An Alpha's Choice (Talon Pack #2)(10)

It made no sense.

She’d been too good at hiding her feelings, she knew that. But she’d always done that. When her father had almost killed her, she’d done her best not to cry. Because if she cried, it would have only made him happier and hurt her brothers and cousins at the same time. So she’d held it all in, even when she was dying inside. And now she was doing it all again because she didn’t want the others to know the one man who could have been hers didn’t feel the same way.

She’d been alive long enough to think she might never find a mate, and when she finally had, he didn’t reciprocate, didn’t show her a damn thing. Son of a bitch. She hated that she let Finn do this to her. So what if he was the sexiest man she’d ever met? So what if he held enough dominance that he’d be able to take her in bed? He’d be able to f*ck her hard into the mattress and not wince when her claws dug into his back. He’d ride her like a f*cking cowboy and keep her sated.

She gritted her teeth. It wasn’t as if she needed a man to f*ck her hard. She could give herself an orgasm just fine. In fact, that’s all she’d been doing for way too f*cking long.

The sexual tension riding her probably wasn’t helping the situation with the Redwoods and humans, but damn it, it was all Finn’s fault. Everything was Finn’s fault.

And now she sounded like a whiny little teenager instead of an adult woman with enough strength to kill a man with one hand.

Damn it.

She pulled her hand out of the wall and flexed her fingers. Thankfully, she didn’t think anything was broken. She was not in the mood to deal with Walker, the Pack’s Healer and another of her brothers, if she’d f*cked her hand up. He’d have questions, and the man had a way of getting answers out of her even when she’d rather remain silent. He saw right through her. Hell, all her brothers and cousins did. Mitchell and Max may not be her brothers, but they’d been raised in the same fire and brimstone she had. They’d been by her side during the internal wars and struggles that had led them to where they were today.

She flexed her hand once more and closed her eyes, knowing she needed to keep her mind out of the past and even off the bleak future. It might kill her with each step, each breath, to be by Finn’s side and not be able to do a single thing about her need for him, but she’d get over it. She had to. There was no other choice.

A soft knock on the door broke through her pity party and she inhaled, holding back a curse at the owner of the scent.

Of course, it would be Brie at her door. It wouldn’t be anyone else. It had to be the cousin and one of the best friends of the man on her mind. Brie was her Alpha’s mate, her Alpha female. And a freaking submissive wolf, who saw far too much with those eyes of hers.

Brynn took a deep breath and made her way to the door, opening it as she tried to keep her face neutral. Showing her internal struggle wouldn’t help anyone. She couldn’t let Brie know what was going on inside her head, couldn’t let the world know. Because if she did, then it would be real. Then Finn would know he’d hurt her just by not acknowledging her.

He didn’t have the right to know he’d hurt her.

A snarl slipped through her lips and Brie’s eyes widened.

Way to go with the whole looking neutral and natural thing.

“Is everything okay?” Brie asked. The other woman shook her head. “Of course, it’s not okay. I’m here because I know something’s off with you, Brynn. Gideon told me to leave it alone, but he doesn’t know me well at all if he thinks I’m just going to sit back when I know something is wrong.” Brie crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head. “Now, are you going to invite me in so we can talk about it? Or are you going to let me ramble on out here on your porch where anyone can come up and hear what I’m saying?”

Brynn couldn’t help it. She laughed. “I swear, sometimes you’re like a puppy, not a wolf.”

Brie flashed a smile that turned into a slight snarl. “Don’t mess with me, Brynn. I might be little, but I bite. Hard. Just ask Gideon.”

Brynn stood back, her body shaking. “Please don’t talk about biting my brother like that again. I’m going to have nightmares now, thinking of him and you doing…things.” She shuddered again. “Nope. Not going there. It’s bad enough I have to watch him watch you like you’re a baby lamb going off to slaughter.”

Brie snorted and sat on Brynn’s couch. “I don’t think he looks at me like I’m a baby lamb. More like a piece of candy he can’t wait to unwrap and suck on.”

Brynn held out her hands. “No. For the love of the goddess. Please stop.”

“You started it.”

“And you finished it well enough so we never have to talk about biting, sucking, or unwrapping again.” Despite herself, Brynn laughed. Brie had a way about her that settled Brynn’s wolf just by being near her. It was mostly because Brie was submissive, but Brynn had a feeling it would be the case even if Brie were a dominant wolf.

Brynn sank onto the couch next to Brie, knowing that she had to keep her emotions in check. Being too emotional wouldn’t do any good. So what if she was dying inside? She had a job to do. A job that included working side by side with the one wolf who could hurt her just by breathing.

Easy.

“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” Brie asked, their moment of levity over.