Carrie Ann Ryan's FRACTURED SILENCE releases April 18th...but we couldn't wait that long! You can get a sneak peek at the first chapter of FRACTURED SILENCE below!
About FRACTURED SILENCE
The Talon Pack continues with a dark secret that could shatter the future of the Packs, or save them all.
Parker Jamenson is the son of three Packs, the sole mediator between every Pack in the United States and Europe, and…he’s dying. He knows he doesn’t have much left in him and is in desperate need of a mate. But with the new and unyielding changes thanks to the Moon Goddess, he might not have as much time as he thinks.
Brandon Brentwood is the Omega of the Talon Pack and the youngest of his family. He’s not only one of the famed triplets; he’s also the most secretive. There’s a good reason for that, however, and when a shocking revelation meshes the past and present in a very unexpected way, he’ll look to not only Parker but also a disgraced human to save them all.
Avery Montag knows she’s the daughter of a traitor and doesn’t have much to give the wolves in the way of atonement. But she’ll do everything she can to pay for her father’s sins and find a way to end the war between the humans and the wolves.
When the three turn to each other in a time of unrest and for vastly different reasons, temptation burns and seduction beckons. Only, the past, present, and future are never as solid as they seem, and the path the trio thought to travel may just vanish before they’re ready.
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FRACTURED SILENCE releases
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Get a Sneak Peek at the First Chapter of FRACTURED SILENCE
Chapter One
Before
Parker
Jamenson woke with a start as someone knocked on the door to the small cabin
he’d been staying in for the duration of his visit to this particular European
Pack. Using his wolf’s senses, he inhaled deeply, noting that the person on the
other side of the door was one of the younger wolves that had shown him around
when he’d first gotten there. He hadn’t met most of the Pack, as the people of
the den hadn’t been too keen on his presence. He’d only just fallen asleep in
the armchair fully clothed, exhausted from the trip.
He’d
already spoken to the Alpha about coming together with the Redwoods in times of
war, but the damn man hadn’t been too eager to reveal his existence to the
world. All Alphas were required to meet with Parker as the Voice of the Wolves
because he was goddess-touched, but that didn’t mean they had to listen. Hell,
most of them would rather bury their heads in the sand and ignore what was going
on around them. And while his own Pack might be older than most in the United
States, the European Packs were ancient and set in their ways. No one wanted to
deal with the fact that the humans were aware of the shifters’ existence, but
Parker knew that soon, no one would have a choice.
He
opened the door after a moment and nodded at the young woman on the other side.
“Tatiana.”
She
smiled coyly at him before licking her lips. He could scent her wolf brushing
up against her skin, wanting touch, but Parker wasn’t interested. He just
wanted to get this meeting with the elders over with and head back home. Her
long, honey-colored hair had been in a braid when he’d first met her, but now
it looked as if she’d brushed it out over her shoulders and back so it cascaded
over her curves. She’d also put on a long, white, flowing dress instead of the
tan one she’d worn when he’d shown up.
And
though she looked to be his same age and her power felt even younger, she
dressed as if she were some maiden from a bygone era on the hunt for a knight.
Parker
would not be that knight— no matter how much those eyes of hers flashed
yearning.
“Parker,”
she breathed. “I’m to take you to the elder circle for your last meeting before
you go.” A pause. “It’s a shame we didn’t have more time to get to know one
another while you were here. I understand you leave in the morning, but perhaps
the meeting won’t take long, and I can show you more of the grounds. I’m sure
your wolf could use some exercise.” She smiled. “And though it’s not a full
moon, there’s just enough moonlight for the run to be… thrilling.”
He
held back a chuckle that wanted to spill out since that would have been rude.
She wasn’t hiding anything she wanted, and while he might have appreciated that
on another day, he just wanted to go home. Besides, his wolf wasn’t interested
in the woman in front of him, and while that might not matter for a quick night
of heat, he didn’t have it in him to ignore his wolf tonight. Maybe I’m getting older, and in need of a
mate, he thought. Or maybe he was just tired and missed his family. Either
way, Tatiana wasn’t for him.
“I’m
afraid I will have to get ready to head out after the elder circle.” He held
back a frown at the crestfallen look on her face. They hadn’t said more than a
few words before this, and though he was a new wolf to her, he wasn’t the only
healthy adult male wolf around.
“I
understand,” she said softly. “Follow me, then.” She turned without another
word, but he didn’t miss the extra sway to her hips— an invitation if he were
to change his mind.
Keeping
his thoughts to himself so he wouldn’t inadvertently hurt her again if he were
to change his mind— which he wouldn’t— he followed her through the winding,
dirt paths of the den toward the oldest part at the edge of the center. It made
sense that this was where the elders chose to live— just slightly outside the
most used part of the den for privacy but not near the edge in case of an
attack. As elders, they were to not only be respected but also protected.
Tatiana
left Parker with a nod, and he bent to walk under a low-lying branch so he
could make it to the elder’s circle. Encircling the firepit were seven older
wolves of various sizes— three women and four men. At his entry, they all
looked up as a unit and stared at him.
If
he hadn’t seen his own elders do this before, he would have been creeped out.
