Third Rank Penn Lake Wolves Book Three by Clare Atling Page A

‘Brandon, you’re scaring me.’ Callie embraced him tightly as he
fell to his knees. He couldn’t stop the tears now they had started. The pain in
his chest was constricting his breathing, as if he was going to die from a
broken heart. He vaguely heard Callie call for Seth when his vision and world
swam before him. Callie’s warm arms and familiar scent enveloped him into
darkness.
    Seth ran from the house, followed
closely by Sarah. It was obvious they were still in the middle of their
honeymoon judging by their state of undress, but pack business came first. Seth
had never seen Brandon like this before.
    ‘Callie, what the fuck happened’
Seth reached for Brandon and pulled him into a fireman’s lift and carried him
into the house.
    ‘I don’t know,’ she replied. ‘I
was coming over to Hope’s to see Maggie, when I saw him standing outside your
house. He just fell apart, then passed out.’ Callie was crying now. She loved
Brandon like her own brother and couldn’t bear to see him in this condition.
‘Is he okay?’
    ‘I think so,’ replied Seth. ‘Something’s
wrong, though. We need to speak to Maggie and find out what’s happened. But
let’s check Brandon first, as he looks like he’s just run straight from home. He’s
not even dressed yet.’ Callie had thought it strange to see him standing there
in just his shorts, but sometimes things on this island were best left unsaid.
‘Call Logan,’ continued Seth. ‘I want him here as soon as possible.’
    ‘I’m on it.’ Sarah jumped up and
grabbed the phone.
    ‘Put some more clothes on first,’
said Seth. ‘I don’t want my brother seeing you like that.’ He snarled out his
order, but both women just looked at him and rolled their eyes, knowing the men
could have a jealous streak a mile wide.
    ‘Okay, mighty Alpha,’ said Sarah.
With that, she dialled Logan's number and run upstairs to their bedroom to
change.
    ‘Seth, I’ve never seen him like this
before,’ said Callie. ‘Something bad has happened.’
    ‘I think you’re right,’ replied
Seth. ‘Shit, Brandon, wake up, buddy.’ He tapped Brandon’s cheek lightly to
rouse him.
    Brandon could feel himself coming
to and felt his alpha’s presence all around him. He opened his eyes and found
he was in Seth’s house, with Callie hovering over him.
    ‘Brandon, you okay?’ she said. ‘You
scared us. What happened?’ He could see Callie had been crying as Seth helped
him to sit up. His head felt like he had been hit with a truck as all the
emotions swirled around him. Maggie, his sweet angel, had lied to him. The
memories came back to him so suddenly he felt his world tilt again.
    ‘Calm down, Brandon,’ said Seth. ‘You’re
scaring us. What the fuck happened? Is Maggie okay?’ Seth’s look of concern
made him feel ashamed at having fallen apart; but, before he could get up, the
front door slammed open and his brother Logan stormed into the room.
    ‘What the fuck’s going on?’ he
shouted. ‘Sarah called and said we had a crisis.’ He rushed to Callie’s side
and pulled her into his arms. ‘You okay, baby? Are you hurt?’
    ‘No, not me, Logan,’ she said. ‘Brandon
just passed out, but we’re not sure what’s going on. Brandon, what happened?’ Brandon
watched Callie resting in Logan's arms and he suddenly missed the feel of
Maggie against him. No, he couldn’t think of that now. She had come here to
threaten his family. She needed to be gone. His face hardened.
    ‘Maggie was working for Marcus,’
he said. ‘We spent the night together last night and she confessed everything
this morning.’ He relayed all he remembered to his brothers and Callie. Sarah
had come down moments earlier and was listening as well. ‘She fucking lied to
me. To us. I told her to leave and get off the island. Shit, I threw her out
the house before she could explain more. She said Marcus had promised her
freedom for one of us.’ Everyone stood and looked at him in silence.
    ‘You