Page 51 of Brutal Reign
“Okay,” I breathe, fighting back tears as she takes a step back and glances over at my dad. She gives him a nod, and he promptly shifts to his wolf, throwing back his head and howling to the moon to signal the start of the run.
Pack hierarchy dictates that as the Alpha heir, I’m the next to shift, and I don’t waste a second. My wolf bursts through my skin the moment I call her forward, the air around me shimmering as I take on my animal form. As soon as my paws hit the ground, I take off for the treeline with a swift kick of my hind legs, boundand determined to put as much distance as possible between me and the rest of the pack before they shift to their wolves. They’ll wait for my mom to shift first, out of deference to their Luna, and I can only hope she’ll buy me enough time to make my getaway.
The trees blur around me as I sprint through the forest, veering off from the usual path and heading due north. My mind’s spinning, my wolf actively trying to batter me back so she can take full control. She wants blood in payment for Jake’s threat to our position. It takes a great deal of effort to prevent her from taking over completely, and by the time I hear the chorus of howls from my pack start up behind me, I’ve already made it halfway to the border of our territory.
Thankfully, my wolf doesn’t fight my directive to continue north. I swear it almost feels like she’s running toward something rather than away from it. It’s a damn good thing my wolf doesn’t hate running as much as I do, or we’d be royally fucked right now. Unlike when I’m in my human form, my wolf never seems to tire, even as the miles stretch on. Before I know it, I’m crossing the stream at the border of our territory, my internal compass guiding me toward the heart of Goldenleaf.
As I’m heading for the packhouse, I suddenly catch a scent on the breeze that makes my wolf perk up with interest. It’s faint, oddly familiar somehow, and something about that scent immediately kicks my wolf into a frenzied state. We were heading for the packhouse, but she abruptly veers off course, intent on tracking the scent despite my efforts to pull her back.
The stronger the scent becomes, the sharper the tugging sensation in my chest gets, as if I’m being pulled by an invisible string. I can only assume it’s Jake my wolf is sensing– that he followed me here– and the thought of confronting him right now is fucking terrifying. If she gets ahold of him, I won’t be able to pull her back from the brink. It’ll be a fucking bloodbath.
Both the scent and the drive to get to it becomes overwhelming; my singular focus and purpose. As I come upon a clearing, I spot another wolf charging in my direction, seemingly drawn by the same force. It’s not Jake, but that doesn’t mean I don’t recognize him all the same.
The giant black wolf is all too familiar, his glossy black fur shining in the moonlight as we both skid to a stop before colliding. A silver wolf is right on his heels, and as he grinds to a halt beside his buddy, my own wolf suddenly pulls back, launching me into a shift. The air shimmers around me like diamonds, my bones snapping and rearranging until I’m human again.
I blink my eyes open to find Seb and Ace standing across from me in their human forms, the glow of the moon highlighting every contour of their chiseled, muscular physiques. It should be a fucking crime to look that good naked, and I hate how my gaze unwittingly tours each of their forms before lifting to meet their eyes.
Fate doesn’t play fair. The moment our gazes lock, I feel it happen- a harsh yanking sensation erupting in my chest as the mate bond snaps in between me and…
Bothof them.
18
PAST
“You sure your dad won’t notice these are missing?” Ace asks nervously as he tears a can of beer from the plastic rings of the six-pack.
“Oh no, he’ll definitely notice,” I snort, cracking the top on my own can while his eyes fly wide. “That’s a problem for tomorrow, though,” I add, lips curling into a smirk as I lift my beer to them and take a swig.
I have no idea why people choose to drink this shit. It tastes terrible, but it’s not the flavor I’m after, it’s the buzz I know I’ll get from sucking down a few of these. My parents started locking up the liquor cabinet a few months ago when they began to notice bottles were going missing. Definitely not ideal, since liquor can at least be mixed with juice or soda to mask the taste. There’s no way to improve the taste of this beer– it’s some gross IPA from Cedar Ridge Brewery– but since it was sitting on the shelf of the fridge when I opened it tonight, I snatched it up. Beggars can’t be choosers.
Fighting a grimace, I swallow it down, resting the can on the wooden arm of my Adirondack chair as I turn to Ace. “Don’t worry, I’ll leave you out of it when he confronts me,” I say with a laugh.
“Yeah right, as if he won’t know we were together,” Ace scoffs. “Next thing you’ll tell me is that you lied about getting permission to use the bonfire pit without supervision.”
My lips spread into a grin.
Ace’s face falls, worry creasing his brow. “Are you serious?”
I bark a laugh, leaning over to clap him on the shoulder. “Ah, c’mon, don’t be a pussy,” I jibe. “My old man tried to bore me to death by dragging me to that council meeting today, he’ll expect me to find some way to act out in retaliation.”
“Why do you always have to drag me into your shit?” Ace mutters, heaving a sigh as he finally cracks the top on his beer can.
I lift my own in his direction. “Because it’s no fun drinking alone.”
He rolls his eyes, reaching over and knocking his can into mine. We both bring them to our mouths and take a swig, Ace fighting his grimace at the taste just as much as me when we lower them again.
“Hey, did something happen between you and River today?” I ask, wiping my mouth off on a forearm.
Ace stiffens, averting his gaze to the small fire burning in the metal ring in front of us. “What do you mean?”
“When I walked in, you guys were acting weird.”
He lifts his beer, taking another sip as I eye him suspiciously. He stares into the fire as he swallows it down, licking his lips before replying. “Nah, man, we were just listening to music.”
“You sure?” I press, holding my breath anxiously for his response. My stare burns into the side of his face until he turnsto meet it, and as soon as our eyes lock, Ace heaves a sigh, hanging his head.
“Okay, yeah, something weird happened,” he mumbles, setting his beer can down on the arm of his chair.