The Talon Pack continues
with a dark secret that could shatter the future of the Packs, or save them
all.
Parker Jamenson is the son
of three Packs, the sole mediator between every Pack in the United States and
Europe, and…he’s dying. He knows he doesn’t have much left in him and is in
desperate need of a mate. But with the new and unyielding changes thanks to the
Moon Goddess, he might not have as much time as he thinks.
Brandon Brentwood is the
Omega of the Talon Pack and the youngest of his family. He’s not only one of
the famed triplets; he’s also the most secretive. There’s a good reason for
that, however, and when a shocking revelation meshes the past and present in a
very unexpected way, he’ll look to not only Parker but also a disgraced human
to save them all.
Avery Montag knows she’s
the daughter of a traitor and doesn’t have much to give the wolves in the way
of atonement. But she’ll do everything she can to pay for her father’s sins and
find a way to end the war between the humans and the wolves.
When the three turn to
each other in a time of unrest and for vastly different reasons, temptation
burns and seduction beckons. Only, the past, present, and future are never as
solid as they seem, and the path the trio thought to travel may just vanish
before they’re ready.
Chapter One
Before
Parker Jamenson woke with
a start as someone knocked on the door to the small cabin he’d been staying in
for the duration of his visit to this particular European Pack. Using his
wolf’s senses, he inhaled deeply, noting that the person on the other side of
the door was one of the younger wolves that had shown him around when he’d
first gotten there. He hadn’t met most of the Pack, as the people of the den
hadn’t been too keen on his presence. He’d only just fallen asleep in the
armchair fully clothed, exhausted from the trip.
He’d already spoken to the
Alpha about coming together with the Redwoods in times of war, but the damn man
hadn’t been too eager to reveal his existence to the world. All Alphas were
required to meet with Parker as the Voice of the Wolves because he was
goddess-touched, but that didn’t mean they had to listen. Hell, most of them
would rather bury their heads in the sand and ignore what was going on around
them. And while his own Pack might be older than most in the United States, the
European Packs were ancient and set in their ways. No one wanted to deal with
the fact that the humans were aware of the shifters’ existence, but Parker knew
that soon, no one would have a choice.
He opened the door after a
moment and nodded at the young woman on the other side. “Tatiana.”
She smiled coyly at him
before licking her lips. He could scent her wolf brushing up against her skin,
wanting touch, but Parker wasn’t interested. He just wanted to get this meeting
with the elders over with and head back home. Her long, honey-colored hair had
been in a braid when he’d first met her, but now it looked as if she’d brushed
it out over her shoulders and back so it cascaded over her curves. She’d also
put on a long, white, flowing dress instead of the tan one she’d worn when he’d
shown up.
And though she looked to
be his same age and her power felt even younger, she dressed as if she were
some maiden from a bygone era on the hunt for a knight.
Parker would not be that
knight— no matter how much those eyes of hers flashed yearning.
“Parker,” she breathed.
“I’m to take you to the elder circle for your last meeting before you go.” A
pause. “It’s a shame we didn’t have more time to get to know one another while
you were here. I understand you leave in the morning, but perhaps the meeting
won’t take long, and I can show you more of the grounds. I’m sure your wolf
could use some exercise.” She smiled. “And though it’s not a full moon, there’s
just enough moonlight for the run to be… thrilling.”
He held back a chuckle
that wanted to spill out since that would have been rude. She wasn’t hiding
anything she wanted, and while he might have appreciated that on another day,
he just wanted to go home. Besides, his wolf wasn’t interested in the woman in
front of him, and while that might not matter for a quick night of heat, he
didn’t have it in him to ignore his wolf tonight. Maybe I’m getting older, and in need of a mate, he thought. Or
maybe he was just tired and missed his family. Either way, Tatiana wasn’t for
him.
“I’m afraid I will have to
get ready to head out after the elder circle.” He held back a frown at the
crestfallen look on her face. They hadn’t said more than a few words before
this, and though he was a new wolf to her, he wasn’t the only healthy adult
male wolf around.
“I understand,” she said
softly. “Follow me, then.” She turned without another word, but he didn’t miss
the extra sway to her hips— an invitation if he were to change his mind.
Keeping his thoughts to
himself so he wouldn’t inadvertently hurt her again if he were to change his
mind— which he wouldn’t— he followed her through the winding, dirt paths of the
den toward the oldest part at the edge of the center. It made sense that this
was where the elders chose to live— just slightly outside the most used part of
the den for privacy but not near the edge in case of an attack. As elders, they
were to not only be respected but also protected.
Tatiana left Parker with a
nod, and he bent to walk under a low-lying branch so he could make it to the
elder’s circle. Encircling the firepit were seven older wolves of various
sizes— three women and four men. At his entry, they all looked up as a unit and
stared at him.
If he hadn’t seen his own
elders do this before, he would have been creeped out. Elder wolves were those
who had either lost their mates long ago or had never been mated, so they
didn’t have a connection to the new world or the Pack except through their
bonds to the Alpha and those in the hierarchy. After living for centuries, some
wolves could no longer deal with the drastic changes of society and chose to
cloister themselves. Many of the wolves held immense power on their own because
of their age and used that strength to protect the Pack in any way they could.
