29. The Mate She Deserves

29

The Mate She Deserves

FINNICK

" Y ou don't deserve her, Finn." Brand paced across the floor of my bedroom, judgment pouring off him in invisible waves and audible growls, as I packed hurriedly.

"And you think you do?" I shot back, trying not to let my inner panic show when the phone in my hand lit up with another message. I read it, cursed, and threw it down on the bed. It bounced and would have fallen to the floor, but Brand caught it.

I packed faster. There was no time left.

My father had sent an almost constant stream of angry texts since I arrived at Northern, but I'd been able to put him off, telling him I was keeping an eye on the Alpha's condition, and gathering information on Northern's defenses.

Someone had told him about Flor's mating with Brand, though, and his messages had gotten more terse since then. I'd ignored them until Bradley had handed me my phone.

At some point that day, while we slept, Mother had texted me a request to call my sister, Tana. A veiled threat, of course.

Mother never sent a message that wasn't a demand, a threat, or both.

I hadn't seen it at the time; I'd been wrapped in dark magic and sleeping off the aftereffects. But now I knew that recovery time had borne evil fruit. While I slept, Tana had sent a flurry of desperate messages begging me to call her, until they stopped suddenly.

When I'd tried to reply earlier, none of the messages had been read. When I called, it went directly to voicemail.

The last message had come from a number I knew well. It belonged to Niall, the current Eastern pack torturer, though his official title was Second Enforcer. But the text itself was from Tana, and she'd included a code that only the two of us shared.

I miss you so much, my stomach hurts. Mom and Dad miss you too, I've never seen them this upset. I know I asked you to bring me a souvenir. But I don't need more necklaces and bracelets, just my brother home before my mating ceremony to Niall. Surprise!

"Finn, what is this? " Brand demanded. "Your sister is mating that sadistic fuck?"

I spun to see him staring at my phone, reading the texts. "Not if I get there in time," I muttered, slamming my suitcase shut.

"She can't want to mate him," Brand said, horror in his dark eyes. He'd met Niall. Anyone who had knew that the man shouldn't be allowed around any women, especially not young ones. "She's not even old enough to be mated. What's your father thinking? "

"You know an Alpha can change—even break—whatever rules he desires," I said, fighting not to scream. "He's thinking he'll get me home faster. Tana won't be able to stop the mating. Only I will."

"They're forcing the mating?" The air in the room grew heavy with Brand's horror and rage. "Are you certain?"

"She put it in the message, in code. Necklace and bracelets, those mean shackles. Her stomach hurts means she's been tortured. By our parents, and probably Niall as well."

"We have to tell Bradley. You have to tell him."

"He has no power right now, and his own pack has been bombed. Him leaving now would open Northern up to another attack. Until Bradley reports to the Council and they acknowledge his healing, my father is the final authority, the ruling shifter of the Council. There's no one to stop them, not until I get back and bargain for her. Again. " I tried not to show my distaste for what that bargain would cost me.

Didn't know if I could even pay the price my parents would exact this time.

"What will they ask of you in return for stopping the mating?" Brand asked quietly, getting to the heart of my fears with one question.

"The same thing they always have," I said, trying to keep my expression bland, but failing. My hand trembled as memories threatened to send me to my knees. "If I'm lucky, they won't ask for more."

"You're leaving without talking to Flor. What do I tell her?"

I had no idea. "I never would have done that, Brand. I'm not good for her." Not good enough, either. "I'm still not sure how our bond formed."

"The moon gave you no choice," he said gently. "Maybe it had to be this way. If you had left her before the bond, you both would have suffered horribly." He sighed. "I'm not sure being apart won't hurt you now, Finn. Or her."

I shrugged, deeply concerned about her, but knowing I had no choice but to go home. For Tana. "Luke and Flor didn't even exchange mating bites, and he's still alive."

"Barely. He's bedridden, according to the latest reports. As bad off as Bradley was."

We both stayed silent, pondering the miraculous nature of Bradley's healing. By the time we'd returned, there hadn't been any hint of the black wolf inside the Lodge, though Margarette had insisted he had been inside. And Flor had shouted at Margarette that he'd saved her in the woods. That he was on our side.

We'd agreed earlier to let it go; there was no use in chasing down a shadow, though Margarette had sent Sergeant, along with some of Northern's most senior Enforcers, to do just that.

I lifted a brow. "You know you have to tell her about Luke's condition."

"I'm not sure she's ready to go back. She asked me to take her to my lake."

A wave of longing swept through me. What would I have given for a safe place like Brand's lake? A secret haven that I could take our mate to. I'd dreamed of showing her the delights a city had to offer, the culture and arts. But that could never happen.

"She's Luke's mate as well. If he dies, she might…" His growl stopped my words. "You're strong. She'll need you. You and Glen, if you'll allow him to go with you."

"Glen can come with us. She'll need him, too."

I nodded. "Good. Whether or not he abjures his pack, he'll need to stay close to her." I let out a long breath, strangely comforted by knowing she would have two of us.

Us. The men I thought of as brothers, when I had no one else who truly cared for me, to save Tana. Even if I'd had to hide much of the shame of my pack from them. Their pity would have broken me. I knew I might not see them again for a long while.

Or her. And even if I found a way out for Tana and me, Flor wouldn't want me, not after what I knew lay ahead.

What I would have to do to survive my pack.

I cleared my throat, swallowing the grief that gathered there. "When you take her to Mountain, use the library. Try and find something to explain what's happened. How one woman can be true mates with all four Alpha Heirs…"

Our gazes clashed, and silent words moved between us. How could this work? Would our packs even believe it was true? One of the most foundational beliefs of all shifters was that we had one true mate alive in the world.

How could that be wrong?

Brand crossed to me and clasped my forearms. "I'm taking her to Mountain to meet my pack. But we'll have to return to Southern straightaway. Then we'll head to your pack, Finn."

" No! " The word came out as a shout. "You can never bring her there. If they get their claws into her… Brand, you have no idea what they'll do."

"You're right; I don't know. You've kept your pack's dealings secret even from your closest friends. If we knew all that happened there, we'd know how to help you. Let me understand. Tell me what's happening there."

Shame filled me. Of all the Heirs, Brand was the one I'd distanced myself from most. His pack had a reputation for being truthful and fair. Perhaps violent and brutish, but honest. The opposite of Eastern.

I picked up my case and headed for the door. "I can't, Brand." I held his gaze, letting him see how much I wished I could.

"An Alpha command?" He breathed the question.

If only that was all that kept me silent.

I inhaled deeply, fighting panic and despair. "Tell Flor I'm… I'm not sorry." Brand's lip curled up, exposing his fangs, until I finished. "Tell her I'm not sorry she claimed me. I'm only sorry I can't be the mate she deserves."