by Stormy Glenn
It just wasn't to be, and the bear was now aware of that fact. If bears could cry, there'd be a river next to him instead of just a measly creek. He rocked back and forth, his misery an acute pain in his chest.
There would be no den for them, no snuggling in front of a roaring fire when winter was upon them and snow was falling outside. No shared honey pots, no salmon dinners for two, no picking berries on a hot summer day.
It was just him, all alone.
The bear chuffed. He'd been alone for a very long time. He was kind of used to it. First his parents had abandoned him, then his clan. Now, it looked as if his mate was abandoning him, as well.
He'd wonder if there was something wrong with him that made the people he cared about leave, but he knew. He'd always known. He was unnatural. An alpha born bear who was an omega. No one wanted that. They wanted big, strong, fierce alphas and small, gentle, delicate omegas. He was neither.
George shuddered out a shaky breath. He had survived being used and betrayed by his parents. He had survived being banned from his clan and not allowed to join another. He could survive this, too.
It wasn't like he had any other choice. He couldn't force Leon to be with him, and he wouldn't want the man if he was there because he had to be. He wanted Leon to stay because that's what he wanted, except that wasn't what Leon wanted.
Sometimes it really sucked being a bear.
A gunshot ripped through the night air, shattering the quiet. George sat up and glanced around, trying to figure out where it came from. He might be on clan land, but hunters were still a danger.
He lifted his nose and drew in a lungful of crisp oxygen. A faint hint of gun smoke hung in the air and something else, something George couldn't quite place. He knew he'd smelled it before, but…
George took off through the woods when he heard a loud shout. Not only did he recognize who had shouted, but it had come from the direction of where he'd left his mate. It hadn't sounded like a happy shout either.
George knew he was making a lot of noise as he crashed through the woods, but he didn't care. His one main goal was to reach his mate as quickly as possible and find out what had Leon so upset.
When he broke through the trees, he was the one to shout…or roar in his case. He raced across the open ground, running full bore toward the man who had Leon pinned to the ground.
He vaguely recognized the man as one of the guards who had been outside the mansion when they went to see Alpha Barker, but it didn't really matter who it was. They were going to die for threatening Leon.
He heard a bunch of yelling as he slammed into the man holding Leon down, but ignored it. Whatever anyone had to say didn't matter. Only freeing his mate mattered.
George swiped out at the guard with his massive paw. When the guard fell to the ground, George attacked. For a moment, he was in a blind rage. He hit out with his claws again and again before going for the guard's throat. He sank his teeth into the man deep enough to taste blood on his tongue, but stopped there when someone called out his name.
"Let him go, George."
George growled, not releasing the guard.
"Do it now, or I'll kill the human."
George froze for a breath then released the guard and slowly looked around. Ford was on his knees being held between two men. Raymond stood behind Leon with an arm wrapped around his chest and a knife to his throat.
Rage and fear ripped through George's chest in equal parts. He growled again, the sound much more threatening than it had been a mere moment ago. Future alpha or not, Raymond would die if a single hair was out of place on Leon's head.
A trickle of blood trailed down Leon's throat when Raymond pressed the tip of the knife against his skin. "Ah, ah, ah. Whatever you're thinking, don't. I will not hesitate to slit his throat if you don't do exactly what I tell you to do."
George sat back on his hunches. He wanted to charge the guy and rip his head off, but he couldn't chance Leon being hurt. That knife was a little too close to Leon's skin for comfort. One wrong move, one jerk, and everything would be over. His whole world would end.
"Shift," Raymond demanded.
George slowly shifted until he stood there in nothing but a cool breeze. He didn't bother trying to cover himself. Shifters weren't really bothered with nudity. Besides, he'd shredded his clothes. He'd need to head home to get more.
"Let my mate go."
Raymond laughed. "He's human. He can't be your mate. We don't mate with humans."
"Oh, I assure you, he is my mate."
There was a speculative glint in Raymond's eyes as he glanced from George to the man he held at knifepoint. "Then I guess you don't want anything to happen to him, do you?"
George growled and took a step forward. He froze when Raymond pressed the tip of the knife against Leon's throat again.
"Stop!" the man shouted.
Tears sprang to George's eyes when he met Leon's gaze. "I'm sorry," he mouthed before looking at Raymond. "What do you want?"
"You know what I want," Raymond replied.
"The money."
Why was it always about the money?
"It's clan money."
George frowned. "No, it's not. I don't belong to your clan."
"You live in our territory. That makes it clan money!" Raymond snarled. "And I want it."
"Fine," George answered without hesitation. "You let my mate go, and I'll sign every cent over to you."
"George, no!" Leon shouted. "Don't give this asshole a single penny."
George would willingly give up every cent he had if it meant his mate was safe. He stared at Leon for a moment before looking at Raymond. "How do you want to do this? Is there something for me to sign or something?"
Raymond's jaw dropped. "You'd really give up billions of dollars for a human?"
"Yes."
It was that simple.
Raymond snorted. "You're an idiot."
Probably, but that didn't change the fact that George would trade everything for Leon. "Just tell me what you want me to do."
