time.

“Okay,” Flynn said finally. “When you talk to Silverlake tomorrow, tell them about Tristan. If they can help him get over the crazies, it’s more than I can do. And if he has family, he should know about them.”

He shook his big head. “I’d be really, really happy not to have to put him down.”