Momentary silence…then angry growls erupted around her. Bree tried to reach for Bran through their link, but all she felt was fear. The terror she felt from her brother had been too great. It consumed her as well. She did not know what was happening, but if Bran was scared, it meant something horrifying was happening. He was the bravest person and feared nothing, so she knew to keep quiet instead of crying out for help.Heavy footsteps thudded closer to her location, and Brianna strained to see what made the sounds. Labored breathing told her they were closer. Sitting upside down distorted her perception, but a window to the left that remained uncrushed offered her the opportunity to see the feet of an animal twice the size of any regular dog she’d seen. It had such enormous claws that Brianna almost let out a scream.‘Bran, I’m scared.’ She cried to him as her body shook in fear. ‘Close your eyes, Bree. It’ll be over soon.’She could feel the end coming. The wolves she saw in the
Brandon woke up the next day with his back touching a mattress so soft he thought he was dreaming. It had been a while since he slept indoors. He was sure it was a trick his mind was playing on him.Bran was weighed down by several blankets to keep the cold away and as he peeled them off slowly, he noticed the scents of the items around the room reminded him of home. He hadn’t expected to stay in his human form, but after his drastic shift, it became difficult to switch back. Thorne had warned him not to interfere. But the thought of leaving a human in need felt wrong.He only had to think of Brianna lying alone in the woods and his protective instincts kicked in.Bran remembered visiting this human in her dreams repeatedly, giving him another reason to help.He could feel the sorrow and the pain she felt, and he wondered if he was empathetic towards her because he had felt the same feelings while growing up. While in school, he felt lost and alone, despite being among people he thou
Brandon couldn’t walk out of the cabin even if he wanted to. It had been a struggle to keep his wolf form, and he doubted he could even walk upright since he remembered crawling most of the way to get to the cabin.Every muscle in his body was tingling and his bones felt weak, making him wonder how he helped the woman the last few days when he couldn’t even move.Then he remembered he had been handling the Calabar beans without gloves and had been inhaling the fumes every time he brewed the tea.He heard Violet mention it was poisonous, and he did not heed her warnings about brewing the tea in an open area to have the least amount of contact with the poison.The effect on him had been gradual, given that he was also a werewolf whose body could heal itself. But over time, and with no sustenance to replenish the energy used to flush it out of his system, the poison stayed in his body longer.It was Brianna who figured out what was making him weak when he was unresponsive after two days
“Come, the food is ready.” Brutus was in charge of the barbecue and as he opened the cover for the grill, the glorious smell of roasting meat made Brandon’s stomach grumble.It had been days since he last ate. He doesn’t even know how long he’s had grilled meat and hearing the fat sizzling on the hot red coals made him salivate. The men around him laughed, but his attention was focused on the darkened slab of ribs Brutus took out, and seeing his hungry expression, the pack enforcer did not hesitate to give him the first serving. “Hmm…” Brandon closed his eyes as he savored the meat melting in his mouth. The sauce dripped down his fingers and he licked it off clean, not caring that people were watching.Slice after slice of meat appeared in front of him together with potatoes, cobs of corn, and several pieces of bread, and Bran gobbled them all up like the starving man that he was.“Save some for us,” Rick joked after seeing Brandon had stopped growling and slowing down. “I’m sorry,
“What do you think you’re doing?” Two arms grabbed Marina’s shoulder and shoved her against the tree. “Brandon was showing interest. Why did you run away?”“Brandon? He’s not interested in me.”“Of course, he is smitten, sweetheart. He followed you in here, didn’t he?”“What do you want me to do, poison him in the middle of his party?”“Didn’t know you had brains in there.” “Do you want me to get killed? There is no way you are getting out of Silvercreek without having the entire pack after you. They’re the golden kids right now. People are watching them.”“Better you than me, my little pet.” He said, kissing her cheek and making her shudder. “But you are right. We can’t have the entire cavalry after us.”“Do your job right and I might bestow upon you the pleasure I reserve for my princess. It’ll be shameful not to share my skills when I have a lot to offer.”Marina wanted to gag. Sleeping with Seth was not a gift, it was a curse. She would rather die than suffer in his hands ever ag
The next day, Brandon woke up early. He could feel the chill in the air, and for once, he was glad to be indoors when winter came upon them. He could not believe the seasons were changing so fast, and in a few months, snow would cover the entire state.The nights were cold enough that lighting up the fireplace to keep the entire cabin warm was acceptable, and he liked that. It made him remember the times they went on trips with their parents.Being so young, the twins did not know that they had been searching for a place to live every time they went on family camping trips. None of their memories during that time came back completely, but there were glimpses of happy times.Bran was a werewolf, thick with fur and full of body heat, and though his temperature ran high while in his wolf form, he was still half-human. And being human meant it was not enjoyable to sleep outdoors on the cold, wet ground. He could not understand why it was taking too long for him to regain his strength.
