Page 70 of Never Tamed
I failed him.
I’m a terrible alpha.
I’m supposed to be the strength my people need, the Grey Valley’s protector. But here I am, watching everything I love burning to the ground. I block the sensation traveling down the mate bond.
Like hell I’ll let the others see me this way.
And Torin, how he handled the loss of his own pack home…he went numb. He showed no outward emotion although through the bond, I got a clear and concise sense of his feelings.
He was barely keeping it together.
I blocked out too much. I barely felt when Ren and Torin stepped from the forest behind me, shifting back to their human forms at the same time. The grief is shared. I can’t hide it from them, even if I tried.
You didn’t have to follow me, I say to them internally.You should have stayed back.
“Mathis,” Torin says breathlessly. He stops when his eyes lock on the fire. “The firefighters already put it out. You can rebuild. You can—”
I shift into my own human form, knees soaked by the snow. “There’s no point.” My voice goes dead. “It’s gone. All of it. It’s gone.”
“Oh, Mathis.” Ren kneels down beside me and wraps her arm around my shoulders. “Andras is going to pay for this. We’re going to get him and make him suffer for what he’s done to your and Torin’s pack. We’ll all help you get this place back to how it was.”
She glances up at Torin. I know without looking that his eyes are locked on the destruction. His guilt and sorrow vibrate across the bond.
“Yeah,” he adds. “The Steel Claws will help.”
Once, I’d have called bullshit on the whole thing. Torin only acted when it was in his best interest. Now I know better.
It’s all wishful thinking.
Still, their kindness and support are welcomed. Especially Torin’s because now he finally understands. He's an ally in this fight instead of another enemy, and that’s a relief.
You guys good? Noble asks.
We’re fine,Torin snaps.Handle things?
Noble snorts and says,Always.
My attention snags burnt, stick-like buildings. What’s left of them, at least. They’re black, charred, and crumbling. There, beyond the fallen structure of the main house, three shadowy pieces of cloth or flags hang by singed ropes and flap in the breeze.
I push to my feet and lope over, ignoring Ren’s calls. When I get close enough, what I see freezes me in place.
Not flags or cloth.Fur.
My heart blocks my throat and swells, nausea curdling my stomach as my fingers whisper across the charred pelts. My wolves.
Goddamit it!
The Blood Moons’ have hoisted up grisly trophies of their recent kills, and if I know Andras, they are from three of the stolen members of my pack, their hides strung up like warning signs.
It’s the cruelest thing possible and just what a monster like him would do. The bodies we heard about on the news…
Flora’s face pops into my head.
Could it be hers?
Tears burn the corners of my eyes. Because of the terrible shape they’re in, there’s no way to mark for sure who these furs belonged to. My stomach rolls.
Bile scalds a path to my mouth, and I swallow it down, barely.
