Buried and Shadowed (Branded Packs #3) (12 page)

“Answer me,” Jonah ordered.

“If we took out the powers of the other Packs, we would have been able to rule. They would have blamed you and taken you out.”

That didn’t make any sense, and from the way Jonah’s brows rose, he agreed with Oliver.

“Hurt the other Packs and hurt me? I still would have taken you down.”

“No, you wouldn’t have,” Xavior spat. “Not when we had the power of the Shaman after we killed her.”

Oliver froze. “You…you killed your Shaman? I wasn’t aware you had one.” The Shaman was the cat’s third in power, like Oliver and Gibson were to their Packs. To kill a Shaman…that was a death sentence.

A way to be sent to the farthest of hells.

Shamans held power, magic, but they were weak. Innocent.

“We didn’t have one,” Jonah said softly, horror in his voice. “Not yet…”

“She wasn’t of age yet,” Xavior said with a shrug.

Oliver’s stomach turned as Mandy gasped in his hold. He felt the heat of her tears on his chest and he knew she mourned for the little girl who had died because of the greed of one man and his followers.

“Who?” Jonah asked, his voice pure rage.

“The one you thought the SAU took,” he spat. “Just like they take so many of ours and we do nothing about it. Only it wasn’t them. It was
us
. We’re stronger than the SAU. And we’re stronger than you. We siphoned her powers and used them to bring out the Omega so we could kill him, and then we messed with the visions of the Foreseer. You see,
we
were the power. Not you. We deserve to be Alphas. And that bitch wolf, Claire, we killed her, too. She should have died long ago when she outed us to the humans, but you weren’t strong enough to do it. We took control because you couldn’t.”

Jonah turned to someone behind Oliver and gave a slight nod. Oliver turned and brought Mandy’s face to his chest as the Feline Beta snapped the neck of the lion female who had attacked Mandy.

“You broke our laws,” Jonah began, and Oliver turned his attention back to the Alpha. “You killed a
child
. You attacked those outside our Pack. You killed a woman to see if you could. You…you are not ours. You are
nothing
.” He smashed his fist into Xavior’s cheek, and the lion hit the ground, unconscious. The Alpha let out a long sigh. “His death isn’t mine,” he said softly. “But of the child’s parents if they so choose. If they can’t, I will take their burden. I’m sorry for the actions of my Pack.”

Oliver stood on shaky legs and gripped Mandy’s hand. Gibson, now somewhat healed since he was a shifter and bandaged stood with them, gripping Oliver’s other hand.

“It’s over,” Oliver said into the silence. “We can’t let this ruin what we were becoming, what we’ve become. The future is unclear, but we must stand as one, stand together if we are to find our freedom.”

“It isn’t lost on me that the SAU hasn’t come into the compound to see why we’re fighting,” Gibson added. “Something is coming and we have to break through our pasts to ensure we have a future.”

Mandy squeezed Oliver’s hand. “We’re Pack. All of us. I know they attacked us, but you didn’t. You have nothing to be sorry for.”

And with that, the three Alphas of the Packs, Holden of the wolves, Jonah of the cats, and Andrew of the bears bowed their heads at the three of them.

Mandy shook, no doubt exhausted from the fight and being in the presense of so many Alphas. Gibson also shook, and Oliver knew he had to get his mate home. He nodded back to the Alphas and squeezed his mates’ hands before leading them down the path, back to his house.

They had fought their enemies and had found the true reason behind his dreams…at least for the moment. He prayed this would be the last of it within his Pack. His people, all shifters, weren’t supposed to fight within the Packs now, not with so much on the line. Their true enemy was the SAU.

He just prayed they would be strong enough to do what needed to be done in the end.

But for now, he had Gibson and Mandy.

They were safe.

And they were his.

That had to be enough.

And it would be.

For now.

Mandy bit her lip, trying not to make a sound as she watched them go at it. But how could she stay silent as they sweated in front of her, moaned in front of her, did
that
in front of her.