Seth and his men stopped at a clearing in the forest the locals called the grassland. It was a patch of forest fabled to be an evil place, where nothing but grass and weeds grew. The trees surrounded the area like they knew not to set foot inside the circle. Some folklore said the place was vacant because of the ancient witches who gathered in the area during the longest night of the year. During the winter solstice, when the moon was at its highest peak, it would shine its light upon the clearing. Covens would use this moment to fortify their spells by harnessing the energy of the moon.The witches would light bonfires inside the circle and dance around the fire naked while offering their sacrifices to the devil.It was a celebration that lasted from the moment the sun disappeared from the sky to the moment it appeared the next day. Nobody knew where they came from, but as soon as the moon retreated into the horizon, so did the witches. The area cleared out as if nothing had trans
Grayson tapped into the pack link and was met with silence. The only people who responded were the ones already in the clearing with him. Aiden, Rick, and Rob looked around as they held their positions.Around them, pack members had dropped like flies after being shot by tranquilizer darts. And just like Brandon, the medicine took effect immediately, reducing their chances of overpowering the Nightshade pack.Seth laughed even though Grayson still had his sharp claws digging into Seth’s neck. “It’s ten against four. I would say you should surrender.”Grayson growled. He warned everyone to be alert and watch their back for any sneak attacks, but they never expected the other pack to come more prepared.‘They’ve all been shot.’ Aiden reported.‘Are they dead?’ Grayson asked, to confirm the fate of his pack members.‘No,’ Aiden growled. Seeing the injections on the bodies made him hyper-aware. He opened his senses to the sounds of the forest, so he was prepared when one whizzed past his
“Marina, wait up! I rarely see you during meal times. Is everything alright?” Brandon had just come down from his room and found Marina on her way out. Like the last few days, she’s been having breakfast later to steer clear of the breakfast crowd. In reality, she was trying to avoid Grayson and Brianna most of all. Brandon wanted to join everyone for breakfast, but lately, he had been too tired. They played tag every night to tap into his werewolf abilities, which depleted most of his energy, and then when his head hit the pillow, dreams of wandering around the farm in the dark drained him to the last drop.He’d never heard of dreams sucking out a person’s energy before, but that is how it felt.“Oh yeah. Dinner with everyone present is too much for me sometimes. The noise level gets too high and it’s difficult when you hear everything.”“I get you, I’m still weirded out when I hear people’s hearts beating too loud.” Marina looked at Bran, wondering what he thought about hers speed
“I know your grandmother.” Victor looked at Brandon and Brianna while he delivered the big secret he’d been keeping since he learned of their arrival at Silvercreek.“You do?” They asked in unison.“Yes. Your grandmother sought refuge in Silvercreek for a while when she first ran away, but our pack was smaller then and though we offered her sanctuary she didn’t stay.”“But my parents came back. Did they know Nana was here before?”“We told them she was here, but to ask her about our encounter.”“I wonder why Nana didn’t bring us here directly after our parents passed away?”“She must have been scared. The accident site wasn’t too far from here and we suspected foul play when we found werewolf tracks.” “We tried to talk to your grandma at the hospital, but she disappeared and took both of you with her.” Amelia sat beside her husband. “She must have found the same tracks on the site and it spooked her.”“We had no idea our family was a bunch of werewolves. I always considered Nana to b
“Brandon, I see you’ve finally come in. Are you happy rolling in the hay all day and getting acquainted with the animals?” Brianna was alone in the kitchen, peeling and chopping vegetables for dinner.“That’s an insult to the cute animals, but even though I wanted to hang out with them all day, I got to muck out the stables for the horses. Have you ever seen one up close before?”“No. They are majestic, but you are wearing more of their dung that you cleaned out.”Bran laughed. “It’s amazing here. Who knew such a place existed? I made up my mind.”“About what?”“Staying in Silvercreek.”“I thought you were unsure.” “I didn’t think there was a life for me here.”“What do you mean? They’ve welcomed us with open arms and we have a house that mom and dad paid for over the years.“I know, but what happens after you’ve settled in? I don’t want to be the third wheel forever.”“You’re family—”“I know that,” he sighed. “But now I have more than one reason to stay.”“Why now? What happened?”
