Bears of Burden: WYATT

by Candace Ayers

  "So, you'll think about it?" Jakob nudged.

  Bree shook her head. "No. I don't need to think anymore. The answer is yes." Her heart went wild in her chest, her face flushing, her thighs burning. Jakob sensed all these things and didn't think he could leave her. It was too difficult. It was not always easy being the ruler of a pride.

  "I'll come back later," he said.

  "Good." She pressed her core against him, sliding her hand along the bulging muscles of his back. He let his hands trail up her waist and stop at the voluptuous curve of her breasts. His breath was fast and almost as hard as the bulge that rubbed against Bree's lower half.

  "Go," she said, pushing him away. "But hurry back."

  He adjusted himself in his pants, grunting, and hurried home. The faster he took care of this, the faster he could return.

  Bree stepped inside and closed the door. She leaned against it and let her eyes close. She didn't hear anything until it was too late. Blake's hand was already over her mouth, and his claws were already ripping her flesh.

  Chapter 17

  Jakob paused at the door to his home. His head thumped like a jackhammer and his eyes felt like they wanted to shed blood. He could hardly breathe and fell to the ground just as he crossed the threshold.

  Mark was there and called the others, who came running. "I'm fine," Jakob said, standing up and shaking them off. Bree was dreaming again. It must be a terrible nightmare, he thought, for him to feel the sensations he was feeling so strongly. He walked to his study and sank into the deep plush of his favorite chair. The pride followed him in.

  "I'm fine," he said. "Christ, I don't need a babysitter. Leave me."

  They began walking away when something occurred to him. "Has Blake been here?" He'd specifically told them to keep an eye out for him. They looked around and shrugged.

  "He hasn't been here," William said.

  Jakob's heart began a marathon in his chest. He closed his eyes and tried to listen for Bree. He picked her out immediately. Her scent was easy to find, her thoughts nearly so. But what he felt couldn't be real. She was definitely dreaming. She had to be. In his mind, he saw her hurt and bleeding, felt her life draining away. He'd only left her a half hour ago. This wasn't possible.

  Unless Blake... he reached out his mind to find Blake, and was horrified at the silence. His eyes snapped open, wide and frightened with sudden understanding.

  "Oh God," Jakob said, "what have I done?" Jakob had banished Blake. For good. That meant he was no longer Blake's King, no longer his alpha. He had no control over him, and no ability to sense him.

  The pride stared at him, uncertain whether they should try to help as Jakob jumped off the chair and ran for the door. He shifted so fast, the others almost missed it. His clothes ripped and scattered through the air. Bree was in trouble. It was no dream this time.

  ***

  Bree was tied to the bed. Her shirt was split open and blood oozed out over her breasts, pooling between them as she whimpered. She called out to Jakob but wasn't sure he heard her. She thought so, but her mind was too rattled with pain. She couldn't concentrate on anything other than the razor claws Blake used to toy with her, cutting slices of her flesh. She prayed for neighbors to hear her, but the walls in this building were thick and Bree had a corner unit with only one set of neighbors, an old couple who both wore hearing aids.

  Blake hovered in the background, watching her squirm. This was what he wanted. With Bree gone, Jakob would crumble. No one else in the pride was fit to lead. He would simply step in.

  "Why are you doing this?" Bree sobbed. Her right arm was broken. It stretched over her head, tied to a post in her headboard. It shouldn't be able to straighten out enough to reach, given the angle of the protruding bone, but Blake had forced it. It seemed hours or even days had passed since her parents’ party. The ring Jakob had given her less than an hour ago glistened in the light of her room. Blake followed her gaze and smiled at the ring.

  "No," she begged as he approached her. His hand snatched the ring off her finger too quickly. His strength, even in human form, was somewhat superhuman like all shifters. She felt her finger crackle and a small splinter of bone poke out of her like a needle.

  "Pretty," Blake said, then tossed it into the trash.

  He slowly transformed himself into a half-lion for Bree's benefit. It was easy with the moon so full. He'd shut off all the lights in her room, wanting to see the glory of the moonlight. He paced around the room and stopped at the window, looking out. His body stood erect, hair sprouted from him in all directions. Bree didn't think of him as a lion. Lion shifters were not evil, Jakob had explained, they were simply humans with the ability to shift at will. They lived, they died, they loved, just like anyone. Blake was nothing but a monster.

  His fingers had reshaped into huge paws, dangling at his sides, and with them, the razor-sharp claws that he traced over Bree's skin, threatening to slice her open once again. She already felt dizzy and wondered how much blood loss the wound to her chest had caused. Guess it's a good thing they're not vampires, she thought, and giggled in her slight delirium.

  Blake thought she was laughing at him. He dug one claw deep into her belly and the giggle ran away from her, replaced with wide eyes and a piercing scream. He smiled, satisfied.

  Chapter 18

  Jakob moved so fast anyone who saw him would have had no choice but to believe he was something otherworldly. He moved through the night, letting the force of the full moon rush through him, filling him with strength and speed. The flesh of his paws pounded the pavement, creating a thud deeper than thunder. It shook the ground as he ran and anyone he passed might have thought there'd just been an earthquake.

  Outside Bree's building, Jakob jumped through an open window in the basement and made his way up four flights of stairs to Bree's apartment. The door was open. Jakob entered, cautious. He didn't care if he was injured, but he did not want any more harm to come to Bree. He smelled her from the other room.

  "Come in Jakob," Blake's voice rang out.

  In the bedroom, on the bed where they'd made love for the first time, lay Bree. She was covered with so much blood Jakob barely recognized her. Her breaths were short and shallow. Her eyes opened and she looked at him. "Jakob," she whispered, before talking became too much.

