“Ryder?”
He froze at the sound of Brynn’s voice, then shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He’d been so stuck in his own mind, he’d almost passed Brynn’s place. Or rather, her old place. He guessed she was living with the Redwoods now, with her new mate. He wasn’t sure what they’d do with her place since it was mostly empty except for a few pieces of furniture. With the Pack on lockdown behind the wards thanks to the hate crimes and the uncertainty of their future, space was hard to come by. He was sure Mitchell, his cousin and Beta of the Pack, had a plan. That was his job, after all—to take care of the daily needs of the Pack while Gideon and Ryder dealt with the more harrowing jobs.
Though it seemed like Gideon was the one doing that more recently, with Ryder standing behind, trying to figure it all out.
You’re nothing. Nothing. Just a waste of space. Not a true Heir.
He pushed aside the familiar diatribe echoing in his head. He didn’t have time for that; didn’t have time for anything.
“Sorry, Brynn,” Ryder finally said as he turned to face his sister fully. “Too much going on in my head.”
She studied his face, seemed to see far more than she should have. “Is it the girl? Is she okay?”
His wolf nudged him at the mention of Leah, but again, he ignored it. “She’s fine.” At least, he hoped she’d be. He wasn’t sure if anyone could ever be fine after that.
He looked over his shoulder as people slowed to overhear their conversation. While the others of the Pack would know about Leah soon enough, he needed to make sure his family was kept up-to-date first, before there was an issue.
“Gideon wants a family meeting,” he said before he said too much more.
Brynn nodded with understanding. “Gideon and Brie’s place?”
“As always.” With that, he turned and made his way to the Alpha’s home, messaging the others as he did. For some reason, he’d wanted to tell Brynn beforehand—probably because she’d been the one to find Leah in the first place.
Brie was already at the front door when he made it to the porch, her arms wide. He let her wrap herself around him and he tugged her close for a hug. There wasn’t anything sexual about it; this was his brother’s mate and his wolf’s Alpha. But even with all of that, it was her submissive nature that his wolf needed more than anything right then. Her wolf soothed the beast, reaching out to comfort while others needed to protect. She was perfect for the highly dominant Gideon, even if it hadn’t seemed so at first.
“I have food on the table and drinks are in the fridge,” Brie said into his chest.
Ryder kissed the top of her head and let her go. “Just because you’re the Alpha’s wife, doesn’t mean you have to cook for us.”
She rolled her eyes and patted him on his stomach. “I didn’t. It’s leftovers from one of the maternals. I was working with the other submissives today and didn’t have time to cook. But since I made it home first, I figured I’d set out a spread. I’m not the baker my mother is, so it takes me extra time to make it as good as I want it.”
“You’re a bad liar,” Ryder said as he followed her to the large dining room. It was open to the living room so everyone could grab some food and then sink into the large cushions on the couch or armchairs and talk about what needed to come next. “You’re just as good as your mother.” Willow Jamenson, Brie’s mother, had been a bakery owner in her human life years ago and even ran a new bakery on Redwood Pack land now. Brie had learned from her mother and treated the Talons on occasion.
Brie just shrugged and handed him a stuffed mushroom. “Eat. You look like hell.” She met his eyes. “Gideon called. Told me about Leah.”
He met her gaze and cooled his features.
She let out a sigh. “If you want to talk, Ryder. I’m here. I’m always here.”
“Thanks for the mushroom.” He stuffed it in his mouth before she could question him further. Or before he said something he didn’t want to share.
The others came into the house, saving him from Brie’s stare. Gideon walked in first, his attention on his mate. He wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her off her feet, bringing his lips to hers. They kissed like no one was watching, and Ryder had to look away before even he blushed. The two had been mated a year and acted as if they had just found one another. With all the time the two spent wrapped around each other, Ryder was surprised Brie hadn’t ended up pregnant yet. Though he had a feeling the two were waiting until they had more time under their belts…as well as a more definite idea of what their future would be.