Gran glares at Grayson. “You don’t need to be so mean to her. You know how tragic it was to lose her parents to hunters, and she’s just craving for attention.”“She’s used that card for far too long and it’s time she grew up. We’re not kids anymore and I have a good reason not to let her sleep in the house.” He said, taking his stance.“Bree, are you bothered by their relationship?” Gran turned her focus to the other person in the room.“Marina and I don’t have a relationship.” Grayson interjected rudely before Bree could reply. “Don’t worry too much, dear. It’s a harmless crush. She used to follow my grandsons around when she was younger, and I guess she never grew out of it.”‘Are you going to tell your grandma the real reason or will you let me look bad in her eyes?’ Bree asked Gray with annoyance.“Don’t argue with me, Gran.”“Why don’t you let Brianna speak?”“I don’t think she’ll ever forgive me for stealing Grayson from her.”“Oh, that child, she’s still a selfish little girl
“I heard Gran call my name. I’ll see you at the house.” She used her werewolf ability to run from Bran, thinking she would get there first because she got a head start, so she was surprised when he ran beside her, yelling for her to go faster.He made the task look easy. The distance from the barracks to the house spanned several acres of land. To a normal person driving a truck or a golf cart would be ideal to get around the property, but werewolves have the speed and strength to use their own feet which would definitely get them to their destination faster, and if they couldn’t use their feet, they could use all four paws.Both got to the house at the same time and Marina did not know if she was really that fast or if Bran made adjustments, so she didn’t feel bad.“What is your ideal breakfast?” Bran changed his choice of topic, seeing she would never talk to him again if he kept broaching the same subject. “Whatever gran makes. Everything tastes good.”“You don’t have that one thi
“Brandon! I thought you left?” Marina almost jumped out of her skin when the object of her dreams manifested when she opened the door.She made sure everyone had left before getting up and starting her day. Using her enhanced hearing, Marina listened to every movement and every conversation, training her ears to detect Brandon’s voice.Aiden knocked on his door. “Bran, we’re heading out. Don’t delay or you’ll have no food to eat. Gran’s breakfast won’t last long.”“I’m right behind you.” Brandon got up, shuffled around to pick up his clothes, peeled the sheets off the mattress, and followed the other pack members.And as soon as the main entry door banged shut, Marina was sure everybody had left.She got up, stripped the sheets from the bed and pillow, then wrapped a towel around her body. There was no way she’d go to breakfast without removing the sweat and evidence of what happened while she was dreaming about Bran.It was time to wash the sheets and take a shower so she could go b
For the rest of the evening, Brandon bonded with the men through alcohol and poker. They drank more than necessary and Aiden was unwilling to stumble in the dark, so they picked an empty room and stayed over.Aiden was concerned that there might be someone waiting for them between the house and the barracks, and he’d rather not risk Bran’s safety.As soon as Bran closed his eyes, he began dreaming about Marina. The setting from his other dreams was different. The deep, dark void was gone, and in its place was a cabin, much like the one his parents left for him and Brianna.Marina was sleeping on her stomach on the king-sized bed, the lower half of her body covered with a sheet. He was right. She had come to bed naked and lust surged within him as he thought of ways to wake her up so they could make love.Naked as the day he was born, he slid in next to her sleeping form, hugged her torso, and nuzzled her neck. Something about the dream felt familiar. As if he’d visited her like this m
Brandon smiled, appreciating Aiden’s sensitivity. His parents’ death was still a sore topic and now that he had less of his memories, he would rather talk about something else.“Where are we going?” Brandon asked.“To the barracks, where we can hang out with the guys and watch a movie. They have enough bunks available if you want to sleep over.”“Okay, I guess there’s nowhere else to go, right? Like a bar?”“Nah, the barracks would be better. We won’t need to watch our words here. Plus, the guys are eager to see you. They’re afraid you must have forgotten about them, too.”“What if I did?”“Then it’ll be cool. We’ll have stories to tell and you’ll think they’re all interesting.” Aiden smiled as if Bran, forgetting the last few months of his life, was nothing to be concerned about. “Don’t worry too much. Werewolves are resilient, so you’ll get your memories back in no time.”“You keep saying werewolf, is everyone at the ranch a werewolf?”Aiden nodded. “The humans at the ranch know abo
Brianna felt weird about having sex in a house full of werewolves with special hearing, especially with Gran and Gramps sleeping a few bedrooms away.Even a small whimper or moan would be equal to blasting a steamy, erotic audiobook on a loudspeaker. Aiden had mentioned before that sex was natural for the cycle of life and though werewolves could hear what happened behind closed doors, they should just do it anyway, otherwise they’ll both be sexually frustrated for never having the chance. But still Bree felt self-conscious, so she went to bed that night, said goodnight to her mate, and ignored the craving she felt.Grayson smiled and pulled her into her arms, molding their bodies together like spoons in a cutlery drawer. “I want you,” he whispered in her ear as his chest rumbled in frustration.Bree leaned into his embrace, her neck feeling the touch of Grayson’s nose as he caressed her skin.‘Yes,’ she answered through their bond as her legs intertwined with his. “You are wearing