Gibson had Oliver bent over the bed, slowly making love to him and making sure their bear was comforted, loved, and oh so sated. When Gibson looked over at her in the chair and winked, she licked her lips and winked back. He smiled then and lowered his body over Oliver’s, his fangs out as he marked him as his own.

Oliver growled softly, his head thrown back in ecstasy. When Gibson moved away, Oliver stood and fisted his hand in Gibson’s hair. He crushed his mouth to his before biting into their wolf’s shoulder to mark him as his own.

Mandy let out a moan.

Her men turned toward her, intent in their gazes. When they held out their arms to her, she stood up and walked slowly toward them.

They made love—soft, sweet, and perfect. Everything she’d always imagined in a mating. And when they marked her, she knew she was adored, cared for, and treasured forever.

And when they flipped her over onto her belly and went harder, she knew they’d found her strength. She’d fought for herself on the battlefield, though it had pained her, and yet these men would always cherish her, here and out in the world.

After a long shower where they explored one another some more, they dressed and decided to walk around the perimeter of the compound for Gibson’s shift before they met with Ariel and Holden. In the two short days since the attack, they had fully healed, and the Packs were learning how to rely on one another once more. Theo was healed as well, though he’d been hurt far more than any of them. From his act of sacrifice alone, she’d known he’d always be there for her, even if it wasn’t as he’d thought it would be.

She had her best friend back and two mates she knew she’d cherish for the rest of her days.

They were stronger because they had the health of who they were as Pack and would be able to find a peace within each other when it came time to end this battle, this war.

When it became time to be
free
.

Though she wasn’t sure the battles would be fought within the compound walls. The SAU had remained silent following the aftermath of the kidnappings and deaths on their watch. The Unseen were doing so much work for her people, yet she’d never met one of them.

Things were about to change, and she had a feeling it wouldn’t be just because of those within these walls.

She stood between Oliver and Gibson as they paused for a moment at the gates that locked them in. They were so tall, metal and wire creating a cage that told her she wasn’t worth the ground she stood on.

But once again, that would change.

Holden, Ariel, and some of the other Pack members walked down the path toward the gates. Mandy frowned.

“Did I miss something?” she asked her men, who looked down at her and shook their heads.

“Not that I know of,” Gibson said softly and rubbed his chest. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the scar the lion had given him, or the fact that there were so many people around him and he was still getting the hang of his new powers. Either way, she leaned into him, her wolf brushing against his.

He lowered his arm slowly.

“Good, you’re here,” Holden said when he came to their sides. “I got a note from the SAU taped to my door this morning, telling me to be here.”

Mandy’s eyes widened.

“And you didn’t scent them?” Oliver asked.

Holden growled. “No one did since they took the trail they always do. Despite that they haven’t been here in a week, it still reeks of them.”

“What do you think is happening?” she asked, her eyes downcast. She might be able to fight for her life, but she was still a submissive wolf, after all.

“I don’t know.”

Just as Holden answered, the gates began to creak. Mandy froze, her hand sliding into Gibson’s since he was closer than Oliver. The large metal gates that had only opened in the past if there was a full legion of guards on the other side slid apart.

Only there wasn’t anyone there.

“It’s a trap,” Gibson said softly. “It has to be.”

“What does this mean?” she asked.

“Are they letting us out?” Ariel asked, leaning into her mate.

“I don’t know,” Holden said softly. “I don’t know.”

Just then, four guards came forward, yet they weren’t wearing or carrying guns. Instead, they had their hands up and their eyes downcast.

Holden, Jonah, and Andrew walked forward as one, three Alphas with one thing on their minds—their Packs.

“What is going on?” Holden asked, his voice low. But Mandy noticed he was very careful not to be full wolf. Restraint in front of the humans.

The smallest guard stepped forward, his gaze still down. “Our bosses are gone. We don’t know what’s going on, but there’s a movement.” He paused. “You can come and go. But stay here in case the leaders of the SAU come back. But for now…” he trailed off. “I don’t think you should be forced to stay inside.”

