Bane of Tenebris (Wolfgods Book 2) by Blaise Ramsay (i love reading books txt) 📕

she’d join him. Her slamming into him and needing to talk to Damien interrupted his attempt to ask.

To calm her, Kain set his hand on hers. The action brought about a gasp. “I wanted to ask you if you would give me the honor of accompanying me tonight after your story. I found a place I know you will like.”

Tala looked up at Kain, her eyes wide, smiling. The manner in which she answered ‘yes’ to him made her sound like a teenager who got asked out by her secret crush.

Kain returned her smile. “I believe this is the first time I have seen you smile.”

Tala’s face turned a bright red. She opened her mouth to say something until the sound of the front door hitting the wall made her jump.

Kain turned his attention to see Gabriel sizing up Damien and complaining.

Sighing, Kain got up from the couch to go and try to stop the ensuing fight.

“You better have a damn good reason for getting me up this early, Damien, you self-centered dick,” Gabriel snapped.

Kain shoved his way between the two of them, his hands firm on the alphas’ chests. His chastising eyes fell on Gabriel. “Gabriel, I warned you about respecting another alpha’s territory. Do not make me repeat myself.”

Gabriel scoffed, staying silent and shouldering his way into the living room to sit on the floor.

Lune came in shortly after, taking a seat next to Gabriel. His presence intimidated Tala who averted her eyes to the floor. She didn’t understand why but Lune appeared cold and emotionless.

Kain took his hand off Damien’s chest. The young alpha looked like he wanted to say something but the glare from Kain silenced him.

Surprisingly, the ruckus didn’t wake Jill who lay sleeping in her wolf skin next to Damien’s lounge chair. He shoved it aside, sat on the floor and positioned himself to lean against her large form.

Kain returned to his spot next to Tala on the couch.

“Glad you all made it,” Damien said. “I wouldn’t ask you here unless it was important.”

Gabriel scoffed, earning him a glare from Kain.

Damien’s brow twitched with annoyance.

After a roll of his eyes at Damien and Gabriel’s antics, Kain nodded to Tala, giving her the chance to speak.

Tala took a deep breath against the anxiety of speaking to such important lycans. “I come from a pack who lived in Great Falls. Out of nowhere, werewolves tore our homes apart and killed everyone they came across. My mother and I hid but when they found us, she told me to run, to find Damien. The werewolves followed and attacked me. I must’ve passed out because Kain found me naked in the woods.”

“You’re a lycan then?” Gabriel asked out of curiosity.

Tala nodded. “The werewolves took orders from a lycan. Something about him didn’t seem right. My brother drew his attention so I could escape.”

Gabriel’s eyes met Kain’s, their brows drawn downward, and deep scowls on their faces. The death of Gabriel’s brother, Azazel and Pentacost both occurred due to the betrayal of one of their kind.

“Do you know why they attacked you?” Damien asked.

Tala shook her head. “I don’t know exactly but they appeared to be looking for something. The lycan screamed at them to search everywhere to see if they could find it.”

Damien glanced at Kain. “What do you think?”

Kain didn’t answer right away. He processed what Tala said in his mind. He asked Tala what it was she needed from them to get an idea on how they could help her.

Tears dripped down Tala’s face. “I want to see if anyone survived. My brother sent a howl right before I passed out from my injuries. My mom had been killed. I just want to know if I’m the only one left.”

A tense silence fell across the room. Each leader looked at the other. If they decided to see if anyone from Tala’s pack survived, they could walk into a trap. However, if they neglected her plight, they risked losing her family to starvation, exposure, sickness and injury.

Damien leaned back, staring at the ceiling, his arms resting over Jill’s black form. “And here I thought the quiet was boring. So, what do we think? Trap or death?”

Kain placed his hand on Tala’s knee. “The choice is difficult. Tala was not spared without reason. The lycan had to have known we would be the ones to get the message. If I had to venture a guess, her pack is already dead.”

Gabriel jumped from the floor, his hands outstretched in disbelief. “What’re we saying here? Are we actually abandoning a pack in need? What if some did survive?”

Kain rose slowly from the couch. “The risk is too great. I have no idea how long Tala was in the woods. Her family could have been dead for days before I found her.”

From behind Damien, Jill raised her head.

“No,” he snapped. “There’s no way I’m letting you go alone, Jill. Don’t you dare ask it of me.”

Kain turned his disbelieving eyes at Jill. The glare in the icy green orbs told him she’d made up her mind.

Damien took his mate’s elongated face in his hands. “Don’t ask me to do this. Please, don’t ask me to let you take such a huge risk again.”

Jill pulled away and barked at him followed by less than quiet growling.

Damien lowered his eyes, his brows pinched together. He didn’t say anything out loud, but Jill’s licking of his face told Kain plenty.

Kain didn’t like his childhood friend taking such huge risks, but he knew once Jillian Styles made up her mind, no one could change it.

Gabriel sighed. “Here we go again with the suicide missions. If there’s nothing else, I’m going to head back to my pack. Kain, send me a howling call when you can. I’d like to know what’s going on.”

Kain assured Gabriel he’d keep him updated. Once the alpha left the room, Kain glanced briefly at Jill and Damien, then departed to give them some privacy.

Tala followed Kain through