Page 23 of Tamed Wolf (Rejected Mates of the Shelter #4)

Brooks, Now

Once Lark leaves the room and Blake follows her, it doesn't take long for questions to start pouring out of my mom's mouth. I know she only wants the best for us, and she is a great mom and Luna to the pack, but at least she doesn't question the bond we seem to have struck with Lark.

Even thinking her name has me grinning like a fool, something my mother likes to comment on every time it happens, of course.

My parents are just filling us in on everything they've done with Rowan in the last few days when there's a knock on the door, somebody entering before actually being given permission, but that's my dad's business, not mine.

“Brooklyn, what can we do for you?

“Hi Alpha,” she says with a little bow. “I just came for my daily playtime with Rowan.” Then her eyes meet Beckett’s, where he's holding the kid in question, and I have to hold in a groan. She may be innocent enough, but I smell a scheme.

“That won't be necessary,” Beckett says a little sterner than he needs to.

My mother has a sudden interest in looking anywhere else but us, and I sense her play in this, but I'm not going to call her on it now in front of company.

“Oh,” the girl says, pausing and putting her hand on the couch next to me. It's too close and my wolf doesn't like it; she doesn't smell like maple bakery treats. Pretty weird criteria to desire in a woman, huh?

“Well if you're sure... you know, Beckett, I make a pretty mean roasted chicken. I'd be happy to come cook for you and your brothers. And then I could get my time in with that cutie you've got on your lap there.”

“Appreciate the offer, but I don't think our mate would appreciate another she-wolf in her space so soon after her heat.”

She looks down at me in confusion, eyes wide, calculating something in her head. “But I don't… can I speak to you outside, Brooks?” She bats her eyes, trying to come off as pleasant, unaware I’m not the least bit interested in taking her bait.

I look to Beckett, who gives me a nod, making sure I know that when she exits this room, she doesn't come back in. As heirs to the pack, it’s important that we're accessible to anybody who needs us, so I can't just refuse her. Unfortunately. She might actually have something important to say. I'm only giving her a few minutes though, because I know we’re all anxious for some family time.

Not wanting to come off too intimidating, I lean against the wall down the hall from the room we were in, kicking up a foot to rest behind me as I cross my arms. “What can I do for you, Brooklyn?”

“Well,” she says as she steps towards me a little bit. “I wasn't aware that your pack was seeking applicants to replace Arabella. I've been biding my time, waiting. I'd like to apply.”

I snort. “We aren't taking applicants,” I tell her succinctly.

“But I thought you said—"

“Look, I know things haven't been going great with you and your mates—”

“They're not my mates,” she hisses.

I hold up my hands, warning her off. “I'm not getting into this right now. If you're just looking to piss them off or make them jealous, this isn't the way to go about it. You guys need to sit down and figure out your issues and then work them out. Running off to another pack isn't going to help.”

She holds her hand out like she's going to touch my arm, so I grab her wrist to stop her. “I wouldn't do that.”

“I'm really great with Rowan,” she tells me. “Every day he's been here this week, we've been playing together. He loves me.”

“That's an oversight that shouldn't have happened, but I appreciate your honesty. I'm glad you enjoyed your time with my son, but we have a mate. Rowan needs bonding time with her.”

It's at that point that Blake and Lark round the corner. I still have Brooklyn's wrist in my hand, so I drop it like hot coal, putting more distance between us. “There she is,” I can’t help but drawl, eyes only for my girl.

“You guys ready to go?” Blake questions, clearly ready himself. Lark and Brooklyn are taking measure of each other, but there's no competition here.

It's been too long since Lark has been in my arms, so I pull her to me, pressing her back against my front and wrapping my arms around her. “Brooklyn, this is our mate, Lark.”

Lark reaches out a hand to greet her, but Brooklyn hesitates. “Is this a joke?” she asks.

“Pardon?” Lark bites out, spine stiffening.

Brooklyn looks from Lark to me, then to Blake, who's getting more irritated with the girl by the second. “Why would this be a joke?” Lark asks, giving the girl another chance to redeem herself.

“You're nearly old enough to be their mother. Not to mention you're parading around the pack house in your pajamas. Come on, Brooks,” Brooklyn begs me, “you can do better than this.”

Blake snarls at the girl and corners her, all niceness gone. His hand whips out to grab her by the neck and then shoves her against the wall in an act of dominance, not hurting her, but making sure she knows he could.

“Sorry,” I whisper to Lark. “Sometimes being heir to the pack means people think they deserve time with you. Every once in a while there're people who have ideas in their head about how they can get to the top.”

