An Alpha's Choice (Talon Pack #2)(9)

Or rather, snap his spine after f*cking him hard against the wall.

That was yet another reason he couldn’t get a bead on the woman in front of him.

“Finn.” Ryder nodded at him, and Finn gave him a chin tilt back.

“Ryder.”

“You’re here,” Gideon growled then looked down at Brie, who had apparently elbowed him in the gut. “Good to see you, Finn.”

Finn held back a smile at the way the big Alpha softened at the touch of his mate. Finn wanted that, craved that. He’d seen the way his family had fallen, one by one, with their mates. Seen the way they raised their children and fell more in love each and every day. He couldn’t wait to have that with someone.

If only he could get her out of his mind so he could get on with it.

“Let’s get started,” Kade said softly. “Most of us already know why we’re here.”

Finn frowned. He didn’t like being left out of the loop, and he had a feeling he wasn’t going to like where this was going.

“Since the humans found out about us, we’ve done our best to keep calm, keep rational,” Kade continued. “Only a few of us have been outed, and the government doesn’t know what to do with us because we’ve had the right people in power all this time. But things are coming, we know this. Those who want to hurt us, who want to control us, are getting louder.”

“We have fires burning within the circles that will gain traction in the government and sects we’ve been following all this time,” Gideon growled. The Alpha spoke in a growl at all times it seemed. “But there is one thing we need to keep going. The human’s perception of us.”

Finn tilted his head, confused. What did this have to do with him?

“You’re talking propaganda.” Brynn’s voice slid over him, even as the barbs in her words did, as well.

“We’re talking perception,” Kade said. “My nephew Parker is out in the world, talking to other Packs and doing his best to connect all of us so we’re ready. Not every Pack is ready to align themselves with others. There are centuries-long tensions, and even more fear when it comes to wanting to hide from what the humans could do to us if they tried. But while he is doing that, we need to make sure the humans do not fear us.”

“But shouldn’t they?” Charlotte asked, her voice soft. “Shouldn’t they fear us, just a little?”

Kade let out a sigh. “Yes, and no. But right now, they know nothing about what we are. And what humans do not understand, they want to destroy. We aren’t the first people to have this happen.”

“You’re saying you want to put a face on us,” Finn said slowly. “You want the humans to see us as one of them, even if we’re not.”

Finn’s mother, Melanie, nodded. “Yes, hon. We want them to see us interacting with the world and not killing them outright. Because, hell, we aren’t killers. They need to know that.”

“And what happens when that lack of fear turns on us?” Brynn asked.

Gideon raised his chin. “Then we take the next step. We will protect our people. But first, we need humans to see us as real. Not monsters.”

“What does this have to do with the people you asked to be here?” Finn asked.

Kade let out a breath. “We need a person from each Pack to act as a representative within the world. We already have a few of us out there trying to mingle and acting like nothing is wrong. But now we need those people to do it daily, to interact and not shy away if a camera takes a photo of you smiling.” He turned toward Finn. “I need you and Brynn to continue doing as you’ve been doing, but make it stronger. Show the world that we aren’t monsters. Prove to them we can live within their world and within our own. You and Brynn have laid the groundwork in the past year. Now, make it more.”

Finn cursed inwardly. It all sounded like a fine plan if it had been anyone else. But having to be near Brynn day in and day out until they figured out a way to keep their people safe? He wasn’t sure if he would be able to do that. He met Brynn’s gaze, the anger in them almost tactile.

He wasn’t sure she would be able to do that either.

Because the more they were around each other, the hotter the flames burned. And one day, they wouldn’t be able to tame the fire. When that day came, he wasn’t sure who would make it out in one piece.

If either of them could.





Chapter Four


Brynn slammed her fist into the wall, the drywall giving in, creating a hole where a slab once stood. The pain sliced down her arm, a dull throb instead of something more serious thanks to the blood in her veins. Her body shook, and she tried her best not to scream.

She’d held the fire, the rage, inside throughout the entire meeting with the Redwoods and had even made it to her home before she’d broken. She was lucky she’d lasted that long.

How could her brother, her Alpha, do this to her? Didn’t he see the pain on her face, feel the agony in the bond she held with him as Alpha? Her other brother Brandon, the Omega, who could feel all of the emotions of the Pack, would probably be able to feel her anguish, but damn it, why couldn’t her Alpha of a brother? Why did he have to put her through the pain of being with the one man who hated her? Hated her enough to ignore the bond they could have with one another—if he could even feel it at all.