by Tamara White
“I can’t tell you,” I bite out, trying my best to be nice, considering he holds answers I need.
Quinn stares at me from across the small table with a cocky grin. “Well then, I guess that means you’ll never know about what happened to Alicia or the Alphas that came after her.”
That sick son of a bitch. He knows damn well I want those answers and is going to blackmail me to get them.
“If I tell you, you have to swear on the life of your family you won’t tell another soul.”
His eyebrows shoot up and he opens his mouth to question me, but I continue before he can speak.
“I’m not talking a simple pinky swear here, Quinn. I mean you would be bound to me by an oath that you will not ever speak of what I tell you or it will cause a chain reaction and kill everyone you care about. Do you understand? Can you make a promise like that and stick to it? Because that’s the only way I could ever share the truth with you.”
He ponders my words, obviously realizing just how serious I am when I firmly meet his gaze. I can’t afford to let my uniqueness get out, especially with what I’ve learned so far.
If others knew that I could shift into multiple forms, then it would paint a massive target on my back. People would fear me more and then hunt me for something they would desire to get their hands on. I don’t want to have to be even more vigilant than I am now. Life is already hard enough.
“I can’t promise that, so no, I won’t agree to an oath that profound.” My heart deflates with the thought of not getting the rest of the story. “But, if your secret is so important that you feel it must be protected so thoroughly, then I feel like maybe the council kept you in the dark for a reason of their own. And, well, I hate all those dicks, so it’s only fair I tell you what I can.”
My lips twitch at the smile he aims my way, and I think we both have a common enemy in the council. Who knew that would be the key to get him on my side?
“Thank you. And I swear, if there comes a day when it’s safer to tell you, I will. But until then, for all involved, it’s safer if you know nothing.”
Quinn nods slowly, his gaze going to Tristan. “I understand. I want to protect my family, but I also have this need, this instinct telling me that I must help you. If this little history lesson helps, then maybe my wolf will be appeased.”
Huh, it’s interesting that his wolf feels a need to help me. I wonder if that’s a side effect of me being his Alpha?
Quinn leans forward in his seat as Tristan stirs slightly. His eyes are on his friend as he picks back up with the story.
“After Alicia became Supreme Alpha, something changed in all supes. None of us know what, but as more generations were born, children had fewer and fewer supernatural abilities until it became common that a supernatural being was born with only one dominant species.
“When Alicia passed away, her son became the new Supreme Alpha, having inherited the power with her death. Though, while Alicia wanted to encourage the relationships with humans, her son felt that the damage was done and insisted for us to step back into the shadows. To remain hidden and safe from the humans who would hunt us.
“In the background, we kept breeding, building our races back up from the loss Heidi’s rule caused until our kind forgot what it was like to live with more than one supernatural entity resting within us. Each Supreme Alpha led us as the one before until one of the lasts in Alicia’s line was forced to make a decision. Alexandra Walker descended from Alicia’s line, but unlike those who came before her, she was weaker than the others. She was easily swayed, and when it became clear to all that she was unable to birth a child, she resorted to darker methods.
“Once it became obvious that no child could be born from Alexandra or her blood and DNA, she used blood magic to channel her essence into a bite.
“She turned the next Supreme Alpha by biting a human. From the stories, I believe her intent was to actually bite a supernatural that had been chosen, but by some trick of fate, it was a human instead.
“However, something happened after she bit the human. It was as if a ticking clock was triggered and Alexandra knew her death was imminent. Out of fear for leaving an Alpha untrained and without knowledge, she created the council. Their job was to help the Alpha and guide them until they could effectively rule unassisted.
“Once it was discovered, though, that the newly bitten Alpha could not conceive a child either, the council remained in power. A new Alpha was bitten, and so the cycle continued. With every member of the council that died, a new one took over, and that was the start of their corruption.
“There was no set rule or precedence for a new council member. The Alpha ruling at that time simply chose a person to take up that role or left it to the remaining council members to make the decision.
“Only with each council member that dies and is replaced, the power they have is too corrupt to be trusted. They have begun to manipulate too much, including the way Alphas rule.”
Well, that sounds exactly like what’s happening. The council tried to teach me their methods, but they kept me hidden away from all supes. They didn’t want me to learn anything except what they taught me. Which is why Drake and Jordan insisted on teaching me things I was being denied. Like what shifters in their individual packs were called. That their animals were more like the natural animals in the world.
Now with all this information, I’ve never believed more that my family was targeted not only for my brother and how susceptible he’d be for the council to mold, but also because of who we may descend from.
“So, tell me, Isobel, are you going to be like every Supreme Alpha before you and bend to the council’s will because you’re too weak to stand on your own two feet?”
The question feels like a test, and as I look down at Tristan still fast asleep in my lap, appearing like nothing more than an innocent child, I know I won’t let the council bully me into being their little bitch. I will do everything in my power to show the world what conniving dicks they are. Even if I have to destroy them all.
