by Kimber White
Pat shrugged. “I know it doesn’t sound like much. But, give it time. For one thing, I wouldn’t sell Alec short. That boy has had Alpha in him his whole life. He just didn’t want to admit it. It took you to bring it out of him, if you ask me. And I trust the pack. If Alec doesn’t prevail, and let’s not even really think of that, but having you here will buy us some time to figure out the next move.”
“But how can you stand it? How can we just sit here and wait while there’s a war going on out there? People we love are in the thick of it. I can’t just sit here drinking coffee.”
Pat smiled. “I’ve waited out more Alpha challenges than I can count right here in this kitchen. It’s not always pretty. And it’s not always the outcome I hope for, but the right thing always has a way of happening. My money’s on Alec. Let’s just say he’s got a lot more to fight for.”
“I need air. Am I allowed to go outside, at least?”
Pat squeezed her hand over mine. “Of course. Just stay out of the woods and don’t go down to the lake. The packs are everywhere and there’s a hell of a lot of testosterone in the air. I trust our boys, but Kane’s pack aren’t themselves right now. Hey, why don’t you head down to the barn? There’s a chance you might be able to see something from up in the loft. And you’ll be safe up there.”
I blew a hair away from my face and charged out the front door. The barn seemed like a brilliant plan the closer I got to it.
My heart thundered in my throat, and I knew part of that was Kane. My mark throbbed with the adrenaline coursing through him. He hadn’t gotten to Alec yet, but something was about to start. I could feel it. I turned back just before I got to the barn door and waved to Pat. She stood on the porch with her hand cupped over her brow. She waved back and a wide smile split her face that seemed incongruous to today’s circumstances. Then, she waved again but didn’t seem to be looking at me. She turned and went back inside the house.
I got the barn door halfway open before a heavy hand clamped down on my shoulder and turned me.
“Olivia.” My father’s voice was ragged and stilted. I nearly dropped to my knees at the sight of him. Large and strong, his face lined with worry. But he was here. I covered my mouth with my hand to stifle a cry. The wolves were close by. The bears were supposed to be long gone. I looked back toward the house but Pat had disappeared inside. She knew. Of course she knew. It’s why she sent me out to the barn.
“Oh, Daddy, I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”
He wrapped me into a strong embrace the way only bears can do, making me feel lost and safe. I pressed my cheek against his broad chest and inhaled his woodsy smell. I looked up at him. He seemed to have aged a decade since I left him six months ago. His light brown hair had gone completely gray and lines creased the corners of his eyes. But, he was smiling. My God, he was smiling.
Then, Jaxson came out of the barn, and my heart warmed all over again. He looked weak still, his skin sallow and gaunt. But he stood straighter than he did last night. His step was more sure.
“There’s no more time,” Jax said. “We have to leave now.”
“Leave? Where?”
“Home,” my father said. “I’m taking you back up to Wild Ridge where you belong.”
“But the deal you struck. Kane and Alec.”
“Enough!” My father’s booming voice made the horses inside whinny. “I’m through making deals with wolves. Let them tear each other to pieces. They’re no good to us. If I ever see another wolf on Wild Ridge, I’ll rip him to shreds.”
Jax’s eyes were kinder, but still filled with purpose. “Olivia. You can’t stay here. If Kane survives, he’s going to come after you. We can’t protect you here on pack lands. You need to come home.”
He was right. As much as I ached for Alec, Kane was still a threat to me. I knew in my heart if he were here right now Alec would tell me to go.
“I have to know. I have to see what happens with Alec. He’s willing to give his life for me. I have to know if he’s going to be okay. If we hurry, we can do both.”
Harold came around the other side of the barn leading one of the chestnut mares and the dappled gray. They were already saddled. It seemed both Pat and Harold had been in on my brother and father’s plot. “Take Ladybug and Lucifer,” he said. “They’re both swift and sturdy. Keep to the trail along the lake.”
I wanted to kiss him. So I did. Harold blushed and smiled and handed me Ladybug’s reins. My father gave Harold a grim nod as Jaxson heaved himself up and mounted Lucifer. Harold cupped his hands to give me a boost and I straddled Ladybug.
