Lennox wasn’t so sure, but he kept his mouth shut.Maybe coming back for new work would be an excuse to spend more time here, to be around Brielle’s people.Winning them over mattered.
Hunter cleared his throat again.“We also came to ask to speak to Brielle.”
Saffie’s eyes narrowed.“Why?”
Lennox stepped in before Hunter could stumble through it.“That’s between us and her.If she wants you to know, she’ll tell you herself.”
The silence that followed stretched, but then Ursula and Saffie exchanged a look, and both gave small nods.Respect flickered in their eyes.Without a word, Ursula stood and began locking up, Saffie moving with her.Minutes later, they were guiding the brothers to the lifts, then up to the top floor before they opened a door that led up some stairs and onto the roof.
The scene they walked into was charged.Brielle sat on a hideous brown couch at the center, surrounded by Willow, Liam, Nolan, and Isaac.
From Lennox’s perspective it was like walking into a storm.He watched her eyes dart from one friend to another as she tried to piece it together.“So, let me get this straight,” she demanded.“We think that they are shifters.”
Liam nodded once, utterly sure.“Yep.Pretty fucking sure.”
Brielle nodded, her curls bouncing.“And that yesterday they could scent me, not because I smell, but because it’s a scent that—shall we say—resonated with them.”
Lennox and Hunter shared a look.It sure as hell had resonated with them and would do for eternity.
Willow grinned and clapped her hands.“Yes!That’s it!Your scent resonates with them.”
Brielle nodded again, her hands slicing the air a second time.“And that resonance had them reacting to me.They could scent me.And they ...reacted to that scent.”
“Exactly,” Liam said evenly.
Lennox felt his heart hammering harder with every word, standing silent at the edge of the group as she threw her hands up.“Okay, but what does that mean?Because right now it just sounds like I’m walking around with eau de chaos.”
For a moment, no one answered.The wind tugged at her curls, carrying the city’s noise back to them.
Lennox’s heart thudded as he answered her, his voice low but sure.“It means that you are our mate, sweetheart.”
Brielle gasped, color rushing into her cheeks.Nolan and Isaac immediately stepped forward and shook both his and Hunter’s hands, Liam following a beat later with a grudging nod.
“What animal are you then?”Nolan asked, curiosity edged with caution.“You don’t smell like wolves.”
“Bears,” Lennox said simply.Hunter nodded, shoulders rolling as if the word itself sat heavy but right on his tongue.“We found out a couple of days ago.Have no idea about other animal shifters, and really, no fucking clue what we are doing, but we’re learning every time we shift.”
That answer sparked a round of conversation.Nolan leaned in, curious.“So, what’s it like being a bear?Stronger?Faster?”
Hunter shrugged, honest.“Stronger, yeah.Sense of smell is insane.Hearing, too.But speed?We’re not wolves—we don’t run like you do.”
Isaac added, “Wolves run in packs, bears are solitary hunters.But raw power, you two have that in spades.”
Willow tilted her head.“What about instincts?Do you ...crave forests, rivers?”
Lennox gave a surprised laugh.“Hell, yeah.I’ve never wanted to swim so much in my life.And the urge to fish?It’s embarrassing.”
That drew chuckles around the group, and Nolan nodded thoughtfully.“Every animal brings different strengths.It’ll be good to have that balance.”
Hunter asked in turn, “So what about wolves?You guys smell different—what’s the deal with dominance?With how you track?”
Nolan and Liam exchanged looks, then launched into explanations of pack hierarchy, scent trails, speed versus stamina.Lennox and Hunter leaned forward, hungry for every detail.
“So, you track by scent alone?”Hunter asked.
“Not just scent,” Liam explained.“We use dominance, body language, everything.Pack hierarchy is what keeps us alive.”
Nolan nodded.“Speed versus stamina—wolves can run for hours, bears hit hard and fast.”