No, he had to trust her. The bear trusted her. Cohen would, too, because he’d learned to trust the beast. Their issues had been born from a deep mistrust, one that had sliced them apart. Cohen had thought one thing, while his bear had thought another. Each day, each moment back in Stonefall, had pushed them back toward one another until they began to work in unison.
Besides, Cohen had a trick up his sleeve, too. Logan didn’t know it, but they’d called the Packs together.
“I see you brought your peanut gallery,” Logan commented. His eyes travelled over the people standing behind Cohen.
Cohen growled when Logan’s eyes roved over Ashe. His brother laughed at his response, as if he was nothing more than a chihuahua in his eyes.
“Did you think their mere presence would help you? They aren’t your Pack, brother. They don’t even understand us.” Logan sneered at Ashe. “Your Pack will demand you bend to their will. Your witch will betray you when she’s finished with you.”
Cohen snarled. This was his family. His woman. He stepped forward, power flowing through his muscles. He felt Ashe move behind him. She raised her hands and he could feel her power blossom through the air. A look of fear slipped across Logan’s face before he shut it down.
That was good. It meant their plan was on the right track. Ashe had figured out Logan’s greatest fear and they planned on using it against him. It felt wrong, knowing this man was their brother. There was no denying it. He had the same reddish-brown hair, the same beard flecked through with strands of blonde and red, but he’d already proven himself to be a broken creature.
Of all people, Cohen knew what happened to broken creature. He’d been rescued by his family and his mate, but he doubted Logan could be rescued. He would try, borrowing Archer’s compassion and Gage’s optimism, but if it went wrong, he was prepared for the worst.
Ashe’s power mingled with the power of an Alpha, slithering through his muscles and settling into his body. Doing this would negate their power over one another. It bound them together to create a new kind of magic, one they shared.
All that meant was that they’d have to use actual bindings in the bedroom.
If this went well.
“Oh, brother!” Logan’s brows shot toward the sky. He paused, and a pleasant surprise washed over him. “You are a clever little cub. Very, very clever. Too bad it’s not enough.”
They circled one another, a dance already begun. Logan smiled, a sharp expression that darkened his eyes. “I challenge you, Cohen Vancourt. I will rip you apart and take over what is rightly mine!”
Logan threw his head back and a roar escaped him. The sound shook through the Pack standing in the yard. It shook through the earth and the sky, a power like nothing they’d ever seen before. The bear burst out of Logan. It snarled, massive paws and sharp teeth. Shadows wrapped around him like a power, a force all on its own.
Cohen looked up at the great beast. Was this what Sampson had lived with, this kind of monstrous beast? Had he passed it on to his oldest son and feared what he saw? This creature could have been a strong leader, but ousting him the way he had done had poisoned his mind.
Cohen gritted his teeth and wondered if he could do this. His bear rose, flooding with power. The bear was confident. It wanted to sink its teeth into the beast before him. This thing would not hurt their family. But, Cohen faltered.
Logan took that moment to strike. His paw smashed into Cohen’s jaw. His feet left the ground. He flew across the yard. Archer cried out and Cohen hit his brother’s body. They both grunted, their feet sliding back in the mud.
“What are you doing?” Archer hissed.
What was he doing? He was an Alpha. He led what had once been three Packs. He was the strongest of them all and their power made him even stronger. Cohen shoved himself to his feet and let the bear inside rip its way out. It slammed into reality with a roar in its mouth, charging toward Logan.
It slammed into Logan’s middle. The both of them slid across the ground. Logan snarled and reached for him. He lifted Cohen from the ground and tossed him aside. The bear rolled across the ground. Behind Logan, he saw his mate’s face.
This was for her.
Cohen shot up and brought his paw back. Logan rushed him, sharp teeth aiming for Cohen’s neck. The beast truly wished to kill him, all words of solidarity forgotten. Cohen brought his paw down. It missed Logan’s face, but blocked the bite meant for his jugular. Pain jolted through his arm. He didn’t hiss or whimper. There was no room for pain.
