Page 21

21

Wild Boar

I stand atop a hill, the concrete square building below. Swarms of police and suited unknown men trail in and out of the structure, like a group of ants excavating a box of sugar. Except the contents inside are far less sweet, a cube of torture and depravity.

It’s been mere hours since Brick and I exited the facility, both of us filthy, exhausted, and dragging out the three drugged women we rescued. It didn’t take long for Cameron to pick up our scent through the woods. His shoulders deflated the moment he saw me, tears in his eyes as he cradled my jaw and pulled me in close. That’s when I lost it, sobs rushing out of me. The last few days' events crashed over me in a wave of relief and exhaustion. I didn’t let the hug last long, as I was still naked besides the lab coat held together by a rope I found, and covered in Kilo’s blood and Brick’s semen. Not a state to be in when embracing your brother.

After that, everything was a whirl. The pack came, the National Department of Supernatural was called, helicopters buzzed overhead, and I was taken to a nearby pack member’s house to shower and given a clean set of clothes. My body moved from one task to the next, only focusing on my present actions instead of contemplating the recent events and my newfound mate.

Now, the tension has died. The girls are safe and in medical care, finally coming into their consciousness, I’m told. I catch Brick closer to the building, his expression clenched and his arms crossed. Someone must have loaned him their coat because his previously bare chest is covered with brown wool. His eyes catch mine, and his jaw loosens, his eyes blazing even from many feet away. My heart drums as he makes his way over to me, climbing up the steep hill as if it’s nothing. Even with the crowd, my cells burst into song, begging me to run the rest of the way and meet him with an embrace. I steel myself, holding my breath until he’s inches from me.

“What’s going on?” I ask, willing my brain to focus on his response instead of my stupid fucking need.

“It’s a shit show,” he says under a heavy breath. “They’re all gone. Everything is wiped.”

“What? How?”

He sighs, rubbing down his face, standing next to me to take in the view of the said shit show before us. “We set off an alarm when we escaped. I turned it off before coming to get you, but you know, that was a while ago.”

Recent memories of our heated moments together rush around me. I shiver, Brick’s touch imprinted on my skin. “Honestly, I’m surprised we even made it out of there with the girls.”

Brick nods. I feel his gaze on me even as I look ahead, searing into the side of my skull. “We’re lucky. But you kicked ass.”

I throw the thought around, watching it overhead. “Hm, I guess I did.”

“And that file, even if we can’t arrest anyone for their atrocities, we have the serum. The National Department of Supernatural will be all over this town now. That file is enough evidence to really put an end to this.”

I let out a heavy sigh. It’s good news, truly, but I’ve heard it all before, in a thousand different ways. The girls are free, and Kilo is dead, but there are a hundred other men just like him. When one gets chopped down, another bursts through the murky surface just as quickly. I should feel glad, proud of myself, but I just feel tired.

Brick grabs my elbow. Okay, maybe not just tired. My body vibrates.

He pulls me into his embrace, kissing the top of my head. I stiffen at first. We’re out in the open, in the light of day, and he holds me as if I’m his. I fight my brain's instinct to reject the affection and instead lean into him, feeling a million times better once I surrender. Besides the whole buzzing vagina. God dammit I hate ovulation.

I catch Cameron’s gaze from below. He studies me oddly, but then something like understanding covers his features, and he nods with a smile. I smile back, shaking my head as if this is all a major annoyance. He rolls his eyes and returns to his conversation with the police. The cop isn’t anyone I’m familiar with. I surmise they’re special officers flown in.

“You did good, little wolf,” he kisses down the side of my face, his length pressing into my backside.

I giggle, stiffening to stop his travel. “Brick, we’ve already gone too far during enough inappropriate times.”

“What’s one more?” he says mid-kiss.

“We have a lot to discuss,” I counter, flipping to face him and lacing my arms around his neck.

He scrunches his face. “I don’t know if you know this about me, but I’m not a talker.”

I laugh. “In fact, that is one of the very few things I know about you. That’s what we need to talk about. You’re my mate. There’s still so much to figure out.” “I know, but we have forever to do it.” He kisses me gently. “But right now, you’re in heat, and I’m a wild boar that can’t control myself.”

