An Alpha's Choice (Talon Pack #2)(55)

And once that happened, he’d be able to mate Brynn.

It so wasn’t worth it.

“It’s not happening,” she said softly. “We should be worrying about who took us. Not this.”

“Brynn,” Gideon growled. “We are worrying about that, and dealing with it. But right now, you and Finn need to mate correctly. It’s going to f*ck up the Packs if you don’t. You know it. You ran away from him before because of it.”

Brynn sucked in a breath and glared at Ryder. “Traitor.” She’d voiced her fears, and her brother had told the others.

“They needed to know,” Ryder said with no shame. “But listen to Kade, will you? Oddly enough, this isn’t all about you.”

“What?” she asked, confused as hell. Why did everyone know more than her? She hadn’t been out of it for that long, had she?

“Like I said, I don’t want to hurt my son,” Kade said somberly. “But it’s not only about your mating. If his connection isn’t right with his wolf, it might have hurt his connections to the Pack, as well.”

She met Finn’s gaze and wrapped her arms around his waist. He hadn’t put a shirt on from before, and she could still see the slightly puckered new skin forming over his wounds.

“Is this true?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never been the Heir without having the thread to my wolf be…off. If I can help my Pack more by doing this, if I can save my people? Of course, I’d do it. But, Brynn? You are it for me. I’d do it for you in a heartbeat.”

The words washed over her and her hands shook. “I…I guess it needs to happen, then.” She didn’t hold on to hope that things would work. As long as Finn made it out alive, that would be all that mattered. A mating bond between her and Finn would only be second to the breath in his lungs as far as she was concerned.

Finn cupped her face and gently brushed a kiss over her lips. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” She held back tears. She wouldn’t cry in front of these people. The only one she would cry in front of now was Finn. He was her rock and she hoped she was his. “I don’t want you to hurt.”

Finn gave her a sad smile. “I think it’s inevitable.”

Brynn shuddered out a breath. “So when does this happen?”

“Now,” Hannah said, her voice strong. For a woman who was about to kill Brynn’s mate, she looked remarkably calm. That was, of course, until she looked into the Healer’s eyes. Hannah was breaking inside, and Brynn had a feeling if this hadn’t been Finn, she wouldn’t have done it. Hannah was trying to right a wrong she hadn’t truly committed, and it was hurting everyone.

Brynn let out a breath and pulled away from Finn, keeping her hand in his. “Hannah. You didn’t do this. Caym did. I know that, and I bet you everyone in this room does, as well.”

“Damn straight,” Josh growled. He wrapped his arm around Hannah’s waist while putting the other firmly around Reed’s.

“But she knows that, doesn’t she?” Reed added.

Hannah rolled her eyes at her mates then nodded. “I know that. It doesn’t absolve me of the guilt I feel, but I know it was the demon that did this. Now I’m going to fix it.” She raised her chin. “We are going to fix it. And if it brings Finn even more into the Pack and allows him to help our people with more power? Then all the better.”

She flexed her fingers and nodded at the table. “Lay down, Finn. We’re going to do it all at once. Each of the dominants in the room will break a bone, maybe two. However they can hold on to you and do it so it’s as quick as possible. It won’t kill you, not fully, but then we’ll have North send you over the edge with a cocktail of drugs that works on wolves. When you’re gone…” her voice broke. “When you’re gone, Mark and I will Heal you, but better than before. Walker will guide us since he doesn’t have the bonds to you that we do, but as Healers, we have our own ways of acting as anchors.”

Brynn blinked as the small, curvy woman spoke of breaking bones and killing Finn in a medical manner. The woman was Finn’s aunt; family, and Pack, and spoke of it as if it were nothing. The strength inside Hannah for her to be able to do that was astounding. Brynn admired her all the same. Even if her wolf hated her just a little bit for what she had to do.

Finn kissed her again, this time hard. “I’m coming back.”

Brynn refused to let him go. “I’m not leaving the room, Finn. I’m going to be here during it all.”

“You don’t have to watch this.”

“Yes. I do. I need to. I need to be here for you. Don’t ask me to leave because I won’t.”

Melanie came to Brynn’s side and gripped her hand. “I’ll be with you. I…I can’t break my baby,” she whispered in Brynn’s ear.

Kade came to them, his face solemn. “I’ll stand by the two of you, as well. My wolf won’t allow me to do what needs to be done.”

His words weren’t a sign of weakness, but rather one of strength. He loved his son, his Heir, so much that he couldn’t hurt him—even if it were needed.

Finn kissed Brynn once more then nodded at his parents. “It’ll be okay.” When he went to the hospital bed and sat down, Brynn thought her wolf was going to jump out of her skin and kill anyone who dared touch her mate.