Chapter 23

Valor

Brielle's laughter floated through the front door like petals in the wind. Ezra trailed behind her, eyes trained on our mate.

I crossed the room, took Brielle's chin between my thumb and forefinger, and kissed her softly. She opened her mouth, allowing me to slide my tongue between her lips.

She moaned, and I knew that this was my cue if we had any hope of continuing our conversation.

With herculean strength, I pulled away and adjusted myself in my pants. "Fuck, you made me hard."

She giggled. "Is that a complaint?"

"Never."

"I might have one," Ezra said.

She hit his chest playfully. "Oh, you don't get to be grumpy after you practically pissed on me when you dropped me off this morning."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Ezra denied.

"He absolutely does. Do you see his bullshit scowl, Valor?" Korren asked as he wove his way around me, picked up Brielle, and carried her to the living room.

Ezra's scowl deepened, and I laughed.

We filed into the living room, and I saw Brielle's internal alarm system go off when she noticed the somber expression on Ezra's face. She went pale, and her jaw hardened.

Her head swiveled between the three of us. "Okay, what's going on?"

"Good news," Korren said before she panicked.

Her brows dipped. "That's nice to hear. Care to share?"

My wolf nervously paced the border of our consciousness.

This will make our mate happy, he growled, though I wasn't sure who he was trying to convince.

I knew the thought of finding her sister would make her happy, but the emotional part of my brain couldn't get over the fact that nothing was foolproof. There was a chance our lead would be a dead end. What if I couldn't pick up the scent? Or worse, what if the answers weren't what Brielle expected?

Seven years had passed, and anything could have happened in unsanctioned territory.

"We wanted to give you something, sweetling. And it may not have been our place to do so, but we were hoping we could bring you some . . ." The word closure was on the tip of my tongue, but I thought better of it. Instead, I said, "Answers."

Her brow furrowed.

"We want you to be happy, Brielle," Korren said. "So, when you told us about your sister, we couldn't let it pass."

Surprised, she asked, "What are you saying?"

"We decided to look for her," Ezra said.

She slid forward in her seat, eyes flashing with disbelief and hope. "How? What did you . . . did you find anything?"

"Ezra tracked down some footage from the traffic cameras on the day you were ambushed, and once he reviewed the tapes, we had a rough starting point," I said. "We were able to connect the owner of the car to a bar in unsanctioned territory."

She clasped her hands in her lap, fingers white from the pressure. "I don't know what to say." She paused, and tears gathered in her eyes. "Alpha Wynn will let me go?"

"He'll let us go," Ezra corrected.

Korren sat at her side and cupped her face in his hands. "We're going to get your sister back, love. We'll bring her here, and she'll be safe."

"Why would you do that? Why would Alpha Wynn risk his pack by bringing an unsanctioned shifter into his territory?"

Her voice broke, and the sound gutted me. It was as if she was trying to make sense of a Rorschach test. She didn't understand that she was more than just our fated mate—she was part of our pack. That meant her sister was too. Hidden Creek protected their own.

I took my place on her other side and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I need you to understand something. Your happiness is not an option; it's a priority for us and our pack." Brielle turned toward me, and her expression soft and open. "If your sister is important to you, she is important to us. No questions asked. Understand?"

She nodded.

"I need the words, sweetling."

"I understand." She chewed her bottom lip. "There's something else I need to tell you."

Ezra sat on the coffee table in front of Brielle.

Her voice was filled with remorse as she confessed, "There are carvings of birds on trees and rocks in the Hunt arena. It's a message for Omegas who escape the Council. A path to follow."

"Where does it lead?" Ezra asked.

"I don't know. But one of the people who took my sister—a male—told me to follow it to find the other rebels."

Korren's voice was calm as he asked, "When?"

"Before they killed him. He tried to get me out of the van but couldn't. He told me to follow the birds. He didn't have to say anything else. I knew it would lead to Blythe, wherever she was."

Ezra nodded. "Good. Anything else you can remember?"

She blinked once. Twice. "You're not mad I didn't tell you?"

He placed a hand on her knee. "No. You're telling us now."

"Now that we've got that settled, we need to prepare to leave, love," Korren said.

"When are we going?" Brielle asked.

"Tomorrow," I assured her.

The determination on her face sent a flood of emotions through the bond. I glanced at Korren and Ezra and saw my emotions mirrored in their eyes. We'd do whatever it took to heal her pain and get her answers, but I hoped what we found wouldn't break her in the process.