Chapters 8 & 9

Chapter 8: Fucking Fated What?!

Rawson

He didn’t take his gaze from Jaxon’s. A dominant bear would never do that. Never back down from a clear challenge. And though in some circumstance he would with Jaxon, the bear in him wouldn’t allow it at the moment. Jaxon was hostile right now.

His bear was already roaring with rage and pain. Her words had absolutely been a rejection and already he could feel it as if the sudden assignment had been given at the mating ceremony. It wasn’t set to be held for another week on the next new moon. He suspected Merigold to be mated at that mating. He’d suspected Jaxon would be, too, and likely to Merigold. Rawson had been struggling with this realization for a while.

Wrenley had been a strange twist of events. While he wasn’t at all convinced that the sky hadn’t royally fucked up again, since it somehow mated the three of them to the same girl - one that was not a bear, - he didn’t fucking care.

Rawson knew that it would still take some time to get Jaxon to stop being so belligerent with him. Their friendship had deteriorated to almost nothing since Rawson had accepted Deputy. And now, looking at him crouched in aggression, in threat, in challenge, to defend their mate made his chest ache all the more.

This is what they’d come to. And yet, he couldn’t think of anything to say to assuage the situation.

And through all of this, there was the ripping sting of the bright new bond was being torn away at Wrenley’s words. In his peripheral vision, he could see the way her chest rose and fell. Not just from fear but from pain. If she hadn’t already been in such physical pain, she’d feel the internal pain of beginning the rejection.

Fortunately, she wasn’t a bear. She didn’t know how to push the rejection fully and in finality. This had been the start. The suggestion. The promise of a rejection. And Rawson had acted without thought. He’d let his bear react in response.

He took a breath, forcing his bear to calm down, to back down, and breathe. He needed to ignore the premise of a rejection within him and the three of them needed to work together to convince her. And he would. He’d do anything to convince her to keep their fates tied. Because it brought him back with Rawson and Cain. It had brought him an end he couldn’t figure out how to get otherwise.

Rawson stood, making himself to release his tension and relax as he continued to hold Jaxon’s gaze. He needed to show Jaxon that he was backing down. That it could end without violence, and he wasn’t going to get in Wrenley’s face again.

Jaxon’s position didn’t change. Nor did his stare that encompassed both Rawson and Cain. Jaxon was a ruthless fighter and Rawson didn’t think for a second he wouldn’t pull out all the stops to defend Wrenley right now.

“Jax,” Cain said in his low, calming voice.

It was another long minute before Jaxon stood. He kept Rawson’s gaze for yet another minute longer, then turned to look at Wrenley. Her eyes were wide and frightened, but she was also irritated. However, the most prominent emotion in her gaze was pain.

Jaxon held his hand out to her. Her lips pressed together as she hesitated but after another few heartbeats, she accepted his hand. Jaxon helped her sit up and get resituated, so she was off her back.

The marks there were a bright angry red. A couple had started seeping again when she fell backwards in her haste to get away from Rawson. As much as he tried not to, guilt pressed against Rawson’s chest knowing that it was his fault her wounds had been aggravated.

Her breaths were harsh. When Jaxon finally settled her again and she closed her eyes, he turned back to Rawson with a glare.

“She needs to rest,” Cain said. “And you two need to have it out. So go fight and I’ll make sure Wrenley is cared for.”

Jaxon glanced back at Wrenley for a minute before stalking to the door. He flung it open. The door slammed against the wall as he exited, causing it to swing back on its hinges and slam shut again.

Cain sighed, bowing his head. “Don’t kill each other,” he murmured, moving further into the room and sitting on the chair that faced the bed.

Rawson almost quipped that he couldn’t make that promise. But the truth was, he loved both these men with everything in him. His acceptance of Deputy had fucked it all up. He crossed the room, resting his hand on Cain’s shoulder as he walked by, and followed Jaxon out the door.