“Take care of her, Caleb,” Harold said. “Don’t forget what happened out here. The wolves of Wild Lake don’t want a war with you. Listen to your daughter. She’s the only one who knows you both well enough to understand. She’s got a clear head.”
My father growled, and I took that as progress. Still, I knew if it came to it, the wolves would be in mortal danger on Wild Ridge at least for now.
Jaxson clicked his teeth and dug his heels into Lucifer’s side. The horse charged forward and Ladybug followed. Harold held out his hand to shake my father’s. My father narrowed his eyes, but couldn’t bring himself to take it. But, at least he didn’t rip his head off, so I decided that was progress too. Then, he leaned far forward, his back rippled, and his bear sprung free. Caleb, Lord of the bears sprang up on his hind legs and pawed the air. Then, he took one lumbering step forward and picked up speed.
Pain seared through me. My mark felt like it would split me in half. I felt Kane’s heat. His instincts.
Hunt. Kill. Take. Die.
“We have to hurry,” I shouted back to my brother. I pressed my heel into Ladybug’s side. She broke into a gallop. Having a full-grown grizzly running alongside her didn’t seem to faze her in the least. Lucifer charged forward and we hit the trail along the lake.
My blood turned to fire. The closer we got to Alec and Kane, the more tingling panic spread through me. Jaxson must have sensed something because he pulled up and grabbed Ladybug’s mane.
“Dad, wait!”
I could have yelled until I was blue in the face, but when my brother did it, my father heard him. He huffed and turned his great black nostrils flaring. “What’s wrong with you?” Jax asked.
I squeezed my arms around Ladybug’s neck to keep from falling off. “I can feel them. Him,” I said.
“What do you mean?”
I rubbed a hand across my mark; the edges were raised and swollen. “Kane. I can feel Kane.” My breath came out in quick pants. Phantom pain raked across my back. Kane’s pain. Alec must have struck him.
My father roared. Wolves howled in the distance. The packs were agitated, and they’d figured out there were still bears on Wild Lake lands.
“I’m okay,” I said. “We need to keep going.”
“Sis, to hell with that. I think the closer you get to him, the more you can feel what he’s feeling. We need to go the other way.”
“No! Jaxson, please. I have to know. I have to be sure. If Alec dies, I need to be there. If you’re with me, you and Dad, Kane can’t hurt me. We’ll run. I promise. But I have to know. I love him.”
Jaxson’s eyes went wide and he clenched his jaw tight. “Fuck,” he whispered. My father pawed the ground, anxious to be on the move no matter what direction we took. I didn’t wait for Jaxson’s answer. I gave Ladybug a swift kick and got her moving toward the ridge.
We weren’t far. I could sense it. As the clouds broke and the full morning sunlight washed across my skin, I could see them. Oh, God, I could see them! Kane and Alec stood in silhouette at the top of the hill. Kane charged Alec. He made contact with Alec’s left flank and tore flesh from bone. Alec faltered but stayed on his feet. He lunged for Kane and tore into his back. I felt it across mine. Without thinking, I pressed my heel into Ladybug’s side again. We were just at the edge of the woods.
“Stop!” Jaxson got to me first, but my father was right at his side. “Don’t let
them see you. The wolves are close.”
He was right. I could feel them. Wade, Brandon, Daniel, Cole, and Christian. They stayed hidden on the far edge of the woods, but they watched and waited. Dark menace rolled over my skin as Kane took another deadly glancing blow from Alec’s front paw. I blew out a hard breath as my mark burned hot.
Alec circled, but he was getting tired. Kane had reopened the gash on Alec’s right side and blood flowed freely, staining his white fur almost completely red. From a distance, I would have thought he was Bas.
I scanned the tree line on the opposite side. Cold eyes stared back at me as other wolves came to watch the battle. I could make out Bas and Derek.
Wade howled. He grew bold and took slow, stealthy steps out from behind the brush, edging closer and closer to the fighting. My heart thundered with alarm.
“What’s he doing?”
Jaxson shook his head. “Waiting his turn.”
