“I will take her back,” Alex replied through clenched teeth. He placed one of the plates in front of Alice and sat next to her. She whispered a thanks. Then silence. Everyone was uncomfortable.
Shara watched the small exchange between her son and the werebear human. Her eyes widened when they leaned to each other and whispered. When Alex touched her hand briefly as they spoke, her heart fell. Something had happened in the tent between them last night, and that something was continuing here in front of the entire pack. Shara glanced at her husband, who watched the pair with narrowed eyes and a disapproving frown.
Before she could stop him, John’s temper exploded. “What the hell is this? Love Connection?”
“What?” Alex asked, looking up at his father. He realized how angry his father was. “Why are you mad? We’re just talking.”
“And touching and sitting so close there isn’t any room between you!” John fumed. “The entire pack can see you acting like some lovesick puppy rather than the werewolf you are!”
“No one was paying any attention to Alice and me until you started screaming like a fool!” Alex yelled back.
“She’s a werebear!” John reminded him, pointing accusingly at Alice as if she were standing trial for murder. “Those disgusting creatures are our enemies!”
Alex and his father had both risen, drawing the attention of every pack member, even the ones who hadn’t been at breakfast. At the insult, Alice also rose, holding her hands up as if deflecting a rock thrown at her.
“Hey, listen. I’ll get out of here,” she told John. “You don’t have to be an ass about all this.”
“Shut up, were-whore!” John yelled. “You seduced my son last night, didn’t you?”
Alice’s eyes had widened at the insult, but she hadn’t even formulated a reply before Alex’s menacingly low voice responded.
“Do not call her that.” John stared at his son, whose eyes were unrecognizable. Shara attempted to step between them, but Alex held his arm out to prevent her. “I’m in love with her, Father.”
Everyone gasped, but none louder than Alice. She had no time to react; John had transformed into a wolf and stood growling at her. Alex transformed as well and moved between his father and Alice.
Shara yelled at the two of them, “Stop it! Now! We need to settle this without ripping each other apart!”
The men took no heed. Alex leapt high and tackled his father to the ground. Horrible sounds accompanied the fight. Alice screamed at them to stop, as did Shara, but the two were beyond words. Alex would not let anyone, even his father, speak to Alice that way, and John would not allow his only son to get mixed up with a werebear.
So the fight escalated.
*****
Cammie, Riley, and Susan stood on the outskirts of the werewolf camp, listening to the sounds of a dog fight. They’d her Alice’s voice but hadn’t been able to understand her words.
“Is that how they settle things? With a fight?” Susan grumbled. “How barbaric.”
Cammie smiled at her snobbery, but it fell quickly when Riley said, “I think we need to intervene. I would bet my left leg they’re fighting about what to do with Alice.”
He looked at his mother, who nodded deferring to his judgment. She’d slowly been handing her duties over to him. Just this morning, she’d told him he’d take lead in this battle, should there be one.
“Just remember the plan, everyone,” Cammie said. “Riley and I will walk into camp as humans to discuss first. All of you will remain in bear form as back up.”
Everyone nodded their understanding and shifted, Susan included. Cammie had asked her to stay at home, but she’d refused. She’s so brave, thought Cammie. She looked at Riley and nodded, and they moved in the direction of the camp.
*****
A guard werewolf howled when he saw them coming, a warning signal to the camp that strangers were in their territory. Shara heard the warning and hissed loudly at her son and husband, who paid her no heed. She grabbed a pail of rain water and hurled it at them. They ceased their fight, breathing hard, both glaring at the woman. She didn’t flinch.
“Someone is coming into camp. Jack howled the signal.” Shara turned to Alice. “The poachers may have tracked you and Alex here. We have to hide you. There could be a fight and you’re already injured.”
Alice looked at Alex for confirmation, and he nodded at her. His eyes pleaded with her to go. She nodded at him and touched his head, rubbing his fur. Shara pulled her away and hid her in the closest tent, out of sight, then turned back to follow her husband and son, the leader and future leader of their pack.