It didn’t take him long to find Jaxon. He could follow the angry haze in the air until it dumped into the courtyard. Jaxon was standing in the middle ready to explode. Instead, he marched to Rawson as soon as the door shut behind him and slammed his fist into Rawson’s jaw.

Rawson stumbled back a few feet, letting that new pain mingle with the echoes of Wrenley’s rejection.

“If I could find the strength to hate you, I would,” Jaxon growled.

Rawson nodded, rubbing at his face. That was going to leave a bruise. It felt like he’d been hit with a fucking sledgehammer. It made his head ache as the little black spots danced in his vision for a second.

“I’m glad you don’t,” Rawson murmured. He gave Jaxon another minute to calm down before he approached. He could feel Jaxon’s anger spike the closer he got. His tension made his muscles flex as he stared, his fists clenched at his sides. But Rawson had no intention of fighting him. Instead, he walked into Jaxon and pressed his lips hard to his.

Jaxon inhaled, his entire body stiffening. He stilled further when Rawson brought his arms around Jaxon’s waist. But he pressed his lips more firmly against Jaxon’s, urging him to return it.

It hurt just as much as Wrenley’s rejection when Jaxon didn’t respond. Granted, he hadn’t pushed Rawson away, but it was like kissing a slab of stone.

Giving in, he pulled his mouth from Jaxon’s, but just barely. “I don’t know what you want from me, Jax,” he whispered. “I’ve bent over backwards to keep you with me, even if you haven’t seen it. Inyas has handed me eight different mates to choose from and I’ve found reasons to refuse them all because I need you and Cain. I know you think I’m just a shit show at the bottom of the porridge pan, but I’ve lost so many nights of sleep trying to figure out how to be with you.”

“You say this and yet, I haven’t seen shit,” Jaxon hissed.

“Because I didn’t want to disappoint you if I failed.”

Jaxon turned his face away. None of the tension in him left. Rawson pressed further against him, resting his forehead against the side of Jaxon’s. He pressed his lips to Jaxon’s neck. His jaw. Grazed his ear. “I know you think I’m being an ass regarding Wrenley. I’m concerned with how the clan is going to accept her not being a bear. That’s why I think the sky has made a mistake again. However, I’m not backing down or rejecting it. I want this. We’ve never talked about sharing a mate but now that it’s here, I’ve never wanted something so goddam bad before. This is the answer I’ve been searching for. This is the solution that I never thought of.” He paused, brushing his lips over Jaxon’s jaw again. “This is how we can be together,” he whispered. “And I’ll still be doing right by the clan.”

Jaxon took a breath, his chest puffing up and holding for a minute before he released it. “And so, what? You think I should just let the past five years go?”

“Yes,” Rawson said, knowing he was pushing it. “Let it go and help me move forward. No one will accept this readily, so I need you both to help me make this a positive thing.”

Jaxon snorted.

“And we’re all going to have to convince her to stay. To be our mate,” Rawson pointed out.

“You’ve given her such a glowing reason to accept us,” he spat.

“What do you want from me? I’m telling you I’ll do whatever it takes to make this happen and you still want to fight. I’m not doing this to be with her. I’m doing it to be with you. I’m not settling. I’m choosing. Why do you refuse to see that?”

Jaxon pulled away. When Rawson let him loose, feeling the ache of a new rejection all over again, he shoved his hands into his pockets and stared as Jaxon gave him his back.

“Five years,” Jaxon said. “You haven’t let me see anything that could even hint at that in five years. Why the fuck do you think I’m going to believe it now?”

Rawson rubbed his face, ready to scream out his frustration. He knew Jaxon was a master at being a pain in the ass. That’s what the man lived his life for. Being a thorn in everyone’s side. Not knowing what else to do, he closed the space between them again, pressing his chest to Jaxon’s back and wrapping his arms around his waist once more. He feathered kisses along Jaxon’s shoulder, the back of his neck, into his hair.