Elder wolves were those who had either lost their mates long ago or had never
been mated, so they didn’t have a connection to the new world or the Pack
except through their bonds to the Alpha and those in the hierarchy. After
living for centuries, some wolves could no longer deal with the drastic changes
of society and chose to cloister themselves. Many of the wolves held immense
power on their own because of their age and used that strength to protect the
Pack in any way they could.
Parker
looked back at the elders respectfully. Though each of the wolves had at least
two centuries on him, none of them looked a day over thirty-five. Wolf genetics
never ceased to amaze him and he’d been born a wolf.
“Parker
Jamenson, of the Redwoods,” the woman closest to him said after a moment.
“Welcome. I am Aurora. We’re pleased you were able to take the time to meet
with us before you head out on your journey home.”
Parker
bowed his head in deference. “I will always meet with my elders, Aurora. To
ignore those who have lived the past is to ignore what the future may bring.”
She
smiled softly at his words and gestured for him to sit down before introducing
him to the others. He kept their names in the back of his mind, but he knew
that it was Aurora who led here, and she would be the one to speak.
“We’ve
asked you to join us because we believe we have something that once belonged to
your people. Your line.”
Parker’s
eyes widened. “The Redwoods?” How did something of theirs find its way here?
“Not
that line.” Aurora’s eyes went gold, her wolf rising to the surface. “The line
of the first hunter. You are the son of the son of the son of the line of the
first hunter, are you not?”
Parker
froze. Not many people knew that his family came from that line. In fact, he’d
only recently learned that his ancestor was the first human to be made into a
wolf by the moon goddess as a punishment for what the man had done to
defenseless prey. She’d forced the man to become the thing he killed for sport,
compelled him to share a soul with that of a wolf. From there, new wolves were
made, and shifters were born.
His
uncle, Logan, had dealt with horrible side effects from that past, but other
than his strength, Parker hadn’t really thought about what that meant. Logan
had been far too aggressive even at a young age, and it had taken him years to
learn how to fully control his wolf. He, like Parker, had also had to learn how
to use their strength wisely when they’d been mere pups and still had to deal
with some bursts of overextension some days. The family bloodline was diluted
over time, and Parker had had more recent issues with it thanks to his birth
father. His mother might be of the line of their honorable ancestors and
campfire stories, but his birth father had been one of nightmares. He’d never
truly met the man as he’d been young when Corbin died, but he knew the stories.
Knew that the former Central Alpha had killed countless in his quest for power.
He
pushed that thought out of his head, as he knew just letting it in would enrage
him.
“I’m
of that line, yes,” he answered after a moment. No need to lie as he had a
feeling these wolves knew far more than this. “What did you find?” he asked.
Aurora nodded at one of the male wolves after
Parker had spoken. The male stood up with shaky hands, a large box wrapped in
cloth clasped between them.
Aurora
took it gently from him. “This box is made of the woods of our people— Redwood,
Aspen, Oak, and so forth. It is said those first Packs, along with the first ever,
came together to make it.”
Parker
frowned. “What’s in the box?”
“Open
it and see.”
Though
his wolf had stood at attention as soon as they’d mentioned the box, it wasn’t
until Aurora unwrapped it— keeping her hands on the cloth rather than the wood—
that his wolf howled.
He
frowned. “I’m not going to open something I haven’t looked into with wolves I
don’t know. I’m sorry if that’s disrespectful, but that just doesn’t seem like
a good idea to me.”
Aurora’s
eyes flashed, but he had a feeling it was more out of respect than anger. “It’s
good you’re cautious. That will help.”
“Help
what?”
“There
is a prophecy,” she said after a moment. He blinked.
“A
prophecy?” Why did he feel like he’d suddenly jumped into an old Indiana Jones
movie?
Aurora’s
eyes unfocused as she spoke in a deeper voice.
“A wolf of three Packs can break
their will or unite them all.
“Once united, the Packs will reveal…
“If broken, the Packs will fall…”
Parker’s
wolf rushed to the surface at her words, and he tried to blink, attempted to
reach out and catch the woman as she fell forward after she’d finished speaking.
Only he felt as if he were moving slower than usual, his mind not quite where
it should be. His hand brushed the top of the box, and it slid to the ground,
opening on impact.
He
looked down, his head going fuzzy, his mouth dry.
An
ancient dagger, or perhaps the tip of a spear, rolled out of the box amidst a
dust cloud that slapped at his face.
“The
weapon of the first hunter,” Aurora croaked before passing out completely. The
others surrounded them, yet he could do nothing but try to keep himself
upright.
Parker
tried to speak but couldn’t force his mouth to work. Instead, his body broke
out in a cold sweat, and he fell face-first to the ground.
The last thing he thought about before passing
out was his family.
They
weren’t here to help him.
No
one was here to help him.
He
was all alone.
And
it was his fault.
About Carrie Ann Ryan
Carrie Ann Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary and paranormal romance. Her works include the Montgomery Ink, Redwood Pack, Talon Pack, and Gallagher Brothers series, which have sold over 2.0 million books worldwide. She started writing while in graduate school for her advanced degree in chemistry and hasn’t stopped since. Carrie Ann has written over fifty novels and novellas with more in the works. When she’s not writing about bearded tattooed men or alpha wolves that need to find their mates, she’s reading as much as she can and exploring the world of baking and gourmet cooking.
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