Shifters Gone Wild: A Shifter Romance Collection

by Skye MacKinnon

  "Do you need some time alone with him?" I inquired, wondering if it would help Aspen get back to his cheery self.

  Ashleigh shook her head, her dark curls dancing in the wind. "There is nothing I can do to help him... The only thing that might work..."

  I tilted my head to the side, waiting for her to finish her sentence. "Yes?"

  She curtly chuckled, rolling her eyes. "Nothing. Never mind."

  I let out a heavy sigh. Why did people always do this? "No, tell me."

  A pained look flashed over Ashleigh's face. "The only thing that might snap him out of it is... Is you." She bit her lip as she seemed torn. "This is what makes it so hard. I want him to get better. I do... But I don't want to share you... Then again, how can I not? He is my brother and I would do anything for him. Or at least, I always thought I would. But now I've met you, I'm not so sure anymore. And that kills me," she confessed, glancing at Aspen who was gazing into the world like it wasn't even there. Like he wasn't there.

  "But what if..." I started, ready to protest her proposal, but as I glanced at Aspen, I realised I would never decline the opportunity to help him. He was surrounded by a melancholy that seemed to separate him from the world, but underneath that shield, I could feel his raw power pulsate. It was still there, right underneath the surface, ready to lash out at any given time.

  He was suffering. For what he did to Chesca, for the things he had done in his past, for the way he had tainted his soul. How could I not help him?

  Ashleigh followed my gaze, smiling. "There are no what ifs... He is my brother and if this is what I need to do, I will do it."

  I felt my breath hitch in my throat. "Do what?" I asked quietly, actually needing to hear her say this. This was not something you'd want to make wrong assumptions about.

  My raven-haired mate gritted her teeth down. "I won't try and keep you away from him. I know you're drawn to him."

  Before, it would have sounded like an accusation. Now it was simply a statement. One I couldn't deny. We both knew it was true. No matter how strong my bond was with Ashleigh, with Aspen's Alpha around, I would always be a little torn.

  Ashleigh sighed, brushing her dark curls away from her face. "Like we've always done, Aspen and I will share..."

  I should have rejoiced after hearing this. This is what I had wanted, no? For the twins to stop fighting over me and for my wolf to find a way to be with both of them. If I didn't have to choose, if I could have them both, how could my wolf not get on board with that?

  But somehow, I only felt dread settle in. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen or the way I had imagined it to go down. This wouldn't make Ashleigh happy. Not really.

  But these were just the cards we were dealt. And we just had to make do. Ashleigh had no choice but to help her twin brother. And I had no choice either. Regardless of how long I had known them both, regardless of who came first or second, they were both my mates. If there was a chance for me to help Aspen, I had to try. For him and for Ashleigh as well. Even as fucked up as our situation was.

  If I could help, I should.

  I turned to Ashleigh, but before I could say another word, the group abruptly came to a halt. So abruptly, I actually ran into JP's back. Losing my footing, I stumbled backwards. A yelp almost escaped my lips, but the hand suddenly clamped over my mouth prevented it.

  "Shhhh... C-Can you hear that?" JP whispered, nudging upward.

  Hills that rumble

  I peeled his hand away from my face and turned my head. There was a strange rumble coming from over the hill and somehow, I guessed it wasn't a good kind of rumble.

  "Oh n..." Danny groaned, running her hands through her red hair in worry.

  "Not this again," Regan growled, dropping his backpack and cracking his neck.

  I looked around. "What?" I asked, unclear to what was going on. Why did they always know what was going on? Why were they also so coordinated and in sync? It made me feel like the odd man out. Literally.

  "Damn it, they couldn't have chosen a worse time," Ashleigh cursed, facepalming herself.

  "Who are they?" I tried again, angry I was always one step behind. Or you know, at least a couple of steps. I really needed to keep up. I couldn't stay the ignorant, weakest link.

  "C-Coyotes."

  As soon as he said it, I could distinguish the noise from over the hill as the drum of multiple people running and I wanted to slap myself for not recognising the sound.

  Ashleigh placed a hand on my arm, asking for my attention. Not that she didn't always have it.