“Come with me to speak to Inyas,” Rawson said, feeling Jaxon laugh in response. It wasn’t that Jaxon hated Inyas. Inyas was a damn good Primal. He resented Inyas for taking Rawson and Cain from him. There was no room in Jaxon to forgive that. “I’m going to tell him about Wrenley. About how the skies have assigned our mate. Our mate to a single girl. And that we’re accepting it.”

Jaxon shook his head. “How are you going to do that when Wrenley is absolutely not for this?”

“That’s why I need you to help me convince her.”

“Should be easy,” Jaxon said sarcastically. “You’ve left such a great impression.”

“She’s not a bear. I wasn’t expecting the rejection to come quite so quickly and so deeply. I lost my grip.”

“And what if she decides that she’ll choose just one of us? Or maybe Cain and I, and not you?”

Rawson pressed his lips together. He took a breath and leaned his forehead against the back of Jaxon’s neck. “It’s still a win,” Jaxon said. “If any of the three of us win her trust and her affection, her acceptance of our mating, then that gives the others time to court her more slowly. We’ll win her over.”

He laughed outright this time, shaking his head. “You’re full-on delusional.”

Rawson ran his hand up Jaxon’s stomach, resting it over Jaxon’s chest. Jaxon tensed again and further when Rawson brought his lips to the shell of Jaxon’s ear once more. “Maz is haunting her dreams. You know as well as I that that man is maddening enough to make someone do something despite their wanting to. I think she’ll accept this if for no other reason than to get Maz to shut up.”

Talking about his brother hurt. He hadn’t been in time to save him. And without outright asking, Wrenley had all but confirmed that his death wasn’t quick and painless. But he fully believed that if Maz was visiting Wrenley in her sleep, then that was working in Rawson’s favor.

Jaxon sighed, pulling from Rawson’s grip again. He turned to face Rawson, frowning deeply. But his gaze was searching. Wanting to believe but too defeated to do so. Rawson searched himself for the last little bit of encouragement to get Jaxon to come around. But in the end, he thought he’d likely push the wedge further between them at this point than pull it out.

He hadn’t realized the chasm between them had grown so big. If he could, Rawson would go back and try a different strategy.

However, the sky must have taken pity on Rawson because Jaxon’s frown turned irritated. But he crossed his arms as the stubborn part of him gave way to the regular pain in the ass. The one that was possibly on Rawson’s side. That would agree.

“I think it’s a mistake to tell Inyas until she agrees,” Jaxon said.

The relief that rushed through Rawson had him smiling before he could stop it. Rawson shook his head. “He’s pushing me to take Vienna as my mate,” he said, enjoying the scowl Jaxon gave him. “I’m seriously running out of options to keep Inyas off my back. I still think that we can convince Wrenley. Even if it takes some time, that’s time I don’t have to actively fight to keep Vienna away. It’s time I can take away from clan matters to be with you, Cain, and Wrenley to further establish and settle our mating.”

Jaxon started shaking his head halfway through and continued to do so throughout his talking. “She’s going to kill you,” he said. “And I’m going to hold you down so she can.”

“That’s fine,” Rawson said. “Come with me?”

“You don’t need me. I’m not a part -”

“You are. As my brother mated, you’re officially a part of my household.”

“Brother mated? That’s not even a thing.”

“It is now. Although, it’s a weird term. I’m down with calling it something else.”

“How do you think this is going to work?” Jaxon asked. His stance hadn’t changed at all. He still stood defensively with his arms crossed over his chest. “You think we just share the same mate, stealing touches here and there? Hiding everything behind closed doors?”

