Salvation (Wild Heat)

Chapter 27 – M E M P H I S

Brooklyn needssome time before she’s able to calm down. Sharing what happened with us was hard on her, but I think it’s clear that starting to forgive herself was harder. She’s spent over a year shouldering the blame for what that bastard, worm of a man did to her. It’ll take time before she internalizes Camden’s words. Hopefully, with our support, she’ll get there sooner than later.

Eventually, she settles down for a nap in the tent, wearing Camden’s shirt and socks, Denver’s flannel pants, and my bracelet. When I check in on her, I find that she’s pulled my blanket and a few of Denver’s sweaters in with her, too. Clearly, she feels comforted enough by our scents that she’s using them to nest. I wonder if she even realizes it.

Camden has managed to get a small fire started with the few pieces of wood Brooklyn found. He’s heating a kettle of water over it when I sit down close to him. His stitches should be safe to come out, soon, I notice. The gash on his head looks less angry now. The redness has subsided, and the swelling is all but gone. If he keeps taking such rigorous care of it his scarring should be minimal, but I think he might look even more roguish with a gnarly scar adding to his boyish charm like.

I almost comment on it, but we have much more important things to talk about right now.

“I figure we could all use some hot tea,” he says, and I nod in agreement. Hearing what Brooklyn survived has hit us all hard. It made my blood run cold, learning how deeply she was betrayed by the people she should have been able to trust. No wonder she was cautious around us—she knows too well that not all Alphas are good guys. We had to prove to her that we deserved her trust.

Camden pours me a mug of tea. We sip quietly until Denver strides out of the woods around our clearing. He sits next to me, dropping his pack at his feet. “I checked the snares,” he says. “Nothing.”

I exchange a glance with Camden. We both knew when he left that no rabbits had hopped in during the past two hours. Denver just needed an excuse to take a walk and get his frustrations out. And I get it. Denver likes being in control, and he’s just lost it in two huge ways.

First, there was Camden and me ignoring his orders to stay away from Brooklyn. Frankly, I don’t give a shit if Denver’s mad at us for disobeying. I know we were right to do it—she wouldn’t have opened up to us if we hadn’t.

Worse than that, Denver’s feelings about Brooklyn have clearly spiraled out of his control. He was convinced he could resist her—he has been since the moment we realized we lost the suppressants.

He loves her. He might not have admitted it to himself yet, but I can see it clearly—probably because I feel the same way. So does Camden. She blindsided us all with her wild spirit and deep well of inner strength.

Sure, there’s a small part of me that still wishes I could have Brooklyn all to myself. That she’d be mine and mine alone. But a bigger part of me knows that the four of us are better together. The balance is right—we feel like a pack. Already, I feel like I know what the other Alphas are thinking just by looking at their expressions. I respect Denver’s leadership and intelligence, and Camden’s humor and straightforwardness offsets my quietness.

Plus, I know Brooklyn has formed an attachment to us. I could never ask her to choose between us. She’s spent so long being alone and unloved. She deserves to have the three of us taking care of her.

Now, I just have to get the other guys on board.

I clear my throat, and Denver and Camden glance over in surprise. Clearly, they didn’t expect me to be the one to start this conversation.

“I want Brooklyn,” I declare. “I have feelings for her. And I know you both do, too.”

Camden nods easily. I shoot a pointed look at Denver, and his jaw clenches. But he doesn’t deny it.

“So I think we can all agree there’s no way in hell she’s going back to the Castles,” I say. “So what now?”

“We get her out of here and take her somewhere safe,” Camden suggests. “All my sisters have houses on the East Coast. We could stay with any of them.”

“That’ll just put your sisters in danger,” Denver points out. “The minute Roger Castle realizes what we’ve done, we’ll have made a very powerful enemy. He won’t just settle for getting her back—he’ll want revenge on anyone involved.”

“We can protect her,” Camden says.

Denver snorts. “Castle’s a fucking billionaire. He could send hundreds of mercenaries after us, ones who aren’t as nice as I am. These days, it’s almost impossible to live off the grid. If he hires the right people, they’ll always know where to find us. There’s nowhere on earth we can take her where they won’t find her.”

“Then what would you suggest?” I say.

Denver’s face darkens, and I see the soldier who drew blood on the battlefield. It’s fucking terrifying.

“Alphas like the Castles shouldn’t get to live,” he growls. His hand moves to his sniper rifle, safely bound to his backpack. He’s ready to kill for Brooklyn—and honestly, I don’t hate the idea.

“We’re not gonna be any good to Brooklyn if we get caught and thrown in prison,” Camden says.

Denver scoffs. “Worth it.”

“It’s not what Brooklyn would want,” Cam says. “If she wanted them dead, she could have found a way to do it—she could’ve set fire to the house, or waited for a chance to strike. She ran instead. If she draws the line at killing, then so do we.”

Denver scowls, but he shuts his pack and lets go of the gun. Killing’s off the table—for now, at least.

“So the Castles will keep looking for Brooklyn as long as she’s alive,” I muse. “What if we could convince them that she isn’t?”

“She still has the mating bond with Grayson,” Camden says. “He’ll feel that she’s alive.”

“It’s almost faded by now,” Denver says. “Once it’s fully severed, he won’t be able to prove it.”

“How do we know when it’s gone?” Cam asks.

“When she can’t sense his emotions anymore,” I say, burning with rage. The fact that she had to share feelings with her rapist makes me want to snap some necks.

“We can even test it when we tell him she’s dead. He’ll definitely be angry then—if she can’t feel that, we know for sure the bond is gone,” Camden says.

“They won’t buy that she’s dead,” Denver says, shaking his head. “Not without a body.”

“I can help with that.”

Our heads turn at once when we hear Brooklyn’s soft voice. Stepping out of the tent, my blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Her eyes glint with determination.

“I know where a body is,” she says.