An Alpha's Choice (Talon Pack #2)(4)

Only she wasn’t human.

She’d never been human, not like some of her Pack and friends who had been turned later on in life. She’d been born to wolf parents and raised as a pup. She’d had her first shift at age two, and had roamed the den and surrounding areas with two natures. She didn’t know what life could be like without the constant struggle for control and the delicate balance that came with sharing a body with another spirit.

While some days she wished she were human so she could breathe in safety and not have to deal with Pack dynamics, fighting, and mates—she held back a wince at that last word—she knew she would never let anyone take away her wolf. Well, not like they could, but if there were somehow a magic potion where she could suddenly be fully human, she wouldn’t take it.

Despite the fact that her family wasn’t safe and her very life was on the line just being outside the den wards and in a public coffee shop, she wouldn’t change who she was.

She was Brynn Brentwood, daughter of the former Alpha, sister of the current one. Dominant female of the Pack as her sister-in-law, Brie, was a submissive wolf. Brie held the title of Alpha female and ruled alongside her mate, Gideon. But no matter the strength Brie held and how she took care of internal matters in her own, gentler way, she would never be a dominant wolf. There was nothing wrong with that—no matter what some of the older wolves said. However, it made Brynn’s life a little more hectic.

She ran a hand over her face. She couldn’t afford to dwell on that right then. She had to keep alert, all the while looking as if she were happy and on her way to some of the boutiques to shop.

Yes. Coffee and shopping. That was how she was protecting her Pack at the moment.

The thing was, it didn’t matter that it sounded ridiculous; she knew it would help in the long run. When General Martinez had taken control of the ‘dispute’ on Pack lands, he’d begun a new phase in the way of the shifter. Humans honestly had no idea what to do with them. Processing the concept of another species living amongst them, blending in with them, growing as one unit took time. They were at a standstill while people tried to come up with ideas regarding what to do about the ‘shifter problem.’

Brynn rolled her eyes, knowing she probably looked like a lunatic. Probably not the best way to look calm and collected.

Washington currently had a few committees either being formed or already complete where they were trying to decide if shifters would lose their rights as Americans—if they were ever considered human, if they had a right to live on their own…if shifters needed to be studied or killed or even be forced to join a military group and fight to protect the country. Most shifters weren’t out in the public as they hadn’t been caught on camera like Brynn and her family had been. It was easier for them to hide what they were—safer, as well. But everyone knew that peace such as that couldn’t last very long. Yes, some of those in Washington were actually shifters in hiding, but they had to be careful how they went forward. Deeply laid plans for the Unveiling only worked if people did their best not to create a war.

No one knew what to think, and that gave Brynn and her family time to create a better image than a snarling beast out of control. While Washington and the like tried to figure out what to do, Brynn and the others would show that they weren’t evil, that they led normal lives.

That they shopped and drank coffee at little coffee houses and didn’t bother a soul. And that was how Brynn found herself drinking her latte and waiting for a member of the Redwood Pack to join her. The Redwoods were the Talons’ allies and friends. They’d fought together in the Central war a couple of decades ago when a rogue Pack had called forth a demon to take over the world. And, of course, Brie had been a Redwood before she’d married Gideon, further strengthening their alliance.

Brynn closed her eyes, trying not to think of the way they could have cemented their alliance yet hadn’t been able to. She swallowed hard, her hands fisting on her lap under the small round table. She lied to herself, saying it was only a way to bring the alliance closer.

Her heartbreak wasn’t a thread to an alliance. It was a tactile piece of agony that pierced her body over and over again until the blessed numbness that came with defeat took over. She couldn’t even rile up the anger in her veins anymore—so unlike her.

“What are you doing?”

That voice. That scent—the spicy blend of wolf and man.

Rage spiraled up within her, and she took a deep breath through her nose. It seemed she could get angry again. His presence broke through the numbness, the torture of knowing what she couldn’t have, no matter what fate told her.

She forced herself to open her eyes and keep her emotions in check. She couldn’t lash out in public—nor could she in private. If she let go, she’d break, and he’d see her weakness. He couldn’t see her weak…couldn’t see her at all.

He stood by her table, looming over her with the presence of an Heir to the Pack and the darkness of responsibilities layered on far too soon. He’d cut his hair since the last time she’d seen him. Usually, he liked to wear it long, brushing his shoulders like the Alpha of the Redwood Pack—and his father—Kade’s did. Now, it was still longer than most people wore, but he couldn’t put it up in a stubby ponytail like he had before. He also hadn’t shaved in a couple of weeks from what she could tell, so his strong jaw was covered in a dark beard that made her think of how it would feel on the sensitive skin of her inner thighs.