Chapter 4

      When you were in an awkward situation, the best option was to take charge. Ty decided to treat Riley’s question about his atypical attire as rhetorical. “Brierly, where’s Johnson and Campbell?”

      Riley wiped the tears of laughter from the corner of his eye, trying to repress his snicker. “They dropped me off here and headed back. I figured I’d get something to eat, then get a ride from one of my brothers.”

      “I’ll give you a ride back to camp. Your furlough was only good until midnight. You’re late.”

      Jess sucked the last bits of sauce off her finger, making Ty’s stomach clench with longing. “Give me a sec to change and I’ll take you to pick up your car.”

      “Nice to have met you all,” Ty said, not expecting or waiting for any kind of response in return. He nodded to the Brierly men as he exited stage left, snatching up his clothes as he went.

      He ducked into the downstairs bathroom to change. Ty had never had what normies would consider a regular teenage experience. This was as embarrassing and close to one as he’d come, he thought as he exchanged Jess’s flannel pajama bottoms for his jeans. At twelve, when his voice changed, he’d joined up with the pack. Part of becoming a man was to be inducted into the pack by the bite of the Alpha. Bracken had done it. The pack bond had been so tight, so complete, that from that moment on, the pack could hear him and he could hear them.

      Being separated from that closeness after having been conditioned to it for so long was like being stuffed into a sensory deprivation tank to live out the remainder of his life. That was, unless he put a new pack together. He tucked in his shirt and slid on his socks and boots, then took a deep breath and stared at himself in the mirror.

      No wonder her brothers seemed suspicious. He looked like the disreputable sort. The bruise was starting to fade from his jaw, but it was turning a sickly yellow as it healed. His hair was a shaggy mess—it had grown out since he’d buzzed it short when he’d left the pack and he’d been too damn busy to get it cut.

      Ty opened the door to find Jess staring mutinously at her brothers. From the tension shimmering in the air, he could bet what the talk was about. Her damp hair was caught up into a ponytail, but renegade wisps formed little curls to frame her face. Her hand was fisted around her keys.

      She turned to glance at Ty, her cheeks coloring. Edgar snatched the car keys from Jess during her momentary distraction.

      “I got this,” he said, his voice too smooth, too rational for Ty’s taste.

      “Yeah, but I didn’t ask you to.”

      Edgar tweaked her nose as though she was twelve. “No problem. You can thank me later.”

      Jess huffed and crossed her arms. There was preciously little room left in the immense entry hall with four Brierly brothers filling the space. Ty bet he wasn’t going to get a good-night kiss.

      He nodded toward her. “Thanks for a nice evening.” The understatement of the century. It had been a spectacular and memorable evening, one he’d never forget.

      A small smile touched her lips. “Good night, Ty.”

      Neither Riley nor Edgar said a word as they headed out, bypassing Jess’s truck to get in the sensible gray four-door sedan parked behind it. They climbed in and Ty was actually grateful they weren’t crammed together shoulder to shoulder in the front of Jess’s truck.

      He waited until the doors were all shut before he voiced his question. “So why’d you take her keys if you were going to take your car anyway?”

      “Insurance. I’m a cautious man by nature, Mr. Grayson.”

      Ty glanced at the house. He thought he saw a flutter of the curtain at Jess’s window, as if it had been stirred by a breath, or perhaps a quick movement, like her pulling back.

      Maybe the Mesmer was screwy since he wasn’t part of a formal pack. Maybe it was just him having gone too long without some serious female company. Either way, Jessica Brierly was not a good choice for a Were mate. First off, she was too ingrained in this community. Anything that happened to her would be noticed by everybody and their mother. Second, she had too many damn bodyguards in the shape of her older brothers. She didn’t need another protector. She needed— Hell, what did she need? She had a roof over her head. A good job. Security. A home...a family.

      He might have everything she wanted, but nothing that she needed.

      Edgar cleared his throat, breaking into Ty’s thoughts. “Look, you seem intelligent enough to get this the first time around, so I’m going to make it fast. Stay away from our sister.”

      Ty glanced up in the rearview mirror at Riley. No eye contact. The kid was staring out the passenger window in the backseat. He wasn’t going to be any help or hindrance in this situation.

      He locked his gaze back on Edgar’s profile. “Short, sweet and to the point. I appreciate that. But don’t you think it’s up to Jess?”

      Edgar glared at him. “Not really. Jess is the kind of girl that’d be easy to take advantage of. She’s sweet that way. Always looks at the good side of people. And you’re not her type. And I’d hate to have to meet you under professional circumstances.”

      Since Edgar was a coroner, Ty could only assume he meant in the county morgue. “You threatening me?”

      “Let’s consider it a friendly warning. Stay away. You’ll only end up hurting her, possibly ruining her career.”

      “How do you know?” Riley spoke up from the backseat, a bitter edge to his tone. “Commander Grayson’s been better than any sergeant I’ve had so far. He actually gives a damn about each of us. Isn’t just putting us through the paces. He might be just what Jess needs.”

      The temperature inside the car clicked up an easy five degrees with the tension alone. Edgar glared up at the rearview mirror at his little brother in the backseat. “When I want your opinion, Riley, I’ll ask for it.”

      They fell into an uneasy silence as the streetlights flicked past. Up ahead Ty could