Cohen used Logan’s grip on his arm to shove him back. His arm slipped out of the off-kilter bear’s mouth. Blood sprayed across the lawn, anointing it with this fight. With a battle between brothers, one who’d thought he was lost and the other who’d thought he’d found the light.
Both of them wrong.
Cohen tugged at Ashe’s power. It poured into his hands. He swung his paw again. Logan was gloating, growling at the Pack that surrounded them. He tried to instill fear in them, but Cohen caught him off guard. His paw hit the top of Logan’s head. The beast fumbled forward, and his jaw hit the mud.
Angry eyes turned on him, but quickly turned to panic when he realized he couldn’t move. Ashe’s power slipped through Cohen and into Logan. It bound him, if only for a moment. Cohen used that moment to pounce on the bear. He bit the back of his neck, squeezing and shaking his head.
He hated this. He hated what he had to do, but he did it because he had to. Killing wasn’t something Cohen loved. Killing someone who could have been loved hurt even more. The bear knew it had to be done and Cohen let him push forward to do it. He stayed present, telling himself he couldn’t look away.
Just as his paws grasped either side of Logan’s neck, the beast beneath him bucked. Cohen flew back. He slammed into the mud, no brother to catch him this time. The moment had been wasted. Logan could move again. The beast spun and snarled. It rose onto its hind legs, blood from the wound on the back of its neck dripping through its fur.
Cohen felt a growl rumbling through his chest as he, too, stood on his hind legs and rose to his full height. He’d thought his beast would be smaller, but as he rose, he found he towered over Logan’s massive beast. Logan took in the full height of Cohen and saw a flicker of appreciation pass through the rage that he shrouded himself with.
Cohen slapped his chest and the group around him cheered. Their power filtered into him with a strength he never could have imagined. It gave the bear extraordinary pride. This was what they had always been meant to do.
Logan ran recklessly toward him. Cohen used the slippery mud beneath him to slide away. The bear staggered past him and fell.
“Kick his ass!” Kaylee shouted from the sidelines.
He was trying to. Really.
Chapter Nineteen
Ashe shifted from foot to foot. She was stuck on the sidelines. Her power had been drained, taken by Cohen. He fumbled with it. She watched him strike, felt a tug in her core and knew he was using her magic. It pinned Logan, but not for long.
Logan threw Cohen off and spun on him. She hissed, sucking in a breath. This needed to end quickly. She only had so much magic to give Cohen. Without it, their upper hand would be lost. Her gaze flicked to Killian, licking his lips and casting lewd looks in her direction.
She knew what he was trying to do, and unfortunately, it was working. It shook her. She could feel his grip on her again as he dragged her away, as he bound her wrists and hoisted her over a fire. Flames licked her ankles. They climbed up her legs and tickled her thighs.
Across the way, Cohen sought out her eyes. Concern overtook him. Logan used that moment to strike. Cohen crashed into the ground, his feet falling out from beneath him. This was her fault. She was useless. She was powerless.
Why was she the mate of an Alpha? Cohen had the power and compassion to lead their people, but she was a weak and sniveling thing. The simple thought of fire sent her into a panic.
A pair of wide, silver eyes rose. They looked down
at her, if that was at all possible when the eyes were an imaginary representation of a magical force inside her. But, they did. The owl looked down at her. It reminded her she was strong. Far stronger than anyone else she’d ever met. She was stronger, even, than her mother.
Ashe sucked in a breath and spread her feet apart. She opened herself to Cohen and fed him more power. It reached deep, unfolding for what felt like forever. She’d barely tapped this well. Cohen took it, spinning inside of him like a loom.
Until it snapped.
The power ran out and Ashe gasped for air. She had no idea how much he had or if it even stayed within him. All of a sudden, Cohen was on his own. She had to trust that he had enough power. If not, she trusted that he could do this on his own. She slapped a smile over her face and stuck her fist in the air to cheer him on.
She had to believe they could win, could undercut this war before it even happened. Logan would not lead them to safety. She had to believe she’d given him every ounce of strength she had. Together, they were strong.
