The Awakening: Britton (Entangled Covet) (27 page)

Britton slumped in a chair as Aidan and Liam regarded him from the couch. Their friendship was the

only thing that had gotten him through the past few days. Britton had never been much of a talker, or even

one to give advice, but thankfully his friends weren’t like him.

“Have you heard from her at all, Brit?” Liam asked.

Both Aidan and Liam had been stunned when Britton finally told them that Val was his mate. They’d

witnessed the hostility between them, even played referee a time or two when things got too heated. When

Britton explained what happened after the serum had been given to him, they were even more astounded.

And angry, on his behalf. It felt good to have their support.

“Yeah, we just had a lovely conversation. Didn’t you hear it?”

“I meant heard from her like in a text or e-mail,” Liam said, unfazed by Britton’s weeklong bad mood.

Liam had gone through his own living hell when his mate had left him, enduring disastrous consequences.

If anyone knew what messed-up shifter chemistry did to a person’s disposition, it was Liam.

“If you consider receiving a text that says, ‘I tried. I’m sorry,’ then, sure, I’ve heard from her.” Leaning

his head back against the chair cushion, he pinched the bridge of his nose. “I still can’t believe she fucking

quit.”

Val hadn’t even had the courtesy to tell him. He’d had to find out on his own. For three days he’d

stopped by her department, searching for her. On the fourth day, he’d finally pulled Raquel aside and asked

where she was, and had been informed that Val had stormed off the job a few days ago. He’d been instantly

furious. Work was the only way he could see her, and now she’d removed herself completely from his life.

Other than that one cryptic message she’d sent him, she hadn’t responded to any of the texts he’d sent,

nor returned his phone calls. Not as if he’d be able to answer, anyway. He was rendered mute the moment

he heard her voice. Paper might just be the only way to communicate. Unless just seeing her name in print

set him off. Fuck.

Liam let out a harsh breath. “Brit, maybe Val has the right idea. Maybe some space would do you

good.”

“You think space is going to help me forget?” Britton scoffed. “If it were that simple, I’d have left town

immediately. Besides, did you forget about Ava after she dumped your ass? No, you didn’t. You just

became a freaking zombie. At least I’m lucky in that respect—being human without the complications of

bonding.” He sighed. “I just hate the woman I love, instead of being thrown into some emotionless stupor

that makes me oblivious to my surroundings.”

That’s right. Look at the silver lining.

Liam grimaced. “Okay, fair enough. No, I couldn’t forget Ava.”

“But you still got your happily ever after with her, didn’t you?” Britton didn’t wait for an answer. He

looked at Aiden. “You
both
fucking did. You both survived going through hell to be with your mates. But

my
hell is hating my mate, being repulsed by the mere idea of touching her. Do you have any clue how

fucked up that is?”

So much for the silver lining.

Aidan and Liam exchanged a glance.

Britton’s phone rang for the fifth time that afternoon. He glanced at the screen, then immediately sent it

to voice mail.

“Who keeps calling?” Liam asked.

“The PD. I’m off duty today, so screw ’em.”

“They keep calling, Brit. It may be important.”

He shrugged. “Whatever.” He had no desire to go down to the PD. Ever since Val had left, the place

suffocated him with memories of her. He needed some downtime, away from it all. He didn’t think that was

too much to ask. It
was
his damn day off.

His phone rang in his hand again. Before had had a chance to shut it off, Liam snatched it from him.

“Hey, man! Not cool!”

“Townsend,” Liam answered in his best imitation.

Britton gave a disgusted groan, but straightened when his friend’s body tensed and his gaze shot to his.

“Yeah?” Liam said.

Unease gripped Britton’s gut and he sat up in his chair. “What?” he mouthed.

Liam shook his head and held up a finger. “Do you know why?” There was a pause, then he said,

“Okay. I’ll be there shortly.” After he hung up, he stared at Britton. “Damn, man.”

The unease tightened even more. “Is it Val? Is she hurt?”

“What? No. The High Council…they want to see you.”

Britton scowled. “What the hell for?”

“The guy didn’t know. He just said that you were to go to the administration building immediately.”

“Or what?” Britton sat back against the cushion and propped his ankle on his knee. “Well, they are

going to have one hell of a long wait.”

“Brit, it’s the High Council.”

“Whoop-de-doo. I am no longer a shifter and I’m no longer with SPAC. I don’t have to jump at their

beck and call.”

Liam groaned and shot a glance at Aidan. “Help me out here, man.”

Aidan sat forward. “Brit, you need to go.”

He glared at his friends. That’s what he got for leaving his phone on.
He
would never have answered

that call. They couldn’t convict a guy for not answering his phone.

“It could be important, man.”

He didn’t give a rat’s ass what the High Council wanted. They’d already taken everything from him.

What more could they want?

Aidan groaned. “Damn it, if you ignore a direct order, they could punish you even more. What if they

send you to Kerker?”

“A vacation doesn’t sound like a bad idea right now.”

“Britton.”

When his friends called him by his full name he knew he was in trouble.

He rolled his eyes. “Aidan,” he shot back.

“I know you’re pissed. You have every right to be. But you can still have a future with Val, even if you

don’t see it right now. Your sentence will end one day.”

He stared at Aidan in disbelief. “Do you actually think I want Val waiting around for me for sixteen

fucking years? I don’t. I want her to find happiness, even if it kills me to watch her do so.”

“She’s your
mate
, man. There will never be anyone else. Liam’s mate and my mate both understood

that in the end, even though they took their damn time and fought it tooth and nail. Val isn’t fighting, she’s

accepted it. She
wants
you as her mate. Don’t fuck up the future you can still have with her, just because

you’re pissed at the High Council.”