Kane leaped through the air, his body coiled and snout curled, forming a murderous arc as he came down and landed on Alec’s back. Alec’s shriek of pain cut through me, nearly unseating me from Ladybug’s back. Jaxson’s steady hand on my thigh kept me from going over. Kane sunk his teeth hard into Alec’s neck. Alec pushed out with his mighty front paws and flipped Kane on his back. The crunch of bones against rock echoed through the valley and straight through my heart.
Kane’s mark seared me. Tore through my nerves and made my heart burn. As Alec rounded on him, the truth settled over me with cold clarity. I had begged Alec to mark me this morning knowing it might be his last chance. Now, I knew why he wouldn’t. It wasn’t for himself; he’d done it to save me. Because when Alec made a final lunge and sank his teeth deep into Kane’s neck, severing muscle, tendons, and the corded knot of his jugular, I felt it. Pain speared me, hollowing me out. Only Jaxson’s hand on my shoulder kept me tethered.
I felt Kane’s pain, but was somehow detached from it. I didn’t love him. His mark was unwelcome. But, if Alec had marked me and the pain I felt was his as his life leeched out of him, I don’t think I would have survived it.
Kane’s mark flared one last time, then it tingled like pins and needles. I put my hand on the back of my neck, and for the first time in months, the skin felt smooth and cool.
I turned to Jaxson and smiled. “He’s dying. Alec’s done it.”
I didn’t see the movement from the corner of my eye. I saw it in the widening horror reflected in my brother’s eyes. I turned to see a flash of silver and fangs. Up on the ridge, Alec’s white wolf, stained with blood, stood over Kane’s dying body. I felt an echoing chill as his blood poured out of him, but nothing more. Alec raised his head and howled. The rest of the packs raised their voices to form a chilling chorus. Alec started to lope down the hill toward Kane’s pack where they hid in the trees. All but one.
Wade’s wolf lunged for him, his eyes still clouded with red. Alec was victorious but weakened. Wade was berserk. Bas and Derek leaped into view, but they were too far away to do anything about it.
I opened my mouth to scream. To warn Alec. But it would all be far too late. One deadly lunge and Wade could kill him.
Lucifer reared up. I turned to the horse thinking I’d need to grab Jaxson to keep him from falling. But he was already down. He ran. He took two faltering steps then found his footing. His bear roared to life within him.
My father’s great roar beside me blew my hair back. He stretched his long neck and curled his lips back, bellowing with rage as Jaxson’s bear burst forth, stretching bones and skin for fur and thunderous strength.
Jaxson slammed into Wade’s wolf, spinning him end over end down the hill. He lifted one great black paw and swiped it across Wade’s snout, splitting it open. Wade’s blood made a red, spraying arc across Jaxson’s chest. Jaxson reared up on his hind legs and arched his neck, splitting the air with a mighty roar. Then, he brought his full weight down, crushing Wade’s body.
I tried to nudge Ladybug forward, but she wouldn’t budge. I slid off her and took a tentative step toward my father. He roared beside me.
Then the rest of the pack moved in. Brandon howled with rage, his teeth bared as he advanced on Alec at the top of the hill. Cole, Daniel, and Christian followed him. Alec stepped around Jaxson where he stomped one last time on Wade’s body.
Alec howled and pawed the ground. Brandon ran toward him, but Alec was ready. He leaped up and brought his paws down on Brandon’s back, baring his teeth. They stayed locked that way, and Alec’s fierce growl sent a shiver down my spine. Cole, Christian, and Daniel lowered their heads, leaning on their front paws. Alec nipped Brandon’s ear.
Finally, Brandon gave in. His red eyes went gold again and he lowered his head to the ground. Alec let him go and moved to the rest of the pack. None of them would meet his stare, holding their bodies low to the ground in ultimate submission.
A hand on my shoulder made me jump, but it was just my father. He’d shifted and stood beside me.
“Let them be,” he said, his voice gruff. I nodded.
Alec raised his head high and howled. The rest of the pack followed suit. Alec bounded back up to the top of the ridge. The four members of his new pack fell in line behind him. He howled and they howled back. Then Alec finally shifted, rising to his full height. He put a gentle hand out and rested it on Cole’s head, then Christian’s. They tried to shift. The pain of the effort etched on their faces, their snouts contorted. But, with the strength and will of their new leader, they finally broke free from Kane. One by one, they shifted. Cole staggered sideways, unable to get his feet under him. Alec reached forward and helped him to the ground.
