Brianna just stood to the side, and Violet pushed her toward the house. “No, Vi. This is Brandon. I told him we found the cure.”“You talk with him through your mind?”“Yes, we’ve done it since we were kids.”“That is astounding. I’ve never heard of a wolf having telepathic abilities outside the mate bond before.”“I guess we are rare. They said wolves never had twins before, either.”Brandon scolded her for telling their secret, and Brianna just smirked. How else could she explain his sudden appearance?Brandon was getting impatient. ‘Give me the pods so I can make the cure.’‘You have to shift. Violet says every part of the plant is poisonous and putting it in your mouth might kill you before you can help your friend.’‘Place it in a bag and wrap it around my body. Hurry Brianna. We do not have time. She might die and I can’t—’Brianna ran into the house and found a kid’s backpack. She emptied its contents and hurried to gather some of the pods, a few of the leaves, and the flowers,
Marina woke up in the comfort of her bedroom a few days later, weak and thirsty. A glass of water sat on her bedside table, and she gulped the liquid greedily, spilling some of its contents down her sleeping gown.She sat up in bed and wondered how she got there. The last thing she remembered was running through the forest and crying her eyes out. She had eaten the berries by the riverbed and asked for death to take her, so when the hooded figure appeared, she was sure all her problems were gone. It was death, come to take her home.Marina laid back down and screamed at the top of her lungs. She stomped on the bed and used both fists to pound on the soft cushion like a child throwing a tantrum.She was mad that even death wouldn’t allow her the peace she wanted, so she blamed other people. Why me? I wanted to die. This is all Brianna’s fault. That bitch keeps interfering with my life.And the first thing she did after taking a shower and hatching out her plan was to call Seth.“I s
Momentary silence…then angry growls erupted around her. Bree tried to reach for Bran through their link, but all she felt was fear. The terror she felt from her brother had been too great. It consumed her as well. She did not know what was happening, but if Bran was scared, it meant something horrifying was happening. He was the bravest person and feared nothing, so she knew to keep quiet instead of crying out for help.Heavy footsteps thudded closer to her location, and Brianna strained to see what made the sounds. Labored breathing told her they were closer. Sitting upside down distorted her perception, but a window to the left that remained uncrushed offered her the opportunity to see the feet of an animal twice the size of any regular dog she’d seen. It had such enormous claws that Brianna almost let out a scream.‘Bran, I’m scared.’ She cried to him as her body shook in fear. ‘Close your eyes, Bree. It’ll be over soon.’She could feel the end coming. The wolves she saw in the
Brandon woke up the next day with his back touching a mattress so soft he thought he was dreaming. It had been a while since he slept indoors. He was sure it was a trick his mind was playing on him.Bran was weighed down by several blankets to keep the cold away and as he peeled them off slowly, he noticed the scents of the items around the room reminded him of home. He hadn’t expected to stay in his human form, but after his drastic shift, it became difficult to switch back. Thorne had warned him not to interfere. But the thought of leaving a human in need felt wrong.He only had to think of Brianna lying alone in the woods and his protective instincts kicked in.Bran remembered visiting this human in her dreams repeatedly, giving him another reason to help.He could feel the sorrow and the pain she felt, and he wondered if he was empathetic towards her because he had felt the same feelings while growing up. While in school, he felt lost and alone, despite being among people he thou
Brandon couldn’t walk out of the cabin even if he wanted to. It had been a struggle to keep his wolf form, and he doubted he could even walk upright since he remembered crawling most of the way to get to the cabin.Every muscle in his body was tingling and his bones felt weak, making him wonder how he helped the woman the last few days when he couldn’t even move.Then he remembered he had been handling the Calabar beans without gloves and had been inhaling the fumes every time he brewed the tea.He heard Violet mention it was poisonous, and he did not heed her warnings about brewing the tea in an open area to have the least amount of contact with the poison.The effect on him had been gradual, given that he was also a werewolf whose body could heal itself. But over time, and with no sustenance to replenish the energy used to flush it out of his system, the poison stayed in his body longer.It was Brianna who figured out what was making him weak when he was unresponsive after two days
“Come, the food is ready.” Brutus was in charge of the barbecue and as he opened the cover for the grill, the glorious smell of roasting meat made Brandon’s stomach grumble.It had been days since he last ate. He doesn’t even know how long he’s had grilled meat and hearing the fat sizzling on the hot red coals made him salivate. The men around him laughed, but his attention was focused on the darkened slab of ribs Brutus took out, and seeing his hungry expression, the pack enforcer did not hesitate to give him the first serving. “Hmm…” Brandon closed his eyes as he savored the meat melting in his mouth. The sauce dripped down his fingers and he licked it off clean, not caring that people were watching.Slice after slice of meat appeared in front of him together with potatoes, cobs of corn, and several pieces of bread, and Bran gobbled them all up like the starving man that he was.“Save some for us,” Rick joked after seeing Brandon had stopped growling and slowing down. “I’m sorry,