As they approached the clearing, a roar like thunder echoed through the woods. John, who had returned to human form, looked down at Alex, still a wolf. They rounded the last tent. John halted in astonishment.
Bears stood in ranks, glaring at his pack. All had shifted, ready for a battle. John recognized Cammie, the clan leader, and her son, whose name he couldn’t recall. He knew the boy would be the next leader, and as Cammie followed his lead rather than the other way around, John assumed he’d be dealing with him today.
A werewolf lunged forward, feinting at one of the werebears. In retaliation, the werebear swung a huge paw at the wolf, who didn’t fall back in time. The paw connected with the wolf, who was knocked sideways several steps. Another wolf took this for aggression on the bear’s part and launched himself at the bear. The two fought, and already blood was mixing with the sand.
“Susan!” Cammie screamed. She rushed to the grappling bear and wolf, yelling.
Riley yelled at the others to hold rank. “Stay where you are, bears!”
John also saw the potential for a war and called to the wolves, “It’s not our fight yet, wolves. Let the two of them fight it out.”
Cammie turned on John in a panic. “That’s my daughter, dammit! You already have one! Get him off her! He’s killing her!”
Alex yelled at the wolf to get off, stepping close to Cammie. When a natural break occurred, he stepped between them, risking losing a limb. He shoved the wolf back.
Cammie moved to Susan’s aid. She lay on the ground, bleeding heavily from several cuts on her snout and a bite on her neck. She looked at the wolf, who bore huge claw marks down his shoulder. Although she was furious with her, Cammie was proud of the way Susan had defended herself against such a large wolf. But this was not the time for such sentiments.
Cammie turned to verbally attack John, but Riley was already speaking calmly to him. She reined in her temper and allowed her son to take the lead. She knelt beside Susan again, soothing her with her whispered words.
*****
“Shara, can’t you hear it? That’s a bear fighting a wolf!” Alice screeched. Shara was blocking her from leaving the tent. “We have to go out there! They’re here for me!”
“I understand that, Alice, but you’re already injured. I’m not going to let you out there unless you promise to stay out of the fight.”
“Why do you care?”
“Because my son does.” Alice froze at her words. She stared at Shara, unsure how to proceed. “Listen, Alice. Let’s walk out there together to show your clan that you aren’t hurt.”
“Ok, yeah,” Alice replied quietly. She touched Shara’s arm before she left the tent. “I care about him too, you know.”
Shara looked at her and smiled. “Honey, I wouldn’t have stopped you. Now let’s go stop this nonsense.”
Chapter 6
Shara took Alice’s hand, and together they walked out of the tent and towards the center of camp. The sounds of a battle had dissipated. They could hear growls and the occasional yap over the calm voices of two men. Alice recognized her brother’s voice before she saw him.
“John, we have got to settle this peacefully. Where is Alice?” Riley asked.
“I’m here,” Alice called. Cammie rose with a hand on her chest, happy to see her daughter relatively uninjured.
Riley also noticed she held the hand of
Shara, the matriarch of the pack. His brows drew together when he spoke, his voice filled with barely controlled anger. “What the hell is going on, Alice? Why are you holding her hand like you’re best friends?”
“Riley, please listen before you judge,” Alice asked. She turned to her mother and apologized. “Mom, I’m so sorry for worrying you. I tried to leave last night, but they wouldn’t let me.”
“WHAT?!? Why?” Riley yelled, glaring from John to Shara to Alex, looking for an answer.
“Calm your blubber,” John insulted. Riley growled menacingly at him, eliciting several growls from the wolf pack and answering growls from the bears.
Alex raised his hands defensively and said, “Ok, ok, guys, let’s all calm down. No need for insults.”
“Male bravado aside, why didn’t you let my daughter leave?” Cammie interrupted.
Alice opened her mouth to answer, but Shara gripped her hand. “Alice was shot by some poachers a mile or so from our camp. I know your camp is far away, and she couldn’t walk that far on her leg.”
“Mom, Shara cleaned and dressed my wound. She helped me,” Alice clarified further, hoping to end this before anything more happened. She could see Susan on the ground, injured, as well as the wolf she’d fought. “I couldn’t get back on my own, and I didn’t want to bring a werewolf home.”
