Talons

Chapter 83: The Reappearance

Rhea’s POV

Jamie and Raven left early this morning to buy swimsuits and liquor for Brent's party. Although he is a professional athlete, he does not have as much money as I do, and the only reason he was able to secure the venue he is using is because he mentioned a few places to Jamie, and I used my connections to make it real.

When the girls got back, they had what looked like hundreds of swimsuits, allowing my cousins and I to sift through them. I find a black monokini that I like, and I think back to a long black cover up that I have in my closet. They will work well with one another, and the floppy beach hat I have will help cover my face.

I’m not worried that General will find me, but in the event that I run into any other council member, I want to be able to shield my face. I am running low on scent blocker, so I’ve been using it sparingly, and since I will likely be swimming, I see no need to waste.

We arrive at the venue, and my cousins, who are more comfortable walking around in swimsuits, are ready to hit the water. They are excited to be in Miami, which they say reminds them of being back home.

As soon as we step foot near the pool site, I feel judgmental eyes on me. I am dressed in all black with a large floppy hat on, and I probably look insane. Most of the other girls in attendance have everything hanging out, while I look like a nun.

I spot the people I have come to see, and approach them in a way that is careful not to draw too much attention. They are wrapped up in conversation, and I clear my throat loudly, drawing their eyes.

“Oh my god! B is that you?” Brent doesn’t even let me answer as he pulls me into a hug that I can feel the emotion behind.

“Derrick told everyone that you were dead. I don’t know why I believed him.” I screwed up my face because the mention of that man makes me sick.

“I’m alive, but I don’t want many people to know.” Brent releases me and Brice takes over where he left off.

“Am I missing something?” A man who must be one of their teammates asks, and Brent tells the man who I am. “So, this is the one that got away.” I tilt my head at the man, who points to Mike. “That man compares every girl to you; can’t see why though.” The man walks away while I shake my head at his comment.

“Who are you here with?” Brent asks, and he starts looking around until he spots Jamie. “She was with you the entire time?” I feel bad for the man, who is clearly hurt that I chose to abandon him, so I tell him why I needed to run.

“Believe me, I wouldn’t have disappeared without a reason. The man I was engaged to beat me to a point that I didn’t want to live anymore. I had to get away from him, and I had to cut ties with almost everyone to do it.” Both brothers flash a sad expression, but I tell them that I’m no longer engaged, and I want to slowly get my life back. That puts a smile on their faces and Brent pulls me in for another hug that gets interrupted by Julee.

I swear I saw sparks fly between her and Brent, who were staring at each other so intently that Brice started to snap his fingers in front of their faces, which made me laugh. The sound I was making must have caught Mike’s attention, because the next thing I know, the man’s arms are wrapped around me, and he is squeezing me as if he is afraid to let go.

“Please tell me it's really you,” he says, and I realize that he must have blamed himself for my disappearance. While I was not at all happy with what he did to me, I knew he was telling the truth when he said he wouldn’t have gone through with it, still he tried, and that is bad enough.

“Hello Mike,” I say, prying the man’s arms from around me so I can turn to face him.

“I just want to let you know how sorry I am for what I did to you. I’m a better Person now.” I already knew that about Mike. The minute he went pro he did two things; the first was to donate to an autism related charity, and the second was to help raise awareness for s****l assaults on campus.

“I read,” I say, flashing him a bright smile. He is much more handsome than I remember, but my physical attraction to him is at zero, just like it is with any other male who could possibly hurt me.

“How is your husband?” I wince, and Mike takes the wrong hint. “Divorced?”

“Never married. He was abusive, and I fled.” There is no need to go into detail, Mike has heard the words I didn’t say.

My attention is pulled back to my cousin, who is still awkwardly staring at Brent. Realizing my mistake I introduce the pair, and when my cousin still doesn’t blink, I pull her away from the man.

“What is going on?”

“I’m positive that he is my mate, and I know he can feel it too.” I scrunch my face up at my cousin. Humans and omegas can be fated to one another, but just like with regular wolves, the human will not feel the bond, but then I think back to basic wolf facts that are taught to us as children.

For Brent to be fated to Julee, he would have to have a dormant wolf gene. We call those kind quarter wolves; they are mostly human, but if coupled with a wolf or an omega, their children have a higher percentage of being a full wolf. Julee knows this as well, and I see her lips moving as she sends a silent prayer to the moon goddess to whom she is a devout believer in.

“Tell me B, will he reject me.” I shake my head because I have never known Brent to be a womanizer. The whole time we were in university, he was looking for ‘the one’ and now that I think about it, he may have had a tiny urge to find a mate. It makes sense now why Braylen dropped everything for Georgianna, who he said he fell in love with at first sight. She was probably his mate.

As Julee and I are speaking, a girl who was already at the party approaches Brent, and she practically flies to the area. I chase behind her because even if she weren’t an omega, she is a trained fighter, and the model-like girl doesn’t stand a chance.

Julee’s POV

I was not expecting my mate to be human, but I have no complaints. He is already amazing to me, and I don’t know anything about him. I know that B adores him and his younger brother, which is fine by me, so long as she knows she can’t have my mate.

I keep sending silent prayers to the goddess, thanking her for pairing me with someone who looks easy to get along with, and when B tells me the chances of me getting rejected are slim, I vow to go all in. Brent is mine and I will not let him get away from me.

Those thoughts are interrupted when I see some sandy haired vixen approach my mate and rub his chest. I don’t have a wolf, but if I did, she would be growling right now. I beeline toward them, and B follows me, warning me not to kill the girl, which was good, because I was definitely thinking about it.

“Brent,” I say in the sweetest voice I can muster. “Can you show me where the bar is?” That was the absolutely most lame thing I have ever said, but it worked because despite the bar being plainly visible, Brent scoots past the woman to show me where it is.

“What do you want?” The man asks, clearly planning to order for me. “I don’t drink, but B bought some liquor and I want to know where to bring it.”

“Do you need help?” The man offers, and I nod, even though I don’t.

He and I get the case of various types of liquor from the car, and the way some of the girls and guys are eyeing it lets me know that Raven and Jamie did a good job.

“Who sent this?” a tall brown skin man asks as he picks up one of the bottles and examines it. “This bottle is a grand by itself.”

“You already met her,” Brent replies, and the man insults my cousin, but Brent corrects him. “She just likes to be low key. Don’t make the same mistake Mike did.” I start to feel a pang of jealousy, so I question Brent about his feelings for B. “Your cousin is beautiful, but I value her more as a friend.”

“And how do you feel toward me?” I can tell the question hit Brent off guard because he stumbles a bit as puts the case of liquor bottles down.

“You want my honest answer?” I sucked in a breath because I wasn’t sure if I did. “I don’t know what it is, but I can barely take my eyes off of you.” I smiled brightly and Brent closed the distance between us in a way that made my heart race.

“How long should someone wait before losing their virginity?” I never got a response because Brent picked me up and practically ran toward the hotel. He placed me on his bed and kissed me so passionately that we ran out of air and had to stop.

“There is no going back,” he says, and I reply with a kiss, but before he can remove my clothing, I want to tell him the truth. If I’m going to be rejected, I want it to happen before I give my body away.

“Wait, there is something I should tell you.”

“You aren’t engaged, are you?” Brent's face looks panicked, and I shake my head vigorously.

“No, but I-” I pause in fear. I have never said the words I’m about to say because it's against council law except for in certain situations. “I’m not completely human.” Brent chuckles, but gets serious quickly. “I’m part werewolf, does that matter?” I’m responded to with a passionate kiss.