The throbbing in his head made his eyes feel like they were on fire. He groaned softly as Ryan woke up to the intense pain. His brother, he realized, had not held back in the slightest. As he tried to find his bearings, he opened his eyes and saw the dark sky above him and the dense canopy of trees surrounding their makeshift camp.
Before the sounds of heavy breathing and the rhythmic slap of skin finally entered his ears. Ryan's entire body froze, rigid with shock, as he heard Trinity moan his brother's name. He knew if he turned his head to the left, he would see them together. And it was not a sight that he ever wanted to witness.
A wave of disgust washed over him. He knew that Trinity had a "thing" for his brother, and truthfully, his brother Grayson wasn't completely unaffected by Trinity. Ryan didn't care if the two of them wanted to date or whatever, but he sure didn't want to hear or see any of that.
Rolling silently onto his side, Ryan slowly began to crawl away from the sounds, pulling himself across the damp earth, hoping to not be noticed.
Once he was far enough away, he scrambled onto his feet and blindly started walking into the deeper forest. He pushed through the undergrowth, moving rapidly until he couldn't hear their moans or the graphic sounds of their skin slapping together anymore.
As Ryan looked around the quiet forest, he heard the sounds of steps nearby. He thought it was probably his brother, who had finished. He turned only to feel a sharp, blinding pain explode in his head before the world turned black once again.
Grayson couldn't fully believe what he had done. He hadn't intended to ever cross that line with Trinity. But after living as a beast for so long, it was hard to remember what he should and shouldn't do. The moment he had finished, spilling his seed, clarity began to fill his mind. He pulled out of her, watching as a line of his cum followed his cock before he quickly zipped up his pants. As much as he should feel guilty or possibly embarrassed, he couldn't find it in him to be. He watched her sprawled on the ground, covered in dirt and grime, as she breathed heavily. He wanted to start all over again. Clenching his jaw, he turned sharply away from the sight. It was far too much temptation for him to handle.
"Put your clothes back on!" His voice was gruff and low as he spoke to her.
Trinity felt a wave of heat cover her body as she quickly pulled her clothing back on. Now that she wasn't lost in the passion of their union, she felt awkward. She didn't think the first time she was ever with Grayson would be so insistent.
As her shirt went over her head, she stood back up onto her feet. "Where is Ryan?" The spot where Grayson had left him was empty, and she couldn't see or hear him anywhere.
Grayson flipped around quickly, his head whipping to the spot he had left Ryan. He crouched down, feeling the ground with his palm. It felt cold, like his brother had left quite some time ago. He would have noticed if some wolf had approached them. Following Ryan's scent, Grayson took off after his brother, completely forgetting about Trinity.
Trinity rushed after Grayson, realizing that he intended to leave her behind. A few meters away, they found an area covered in leaves. It looked as if a body had fallen and then been dragged. A clear path had been made in the leaves, leading back in the direction of the pack's territory.
"They took him!" Grayson growled viciously as he whirled around, gripping Trinity's throat with painful tightness. "You distracted me!" His words were filled with venom.
Trinity glared at him just as viciously as she clawed at his hand that was trying to crush her windpipe. "I—" Trinity sputtered as she tried to speak, but his grip was painfully tight.
Grayson's grip tightened once more before he angrily tossed her aside onto the ground. Trinity landed hard on her back, immediately scrambling into a crouch. Her hands flew to her throat, and she erupted into a fit of harsh, hacking coughs.
She looked up at him, her eyes wide and wet with fear. At that precise moment, the echo of a voice—a crazed shout—split through her mind: Mickey! It was as if she could hear his voice, screaming around her.
Trinity's entire body froze. Her pupils dilated momentarily as she scanned the surrounding shadows, a primal fear seizing her. The sensation vanished as quickly as it came, leaving her breathless and hyper-alert.
Grayson was pacing back and forth, pulling frantically at the strands of his hair. It was hard enough escaping with his brother once. He didn't think he'd be able to do it again. The only reason he was able to get him out today was a perfect storm of events. If there wasn't so much going on, he knew that he would have had to wait longer to get his brother.
Trinity pushed herself upright onto shaking legs, still clutching her bruised throat. "This is your fault!" she bit out, her voice rough from the choking, yet laced with growing anger and a noticeable undertone of fear and sadness. "If I didn't—know you. What would you call what you did? This is not my fault!" Her voice was stern and firm as she spoke to Grayson. She wasn't the one who wanted to have sex. She wouldn't call it what it wasn't, but it wasn't as if she had seduced him.
"How do we get him back? You stayed in the pack! How do we get in unnoticed?" Grayson was desperate as he spoke to Trinity.
He started to take a step toward her, but Trinity immediately scrambled backward, holding up a palm. "Just stay there," she commanded, her eyes fixed on his every movement.
Grayson noticed the subtle, uncontrollable tremor running through her body, even though her voice was strong and commanding. This sight made him pause. He took a deliberate step back and drew a deep, ragged breath. Trinity isn't a wolf, he reminded himself harshly. She can't heal instantly. He allowed his gaze to drop to her neck, where the dark, angry bruises were already forming around her windpipe.
He was taking in the damage he had done. His jaw clenched tightly because a small, human part of him wanted to be apologetic, wanted to feel remorse. But the animalistic side, the one he had been living as, was fueled only by immediate emotion, and his feelings were so shallow right now that it was difficult to summon any genuine regret.
"I don't know!" Trinity ran her fingers through her black hair, pulling the leaves and sticks out of the tangled mess. She needed to distract herself from the chaos. Trinity felt as if her head would explode. It wasn't like the pack gave her all their secrets.
Trinity gnawed on her lip as she looked towards where the pack would be, her gaze constantly flickering back to Grayson. Kale had told her she needed to run, that of everyone, she was in the most trouble. She shouldn't go back.
"You need to go back and find out what's happening!" he ordered, his voice still accusatory.
In this moment, the only thing Trinity could think of was that she wished Boris was here. He would know what to do. Thinking of him, it clicked that she could still talk to him.
Trinity took a deliberate step further away from Grayson, making sure she kept him in her sights. She felt the tether inside that linked her to her father. I need help! Instantly, she could hear her father's voice in her head.