Alex moved to Alice’s side, silently asking if she was ok. Riley narrowed his eyes at the exchange but reserved his comment.
Alex looked at the group. “The poachers were going to kill her, skin her, and sell her pelt.”
“Alex saved me, Mom,” Alice told her. “He could have let them take me, but he didn’t.” She looked at him and smiled, and Cammie gasped audibly.
Riley knew for sure then; something had happened between his sister and this werewolf. He glared at Alex first, then turned his gaze on his sister. His mother stepped up to him and took his arm before he could speak.
“Alice, what’s going on between you and this werewolf?” Cammie asked quietly.
Shara sighed. She looked at Cammie, hoping to find an ally before all hell broke loose, but she couldn’t read the woman’s expression. She truly hoped this wouldn’t end badly.
Alice looked at her mother, then her brother. Before she answered, she looked at Alex. Riley growled deep in his throat. “Why are you looking at him before you answer, Alice? What the hell is going on?”
“Riley, calm down and give her a chance to explain,” Cammie said, still gripping his arm. His muscles were quivering; he was barely containing his need to shift into his bear form. If that happened, a war would begin. “She deserves the chance to explain.”
John, who’d been enjoying this little exchange, gleefully said to Alex, “Yes, Alex, why don’t you explain what happened between you and this werebear.”
Alex glared at his father, and Shara said, “Shut up, John. Don’t make this any worse.”
“How could it get any worse? Our werewolf son has fallen in love with their werebear daughter and sister.” Every creature, bear and wolf, gasped or murmured or growled lowly in response.
“Dammit, Dad,” Alex cursed. Alice rolled her eyes at John’s obvious attempt to start a fight, but her concern grew as the mumbling and growls increased in volume.
Cammie looked at her daughter, concern and what looked like fear in her eyes. “Alice, is this true?”
Alice stared at her mother. She didn’t know what to say. Admitting she was falling in love with Alex was tantamount to treason in the eyes of many clan members. But refusing to acknowledge her feelings also seemed wrong. She didn’t want to hurt Alex, who looked at her now with true hope in his eyes. He took her hand and nodded encouragingly at her. She furrowed her brows at him, and he smiled the smile that drew her to him. She smiled back and looked at her family.
“Mom, Riley, I am falling in love with him.”
Riley’s reaction was terrifying. He roared, and the bear’s voice spoke through his human throat. The bears around him roared with him, and the wolves joined in. All eyes were on Riley, who would either begin a battle or accept this treason.
“I feel the same way,” Alex called over the noise.
“Have you two . . . um,” Cammie began. Her question was obvious, and Alice’s bold stare and nod answered her question. Cammie looked at Shara, the only other logical person in the clearing, and silently communicated with her. Share stared back and shrugged. There was nothing the two of them could do; events would have to unfold as fate deemed.
Riley’s attention was on his sister. He yelled at her, furious. “What the hell are you thinking? He’s a damn werewolf! He’s our enemy!”
“Riley, please calm down. We can talk about this rationally,” Alice soothed, releasing Alex’s hand and stepping forward. “There doesn’t have to be a fight.”
“Alice is right. Why don’t we sit down and talk about this. John, Alex, and I on one side, Riley, Cammie, and Alice on the other. We can straighten all this out without any more bloodshed,” Shara said, gesturing at Susan and the wolf, whose bleeding had slowed. Still, the injuries stood out starkly against their fur.
“I agree,” Cammie nodded her head. “Let’s take this down a notch. Violence isn’t necessary.”
Riley hadn’t stopped staring at Alice, and his anger exploded on her. “Alice, how could you do this? A werewolf’s whore!”
Cammie grabbed his arm. “Don’t you dare speak of your sister that way!”
“You shut your damned mouth, Riley!” Alex yelled. “You will not speak about her that way!”
“Screw you, wolf! You seduced her into believing you care about her and fucked her! She was injured and probably drugged!”