I pitch my voice so Brooklyn hears me, and her face turns beet red. “I'd make a perfect Luna,” she spits out, apparently unaware that her neck is still being pinned to the wall by a pissed off Blake.

I'm nervous that this might set Lark back, because I know she already struggles with her self-image, but apparently, she's choosing violence. That's my girl.

I know we're in for a treat when Lark cocks her head to the side. “Hey Blake, sweetie,” she asks in a voice that's so saccharine it makes my teeth hurt. “Do you want to give me and this sweetheart darling here a tour of the Alpha House? Nobody ever did tell me where you were housing Ivan and Trevor.”

Blake’s eyes meet Lark’s in front of me, and I can practically feel the heat brewing between them. Remind me to find the closest closet to shove her into before we get back to the room.

He takes measure of our girl for a second before smiling, but it’s out of sync. “It’d be my pleasure,” he finally says.

“Am I allowed to put a leash on her?” Lark asks far too sweetly, making me laugh.

“Sorry baby, don't have one on me.”

I get the feeling that Lark is pouting in front of me, but she shrugs and then wraps an arm around the daft girl's shoulders, steering her as Blake leads us to where her exes are being held.

Lark says nothing to her and neither do we the whole way there, and I'm not really sure where this situation is going, but I have a feeling Lark is trying to make a point, so I'm going to let her. She looks too happy to be given the power to do so.

The pack holding cells are basically what you'd expect jail cells to look like; all metal, slightly cold, but mostly clean. Apparently, we have to be humane or some shit. Personally, I’d like to revisit the days where we could take fingernails off with pliers for each infraction the alpha deemed they had committed.

We have to walk through lots of empty cells before we get to the one that's occupied by who she's looking for, and she drags Brooklyn along with her the entire way. And then Brooklyn starts giggling. “What's the deal with this?” she asks like it's hysterical. Okay, it kind of is.

Blake grunts. “Dad asked us what we wanted to do with them, I told him to just let him be for now.”

Camden, who's in the separate cell right next to them, clearly wants to talk to his mom, but it's up to her whether or not that happens. Right now, she's too amused by the fact that Trevor and Ivan are still in that damn kennel that somebody went to the trouble of hauling to the Alpha House so they could lock these men back in it together.

“Get us out of here Lark,” Trevor says, voice laced with venom.

“Good boy, good speak!” And then Lark spies a box of dog biscuits some asshole brought down here and claps with glee. “Does the mangy dog want a treat?” She reaches in and throws one at his stupid face, getting all the karmic points available to her as it slides right through the thin wire bars of the cage.

Not going to lie, I'm drawing immense joy from this situation right now.

“Umm, can I leave?” Brooklyn says as she tries to figure out the dynamic between Lark and these men like Lark is slightly off her rocker. Maybe she is, but it's damn hot.

“Brooklyn?” Camden asks in incredulity from his cell.

She spins to him, not having realized he was here at first because he was pouting in the corner. “Camden? Why are you in here? What did you do?”

“You know each other?” Lark asks, hands on her hips.

“This is my mate, mom.”

Brooklyn looks a bit green in the face. “She’s your mom ?” She looks at Lark again, clearly sizing her up.

Slightly unhinged, wants-to-do-damage-Lark transforms instantly. She marches over to where Camden is and stares him down. “When did you meet her?” Her tone changes completely and Camden looks like he's about to shit himself.

“You want to tell her, or should I?” Brooklyn asks.

“Let's hear what he has to say.” And then Lark stares Camden down, waiting for him to talk.

“Dad said—”

Lark makes a buzzer sound in the back of her throat. “You want to be taking advice about mates from them?” She looks deliciously unaffected as she tilts her head towards where they're stuck in a cage together. “I don't think it's working out too well for them.”

Camden looks at his dads and gulps down some air, looking back at his mom sheepishly.

“Leave the boy alone, Lark,” one of her exes exasperates as if he's bored out of his mind.

She picks up another dog biscuit and throws it at him again. “Eat that,” she says and turns back to Camden. “Well?” How the fuck is she so good at getting those through the damn bars?

I pick one up and try my luck too, but no dice. It smacks into the cage and tumbles down sadly, meeting its demise on the cement floor. No more treats for puppy.

“She doesn't like the club, mom. She doesn't like me going there. Doesn't care that that's how I make money. She says she's too good for it. Won't be caught dead in there.”

Camden's fully expecting his mom to take her side, I can tell.

