Mated in Mist (24 page)

Her wolf didn’t react the way most wolves would, head and eyes down, shoulders dropped. Maybe if she’d been a weaker wolf, she’d have bowed to his power, but as it was, her wolf was firmly entrenched within the Redwoods. Plus, it wasn’t as if Gideon was
trying
to make her bow just then. No, those words had simply been spoken in his own voice.

Commanding without even trying.

Then again, he
was
an Alpha.

Kade, her father, looked around the room at each of his wolves and nodded. “Yes. It is time.”

Their formality intrigued her. Yes, they were two Alphas who held a treaty and worked together in times of war, but she had thought they were also friends.

Maybe today was even more important than she’d realized.

Gideon released a sigh that spoke of years of angst and worries. She didn’t know the history of the Talons as well as she probably should have, so she didn’t know exactly why there was always an air of sadness and pain around the Alpha.

Maybe after this meeting, she’d be able to find out more.

Of course, in doing so, she’d have to
not
look at a certain wolf in the corner. His gaze was so intense she was sure he was studying her. She felt it down in her bones, like a fiery caress that promised something more.

Or maybe she was just going crazy and needed to find a wolf to scratch the itch.

She might not be looking for a mate, but she wouldn’t say no to something else. Wolves were tactile creatures after all.

“Gina?”

She blinked at the sound of Kade’s voice and turned to him.

She was the only one standing other than the two wolves in charge of security—her uncle Adam, the Enforcer, and the dark-eyed wolf.

Well,
that
was embarrassing.

She kept her head down and forced herself not to blush. From the heat on her neck, she was pretty sure she’d failed in the latter.

“Sorry,” she mumbled then sat down next to another uncle, Jasper, the Beta of the Pack.

Although the Alphas had called this meeting, she wasn’t sure what it would entail. Each Alpha had come with their Beta, a wolf in charge of security…and her father had decided to bring her.

Her being there didn’t make much sense in the grand scheme of things since it put the power on the Redwoods’ side, but she wasn’t about to question authority in front of another Pack. That at least had been ingrained in her training.

“Let’s get started then,” Kade said after he gave her a nod. “Gideon? Do you want to begin?”

Gina held back a frown. They
were
acting more formal than usual, so that hadn’t been her imagination. The Talons and the Redwoods had formed a treaty during the latter days of the war between the Redwoods and the Centrals. It wasn’t as though these were two newly acquainted Alphas meeting for the first time. Though maybe when it came to Pack matters, Alphas couldn’t truly be friends.

What a lonely way to live.

“It’s been fifteen years since the end of the Central War, yet there hasn’t been a single mating between the two Packs,” Gideon said, shocking her.

Gina blinked. Really? That couldn’t be right. She was sure there had to have been
some
cross-Pack mating.

Right?

“That means that regardless of the treaties we signed, we don’t believe the moon goddess has seen fit to fully accept us as a unit,” Kade put in.

“What do you mean?” she asked, then shut her mouth. She was the youngest wolf here and wasn’t formally titled or ranked. She should
not
be speaking right now.

She felt the gaze of the dark-eyed wolf on her, but she didn’t turn to look. Instead, she kept her head down in a show of respect to the Alphas.

“You can ask questions, Gina. It’s okay,” Kade said, the tone of his voice not changing, but, as his daughter, she heard the softer edge. “And what I mean is, mating comes from the moon goddess. Yes, we can find our own versions of mates by not bonding fully, but a true bond, a true potential mate, is chosen by the moon goddess. That’s how it’s always been in the past.”

Gideon nodded. “There haven’t been many matings within the Talons in general.”

Gina sucked in a breath, and the Beta of the Talons, Mitchell, turned her way. “Yes,” Mitchell said softly. “It’s that bad. It could be that in this period of change within our own pack hierarchy, our members just haven’t found mates yet, but that doesn’t seem likely. There’s something else going on.”

Gina knew Gideon—as well as the rest of his brothers and cousins—had come into power at some point throughout the end of the Central War during a period of the Talon’s own unrest, but she didn’t know the full history. She wasn’t even sure Kade or the rest of the Pack royalty did.

There were some things that were intensely private within a Pack that could not—and should not—be shared.

Jasper tapped his fingers along the table. As the Redwood Beta, it was his job to care for their needs and recognize hidden threats that the Enforcer and Alpha might not see. The fact that he was here told Gina that the Pack could be in trouble from something
within
the Pack, rather than an outside force that Adam, the Enforcer, would be able to see through his own bonds and power.

“Since Finn became the Heir to the Pack at such a young age, it has changed a few things on our side,” Jasper said softly. Finn was her brother, Melanie and Kade’s oldest biological child. “The younger generation will be gaining their powers and bonds to the goddess earlier than would otherwise be expected.” Her uncle looked at her, and she kept silent. “That means the current Pack leaders will one day not have the bonds we have to our Pack now. But like most healthy Packs, that doesn’t mean we’re set aside. It only means we will be there to aid the new hierarchy while they learn their powers. That’s how it’s always been in our Pack, and in others, but it’s been a very long time since it’s happened to us.”

“Gina will one day be the Enforcer,” Adam said from behind her. “I don’t know when, but it will be soon. The other kids aren’t old enough yet to tell who will take on which role, but since Gina is in her twenties, the shifts are happening.”

The room grew silent, with an odd sense of change settling over her skin like an electric blanket turned on too high.

She didn’t speak. She’d known about her path, had dreamed the dreams from the moon goddess herself. But that didn’t mean she wanted the Talons to know all of this. It seemed…private somehow.

