Page 6 of Her Cold Brute

It’s the way she’s not focusing on me, her eyes glazed, dazed, like she’s not here, that makes me stop, holding back my anger.

Fury slips through my body at whatever’s causing her pain, being unable to solve it simply with the mating pull. I don’t want to, but I take a step away from her, accepting the clothes from Rennick, glad that no one will see my mate naked as my beast snarls at having him so near her. Never before did I worry about it, but now…feeling the depth of this pull towards her, I will kill anyone that gets near her, tries to touch her.

Snaps and snarls from behind me pulls my attention away from her, turning to spot the alpha’s last son racing our way. My mate stumbles, her face paling seeing him, the terror in her gaze deepening, and my beast takes over after I keep her upright. The shift happens mid-jump, and I slam the bastard into the ground, tearing at his throat, until someone pulls me off his lifeless body.

The red haze falls, and I shift back once more, turning to find my mate. Her eyes are on the trash on the ground, but they lift to mine, fear still filling them as her brother stands next to her, half dressed. She shudders and my jaw tightens as I stalk towards them, grabbing up the clothes I dropped in order to talk to my mate, calm her.

“Cole, take it easy,” Rennick says, stopping me from storming up the steps to reach her. “Figure out the situation first, then devise a plan, rather than simply reacting. That’s what you tell us to do, isn’t it? You have to give her time to come to terms with what’s happening. She looks like she’s barely of age, and she’s human somehow. That will make it vastly different than if she were a wolf or other shifter.”

His words make logical sense but telling my wolf he can’t have his mate in his arms isn’t something he understands. He’s waited thirty-five years for this moment. To have our mate beside us, able to be claimed by us. From the moment I turned eighteen, he’s been waiting to find her, and now that we have, I don’t want to waste any time.

I take a breath before pulling on my clothes, looking to my mate, then onto her mother and father. The knowledge of what she is to me is in their eyes, and at least that is one less thing to deal with at the moment. I look directly at her mother before speaking, “Take her inside and calm her. I will come for her before we leave.”

“Cole,” Rennick warns, and I turn to face him, not wanting any lectures.

“Go to the packhouse, see that things are finished there. I will be up shortly to ensure everyone that remains knows they answer to our pack now,” I state, waiting for him to leave with the others before looking to the pack’s old beta. “We need to speak. Alone.”

“Take your sister inside,” Bryant says, shaking his head at the twins when they look as though they want to argue. “Now.”

His mate kisses him, before hurrying to my beauty, making me realize I don’t know her name. That will need to be remedied quickly. My eyes stay on her until she’s out of sight, making my wolf huff, wanting her back.

Once we’re alone, I turn to the man, shorter than me by at least a foot. I’ve yet to meet another wolf that matches me in height, a carryover from my father—a bear shifter. He was itan, or alpha, of his clan, but when I shifted into a wolf as my mother was, instead of a bear, the clan turned against me. Turned me out when I was seventeen rather than allow me to take over as itan when my father died.

They weren’t true mates. My father’s true mate died before she had a child, whereas my mother’s true mate I gladly killed today. It’s because of him that I lost her when I was four. His rejection weakened her, allowing her to succumb to an illness most shifters would easily survive. Losing a second mate weakened my father, and my rejection by the clan made him vulnerable.

I could have fought for my rightful spot when he died, but I felt the need to avenge my mother more, leading me here today, to my mate.

“Your sons are shiften, yet your daughter is human, how?” I demand to know, to ensure my mate is safe.

“Mora is my mate’s daughter, born a year before I found her, claimed her as mine—claimed them both as mine. She is as much my child as my sons are,” Bryant replies calming the wild questions flowing through my mind.

“She was hurt, before today.” It’s a statement, not a question, and anger begins to rebuild as the man’s face darkens.

“Yes, she was attacked three and a half months ago at her graduation. She nearly died but no one took responsibility for it.”

“But you now suspect the alpha’s sons?” I guess as his gaze slips back to them for a moment. “Mora did not tell you who it was?”

“She didn’t see them. They tied a bag over her head, shattered her leg, tore her shoulder from its socket, and broke every rib in her body, leaving her to suffocate. We only stayed to allow her to recover. The healers nearly lost her far too many times before we were able to bring her home to finish her recovery,” he says and the rage I felt earlier is magnified by ten million.

“You are only alive now because she cares for you. I was not going to leave anyone of rank or opposition here alive, so she’s saved you twice now. If I learn that you are in any way responsible…”

“How dare you!” he shouts, his wolf pressing forward, his eyes flashing dangerously at me. “I have loved Mora from the moment I met her, claimed her as my daughter just as I claimed her mother. I would not allow anyone to hurt her, then or now! Mate or not!”

“Then you and your sons may live, but know it is only because of her,” I warn. “I will be taking her with me when I return from the packhouse. If you remain here, you will be under my pack’s rules, unless you’d like to challenge me that is.”

His eyes glitter but he doesn’t say a word, letting me move across the grounds hoping to get my fury under control before I reach the packhouse. They are likely to increase it more and that is wildly dangerous in my current state of mind. Someone here attacked my mate, tried to kill her. If anyone in that house even looks guilty, I’m liable to kill them.

Tear them to pieces and spit on their remains.

Chapter 3

Mora

My heart is racing as the door opens and Dad comes inside, heading straight for me and Mom. I can’t quite stop the shakes as they race through my body.

“You’re okay, honey,” Dad promises, lifting me onto his lap, hugging me as tight as he likely dares. My body doesn’t ache quite as much as it did earlier today, and amazingly, I can even lift my left arm up to hug him back.

“What’s going on?” Sammy asks him, as he and Mom share a look. “I can put Mora in the car and get us out of here before he gets back.”

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