“But it’s still in your veins,” Walker sighed. “And that’s why there are threats.”
Charlotte growled. “Then fucking do something about it.”
Bram knew he was going to cross a line with what he was about to say, but this man, this Shane could be his mate, and he was damned if he’d see others hurt him.
“Then let us bring him into the Redwood Pack. Finn will blood bond him in, and we’ll protect him if you can’t. We already have demons in our Pack. We can handle anything.”
Charlotte gave him a wide-eyed looked that matched Shane’s.
This time, it was Walker who growled. “We can fucking protect him, damn it. It’s much more complicated than that.” He looked over at Shane, who gave him a nod. Apparently, the other man already knew this next part. “He hasn’t shifted yet, so we don’t know what that will do to him or the Pack bonds.” Walker met Charlotte’s eyes, then Bram’s. “And Gideon thinks Shane can’t leave the Talon Pack and join the Redwoods.” A meaningful pause. “Ever.”
Charlotte sucked in a gasp, and Bram reached out instinctively to grip her shoulder. It was the only thing he could do then when his own world had been rocked. Beyond the idea that the blood in Shane’s veins could hold the chemicals that humans could use to make wolves, there was something much more going on. When wolves mated outside their Pack, they had to choose which Pack to join, some leaving behind their old Pack. For most, it was an easier decision because one wolf would have a stronger place within their respective Pack.
If Shane couldn’t leave the Talons and the three of them ended up mating, Bram and Charlotte would have to leave the Redwood Pack. The Pack he had grown up in. The Pack that had taken Charlotte in when she’d had no one. He would no longer be the Alpha’s enforcer, and Charlotte would no longer have the close bonds with her family.
It seemed the moon goddess and fate had once more thrown a wrench into their plans…if they had any additional plans at all.
Walker slid a hand over his head. “I’ll try to get him a place to stay.” He looked over at Shane. “You shouldn’t have to be stuck with me day in and day out.”
Shane frowned. “I’d like a…home. I haven’t had one since I was a teenager.” He shrugged. “Barracks don’t really count, you know?” He looked over at Bram and Charlotte. “Are you two ever going to tell me why you calm me? Or why you’re helping me so much? Or is this just going to be another secret?” He paused. “Why do I feel this…connection between the three of us? Is it just my wolf?” He gave a hollow laugh. “So many questions, and yet I don’t think I’m going to get any answers today.”
Bram shook his head. “Heal first. Answers later.”
Shane let out a growl but didn’t say anything. Bram wasn’t sure he had the answers anyway. Things were getting more and more complicated, and that was just things with the three of them. Soon, they’d have to deal with the rest of the world.
And Bram was afraid that was where things would truly go to hell.
PARKER
Parker inhaled the crisp mountain air that had been part of him for so long. He was home. Finally. He’d been away from the Redwoods for years, at first laying the groundwork for peace within the multiple Packs around the country, then forced to put the plans into action once the Unveiling hit.
He hadn’t been fully successful, but he knew there was a chance the wolves could come together as one against the humans if that ever came to fruition. The problem with how things were now, however, was that though the Redwoods and Talons were on the same page, none of the other Packs were. They were either in hiding or wanting to go about things differently.
It was Parker’s job to find middle ground. It wasn’t easy, and he was freaking exhausted. But now he was home for a little while, and he could see his family. He’d missed new matings, birthdays, and devastating loss.
He was home.
He just hoped he could do some good with the time he’d spent outside the den walls.
Exhaustion crept into his bones, and he really needed a nap—a nap that lasted forty hours. He’d met with every single Alpha in the US and in Europe. He hadn’t been able to meet with any of the others, as they were even more shrouded in secrecy than the wolves here. He didn’t know if he’d done any good, but no matter what, he knew something would have to happen soon. The tension within each Pack was at an all-time high, and he could even feel it within the bonds to his own Pack.