Lark turns to Brooklyn, who’s starting to grasp some of the situation, so the hostility has bled out of her face and is being replaced with sympathy. “Your turn,” she tells the girl softly.

“Like you're gonna take my side. You're his mom.”

“Please?”

Brooklyn takes a deep breath and sighs. “We met at a pack run a few months ago, like he said. It was great at first; we ran together, and he said the rest of this pack would be there later for the bonfire. So we hung out and I went home with them.” She looks ashamed of what she has to say, but Lark knows exactly how to handle it.

“Then what happened?” I immediately clock that this is the side that comes out when she's talking of the women in the shelter. Without further implications, Lark has already read the room and realized that this woman is in danger of horrific experiences if Lark can’t intervene. She’s sympathizing with the girl, getting on her side when so many other wolves in the pack would be so quick to tell Brooklyn that it’s her duty to fit into her mates’ life, not the other way around.

“We started texting a lot, hung out a few more times. I was waiting for some sort of formal proposal. One night, I got a text saying they wanted to take me out. I got dressed up, did my hair, bought a new dress, and… they had me meet them at a strip club. Well, Camden and one other. Kyle wasn’t there.

“Not only that, but Cam looked so proud of himself when I walked through the velvet ropes to the VIP area. A VIP area, mind you, in which my mates had other women on their lap, and they didn't even have the decency to kick them off for me.”

I look to Brooklyn, who is now shooting daggers at Camden, who finally has the little bit of good sense to hang his head in shame. Maybe he can be taught.

“I think I've heard enough,” Lark says. It's obvious that this is distressing to Brooklyn, and I'm suddenly glad I stepped out into the hall to talk to her. Quite the coincidence that this all ended up this way. There the goddess goes again, guiding Lark into somebody’s life that needs her.

Feeling the pressure to defend herself further, Brooklyn steadies herself and squares her focus back onto wonder woman. “I don't think I'm too good for a strip club. I do, however, know that I'm worth more than a pack of mates that will let other women dance on them, especially when I'm around. I don't want anything to do with men that need validation from other women when they’ve got me.”

Brooklyn turns to Camden again, making sure he heard her loud and clear, daring him to defend himself. Proving he might be a little bit smarter than we thought at first, he says nothing.

“I see,” Lark says, and then she turns to face her exes. “You two must be so damn proud of yourselves, raising up a man like that.” She hikes a thumb behind her shoulder, pointing to Camden.

“Oh, shut up,” Trevor says and then Ivan elbows him. In such close confines, they can't get away from each other and it's clear they've already been tussling, because they've both got some sort of bloody lip and black eye that's mid-heal.

“No, I don't think I will,” Lark defies. Then she turns back to her son. “Camden, we'll get in contact with her other mates. You’ve never cared for what I have to say to you, not since you've become the adult wolf you like to think you are. So let me set the record straight here.

“I'm moving in with the Storm Pack.” She holds eye contact with her exes as she says this, waiting to see every hit they take. “We're getting mated. Apparently, there's this thing that can happen when the stars align just so, so this mating is blessed by the goddess.

“But even if we were just chosen mates, it would still be a hell of a lot better than what you guys ever offered me.” Back to Camden. “If you continue down the road you're travelling on, Camden, then you can look to your fathers for what your future will look like; miserable, alone with your pack, while your mate finds something better. You guys aren't men,” she says full of ire, focusing once more on her exes. “You're pathetic and useless. You can rot in this cage for all I care. I just wanted you to know I'm finally fucking happy. No thanks to either of you. I love knowing you get to be miserable while I live my best life. I hope it hurts like hell.” And then she dismisses them and spins back to Camden.

He's not in a kennel because his transgressions were far fewer, but we still weren't quite sure what to do with him, so we thought it was best to keep him in here along with his fathers for the time being. “And you, I used to think I did wrong by you. That it was my fault that you came out the way you did. But somewhere along the way, I've realized you’re old enough to make your own decisions. I gave up every part of me I had to be a mother to you. To take care of you. When they came into our lives, you didn't want anything to do with me, did you?

“I don’t blame you for being a kid desperately trying to gain the approval of his fathers, but you outgrew that stage years ago. And don’t even think for a second I didn’t want you to have a relationship with them; you know I always encouraged that once we moved in with them; I guess I just hoped a bigger part of me would have lingered inside you when they started rolling their normal tricks. It didn’t matter how much I tried to correct your behavior or redirect your thinking; you’d always go back to them.

“I'm done trying, Camden. You can have the distance you want. It breaks my heart and you'll always be my baby, but I deserve better than this. I deserve better from you.”