“No,” Rawson said, closing his eyes. He hadn’t had time to think it through. He wasn’t prepared for this conversation yet. It was happening too damn fast. But Jaxon wasn’t being hostile right now. He was more open than he’d been in years. “I think at first we should ease into making it open.” He opened his eyes so he could gauge Jaxon’s reception to what he thought was the best course of action. “First, we work on getting the clan to accept that we’ll share a mate and everything that comes with it. That the sky has decided who’s right for us and we’ve accepted it. I think we need to find some way to encourage Wrenley not being a bear is a good thing, but I haven’t gotten that far yet. When that’s on its way to acceptance, we’ll let it out that it’s not just the three of us for our one mate, but we’re mated together. All four of us, together. It can just be something that’s known for a bit, and we can slowly let it be seen as the clan gets used to the idea.”

“And if they don’t?”

“That’s not an option. The sky gave me a mate and I’m accepting her. And if we say the sky has made us all mates, who are they to argue?”

Rawson sighed again, shaking his head. He rubbed his fingers over his eyes for several moments before releasing a deep breath. “Fine,” he said, and Rawson’s heart jumped with hope. He almost smiled in relief. “I’m looking forward to seeing Inyas tell you this isn’t an option. And then I’m looking forward to Wrenley skinning you alive for doing this without her consent.”

Even if he was going along with it to see Rawson fail, he was going along with it. That meant Rawson had time to prove that he hadn’t been lying. That this was a thing he’d be 100% committed to. He’d do whatever the fuck it took to make it work for the four of them.

He nodded towards the door and Jaxon dropped his arms. He shook his head again and followed Rawson inside.

It was approaching dinner which meant Inyas was in his office with any number of advisors. But since there were prisoners from the misfit rejected, he could only assume that there were a handful of the most obnoxious ones there. One of the things Rawson was looking forward to when he took over the clan was getting rid of the majority of the advisors. They were hot headed and useless.

What he’d not been expecting was to find Vienna in the office with the four advisors and their Primal. Rawson anticipated this meeting going south before it leveled out if Vienna was in attendance. And by the way she tried to hide her satisfaction under what was intended as a demure expression, Rawson was sure there was something about to be dropped.

“Ah, Rawson. Come in, Deputy. Have a seat, will you?” Inyas said, smiling.

Rawson looked around the room again, eyeing the four advisors. Rysland was an asshole. Pompous and a mighty pain in the ass. Hopper was just a little bitch but at least he’d always been for going after the rejected misfits. Magnus was quiet and tended to be on the bloodthirsty side of all matters, regardless of what it was. And Tantor? He was quiet, his expression often neutral. There was no telling which way he leaned until he spoke.

Rawson stepped in and took a seat. He felt Jaxon behind him, moving to stand at the back of Rawson’s chair. Close enough that he could feel Jaxon’s body heat.

“Vienna says you’ve finally accepted a mating,” Inyas said, his smile growing on his face. He was pleased, proud.

“I have,” Rawson said.

“That’s wonderful. This is a fantastic match. We’ll have it set up in time for the gathering of the clans mating festival. In the meantime, you’re of course welcome to take some time to bond and grow your relationship. Please feel free to move Vienna in.”

There it was. The anger that rose through Rawson had him on his feet, causing Inyas to pause in his speech. He turned his anger on Vienna and the bear visibly wilted. He could see her readiness to defend herself. But Rawson spoke through his enraged bear before she could.

“You have some audacity coming in here with lies. Did you think I’d just go along with it?”

“I just thought -”

“I don’t give a four paws fuck what you thought. You’ve been a thorn in my side for months, unwilling to accept that I don’t want you. And I will never accept you.” When she went to protest again, tears brimming in her eyes, Rawson spoke over her. “Never!” He let his words silence the room as he used the force of his bear to push it into a command. “Get out. And stay away from me and mine.”

Tears tracked down her cheeks as she stood and slinked from the room. Silence followed but it was several minutes before he could shove his bear down enough to face the Primal again. As he turned, his chest heaving with his anger, he could feel his hands had turned more-pawlike. For Rawson, it was always his hands that changed first as the rest of his bear followed.

“With all due respect, Primal, I had made it absolutely fucking clear that I would never accept her as my mate. You couldn’t possibly think that was the truth.”

