31. Thirty-One
THIRTY-ONE
WRENLY
S omething tugged at the edges of my consciousness, a persistent pull that wouldn’t let me rest.
“Wren, please wake up. Please come back to me.”
His voice was raw with emotion, thick with unshed tears. I felt a tug, a pull from somewhere deep inside me, urging me toward the sound of his voice.
To him .
To life .
Light filtered through the darkness, growing brighter and more intense with each passing second. I squinted against it, my eyes struggling to adjust after so long in the void.
A sudden jolt, like an electric current, surged through my body. My eyes flew open, and I gasped, air rushing into my lungs in a painful burst. Bright lights assaulted my vision, blinding me. I blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of my surroundings. Shapes began to take form, blurry and indistinct at first but gradually sharpening into focus.
Cream walls, a beeping machine, the pungent smell of antiseptic and blood. And then I saw him.
Theo.
His handsome face was etched with worry and exhaustion and hope. He held my hand, his fingers intertwined with mine as he stood at my side.
“Wren?” His voice was barely above a whisper. “Can you hear me? Stay with me,” he pleaded, brushing back a strand of hair from my clammy forehead. “You have to keep fighting. Please . . .”
“Always . . . so stubborn . . .” I breathed. My eyelids drifted shut again. I was so tired.
He roughly shook my shoulder, panic seizing his voice. “No, don’t you dare close your eyes! Open them, dammit!”
Slowly, with what seemed a Herculean effort, I obeyed, blinking up at him. “Not . . . going anywhere,” I promised weakly.
His shoulders sagged in relief, a shuddering breath escaping his lips. “Thank god,” he murmured, kissing my lips. “I thought I’d lost you.”
I managed a faint smile, though it took all my strength. “Takes more than that to get rid of me.”
A choked laugh burst from his throat, tinged with a sob. “Don’t I know it?” He leaned down, resting his forehead against mine. I could feel his breath, warm and sweet, on my face. “I love you, Wren. I love you so damn much.”
Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. “I love you too, Devil.”
The strength was slowly returning to my body, but I still felt weak and drained, like I’d been wrung out and hung up to dry. I tried to sit up, but a sharp pain lanced through my abdomen, stealing my breath. I fell back against the pillows with a gasp.
Theo was instantly alert, his hands fluttering over me as if afraid to touch. “Easy, easy. Don’t try to move just yet.”
I gritted my teeth against the pain, forcing myself to take slow, even breaths until it subsided to a dull ache. “What happened?” I asked, my voice raspy and thin.
A shadow passed over his face. “You were shot. Do you remember?”
I frowned, trying to piece together my fractured memories. They came back to me in fragments—the flash from the muzzle of a gun, searing pain, blood blooming across my stomach . . . Connor with eyes full of rage. His body on the ground, a bullet hole in his forehead, his eyes dead and hollow.
I shuddered. “I remember.”
Theo nodded tightly. “You lost a lot of blood. Your brother wasn’t sure . . . If I hadn’t found you when I did . . .” He trailed off, swallowing hard. “For a while there, we thought we might lose you.”
The anguish in his eyes made my heart constrict. I squeezed his hand, trying to convey reassurance. “But you didn’t. I’m still here. You found me. You saved my life.”
“I will always find you, little bird. No matter what.”
He leaned down and kissed me softly, achingly tender. I melted into him, my free hand curling into his hair, holding him to me. The heart monitor’s beeping sped up, but neither of us paid any mind. We were too lost in each other to care.
A pointed cough from the doorway made us break apart. I looked over to see my brother leaning against the frame with a knowing smirk. “Glad to see you awake, sis. Though maybe keep the celebratory make-out sessions to a minimum while you’re still recovering, yeah?”
I glared at him, but there was no real heat behind it. I was too relieved to see him whole and unharmed to be genuinely annoyed. “Nice to see you too, brother. Your bedside manner is impeccable, as always.”
He grinned, sauntering into the room to stand at the foot of my bed. “Just keeping things lively. You know me.” He winked, but beneath the lighthearted quip, I could see the worry lingering in his eyes. “But seriously, don’t ever do that again.”
“Trust me, getting shot is not an experience I’m eager to repeat,” I said dryly.
“Good. Because if you die on me, I’ll bring you back just to kill you myself.” Despite the harsh words, I could see the genuine fear and relief warring in his eyes.
“Duly noted,” I said, giving him a small salute and then wincing when the slight movement sent pain through my abdomen. “What about Connor? Is he really . . .? ”
“Dead,” Theo confirmed. “I made sure of it. He can’t hurt you or anyone else ever again.”
I released a shaky breath. “Good. That’s good.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t kill that piece of shit sooner,” he apologized.
“Don’t be. I’m not.”
He looked at me, his eyes searching my face.
“Killing him should never have been your burden to bear, Theo. I’m just glad it’s finally over.”
