Page 30 of Tangled Fates

“Brody, this isn’t funny. Where the hell are you?” I called out.

But as I walked up the steps, I found a very curious sight.

Brody’s bed was made, and it looked like it hadn’t been touched in days.

“Brody!” I roared.

I stormed over to the sheets and slammed my hand against them. The dust that popped up wafted up my nose, causing me to cough and sneeze as I tossed my arm over my face. Dear God, there was no telling how long Brody had been gone.

Nor was there any indication of where that motherfucker had gone.

“Brodyyyyy!”

10

DEAN

“Is she okay?”

Milan’s worried voice caught me off-guard. “What?”

“Raven,” she said after swallowing a mouth full of stew. “Is she okay?”

“Why wouldn’t she be?”

She shot me a look. “I saw her run off into the woods. Is everything okay? Has this become too much for her?”

A new mother, with a shining newborn in the crook of her arm, and she was more concerned about Raven’s well-being.

I didn’t know whether to be angry at Raven for being such a spotlight hog, or whether to be proud of Milan’s selflessness in her current circumstance.

“She just needed to blow off some steam. We’re grieving the loss of our Alpha, but she’s grieving the loss of a father she wanted to know, but never will. It’s going to take time.”

She nodded slowly. “Is there anything I can do?”

I smiled softly. “You get better and take care of your newborn. That’s all we need from you, Milan. Okay?”

“I can do that.”

“Good,” I said as I picked up the bucket of water and held it back to her lips, “now, drink. I know you have to be parched.”

As she guzzled some more water down, someone tapped on my shoulder. I placed the bucket down and picked myself up from the ground, hoping that when I turned around, I’d see Raven. Or hell, even Hudson. But it was neither.

Instead, it was that perpetually sweaty healer.

“What is it?” I asked.

He thumbed over his shoulder. “If you’ve got any weight to spare, we’ve got a?—”

“Just point me in the right direction.”

He cleared his throat. “Fourth chalet on the right. And trust me, whatever you do, don’t let anything register on your face.”

I had no idea what the hell that meant, but I knew it couldn’t be good. What I did know was that those who suffered more extensive wounds in the onslaught of the bears were still healing. Which meant I wasn’t walking into a good scenario. I took off down the road, sprinting for dear life before I charged my way through the front door of the fourth chalet on the right.

And when I saw Pride, the commander of our trained troops, with his guts still in his hand, I had to swallow down the bile working its way up the back of my throat.

“I got fifteen pounds to spare, where do you need me?” I asked.

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