Chapters 6 & 7

Chapter 6: Fucking Fated What?!

Wrenley

For the first day, Wrenley and the other four prisoners were left alone. They were given food and drink, but otherwise ignored. She didn’t dare remove her bag or give any indication that she had it and especially not the weapons also hidden within. She didn’t trust the Chaos people to keep that a secret. If it meant leniency for them, she was having a hard time convincing herself they’d not repeat what they saw.

If it meant selling her out, a virtual stranger, she was sure they would.

Wrenley thought about how difficult it must be for the prisoners brought in with her. If they’d been rejected by some mate thing here in Bear Tower Heights, to be back must be painful. She’d never gotten around to asking about it. About the rejections and what it meant. It seemed unimportant given what she was after.

But now she wished she had.

The next morning, the guards started pulling the prisoners out, one by one. Wrenley watched as they dragged one of the men back into their cells after… whatever it was they were doing. Literally dragged because he was unconscious. And bloody.

She wasn’t sure if it was out of kindness, orders, or something else, but Wrenley was saved for last. The girl across from her was led back to her cell, limping and clutching her stomach. She collapsed onto the cot as the guard locked the door.

Wrenley shuddered, getting to her feet as they turned for her.

“Your turn, little cub,” one of the men said.

“I’m not a bear,” she whispered, meeting his eyes.

He nodded. “Nope. We can tell.”

Wrenley nodded. Would that make a difference? She followed quietly, without complaint or fight. Maybe they’d let her explain.

The room they led her to did not lend to the idea that they were about conversation. There was a single chair in the middle of the floor. Behind the chair was a grate, chains hanging from the wall, and various other objects that she had no doubt were used to coerce answers they wanted. To the side of the room was a hearth with a fire burning, several lengths of metal sticking out of it.

She sat on the chair and looked at the guards. There were two of them and she was thankful that her pack was well hidden. She’d even tucked the straps, so they vanished entirely into the magic as well.

“Your name?” one of the men asked.

“Wrenley,” she answered.

“You’re not a bear,” the other said.

She shook her head, confirming that for the third time.

“Why were you with the group of criminals?”

“They were the first people I stumbled across,” Wrenley said. “They took me in and offered me a place. It didn’t take me long to decide that I didn’t belong there, but I didn’t know where else to go.”

“Why didn’t you belong there?”

“I don’t believe in indiscriminate murder.”

There was a pause as the two exchanged looks.

“Explain,” the first man said.

Wrenley told them about how she met Maz and then watched in horror as they murdered him in front of everyone as a dinner show.

“He’s going to be pissed,” the second one muttered.

“But you stayed,” the first one accused, his eyes narrowed.

“I didn’t know where else to go. They’d told me since I met them that the bears of the towns, this one in particular, are cruel demons. They’d kill me as soon as they let me in.”

That was only a slight exaggeration.

The men nodded, but Wrenley couldn’t make out their expressions. Were they agreeing with her? Or just believing her story?

“Where are you from?”

“Outside.”

“Outside what?”

“Outside this story. I’m here to try and fix it.”

That had very clearly been the wrong thing to say. They didn’t want the truth. They wanted something that was plausible. The way the first guy’s jaw tensed, and his eyes narrowed told her that he was convinced this was a lie.

But she had no choice but to follow it through, now. Besides, it was the truth.

A minute passed in which they stared at her, contemplating her. Waiting to see if she gave away any signs that she’d been lying.

“Where is that, exactly?” the second man asked.

“Outside the story,” she said again. “Through a door that is only here long enough for me to get in. Then it disappears.”

Annnd, again. That had been a mistake.

“Maybe you need some encouragement to tell the truth,” the second man said.

“I am telling you the truth. If you want me to lie to you, give me a map and I’ll choose a town that I’m from instead.”

She really needed to know when to shut up. Irritation crossed his face while the first guy just went straight to anger. She was hauled to her feet and the chair kicked away, smashing against the wall. Wrenley didn’t struggle, hoping that if she maintained her story and continued to cooperate that they’d believe her.

It wasn’t going to happen she realized as they wrapped chains around her wrists, tightening them so her arms were held out at her sides.

“One more chance,” one of them said. Now that her back was towards them, she couldn’t tell which one was talking.