He nodded, but I could still see the guilt lingering in his gaze. He would always feel responsible for not protecting me, even when it had been impossible. That was just the kind of man he was. Fiercely loyal and protective.
My brother cleared his throat. “Well, now that you’re awake, I need to run some tests. And Theo, Archer is summoning you to his office. He said it was urgent.”
Theo’s jaw clenched at the mention of Archer, but he nodded stiffly. “I’ll be back soon,” he promised, kissing me gently. With apparent reluctance, he released my hand and stood. He exchanged a loaded glance with my brother before striding out of the room, his broad shoulders taut.
As soon as Theo was gone, my brother turned to me, his expression serious. “How are you really feeling, Wren?”
I sighed, sinking against the pillows. “Like I’ve been run over by a train.”
He nodded, picking up my chart and scanning it with a critical eye. “Your vitals are looking good. The surgery went well. Theo gave you his blood, thank god.”
I studied his face as he worked, noting the dark circles under his eyes and the lines of strain around his mouth. He looked as exhausted as I felt.
“How long was I out?” I asked quietly.
He paused, not meeting my gaze. “Almost two days.”
I inhaled sharply. Two days. No wonder he looked so wrecked. It hadn’t seemed like two days in the void. It had seemed like I’d only been there for a few hours
“Gage, I’m so sorry?— ”
He cut me off with a sharp shake of his head. “Don’t. Just . . . don’t.” He blew out a heavy breath, finally lifting his gaze to mine. His eyes were bright with unshed tears. “You scared the hell out of me, Wren. I thought . . . I mean, what the hell were you doing taking a bullet for Theo when you’re pregnant?”
I stared at my brother in shock. “H-how did you know?”
His eyes softened. “I’m a doctor, Wren. The blood tests confirmed it,” he said gently. “You’re about six weeks along. The bullet missed everything vital, including the baby. It’s a miracle, really.”
I placed a trembling hand onto my stomach, still flat beneath the thin hospital gown. “Does he know?” I asked hoarsely.
Gage shook his head. “No. I didn’t tell him.”
“You can’t tell him!”
“What do you mean I can’t tell him? If my assumptions are correct, he’s the father, Wren. He has the right to know.”
“I know that,” I snapped, my frustration mounting. “But now is not the time. We’re in the middle of a war, Gage. The last thing Theo needs is another distraction or vulnerability.”
My brother scoffed. “Another vulnerability? Wren, that man would walk through fire for you. Finding out you’re carrying his child isn’t going to be a ‘distraction,’ it’s going to give him even more of a reason to fight like hell to keep you safe and end this shit once and for all.”
I closed my eyes, exhaustion, pain, and the weight of too many secrets pressing down on me. “Please, Gage,” I whispered. “I’m begging you. Let me be the one to tell him when the time is right. He needs to hear it from me.”
There was a long beat of silence. I opened my eyes to find my brother studying me intently, conflict playing out across his features. Finally, he sighed. “Fine. It’s not my secret to tell. But, Wren, don’t wait too long. He deserves to know, and you’ll need his support through this. Especially now.” He dragged a hand down his face, looking suddenly older than his twenty-nine years. “You can’t keep taking these kinds of risks. Not now. Not when you have a child to think about.”
I bit my lip, my hand drifting back down to rest on my stomach. He was right. I knew he was. But at that moment, not knowing I was pregnant, when I had seen Connor’s gun aimed at Theo, I hadn’t thought. I’d just reacted. “I know. But I couldn’t let him die. I love him.”
“And there’s no doubt he loves you. Which is why he’s going to be furious when he finds out you risked not only your life but the life of his unborn child.” His tone was gentle but firm.
“I didn’t know I was pregnant,” I said quietly.
“Wh-what do you mean you didn’t know? You just said?—”
“Mom told me.”
He looked at me like I had grown a second head. “What are you talking about, Wren? Mom’s dead.”
I swallowed hard, knowing how crazy it must have sounded. “When I was . . . wherever I was, in that place between life and death, I saw her, Gage. I talked to her.”
His brow furrowed in concern. “You were unconscious. Your brain was deprived of oxygen from losing so much blood. It’s common to have vivid dreams or hallucinations in that state.”
I shook my head vehemently, wincing as the movement jostled my wound. “No, it wasn’t a dream or a hallucination. It was real, Gage. As real as you and me right now. She told me . . . she told me I was pregnant. That I had to fight to come back for the baby and Theo.”
He was silent. I could practically see the wheels turning in his head as his logical, medical brain tried to process what I was saying. “Okay,” he said finally, his voice carefully neutral. “Let’s say, for argument’s sake, that what you experienced was real. Why would Mom tell you about the baby but not want you to tell Theo?”