  "You need to keep Aspen calm," she spoke, urgency clear in her voice.

  "What?"

  "He barely managed to keep his Alpha under control the last time. If he kills more people, he'll be lost."

  Her blue eyes pierced into mine. This was an important task, why would she trust me with this?

  "I..." I started my protest, racking my brain. Wouldn't JP be more suited to keep him calm? Or even Ashleigh herself? But as I heard the metal zing of blades behind me and saw JP gearing up, I realised he was going to fight as well. I wasn't sure why, but I always assumed he wasn't a fighter. He just seemed more like the brains of the group. But with the determined look in his eyes and the way he swung his arms, I could immediately tell this wasn't his first fight.

  Ashleigh tugged on my arm again. "Please, don't let my brother fight," she begged again, her voice cracking as she asked.

  I nodded. "Okay. I won't."

  A chaste kiss landed on the corner of my lips. "Thank you."

  And with those words, she drew away from me and pulled Danny to her side. I briefly wondered what the two women were discussing, but quickly focused back on the real task at hand. I made a promise to Ashleigh, but how could I possibly keep Aspen in check?

  The last time, my wolf cowered at the sight of his Alpha and I only barely succeeded with Ashleigh's help. Now I was supposed to do it alone?

  "Ever been in a fight before?" Darren suddenly asked, twirling his dagger in front of my nose.

  I shook my head. Not really no. Unless getting miserably beaten up by your brothers and sisters counts as a fight.

  "Stick close to Aspen. He'll protect you if necessary, but we won't let anyone come close enough to you two. At least, that's the plan," he spoke, jumping up and down to loosen his limbs.

  A shiver ran down my spine as I felt a growl in my neck. "Like hell will I sit back and let you do all the work," Aspen snarled, his breath hot on my skin. These were the first words he had spoken since his kill and frankly, they terrified me.

  "Asp, you can't fight," Ashleigh worriedly said, trying to calm her brother. He slapped her hand away, his eyes wild and dark.

  "I'll kill them all," he snarled, yanking off his shirt to expose his bare chest. I felt my hands burn as I remembered how his muscles had felt underneath my palms and balled them into fists. This was not the time to lust over him. I dug my nails deep into my skin only after I left white crescent circles in my palms, allowed myself to touch him.

  "Aspen... I need you to protect me," I whispered, disliking I had to play the helpless girl card, but then again. It wasn't exactly a lie. I really did need him to protect me. That being said, there was no reason I couldn't try and protect him at the same time.

  His eyes softened a little, the muscles in his arms relaxing for a second as he stared at me. There were flecks of gold dancing in his ambers and I wondered why I had never noticed that before.

  "Okay. For you."

  Before I could get lost in his eyes, Ashleigh tapped me on my shoulder. "You'll have to hold him down."

  Gold flecks became silver strands as I shifted my attention from Aspen towards Ashleigh. Why were they both so beautiful?

  I nodded, staring in her bright blues. I loved her eyes.

  "I'm not kidding. You'll have to hold him down literally," she spoke, snapping me out of my trance.

  "Umm... Okay?" I frowned my forehead. I wasn't sure how I would be able to hold down a beast like
Aspen, but it if meant wrapping myself around him, I wasn't going to say no. There were worse things to be wrapped around.

  My arms barely fit around his back and the muscles of his chest were hard against my body. And then, with no time to spare, it all happened at once. Out of nowhere, the hills suddenly grew legs and attached to those legs were men. A lot of men. At least a dozen coyotes appeared from behind the trees as they ran towards us screaming.

  Our group scattered. It happened so fast, I couldn't even keep track of who was doing what. All I could feel was Aspen's warm body against mine as he had his arms wrapped around me. I could barely look over his shoulder.

  To my left, Danny and Regan had teamed up, swinging short blades between them. I wondered where they got them from as I checked up on the rest.

  To the right, Darren was going at it solo. He was running on his hands and feet, the dagger he held so dearly clamped between his teeth as he circled the attackers. He looked more wolfish in his human form than anything else.