Her heart pounded as she considered her options. How could she prove it? Now anything she said that wasn’t the truth was going to make everything else she said sound like a lie.

“I’m from the Outside,” she said, her voice steady.

She wasn’t sure they’d hit her with, but even through her shirt, the crack filled the air. Her body instantly seized, her eyes stinging in pain as a cry was forced from her throat.

“Would you like to try again?” one of them asked.

Wrenley shook her head. “Outside,” she said, her voice a little shaky but she kept it as calm as possible.

She was hit three more times. Once, and then they gave her a brief rest. But two then three came quickly.

The pain streaked through her in a way that made her think there was more going on than just the whip or whatever it was. Magic? Was it on fire? Were there spikes on the end? It was absolutely more than just a thin smooth surface. There was no way it should have already broken her skin as much as it did. And she knew it had because she could feel the blood dripping down her back.

Wrenley didn’t speak more than when they prompted her. She didn’t know when others had entered the room. She’d been so lost in the daze of pain as her body shook that she hadn’t heard the door open.

But the new voice that spoke made her blood still in her veins. Something in her gut fluttered.

“Turn her around,” the new voice said.

Her heart jumped. But she found as they released the chains from the walls, she fell to her knees. The men hauled her up and turned her, one of them taking a handful of her hair and pulling her head back.

She kept her eyes closed, too afraid to look. Everything about her hurt right now. How her back stung and her muscles ached, the tears running down her cheeks despite her best efforts to make them stop. She didn’t want to cry. She didn’t want to show that weakness. But fuck, she hurt.

Maybe the crazy girls were right. Maybe they are cruel demons.

Fingers on her chin made her skin tingle. She shivered, feeling the touch go through her entire body.

“Look at me.”

It was another voice. Not the one that made her heart jump. But a fourth voice.

She opened her eyes, not sure what they’d do to her if she didn’t. And she was looking into these grey eyes that made her catch her breath. Very dark but there was a ring within the dark grey that was almost silver. She’d never seen eyes like them before.

“Who are you?” he asked, and she swore her heart stopped entirely for just a moment.

“Wrenley,” she whispered.

“Where are you from, Wrenley?”

The door opened again but the man with the gray and silver eyes was blocking it. She couldn’t see. And yet, she felt something inside her snap. But it didn’t snap as if it broke. It snapped as if something else wrapped around her, pulling taut and strong and warm. Gentle fingers and hot nights. A breath of release and the overwhelming sense of belonging.

“Outside,” she said, her voice breathless.

The man with his hand on her face was pushed out of the way and the man that now stood in front of her was beautiful. He had a baby face with messy dark hair and even darker eyes. Looking in them now, everything she had felt a moment ago exploded inside her and she struggled for another breath.

She only barely heard the voices around her, cursing him. Telling him off. Warning him. But they went unnoticed as he stared at Wrenley. And the man he pushed away said nothing.

Wrenley flinched when he pulled on the chains, and they tore free of the wall. Her eyes widened in horror, in shock. How fucking strong was he? He picked her up and she cried out. He froze as he stared at her before his dark eyes went around the room in search of what had happened. Why she was hurt. She was sure that he could feel the blood dripping over his arm now. And his skin in her open wounds hurt as if someone were gouging toothpicks into them. Scraping them, rubbing them. A whole new kind of torture.

His dark eyes raised to the man’s face who was holding the nasty leather whip. Not the long kind that was like a rope. But one that was on the end of a stick. And she had been right. There was certainly something on the ends.

“I’m going to kill you,” the man holding her said, his voice deep, as he stared at the man with the whip. The threat literally filled the air, making it thick. Making it harder to breathe.

“Jaxon,” the third new man said, and once again, her heart thudded dangerously in her chest. As if it were going to stop entirely.

But Jaxon didn’t respond. He walked out of the room with Wrenley in his arms, the chains around her wrist dragging along the stone floor behind her.

She didn’t dare rest her head, too afraid that she didn’t know where he was taking her. And the way his arm against her back amped up the pain with every step, her whole body got tenser and tenser until she was grinding her jaw to keep her cries of pain in. Tears stung her eyes and she held her breath until her lungs forced her to take another.

