16. Bryce

Iwatch Radley's tail lights until they disappear from view. I start getting that itchy feeling beneath my skin that tells me I'm about to shift and take off toward the woods. I don't even stop to take my clothes off; I just kick my shoes off and let my clothes explode off me when my wolf takes my place. I release a howl, showing my pain, and take off through the woods, following Radley's car behind the treeline. Her thoughts are broadcasting loudly through the bond, and I can feel her pain like it's my own.

We never wanted to hide this from her. We just didn't know how to tell her that she's been lied to her entire life. When we found out that Radley was our mate, we researched everything about her and stumbled on the truth. We made a pact not to tell her until we knew she was ready, but that asshole did it before we could.

Radley is actually a very strong omega, which is why the bond works the way it does. The only thing we could never find out is who Radley's real father is. Which told us it was probably a rogue wolf, and we don't know if Radley's mom knows the truth or not.

"Bryce," Mason says in my mind. "Stop."

"I can't."

"There are people beyond those trees. Stop." I don't miss the alpha command, and that's not something I can ignore. I skid to a stop, and Mason appears beside me. He nuzzles the top of my head, and I can't stop the whine. "I know, Little beta."

"What are we going to do?"

"I don't know yet, but we need to give her space. Nash went back to the truck to get your spare clothes. Let us take you home."

"I need her, Mason." I shift back to my human form, and Mason does the same.

He jerks me into his arms. "We all do. We'll get her back. She just needs time to digest this."

"Will her wolf appear now?" Radley is what our lore calls a late bloomer. Her wolf has been suppressed because she didn't know it was there. Now that she's aware of it, I'm afraid it will show up at the worst time. "She's upset, and that could trigger it."

Mason sighs. "I know."

Mason starts leading me to the truck, and Nash is standing just inside the trees with my clothes in his hand. When he opens his big arms for me, I don't hesitate to snuggle into his chest. "We'll figure this out, Baby beta."

"One of us should warn her grandma," Mason says, taking my clothes from Nash. When he starts helping me into them, I just want to cry. "I'd say that's where she's going." After Mason gets my boxers and pants on, he gently pulls me from Nash to slide my shirt over my head. He pecks my lips and lays his forehead against mine. "I'll go. Nash is going to take you home, okay?"

"Okay. What about your clothes?"

"I should still have clothes stashed close by from when we were watching her."

"Be careful. Those rogues are still out there somewhere," Nash says, clapping Mason on the shoulder.

"I will." Mason shifts back and takes off, running in the opposite direction of the humans.

Nash leads me to the truck and helps me climb inside before going to the driver's side. I've never felt like this before. I feel like my heart is cracking in two because I can still feel what she does. What if she rejects the bond now? That thought has my panic hitting the roof.

"Breathe," Nash instructs, backing out onto the main road. "She's not going to reject us."

"What if she does? We saw what Luther and his pack went through. I'll never survive it."

"You're getting ahead of yourself." Nash reaches over and grabs my hand, lacing our fingers together. "She was shocked, and she has the right to be upset with us. But Radley is smart, and I know how she feels about us. She'll make the right decision."

"Why didn't anyone tell her?"

"I don't know. From what I understand, her dad knows she isn't his."

"I fucking hate this, Nash."

"Me too, Baby beta."

We drive back to the cabin in silence, and I dig around, trying to find Mason in the bond. I can feel him hovering right on the edge, but he's blocking everything. I try Radley, and her heartbreak hits me so hard that it takes my breath away. I feel bad for snooping like this, but I need to know what's going on.

I finally start seeing everything from Mason's eyes and realize he let me in. I watch as he pulls on his clothes and cautiously approaches her grandma's house. Radley's car isn't there yet, so he must have been able to beat her. Mason knocks on the door, and it's opened moments later. Radley's grandma's brows furrow when she sees Mason standing there.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm sorry to just show up like this," Mason apologizes. "I'm Mason."

"Is Radley okay?"

"That depends. I don't have time to explain because she's probably on her way here. She found out the truth." Mason waits to see if she shows that she knows, and when she doesn't, Mason sighs. "Radley is an omega."

"That's impossible. That would mean…" Radley's grandma pauses and then gasps. "I knew something was different. She's…a wolf?"

"Yes. She can tell you the rest, but I was afraid this would trigger a shift, so I wanted to warn you."

Radley's grandma's eyes narrow. "You've known about this?"

"For a while. We had our reasons not to tell her, mainly that we thought it should come from family. We never wanted her to find out this way."

"What makes you think she's coming here?"

"She trusts you, and I don't think she wants to see her mom right now."

"Do you know who her father is?"

Mason shakes his head. "No. We never could figure it out." Mason's body goes stiff, and he glances over his shoulder. "She's coming up the driveway. Do you have something to write my number on?" Radley's grandma reaches inside the door and hands him a pen with paper. Mason scribbles his number down and hands it back to her. "If you need me, call. The first shift is terrifying and painful. She left before we could tell her anything."

"Do you love her?"

"With everything in us. We've loved her for a long time."

"Then fight for her," she says adamantly. "I can feel how much this is hurting you, too. She'll understand once everything sinks in."

"I hope so." Mason gives her a small smile. "I have a very upset beta at home, so I need to go."

"I'll take care of Radley. You take care of your beta." She reaches out and squeezes Mason's arm. "Everything will be okay."

Mason nods and steps off the porch, backing toward the forest. "I have to believe that. I can't handle the alternative. Remember to call me if you need me." Mason jogs back into the woods right when Radley's headlights flash across the house.

She's sobbing when she steps out of the car, and her grandma rushes to her. Radley's rambling through her tears, and her grandma leads her into the house. I snap back and realize we're sitting in front of the cabin. I look at Nash, and he smiles. "We've been here for a little bit, but I didn't want to disturb you."

"Were you watching too?"

"Yeah." Nash pushes his door open and walks to my side. He helps me from the truck and leads me inside. He pulls me down on his lap on the couch and wraps his big arms around me. "I love you, Baby beta."

"I love you, too." I nuzzle under his chin, and his arms tighten. "I'll give her tonight."

"Bryce," Nash sighs.

"No. I can still smell her everywhere. She belongs here. With us. This is her home."

"You have to let her make that decision."

"And she will. She has to know how we feel about her."

"We can't rush her. She just found out something huge and that we knew about it."

"Did we do the right thing?"

"Yes," Nash answers. "We would have told her before she accepted the mate marks."

I lay there and listen to Nash's heartbeat until I hear Mason walk onto the porch. He walks in and doesn't even stop, he just jerks his head for us to follow him. Nash scoops me up effortlessly and strides to the bedroom. They strip me out of my clothes and do the same before pulling me between them on the bed. I lay my head on Mason's chest, and Nash molds himself to my back. I know they're hurting just as bad, but they still make sure they take care of me. I couldn't have asked for better alphas than Mason and Nash. I have to believe that Radley will come back to us, or I'll fall the fuck apart.

I just hope she can forgive us.