Chapter Twenty
Adrian
I’m pacing around the room, eager to get this class underway. I have one class today, one. And it’s a private one. Usually, I wouldn’t even get out of bed for one lousy student, but we bears have become harder and harder to repopulate. It’s rare to have a bear shifter come in here, or even a person willing to learn about bear culture, but that’s not the reason I said yes to the class. It was the name that made me agree so willingly—Isobel Carter. The girl who had me completely enamored last night and my bear willing to take a mate for the first time in thirty-four years.
Sure, we’ve been more than willing to lie down with our share of females, but for bears, we only mate with one for life. And it has to be a unanimous decision from both the human and bear side.
When I saw her name on the sheet, my day went from boring to downright exciting. From the first moment I saw her, my bear was smitten, as was I. She had this look about her, one that reeked of dominance, power, and strength, but underneath the tough exterior, I saw the fragile girl hiding, or better yet, protecting herself.
As a person who’s had heartbreak and ruin surround them their whole life, I recognized it the moment I stared into those pretty blue eyes of hers. She was protecting her heart from the world and I, too, wanted to help protect it.
The door to my classroom opens suddenly, stirring me from my thoughts as Tristan walks into the room with a massive grin in place. Following behind him is the girl, Isobel, and it causes me a moment of confusion.
What the hell is Tristan doing here with her and without Jesse? Has he abandoned Tristan to aimlessly wander the school? What on earth is that idiot thinking?
As if Isobel can see where my thoughts are, she scoffs, “I can see what you’re thinking, papa bear. Don’t worry, Tristan is safe with me.” She turns to Tristan, rolling her eyes. “Seriously, how do you stand them treating you like that? If people I considered my family treated me th
is way, I might get a little homicidal too.”
Tristan grins and wraps Isobel in a one-armed hug. “You’re amazing, you know that? I think I’m gonna keep you forever. It means a lot that you care. Thank you.”
“See, now that’s ridiculous!” She throws her hands up in frustration. “You just thanked me for treating you the way a normal person is supposed to treat another. It’s sad that you think you need to thank me for basic human niceties.”
Shit, the girl is right. In all of our time trying to protect him, have we always treated him this way? Like he was nothing more than a monster ready to snap at any moment? We thought we were doing right by him and keeping a close watch on him to ensure he never harmed another soul. We didn’t want him to bear that weight, but by protecting him, have we just made things worse? Have we made it so Tristan has been denied positive interactions?
“It’s not sad, Isobel. It’s just life. I’m a danger to everyone. My family tries to protect the rest of the world. They don’t need to baby my feelings.”
She separates from Tristan, her hands gripping his shoulders firmly as she gives him a little shake. “No, they don’t need to confine you from life, Tristan! They know what your issues are, they could simply alert the people here not to set you off. Hell, they could give you your own room on campus and tell people they are forbidden from entering it. They could do so many things to make life easier for you rather than having people babysit you like you’re nothing more than an errant child. Better yet, why not move you away rather than stay here if you’re that much of a danger?”
“I think I love you,” Tristan suddenly blurts.
The room suddenly goes silent, our breathing and Isobel’s very loud heartbeat the only sounds echoing in the room. Judging by the expression on Isobel’s face, she has no clue what to say to Tristan’s open declaration, because while most would assume he’s joking, he was one-hundred-percent serious.
Even knowing his mental capability has him speaking before thinking, this time takes the cake. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him say he loves anyone except for his mother.
Rather than let the tense silence go on, I intervene. It would gut Tristan for her to reject him completely.
“You guys going to continue your little love affair or can we start this class?”
Isobel jumps on the chance to get away from the words Tristan just dropped on her, quickly turning to offer me a grateful and relieved smile. She pats him gently on the shoulder before taking quick steps toward me in the middle of the room.
I’m going to have to give that boy a lesson in romance. Rule one, don’t tell a girl you love her twenty-four hours after meeting her. It’s sure to make her run for the hills.
Tristan starts walking around the room, a habit I know he does when he can’t quite contain all his thoughts. Moving helps him remain level headed.
When Isobel is only a few steps from me, I gesture to the carpeted floor at my feet. “We’re just gonna take a seat first. I have some questions for you, then when I’ve got all I need, if you’re okay with it, I’ll shift for you.”
“Really? You’re gonna shift?”
I smile wide at the excitement in her eyes. You would have thought I just told her she won a million dollars by the joy she’s emanating.
Damn, I already feel my dick hardening from the sweet pheromones her body is putting off. I could smell them last night, but being this close, holy hell, her scent is intoxicating, almost like a tropical fruit, ripe for the taking.
Rather than let my thoughts linger on how much I want to take her, I focus on being an instructor. “My class is an introduction to shifters, so naturally I have to shift to show you my bear.”
She nods, taking a seat with her legs crossed, Tristan joining her barely a moment later. I, too, sit down, my legs splayed out, trying to hide my growing erection. Damn bear and its eagerness to mate with the girl.
Tristan is sitting right beside the girl, his eyes on me but his attention is fixed on Isobel. If she moved, he would too. That’s how enamored with her he seems to be.