“Hold on,” he murmured. His voice was gentle now, sweet, caressing her everywhere and sending waves of emotions she couldn’t place through her body. “I’ll get you cleaned up.”

She didn’t speak. Didn’t thank him.

As soon as they rounded onto a street, the two men who’d joined the interrogation room right before Jaxon caught up.

“My room,” the man who’d had her jaw said.

“No,” Jaxon said tightly.

“I’m not giving you a choice,” he argued.

“I’m not your fucking bitch,” Jaxon growled.

Her heart stuttered again but this time it was because of the growl in his tone. It wasn’t human. It could only be described as that belonging to a predator.

The one who’d not said anything since they caught up pulled on Jaxon’s arm and forced him to stop. Something blazed brightly in Jaxon’s eyes and Wrenley stared, both in fear and awe. Maybe they were demons after all. Perhaps that hadn’t been a euphemism.

“Rawson’s room,” he said, his voice gentle, low. Calm. Soothing. Wrenley closed her eyes to listen as he spoke. “There’s more than just what you feel going on here.”

Jaxon tensed. She felt him swallow. Part of Wrenley hoped he’d still refuse but he nodded. She didn’t have to have her eyes open to know that he nodded.

“I’ll fight you both if you try to send her back there,” Jaxon warned, the air once more ringing with his threat. “Don’t think for a second that I won’t.”

Neither of them answered as he turned around and headed down a different road. Wrenley didn’t open her eyes. It was difficult since she had no idea where she was going and the need to see was fierce. But she forced herself to keep her head relaxed against Jaxon’s shoulder, listen to their footsteps and her chains dragging. Hear the clatter and chatter of the streets as they walked through them.

And then the quiet of doors opening and closing. The chains made a different sound as they no longer scraped against stone but wood. The world got darker behind her closed eyes as they brought her inside. She couldn’t decide if her heart pounding was out of fear or whatever weird thing that they had over her.

When the world around her was almost silent, the soft click of a door latching behind her once more, Wrenley opened her eyes. It didn’t take her long to figure out she was in a bedroom. Her eyes widened as a whole new set of horrors filled her mind.

But Jaxon carried her through the room until they were in a bathroom. He let her legs down, easing her to the floor. When she started to put her weight on them, she swayed, her vision going dark and dizzy.

“I have you,” he whispered into her hair, holding her against his chest. He hadn’t moved the arm from where it had been securely across her new lashes. She was kind of glad about that. She’d moved into a numb state, but she was sure it was going to feel like ripping off a scab when he pulled his arm away. His free hand ran lightly through her hair, soothingly. “Take a breath and get steady. We’ll see about your back when you’re ready.”

There was no threat now. His voice was smooth and hypnotic, speaking to her very soul in a way that still felt like it hurt. But she didn’t understand this feeling.

Wrenley took a few long breaths before nodding and pulling away from him. This close, she could see the concern in those crips dark eyes. A deep blue that looked like midnight. His face was smooth, his hair was damp and falling in an array all over his head. His body was hard under her hands.

And the way he looked at her reminded her of Dylan. It made her chest ache. And yet, there was something inside her that longed for it. That longed for something else. For something to hold her together and give her all the answers.

“Wrenley?” he asked.

She nodded. She hadn’t heard when he’d been told her name.

“And you’re from the Outside?” Rawson asked. He was the one who’d had her face in his hand when Jaxon had come into the room.

She nodded again. “I’m telling the truth,” she whispered. “Those girls were the first people I ran into and before I could find a way to get somewhere else, the camp was ambushed.”

Jaxon surprised her by pressing his forehead to hers. He closed his eyes, taking a breath. “I’d have lost my fucking mind if they’d have killed you.” His words were quiet, a brush against her skin. But the ache she heard in them she couldn’t even begin to understand. He didn’t know her.

“We need to clean her up,” the third man said.

Jaxon nodded, lifting his head. “We’ll try to make this as…” he trailed off. “I’m sorry.”

Her brows knit together as she looked at him. What was he apologizing for? He’d stopped it. He’d taken her away. “For what?”

He brushed a finger over her lips, making her swallow at the feel. “For not getting to you before.”

