Chapter Sixteen
Brandon rubbed his chest, the mating mark pulsating as he thought of the two individuals by his side. He was mated. He wasn’t sure how he’d ended up so lucky, to have mated with the two people who made him whole, but he knew he would never take them for granted.
Now, he sat in Gideon’s home, Avery tucked close to him with Parker on her other side, as his family came together to discuss what their future plans were, as well as what had happened over the past few weeks.
So much had changed, and yet, what was to come hadn’t.
Gideon and Brie huddled together, while Brynn and Finn—though Redwoods now, were still family—sat beside them on another loveseat. Charlotte, Shane, and Bram might not be Brentwoods either, but they had been adopted into the family nonetheless and had been invited to this meeting. Ryder had Leah on his lap, the witch on the verge of a nap. Brandon had a feeling the couple was either trying to have a child or would soon announce a pregnancy. Mitchell and Max sat on the floor as always, the brothers close no matter the room they settled in. Kameron and Walker were on the couch nearest Brandon and his mates, in deep conversation about something Brandon had a feeling they would let him in on soon. They were triplets, after all.
“The government is still trying to decide what to do with us.” Gideon rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, his arm around a very pregnant Brie with the other. She was almost a full week past due, and the Alpha’s nerves were shot. “Either they’ll decide we’re human enough to be granted full rights and then we’ll have the law behind us as we continue to try and survive, or we’ll lose and have to fight even harder.”
“But no matter what the law says, there will still be some that threaten us because we’re different,” Brandon said softly, though his voice held more strength than it had in months.
“I have a feeling the President will stand by our side,” Kameron said after a moment. He looked up when the room went silent. “He’s not the final voice if Congress makes a move, but he’s the loudest.”
“It’s an election year, and McMaster is vying for the President’s seat,” Mitchell put in.
“And he’ll lose,” Avery said suddenly. “Because he has to. Evil cannot win.”
Brandon squeezed her shoulder and let out a breath. “We can hope.”
“I don’t like this kind of fighting,” Max said after they’d discussed their plans for the patrols and government issues. “It’s easier to fight with your fists than stand back and let people who don’t understand what they’re talking about try to use big words to tell us we aren’t human.”
Brandon reached out and gripped Max’s shoulder since his cousin was so close. “We’ll figure it out.”
“We always do,” Parker whispered.
And Brandon hoped what they said was true.
Gideon cleared his throat. “I called this family meeting to not only talk about certain logistics but to welcome two new members to the Pack and our family.” Gideon grinned and Brandon practically puffed out his chest.
Yeah, he had two mates with him on the couch. Count ‘em. Two. Eventually, his wolf would stop acting so cocky, but it was so damned happy to finally have mating bonds to roll around in.
Avery blushed and turned her head into him, hiding her face. She might be the toughest woman he’d ever met in his long life, but she hated being the center of attention.
“Parker, Avery, welcome to our Pack,” Gideon said, his voice that of the Alpha. “And welcome to our family as mates of Brandon.” This time, his voice was that of a brother, family. Gideon had become adept at finding a balance between the two over the years, but it had been his mating with Brie, a submissive wolf from the Redwood Pack, that had made him who he was today. A man Brandon was truly honored to call Alpha.
“Thank you,” Parker said with a soft growl. His wolf was in his voice, and Brandon knew that was because he was trying to come to terms with not only a new Pack but also a new Alpha. Parker’s wolf was freaking strong—far stronger now that he was whole and healthy from the mating bonds. Brandon had a feeling if his mate ever wanted to be an Alpha, the moon goddess would grant him that blessing—and burden. Yet because Avery and Brandon had both been Talons, and Brandon was the Omega—a position he couldn’t relinquish—Parker had chosen to break his bond with the Redwoods and his family and become a Talon, as well. Though both Packs were so entwined now, the break wouldn’t be as bad as it had been even a few short years ago.
“I know you’re the Voice of the Wolves and will continue to be so,” Gideon said, “but I’d like to make you a Lieutenant within the Pack, as well.”
Brandon grinned. “That’s a wolf who protects the Alpha and the Pack,” he said to Avery.
She nodded. “I know. I’ve been learning.” Of course, she was. She may have been forced to jump into this life blindly, but he knew she wouldn’t stay that way if given a choice.
Parker nodded solemnly. “I’d be honored.”