Nothing would bring them down.
Not as long as they fought.
The owl wriggled its way to the surface, ready to break free if it should look like Cohen needed help. Yet, as her beast watched, it gained a smug sense of confidence. It told her Cohen would win.
They would all stand victorious.
They would be safe.
***
Something happened. Something changed. Yet, when Cohen looked to Ashe, he only saw her cheering him on with a ferocity that warmed him. He forced himself to his feet. Raising his head, he narrowed his eyes on Logan. The bear would not let him win, blood or not.
The was his Pack. This was his family.
The night before, they’d called the Packs together and asked them to accept him as their Alpha. Gage and Kaylee had already done so, loyally standing behind Cohen, but the Vancourt Pack was leaderless. Cohen and Ashe’s request went against everything tradition had taught them. An Alpha was declared by might, not by request. Yet, the Pack had been ready to throw tradition out the window and pledged themselves to him without question.
It had taken his breath away, to see their ready allegiance. His bear had roared with victory, a song that promised everything would be alright in the end. Even Joanna and her Pack had dropped to their knees and bared their necks before him, the small family expanding the Vancourt Pack.
Cohen’s bear roared and dropped to the ground. Claws gripped the wet ground and a sense of victory rolled over him. He shook his shoulders. Logan cocked his head to the side, unsure and confused. Blood still ran in rivulets down his neck. Cohen licked his teeth and knew that first blood belonged to him.
Strength was not in one’s body. It didn’t lie in the power of one’s muscles or the speed of one’s swipe. It was in one’s will. It was the fight to move forward, the fight to rise. And, Cohen would never give in. He’d spent enough time thinking his life was over, that he’d reached an insurmountable wall, but he’d learned there is always more.
There was always more to fight for, more to love and cherish and protect. Cohen would not give up this fight. He would win this fight.
Logan dropped to his feet and snarled; it was another challenge.
You want a fight, Cohen thought. I’ll give you a fight.
Ashe’s power burned through him. It was a dark and winding snake that slithered through his body as if it were its true home. He felt it surge skirt his frame as he launched himself forward. The massive bear body collided with Logan. They tumbled, claws flying and fur spraying.
Cohen’s teeth searched for purchase. They bit into fur as he scrambled to find skin, to make the bite sink home and end this. The slithering magic arched and stretched like a cat. It lashed out of its own accord and struck Logan, a vicious strike.
Logan’s eyes flew wide and his body stilled. If his teeth would not break the protective layer of Logan’s fur, Cohen had to try something different. He gripped his brother’s head and tried to send him an apologetic look.
There was a chance he could be saved. Cohen had found a new path; Logan could, too. There was room for four Vancourt brothers, but Cohen saw the venom in his brother’s eyes. He would not stop until he’d won. He would force the world to it’s feet around him just to prove his worth.
That was not how being Alpha was supposed to work.
Cohen closed his eyes and jerked his paws. There was a sickening snap in his hands and the other bear’s body slumped.
There were no cheers around him, no cries of victory. This was a fight no one had wanted to witness. He could not blame them for their silence as he felt it echo through his own heart. If anything, all he heard around them were sighs of relief. It was over.
The fight was over. A bear’s body laid on the ground at his feet, eyes lifeless. His stomach churned. The fur fell away from the body and the shape shrunk into its human form. Cohen looked down at the man that had been his older brother. He’d been a monster, one that ran toward the darkness within himself.
Cohen had done the same, filled with shame instead of a false sense of power. It was all to easy to see where their steps had mirrored one another. Cohen looked at his brother and felt a small sense of kinship that roiled with guilt and revulsion.
This was what he could have become.
“Cohen?” a silken voice asked.
His bear turned and pulled Ashe into their arms. She immediately broke into a sob. He held her, confused as to why she would cry now. They’d won! The fight was over. No longer was there a reason to cry. He gently stroked her head with his paws, hoping she would see the victory even as his eyes sought the loss laying on the ground.