The man without the name came up behind her. She could feel his touch at her back, moving her shirt around so he could look. Wrenley closed her eyes against how it sent shocks of pain through her. When Jaxon finally pulled his arm away, though he tried to do so gently, she found herself almost on her knees, biting her lip hard enough that she tasted blood on her tongue.

“I really am going to kill them,” Jaxon growled, filling the air once more with a threat.

“You’re not,” Rawson said.

“Watch me,” Jaxon challenged.

“They didn’t know, nor could they have suspected. They were doing their job.”

“She told them the fucking truth and they beat her anyway,” Jaxon growled again.

Wrenley was turned away as Jaxon and Rawson argued, the room filling with tension. The man she faced she hadn’t fully looked at yet until now. He was blonde with blue grey eyes. Light stubble lining his jaw. He was broad-shouldered and tall, and when he touched her, the butterflies exploded through her body, yearning for more.

What. The. Fuck. Was. Wrong. With. Her?

She didn’t know these men. Why was she acting all weird?!

“I need to take your shirt off,” he said, his voice low and quiet, as if speaking to a spooked animal.

Wrenley nodded. But backed away before he could. He watched her, dropping his hands as she raised hers to her waist, searching out the little loop of magic to find the buckle at her waist. She set her jaw, knowing that once she pulled on the second one, the pack would be there and scrape against her back.

She took a deep breath as she felt out the loop of the magic at her chest. Even as she thought she was prepared for it, when she released the clip and the magic revealed the bag, Wrenley went to her knees as she whimpered from the pain. She leaned forward onto her hands as she swallowed breaths, trying to fight through it.

It throbbed, stung, felt like someone was peeling chunks of her skin off. Digging their nails into her back. She hadn’t noticed the voices in the room had stopped until Jaxon was on the ground next to her, gently running his fingers through her hair.

“Where did that come from?” Rawson asked.

“Apparently, she’s had it on her,” the no-named man said.

“We could have helped,” Jaxon murmured, pressing his lips to her ear. She suppressed a shiver. “Let me get it off you, okay?”

She nodded, stars flashing before her eyes. She’d seriously never felt this kind of pain. Then again, she’d never been whipped before.

Jaxon helped her to her feet, but she kept her eyes closed, fighting against the nausea. It was too much. Tears ran down her cheeks.

And then the weight and pressure were off her back, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

“Now you two can stop fighting and pay attention,” the no-named man said as he reached for Wrenley’s shirt again.

He didn’t pull it over her head but cut it from the back.

They changed positions so Wrenley was in front of Jaxon again, putting the no-named one at her back. Rawson leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. He watched with an inscrutable gaze.

Her fingers dug into Jaxon as the other man cleaned her wounds. She was sure on more than one occasion, she blacked out briefly from how painful it was. Sure, she hadn’t ever been beaten before, and certainly not by a whip, but it definitely felt like there was something else involved. She almost bit Jaxon as he held her to him, running his fingers through her hair, holding her tightly against his chest.

“Alright,” the man said. “She’ll be okay for the night. We can wrap it in the morning when she airs out a bit. Let the serum completely evaporate from her.”

Wrenley wasn’t even going to ask.

“Come here,” Jaxon murmured. Before she could ask, he’d picked her up again. This time he did so by bringing her legs around his waist, not giving her any options but to wrap her arms around him so she didn’t fall backwards as her cheeks heated.

He carried her out of the room, back into the bedroom. Her heart raced and she closed her eyes, not wanting to see what was coming next.

But Jaxon sat in a chair, pulling her closer so she was resting against his chest while in his lap. “Relax,” he whispered. “I got you. You’re safe now.”

“Safe from you, too?” she asked.

The man who she still didn’t know his name snickered.

“Why do you need to be safe from me? I’m not going to hurt you.” She could hear the frown in his voice. And maybe some offence and insult.

She didn’t answer but glanced at the bed.

“Relax,” Rawson said. “We’re not raping our mate.”

Wrenley’s eyes widened as she pulled back to look at him with incredulous. “I’m not your mate.”

His grin was haughty and irritated. “Believe me, I’m not impressed either.”

Jaxon’s hand in her hair, pressing against her scalp gently made her turn back to him. “I know you feel it,” he murmured, a shiver racing through her body at his voice. The corner of his lips ticked up when she shivered. “The sky has finally done something right.”