An answering warning at the insult arose among the wolves. Several of them lowered their heads aggressively, ready and willing to fight for their future leader’s reputation. In response, the bears rumbled menacingly, also prepared to fight for Alice’s reputation.
Alice’s eyes widened at the implication. “Riley! I was perfectly lucid when we had sex. He did not take advantage of me! Stop this!”
“It’s ok, Alice. We all know you seduced my son with your whore ways,” John said.
Riley screamed in fury, shifted, and charged at John. The bears followed their leader, roaring in anger. John grinned before shifting and readying for the impact of Riley’s weight. Cammie and Shara screamed for all of them to stop, and Alice moved to protect Susan, who still lay on the ground. The shouts of the matriarchs were ignored, and soon the entire pack and clan were battling for the honor of their members who had suffered insult.
Alex had followed Alice to Susan and stood next to her, still in human form. He said, “I’m going to shift and try to stop this. Please don’t shift, please don’t fight.”
Alice looked at him. “I won’t shift unless I have to.”
He nodded, shifted, and ran into the melee around him. He pulled wolves off bears, and pushed bears off wolves, hopping between them, trying to show he wanted this to end. He was accomplishing nothing in his wolf form, but he had to keep trying.
*****
Bud watched silently from his position near the camp. He’d made eye contact with Mike just a moment ago, shaking his head at him. They had planned to ambush the camp as soon as the bears arrived, firing shots like snipers until most of them were either dead, injured, or had run away.
But the drama that had unfolded was interesting. The werebear they had shot and almost captured the day before had stayed at the wolf camp and had sex with the werewolf who had saved her. Although it fascinated him, it also turned his stomach. These creatures should not procreate. They were inhuman, regardless of the fact that they could assume a human form. And because they weren’t plain old bears and wolves, they had no right to make more abominations like themselves.
He had watched the whole episode between the two families, listening to the pleas and anger on both sides. Like a soap opera, the arguments had continued to escalate. Bud knew if waited long enough, one
side would lose the calm façade and attack. Once that happened, the clan and the pack would kill each other. He considered his options as the arguing continued. Bud knew that a torn up pelt was worth nothing. If he and his men waited until this escalated into a were-battle, very few of the pelts would be worth anything due to the claw marks and bite wounds. However, if the battle occurred, more of these disgusting creatures would die, and perhaps, if he and the human race were lucky, they would obliterate the clans so entirely that any werebears or werewolves left would leave the area.
He had a decision to make. He focused on the leaders and listened. Still just talking, so he had time to think. A whistle sounded from his left, and he looked over at Jason, who raised his eyebrows at tilted his head at Bud, silently questioning him. Bud shook his head and made a sign that meant to wait longer. Jason narrowed his eyes at him, but nodded his agreement and signaled the other two.
Bud returned his attention to the camp at a howl and watched as the leader of the bears shifted and attacked. He sighed. His decision had been snatched from him. They’d have to settle in and let the situation play out and then see what was left.
Great. I’ll never hear the end of this, he thought as he glanced at the other guys. They didn’t see him looking; they were so immersed in the battle they couldn’t tear their eyes away. Bud returned to the show.
*****
Alice guarded her sister, watching the battle tensely. So far, neither the clan nor the pack had the upper hand. Alice knew the clan was well-trained for this kind of thing, even if it was rarely necessary. Obviously the pack was also well-trained for this circumstance. Growls of rage and howls of pain filled the clearing; blood stained the grounds, drops here, splatters there, a pool or two forming under a were who had fallen and not gotten back up. As far as Alice could see, none had died, but if the battle continued, dead bodies would dot the area.
Alice looked at Susan, telling her, “I have to try to stop this, Susan. They’re going to kill each other if I don’t.”
Susan pled with her large bear eyes, a new tear joining the ones already on her furry nose. She shook the large bear head at Alice and put a paw on her leg. She couldn’t change into her human form to talk to her; the wound on her neck would kill her if she were human. She’d knew she was stuck in bear form for the next few days so it could heal some.
Forbidden Love: A BBW, BWWM Paranormal Romance Page 6