Wolf Betrayed (Talon Pack #4)(19)

She pressed her lips together and calmly handed him the towel. He was surprised she didn’t throw it at him as he deserved.

“I’m headed to the Talons to see Shane.” At the sound of the other man’s name on her lips, his wolf bucked him again, wanting them both. Any other situation would have lead to jealousy, but as always, Bram and Charlotte—now Shane, as well—were a special case.

She rolled her shoulders and tugged at her braid, clearly nervous at his reaction. Since he hadn’t said anything, she continued. “He says he really wants to help with what he knows, but he’s having trouble keeping it together long enough to do anything. He seemed…better the last time I saw him, but that could have just been because I was there.” She sighed. “I just don’t know.”

Bram ran the towel over his face and drank the last of the water. “Let me go take a shower and I’ll go with you.”

She rolled her eyes. He sort of loved it when she did that. “I can do this on my own, you know. I’m a big girl.”

“I’m going with you,” he growled, his wolf once again pushing him. Maybe if he took a quick cold shower and took himself in hand, he’d keep his wolf at bay for just a bit longer. He couldn’t keep going like this.

“Fine,” she said after a moment.

“Come with me.”

Her brows rose. “You want me to take a shower with you?”

He held back a groan and the image of her in the shower with him, all slick and wet and his. “I meant come with me to the house…but next time…” He paused. His voice was low, a mere growl when he spoke next. “Next time, I want you with me.”

Her eyes darkened, and she licked her lips. He imagined that mouth wrapped around his cock. “But we should talk about what all of this means first.” Her voice was a raspy breath, and he licked his own lips.

“We will.” He cleared his throat. “You’re in a hurry, so let’s get moving.”

The abrupt change in his tone caught both of them off guard. “Lead the way,” she said, her voice cool.




He took the quickest shower of his life, and because he knew she was right outside his bathroom door, sitting on his bed while he was in there, he didn’t rub one off. So now he was clean but rock-hard. From the scent coming off her, though, he knew he wasn’t alone in his need. One day, he prayed they wouldn’t be in a constant state of arousal. It was killing him day by day.

They spoke only of Pack matters in the car, both careful to keep their distance. He hated what had become of them, but maybe things would change soon. He could only hope, even if something like this had never been on his radar. When they reached the Talon den, Max greeted them.

“I heard you were coming,” Max said. “I figured I’d walk with you to the infirmary before I go meet with Gideon.”

Bram narrowed his eyes. “We need armed guards now?”

Max rolled his eyes and leaned forward to kiss Charlotte on the cheek in hello. Bram let out a low growl. Instead of looking worried, though, the other man just shrugged before pulling away.

“No need for guards. I just thought I’d come say hello.”

“Well, thank you,” Charlotte said with a snort. However, Bram noticed she didn’t lean toward Max. In fact, she did her best to not go near him at all. Apparently, Bram hadn’t been able to hide from her how close to the surface his wolf truly was. She was acting like someone who knew what she was doing around very dominant wolves in a temper.

It shouldn’t surprise him, and yet he was slightly ashamed he didn’t have better control.

They walked in easy silence as they made their way to the infirmary. The Talon den was much like the Redwoods’ since the two dens were situated within the same National Park, just on different ends of it. They used the natural landscape as not only protection but also as guidelines for where they built homes and other buildings.

Max began asking Charlotte a bit about council matters since Max was not only a lieutenant but also on the ruling Redwood and Talon council that had been put together a couple of decades ago. Charlotte wasn’t a member, but much of her family was, and he was pretty sure she was in consideration for taking over one of the former Redwood’s roles. As the original council had been made up of people who were now mated within the Packs, it constantly shifted around to make sure the needs of the Packs were met.

When they reached the infirmary, Max said goodbye before trotting off. The man was always in constant motion, and Bram could never understand it.

“I wonder why Shane is still here,” Charlotte said softly.

Bram frowned at her. “What do you mean? He’s a Talon now. Of course, he’s in the Talon den.”

She shook her head. “No, in the infirmary. He’s physically healthy, if a little bruised. He shouldn’t need the Healer as long as he keeps on the path he has been. And you and I are here to help him. I just don’t understand.”

Now that she mentioned it, he was a little confused, as well. The Healer’s home was usually attached to the clinic or infirmary, and generally only housed wolves who truly needed medical care. Shane didn’t exactly fall into that category, and if they were trying to make him feel welcome, cutting him off from the others didn’t seem the way to do it.

“We’ll ask Walker when we get in there,” he said after a moment.