Chapter 2
Chapter Two
That blasted female.
Quinn Weston stomped toward his den, his hands fisted at his sides. That little pup of a woman had gotten on his very last nerve, and he had no idea why.
Well, he had an idea why, but those big eyes and sexy curves didn’t mean a thing.
Sure, keep telling yourself that, Quinn.
He couldn’t believe his Alpha had put him together with that little wolf.
She couldn’t be out of her twenties yet.
Considering most wolves lived well into their hundreds, she was still a baby.
Yeah, she was an adult and, from the feel of her, could shift into a dominant wolf, but she wasn’t ready for what a council between Packs would entail.
She wasn’t ready for what he’d give her if she gave him the chance. Sure, she might be strong, dominant, and sexy as hell, but she’d break under the weight of his dominance.
He stopped in his tracks, cursed, and then rubbed the bridge of his nose.
What the hell was he thinking?
Maybe he hadn’t been with a woman in so long that he’d finally lost his goddamn mind. He didn’t want that young girl who probably hadn’t even seen a naked man outside of wolf hunts before.
He didn’t even like her.
She asked too many questions and thought herself better than she was because of her family. She probably hadn’t even had to work for her position. No, she was the Alpha’s daughter; therefore, she could do what she wanted.
So what if the goddess had given her dreams of her future gift and role as an Enforcer? All that meant was, yet again, her family connections had given her the power and prestige.
She wasn’t like him. She hadn’t had to work for every scintilla of power and placement within the hierarchy as he had for his role as lieutenant. No, it had been given to her.
In the back of his mind, he knew he was just making excuses.
He was only lying to himself because he actually admired the way her mind worked, the way her wolf pushed forward when needed.
Her family connections might have helped with the goddess, but even then, the power wouldn’t have shifted unless the wolf could handle it.
In fact, she wasn’t even related by blood to the Jamensons.
She’d been adopted into the royal family.
He remembered that had happened during the Central War when the Talons had been dealing with their own turmoil.
People had talked, gossiped, and tried to understand how the new Alpha of the Pack had been in his right mind when he adopted not only one, but two children.
Wolves were usually very family-oriented.
Orphaned children would have been adopted into a family.
There was no way they would have been left alone.
The fact that they’d been taken into the Jamensons without question though, was different.
Blood conquered all, or at least that’s how some of the wolves thought. The fact that Gina and her brother, Mark, had been taken into the family with its attendant power and responsibility, was huge news. Not everyone had taken it well, although he hadn’t heard of the children being treated poorly.
That didn’t mean it hadn’t happened though. For all he knew, Gina had fought for what she had because of it.
Damn. Now look at him, he was making excuses for her and trying to soothe hurt feelings, even though she wasn’t even there.
He clearly needed to go on a run and forget the pretty-eyed wolf.
The pretty-eyed, hybrid wolf.
Oh yes, he’d heard more stories about her than about her brother. Mark hadn’t gained any powers from his mother’s witch blood while Gina had apparently gained enough to become a true hybrid.
Half wolf, half witch.
Yet he didn’t know anything about her powers in that respect. He’d heard only whispers about strength and instability. That scared him even more. There was no way he wanted to work with a wolf he didn’t understand, and now his Alpha had put him in the position to do just that.
Not that he wanted to spend time with her to understand her at all.
No. What he was going to do was deal with her on the council until she became the Enforcer, and then she’d leave.
He didn’t want to know her more than that.
He didn’t want to have to find out all of her secrets.
He’d leave that to the others. He didn’t need to know more about her because, honestly, he was afraid once he did, he’d want to know more.
He didn’t want to want her. He was stronger than whatever his wolf thought he wanted.
Now he needed to ensure his Pack was safe and if he had to work alongside the woman, then he’d grit his teeth through it.
Just the thought of not doing everything to protect his Alpha and Pack burned under his skin, and he growled. Now look what that damned woman was doing to him.
He cursed again and started moving toward his home. He’d caught a ride to the meeting with Mitchell and Gideon but had chosen to run back. The exertion hadn’t worked on the aggravation as well as he’d have liked, but at least he wasn’t ready to tear someone’s throat out.