I almost surrender, turn my bones to liquid, and let him carry me down the hill and fuck me behind a tree, but we’re interrupted. “Carmen, Brick!” Grimm calls from the base of the hill.

I groan but stuff away my desire, eager to hear from my pack’s leader. Grimm hurries his steps, throwing his arms around me in a desperate hug. It’s strange, and I stiffen. Grimm and I have never hugged before, but I relax into it after a moment. Maybe finding my mate is making me all fluffy.

He pulls back, examining me. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am. I just can’t believe you were captured moments after I was with you.”

I shake my head. “It’s fine.” I honestly haven’t even considered it. I was the one who hurried him to leave. Maybe if I had been honest and revealed more of my thoughts, I wouldn’t have put myself in the situation. But then we wouldn’t have gotten to the facility and broken the girls free.

“No, it’s not fine.” His pupils dilate. I take in his unkempt hair, an oddity for him, and the deep bags under his eyes. “I brought Kilo into our pack, put you in danger, and then doubted you.”

“I agreed to all of it. I trusted Kilo, too.” I attempt to erase the image of his lips on me, the thought sending my stomach into an upheave.

My words don’t seem to soothe Grimm. “I should have vetted him better. I did my research but clearly it wasn’t enough. Even Cameron suspected something funny with him. Not at first, but he caught on quickly. I just blamed it on his pregnancy hormones. I was blinded, desperate for someone to save us.”

I grab his arm, attempting to steady his spiral. “Grimm, we all were desperate.” I trusted him as well. Just because Grimm is our leader doesn’t mean he’s immune to mistakes.

He breathes out, studying me. “Turns out the one to save those girls was right under our noses. You did it, Carmen. I shouldn’t have doubted you.”

“Well, maybe you should have.” I motioned my eyes toward Brick, and Grimm takes him in as if forgetting he was there.

“Brick, I apologize for not trusting you, but I’ve got to say, you could have just told us you were working as a double agent.”

Brick shakes his head. “It was too dangerous for any of you to know. Also, if you knew, Kilo would have known, too. Although I’ve learned he had his suspicions.”

His guilt-ridden expression comes back in full gleam. “Fucking hell. You’re right.” He yanks at his hair.

Brick slaps a hand on his shoulder. “When’s the last time you slept?” Clearly noticing the exhaustion.

Grimm groans, pulling his phone out of his pocket and glancing at the screen as he replies. “What I need is a goddamn secretary.”

A loud crash sounds from behind us. We turn toward the road below, at the base of the hill, opposite the laboratory. Someone crashed into the shiny red Porsche parked on the side of the road, right around the bend.

“You have to be fucking kidding me!” Grimm yells, leaving us and racing down the hill.

“Was that his car?” Brick asks, moving in close.

“Yep.” I wince, watching as a young woman with blonde-almost white-long hair emerges from the beat-up brown Volkswagen, now smashed against Grimm’s sports car.

“Hey, it’s a pretty girl. Maybe he’ll go easy on her.” Grimm reaches the offender at the end of my statement, and I can practically see the steam leaving his ears as his yells travel to my eardrums. I sigh, shaking my head. “Just what he needs.”

My attention diverts as two strong arms wrap around me and pull me against a wall of muscle. “It’s just what I need. Now I have you alone.”

I motion to the swarm of people below. “We’re not really alone.”

He rolls his eyes and swats in their direction. “Forget about them. Whenever I’m with you, it feels like it’s just the two of us.”

My heart swells at his words, and I kiss his lips, allowing the affection to linger as his hands feel my back. He pulls back. “Although, I much rather actually be alone with you.”

I sigh with a grin. “Fine, ravish me.” I fall into him, removing my effort to hold myself up. He doesn’t hesitate, swinging me over my shoulder as I squeal and hit his back. He jogs, bouncing me along until we're hidden behind a dense forest. He shifts, raising me slightly as his body grows in height and mass. He’s still clothed, an attribute I envy, but his speed increases as he charges through the woods, carrying me to God knows where. I could ask, but I don’t bother. Where my mate goes, I’ll follow. Technically right now, I’m swung over his shoulder without any say in the matter, but I know our destination ends with me being fucked silly, and who am I to complain about that?