An Alpha's Choice (Talon Pack #2)(32)

The wards provided the last set of protections for their people, so he wouldn’t begrudge it. If they didn’t have them, then there would be no barrier between them and the humans. And until the wolves knew exactly what the humans were going to do, then the wards would be needed. The magic kept humans out; not animals or weather. It even let trees grow and seed on either side. It only kept those that would—or could—harm them away.

Brandon, Mitchell, and Kameron stood near the entrance, each of them glaring at Finn. Nothing new considering the three of them weren’t too keen on their family member spending so much time with a rival male wolf. Brandon and Kameron were two of the triplets but were easy to tell apart considering one was the Omega while the other the Enforcer. Brandon exuded a sense of calm about him because that was his duty and the way of his wolf. Kameron was the Enforcer and looked the part. The Enforcer’s job was to protect the Pack from outside forces. They were stronger than most wolves and could sense danger from outside the den walls. Their bonds to the Pack were a form of warning beacon that allowed Kameron to do what he could to save his Pack from a battle before it happened. Finn wasn’t sure he’d ever seen the man smile. In fact, he wasn’t even sure he’d seen an emotion at all from the man. He was ice, harsh and cold but damn good at his job. Such a contrast to his emotional Omega triplet. As Brandon needed to taste every single emotion in the Pack, it made sense that though the two looked alike with their dark hair, dark eyes, and strong jaws, they didn’t act alike. Walker, the other triplet who was somewhere else in the den at the moment, was the Healer and fell somewhere in the middle of the two when it came to ice versus warmth.

Mitchell was just an *.

The Beta of the Pack was the Brentwood cousin and Max’s brother. Finn loved Max. Everything Max did, he did with a smile. He was sweet and loved taking care of those he considered his own. Finn had no idea how Mitchell was able to care for the day-to-day needs of the Pack when he didn’t smile, only sneered. Of course, the man could just do that for Finn because, like he’d said, Mitchell was an *.

It probably didn’t help matters that Finn thought Brynn should have been Beta once the moon goddess chose the next generation after the previous Alpha and powers had been killed. Brynn knew her Pack inside and out and put her whole body and soul into their needs and protection. Yet she’d been shunned from the bonds that could have helped her Pack so much more. The fact that the Beta position had gone to a cousin rather than Gideon’s immediate family was just another slap in the face. Finn knew Brynn loved her entire family, but it had to hurt to see that she couldn’t have the same bonds most of them did.

He held back a curse as he remembered the look on her face when they’d lost Franklin. She’d blamed herself, even though he’d tried to tell her it wasn’t her fault. She wouldn’t listen to him or Walker. She’d gone into herself and walked away before he could do anything to help her.

He wasn’t sure what he would have done if she’d have given him a chance, but he would have done something. He couldn’t stand to watch her in pain and not try to soothe her aches.

“Is there a reason you’re here, Jamenson?” Mitchell asked, his brow raised.

Kameron glared.

Brandon studied his face.

Finn didn’t lower his gaze. His wolf was stronger than all three of theirs. Maybe not combined in a fight, but in terms of dominance, Finn won.

“I’m here to see Brynn. Thanks for the welcoming committee.”

“You’ve got a mouth on you, pup,” Mitchell growled.

Finn raised a brow. “True. I come by it naturally. Now are you going to let me pass? Or are we going to have an issue?” Others had started to gather around them, uncertainty and pain coming off them in waves. Damn it. They’d just lost a Packmate and needed someone to blame. He didn’t want to fight, but he also knew these people needed to heal. Finn let his shoulders drop.

“I wanted to make sure she was okay after what happened,” Finn said softly. “Plus, we need to talk about the next phase of our plan.”

“And you couldn’t do that by phone?” Brandon asked, not unkindly. It was as if the wolf were trying to put his finger on something but couldn’t quite get it. Finn didn’t understand either.

Finn shook his head. “Some things need to be done in person.”

Kameron narrowed his eyes but stepped to the side. “Be careful, Finn. She’s in pain.”

Shock slid through Finn. Kameron wasn’t the emotional one, far from it, yet the astute statement surprised him. It seemed Finn needed to keep an open mind when it came to these Brentwoods.

“I don’t want to cause any more,” he said as he walked past the three. He knew he’d caused a fair share of his own when it came to her, but he hadn’t meant to. They just grated on one another, and with the sexual attraction simmering between the two of them, things were bound to explode.

By the time he made it to her place, others had checked him out but hadn’t come up to him. It made sense as he wasn’t a Talon, but his wolf didn’t like the challenges each one presented. This wasn’t his Pack, and he couldn’t stare down the other wolves and expect submission like he could with the Redwoods. Though he didn’t tend to do that anyway with his own Pack, considering they had a symbiotic relationship.

As he lifted his hand to knock, the door opened and Ryder stepped out. Finn moved back and let the other Heir move farther onto the porch.