“The sky,” she repeated, her breaths coming a little more heavily. Dread washed through her as she recalled the tale told around the campfire the first night she met the Women of Chaos.

Jaxon nodded. “The sky chooses whose fate is intertwined. It’s been slacking recently but not always. And that you’re calling is for the three of us…” He didn’t finish but she could see how happy that made him.

But the dread in her only picked up. She shook her head, letting her fear become overridden with irritation and anger. “I’m not your fated anything,” she snapped. “I was forced into this stupid tale when I was meant for a different one. I sure as fuck didn’t come here to be your little slave mate. Maybe the sky chooses your future but it sure as fuck doesn’t dictate mine.”

Chapter 7: Needing Directions

Wrenley

She pulled from Jaxon’s lap, surprised when he let her up. But she didn’t remain up for long. She stumbled, feeling how her muscles pulled and stretched and hurt that she was almost on the floor again. But Jaxon caught her, pulling her into his lap once more. This time she wasn’t straddling him but sideways.

Wrenley pushed away, trying to keep from making it feel too intimate. She didn’t have to fight a blush this time since she was angry. How the hell did they think this was going to be a thing?!

“I’m not part of your world,” she said tightly. “I’m don’t even believe in your weird sky thing.”

“You’re here,” Jaxon said. “That makes you part of our world now.”

Rawson snorted. “They sky is what it is. You can actually see it.”

The way he talked to her made her set her jaw, glaring at him, ignoring Jaxon in favor of dealing with Rawson’s arrogance. “Yes, asshat. I can see it. I don’t for a second believe that it decides some fate shit. So sorry if I’m more sophisticated than that.”

Jaxon laughed, the sound making her whole body heat up. It only pissed her off more. She was still able to take some satisfaction out of the irritation bright in Rawson’s face at her words, though.

“Alright,” no-named man said. She didn’t turn away from holding Rawson’s stare though she still heard the amusement in his voice. “Let’s start again.”

“Oh, you mean before your bullies beat me to blood after I’d only ever told them the truth? Can we start there?”

Rawson’s jaw tensed as he stared at her. When he spoke, his voice was low and angry. “You say you’re telling the truth but no one has ever heard of coming from outside the fairy tale. Why would we not think it’s a lie?”

“Frankly, I don’t give a fuck what you think.” She pushed away from Jaxon again but not enough to send her to the floor. Just enough that the pain in her back registered and continued to fuel her anger. “I didn’t ask to come here. I don’t give a rat’s ass what happens to your stupid tale. If I could go home, I would. But I’m stuck in this stupid, bloody nightmare with a bunch of bullying assholes who think they can beat you when they don’t want to believe you, which is funny because if I’d changed my answer, they’d have continued to beat me for lying in the first place. Or, my other option, was to stay with a bunch of people with their panties in a twist for being rejected by someone who didn’t want their futures decided for them either – and sounds like they’d have been fine if the rejector was forced into this fate shit without a choice – and in turn, decide it’s better to kill whoever they fucking want, just because they can.” Rawson’s shoulders stiffened when she started talking about killing someone. So, she continued by adding, “Don’t think you’re any better. Killing the entire village because you can, when you sneak up on them defenseless in their sleep. Beating those you deemed worthy enough to be kept alive. I’ll give a little credit for sparing the children at least. I really doubt Aurelia would have kept your children alive.”

“Did we at least kill her?” Jaxon asked.

No-name shook his head. “No. She wasn’t there.”

Jaxon sighed in frustration, running a hand through his hair before dropping it onto her thigh. Wrenley pushed it away but continued to watch Rawson. There was a different expression on his face right now. Something she couldn’t quite understand. The anger was still there. The arrogance. But something had changed when she started talking about killing.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Wrenley asked when she couldn’t stand the silence anymore.

“You saw them kill someone?” Rawson asked.

Wrenley nodded, closing her eyes. “And still hear his fucking voice every time I go to sleep. He sounds like an overconfident ass, but I still don’t think he should have been killed for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“Sure sounds like him,” no-name said, his voice quiet and gentle.

This time, Wrenley glanced back at him. “Who?”

“Rawson’s brother.”

