Hidden Destiny (Redwood Pack) by Carrie Ann Ryan Page B

his hand and a frown on his face. A face that, but for the scar marring it—thanks to an up-close-and-personal attack from Corbin himself—looked exactly like North’s.
    “You done being an asshole and throwing your temper tantrum?”
    North grabbed the towel and dried off. “Is there a reason you’re in my house?”
    Jasper, who stood in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest, and blinked. “Mom and Dad told the rest of us about Corbin. Kade had wanted to tie you down last night so you didn’t run off halfcocked and get yourself killed trying to protect Lexi.”
    “I’m not a fucking idiot.” He stormed past them. Sure, the thought had come to his mind, but he needed to make plans before he went after Corbin. He wouldn’t go without thinking it over first.
    Oh, he’d be going to Corbin personally, but not until he got the lay of the land.
    Not that his brothers needed to know that last part.
    “He never said you were,” Maddox said smoothly as North pulled on his clothes in jerky motions. “But that doesn’t mean the thought didn’t cross your mind.”
    “Of course it crossed my mind. That bastard fucking raped my mate, Maddox.” His voice broke on the end of the sentence, and he had to pause to collect himself.
    Maddox narrowed his eyes, his eyes glowing gold. “Yes, North, I happen to know exactly what you’re talking about. Keep it in check.”
    North closed his eyes, and bile filled his throat. Fuck, he hadn’t meant to sound so callous. Ellie had been kept prisoner by Corbin for most of her life and had been raped by the bastard’s friends. She was healing now, but he knew it would be a long path until the broken remains of her spirit were finally put back together again, even if they never healed fully.
    “I can’t feel her like I should, Mad. I can’t bond with her like I should. I don’t have the connection you have with Ellie, that Jasper has with Willow. I just have my wolf aching for his mate and a woman I can have beneath me, beside me, and with me, but no bond. That bastard wolf has taken everything from us, Mad. Everything.”
    He sank onto his bed and let his face fall into his hands, his body shaking. The bed dipped beside him as Jasper pulled him into a hug.
    “You’re right. Corbin’s used a deal with the devil himself to take everything from our Pack, or at least he’s tried to. You know the prophecy says you will kill him, and we have to believe in that.”
    “The prophecy didn’t say that you’d live through the process though,” Maddox whispered, and North leaned back, his eyes closed.
    “I know. We keep ignoring that subtle fact. But if I can break Lexi and the Pack free from him, isn’t it worth it?”
    “I’m not going to comment on your death wish, brother, but I still don’t know how you’re going to accomplish killing him when he’s so ensconced within his den beneath the dark magic wards. We can’t break in.”
    North rubbed his face. “I have no fucking idea what to do. We’re at a standstill because we have no way to win. This defeated feeling makes me want to scream. The Centrals are winning because they are killing themselves in the process. We’re not them.”
    Jasper let out a curse. “Of course we aren’t them. It’s been the same thing over and over again, hasn’t it? We fight, and we win a battle, and they come back and kill us because they can cross the boundaries we can’t. We’ve taken away their connection to hell, taken away their Alpha, and have hurt Corbin and Caym greatly. But is it enough? Fuck no.”
    “It’s never enough,” Maddox mumbled.
    “And while all of this is going on, we’re rotting from the inside,” North added.
    Jasper turned sharply. “I know. Fuck. We’re letting our Pack down because we have to focus on the perimeter and the outside forces. But what about what I’m doing, huh? I’m the fucking Beta, and I can’t help all of them. I don’t know what to do, North.”
    “You’re doing all