“My magic broke,” she said into his fur. “The connection snapped, and I was worried everything would fall apart.”
Her confession struck him like lightning. He froze, trying to process it. The bear did not care. The battle had been won, one way or another. She had done what she could; their plan had still worked.
His bear pulled back and released his human form. His muscled arms tightened around Ashe. He tucked her head under his chin and held her, both of them clinging to one another.
“Oh, hell no!” The shout split the air.
Both Cohen and Ashe looked up to find Killian backpedaling. He spun in the mud, tripping and scrambling to flee. Even Grover had a sickened look on his bloodless face. The Pack approached them, slowly circling from all sides until Killian and Grover were surrounded.
Grover fell to his knees. He pleaded for sympathy, for forgiveness. Killian looked down at the man with disgust. In the end, it didn’t take long for Archer and Gage to wrangle the men. Killian thrashed in Archer’s grip, but could not get free. Grover sulked as if he knew this was the end of the line and had accepted it.
Cohen felt a fire rage through him, one made of biting ice, when he looked at Grover. The man had betrayed his Pack. He’d tried to kill Cohen’s mate. Cohen wanted to watch him plead for his life. His lips pulled back from his teeth and a growl rumbled through his chest.
Ashe put a hand on his bare skin. It pulled his attention down to her. She wore a sly smile. There was a question in her sparkling eyes, a request. As the Alpha’s mate, she could speak for him. Cohen nodded. He knew she was smart enough for the both of them.
Ashe pulled away and approached the men. She pointed a long finger at Grover. “You, sir, are no longer part of the Vancourt Pack. You will spend the rest of your days wandering the world until some other fool decides to take you in. Until then, I hope you learn what it means to be strong and compassionate.”
Killian snarled and thrashed in Archer’s grip. Archer snarled and kicked the shifter’s feet out from underneath him so that Killian fell to his knees.
Ashe knelt before him so that she could meet him eye to eye. Her voice dropped low and Cohen could hear the vicious bite of it as she spoke. “There will be a hunt tonight. One for retribution. Your actions are inexcusable and therefore your life is now forfeit.”
The crowd around them rustled as people shifted from foot to foot. Normally few liked partaking in a hunt, but Cohen could see the hunger on their faces. Many of them were ready to be done with Killian, with the horror he’d brought into Stonefall.
Her words spoken, she lifted herself from the mud and turned toward her mate. Cohen opened his arms for her. This was not the life he’d ever imagined for himself. This was a dream, if anything. Yet, it was now his reality. He was Alpha, and his bear reveled in it.
The vicious beast that it had once been was now sated. It had what it wanted, a family and a mate.
As Cohen and Ashe made their way back to Vancourt house, Gage kicked Grover and chased him off the Vancourt territory. Archer dragged Killian to the basement to hold the man until nightfall, until the hunt.
Ashe stepped away from his arms and he felt bereft until he watched her stretch her hands over her head and his cock rose. Naked and exposed, Cohen gritted his teeth.
“I’m going to take a bath,” Ashe announced. “A long, hot, and luxurious bath.”
The thought of her naked and submerged in steaming water swirled through his mind and made his blood rush lower again.
“Woman,” he growled. “Wait until we’re inside to say things like that.”
She glanced over her shoulder at him and gave him a quick wink before ducking into the house. It didn’t matter if his Pack was behind him, Cohen chased her and swept her off the floor. She squealed with happiness until he claimed her mouth with his own.
Chapter Twenty
Ashe gripped the bouquet, her knuckles going white. Shifting from foot to foot, the music thundered in her ears. Joanna laughed, a high keening sound that echoed Ashe’s nervous energy. Their eyes met, and a burst of laughter escaped both of them.
Joanna’s lips were painted a dark, merlot red. A swath of cream-colored fabric wrapped around her in the shape of a wedding dress. Above them, the gray skies had opened to reveal a clear and clean blue. It was as if the world itself were smiling upon them today. It was the big day, after all. And, Ashe couldn’t figure out why she was so nervous.
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