She tensed, turning back to look at Rawson. Jaxon laughed again, probably at whatever expression she turned with. She could feel the way her face contorted in irritation.

“What?” Rawson asked.

“Maz was your brother?”

He closed his eyes, concealing the glimpse of pain she saw shine through his eyes before he shut it away. “Yes,” he whispered. “I’m assuming he was who you saw murdered.”

Wrenley nodded. “And now he haunts my sleep.”

The sound that escaped Rawson sounded like a quiet burst of laughter but it was filled with loss and sorrow.

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly, not knowing why she felt the strong urge to try and assure him. “I ran into him only an hour after I’d been in the camp. We talked. But… I just didn’t know what was going on. And when I finally figured it out, it was too late. Not that I think I could have made a difference, but I’d like to think that I’d have tried at least.”

Rawson opened his eyes to look at her. “Would you have? For a stranger?”

“He said he was arrogant. He admitted he wasn’t perfect. But he knew he was going to die just because he ran into these crazy women hell-bent on punishing all the bear clans. And from what I’d gathered after his death, that was exactly why they killed him. So, yes. As I said, I don’t believe in indiscriminate murder.”

“She’s not one of them,” Jaxon said. “Stop looking at her like she is.”

“She’s not a bear,” Rawson said. He moved to sit on the bed, dropping his face in his hands.

“She’s meant for all of us.” Jaxon’s gaze set on Rawson.

“I’m not meant for any of you! Just stop. I’m not a part of this,” Wrenley snapped.

“Okay,” no name said once more. There was something about his voice that made her tension ease away. Wrenley pressed her lips together, ignoring it. “I’m going to suggest we start over with the caveat that we obviously can’t undo what’s already been done.”

Jaxon gently turned Wrenley to look at him, urging her face towards his. Her heart stuttered as his crisp fall scent brushed across her skin. And his smile… it was beautiful and sweet.

She swallowed, forcing it all away. He was a stranger. She refused to feel anything for a stranger.

“I’m Jaxon,” he said, his lips curling up just a little. “Once upon a time, these two anti-heroes were my best friends. My… mates,” he said quietly and Wrenley was sure there was a touch of bitterness in his tone. But it was under the deep ache that made up his tone. He nodded in Rawson’s direction. “That’s Rawson. He’s the Deputy of Aspen Clan.”

“What does that mean?” she asked.

“The one in charge of our clan is called our Primal. It’s his job to take care of the clan. To keep the peace with other clans. To make sure we prosper and are safe, happy, and healthy. That we live within the sky’s blessing and guidance. His name is Inyas. Five years ago, he named his successor, his Deputy. The bear who will succeed him in time. That’s Rawson. As Deputy, Rawson is second in command of Aspen Clan.”

Wrenley nodded, letting him know that she understood. At least, in principle.

Jaxon nodded in the direction of no-name. “He is Cain. Rawson named him as Enforcer when he accepted to be Deputy. Meaning he carries out Rawson’s bidding. Does as he’s told like a good little porridge bitch.”

Cain huffed in irritation. It took Wrenley a lot of discipline to keep the amusement from her face. Even so, she was sure her lips twitched. “And you? How do you fit into this weird hierarchy?”

“I don’t,” Jaxon said, his smile dropping. “They got promoted and I refused to be a part of it.”

“Because…?” Wrenley prompted.

“Because I liked where we were going. I liked our friendship. I liked what we were building. I didn’t need more. Apparently, it was a one-way street.”

There wasn’t bitterness in his voice. Not exactly. But it was overly clear that he wasn’t happy. And that whatever went down five years ago had hurt him a lot. Even if he’d since replaced that hurt with anger.

Both Cain and Rawson protested, but she smiled at Jaxon. Just because someone’s actions weren’t meant a certain way, didn’t mean they didn’t have consequences. Part of Wrenley’s anger at DeadEnd wasn’t just her sudden change in fairy tale. It was that the Operators didn’t seem to think it was a big deal. Never mind that she was thrust into a world she knew so little about and wasn’t prepared for at all. It didn’t matter what the change meant for Wrenley mentally and emotionally. As long as the fairy tale she entered get fixed.