With that, Mandy leaned into Gibson. She’d never once stepped outside the gates, never seen the world without the veil of being trapped.

The Alphas spoke to the guards, but whatever was being said, she couldn’t hear them. It was all too much for her. She was afraid to hope.

Were they free?

Could
they be?

“Gibson,” a voice whispered from behind them.

She turned, and Gibson let out a curse before pulling her behind him. Oliver went to her side, and the three of them slowly moved away from the large group of shifters discussing their futures and toward a man—a wolf—she had never met before.

He wore no collar.

Bore no brand.
But he was Alpha.

He was Unseen.

“Sinclair,” Gibson growled. “What the hell are you doing here, and why are you
inside
the compound.”

Sinclair raised his chin. “Things are happening much faster than I thought. I don’t know if this is the only compound being freed, but be careful, it’s not over yet. Not by far for the SAU.”

“So you came here to warn us?” Oliver asked.

“Who are you?” Mandy asked softly.

“I’m Sinclair, little wolf,” Sinclair said in a low voice, his eyes bright. “The Alpha of the Unseen near here. And I need your help.” He looked between the three. “Any help I can get.”

She squeezed Gibson’s hand, a little fear sliding through her. If this wolf needed help despite the power he so clearly held, something was wrong. And it couldn’t be that much of a coincidence that the SAU just happened to somehow let them out of the compounds without a fight.

There was an undercurrent here she didn’t understand, but she would be damned if that remained the case forever.

Because these were her mates, this was her Pack, and if this Alpha needed help, they would find a way to help him.

And then they’d find their future.

Her pain, her needs had been buried for far too long. This was her time now. Her Pack’s time.

They were Pack.

They were branded, but not forgotten.

And maybe, just maybe, they were free.

Not even the most vigilant guard noticed the wolf as he slid through the thickening shadows. Still, Sinclair was careful to avoid the pools of morning sunlight that filtered through the wooded area that was thick with pines and moss. 

Approaching from the opposite direction, the black wolf with a white stripe down his muzzle was being equally careful. By mutual consent, they halted in the deepest part of the trees.

Times were dangerous for the various Packs. And about to become even more so. 

There was a blur of magic as both wolves shifted into their human forms.

“You’re tempting fate by being here,” Holden Carter, the Alpha of the local Pack warned.

Sinclair’s lips twisted. He was Alpha of the Unseen Pack. The handful of shifters who dared the threat of death to remain hidden from the humans.

“I’ve been tempting fate my entire life.”

Holden gave a short laugh. “What do you want?”

“I just came to give you a heads-up.”

The air prickled with heat. Holden’s power was a tangible force.

“More trouble with the SAU?”

“They’re growing desperate.” Sinclair nodded toward the nearby compound that had once been a prison. Only days ago, anyone trying to leave would have been shot on sight. “Every right you’ve managed to earn for our people has threatened their hold over us.”

Holden’s eyes went wolf. “We’re not stopping now,” he growled.

“I know that,” Sinclair said, holding the man’s burning glare. “And so does the SAU.”

It took a moment before Holden realized what he meant. “You’re expecting a backlash?”

Sinclair shuddered. “On an epic scale. Which is why I intend to strike first.”

Holden stilled. He clearly hadn’t been expecting Sinclair to move so quickly.

“What are you planning?” he asked.

Sinclair allowed a slow, satisfied smile to curve his lips. “Complete exposure.”

Holden gave a small nod. “You have the evidence?”

“Enough to make them sweat.”

“When?”

Sinclair’s fierce sense of anticipation briefly dimmed. There was a loose end that had to be tied up before he would allow anything to happen.

“As soon as I make sure my contacts are safe,” he said.

Holden folded his arms over his chest. “What can we do?”

“Brace yourselves.”

Finished with his self-imposed task of warning the Pack compounds of the impending threat of outright war, Sinclair at last returned to his lair that was hidden deep in the mountains near Boulder.