Gideon smiled. “Good. We can do the full ceremony later once you’ve had time to let the new Pack and mating bonds settle.” He turned to Avery. “With the strength of your wolf, I had thought you would be good as a sentry, soldier, or even a Lieutenant, but I’m not going to put you as any of those.”
Brandon frowned, and Parker let out a small growl. The others started talking, and Gideon held up his hand.
“Wait, let me explain. It was Brie who finally made me understand that I would have been wrong to assign you any of those duties.” He stood up, leaving Brie alone on the loveseat, telling Brandon that whatever Gideon had to say was important. There was no way the other man would freely leave his pregnant mate’s side in any other circumstance. He knelt before Avery—something an Alpha rarely if ever did—and a few of Brandon’s family members gasped. “You’re a dominant wolf, Avery, but that’s not all. And if you think hard, I bet you know what you are.”
She licked her lips. “I…I don’t know if I’m right.”
“You are, Avery. Tell me what group I should place you in to protect and honor our Pack.”
She lowered her gaze, her voice soft when she finally spoke, “I’m a maternal dominant.”
Brandon’s wolf howled, everything finally clicking into place. The way Avery worked with her wolf finally made sense. She fought with all her heart but also needed to care for those around her. Maternal dominants protected the young of the Pack but also fought alongside the soldiers in other cases.
Maternal dominants were rare, but he knew his Avery would do her new title justice.
Gideon cupped her face, and Brandon didn’t feel a lick of jealousy. This was his Alpha protecting his people, not a man and a woman. “You will do us proud, Avery. Always.”
The others stood, and the entire Brentwood clan welcomed Avery and Parker into their fold. Brandon had never felt more like a true Talon Pack member than he did right then, and that’s why he had to tell them of his dreams.
He’d already told Parker and Avery about them, but he hadn’t told them of the visit from the moon goddess. For some reason, he’d known he needed to wait until he was with Kameron and Walker to tell them what he’d seen.
And since Parker had already told him that he was going to talk about the prophecy during the meeting, right now seemed like the right time to share.
Once everyone had settled down, he cleared his throat. “I have something to say, if you don’t mind.”
Everyone looked at him, and he didn’t fault them their curious gazes. Brandon didn’t normally speak at these functions, the emotions within the room usually so intense he could barely hold onto the stream of conversation, let alone join in. But now that he had two other people sharing his burden—without feeling the side effects—he could finally breathe again. He truly understood now why Omegas always had mates.
Avery squeezed his hand, and Parker reached over to brush against his shoulder, with their strength, he could do this.
“I’ve been having dreams,” he began. It was a testament to what they’d all gone through over the past few years with Gideon, Ryder, Brynn, and so on, that no one laughed at his odd announcement.
“What kind of dreams?” Walker asked, a frown on his face.
“Ones that felt like they were slowly sucking the life out of me because I couldn’t understand them. They felt like memories, yet what happened in them had never happened to me. At least not the me you see here.”
Kameron’s brows rose. “You’re going to have to be a little more clear. Not all of us have the same brain capacity as Walker over there.” He gestured to his brother.
Brandon’s mouth ticked up in a small smile, grateful his siblings helped him with the tension so he could collect his thoughts. “They were memories. Ones that came from a lifetime of lifetimes ago, a life I lived but had forgotten.”
Brynn’s eyes widened. “You’re talking about reincarnation. That’s actually a thing?”
Brandon snorted as the others turned to him, wide eyes on each of them. “Yes, it’s apparently a thing. The moon goddess told me so.” He shook his head as the others started asking him question after question. “I’m getting ahead of myself, and I need to start at the beginning. The dreams were painful, but not just because I was reliving what happened. It’s about what happened in the dreams. You see, the first hunter, the first wolf, bit me. And I became one of the three first wolves made from a bite.” He looked over at Kameron and Walker who had gone still. “My brothers, you two, were the other two men who were made wolves. All three of us were once a part of the original Pack. We’re old souls, reborn. What that means? I don’t know exactly, but it’s important.”
“Holy shit,” Avery whispered and some in the room laughed, the tension easing fractionally. “Sorry,” she said with a blush. “It’s just, these kinds of conversations don’t normally happen.”
“They seem to with this family more often than not,” Mitchell added dryly.
