Page 61 of Unbreakable Bond
Chapter 24
The sun was comingup but Rafe was still in his wolf form. He hadn’t even tried to change back to his human self. He didn’t want to be in his skin right now. He didn’t feel solid or safe. He’d burrowed down deep inside the animal when he realized he couldn’t regain control and he’d let the wolf have his way eversince.
Sadly, his broken wolf had retreated even further than his humanside.
The wolf had gone back to their old camping site. The one that they’d stayed at when he was just a pup. The campground that the humans had stumbled upon because it was just outside the packboundary.
He’d gone back to the place where his family had been slaughtered. The last place he could remember being truly happy. Before his parents and brother were killed and he’d ripped apart two men in his half-crazedbloodlust.
He’d become a killer that day and he’d spent hours, days, out here in the woods wandering around lost and confused. His fur had been soaked in blood and he’d kept going back to the bodies of his family. Here, in these trees and on this ground, he’d mourned all alone, feeling as if he had lost his grip onreality.
Maybe that was why his wolf had come back here last night. He’d lost control. His wolf had taken over. He’d gone murderous at the thought of Michael being injured, being killed. He’d chased those wolves that attacked his brother down. He’d managed to catch a few and he’d ripped them apart just like he had those hunters yearsago.
Then he’d come here and lay down, hunkered down, but he hadn’t slept a wink. He’d just stared into the woods, waiting for someone to come for him. He’d thought that big wolf might come back for him and try to take him down for what he’d done to his friends. But it had been quiet all night which was why the sound of a twig breaking had him scramblingup.
He jumped into a defensive position and snarled in the direction the noise had come from. His eyes scanned the woods but he couldn’t see anything. He growled a warning but it cut off as soon as his brother stepped out from behind atree.
Michael. Brother. Family.Pack.
His wolf was still jumpy. He didn’t know whether to rush Michael and nuzzle him, make sure he was okay, or run away. Michael had shifted back to human before coming to find him. He looked leery but also determined and if the vibes rolling off of him were any indication, he was also frustrated ashell.
Rafe’s wolf whined as Michael inchedcloser.
“Easy now.” His brother spoke softly, “Easy, Rafe. I’m not here to hurt you or fight with you. I’m here to bring youhome.”
Home. Rafe’s wolf tilted his head at that. He hadn’t had a home in solong.
Michael reached a fallen log and sat on it. He didn’t move quickly. He kept his every action slow and steady and his eyes on Rafe’s. He didn’t get too close. He sat down like he was getting comfortable for a chat and that was Rafe’s first sign that they were about to have a very one-sidedconversation.
He couldn’t talk back in wolf form. Maybe that’s what Michael wanted. Hell, maybe it was what he wanted. Because he didn’t try to shift back. He simply stared at his brother through his wolf’s eyes and waited for him to get to thepoint.
Dressed as he was in jeans and a t-shirt, Michael looked no worse for wear after the battle last night. He’d healed fast. The only visible sign of any trouble at all was the red mark that ran along his forearm. He’d been cut deep there by a claw at some point during the fighting and it was going toscar.
Rafe’s wolf whined as he remembered the panic he’d felt when he heard Michael howl. The sight of his brother on the ground with wolves coming after him had Rafe gritting his teeth. The fact that he could still taste the blood of those wolves, could smell it on his fur, kept him from losing his grip on realityagain.
He’d taken care of them and Michael wassafe.
“You know I was wrong right?” His brother scrubbed a hand through his hair and shrugged, “Sure you do. You can feel it just like I can. I was wrong about you not being pack anymore. You are. You’re Moirae pack. Your tie just isn’t to the land. It’s tome.”
Rafe’s wolf eased back down and watched Michael through suspicious eyes. His wolf knew that just like he did. It wasn’t news. He’d felt it last night. He didn’t know why the bond had needed to be reformed but it was clear that it had. It had taken Michael’s blood to do it. Michael had spilled his blood and Rafe had instantly sensedit.
Pack. Family. Brotherhood. He wasMoirae.
“Right. You know that.” Michael continued, “So you know that if I really wanted to, I could force you to shift back right here and rightnow.”
Rafe’s wolf growled. Oh, he didn’t like that. He didn’t like the threat. He didn’t like the reminder that Michael was Pack Alpha. He definitely didn’t like the certainty in his little brother’s voice that said he knew he was strong enough to do it. In a battle of wills, Michael believed he would win as the Pack Alpha and the only thing that kept Rafe from challenging him in that moment was the knowledge that he would have to be the one to spill more of Michael’s blood to prove ituntrue.
And he would never dothat.
“I’m not going to.” Michael shook his head, “Because I have some things I want to say and honestly, I kind of like the idea of you not being able to interruptme.”
Rafe bristled but settled back down. He wasn’t going to fight his brother. Not as wolves and not as humans either. Just so long as Michael didn’t play the trump card and try to force a change on him that he wasn’t readyfor.
“I never blamed you, ya know.” His brother leaned forward with a heavy sigh and rested his elbows on his thighs, “Never. I always knew what happened to Mom and Dad, what happened to Gabe, wasn’t your fault. I’ve never had a chance to tell you that because you were so busy blaming yourself but I want you to know that I neverdid.”
His wolf whined at the mention of his twin and their parents. It had been his fault. No matter what Michael said. It had been his fault. He hadn’t done it on purpose and he would take it back if he could but it was his fault they’d all been in the woods that day and he was the one that had accidentally led the hunters back to their camp. It was his fault their family wasdead.
“No. Don’t you do that.” Michael’s voice rose a little, “Don’t you get lost back there in the could have’s and should have’s. It was a long time ago and it’s over. Whatever you did that makes you think you caused their deaths, you’ve more than paid for it with your self-imposed banishment andisolation.”
