An Alpha's Choice (Talon Pack #2)(21)

And now, to ensure Finn was safe.

Damn it.

She didn’t want that last one, but it seemed her wolf wouldn’t let her out of it. “Finn.”

He looked up at her for a moment, his wolf in his eyes before he blinked it away. “I’m fine.” He kept his voice light, and she knew it was for the benefit of the little girl in his arms. “And so is Lacey. Right, honey?”

Lacey nodded, completely enraptured by the perfect specimen that was Finn. Brynn couldn’t blame the little girl. She was pretty sure her face had looked like that once or twice—wide eyes and her mouth agape, even with a slight blush on her cheeks.

“Lacey!” The same mother who had looked so scared of Brynn before ran toward the group of them, tears running down her cheeks. “Baby!”

“She’s okay, ma’am,” Finn said softly, his voice gruff. “The car never touched her. I promise you.”

“I don’t hurt, Mommy. It was like a hug.”

The mom pulled her daughter close, her gaze darting over the little girl’s body. “I…I…”

A siren pierced the distance. “I think that’s an ambulance coming,” Brynn added in. The mother looked at her quickly, then back at her daughter. Brynn didn’t blame the woman for wanting to keep her eyes on Lacey at all times. That had been too close for comfort. “We can have her checked out just in case.”

“Thank you,” the mother whispered. “Thank you for saving my baby. She just ran out into the street, and that car came out of nowhere.”

Brynn met Finn’s gaze. The car that had hit him and proceeded to drive away hadn’t been there by accident. She’d seen the driver and his passenger. The familiar faces of the men who had accosted them before burned bright in her mind. Lacey had almost died because she’d been in the wrong place at the wrong time. If she hadn’t darted out into the street when she had, the car would have kept going and would have plowed into Brynn and Finn. Of course, they would have jumped out of the way, and with their shifter reflexes should have probably been fine, but it was still scary.

And ominous.

Those men had tried to kill them, and she only knew they hated her and Finn for being wolves. That kind of bigotry wasn’t new, but it was getting more and more dangerous to be outside the den.

Not good for what she and Finn were trying to accomplish with being out in public like they were.

Brynn moved closer to Finn, her hand out for him. He put his palm to hers and stood in one swift move. She knew he could have gotten up on his own, but he’d let her help him. That was no small feat for such a dominant wolf. It just showed her she didn’t know Finn at all. He had a few gashes on his face and he’d shredded part of his right arm and leg, but it was already healing. She met his gaze and he nodded. They needed to get out of there before people truly saw him heal. Sure, humans knew part of the mystery of wolves, but the two of them didn’t need to put on a show. Well, any more than they already had.

People had shot video of the accident, she was sure of it, as she’d felt the cameras on them when they’d just been standing outside the alley. Animals outside the zoo were much more interesting to look at than trying to hunt for dens that humans had once hidden from.

“Thank you,” the mother said softly, her gaze intently on Finn. Others came toward them even as the paramedics looked Lacey over. The police were looking around and would be asking questions soon. Brynn recognized two of the officers as pro-shifter so she knew they wouldn’t be detained. It might not have been her or Finn behind the wheel, but it wasn’t that far-fetched that others would want to blame the two of them for the hit and run. After all, the humans driving the car had been out for Finn and Brynn, she was sure of it.

“Thank you for saving my daughter,” the mother said again, tears in her voice.

Finn nodded, his face solemn. “I’m glad I could help.”

A paramedic looked toward Finn and raised a brow. “You need a bandage for that?” the man asked, curiosity in his tone.

Brynn stepped forward, holding out her hand. “That would be great. I’ll help him though so you can take care of the little girl.” She met the man’s eyes then purposely looked around them. They’d gathered a crowd, and while the Packs had wanted them to blend in, this wasn’t the best way to do it.

“Sure. No problem.” The paramedic handed her a few bandages and shrugged. She wasn’t sure that was going with protocol, but she didn’t care. Not when Finn was still bleeding and she needed to get them both out of there. Now.

“Thanks.” She turned to Finn. “Ready?” One of the cops nodded at her and she sighed. “Let’s get this over with.”

Finn tilted his head, and she knew he was confused. She couldn’t act on character because she didn’t know how to act around him. He was hurt, and she needed to take care of him. But she also couldn’t show that she needed that. It was a mess, and now she had to play nice for the humans.

Things had gone to hell, and it was only the beginning.

And for some reason, she felt like it would always be the beginning. At least until something happened that made more than one wolf bleed.

And when that day came, she wasn’t sure what she would do.





Chapter Seven


Finn ran a hand over his face, wincing when a twinge ached across his side. He’d almost fully healed by the time he and Brynn had left the curious cops and bystanders and made their way back to the respective dens. He just had a few bruises that would take a couple of days to go away. His healing worked on the major things first, then the smaller ones—a perk of being a wolf.