Brandon let out a breath and continued. “I think the moon goddess needed me to know this because, somehow, I’m connected to the wards.” He looked at Kameron and Walker. “Every time the wards flare, and their power weakens, it hurts me. Is it the same with you?”
They were both still for a moment before nodding as one. Brandon let out a breath, relieved and terrified of what that meant.
Gideon growled. “And none of you thought to tell us?”
Walker cleared his throat. “I didn’t know what it meant.”
“I still don’t,” Kameron bit out. “I was handling it just fine.”
Avery squeezed Brandon’s hand. “So was Brandon, at least he thought he was. Maybe none of you told the others for a reason, but now it’s out there.”
“And I think I know why,” Brandon interjected. “The moon goddess also told me of a prophecy.”
Parker’s gaze shot to his, his eyes wide. “Are you serious?”
Brandon nodded. “I didn’t tell you right away because it didn’t feel like the right time.”
Parker growled. “Since I kept it secret, as well, I’ll let you off this once.”
Gideon snarled. “Why doesn’t everyone tell me what the fuck is going on with my family?”
Brandon let out a breath. “I think the three of us,”—he pointed at himself, Walker, and Kameron—“are connected to the wards because we were the ones who helped build the first ones. At least, our past-life selves were.” He winced. “That sounds weird now that I say it aloud.”
Parker snorted. “We’ve passed weird so many times, it’s pretty normal now. And Brandon? I don’t think it was just the three of you who made the wards. It had to be my great-great-great—times a hundred—grandfather, too, right? I mean, if he was the first wolf, then the four of us, or maybe more, made the first wards.”
“And that means we need to be the ones to fix them,” Brandon added softly.
“I hear what you’re saying, but what is this prophecy you’re talking about?” Finn asked, his hand linked with Brynn’s.
Parker was the one who spoke.
“A wolf of three Packs can break their will or unite them all.
“Once united, the Packs will reveal…
“If broken, the Packs will fall…”
Brie’s hand went to her mouth. “A wolf of three Packs…that’s…that’s Parker. Right?” Her eyes filled with tears, and she sniffed. “Hormones. Sorry. But, Parker. You’re a Talon now, though your mother was a Talon before she left. You were raised a Redwood and…” She trailed off, and those who remembered the great war between the Redwoods and Centrals sucked in a breath.
“And I’m the son of the Central’s Alpha. The one who killed countless people for power. So, yes, it would seem I’m the wolf of three Packs. But I don’t know how I can help us.” He shook his head before letting out a breath. “And that’s not the first time I’ve heard the prophecy either.”
After he’d told the others of what had happened in the European Pack—though some already knew part of it—the room quieted as they tried to digest everything that had just happened.
Avery cleared her throat and Brandon looked down at her, worried. “There’s something else, something I need to tell all of you. Something that Parker and Brandon know but I’ve been holding back. Not because I wanted to keep it a secret, but because…well…everything keeps happening so fast.”
Hell, they’d all been so worried about everything else, they’d forgotten this one thing that could help.
“What is it?” Gideon asked, his voice low, his eyes narrowed.
He and Parker reached out and gripped her hands and she immediately let out a breath. “I’m a foreseer,” she whispered. Parker squeezed her hand. “I can see a future,” she continued, this time a little louder. He was so damned proud of her. “Not all futures and usually not those too close to me, but I have visions that can come true. I can’t always figure out what each of them means, but I try to help those I can.”
Gideon let out a breath. “That’s a heavy burden, Avery.”
His stomach eased, so freaking relieved that his brother and his Pack understood his mate as well as he did. “It is, but I carry it. And I’ll do everything I can to help us. I promise.”
Mitchell leaned forward, a frown on his face. “What do you see, Avery?”
She pressed her lips together before letting out a breath. “Blood. Screams. And Death.”
Silence.
“What does it all mean?” Brie asked, her voice soft, breaking into the silence.
“I don’t know,” Brandon said honestly. “But something’s coming. Something beyond human intervention and laws. The moon goddess is mad, and I think she’s going to do all in her power to make sure no one messes with her wolves again.”
Parker met Brandon’s eyes, and they both blew out a breath. “And if that happens, I just pray our Packs aren’t in the way.”
Because if a goddess intervened, the world might truly end. But if she didn’t…everything Brandon held dear might just end anyway.