But then, it was an organization. There was nothing personal about it. Why would they think of how anything they did affected their Fixers? Fixers were trained with one goal in mind: To fix their fairy tale. Nothing in their training was personally about them.

“That’s not what happened,” Rawson insisted when the room fell silent. “I know you can’t see it because you spend so much time setting fires and knocking down homes, but I’ve done a whole fucking lot to keep you in my life, Jax. And despite Inyas’s pushing, I haven’t taken a mate. Any mate.”

“And now?” Jaxon asked, moving his gaze over Wrenley’s head to stare at him.

“I think the sky is wrong.”

“Again?” Jaxon deadpanned.

“You disagreed the first time?” Rawson asked.

“You’ve been fated a first time?” Wrenley asked, swinging her attention to Rawson. He was one of the so-called bears the crazy chaos women hated. One of the bears who pushed these women from their clans and the towns.

“Yes,” Rawson said. “The girl was off her fucking four paws.”

Wrenley raised a brow, trying to liken that statement to something she was familiar with. But he moved on before she could.

“I rejected the sky’s assignment, which apparently set off some kind of movement to follow suit. I didn’t want her. I would have sacrificed for my clan if the sky had chosen someone stable and… wholesome - I don’t know. She wasn’t it. And I’ve since refused anyone Inyas has pushed my way.” His voice was filled with frustration.

“So? What?” Jaxon asked.

Rawson turned his grey silver eyes to Wrenley. “I think the sky is wrong. Again. You’re not even a bear. But because it somehow confused shit and fated the three of us for the same girl, I’ll not argue.”

“How very generous,” Wrenley deadpanned. Before she could continue, Jaxon cut in.

“You’re a dick,” Jaxon told him, leaning forward. He scooped Wrenley up, careful not to touch her back, and stood. He brought her to the far side of the bed and set her down. He nodded up the length of the bed. “Go rest. No one will touch you.”

Wrenley wanted to argue, especially since she was certainly not okay with the whole fated sky mates bullshit. But she couldn’t mistake the feel of the soft mattress under her. She shifted, turning to look at the bed. A bed large enough for a dozen people. Filled with blankets. Stacked high with pillowed. It was everything she missed. Everything she craved. And as she looked, she felt how very tired she was.

Only because she bit her lip did Wrenley keep in a groan.

She turned, crawling up the bed, ignoring the way it sent streaks of agony through her. She collapsed onto her stomach, burying her face in the bedding and immediately closing her eyes. The smell that invaded her senses was nearly dizzying with how good it smelled. She refused to believe it was anything more than laundry soap. Not the scent of one or more of the men in the room that eased her in comfort and serenity.

Wrenley wasn’t sure if she’d fallen asleep or had tuned the three men out for a while. Whatever it was, when their voices penetrated the haze of exhaustion around her, they were still arguing about this fated shit. The three of them to just one girl. And a girl that wasn’t even a bear.

The bear thing was still a big blank spot to her. What made them a bear? Their blood? What did it mean? And when the hell was someone going to explain that?

“Nothing I do is ever good enough to satisfy you,” Rawson said, his voice low in irritation.

“So sorry I don’t want to be settled for,” Jaxon mocked. “You made your fucking choice. And now you think you should be praised for lowering yourself to share a mate with me.”

“That’s not what he’s saying,” Cain said.

“Fuck you, too,” Jaxon added, as if he were pointing out a new book. “You’re only slightly better than him.”

Their conversation came to an abrupt halt when a knock on the door interrupted them. Wrenley didn’t open her eyes, despite desperately wanting to.

Tension filled the room so think that Wrenley could feel it like another blanket as soon as the door was opened.

The woman’s voice was thick and sweet like molasses. Low and sultry. The suggestion right under the surface wasn’t at all hidden even if it wasn’t thrown in his face when she spoke.

“Rawson,” she purred. Yes, Wrenley was pretty sure it was a purr. “There you are. Inyas said he saw you come this way.”

Rawson grunted.

“Dinner will be served in an hour. Can I bother you for an invite?”

“No,” Rawson answered. “We’ve been through this. I’m not interested, Vi.”

She laughed, a sound that grated down Wrenley’s spine.

“You know you have to choose a mate and our Primal has already given me his favor. I -”

Her words were cut off when Jaxon growled, “Keep your hands off him, bitch.”

