Chapter Four #2
Hunter cleared his throat again. “We also came to ask to speak to Brielle.”
Saffie’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”
Lennox stepped in before Hunter could stumble through it. “That’s between us and her. If she wants you to know, she’ll tell you herself.”
The silence that followed stretched, but then Ursula and Saffie exchanged a look, and both gave small nods.
Respect flickered in their eyes. Without a word, Ursula stood and began locking up, Saffie moving with her.
Minutes later, they were guiding the brothers to the lifts, then up to the top floor before they opened a door that led up some stairs and onto the roof.
The scene they walked into was charged. Brielle sat on a hideous brown couch at the center, surrounded by Willow, Liam, Nolan, and Isaac.
From Lennox’s perspective it was like walking into a storm. He watched her eyes dart from one friend to another as she tried to piece it together. “So, let me get this straight,” she demanded. “We think that they are shifters.”
Liam nodded once, utterly sure. “Yep. Pretty fucking sure.”
Brielle nodded, her curls bouncing. “And that yesterday they could scent me, not because I smell, but because it’s a scent that—shall we say—resonated with them.”
Lennox and Hunter shared a look. It sure as hell had resonated with them and would do for eternity.
Willow grinned and clapped her hands. “Yes! That’s it! Your scent resonates with them.”
Brielle nodded again, her hands slicing the air a second time. “And that resonance had them reacting to me. They could scent me. And they ... reacted to that scent.”
“Exactly,” Liam said evenly.
Lennox felt his heart hammering harder with every word, standing silent at the edge of the group as she threw her hands up. “Okay, but what does that mean? Because right now it just sounds like I’m walking around with eau de chaos.”
For a moment, no one answered. The wind tugged at her curls, carrying the city’s noise back to them.
Lennox’s heart thudded as he answered her, his voice low but sure. “It means that you are our mate, sweetheart.”
Brielle gasped, color rushing into her cheeks. Nolan and Isaac immediately stepped forward and shook both his and Hunter’s hands, Liam following a beat later with a grudging nod.
“What animal are you then?” Nolan asked, curiosity edged with caution. “You don’t smell like wolves.”
“Bears,” Lennox said simply. Hunter nodded, shoulders rolling as if the word itself sat heavy but right on his tongue. “We found out a couple of days ago. Have no idea about other animal shifters, and really, no fucking clue what we are doing, but we’re learning every time we shift.”
That answer sparked a round of conversation. Nolan leaned in, curious. “So, what’s it like being a bear? Stronger? Faster?”
Hunter shrugged, honest. “Stronger, yeah. Sense of smell is insane. Hearing, too. But speed? We’re not wolves—we don’t run like you do.”
Isaac added, “Wolves run in packs, bears are solitary hunters. But raw power, you two have that in spades.”
Willow tilted her head. “What about instincts? Do you ... crave forests, rivers?”
Lennox gave a surprised laugh. “Hell, yeah. I’ve never wanted to swim so much in my life. And the urge to fish? It’s embarrassing.”
That drew chuckles around the group, and Nolan nodded thoughtfully. “Every animal brings different strengths. It’ll be good to have that balance.”
Hunter asked in turn, “So what about wolves? You guys smell different—what’s the deal with dominance? With how you track?”
Nolan and Liam exchanged looks, then launched into explanations of pack hierarchy, scent trails, speed versus stamina. Lennox and Hunter leaned forward, hungry for every detail.
“So, you track by scent alone?” Hunter asked.
“Not just scent,” Liam explained. “We use dominance, body language, everything. Pack hierarchy is what keeps us alive.”
Nolan nodded. “Speed versus stamina—wolves can run for hours, bears hit hard and fast.”
Lennox whistled low. “Hell, that makes sense. We’re built to slam through obstacles, not run marathons.”
The others chuckled. Hunter leaned forward again. “What about fights between species? Wolves against bears?”
Isaac smirked. “Depends on the wolves. But I wouldn’t want to take on a bear head-on.”
Willow added, “Every animal brings something different to the table. It’s what makes covens and packs stronger.”
Lennox grinned, his chest buzzing with the excitement of finally belonging to something bigger. He and Hunter asked question after question, their voices tumbling over one another in eagerness.
“Excuse me!” Brielle cut in, raising her hand like a schoolteacher trying to wrangle a rowdy class. “Still here. Remember me?”
They barely paused, Liam launching into a detailed explanation of scent markers and how they layered.
“Seriously?” Brielle tried again, louder this time. “I said I’m still here!”
But the conversation steamrolled on, the brothers were too fascinated to stop.
Finally, she threw both hands up and snapped, “Well, if being ignored is what it’s like to be a mate, you can forget it!” She spun on her heel to storm off.
Lennox moved before he thought, scooping her up and tossing her easily over his shoulder. “Not happening, sweetheart,” he growled, carrying her back to the outdoor furniture like she weighed no more than a feather.
Hunter lifted both hands toward the others, his tone steady. “Let her yell at us if she needs to. We’ll calm her down. Just give us some time with her, please.”
Luckily Brielle’s family believed him, and they gave them the space they would need for this conversation.
Setting her down gently on the couch again, Lennox sat beside her while Hunter pulled up an outdoor ottoman to sit in front of her. “Talk with us, Brielle. We’ve spent a lifetime not knowing what we are. Now we do. And now we know who you are to us. We’re not letting you walk away.”
Brielle glared at him, breathing hard, but the bond thrummed between them, undeniable. “So, now you’ve both remembered that I am here.”
Hunter flinched. “We didn’t forget you were here, love, I promise. We couldn’t forget you if we tried.”
“You could have fooled me.” Brielle crossed her arms and pooched her lips into the cutest damn pout Lennox had ever seen. He wanted nothing more than to lean in and suck that plump bottom lip into his mouth but figured that would not be appreciated. Yet.
“If I am your mate—”
“You are our mate!” Both he and Hunter said at the same time, with the same growl in their tone. From the way their mate shivered at the sound, they knew she liked the sound of it.
“Make no mistake, sweetheart,” Lennox said, voice low as he reached to take her right hand in both of his, while Hunter took her left. The jolt of lightning that went through them when the three of them connected in truth told a very important story. “See, you are very most definitely our mate.”
A look of anxiety and concern crossed her beautiful face, causing him and Hunter to freeze. “I can’t be your mate. The girls told me what it felt like when the bond slammed into place for them, I have not felt that with you.”
Lennox felt like his heart had been wrenched from his chest, and when he looked at Hunter he could tell he was equally destroyed.