Page 80 of Tangled Fates

“Let me out of here! What are you doing!?”

One of the men slammed his fist into the top of the cage. “That’s what you get for snooping around.”

“What the hell was I supposed to do? You murdered our Alpha! You murdered Colin!”

One of the men bent down, getting into his face. “And for that slander, you’ll see ten lashes before breakfast in the morning.”

“No! Please! Just let me out of here!” Brody shrieked.

“Holy shit, Raven. Look,” Dean beckoned.

I peeked an eye open and watched as Brody’s entire wolf glowed with the same glow my hands had acquired. The same sort of twinkling that took place with the bubble that had surrounded us back at my Dad’s place. I picked up my hands, looking at them and turning them around before I peered through the slats of my fingers.

And as I watched Brody’s wound quickly seal shut, I leaned my back against the wall of the cave.

“You did it!” Hudson exclaimed as he morphed back into a human.

“Brody, you can change back now. I’m sure you’ve been in wolf form far too long now,” Dean said as he petted Brody’s neck.

But my cousin simply laid there. I can’t. I don’t—it’s like I don’t have the energy.

His voice sounded so weak that it almost made me forget what I had just seen. What I had just heard. What I had just born witness to.

Almost, at least.

“Do you think you can walk?” I asked.

Brody answered me by stumbling around until he was upright on his feet. If I take it slow, yeah.

I reached out for Hudson’s hand. “Can you give me a lift?”

He took me by the forearm and helped me up. “Ready to head back?”

I dusted myself off. “Levi, any threats?”

He raised his nose into the air. None that I smell. But we should be getting back soon. Nightfall comes in a couple of hours.

How close was I to home? Brody asked.

I turned to face him and found his steel gray eyes gazing down at me. “We’re about five miles out from the neighborhood.

He nodded slowly. I can’t thank you enough for coming after me. Really.

Hudson walked in between us, making his way for the woods. It’s not the only time we came after you. Let’s get home so we can talk. We’ve got a lot to figure out before we can proceed forward.

I was glad that Hudson had burst through the conversation because I wasn’t sure how long I could talk with Brody before I broke down and blurted out what the hell had just happened. So, without another word, I shifted into my wolf, and we started back for the neighborhood. Brody hobbled along, but with every step he seemed to grow stronger. And with his natural healing faculties finally kicking in, I hoped that he’d be spic-and-span by the time we got back to his chalet.

Because I had some fucking questions I needed answered.

The walk back to our compound was silent, but steady. Brody continued to limp, even as we all shifted and walked up to his front door. I watched as my cousin attempted to morph back into his human form, but it was almost as if he was stunted. I saw his legs shift, but his torso refused to move. So, his legs shifted back, and I watched his head shift back into human form, but the rest of his stayed wolf.

“What the hell?” Hudson asked.

Brody shook his head. “Too—too long. I need a—a healer. I can’t—shift back by myself.”

“Hold on,” Levi said as he made his way for the back door, “I’ll go get one of them right?—”

“AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!”

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