Page 27 of Love Bites

CHAPTER6

Finn Jamenson stood in the center of the Talon den, his hands in his pockets and mind on everything and nothing. He’d watched his best friend and cousin mate a man she didn’t know, a man who might break her because he wouldn’t know how to do anything else.

It wouldn’t be easy being mated to an Alpha. He knew it wasn’t always easy for his mother, but her wolf was dominant enough to not only face his father’s wolf but also deal with the Pack’s politics. It wasn’t that Kade treated Melanie badly—in fact it was the exact opposite. It was that sometimes the Alpha’s wolf needed to let out aggression…

And that was enough of that line of thinking.

He ran a hand over his face then turned toward the festivities. Brie and Gideon had left to cement their mating, and most of the people in front of him were probably doing their bestnotto think about what that entailed. He wasn’t sure how his Uncle Jasper was faring, but it couldn’t have been easy for the very dominant wolf to let his daughter marry into another Pack.

That thought brought his wolf to the surface—not that his wolf was ever too far down anyway.

Brie wasn’t one of them anymore. She was a Talon. A Brentwood. The Alpha female.

He wasn’t sure how her submissive nature was going to play out in this case, but if she ever needed him, he’d be there. It didn’t matter that he’d have to cross Pack lines to make sure she was cared for. He might be the Heir, but he was also a Jamenson. Family was important. They’d already lost so much in the wake of a war that had been brought to them.

Finn might have been only a young child at the time, but he still remembered flashes of what his family had lost, could still remember the screaming and burn of the fire as the demon had lashed out. He remembered the exact moment he’d become the Heir—the way the bonds had latched on to him, digging into his soul and spirit.

He also remembered the time before that when he’d lost something important to him. Though he could remember only flashes of the pain that had almost killed him, he knew the memories were still there, buried to shield him.

He swallowed hard then pushed that from his mind. Today was supposed to be a celebration, though no one truly believed that. Willow might have been doing her best to bring the Brentwoods closer so her daughter would be loved, but it wouldn’t matter if things went to hell.

“Why are you frowning?”

Finn turned around at the woman’s words then stuck his hands back in his pockets.

“Brynn, right?” he asked. The woman with dark hair and bright blue eyes nodded, a peculiar expression on her face. Damn, she was sexy, but his wolf didn’t perk up beyond the normal way he did when a strong wolf of another Pack was near.

“Yes, and you’re Finn. We haven’t met formally yet, though we’ve been to a few things together.” There was something off about her voice, but he couldn’t place it. Whatever it was, it wasn’t as though he could fix it. He’d done nothing wrong, and he honestly didn’t understand women.

He was at least man enough to admit that.

“So, why were you frowning?”

He shrugged, but when she narrowed her eyes, he spoke with honesty. “We don’t know your brother or how this mating will change Brie. She’s ours, even if she has to be yours now because of the bonds.”

She nodded, though she frowned harder. “I understand. Gideon is very important to my family—beyond being the Alpha. I don’t know how this will work either, but I know I don’t want your cousin being hurt because of it.” She met his gaze, and he saw the wolf in her eyes. “I can’t protect her, Finn. If I were to try, I’d cut off her legs before she had a chance to stand. She’ll have to face the Pack on her own, though I will be there to try to catch her if she falls.”

He blinked, stunned that she would admit such a thing. “You’re the dominant female of the Pack at the moment, aren’t you?”

She nodded. “Yes, and I will continue to be so, even with Brie here. I’ll answer to her because she is the Alpha’s mate and because I hope she will do good things for our Pack, but in terms of the strength of our wolves, I will always be stronger.”

Finn cursed under his breath. “It’s fucking confusing. I don’t envy you.”

Brynn shrugged, but he saw the anger rolling under her skin. “I’ll do what I can, but Brie will have to find a way to earn their respect. I just hope she’s strong enough.”

“She’s plenty strong. She only shows it in different ways.”

Brynn met his gaze once again, this time a pain in her eyes that he didn’t understand. “I hope so. I hope she does good for our Pack. We’ve been coasting for far too long. This might be good for us.”

He didn’t say anything but studied her face. Something was off about this conversation, an underlying importance he couldn’t grasp.

“You don’t know,” she whispered. “How can you not know?”

He narrowed his eyes. “What are you talking about?”

She shook her head then backed up a step. “It’s not important.” She raised her chin. “Goodbye, Finn Jamenson.”

“Goodbye, Brynn Brentwood.” Oddly formal, but she’d started it.

She turned away and left quickly.

He honestly didn’t understand women. And this Brynn was more confusing than most. It didn’t matter though. He had work to do. A Pack to care for…and a cousin to try to keep safe, even though it was out of his hands.

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