Or pound a certain wolf up against a wall.
He cursed. He needed to get that image out of his head. She wasn’t for him. Frankly, no one was for him. He’d had his shot and had lost it when Helena walked away.
He snorted.
Walking away was such an inadequate term for what she’d done.
She’d broken their mating bond.
Quinn hadn’t thought such a thing was even possible.
When wolves mated, they not only found someone to spend the rest of their forever with, but also someone who became a vital part of their soul.
Their wolves bonded through the mating bite, and their humans bonded through sex, as long as the male came deep within her.
There were only a few potential wolves, humans, and witches in the world that a wolf could mate with and the union be blessed by the goddess.
The fact that the Talons hadn’t had that within their own pack in years was troubling enough.
The fact that his former mate had destroyed their connection made him feel as though he’d lost part of his life.
His wolf had lost his other half, and the man had lost much more. He’d lost the mother of his child, the woman of his heart, and his trust of all things with a future.
He’d lost half his soul when Helena had forcibly shattered their mating bond. He wasn’t right for anyone—let alone a little wolf from another Pack.
There was no way he’d put himself in that position again.
Quinn left his shirt off after his run, his body slick with sweat. Some of the unattached female wolves he passed gave him the eye then looked away, scared. They should be scared. He wasn’t whole anymore.
He ignored the stares from other packmates and made his way home. Walker would be there watching Jesse, so he needed to relieve him.
“Dad!” Jesse, his five-year-old son, ran to him as he shouted his name.
All of Quinn’s negative thoughts disappeared, and he opened his arms to catch the little boy who had jumped into his arms like there was no tomorrow, with no worries that Quinn could or would ever drop him.
Jesse wrapped his little arms around Quinn’s neck and held on tight.
Quinn hugged him back then held Jesse on his hip so he could make his way back inside to a waiting Walker.
He was the Healer of the Talon Pack, younger brother to Gideon, and also happened to be one of the Brentwood triplets.
Between Walker, Brandon, and Kameron, the three guys pretty much had a firm hold on power and responsibility.
“Hey, buddy,” Quinn said to his son, who bounced in his arms. They chatted about Jesse’s day, or rather Jesse chatted and Quinn listened, soaking it all in.
It was nice to see Jesse with so much energy and enthusiasm.
Those days were becoming harder and harder to come by.
He squeezed his son, careful of his strength.
When Helena had done the unthinkable and left the way she had, she’d not only shattered Quinn’s world, but she had done something to their son as well. The woman had not only walked away from Quinn, but their newborn as well. Jesse hadn’t been healthy from that day on.
Walker and Quinn had no idea how to fix it.
Jesse was just…weak. He had trouble shifting to his wolf—something that scared the shit out of Quinn.
Wolves weren’t supposed to get colds or the flu, but Jesse did and often.
It was as if when Helena left Quinn broken open, she’d stolen part of Jesse, too.
The bond between mother and child wasn’t as strong as a mating bond since the mother-child bond faded over time when the child grew up, but it was still crucial to the child.
If a parent died, then the bond would sever, but the child would live a full life—if not a sad one.
Yet Jesse was different.
This whole situation was different.
His little boy was only five years old, and yet Quinn didn’t know how much longer Jesse could hold on. It was tiring to be an active little pup. It was even more tiring when his body was fighting itself.
He held back his sigh then walked into his home.
Walker leaned against the kitchen island, his large arms crossed over his even larger chest. While Quinn was one big wolf, the Brentwoods were even bigger.
The other man’s dark hair was usually cropped close to his head, but it looked as if the Healer hadn’t had a cut in a while.
Walker’s younger sister, Brynn, would probably be after him with shears soon.
“Thanks for watching Jesse,” Quinn said as he put his son down. Jesse gripped his leg then leaned into him. Quinn smiled down at his son and ran a hand over his soft brown hair.
“No problem. The little guy and I finished our book, so we’re on the lookout for the next one. I’ll download a good one soon.”