“For good reason.” Hollis ran a hand through his hair. “She has her own way of doing things.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“Convincing her to stay will be harder than ever. Until now, we’ve had a common goal in protecting Jessa and the baby. The baby’s here, Jessa’s fine, and now finding a cure is all that matters. The exact opposite of what she wants.”
“We’re no closer to a cure than we were nine years ago.” Finn sighed.
He was right, but his words cut deep.
“Through no fault of yours.” His Alpha was quick to add. “If anyone can fix this, it’s you, Hollis.” One blond brow cocked. “Until then, we’ll keep her here. She’ll find her place, as part of our pack. And we’ll treat her as one of us.”
“Make sure the pack understands that.” He stifled a yawn. “And be prepared. Once she knows she’s not going anywhere, she’ll be ready to fight.” Up until now, she’d only been irritated with the majority of the pack. If Finn put his foot down and kept her here against her will, Hollis suspected they’d see a whole new side of Ellen. More wolf than woman. Good thing her wolf was so fond of him, even if he didn’t know why.
“What about Tess?” Finn glanced at him. “Brown will want us to save her.”
Hollis blew out a long, slow breath. “There’s only one way to do that.” He met his Alpha’s gaze. “You’re willing to bring her into the pack?”
“I don’t know. Brown’s part of the family. The man has bled for us time and again. He’s recovering so he can stand by and watch his child die? I can’t do that to him.” He growled. “Not if there’s a chance to save her.”
“That’s not going to sit well with Ellen. Or Mal, for that matter.” Hollis leveled his Alpha with a look. When Mal learned what Tess had done, he’d been ready to tear her to pieces. He still was. Now Finn was considering having Tess as part of the pack? “You’re Alpha.” He shrugged.
“I am. If she’s one of us, she’s loyal to me. And right now, we can use all the help we can get.”
Ellen’s question surfaced again? Did he wish he could shift? Yes. Dammit. He did. He’d welcome the pain if it gave him the power to stand against the Others. And fight with Ellen, instead of against her.
…
Ellen sat, her legs draped over the large padded arm of the leather easy chair. Her restlessness had her twitching, her wolf pacing, and her senses on high alert. But watching Finn’s pack provided a slight distraction. Their dynamic was fascinating. They communicated, shared ideas, and made decisions. Together. It was beyond her understanding to see an Alpha behave so. Yes, somehow Finn managed to maintain control while respecting the rest of their opinions. Cyrus’s head would explode at such an idea.
“Brown’s contacts on the force said the last bust went well.” Finn paced the office, rocking his sleeping infant daughter. “Tipping them off was the right thing to do.” He shot a look at Anders and Mal. “They don’t need us in Florida, but I won’t stop any of you who want to go.”
Ellen watched with interest. Anders and Mal had been prepared to storm one of Cyrus’s businesses—alone if they had to—and stop the girls from being handed off. Finn had expressly forbidden it, knowing Mal was too emotionally compromised to act with a level head. Luckily, Mal and Anders had been stopped before things could turn ugly, but it had been close. Considering they’d planned to defy an order by their Alpha, Ellen knew they’d be punished. What would punishment look like here?
With Cyrus, it would mean equal parts humiliation and pain. For days, depending on his mood or the severity of the infringement. Not that she could ever remember anyone openly defying one of his orders. He would have tortured them, then killed them. Without mercy.
“We are a pack. I am the Alpha. You can question my decisions. But acting against my orders will not be tolerated.” His gaze bounced between Anders and Mal.
Ellen held her breath, her foot stopping mid-bounce.
“Yeah, I got it. We were acting like shits and you have every reason to rip us each a new asshole.” Anders had the decency to look ashamed.
Finn’s gaze pinned Mal, waiting.
Mal prowled the room, clearly swallowing back what he wanted to say but could never, ever say to his Alpha. Especially now, in front of the pack. She realized then how much they respected him. Friends or not, when Finn decided to play the Alpha card, they had no choice but to yield to him. “I fucked up. Got it. Loud and clear.” The words ripped from Mal’s throat, thick and angry and bitter. “You can’t blame me for wanting to see that twisted son of a bitch dead.”
“I don’t. I understand.” Finn bounced Diana with a little more enthusiasm than was required, almost pulling Ellen from the chair to collect the child. But it wasn’t her place. And this, none of this, was her business.
“But we are a family.” Finn glanced down at his daughter. “Whatever we do, we do together. We are stronger together. Understood?”
Every head in the room nodded. Including her own. Each of them had seen pain at the hands of Cyrus White—some more than others. Mal had been tortured, kept hostage, and had his mate threatened. Finn’s mate had been kidnapped, his children endangered, and his family tormented. Olivia. Jessa. Brown. Even Te
ss. On and on, the list of wrongs was long and detailed and sordid.
But he’d done worse to her. Her nightmares were memories, fully formed since the day she’d set hands on Byron. How she wished she could erase what she’d seen. Dozing off sent her straight back. Too real, scents and sights, familiar faces, and so much more. Over time some of her dreams filled gaps in her patchy memories. She’d hoped her dreams were building off of the trauma she’d suffered. But Byron had confirmed her worst fears.
Isabel. Her daughter. The hole in her heart had been torn wide, bleeding anew, jagged and fresh since that day in the snow. She remembered the feel of her baby’s slight weight in her arms. Felt the rapid thrum of her heart, beneath her palm. Drawn in her sweet scent. Nothing was more painful. Nothing.
And William? Her mate. Whatever affection she’d held for him was forever tainted by his pride. Too proud to yield. Too proud to beg for their daughter’s life.