Inyas smiled, gesturing for Rawson to sit. He no longer fit in the chair as his bear fought to come out.

“Of course not, but I was curious enough to see what she thought was going to happen by outright lying to me,” Inyas said.

“He’s going to lose his shit,” Jaxon mumbled, his hands on the back of Rawson’s chair.

“However, you agreed that you had accepted a mate,” Inyas prompted, ignoring Jaxon.

Rawson nodded, fighting his bear back enough so he could speak. “Yes,” he said. “Her name is Wrenley. She was brought back from the rejected misfits. She’s been assigned to me by the sky.”

Rysland, Hopper, and Magnus murmured under their breath. Rawson smiled as he held his Primal’s gaze. Inyas knew there was more. But Rawson waited for the advisors to stop talking. Making damn sure they’d hear his next words.

When the room fell silent once again, he followed it with, “The sky has chosen a woman who’s not a bear for me to share with Jaxon and Cain as our mate.”

“And you accepted?” Rysland asked in horror.

Rawson turned his gaze to Rysland. “I have. Is there a problem?”

There was absolutely a problem, but Rysland wasn’t going to say so right now. He held his tongue, as did the other three. 

Chapter 9: Grand Tour

Wrenley

With peace filling the room, Wrenley finally slept for a few hours. Or days. Or weeks. It wasn’t immediately clear how long she’d been asleep. But she slept without dreams – or Maz – for a long time.

None of that prepared her for when she woke up nearly screaming in agony. Her back felt like it was on fire. Like someone dug their fingers in and was clawing at her open wounds with acid. She couldn’t catch a breath as she struggled to see through the haze of pain.

She was only vaguely aware that someone moved around her until a sudden cooling sensation washed over her. Wrenley collapsed on the bed, her face hidden in a pillow as one of the men rubbed in something that instantly soothed and numbed her.

Her breaths continued to come in pants for many long minutes after he’d finished as she waited for her body to gain control again. That had hurt even worse than when they were being inflicted. Finally, Wrenley dared to shift but did so only enough so she could see Cain. He was kneeling on the bed next to her, watching her with sympathy in his eyes. And worry.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “You were sleeping so peacefully that I didn’t want to wake you. And I didn’t want to touch you when you were asleep and have you misunderstand what I was doing.”

“I appreciate that,” she said breathlessly.

“I know you’re not going to believe it, but the pain is a sign we’re at the last stages of the serum working its way out of you. It reacts to air, essentially synthesizing the feeling of your nerves being set on fire.”

“I’m not sure if that’s how I’d describe it but yea, it was the worst thing I’d ever felt.”

“You’ll need two more doses,” he said, holding up the small jar. He tipped it so Wrenley could see the contents. It looked like a minty green petroleum jelly. “An hour apart.”

“I’ll go on record saying that I understand if I wake up while you’re applying it, that you’re not molesting me in my sleep. I’d rather not wake up to the pain again.”

Cain smiled, nodding. “Noted.”

She lay in the quiet, her eyes closing. “I assume my shirt is ruined?”

“Yes, but we’ll get you whatever you need.”

Wrenley tried to shake her head, but sleep was already taking over again. “My bag?”

“We moved it out of the washroom, but no one’s bothered it.”

She mumbled a thanks though as she drifted off once more, Wrenley wasn’t sure the word actually left her mouth.

The moment she knew she was asleep was when Maz stood smiling in front of her. “I see you’ve met my brother.”

There was laughter in his voice that Wrenley narrowed her eyes at. She didn’t bother responding since this was a one-way radio.

“He’s a good guy,” Maz said and for the first time, he sounded a little sad. Resigned. Not someone so arrogant she wanted to punch him. “Give him a chance. He’s been through a lot the last five years, and he’s got an unbelievable amount of pressure on him. He’ll make a good mate.”

“I’m not anyone’s mate,” Wrenley insisted.

