Chapter Thirteen
Bre thought she was prepared for anything, but nothing could have equipped her for meeting the alpha of the pride.
Something about him called to the animal inside her—the animal that was hers though they were still disconnected.
Two instead of one. She’d never felt it so strongly as she did when Jonah led her into the room and a tall man stood to greet her.
His skin was the color of rich creamy coffee and made her think of warmth.
His hair hung to his shoulders in waves of browns and blondes that made her think of a lion’s mane.
Seemed appropriate since he was a lion shifter.
Deep brown with golden flecks, his eyes almost had her kneeling, willing to swear anything to him. Yet, she mostly noted the kindness reflected in them.
“Brenna Dockery,” he said as he walked toward her. “It’s good to finally meet you.” When he opened his arms, it was instinctive to walk in and embrace him. “Welcome to the family, little sister.”
She clung to him for a long moment, maybe longer than she should have, but he didn’t seem to mind. He simply held her, squeezing until she finally released him. Only then did he step back. Softness and compassion were in his gaze when he glanced down at her. Then he turned to her mate.
“Jonah, good to see you. Mitch. Drake.” Tah greeted each man, only pausing when he got to the last of them. “Tony.”
She’d heard Jonah, Mitch, and Drake chat about the reserve between the two men. There was a bit of…animosity, maybe? Something that made them not quite comfortable in the other’s presence. Not exactly uncomfortable, but something.
“Tony, good to see you,” A woman said.
Bre knew instantly she was looking at Abby, mate of the pride’s alpha. She was a beautiful woman with long brown hair and expressive blue eyes.
“Food is on the buffet. Help yourselves. Brenna, it’s so good to meet you.
” Abby paused as if reading Brenna’s expression.
Instead of the hug Tah had given her, Abby took her hand and gave it a squeeze before releasing it.
“I’m looking forward to getting to know you.
Darby,” she called, indicating for another woman to come forward.
Darby was petite with waves of long reddish-brown hair.
She had an easy smile that reached her eyes, which were a unique shade of russet brown.
“It’s nice to meet you.” There were nerves in her voice that didn’t show on her face. “This is my father, Andrew.”
He merely nodded, not stepping forward. His gaze was constantly moving as if, even in that room, he was making note of everything that was happening. Was that what it was to be a watcher? To be ever vigilant? Was he going to make notes about her? To add to some file that already existed?
“No.”
Everyone glanced at her, and it comforted her when Jonah glued himself to her back. Tony, Drake, and Mitch formed a loose line in front of her, showing her just how ready they were to step in and protect her, if needed.
“What’s wrong?” Jonah asked.
“I won’t be notes in a journal for other people to analyze and discuss as if I’m not real.
And, yes, I know that’s what you’ve brought with you today.
Bits and pieces of my existence to share with me, to try to fill in the life stolen from me.
But this, today. This is not for the consumption of strangers.
Not this.” She kept her gaze on Andrew Kline as she spoke, only flicking away once to include Darby.
She didn’t know them. Didn’t trust them.
“Anything noted today will be given to you,” Andrew promised, not shying from her angry gaze.
“Most of what we’ve collected is from the lab where you were kept.
They don’t use a name, but we believe it’s you.
As far as we’ve been able to determine, there was no watcher assigned to you.
For the most part, it was assumed by any of the watchers who came across information on you that you weren’t a shifter at all.
” He paused and waved her over to one of the couches.
“Why don’t you get settled, and we can let you scan through some of the photos we brought. See if anything tugs at your memory.”
Bre shared a look with Jonah before moving to take a seat where Kline had indicated.
She wasn’t surprised when Finn sat beside her.
He left room between them. Murphy stood to the side with Oakley and Tony.
Drake and Mitch took up positions behind them.
Tah stood with his mate, watching all of them, though his gaze stayed on her most of all.
“Why would they think I wasn’t a shifter?” she finally asked as Kline shuffled through the materials in the folder he held. She wasn’t sure if he was looking for something in particular. “Didn’t I show any indication of it as a child?” She glanced at each of her brothers as she asked.
“My animal was repressed,” Finn shared. “We always thought it was only Murphy who had a lynx.”
“A lynx?” Bre asked and felt warmth brush against her skin from the inside. “I never knew what she was.”
“You and Finn are twins,” Andrew said as if reciting words he’d read.
“It makes sense that if one of you had a repressed animal side, the other would, as well.” He pulled photos free and placed them on the table.
Bre didn’t pay much attention at first. She was more interested in learning about her twin’s animal.
Finn had said his animal was repressed. Not is. Was.
“How did you finally connect with yours?” she asked Finn. Her brothers shared a look then glanced toward Tah without answering her.
“What?” she asked.
“Finn died,” Murphy said softly, rubbing his chest. His mate, Oakley, stepped into him. Bre’s breath caught in her throat as tears filled her eyes.
“You died,” she whispered, her gaze flicking toward the table and the photos Kline had lain out for her. One in particular caught her eye. One of Finn.