  Right in front of me, I saw JP strut towards the incomers, swinging a catapult expertly around. He definitely seemed to know what he was doing, but all I could hope was he wouldn't hit me.

  I wished I could see Ash, but I guessed she must have been protecting us from the back. Damn, if only I could turn Aspen and me around.

  Aspen growled as he spotted the incomers. I felt his muscles tense underneath me and for a brief moment, I wondered what it would be like to feel him tense like that for different reasons.

  But as the first cry of the battle penetrated my ears, all other thoughts were wiped from my mind. There was no time for anything else than the fight.

  JP let out a loud scream and with a swiftness I hadn't expected, he twirled his sling in the air and a couple metres ahead of us, the first Coyote fell down on the ground. JP had hit him right in the forehead, between the eyes. A small trail of blood trickled down his face as his comrades jumped over him and ran towards the otherwise so stuttery and clumsy man.

  Surprisingly fast, JP ducked underneath the first sword, swiping his leg as he tackled the guy and floored him. With an efficiency you don't learn after only one fight, he conjured a small knife from his side and stabbed the guy right in his neck. Blood spat out the artery, coating anyone in a two-metre circle and I felt bile hit the roof of my mouth.

  I really wasn't cut out for this fighting stuff.

  As JP took down another guy, it became clear he could hold his own. So I directed my attention to another part of the circle. On his side, Darren was taking down five guys by himself, beating and kicking at them, his dagger still in his mouth. There was already one man lying on the ground and another one was about to eat dirt. I shuddered and didn't want to see what he could do if he actually started using his weapon.

  From the other side, Danny and Regan had teamed up. I briefly wondered why they went together in a pair and none of them covered JP, but as I counted the guys falling like flies next to JP, I realised he might not need the back-up after all.

  Regan was mowing down the incoming Coyotes like daisies, hitting them in the head with his massive fists, while Danny was circling around them, hitting them from the sides or in the back.

  Her red hair was twirling around her in a flash and I realised it would be massively distracting to anyone attacking her. She drew everyone's attention and while they were focused on her and her red locks, Regan knocked them into the ground.

  Not a bad strategy at all.

  "I want to fight," Aspen growled, tugging against my arms. For now, he seemed to be in control of himself, but I could feel his skin grow hotter as his murderous Alpha seemed to emerge.

  "Not yet, Aspen..." I tried to ease him, but he shook his head and cracked his neck.

  "I need to help them," he snarled, not unreasonably so. From over the hill, another handful of men appeared and they seemed much more tentative and careful. I suddenly realised they were probably watching everyone fight, waiting until we tired ourselves out.

  Damn. We were so ambushed. And I hadn't even realised it until it was totally too late. Well. Not just me. The whole group had been too preoccupied with my stupid quest to actually pay attention to who was hunting us apparently.

  Aspen clamped his hands around my arm and as I felt his fingers dig into my flesh, he flexed his muscles.

  "Let go of me," he hissed, trying to pry my arms open.

  We both knew he could just shake me off by force. It would've been easy since I was nowhere near as strong as he was. But I had counted on him not wanting to hurt me and from the looks of it, I had been right.

  Aspen wanted to jump into the fight, but with me clamped around him, he couldn't risk throwing me off and hurting me.

  "You can't..."

  "I need to. They're going to get killed."

  I turned his head towards JP and tried to calm him. "Look, they are doing fine without you. Or without me for that matter. But we already knew I was useless."

  "They won't last," he growled, his skin burning up.

  And just as he uttered those words, a loud scream was heard from behind me. In shock, both Aspen and I turned our heads, met with a sight that made me nauseous like I had never been before.

  One of the Coyotes had somehow managed to creep up on Ashleigh and was now straddling her, his knife pressed against her throat, ready to steal her life.

  Aspen howled at the sight of the stranger attacking his sister and as he did, the golden flecks from his eyes disappeared. Instinctively, I opened my arms to release him from my embrace, quickly stepping out of his way. I knew there was no stopping him now. His Alpha had taken over.