“It’s not a bad thing,” Maz continued. She wasn’t sure if he was responding to Wrenley or continuing his monolog. “I waited for ages for a mate. Not everyone is chosen by the sky and sure, some of its picks have been a little… awful… but I know this is a good thing. You have to trust me.”

“I don’t know you!” Wrenley snapped. “What the fuck makes you think I should trust you?!”

But as before, Maz continued. “Be careful. There are a lot of bears trying to move up in the world. They’re not necessarily friends despite appearances. And be weary of the advisors until your place is established. They’re old and don’t like change.”

Wrenley stopped trying to argue. She went unheard though she supposed his warnings warranted noting.

Maz looked up, meeting her eyes as if truly seeing her. Just like the day she met him in the cage. “Will you tell my lover I’m sorry and that I loved her? Tell her that I didn’t run away; that I had just gone for a walk and strayed too far. Tell her that she was wrong.”

“You want me to tell someone who doesn’t know me from a stain in the wall a bunch of shit that’s going to make me sound crazy? Seriously?”

Again, he spoke as if he could have been responding to her. “Tell her you know I called her Sexy Bear Tail.” His lips lifted up. “She’ll know you’re telling the truth.”

Wrenley awoke groggy and she scowled. Stupid Maz. She’d only wanted to help him. That wasn’t an invitation to plague her dreams for the rest of her life. The idea that it could be for the rest of her life made her groan and roll onto her back.

Her eyes snapped open as she waited for the pain to shoot through her. When it didn’t, she sat up, immediately aware that she was still completely topless. Wrapping her arms around her chest, Wrenley looked around but found the room was empty. It seemed like a good enough time for a shower. She shuddered to imagine how long it’d been since she’d had one. It had been a horrifyingly long time. The village of the Women of Chaos did not have showers to speak of.

Wrenley crawled out of bed and headed for the washroom. On her way, she searched around for her bag but didn’t see it. With an irritated sigh, she shut herself in the washroom only to find several stacks of clothing that were clearly meant for her. Undergarments of different appeal, several different pants, and a variety of tops.

But since she didn’t know where her bag was, she didn’t have a choice but to accept these. She quickly stripped and stepped into the shower. For a long time, she stayed under the spray of water and just enjoyed it falling over her, imagining that it was washing away everything that had happened since she stepped foot within the fairy tale. She imagined that when she opened her eyes, she’d find she was in her bathroom at DeadEnd and this had all been a dream.

Unsurprised and still thoroughly disappointed, she found the wood grain tiles of the shower when she opened her eyes. There were several bottles of what was unmistakably men’s hair wash and body wash, and a handful of different options for applying said body wash. A brush, a cloth, a loofa, a weird sponge, a mitten.

She passed by the instruments for washing, feeling uncomfortable rubbing them all over her body when she wasn’t sure who’d used them. She pretended the thought of them being rubbed all over one of the men’s bare flesh was not what caused her cheeks to heat and her core to burn. It had been the temperature of the water. She liked it scalding.

After what she assumed was probably an hour in the water, Wrenley finally stepped out of the shower and dried. She worried her lip between her teeth for several minutes as she considered whether or not she wanted to look at her back. It felt remarkably better. She was still aware of how her skin pulled but there wasn’t any pain associated with it anymore.

Giving in, Wrenley turned to gaze over her shoulder, giving her back to the mirror so she could see. There were four angry red lines across her back. The skin was raised, but the wounds were closed. She’d have liked to get closer to better examine them because it looked like the edges were glued together. They weren’t scabbed and yet they were clearly not quite healed over.

Whatever magic balm Cain had put on her had done the trick. And also, she’d slept through the last two administering sessions. She pressed her lips together, refusing to think about his hands on her while she was sleeping. He had permission to, and she was glad he’d put the stuff on, but it made her stomach roll knowing it.

Wrenley refused to believe her stomach fluttered at the idea of his hands on her bare skin. Stranger, she reminded herself.

