Page 12 of Chasing Dawn

Talbot lifted the cup of water to my lips, facing the straw toward me, and it was then that I realized my mouth was bone dry, but I was crying. I took a sip of water and wiped at my eyes. It was too much for Talbot in the end. He gently picked me up and sat me in his lap, holding me so close that I could feel the thundering of his heart against my arm. I should protest or move away. I should do so many things.

Instead, I tilted my head into the neck of a man who was almost a complete stranger and breathed in his woodsy scent. I never could explain the connection I felt with them. The gathering was the happiest day of my life, and these two perfect twins were what made it so.

Talbot just held me silently, rubbing circles on my back, and I was totally encased in his strength. That should probably freak me out, since he could snap me like a twig without even breaking a sweat, but it had the opposite effect. It made me feel safe and protected.

Finally, I could hear someone shifting about, and I lifted my head from Talbot’s chest. Vance looked… devastated.

“I should have tried harder to get you out of there. I’m sorry.” He slumped in the recliner, his head hung low, one big hand covering his eyes like he could shy away from the image I’d created.

I frowned, because the point of telling my story hadn’t been to make him feel bad. I was my own person, even if I was an Omega. I made my own choices, and they’d ended badly. Vance, a man I barely knew, had no blame in that. Before I could tell him so, though, he barked orders at Franklin.

“Bring her to a more comfortable bed. Actually, take her to the room at the other end of the den where she’ll be closer.” He looked at me, and his eyes appeared tortured. “The doctor said once you woke up, you could move around. You’ll be more comfortable up there, and we’ll get you settled in. I…” He trailed off. Instead of saying anything else, he just turned and left.

I watched the door shut behind him, his huge shoulders shifting as he moved down the hallway.

Talbot hefted me into his arms like I weighed nothing. “Come on, sunrise. Let’s get you a nicer den.”

He strode out of the infirmary, Franklin behind us. He still hadn’t spoken, but he didn’t need to say anything.

I saw my pain reflected in his eyes.

CHAPTER 7

FRANKLIN

We passed six empty bedroom suites. I knew where my brother was heading though—where she needed to be to appease my bear, and apparently his too. We’d always left the suite between mine and Vance’s free for when we had mates or cubs. It was the safest place in the whole den.

That was where we would put our wayward wolf. If anyone said anything about it… well, let’s hope they didn’t. I didn’t know how I was going to explain the fact that we were installing an outsider in a spot reserved for the matriarch of our sleuth, but that was the joy of being top of the hierarchy—no one really asked questions.

I ignored the questioning looks and the outright gasps of surprise from our sleuth mates as we walked the den’s halls. It was Vance’s job to answer questions, and my job to follow orders, and he’d told me that I was to find her a more comfortable bed. I wanted to take her to mine, but I didn’t think that was what our Alpha meant.

I wasn’t above being purposely dumb though.

Finally, at the quiet end of the den, I raced in front of Talbot to open the door to the suite. It was nice, all made up and clean like someone checked out yesterday, and not like it had been empty for over five years since Vance became Alpha.

It was a suite for a couple rather than the bachelor ones we had. Even Vance’s room was only half the size of this. He didn’t believe being an Alpha put him above the rest of his people.

Obviously, that was rare enough in the shifter community. Dawn’s story was the perfect example of that.

A sad fucking tale that Vance, Talbot, and I had seen far too often in our line of work, but it hit harder when it was her, my Dawn.

Talbot walked her into the room, and she gaped, staring at the lush furnishings. We liked to be fluffy and snuggly, and it was often exhibited in our dens, with lots of soft faux furs and overstuffed comforters on our huge beds. The rug was fluffy, and the blankets were fluffy. Hell, one of the other males in the sleuth had lined his walls with fluffy fabric so he could rub against it in the nude.

Jeff was weird. We should all try to be more like Jeff.

Talbot laid Dawn softly on the bed, but she immediately sat up. I was trained to watch for physical tells in an opponent, so I didn’t miss the slight flexing of her fingers into the mattress, the shuddering breath that shook her shoulders, or the way her wide eyes cataloged the room.

“This is nice. I don’t think I’ve ever slept on a bed like this.”

I mean, it was pretty generously topped with faux mink blankets and shit. Talbot smiled. “A California king?” We were big guys, we needed big beds.

She shook her head. “One with a mattress. I’ve always had a bedroll on the floor.”

I sucked in another breath through my nose and pasted a neutral expression on my face. I was going to kill him. I didn’t care what Vance said. I was going to track her piece of shit Alpha down and sever his head from his body.

Talbot was a lot more serious than I was. He was smart, and maybe a little more emotionally aware, at least according to our mother. I was the fun one, but I didn’t feel like fun today. I felt like wrath incarnate.

Talbot gave her a soft smile. “Let me show you the rest of the suite. Most have their own little kitchen in case you don’t want to face the insanity of the dining hall.” He opened a set of doors that had been built into the wall to show a small sink, a few cupboards, and a mini fridge. “We’ll stock it with anything you want. Chocolate, cupcakes, uh, steak?”