Parker looked back at the
elders respectfully. Though each of the wolves had at least two centuries on
him, none of them looked a day over thirty-five. Wolf genetics never ceased to
amaze him and he’d been born a wolf.
“Parker Jamenson, of the
Redwoods,” the woman closest to him said after a moment. “Welcome. I am Aurora.
We’re pleased you were able to take the time to meet with us before you head
out on your journey home.”
Parker bowed his head in
deference. “I will always meet with my elders, Aurora. To ignore those who have
lived the past is to ignore what the future may bring.”
She smiled softly at his
words and gestured for him to sit down before introducing him to the others. He
kept their names in the back of his mind, but he knew that it was Aurora who
led here, and she would be the one to speak.
“We’ve asked you to join
us because we believe we have something that once belonged to your people. Your
line.”
Parker’s eyes widened.
“The Redwoods?” How did something of theirs find its way here?
“Not that line.” Aurora’s
eyes went gold, her wolf rising to the surface. “The line of the first hunter.
You are the son of the son of the son of the line of the first hunter, are you
not?”
Parker froze. Not many
people knew that his family came from that line. In fact, he’d only recently
learned that his ancestor was the first human to be made into a wolf by the
moon goddess as a punishment for what the man had done to defenseless prey.
She’d forced the man to become the thing he killed for sport, compelled him to
share a soul with that of a wolf. From there, new wolves were made, and
shifters were born.
His uncle, Logan, had
dealt with horrible side effects from that past, but other than his strength,
Parker hadn’t really thought about what that meant. Logan had been far too
aggressive even at a young age, and it had taken him years to learn how to
fully control his wolf. He, like Parker, had also had to learn how to use their
strength wisely when they’d been mere pups and still had to deal with some bursts
of overextension some days. The family bloodline was diluted over time, and
Parker had had more recent issues with it thanks to his birth father. His
mother might be of the line of their honorable ancestors and campfire stories,
but his birth father had been one of nightmares. He’d never truly met the man
as he’d been young when Corbin died, but he knew the stories. Knew that the
former Central Alpha had killed countless in his quest for power.
He pushed that thought out
of his head, as he knew just letting it in would enrage him.
“I’m of that line, yes,”
he answered after a moment. No need to lie as he had a feeling these wolves
knew far more than this. “What did you find?” he asked.
Aurora nodded at one of the male wolves after
Parker had spoken. The male stood up with shaky hands, a large box wrapped in
cloth clasped between them.
Aurora took it gently from
him. “This box is made of the woods of our people— Redwood, Aspen, Oak, and so
forth. It is said those first Packs, along with the first ever, came together
to make it.”
Parker frowned. “What’s in
the box?”
“Open it and see.”
Though his wolf had stood
at attention as soon as they’d mentioned the box, it wasn’t until Aurora
unwrapped it— keeping her hands on the cloth rather than the wood— that his
wolf howled.
He frowned. “I’m not going
to open something I haven’t looked into with wolves I don’t know. I’m sorry if
that’s disrespectful, but that just doesn’t seem like a good idea to me.”
Aurora’s eyes flashed, but
he had a feeling it was more out of respect than anger. “It’s good you’re
cautious. That will help.”
“Help what?”
“There is a prophecy,” she
said after a moment. He blinked.
“A prophecy?” Why did he
feel like he’d suddenly jumped into an old Indiana Jones movie?
Aurora’s eyes unfocused as
she spoke in a deeper voice.
“A wolf of three Packs can break their will or
unite them all.
“Once united, the Packs will reveal…
“If broken, the Packs will fall…”
Parker’s wolf rushed to
the surface at her words, and he tried to blink, attempted to reach out and
catch the woman as she fell forward after she’d finished speaking. Only he felt
as if he were moving slower than usual, his mind not quite where it should be.
His hand brushed the top of the box, and it slid to the ground, opening on
impact.
He looked down, his head
going fuzzy, his mouth dry.
An ancient dagger, or
perhaps the tip of a spear, rolled out of the box amidst a dust cloud that
slapped at his face.
“The weapon of the first
hunter,” Aurora croaked before passing out completely. The others surrounded
them, yet he could do nothing but try to keep himself upright.
Parker tried to speak but
couldn’t force his mouth to work. Instead, his body broke out in a cold sweat,
and he fell face-first to the ground.
The last thing he thought about before passing
out was his family.
They weren’t here to help him.
No one was here to help
him.
He was all alone.
And it was his fault.
Again.
Carrie Ann Ryan is the New York Times
and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary and paranormal romance. Her
works include the Montgomery Ink, Redwood Pack, Talon Pack, and Gallagher
Brothers series, which have sold over 2.0 million books worldwide. She started
writing while in graduate school for her advanced degree in chemistry and
hasn’t stopped since. Carrie Ann has written over fifty novels and novellas
with more in the works. When she’s not writing about bearded tattooed men or
alpha wolves that need to find their mates, she’s reading as much as she can
and exploring the world of baking and gourmet cooking.
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