Camden stands and approaches the bars, eyes leaking tears that are far from the first to seep into the cement floors down here. “You don't know what it's like, mom.”

“What what's like, Camden? To be physically and mentally abused for years? To have to pretend like you're worth nothing just to get by day-to-day? To live with nothing and act like you're happy about it? No. What you don't understand is all the goddess damned privilege you've been given. Maybe I coddled you too much, tried too hard to make you like me when I realized my other tactics weren’t working, but that ends now.

“You've never wanted to know the truth about your fathers, never let me tell you my side. Well, now you're going to hear it. And since you're back there and I'm out here, you're going to listen.

“We moved out of the shelter and in with them because they made us. They rejected me when they found out I was pregnant with you, because they didn't want to see me get fat.

“From the day they met me, they were with other women. Even after they bit me and claimed me, they were with women daily. I had to feel every time they slept with somebody else through the bond, and it drove me mad.

“But I stayed. And you know why? Because of you . When they came and took you, I gave up everything to follow them because pack law didn’t grant me any parental rights to withhold you from them.

“Maybe you don't remember a whole lot about our life at the shelter, goddess knows you never went back once they gave you the big screen TV and the giant bed. But that was our home. Humble beginnings where people actually cared about us.

“I wanted you to get settled in what I knew would be your new life, and I had to wait out my contract with your fathers to even be allowed to take you back to the shelter, but at that point, you didn’t have any interest in it; you never went back to visit, and I always had to make excuses for everyone that asked after you. They were counting down with me until you turned 16, knowing how much it meant to me that we could potentially be together again without all the toxic bullshit your fathers love to bring to every relationship they sustain.

“You are better than this,” she tells Camden, “and honestly, I think you deserve to stay here for a while. You went along with every scheme they did, and how dare you not look out for me. When you turned 16 you had the power to protect me, and you didn't. instead, you started to demand things of me, just like them. So don't ask me to protect you now.

“They've done nothing but abuse me and manipulate from day one. They gaslit me, they made me feel like shit and they took everything from me. Everything . This heat I was in? They drugged me. Repeatedly. And that was after Ivan abducted me from the shelter and kicked my ribs hard enough to break them. The wolves standing with me now are the type of men you should have been emanating. You'd do well to take note.”

“You can't actually be moving in with them, mom. That's... embarrassing.”

“Your mate is actively looking for other situations. That's embarrassing.” She turns back to Brooklyn. “I want to say I brought you here so I could show you exactly why I deserved to have a good pack behind me, but I found so much more. I'm hoping my son comes to his senses, but in the meantime, you have a mother-in-law if you want one, okay? And you are absolutely correct; you do deserve more than they’re giving you. Don’t make the same mistakes I did, don’t you dare settle.”

“You know I was coming onto your men, right?” Brooklyn asks in disbelief, always far too honest for her own good.

Lark waves her off. “It’s always important to look beneath the surface, because you never know what somebody's going through. Empathy will get you everywhere.” And then she starts walking off, taking us with her and giving Brooklyn the option to stay and talk to Camden if she wants.

“What about us, Lark?” her exes call out.

In response she flips them off and keeps walking, asking us to give our contact info to Brooklyn if she does want to talk.

“How long do you think they’ll stay in there?” she asks when we’re climbing the stairs back to the main part of the Alpha House once more.

“Yeah, we're not going rush to figure that out,” I say as I laugh under my breath.

Because it's absolutely imperative that I do, I herd Lark into an empty office space, making sure to lock the door behind my brother.

I don't even give her time to ask what my plans are, I simply proclaim them by lifting her up, pinning her against the door, and kissing her senselessly. “Been too long since we did this, and you were so sexy down there,” I say against her perfect mouth. “I know it's not easy to face them—”

“It's easier when they're stuck in a dog kennel and I'm not,” she laughs, but I know it's still hard for her.

“Either way,” Blake says, “we're proud of you. Proud of you for standing up to Camden, for reaching out to help somebody that did nothing to earn it from you. You're incredible.”

It's not long before Blake squeezes his way between us and steals her for himself, making sure she knows he wants her just as badly. Far too soon however, our phones start buzzing like crazy and I know that Beckett is waiting for us, probably wondering where the hell we got off to.

So we meet back up with Beckett with promises to explain everything later, we get Rowan buckled up, and we head home. As a pack.

And the whole way there, I’m grinning like a madman, because Lark just willingly boasted that she was going to mate us.

Let the plans begin.