She spent little time choosing her clothing, trying to pick the most basic items in the piles, but as she put them on, she felt how rich the material was. How bright and vibrant the colors. Sighing, she had a feeling that somehow, these clothes were going to mark her.

“I’m overreacting,” she muttered to herself as she ran her fingers through her hair. “They’re just clothes.”

Fully dressed, Wrenley left the washroom expecting to see that one of the men had returned. But there was still no one there. She wandered around the room for a few minutes, attempting to work out where they might have set her bag, but she couldn’t find it. And her stomach started to clench with hunger.

Without having any real idea how long she’d slept, Wrenley headed for the door to venture out. Maybe she’d find a kitchen. Dread settled over her as she imagined running into someone that she didn’t know. But as she meandered her way through halls, she found she’d stumbled upon the front door.

Not gullible enough to believe in signs, Wrenley hurried out the door all the same. It’s not that she wouldn’t return. She needed to. They had her bag stashed somewhere.

She wasn’t immediately looked at as she walked away from the house. Wrenley took a minute to look back and her brow raised. It was a four-story lodge and absolutely gorgeous. It sprawled to either side and the yard was just as impressively manicured. She walked on a smooth stone path that reminded her of the beginning of port towns.

There was no gate surrounding it as one might think of a large estate. It was freely open to the public. And as she stepped foot on the sidewalk, she finally gathered attention. However, her stomach growled again as the mouth-watering aroma of food flooded her senses. She turned, hoping she was headed in the right direction. And hoping that someone would take pity and feed her despite not having any kind of money to pay for it.

As she walked, she looked around, watching the faces she passed as they stared at her. She swore she had a sign over her head. Or maybe it was the clothes, after all. Had they somehow marked her as a person of interest?

When she turned back to face the direction she was heading, she found Jaxon walking towards her with a bag in his hand. A small paper bag and a smile that made her insides turn to heat.

Narrowing her eyes, Wrenley slowed down until he stopped in front of her. Out of his bag, he pulled a little puff of dough. It was the size of her palm but not perfectly round. A disk, like a donut without a hole. He offered it to her.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Breakfast.”

It was all the introduction she needed. Wrenley took it from him as he pulled another out and took a bite. Wrenley did the same and she closed her eyes as the warm goodness coated her mouth. It was absolutely wonderful though she had no idea what she was eating. There were the traditional breakfast tastes but something else. Something that tasted like… porridge?

When she opened her eyes again, Jaxon was smiling at her as he chewed his. “Good?”

She nodded, repeating her question. “What is it?”

“Porridge cake, glam edition.”

“I have no idea what that is, but I don’t care. I’m so hungry.”

“I have no doubt,” he said, taking another bite. “You slept for two days after the pain stopped.”

“How am I alive?” she murmured. How had she not peed herself in her sleep?

“We have just enough time before the meeting that I can show you around Bear Tower Creek.”

“Meeting?”

He nodded as Wrenley stuck the last bite in her mouth and he turned to face the direction she was headed. “Yep. Meeting of the Clans. We have a mating ceremony in a week. There’s a lot of fun leading up to it in which the other four clans pile into town.”

Wrenley nodded. Before she had a chance to say something about the mating ceremony that they best not be getting any ideas about, he pulled out another pastry. “You’ve had the savory. Time for the sweet.”

She took it and wasted no time biting into it as they started down the street again. Once more, she nearly groaned with how good it tasted. “What is this?!” she asked through a mouthful.

He chuckled, making her stomach flip. From hunger, of course. Jaxon peered over, looking at her little puff.

“I think that’s the blue raspberry, apple, cream cheese. One of my favorites.”

“That sounds like a peculiar combination but it’s delicious.”

He nodded, gesturing to a large red building. She anticipated his words before he spoke. “Schoolhouse,” he said. “There’s another on the far side of town.”