“What do you think you’re doing?” Two arms grabbed Marina’s shoulder and shoved her against the tree. “Brandon was showing interest. Why did you run away?”“Brandon? He’s not interested in me.”“Of course, he is smitten, sweetheart. He followed you in here, didn’t he?”“What do you want me to do, poison him in the middle of his party?”“Didn’t know you had brains in there.” “Do you want me to get killed? There is no way you are getting out of Silvercreek without having the entire pack after you. They’re the golden kids right now. People are watching them.”“Better you than me, my little pet.” He said, kissing her cheek and making her shudder. “But you are right. We can’t have the entire cavalry after us.”“Do your job right and I might bestow upon you the pleasure I reserve for my princess. It’ll be shameful not to share my skills when I have a lot to offer.”Marina wanted to gag. Sleeping with Seth was not a gift, it was a curse. She would rather die than suffer in his hands ever ag
The next day, Brandon woke up early. He could feel the chill in the air, and for once, he was glad to be indoors when winter came upon them. He could not believe the seasons were changing so fast, and in a few months, snow would cover the entire state.The nights were cold enough that lighting up the fireplace to keep the entire cabin warm was acceptable, and he liked that. It made him remember the times they went on trips with their parents.Being so young, the twins did not know that they had been searching for a place to live every time they went on family camping trips. None of their memories during that time came back completely, but there were glimpses of happy times.Bran was a werewolf, thick with fur and full of body heat, and though his temperature ran high while in his wolf form, he was still half-human. And being human meant it was not enjoyable to sleep outdoors on the cold, wet ground. He could not understand why it was taking too long for him to regain his strength.
“We’re leaving,” Brandon declared when the buzzing of conversations around them continued. Pack members introduced themselves and found something interesting to talk about. Each group cautiously treaded the waters to see if the intention behind the visit was real.The Silvercreek pack alpha was cautious. They’ve had visits from other groups before wanting to take over their land, and most of them came with good intentions, only to betray them when they slept.Bree needed a break. She was more reserved than Grayson, and having too many werewolves she didn’t know made her feel uneasy.“So soon?” Bree asked, looking over at Marina and noticing she looked agitated.‘What’s wrong with her?’ She asks Bran through their twin telepathy and nods in Marina’s direction.‘She has a name.’ Bran sounded offended, but Bree just smirked.‘Whatever. Why does she look like she’s about to throw up?’‘She’s not pregnant if that is what you’re asking.’‘It’s not, and that is good to know, but her eyes ar
Marina’s mouth shaped an O as she glared at Bran. ‘Are you kidding me? I’m not sleeping with you in a house full of werewolves. They’ll hear what we’re doing.’Bran smiled, lifted her chin to close her mouth, and kissed her cheek. He was getting bolder with his actions. ‘I didn’t say anything about sleeping together in my bed, but sure, we can do that too.’‘You’re horrible,’ Marina blushed. Obviously, she was getting ahead of herself and didn’t even know if Bran wanted the same thing she did. Sure, he held her close with all the male werewolves around trying to check her out, but that meant nothing. He could be like any other male staking his claim when other men were about.Bran grinned and his eyes lit up. ‘Not funny!’ She added, even though her smile said something different. His smile alone melted her resolve. Marina stopped talking to Bran when Grayson spoke. Bran held her close as she faced the alpha and the visitor.Tension was so thick it could be felt in the air, thus push
“Hey, Marg,” Bran and Marina enter the bar, followed by ten of their new friends. “Can you give my new friends their first drink and charge it on my tab.”Marg raised her brow. “Friends of yours?” She was suspicious. Since when did Brandon have friends the pack didn’t know about?She tried to catch Marina’s attention, but the younger woman escaped to the ladies’ room. Who were these people and why were there so many of them? Why did they come?Are they here for peace or to cause problems?These are just some of the questions she needed answered. However, it was not her place to confront the individuals involved.Marg sent a message to Grayson through the pack link to alert him of the newcomers. Ten werewolves on a motorcycle can mean anything, and she wanted to err on the side of caution.Several minutes later, Grayson and Brianna appear at the bar as if they came casually. Like they were out on a date and had come to the pub for drinks.The jukebox was blaring an old song about the