  With a furiosity that scared me more than I wanted to admit, Aspen ran towards Ashleigh's attacker and with one swift motion, dove onto him. With one smooth move and a popping noise that made my stomach churn, he broke the man's neck. Like a doll, the attacker fell lifelessly to the ground, no longer a threat to either of my twins.

  Without a moment to spare, Aspen launched at the other men standing around his fallen sister and mid-air, Aspen the man disappeared. With a loud howl, his wolf form sunk his fangs deep into a Coyote's neck and one more fell down onto the ground. This time, it was Aspen's paws that sunk into the next man's chest and as blood spat out of the open wounds, Aspen mercilessly tore his throat out. Just like he had done with Cece.

  I vaguely remembered asking Ashleigh if this was a usual thing and I realised my question had become moot.

  Without caring about the men he was ploughing down, Aspen jumped onto the next Coyote, tearing off his arm.

  Whereas before I had only half-jokingly called them a circus of killers, it was clear this was exactly what they were.

  Killers. Assassins. Murderers.

  The coppery smell of blood was now dominating the air and with every kill, with every spillage of life, that scent grew heavier. Like artists from hell, my pack painted the pure snow red with designs of death and destruction.

  Helplessly, I stood in the middle of what I could only call, utter chaos. This was my own personal circle of hell and it couldn't get any worse. At least, that was what I thought. Until I felt the cold steel of a blade against my throat.

  I barely dared to swallow as I felt the cold metal against my skin. A soft voice hissed in my ear. "Got you now, little birdy."

  I felt a man pressed against my back. He smelled like urine and sweat and even with my life on the line, I wondered when he last bathed.

  Come on, Akira. Priorities! Don't think about hygiene, think about dying!

  "Pl..." I opened my mouth, ready to beg for my life, but halfway through, I decided to slam it shut. Nobody else was cowering or hiding in fear. Neither should I. But as I felt my legs tremble and the first trickle of my blood run down my skin, I realised being brave was much harder when you actually needed to be brave.

  I gritted my teeth and balled my fists, taking in a deep breath. The man behind me was obviously playing with me, otherwise, he would've just ruthlessly killed me lik
e Aspen or Darren were doing.

  An image of Ashleigh on the ground flashed in front of my eyes and with all the courage I could muster, I slammed my balled fist into what I hoped was my attacker's groin. From the loud grunt and him screaming "bitch" I gathered I had hit my mark.

  I scrambled to my feet, quickly running away from him and turning around so I could face the coward who snuck up behind me.

  That was not a man. This was not a sacred life. This was a Coyote. A vile creature who was attacking me and my friends. He was endangering my friends, pressing blades against my skin, and even worse, threatening the lives of my mates. I couldn't let this happen. I had to do something. Anything. I wasn't sure what I was capable of or what harm I could inflict, but one thing was very clear. He needed to die.

  An anger I had never felt before, welled up from inside me as I felt my otherwise dormant and peaceful wolf growl.

  With a scream and a stupidity I hadn't expected from myself, I charged towards the man, toppling him over as I kneed him in the balls again. As if he hadn't expected the sudden assault to his manhood again, he fell to the ground. The laughing, mocking man was now reduced to a pathetic heap, whimpering in pain.

  I quickly scanned the group, trying to figure out where everyone was. Now Aspen had joined the fight, me standing here in the middle was like having a bullseye painted on my back. Frankly, as much as I joked about death, I didn't feel like dying today. It just didn't fit into my schedule.

  Darren was still fighting with his dagger between his teeth, throwing and flooring guys left and right and it somehow seemed like a stupid idea to join him. I didn't want to get hit by a flying body.

  On the other side, Danny and Regan were still whirling around their enemies, teaming up as they hit them from both sides. They were working together like a well-oiled machine and somehow, it didn't seem like a great idea to join them either. if I wasn't careful, I'd just get caught in Danny's red fury.

  Behind me, I could hear the animalistic growls and howls as Aspen was still killing and slaughtering any man who dared to approach him or his sister. I wish I could've joined him to protect Ashleigh, but with his Alpha on a rampage, it seemed safer to stay as far away from him as possible. Even if that meant breaking my promise to Ashleigh.