Irritated that Aidan had to be the voice of reason, he ground his molars together. But his friend was

right. His sentence would end. Sixteen years was a damn long time, and anything could happen before then,

but if there was even the smallest chance that he and Val could be together one day—together in the way

they were meant to be—Britton couldn’t chance telling the High Council to fuck off now.

“Fine.” He shoved off the chair to his feet. “But if I go down there and things get even screwier than

they already are, I’m coming back and kicking both your asses.”

…

Britton took a cleansing breath before he closed his hand around the knob and opened the door to the

High Council chambers. As before, the councilmen sat behind a long table, ten pairs of eyes staring intently

at him as he walked in.

Harwood nodded. “Townsend.”

“Councilman.”

“Have a seat, would you?”

He hesitated a moment before sitting in the chair he hadn’t thought he’d be sitting in for another decade

and a half.

Silence descended over the room, and he had to keep from squirming in his seat. “Okay, I’m here. Why

was I called in?”

“We thought you’d like an update on the case you helped with.”

Arching a brow at them, he gave an I-really-don’t-give-a-shit shrug of his shoulders.

Harwood cleared his throat. “We’ve sentenced the Graggs and Silvers to thirty years in Kerker for the

kidnapping of Charlie Mills and the bombing of a council building. Since no one was killed, they did not

receive the maximum penalty.”

Well, wasn’t that a fine how-do-you-do. He clamped his teeth together to keep from speaking. Thirty

measly years. While he was serving twenty just for doing the right thing. Such bullshit.

“Charlie is back at World Shifters, and we are happy to announce that his beast doesn’t seem to be

showing any negative effects from the kidnapping. He has also been reunited with his mother.”

Britton blinked. Hello? “Excuse me?”

“Yes. Thought that would get your attention.” Harwood pushed back his chair and stood. “We had a

very strong-willed young lady point out the error of our”—Seeder cleared his throat loudly, and Harwood

sighed—“of
my
ways. I take a great deal of pride in my position, and it’s my responsibility to keep the

shifter community safe. I did this by following ancient laws with a flawless track record of ensuring our

safety, and refusing to believe there could be a better solution. The rest of the council has been preaching

change to me for months, but it took Detective Calhoun to get me really to see it. I’ve always held her in

high regard. And to have her say she could no longer work for me because my decisions made her feel

ashamed to be a SPAC agent—” His jaw worked. “Well, it was distressing. I finally listened. Detective

Calhoun has accepted a position as assistant to the council, to help us formulate a few amendments to our

laws. The first is helping us find an agreeable living arrangement for the parents of mutated children that

won’t interfere with what we need to do to help these children learn to control their beasts. She plans to

stay with SPAC, but she has resigned her position as head of the department. Therefore we are in need of a

shifter with special abilities who can fill her very impressive shoes.”

Britton sat up straighter, trying to contain the sliver of hope blossoming in his chest. Just because

Harwood said he was looking for someone didn’t mean it would be him.

“This, of course, presents a problem. There’s only one person we trust to take over SPAC. You. But

you are serving a criminal sentence. A real conundrum.”

Was this the blow? Part of his punishment? To be given hope, only to have it snatched away? He held

his breath, waiting for the elder’s next words.

“After reviewing your case, the High Council has unanimously decided that though you were in beast

form in the presence of an unmarked human, you did not shift in her presence. And although your beast

was seen by other unmarked humans, it did not retreat back into your body in view of them, nor reveal

your true identity to them.”

Britton’s heart thumped hard against his chest. That had sounded very much like a reversal of his guilty

verdict. He gripped the arms of the chair, waiting, desperately praying, for confirmation.

“Therefore, we believe that no crime was committed, and you are hereby exonerated of your offense.”

Blood rushed into his ears as the
whoosh
ing of his heart echoed in his head, and he couldn’t seem to

catch a full breath.

He was free.

Free!

Chapter Fourteen

An hour had passed since Val spoke to Britton on the phone, and still her sappy smile refused to budge.

He’d called as soon as he’d left the High Council building. Though his voice had been strained, he’d

assured her that he couldn’t wait to see her. Unfortunately, he was still having trouble talking to her.

As much as she hated to hear that, she’d also expected it. The serum antidote hadn’t worked instantly

last time. It had taken a few days for his body to readjust to being a shifter. They both hoped the transition

would go faster this time, since only a little over a week had passed since the High Council had taken his

beast away.

Together, they’d made the difficult decision to wait a couple of days before reuniting in person. Neither

of them wanted any more bad memories of hatred and rejection between them. They wanted to start fresh

when Britton was whole again.

Start their life as a mated couple.

Val was still stunned at the turn of events. Had she’d known all it would take was her quitting, she

would’ve done it the moment Britton had disappeared behind those elevator doors. Apparently she was a

more valuable asset to the council than she’d realized.

Soon Britton would take his rightful place as the head of SPAC, and she would assist him when needed.

She held no resentment or anger at him taking over her position. Not now. The man shouldn’t have lost it

in the first place. On the other hand, if he hadn’t, they might never have met.

Fate worked in mysteries ways.

When her phone rang, she bounced over to it, light and happy for the first time in years. She would be

with the man she loved—for eternity—and nothing stood in their way.

She picked up the phone and her smile widened as she read Britton’s name on the caller ID. He might

still struggle to speak to her, but he wanted to hear her voice anyway.

She pushed talk. “Hey, babe. I was just thinking about—”