“Brandon! Get out of the way! A truck is coming.” She yells while pulling him toward the trees. But Brandon did not budge and kept his ground. He did not want to confront the creature lurking behind the shadows unless necessary.It was too late, Marina thought. When the truck hit the rock, the momentum would crumple the vehicle and them at the same time. She did not want to lose Bran to an accident they could have prevented, so she decided to stay with him. Better die together than cry because of his loss.‘It’s okay. It’s not a truck.’ He communicated through their link as the lights came closer, halting a couple of feet before the rock, the sound of machinery louder than before.His range to hear and see things around him was more enhanced than Marina’s because of his alpha blood. So he knew way before she did that it wasn’t a big vehicle that was approaching.“Need help there young werewolf?” A deep voice boomed behind the light and Marina’s eyes widened in fear as she scented at l
Inside the vehicle, Marina could not sit still. How did Seth know where she was, and how did he know she would be on a date with Brandon?Brandon asked her about a song and she said yes instead of telling him she’d heard it before. She could not focus. Seth just thanked her for luring Brandon away from the pack and threatened to kill him.Marina needed all her faculties to detect any coming danger, so she tuned Bran out, slid the windows down, and listened to the sounds outside.They were halfway to the border between Silvercreek and the next town when her fears finally manifested.She saw glimpses of a werewolf running alongside their car hidden behind the treeline. He was running so fast she could hear him grunting as he ran. Like in a horror film, the hair on her arms stood on end and she knew it was only a matter of minutes before they met this wolf in person.The action was easy to miss by a regular human, but since she had enhanced hearing and could see in the dark, she was su
Marina walked down the stairs, and Brandon couldn’t help but hold his breath. He always knew she was beautiful, but with minimal makeup and her hair down, she looked younger.The thick foundation, black eyeliner, and red lipstick she wore most of the time made her look more mature, hiding her soft, smooth skin. Having all that armor made him wonder what she wanted to hide under all that facade.“You look so—” Brandon hesitated. He had no words to describe her.“I need to change.” Marina felt conscious and retreated up the steps, but before she could reach the top, Bran’s arm shot out to stop her.“You don’t,” he said after pulling her to his chest, lifting her off the ground and making her feet dangle.His face was positioned right on top of the V of her neckline, and he gave her a naughty smile. “I like this view too.” His eyes lowered, and she covered her breasts with her hands.“Let me go. This is inappropriate.”“Okay, I will let you go if you promise not to change. I like your o
The answer was yes. She wanted to have sex with Bran, to risk the wrath of their alpha and his mate, to try her chance at happiness. If she would get exiled, why not for her happiness? But now was not the right time and place, not at the barracks, where it felt impersonal and hurried.‘Let’s go on a date first, like you suggested.’ Brandon groaned silently against her neck, but the rumble in his chest told her how disappointed he felt.‘Then we can do all this and more after the… third date?’‘Third date?’ He whined through their link, yet his hand never stopped moving.‘Isn’t that the norm?’‘How about I show you what I can do with my mouth now?’‘Oh…’ How was she supposed to say no when his hands alone brought her to her knees? ‘I have no doubt it’ll be—aghhh…good—aghhh… Brandon, don’t stop.’ Marina fused their lips and clutched his hair as the feeling in her core intensified. There was no sound anyone could hear, but Bran could feel what she did through their link. She was about t
The couple awoke in the dark at the same time, clothes covering their bodies, and sweat running down their backs. They were back at the barracks on the bed they slept in, arms wrapped around each other.The dream had been so real he felt the slickness when their naked bodies glided against each other. He was having an erotic dream about Marina and he wondered if he walked into her dream or if he dragged her into his.Bran looked into Marina’s eyes as she rubbed their legs together, noticing they were clouded. Was she still asleep? Should he wake her up?He sniffed the air and scented her arousal. It was a big possibility that they had just shared every part of his sexually charged dream.‘What were you dreaming about?’ He touched the tip of their noses together and asked through their link. Her answer would mean she was awake.Marina shook her head. She had to erase the image of Bran covering her with his naked body. The dream was too racy to be shared.‘You were there.’ He captured h
Bran was in the shadows listening to their conversation, so when Marina stepped out to head to the barracks, he surprised her by appearing out of nowhere.“Is that true?” He asked.“What is true?” Marina feigned ignorance.“That you were in love with him before?” She walked away before speaking.“It was a childhood crush. He was the only handsome guy in town, so it was only right that every girl in this area was infatuated with him.”“And now?”“Now…” She looked over at Bran and smirked. “I have to check my options. Let me look at your face and check if you’re handsome enough.”Bran grabbed her arm and pulled her to his chest. “Are looks really that important?” He asked while tipping up her chin. He wanted to stare into her eyes while she gave her answer.“Yes... No...”“Are you saying you’d settle because there’s no one else but me?” Marina raised her brow as if insulted.“I have standards.”“And I’m below that?” Brandon wasn’t vain. He had no delusions he was handsome but didn’t thi