There was a pause, the tartly sweet feel of surprise filled the room. It only briefly registered with Wrenley that she could feel emotions in the air. Identify them as if they were a tangible thing. But then their conversation continued and the acknowledgement faded.

“I’ve accepted a mate,” Rawson said and once again, tension filled the air, drowning out the new surprise. A tension so thick that Wrenley nearly choked.

“Y-you did?” this new woman asked. A woman that Wrenley was sure she hated.

“I did. And when I next speak to Inyas, I’ll make it officially known to Apsen Clan and Bear Tower Heights.”

“That means you can back the fuck up, Vienna,” Jaxon snarled.

Silence followed this proclamation. It drifted around the room until Vienna said, “Oh. Okay. Sorry. I didn’t know.”

None of the men answered her and after several silent seconds in which Vienna waited for something further, her footsteps retreating down the hall tapped into the silence. The door shut and immediately, the three men started arguing. They tried talking over each other, demanding to be heard first.

Finally, after what felt like an hour of their constant bickering, Wrenley pushed herself up, bearing her weight on her palms. Her hair fell around her face like a curtain, and she was immediately irritated with how greasy it felt as it brushed her skin.

“Stop,” she said and all three of them fell silent. She looked up at them as the tension in the room slowly fell away. As it fell, she could feel how her skin pulled and her muscles strained. Little spikes of pain shot through her. “I don’t care what you’re arguing but if you think for a second you can plan my future without my say, you’ve got a nasty realization coming to you. I didn’t choose you. I didn’t choose this. And I’m sure as fuck not agreeing to anything with any of you.”

She was surprised when the next emotion that filled the room was a blinding rage as Rawson stormed across the bed. Wrenley was so surprised, she pushed herself backwards and fell onto her back, tangling into the blankets.

It felt like he filled the room. Like he’d become eight times his bulk. And his grey eyes blazed an angry brown as he hovered over her. The pain streaking through her from the blankets against her barely closed wounds only brushed her senses as she looked at him with wide, scared eyes.

“You cannot reject me!” he roared, and she swore, the room trembled. Or maybe she was shaking so badly that it only appeared that way.

And then he was gone. Wrenley turned her head in time to see him tossed across the room, his back slamming harshly into the wall. The unmistakable sound of wood cracking filled the room as Rawson came down on his feet in a crouch, snarling at Jaxon who likewise crouched. Except his crouch was in front of Wrenley, as if he were protecting her.

There was a silent stand-off between the two of them and though Wrenley had the distinct impression Cain had always been the tension breaker, he remained off to the side, looking between them wearily.

Minutes passed in which both men’s growls filled the room, setting her nerves on fire.

“I told you,” Jaxon growled. “Don’t think for a second I won’t fight you both. Stay out of her face, Deputy.”

She was sure the way he said ‘Deputy’ was meant as the worst insult.

“You felt the rejection,” Rawson growled. “I know you felt it.”

“And you think scaring her is going to convince her to change her mind?” Jaxon said, backing up so he was against the bed. But she thought it wasn’t to get closer to her but to get both Rawson and Cain in his sight.

“You know you can’t force it. If she rejects it, we can’t make it happen against her will,” Cain said gently and Wrenley knew she’d been right. He was the soothsayer. Trying to calm the waters between the two of them. She was left wondering how often he was put in that position.

The reality of what they were saying was pushed into the back of her mind as she tried not to be crushed under the intensity in the room. It felt like a weight settled on her chest, pushing her into the bed where she’d be buried under a dozen blankets.

Rawson still filled the room as if he were much bigger than he appeared. His chest heaved and his grey eyes were still more brown than grey. And though Jaxon’s being felt a whole lot smaller, he was coiled and ready to spring. He was going to defend her. Even if she rejected him in the process.

And fuck all that noise. She didn’t walk into this story to be handed over to a group of men she didn’t know. To be thrust into a society she wasn’t sure she liked. She was here to fix their fucked-up fairy tale covered in blood. And to do that, she needed to find the elders and find out what broke their story.

And when she had the answer, she’d work to fix it. And leave the psycho men who thought the freaking sky dictated why they were to mate with to themselves.