"Carl," Raymond directed, "get my tablet out of the car."
One of the men holding Ford dropped his arm and headed for the car. He came back a moment later with a black tablet. Raymond shoved Leon at Carl and grabbed the tablet. Leon stumbled as he fell into Carl.
Things seemed to happen in slow motion from there. Ford swung around and punched the guy holding him. When the guy fell back, Ford shifted then went after him until the guy's screams turned to a death gurgle.
At the same time, Leon pulled a knife from somewhere—George had no idea where—and shoved it into Carl's gut. The man gasped. Fur rippled along his forearm for a moment then disappeared as he fell back to the ground.
"It's silver, you schmuck!" Leon shouted at him.
When Leon turned and started for him, George felt a moment of pride that his human mate had bested a bear shifter. That feeling died an instant death when he saw movement behind Leon. It was replaced with cold, dead fear.
"Leon!" George shouted as he leapt toward the man, shifting in midair.
One of the things that George always found peculiar was the fact that it seemed to take so long for others to shift. He could do it from one second to the next and always had. Maybe it was something specific to alpha born shifters?
When he slammed into Raymond, he was a fully shifted bear. Raymond was not. George easily took the man to the ground and wrapped his massive jaw around the man's throat. He applied just enough pressure to let Raymond know he was seconds from having his throat ripped out.
"George, let go of him," Leon said.
George growled and bit down just a bit harder.
"Baby, you need to let him go. He needs to face justice for what he did."
Oh, he was going to face justice, all right. Shifter justice.
George shuddered when hands slid through his fur, petting, calming the rage burning through him. He'd happily stay that way for the rest of his life if he could.
&n
bsp; Except he couldn't.
"George, I know you're angry at what Raymond did, but killing him is not the answer."
That was debatable.
"Detective Watt is never going to believe his chief suspect got mauled by a bear."
George grunted. He'd believe it after George got done with Raymond.
"I know, I know, but you still have to let him go." Leon's voice grew softer. "Please, baby, for me?"
George chuffed before slowly releasing the hold he had on Raymond. He still thought the man needed to die, but he couldn't ignore a request from his mate.
Raymond scrambled out from underneath George and crab-walked backward until he was far enough away to stand. He held his hand to his bloody throat as he glared at George. "Attacking the son of the alpha is a crime punishable by death. Once my father finds out what you did, your days are numbered."
George knew he spoke the truth. He'd grown up in a clan, and the rules were pretty much the same for all of them. That didn't mean he was going to calmly walk to his execution. He wasn't the bad guy in this scenario.
He shifted until he once again stood there naked as the day he was born. The glare he sent Raymond had the ability to scorch the earth around him. Too bad Raymond was immune to hate.
"Once your father finds out you're trying to steal all my money so you can take over his clan, he might think differently."
Raymond's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before narrowing to tiny slits. "I don't know what you're talking about. You heard my conversation with my father. My friends and I simply came out here for a run. We weren't doing anything wrong. You attacked us."
"You're lying!"
"Maybe, but who do you think he'll believe? Me, his only son, or you, a man he wouldn't allow into his clan because he was too afraid you'd try to challenge him and take his clan away from him?"
George growled and took a threatening step forward.
Raymond jumped back, paling. A snarl curled up his upper lip. "I'll see you dead if it's the last thing I do." Raymond's grin made the hairs on the back of George's neck stand on end. "Maybe I'll keep your mate as my little toy for all my pain and suffering. I'll bet he looks real nice all bent over with a dick up his ass."
The image that instantly formed in George's mind of Raymond forcing himself on Leon snapped what control he had left. George didn't even bother shifting. He just jumped Raymond and started pummeling the man with his fists.
He heard yelling, but it was muted, as if coming from far away. When he was grabbed and pulled away from Raymond, he snarled his outrage until he realized he was being held by Sheriff Garret, who was also Alpha Barker's beta.
A quick scan of the clearing told George he might be in bigger trouble than he had thought. Ford and Leon were being held by more guards, and Alpha Barker stood in front of him, the man's arms crossed and a clear show of anger on his face.
George gulped. "Sir, I can explain."
Chapter Fourteen
"What do you mean I can't see him?"
If one more person told Leon he couldn't see George, he was going to rip someone's head off. It had been two days since Alpha Barker took George away in silver-lined cuffs, and there hadn't been a single word from either of them since.
From the moment the taillights of the alpha's vehicle had disappeared in the darkness, Leon had been trying to get George back.
"Why not?" he snapped.
"I'm sorry, Mr. de Oro," Alpha Barker said, "but this is a clan matter. I can't discuss it with you."
Leon growled. "You can't keep George from me. I'm his mate."
"Not according to clan law, you're not," the alpha replied. "Bears are not allowed to mate with humans."
"I don't care what your clan laws say. I have the bite mark to prove I'm George's mate."
"I understand that, Mr. de Oro, but that does not change the fact that you cannot be recognized as George's mate. No human can."
"Then consider me his bodyguard." That's what he'd been hired to do in the first place. He just hadn't done a very good job at it.