He walked her through the market, which had a little bit of everything and was filled with even more delectable flavors and aromas. He acquired sausages on a stick, wrapped in porridge and pancake with some honey glaze drizzled over the top. And then he followed it with a drink that was something similar to a Mango Lasse but a light lemon and blueberry flavor.

So far, the food in Bear Tower Heights was absolutely amazing. She felt like she was at a county fair, just trying all the new things.

They continued through the center of town as he showed her different buildings and tried to keep her oriented from where they were in conjunction the where the house was she’d left this morning. Once they moved away from the center, the adorable cottages filled the landscape, spreading until they reached the wall that surrounded the whole area.

They followed the wall around the perimeter, Wrenley taking note that the bloody trees lay just beyond.

“How are they not inside the town?” she asked.

Jaxon looked up, watching as one of the branches of a nearby tree started to reach over the wall. There was a streak of blood dripping down the inside where one of its small, thin branches just breached.

“We have a specialized unit of bears who harvest the trees that get too close,” he said. “But the trees have been reaching further more frequently, quicker.”

“And the Women of Chaos leave them alone?”

He made a humming noise in his throat that made Wrenley glance at him. There was a bemused smile on his face. A face that was fucking gorgeous. She could just see the tip of something inked on his chest peeking out of the collar of his shirt. His hair lay a mess over his forehead as he looked at her with dark eyes.

No, he wasn’t gorgeous. That had been a lie.

“They don’t get that close to town. There are too many of us for them to take.”

“That means Maz had to have been deep within the trees?”

Jaxon nodded. “Probably. But not necessarily. He was an arrogant pain in the ass.” His smile ticked up. “I actually loved that about him. But he likely went out alone. If the rejected watch town and saw him wandering by himself, they might have taken a chance on abducting him.”

“Did you kill the whole village?” she asked.

He shook his head. “No, Wrenley. Just those that were present. More than three quarters of the village had already been evacuated and since it appeared that they were doing so methodically, they hadn’t gotten to the section you were asleep in.”

“Are the kids still alive?”

“We’re not savages,” he said, a deep frown in his voice. “Those children are innocent. They don’t deserve death.”

“I’m sure some of the people you killed were innocent and didn’t deserve death.”

“As was Maz. He’s not the first they’ve taken, Wrenley. He’s just the first you know of.”

She pressed her lips together as she took another sip of the drink. As the town curved around, they moved away from the trees. Wrenley had thought the trees would surround the town, but it appeared that there weren’t any beyond the section of wall they followed now.

“What’s that way?”

“Four day’s travel will bring you to Free Sun and the home of the Indigo Clan.” He gestured in another direction. “That way four three days is High Top Peak, home of the Kodiac Clan and three days beyond High Top is the Valley of Citrus Spirits and home of the Denali Clan.” Gesturing back towards the trees, he added, “And five days in that direction is the town of Ice and Shadows, home of the Creek Clan.”

“Do they look like this?”

He shrugged. “More or less.”

“Surrounded by bleeding trees?”

Jaxon nodded. “Yea.”

“What made them bleed?”

Jaxon sighed, pausing as he leaned back against the wall. After a minute, he shook his head. “If I knew, I’ve forgotten. It’s one of those things that you’ve heard as a child but it’s just a way of life now. You don’t think about it too much. You learn to work and live around it.”

Wrenley frowned. “But if you don’t know what caused it, how is anyone supposed to fix it?”

His dark eyes stayed on her for a minute, considering her words. But she didn’t think he was actually paying attention to them. He was studying her. “They’ve been this way a long time. No one tries to fix them anymore.”

“But… why?”

His lips quirked, making her heart stutter in her chest. She took a breath to rid herself of the sensation. Jaxon shrugged. “I don’t know. I believe the story states that someone, many someones, had tried in the past, back when the affliction first started, but they failed.”

“I need to know how it happened. I need to know what caused it.”

“So you can fix it.”

Wrenley nodded, though it wasn’t a question.