An Alpha's Choice (Talon Pack #2)(33)

“Finn,” Ryder said with a growl.

That was surprising. Ryder never growled at him. The two of them held the same positions in the Packs and held a mutual respect for one another. What had happened since their last meeting?

Finn tilted his head and studied Ryder’s face and saw a knowing in his gaze.

Well, f*ck, what had Brynn told him?

“Ryder, go home,” Brynn said softly from the doorway. “I can handle this myself.”

“Watch yourself, wolf,” Ryder snapped then loped away, leaving Finn confused as hell.

“What the hell just happened?” he asked as he turned toward Brynn. She had her hair down so it brushed the tops of her breasts. She wore a pair of tiny shorts and a tank with no bra. Her nipples pebbled against the fabric under his gaze, and he had to swallow hard so he could keep breathing.

“Are you going to come in? Or are you going to stare at my breasts for the rest of the evening?”

He pulled his gaze from her chest, though he would have liked to stare for the rest of the evening. That wasn’t why he’d come over though.

She didn’t move out of the way, instead, she just stared at him.

“Are you going to let me in?” he asked, knowing there was a possibility she’d say no. She’d already invited him in, but she hadn’t moved.

She finally moved to the side and he walked in, brushing along her skin as he did so. They both sucked in a breath at the contact. He was so on edge that he could barely think. He had to remind himself that wasn’t why he’d come to her place. This wasn’t about him, but about her.

It had to be.

“I’d ask how you’re doing, but now that I think about it, it’s a f*cking useless question.” He ran a hand through his hair and turned to look at her. She’d closed the front door and stood in front of it, her hands behind her back. Her eyes were so wide that she looked years younger. The gold rim around her eyes though told him that her wolf was far too close to the surface. She’d need a run soon if she wanted to keep sane.

The delicate balance between human and wolf would never cease to be a sense of struggle for their kind. It was how they lived, but it didn’t make it easy.

“He died because I’m not connected to the Pack like I should be, Finn. So, no, I’m not doing well or good or anything but completely shitty right now.”

Finn took a step forward and she held out her arm. “Brynn, let me help.”

She snorted. “How can you help, Finn? Huh? How can you? You’re someone that I wasn’t supposed to see again. You weren’t supposed to be with me at all. We decided that we weren’t going to do this anymore. And then we went back on that because it’s for the good of our Packs. What good have we done? What good could we have done when my Pack is still dying despite all I’m trying to do for them?”

He stepped closer and she didn’t move her arm. He kept going until her hand landed on his chest. The contact sent a shock through both of them, but he didn’t move back.

“Brynn. Let me help.”

“How?” she asked, her voice cracking. Her eyes widened even more than they already were and she shook her head. “I can’t cry in front of you. I can’t break down. You bring out the worst in me, and I don’t know why.” She gave a watery snort. “No, actually I do know why, but there’s nothing I can do about it, is there?”

He didn’t understand her cryptic comment, but hell, he didn’t understand most of her moods anyway. All he knew was that she was hurting and her wolf needed to run. That was something he could help with.

Finn reached up and gently ran his fingers along her wrist. Her fingers tightened on his chest, her claws peeking through her fingers and scraping his skin. He didn’t flinch as she drew blood. The coppery scent filled the air and Brynn let out a whimper.

She’d been so tightly strung for so long, trying to keep strong for her Pack and having to deal with him when he knew she truly didn’t want to, couldn’t want to, that she was about to break.

“Run with me.”

She shook her head. “I can’t, Finn. If I shift now, the wolf will be in control.” She sucked in a breath. “I need to be stronger than this.”

He reached up with his other hand slowly. She froze but didn’t pull away as he cupped her face. “Let me help. You’re afraid to show a lack of control in front of your Pack. I get it. I’ve been there. But I’m not your Pack. You can break down if you need to, shift and let your wolf roam free. I’ll be there to make sure you’re not going too far. I can’t pull you back from your bonds, but I can get to you. You know I already get to you so I’ll use that to make sure you come back to your Pack. Let me help you, Brynn. Losing a Pack member should never happen. Not with the way we live, but when it does, we all feel the pain of a thousand losses. Let me help.”

Brynn clenched her jaw, her face defiant. He kept his hold on her cheek and let her claws dig deeper into his chest. The pain helped keep his control locked down tight. He wouldn’t let her hurt herself because she felt inadequate. The world was crashing down around them, and yet all he could do was focus on the woman in front of him.

He’d think about the implications of that thought later.

Brynn sucked in a breath then lowered her head. “I…I need to run.” She said this so low that Finn had trouble hearing her, but he didn’t wait long enough for her to change her mind.