“There were pictures,” Kline said. “Of your twin in your file. I thought maybe they’d…” His words trailed off, but the noise in her head grew louder. She reached out to touch it as memories filled her head. Images of Finn covered in blood, barely recognizable.
Recognize that body? No. That’s your twin brother. Dead. Carved up like the animal carcass he is. Did you feel it? Did you feel when your twin stopped breathing?
Bre dropped her head to her knees, fingers clenching at her hair.
Her heart raced in her chest. She had felt it.
She’d screamed and wailed for days. She’d managed to fight off the two men who usually held her down while they injected her with the drug that always left her unable to move.
She’d clawed and bitten, punched and kicked.
Someone had finally hit her over the head and knocked her out.
When she’d regained consciousness, she’d been tied down on the gurney again.
“Bre! Bre!”
Jonah. He wrapped her up in his arms, holding her together when she felt ripped apart.
“Talk to us, Bre.” Tony’s voice. Calm. Authoritative.
“Pictures.” She forced out the words. “Finn. Beaten. Broken. Bloody. He’s dead. He’s dead! He’s never coming for you. My fault. He said it was my fault because I wouldn’t cooperate. I was difficult. They killed you and left you for Murphy to find because of me.”
Finn moved closer, taking her hands with his and squeezing them enough to ground her. “I’m here. They lied. I left to protect the pride, to make up for a mistake.”
Tah growled.
“It was what I thought at the time. What I needed to do for myself. They found me. Tortured me. Left me for dead.” Finn shared a look with Murphy.
“Maybe, I did die. Briefly. But that was when I met my mate. She saved me. Without even knowing it, she saved my life. I’m here, Brenna.
I’m alive. We’re alive, and we’re together. All of us.”
Murphy came over and sat beside Finn, moving so he could take one of her hands from Finn.
“There were pictures of you,” Bre whispered to Murphy as more memories flooded in.
“When I was here. They broke you and tossed you on the floor. I screamed and fought. There was a man there. He said he’d use me to break the whole damn group.
Me and the barbarian he’d captured. I screamed and fought, and they left me to go to the barbarian. To you.” She held Murphy’s stare.
“It was you. The woman I heard screaming. I didn’t realize.” Murphy began to cry, dropping his head into his hands.
“New Mexico,” Oakley said. “He kept you both in New Mexico until he shut it down.”
Bre pulled her hand from Murphy’s grip and cupped his face. He pressed into her touch, and it felt right. Sitting in the safety of her mate’s arms while her brothers were with her. Something clicked open inside her, like a key turning in a lock.
“They told me you abandoned me. Da told me he reached out to both of you, but you’d decided you were better off without me. I was a problem that you wanted nothing to do with.”
“I’ll kill him,” Finn growled. “And he wasn’t our dad. Brian. Call him by his name. He doesn’t deserve anything else.”
“He’s dead.” She paused, shaking her head.
“I… There’s so much in my head, and it’s not clear yet.
There are images. Snippets of cruel words.
I…” She paused again, shaking her head as if she might be able to rattle some memory out of her brain where it hovered just out of reach.
“There was someone. I can’t remember. I feel like he helped me. ”
“There’s no record of anyone inside the labs keeping track of you,” Kline said, nose back in his file, searching through whatever he hadn’t spilled onto the table. “They only saw you when you were brought outside.”
“Not one of you. Not a watcher.” She was sure of that.
“Whoever they were, if there’s record of them anywhere, we’ll find it,” Kline swore. “I can make some calls. It would help if we knew what they looked like. Male or female? Were they with you the whole time? How did they—”
“Kline,” Tony interrupted. “She doesn’t remember. That’s why we’re here. She’s already remembered more than she had before.” He glanced at Bre. “Do you want to keep going?”
“Yes,” Bre confirmed. “I want to remember. I need to. All of it.”
“Andrew, grab the rest of the folders,” Tah ordered. “Start with what you know from your research. Then Oakley can add what she found.”
Abby brought over bottles of water and passed them around. She had tears on her face as if the emotions running through Bre, Finn, and Murphy had tripped her own. Bre inhaled. There was a subtle scent in the air, one she hadn’t noticed when she’d first entered the room.
“You’re pregnant.”
Abby’s hands dropped to cover her stomach. “Yes. Hard to keep anything private around a group of shifters.” She shared a look with her mate. “Our second. We have a little girl, Regan.”
“Who has every member of this pride wrapped around her finger,” Tony swore, but he smiled. “Where is she?”
“With Diane and Amala,” Abby said as Tony walked to her. He dropped a kiss atop her head that had her mate growling and both Abby and Tony laughing.
“Congratulations,” Tony offered.
“Always courting danger,” Mitch called to Tony when Tah pulled Abby into his arms.
“What’s life without a little danger?” Tony said with a shake of his head. He glanced back at Bre. “Ready to keep searching for memories?”
She glanced back at Jonah.
“Not going anywhere,” he reminded her.
Taking a deep breath, she turned back to Tony and nodded. “Ready.”