“What does this have to do with mating?” she asked, wanting to focus on something else.

Gideon gave her a look, and she lowered her eyes. He might not be her Alpha, but he was still a dominant wolf. Yes, she hadn’t lowered her eyes before, but she’d been rocked a bit since Adam had told the others of her future. She didn’t want to antagonize anyone when Gideon clearly wanted to show his power. Previously, everything had been casual; now it clearly was not.

Kade growled beside her. “Gideon.”

The Talon Alpha snorted, not smiling, but moved his gaze. “It’s fun to see how she reacts.”

“She’s my daughter and the future Enforcer.”

“
She
is right here, so how about you answer my question?”

Jasper chuckled by her side, and Gina wondered how quickly she could reach the nearest window and jump. It couldn’t be that far. She wouldn’t die from the fall or anything, and she’d be able to run home.

Quickly.

“Mating,” Kade put in, the laughter in his eyes fading, “is only a small part of the problem. When we sent Caym back to hell with the other demons, it changed the power structure within the Packs as well as outside them. The Centrals who fought against us died because they’d lost their souls to the demon. The Centrals that had hidden from the old Alphas ended up being lone wolves. They’re not truly a Pack yet because the goddess hasn’t made anyone an Alpha.”

“Then you have the Redwoods, with a hierarchy shift within the younger generation,” Gideon said. “And the Talons’ new power dynamic is only fifteen years old, and we haven’t had a mating in long enough that it’s starting to worry us.”

“Not that you’d say that to the rest of the Pack,” Mitchell mumbled.

“It’s best they don’t know,” Gideon said, the sounds of an old argument telling Gina there was more going on here than what they revealed.

Interesting.

“There aren’t any matings between our two Packs, and I know the trust isn’t fully there,” Kade put in then sighed. “I don’t know how to fix that myself. I don’t think I can.”

“You’re the Alpha,” Jasper said calmly. “If you
tell
them to get along with the other wolves, they will, and for the most part, they have. But it isn’t as authentic as if they find that trust on their own. We’ve let them go this long on their own, but now, I think we need to find another way to have our Packs more entwined.”

The dark-eyed wolf came forward then. “You’ve seen something,” he growled.

Dear goddess. His voice.

Her wolf perked, and she shoved her down. This wasn’t the time.

“We’ve seen…something, Quinn,” Kade answered.

Quinn. That was his name.

Sexy.

And again,
so
not the time.

Find out more in
Wicked Wolf
. Out Now.

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From New York Times Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan’s Talon Pack Series

Tattered Loyalties

When the great war between the Redwoods and the Centrals occurred three decades ago, the Talon Pack risked their lives for the side of good. After tragedy struck, Gideon Brentwood became the Alpha of the Talons. But the Pack’s stability is threatened, and he’s forced to take mate—only the one fate puts in his path is the woman he shouldn’t want.

Though the daughter of the Redwood Pack’s Beta, Brie Jamenson has known peace for most of her life. When she finds the man who could be her mate, she’s shocked to discover Gideon is the Alpha wolf of the Talon Pack. As a submissive, her strength lies in her heart, not her claws. But if her new Pack disagrees or disapproves, the consequences could be fatal.

As the worlds Brie and Gideon have always known begin to shift, they must face their challenges together in order to help their Pack and seal their bond. But when the Pack is threatened from the inside, Gideon doesn’t know who he can trust and Brie’s life could be forfeit in the crossfire. It will take the strength of an Alpha and the courage of his mate to realize where true loyalties lie.

Find out more in
Tattered Loyalties.
Out Now.

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From New York Times Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan’s Montgomery Ink Series

Delicate Ink

On the wrong side of thirty, Austin Montgomery is ready to settle down. Unfortunately, his inked sleeves and scruffy beard isn’t the suave business appearance some women crave. Only finding a woman who can deal with his job, as a tattoo artist and owner of Montgomery Ink, his seven meddling siblings, and his own gruff attitude won’t be easy.

Finding a man is the last thing on Sierra Elder’s mind. A recent transplant to Denver, her focus is on opening her own boutique. Wanting to cover up scars that run deeper than her flesh, she finds in Austin a man that truly gets to her—in more ways than one.

Although wary, they embark on a slow, tempestuous burn of a relationship. When blasts from both their pasts intrude on their present, however, it will take more than a promise of what could be to keep them together.

Find out more in
Delicate Ink
. Out Now.

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From New York Times Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan’s Dante’s Circle Series

Dust of My Wings

Humans aren’t as alone as they choose to believe. Every human possesses a trait of supernatural that lays dormant within their genetic make-up. Centuries of diluting and breeding have allowed humans to think they are alone and untouched by magic. But what happens when something changes?

Neat freak lab tech, Lily Banner lives her life as any ordinary human. She’s dedicated to her work and loves to hang out with her friends at Dante’s Circle, their local bar. When she discovers a strange blue dust at work she meets a handsome stranger holding secrets – and maybe her heart. But after a close call with a thunderstorm, she may not be as ordinary as she thinks.

Shade Griffin is a warrior angel sent to Earth to protect the supernaturals’ secrets. One problem, he can’t stop leaving dust in odd places around town. Now he has to find every ounce of his dust and keep the presence of the supernatural a secret. But after a close encounter with a sexy lab tech and a lightning quick connection, his millennia old loyalties may shift and he could lose more than just his wings in the chaos.

Warning: Contains a sexy angel with a choice to make and a green-eyed lab tech who dreams of a dark-winged stranger. Oh yeah, and a shocking spark that's sure to leave them begging for more.

Find out more in
Dust of My Wings
. Out Now.

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