"Mr. de Oro—"
"I want to see George, and I want to see him right now. If you don't let me see him, I'll call the authorities and report you for kidnapping."
Alpha Barker's tone was pure steel when he replied, "We do not involve human law enforcement in clan matters."
"Well, see, here's the problem with that. As you've pointed out, I'm human." Leon swiped his finger across the screen of his cell phone and hung up the phone before Alpha Barker could reply. He immediately dialed another number. "Gareth, we have a problem."
"Oh?"
"There was an incident. George's life was threatened, and he defended himself. Unfortunately, he'd been attacked by the son of the local alpha, and he basically handed the guy his head." Leon was actually kind of proud of that fact. Shifter or not, Raymond would be feeling his injuries for a while. "He's been taken into custody by the alpha, and they are refusing to let me see him."
"Fuck."
"Pretty much."
"Okay, obviously this assignment is over. Why don't you head on back to base? I'll call the alpha and see what's up."
"I can't do that." The mere thought sent his stomach into knots.
"Leon—"
"He's my mate, Gareth."
"Fuck, Leon, he's a bear. They don't mate with humans."
They actually did. Proof was in the bite mark on Leon's neck.
"I need help, Gareth. I need to get to George."
"All right, give me a few minutes. I'll make some phone calls."
Leon slumped as he blew out a breath. "Thank you."
"Don't do anything rash until you hear from me."
"Make it quick." Leon wasn't sure how much longer he could go not knowing what was happening to George. He was ready to climb the walls as it was. Another couple of hours and he was going to say to hell with it and storm the alpha's mansion.
Leon hung up then turned to look at Ford. "My boss is going to make some phone calls and see what he can find out."
Ford grimaced as he glanced out the window.
"I wish we could be of more help," Allan said, "but they won't tell us anything, and we've been ordered away from the alpha's mansion."
"Oohh!" Helen grumbled. "When I get my hands on that man. Just think, keeping George locked up away from his family like this. If his mother was still alive, she'd take a spoon to him."
Leon smiled despite how heavy his heart felt. He liked George's family, at least these three. He wasn't sure about the rest of them. "I'll get George back one way or another. You have my word on that."
Ford glanced at him. "Sounds to me like you've decided to stay. Have you?"
Leon pushed his hand through his short hair. "Maybe."
He was pretty sure that answer was yes. If just being away from George for a couple of days felt this devastating, he couldn't imagine what it would be like if he left for good.
"I want to, but George and I need to talk before I can give you a concrete answer."
At this point, George didn't even know where he was going to live or if he was even going to have his freedom. How could they hope for a future together with so many unanswered questions?
"Wanting to stay together is half the battle," Helen said as she shot her mate a smile. "The rest you'll figure out in time."
Leon certainly hoped so because he felt kind of like he was drowning. The pressure in his chest was getting worse. He absently rubbed the middle of his chest as he tried to think of anything else he could do to get access to George.
He'd called Alpha Barker. He'd called his boss. He'd threatened Alpha Barker. There was no way in hell he was going to threaten his boss. Gareth was probably the only man on the planet who truly intimidated him.
He just wasn't sure what else he could do.
Leon jumped when his cell phone rang. He fumbled with it for a moment before he was able to slide his finger across the screen and answer it. "Yeah?"
"It's a
no go," Gareth replied. "Alpha Barker refused to even speak to me."
"Damn, now what?" Leon really wished he knew more about shifter politics. He'd find someone to bribe.
"All we can do at this point is petition the council and request that they step in, but I'll be honest here, Leon. They probably won't. George did break clan law by attacking the alpha's son. That's a crime punishable by death."
Leon growled as he gripped the phone a little tighter. "That ass stole from George, tried to steal all of his lottery winnings, and then he attacked me and Ford and George. He deserved everything he got."
"I understand that, but can you prove any of it?"
"Only if I involve the authorities, who are already looking into who stole George's money."
"It's not a good idea to bring in the human authorities, but if you can get me copies of the police file on this, I can take it to the council. That might sway them in our direction."
"Okay, I can work on that."
"I'm not done making calls, Leon. I just thought you might want an update. I'll keep calling people until we have George back with you."
Leon believed him. Gareth had never let him down before. "Thank you, Gareth. I'll see what I can do to get that file for you. How long do you think it will take to get it to the council and get them to act on it?"
"It shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks at most."
"Weeks?" Leon shouted. "It'll take weeks for them to get off their asses and do something? George could be dead by then."
"The shifter council moves about as fast as the Supreme Court, Leon."
That was not reassuring.
"Fine," Leon bit out. "Do what you can on your end, and I'll do what I can on my end."
"Leon, don't—"
Leon hung up before Gareth could say another word. When it rang a moment later, Leon glanced at the screen then slid the ringer to silent. The man didn't really have anything good to say at the moment, at least nothing Leon wanted to hear.
"Ford, can you pack George a bag?"
Ford's eyebrows lifted. "Yeah. Why?"
"It's better that you don't know. Just pack a bag for him for a few days and toss in anything really important to George."
"Okay."
Leon glanced at Allan and Helen. "If George and I find someplace to set down roots, can you pack up his apartment and send it to us?"