Page 68 of Never Tamed
Ren grips my arm like she can feel it happening, my heart breaking in real time, and maybe she can through the bond. As much as I may want to, I can’t hide my feelings anymore.
Especially not from her.
I’d rather Mathis not know what the hell is going on but he does. And he shares it. I’m not the only one who lost his home.
I don’t know how long I stand there, staring at nothing, but I barely register the door opening again.
Mathis steps over the threshold and pulls a shirt overhead at the same time. Brown hair is swept back from his face, windblown from his shift. He stops cold.
His eyes flick to the soaked floor. The toppled chairs. The half-broken table.
Then to the radio in Hendrickson’s hands.
The announcer’s voice crackles again:“…this morning, a smaller fire had been set in an isolated section of the northeast woods. Authorities have confirmed that it was a man-made blaze, but luckily, the fire department was able to get the flames under control before it spread…”
My gut sinks and I’m not sure if the reaction is his, mine, or some kind of strange creation from both of us. Mathis looks at me and our eyes lock. We both know what this means.
“Is that…are you…” Mathis breaks off and storms forward like he’ll break the radio himself.
Andras has destroyed the Grey Valley homestead, too. The announcer’s voice turns into a waspy drone in the background.
The world spins and there Mathis and I stand, two alphas without our home base. Even if we weren’t connected through our mate, these circumstances unite us.
His hands curl into a fist. “Andras,” he growls.
“The Steel Claw building was burned down,” I say, voice hollow.
“The fires,” Ren whispers, drawing our attention. “He’s been a busy boy, hasn’t he?”
Mathis’s eyes are blank. “Andras destroyed my territory. My home. He kidnapped my omegas and slaughtered them.”
“Of course he did,” I rasp. “He’s pissed. Didn’t expect us to survive the church, and since we did, he’s sending us a message.”
It’s what I would do if I were the bloodthirsty kind of beast he is.
“He wants to make sure you have nowhere else to return to.” Ren shivers and leans in closer to me.
I wrap my arm around her shoulders, drawing her to my chest. My heart is far from steady but her nearness helps; my pulse slows to match hers.
There’s a long silence. The fire alarm light overhead flickers.
My chest feels heavy, my lungs tight. The Steel Claws are officially finished. And I guess, so are the Grey Valleys. Andras has made sure were nothing but boats cast adrift in an unfriendly sea. That makes it so much easier for him to come in and wipe us off the map.
He’s mostly there.
Another hit and we’ll never be able to rally against him.
Ren presses her hand against my heart, but a chill has set into my bones, one her warmth can’t even penetrate. She reaches out to Mathis with her other hand, but he shifts away.
He runs a hand over his face. “I need to—fuck. I need to think. I need to find Owen.”
“Mat—” She starts, but he’s halfway out the door.
I don’t stop him because I get it. Even if I couldn’t feel his torment through the mate bond.
We’re both alphas without a pack.
Chapter 17