I bit my lip again, trying to find the right words. “That’s not her. It’s me.” I took a deep breath, meeting his gaze squarely. “I’m scared, Gage. Terrified, actually. This isn’t exactly how I pictured starting a family with Theo. We’re in the middle of a goddamn war. People are dying left and right. I just took a bullet that could have easily killed me and the baby. If they find out I’m pregnant with Theo’s child . . .” I trailed off, shuddering at the thought. Our child would become an instant target, a pawn to be used against us. The mere idea made me physically ill.
Gage sat on the edge of the bed, taking my hand in his. “I get it. I do. But you can’t carry this burden alone. Theo deserves to know he’s going to be a father. He needs to be able to protect you both. But regardless of your choice, I’ve always got your back.”
“I don’t even know if I’ll be a good mom,” I confessed in a whisper. I was surprised at the raw vulnerability in my voice.
“Hey,” Gage said gently, squeezing my hand. “You are going to be an amazing mom. This kid is lucky to have you.”
I gave him a watery smile. “You really think so?”
“I know so,” he said firmly. “You’re strong, you’re loving, and you’ve got a heart big enough to encompass the whole damn world. That’s all a kid needs. The rest you’ll figure out as you go along, just like every other parent.”
His faith in me loosened some of the tightness in my chest. I knew he was right. My fear wasn’t really about my ability to be a good mother. It was about bringing a child into a world that seemed hell-bent on tearing itself apart. A world where the people I loved were constantly in danger, where we had to fight tooth and nail for every scrap of happiness and peace.
As he stood to walk away, I stopped him. “Mom told me to give you a hug from her, and she wanted me to tell you to open your heart up,” I blurted out.
Gage looked at me, his eyes widening, then softening. A mix of emotions seemed to flicker across his face—surprise, confusion, and, finally, a hint of wistfulness. He stood there silently, as if processing my words, his gaze distant. “She said that?” His voice was quiet, no more than a whisper.
I nodded, suddenly feeling a bit awkward. I hadn’t expected such a reaction from my usually stoic brother.
He took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair, a gesture I recognized as a sign of his discomfort. “Did she say anything else?”
“To forgive yourself because they love you unconditionally. Whatever that means. And that dad couldn’t come, but he’s watching over us.”
Gage looked like he’d seen a ghost; his face paled and his mouth opened in shock before he quickly recovered. “Jesus, Wren. I-I don’t know what to make of this.”
“I know it sounds crazy, Gage. Believe me, I do. But I know what I saw. You can apply whatever scientific logic you need to to make it make sense to you. But I felt her when she hugged me. It wasn’t oxygen deprivation or a trick in my mind. She was real. I could smell the perfume she used to wear, just like the night she died.”
Gage watched me, and a sad expression covered his face. But where there was sadness, there was also something else.
Guilt.
“What aren’t you saying, Gage?” I asked him.
His gaze shifted away from mine, and he seemed to struggle internally. One thing about my brother was that he wore his emotions on his face. Around everyone else, he could put on a face of stone—unreadable. But around me, the one person in his life he trusted, he couldn’t keep them from breaking through. The silence stretched between us, heavy and palpable. When he finally spoke, his voice was strained, barely above a whisper.
“I never told you this, Wren, but the night Mom and Dad died, we had a fight. A big one. I said some things I shouldn’t have, things I regret every day.” He paused, taking a shaky breath. “I never got the chance to apologize, to make things right.”
I stared at my brother, shocked by this revelation. In all the years since their deaths, he had never mentioned this. I had always assumed their last interaction had been a loving one.
“What did you fight about?” I asked gently, almost afraid to hear the answer.
He shook his head, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. “It was stupid, really. I was angry about something trivial, and I lashed out. I told them I wished I had different parents. Ones that didn’t constantly hover over me.” His voice cracked, and he swallowed hard. “I told them they were shit parents for being a part of an organization that uses women and murders people. Dad was the goddamn top dog of The Brotherhood, for fuck’s sake.”
He snapped his mouth shut and looked at me with panic and regret. It took a moment for my mind to catch up to what he had said, but when it did, I felt like the oxygen had been pulled from my lungs.
“Wh-what do you mean Dad was the top dog of The Brotherhood? He was an investment banker, Gage, and Mom was an interior designer.”
Gage sat in the chair beside me, his shoulders slumped and his head hung low. He took a deep breath before speaking again. “That’s what they told us so that, one day, we could choose for ourselves whether we wanted to be part of the family business or forge our own paths.”
I stared at him in disbelief. “Dad was the leader? So that night at the masquerade, were they all there? The Brotherhood?”
“Yes. That’s the night I found out. Dad had slipped away to converse with one of his men, and I walked in on it. He was talking about moving guns and a threat they’d had from a rival gang. I heard everything, so I questioned him.” He looked up at me, and I could see his guilt. “I was so angry, Wren. I felt betrayed and lied to. Our whole lives, they had kept this secret from us. Our lives had been built on the blood of others. I couldn’t understand why they would choose that life, why they would put us in danger like that.”
