Echoes of Fire (The Mercury Pack #4)(13)

The raw need was gone. The tug of the bond was gone. But the knowledge was there.

Mate. Madisyn Drake was his true mate.

It was the last thought he had before his world went black.





CHAPTER THREE



Bracken’s eyes fluttered open, and he gazed up at a white ceiling. He wasn’t in his bed. In fact, he was lying on a sofa in a living area he didn’t recognize. But he knew where he was, because he knew the scent that permeated the room. And that scent had a whole new meaning to him now. Belonged to someone who was part of him.

His wolf let out a low growl of contentment, pleased that he was in his mate’s lair, pushing Bracken to go find her. Needing no urging, Bracken sat up. He scowled as he replayed the car accident in his mind. Someone had rammed their car into his side. Deliberately. Pitilessly. If it hadn’t been for the pack mate he could hear talking in a low voice somewhere in the house, he’d be in a bad way right now. And if it hadn’t been for the fact that he’d just discovered Madisyn was his mate, all he’d be thinking about was hunting the bastard. His priority right then was finding and talking to his little cat.

If Bracken knew her like he thought he did, she’d be freaking out—in her head, if nothing else—about the fact that she’d found her mate. Madisyn was good at surface interaction, but she wasn’t necessarily social. Didn’t really befriend people. In that sense, she was an emotional loner. She even seemed to like the lone shifter lifestyle. Having a mate—especially one who was part of a pack—would change everything. And when that male was an absolute wreck like him, she’d have every reason to be anxious about what would come next.

So many things made sense now—his primal reaction to her scent, his wolf’s growing attachment to her, and why there’d always been something indefinable about her that captured Bracken’s attention. The strain of the mating bond had disappeared, but it had left echoes of emotions behind. Protectiveness. Possessiveness. Longing. An elemental tenderness. And they seemed to tie him to her in a way he couldn’t explain.

Bracken pushed to his feet and tracked the voices to the kitchen. Jesse and Zander were leaning against the countertop while his Betas and Madisyn sat at the table. All were drinking coffee, so deep in conversation that it took them a moment to sense him. Madisyn noticed first. She didn’t smile or greet him in any way, just looked at him, cool and casual. She’d also flicked up her collar so it covered his brand, hiding it from the pack.

He could almost believe she hadn’t felt the tug of the mating bond. Almost. During the time she’d tended the bar at the Velvet Lounge, he’d watched her more than he liked. And he’d come to learn that Madisyn was very good at keeping emotions from her face, but they leaked out in other ways. She often flexed her fingers when she was anxious . . . just as she was doing right then. Yeah, she was freaking out, just as he’d thought.

She’d had one hell of a night, hadn’t she? A brawl with bears. A battle with touch-hunger. An orgasm in her hallway from someone she’d then watched get knocked over by a hit-and-run driver. And then, to top it all off, she’d discovered her mate just before he blacked out right in front of her. Poor baby was probably battling the urge to sling them all out of her house so she could have some time alone.

It was tempting to cross straight to her and pull her into his arms. But there would be no way he could hold her and not come across even half as territorial as he felt. His pack would easily guess they were true mates. There would be questions, congratulations, and talk of mating ceremonies. He didn’t want Madisyn freaking out any more than she already was. They needed to talk first, and they needed to do it alone.

He stepped farther into the kitchen, and his pack mates looked his way.

Jesse’s smile was strained. “Good to see you up and about. You took a pretty hard hit to the head. Fractured your skull, broke a few ribs.”

Ally gave him an exasperated look, but he saw the worry in her eyes. “Do you never answer your phone? I had a vision about the hit-and-run and tried calling to warn you.”

Calls he’d ignored because he’d been so focused on Madisyn. Heading to the counter, he asked, “Any more coffee in the pot?”

“Yep.” Zander grabbed a mug out of the cupboard. “Madisyn gave us a description of the car, minus the license plate, but she didn’t get a good look at the driver. Did you?”

“No,” replied Bracken, pouring coffee into the cup. “The car hit me from the side. It wasn’t an accident.” Mug in hand, he took the seat beside Madisyn, pressing his thigh against hers. She didn’t tense or withdraw, but she nudged his leg with her own in a move-over gesture. He didn’t, of course. Now that he knew she was his, he’d be up in her space in a major way, and she’d need to get used to it. “I heard the car coming but didn’t pay it any attention. It was moving at a steady pace. Didn’t speed up until it got close to me.”

“Madisyn recognized the person riding shotgun as one of the sows who gave her trouble at Enigma,” said Derren. “Enough for us to understand their pride took a huge blow. They must have followed you here, and then, thinking you were Madisyn’s boyfriend, decided to strike back at her through you. Did you notice anyone tailing you?”

“There was no one.” His attention had been on Madisyn, but Bracken was always hyperaware. He’d have noticed if someone were following him.