“Well, first things first, why did you choose this class? Usually, I wouldn’t teach a class with one person unless they were most definitely a bear shifter. But you grabbed my attention last night, so I figured I better at least find out why you wanted this class. Especially now that we know who you are.”
I’m referring, of course, to her Supreme Alpha status. It was a little shocking to see our Alpha as someone so delicate, but the way she jumped through the air and grabbed Tristan as if he was merely a fly proved she was not just a pretty face. She’s more dangerous than she looks.
“To be perfectly honest, I joined your class along with others just to brush up on my knowledge. You know I’m Supreme Alpha, but the thing is, the council never told me much about the smaller supe groups. I know plenty about wolves, lions, and panthers because they’re more common, but everything else is guesswork. I don’t think it’s fair to rule over a race of supernaturals if I know nothing about certain subcategories. Sure, the basics are the same, but like individual animals, I’m sure there are things that differ. Like wolves shift together and go off into the woods to mate first as animals then as humans. Do bears do that?”
I cough, surprised by the change of subject from the difference in species to mating. She’s right though. We definitely don’t mate the same way. “Bears and wolves are very different in the ways of mating. While a wolf will go and do as you say, a bear cherishes both the human form and animal. By the time we’ve turned eighteen, a bear shifter will have already found the ideal den for himself and his mate. He spends years constantly adding things to it, whether it be furnishings, food, or gifts, it all depends on the bear and what he thinks his mate will be like. When he finally meets his mate, he will study her in an effort to ensure everything in his den is going to make her happy.”
Isobel leans forward, her eyes eager as she soaks up every word I say.
“Once the male is satisfied with the den, he’ll approach the female and court her. When the time is right, for both the male and female, he’ll take her back to his den and they will spend anywhere from a week to six months consummating the relationship.”
A slight flush blooms on her cheeks and I can tell she’s surprised by that amount of time.
“That long? Why?”
Tristan snorts, “Because bears like to fuck all day, every day. I don’t even think they hibernate. I think that’s a made-up word for fucking for half the year,” he giggles, very childlike.
It takes everything in me to ignore his jibe. He’s not the only one who thinks such things about bear shifters. But a lot of that misinformation is because we like to keep to ourselves as much as possible rather than spread all our closely guarded mating rituals.
Taking a deep breath, I focus on Isobel and only her. “No one knows why such a long time frame. Our Sleuth Alphas just say it’s dependent on if the bond needs to be forged or already exists. I’ve heard bears who barely know each other have spent up to a year in their dens. It’s not just about sex, Isobel. It’s about building the best foundation a mate can to ensure the relationship is the strongest it can possibly be. It wouldn’t do for bears to mate once and never speak again. That leads to infidelity, and that’s something bears are not known for or approve of. It could lead to you being removed from a Sleuth if you were shown as someone who wasn’t fully faithful.”
She nods slowly, mulling over all that new information. It’s fascinating watching her store the knowledge away, like it really is important to know these things. Not many Supreme Alphas have taken the time to study us individually, like each species is different and not the same. I believe the council has always played off the fact that we’re all supes as a reason for Alphas to never learn much about the different subspecies because, as Isobel said, she may be a vampire and that’s very different from what a shifter is capable of.
“What else do you teach in this class?” she finally inquires, her mind obv
iously already over the mating aspect. “Like, is there something you would teach other bear shifters if they were taking this class?”
“Yes, a few things,” I begin slowly, unsure whether I should just treat this class as if she was a bear shifter. Maybe I could teach her class on a full-time basis to educate her on exactly what it means to be a bear shifter. After all, it would be something I’d teach her sooner or later. My bear won’t have it any other way.
“Do you see yourself taking this class more than once, Isobel? Would you like to continue this regimen on a weekly basis, and I could fill you in on bear kind more in-depth? It seems like there are a lot of questions burning in your eyes and I just don’t think this one class is gonna be enough to quell your desire for information.”
“Really? You would be happy to keep teaching me things about your kind even if I’m not one? Thank you. You have no idea how excited that makes me,” she gushes, her expression filled with happiness.
My bear hums in approval at making her ecstatic. It’s a natural instinct to make one’s mate happy, but I’d never believed the return feeling of eliciting such happiness would feel so good. It’s almost like a drug.
“Alright then, since we’re teaching this class like any other, the first thing I would ask a new young bear shifter is if they know that there are many different types of bear shifters.” When she nods, I continue, “As with nature, shifters can resemble their counterparts. So I turn into a brown bear, but if I had a bear cub, it could be any breed of bear that occurs in nature. No one really understands why it works that way for most of us, but it’s not just bears where this phenomenon occurs. It can happen to any shifter that has varying subspecies. Like wolves and tigers. They, too, have different subcategories of shifters, but unlike us bears, we only have one Sleuth. It’s not separated by our different species. We all join together as one. Other shifters usually split into their subcategories, but our Alphas keep us all together regardless of subspecies.”