I didn’t know who to go to first. Jaxson stepped away from Wade. The effort of his own shift made him sway. My father got to him and put a gentle hand on Jaxson’s back. He swung his great head low. Fur became flesh and he crumpled to the ground.
And I couldn’t wait any more. I ran up the hill, calling Alec’s name. He startled and turned toward me. Blood poured from the gash on his side and his skin looked gray, but he was in one piece more or less. The rest of the packs finally emerged from the woods and came to greet the new pack Alpha.
I wanted to jump into Alec’s arms but worried I’d break him in half. There didn’t seem to be a spot on him not covered in blood or angry welts. He looked wild, savage, and beautiful as he brought his hands up and touched my face.
I kissed him. He winced past his split lip but threaded his hands through my hair.
“It’s over,” I whispered, tears spilling down my cheeks. “Thank God. You did it.”
Alec wrapped his arm around my shoulder and I realized with alarm he needed my help to stand. But even now, I could see the blood begin to clot around the worst of his cuts. He would survive. He would thrive.
I went to the others, hugging Cole, then Christian, then Daniel. Brandon hung back. It wouldn’t be easy with us. And that was okay. He recognized Alec as his Alpha, and that was all that mattered.
“It’s time to go!” My father’s bellowing voice cracked through the trees. My brother stood at his shoulder.
Once again, I found myself caught between wolves and bears. My father’s stern look sent a shiver through me. I felt Alec’s back stiffen as we turned to face Caleb, Lord of the bears.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Are you sure this is what you want?” Jax looked down at me from his perch on top of Lucifer. Pat and Harold had loaned him to my brother for the long trek back to Wild Ridge. Jax’s strength had mostly returned, but shifting still took too much out of him.
I put my hand on his knee. “One hundred percent. And trust me. When it’s your turn, you’ll understand.”
“My turn for what?”
I laughed and shielded my eyes against the sun. My tall, strong brother looked like some sort of noble knight mounted on his trusty steed. Color had returned to his cheeks. His rich, brown hair gleamed in the sunlight.
“There’s someone out there for you. You just have to ma
ke sure you’re in her path when you need to be.”
Jaxson shook his head. “You ask me, women are nothing but trouble. And sorry, Sis, lately you’ve done nothing to disabuse me of that notion.”
I gave Lucifer a pat on the rump and he reared back. I laughed hard as Jaxson struggled to stay in the saddle. He wasn’t much of a horseman, and I suspected Lucifer would remind him of that every chance he got all the way home.
“Don’t worry,” Jax said as he leaned forward and patted Lucifer on the head. “He’ll eventually come around. You know Dad.”
Jax reached down and squeezed my hand. We’d said goodbye a thousand times. Now it was time to talk to my father. He leaned against the side of the barn glowering at the two of us. He’d been a bear so long it was still tough for him to be human. I went to him.
“I don’t like it,” he said, not waiting for any preamble from me. Alec hung back on Pat’s porch at my request. But, I could feel his eyes on me. Wolves and bears were never going to trust each other all the way, but today thawed a lot of ice.
“I know. But you always knew this day would come. Pat said Mom told you.”
My father growled. His eyes went dark, and I took his hand in mine. It seemed he’d need a little help keeping the bear in check. “She said I’d lose you to the wolves is what she said.”
“No, she didn’t. She knew I’d end up with one. Big difference. Don’t be melodramatic.”
“Do you love him?”
The question took me aback coming from my father. I looked back at the house. Alec’s arm hung in a sling and he stared predatory menace my father’s way. The rest of the pack took positions along Pat’s wrap-around porch.
“I love him,” I said, swallowing hard. “Fated mates and all. But even without that, I’d love him anyway. He’s a good man, Dad. Like you. And he’s proven more than once that he would die to protect me. It’s what I want.”
My father let out a harrumph and crossed his stubborn arms in front of him. “I don’t trust them. Those wolves were ready to tear him to bits just a few hours ago.”