Our parents, the people we’d loved and admired, had been living double lives. Before Theo, I would have been disgusted by this information. I would have been disappointed that our parents had chosen to be a part of some weird patriarchy that killed people and used women, even hunting them to satisfy some sick, twisted fantasy of control and power. But after Theo, my view on life in general had changed. He’d shown me what it was like to love the darkness inside him, and now I craved it. He’d never forced his life or his demons on me. I’d chosen them willingly. Our parents had loved Gage and me enough to let us choose our own paths. They’d never forced us to do anything we hadn’t wanted to do. Theo and the others had never had that chance. Their fathers had chosen for them.
“Theo told me there was no choice. That his and all the others’ futures were predetermined for them before they were born.”
“After our parents died, Theo’s, Kai’s, and Archer’s fathers took over as the leaders of The Brotherhood. They had only respect and love for our parents, and they thought they were honoring them by creating an untouchable organization. They thought that if they had a power player at every level of government—police, lawyers, you name it—then they would be unbreakable. And so far, they’ve been right.”
Pieces of the puzzle were falling into place.
“You never told me,” I said in an almost accusing way.
“I wanted to protect you from them. I saw how they went through women. I didn’t want what happened to Mom and Dad to happen to you too. I stayed close so I could hear if the people who murdered our parents decided to finish the job by coming after you. But they never have.”
“Who murdered them?”
“We aren’t sure. It could have been The Collectors or the Russians they keep company with. So, naturally, after the assassination, The Brotherhood divided and conquered, hoping to find out who the killers were.”
My heart started to pound, and my mouth dried up. Theo’s scars. His past demons he talked about. Igor at the bar. “Theo was at the masquerade?”
“He was the first to sign up.”
“That’s the night Igor tortured him.”
Gage’s jaw clenched. “After he pulled us from the wreckage, he jumped at the opportunity to take vengeance. Except nothing went as planned. He was half dead when they brought him to me. He had lost so much blood.” He paused and looked away in shame. “And you know the rest.”
That night’s memories flashed through my head, and I saw him .
Theo.
His beautiful green eyes looked down at me as he pulled me from the car. The deep, soothing tone of his voice as he tried to calm me, whispering words of compassion as I watched them pull my parent’s bodies out of the car. As my world crumbled, he held me to himself until I passed out and woke up in the ambulance. Hearing that he and the others had embarked on a revenge mission to punish the Russians or The Collectors for what they’d done made my heart break.
I reached out and grasped Gage’s hand, squeezing it tightly. “I understand why you kept this from me,” I said softly. “Why you all kept this from me . . . But you don’t have to protect me anymore.”
He looked at me, his eyes searching mine. “I can see that. Theo . . . he’s changed you, hasn’t he?”
I nodded, a small smile tugging at my lips despite the heaviness of the conversation. “He has. In ways I never could have imagined. Now, learning the truth about our parents, about The Brotherhood, it’s opened my eyes to a whole new world.”
He sighed, running his free hand over his face. “I never wanted this life for you, Jellybean. I wanted you to have a chance at something normal . . . something safe.”
“I know. But maybe normal and safe aren’t what I’m meant for. Maybe this, all of this, is my path to follow.” I paused, gathering my thoughts.
He was silent, studying me. Then he nodded slowly. “You’ve grown up, Wren. More than I realized.” He squeezed my hand. “If this is truly what you want, if Theo and this life are your choice, then I’ll support you. I may not always agree with it, but I’ll be here for you, no matter what.”
Tears pricked my eyes. “Thank you,” I whispered. “That means everything to me.”
We sat quietly for a while, both lost in our thoughts. I didn’t feel overwhelmed or afraid. If anything, I felt a sense of clarity and purpose.
This was my world now. These were my people. For better or worse, I was a part of this. And I was ready to embrace it fully.
“Since you’re in the sharing mood, do you want to tell me what Mom meant when she said to open your heart?” I playfully swatted at him, hoping to lighten the mood.
Gage let out a short laugh, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly. “Ah, that.” He shook his head, a wry smile on his lips. “Mom always had a way of knowing things, didn’t she? Even when we tried to keep them hidden.”
“So there is something you’re keeping hidden?”
He sighed, leaning back in his chair. “Not intentionally. It’s just . . . complicated. ”
I raised an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t expect anything less from you.”
“That is a conversation for another day, Jellybean. Right now, you need to get some rest. Doctor’s orders.” He squeezed my shoulder and stood up. “Let your body heal.”
A wave of exhaustion washed over me as if on cue, making my eyelids feel like lead. I fought against it, but he noticed my struggle.
“Sleep, Wren.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I love you, sis. Never forget that.”