  Jakob shifted out of his lion form and ran to her. He pressed two fingers to her neck and felt her pulse. It wasn't as bad as it looked. Her heart beat was still strong. She'd lost a lot of blood, but they could fix that at a hospital. He kissed her tenderly on the lips and she responded with a murmur. The ties around her wrists left deep purple bruises. Her arm was broken and Jakob quickly undid the ties that bound her to the bed. Her arms lay limp at her sides. At least Blake hadn't tried to mate with her. There was no scent of anything to indicate a sexual act had taken place.

  If Blake had been able to read Jakob's thoughts, he would have laughed. The idea of touching Bree disgusted him. Unless he was ripping part of her open with his claws, that is. He wanted her dead, but slowly, painfully.

  Jakob turned to Blake, pure hatred in his heart. "Why?"

  Blake laughed. Jakob saw red as his anger burned, a raging fire deep in his gut.

  "I should be King of the pride," Blake said. "Look what I've done." He gestured to Bree and disgust roiled Jakob's stomach, making him sick. Why hadn't he seen this coming? He'd let his pride down, but worse, he'd let his mate down.

  The blood boiled in Jakob's feet, burning him as it rose up his legs, continuing to rise. When the burn hit his chest, it was like hell burning inside him. Jakob shifted back to a lion and pounced upon Blake. Blake wasn't ready. He had wanted to tease Jakob more, make him feel the daggers as he scraped Bree's once smooth and creamy skin. She'd be plagued with scars forever now.

  Jakob's teeth sank into Blake's ankle. He snapped out of his reverie and shifted. The bedroom was small, but roomy enough. Jakob and Blake circled each other. The fur that matted itself to Blake's back suddenly rose int
o a Mohawk as Blake crouched down and cocked his tail, baring fangs to shame a vampire. His ears moved forward, and his eyes were savage. He leapt at Jakob and missed as Jakob quickly skirted his attack.

  This wasn't just about death. It was about taking ownership. A new alpha to replace the old. Jakob attacked with the strength of an alpha, the strength of a King, aided by the full moon which made his muscles thicker and the alpha in him stronger. Jakob's rage was primitive and ferocious, and Blake had no idea how to win against it. They danced around each other, snapping and baiting each other to attack.

  Blake was impatient. He tried again and again to get to Jakob's throat, only to be swatted aside like nothing more than a marshmallow. When he crouched again and tried for a snap attack to try to rip Jakob's head off, Jakob sliced Blake's front leg with his claws. Blake stepped back, injured, but not so much that he couldn't still win this.

  Jakob watched Blake try his stupid snap attacks again and again and fail miserably. It was like playing with a cub.

  Bree coughed from the bed and tried to suck in an impossible amount of air, wheezing like an asthma patient. When Jakob turned his head towards her, alarmed, Blake pounced. This time, his crouch and snap landed right on Jakob's hind leg, only Blake did not let go. He pulled on Jakob's leg until the skin began to shred and Jakob felt a 'pop.' He let out a howl and Bree stirred slightly from the bed.

  "Jakob?" she muttered. "I don't feel so good." She fell back onto the bed and before Jakob could react, Blake was on top of her. He ripped Bree's throat open and the last of her blood gushed forward.

  Jakob got up too late. He ran at Blake, his hind leg hanging on by sinews, and knocked Blake off her chest. Blake fell to the ground, shocked at the sudden outburst of energy from Jakob. He'd thought Jakob was too injured to do anything more than hobble. Jakob still had three strong working legs though, and he used them to pin Blake to the ground. Blake struggled under him, but he was weaker than Jakob, he always had been.

  Jakob bared his fangs and lunged at Blake's neck. Blake felt Jakob's teeth sink into him and tried to push him away, but it was no use. The pain wasn't bad; it was the failure that was excruciating. He'd lost. Jakob had proven his rightful place as ruler and that Blake was no alpha. The puncture wounds were deep and pierced an artery, for that Blake was grateful. Death came faster than he deserved, leaving him little time to drown in the anguish that came with knowing he would die as second best.

  Chapter 19

  Jakob shook Bree like a scared little boy. She didn't respond. Her heart still beat, but her eyes wouldn't open.

  "Bree! Oh, god, no!" Something inside him was slipping away. It was their connection. He clutched her to him, refusing to let her go. Jakob was not a crying man, but the salt of his own tears ran into his mouth and mixed with Bree's blood. His heart felt like daggers were poking at him a hundred times over.

  There wasn't time for a doctor. Even if he'd gotten her to one, her throat was ripped apart, shredded, she'd be on machines for the rest of her life. The pain was too much. If he lost Bree now, he might as well have let Blake kill him.

  The moon was still out, still full. It was the best time for induction. It was the only way to save her. He had no time to ask her permission, even if she'd been conscious. Another few seconds and she'd be gone. His own blood ran from the wound Blake had inflicted upon his leg, which was already beginning to heal, due to the incredible healing powers of shifters. Jakob took one large finger and ran it over his flowing blood, and brought it to Bree's lips. She did not suckle it, but she did not have to. He put his finger inside her mouth, it was still warm. When his blood was on her tongue he pulled it out. Jakob transformed back into a lion and nuzzled her wrist before biting it as gently as he could with his fangs. Then he began to lap her wounds with his tongue.

  Her blood stained the pink of his tongue a dark berry as he worked first at her neck, where the largest wound was. She tasted sweet and he was cognizant of the fact he was basically drinking her blood, but in a strange way he felt closer to her because of it. Blood was something pure. It could never be tainted by insecurities or the silly façades people placed on themselves in their daily lives. Rich men and poor men alike all bled red. Tasting of the blood was the surest way to know someone.

  Bree stirred under him as he lapped at her chest. Her nipples, once a rosy pink, were now a darkened cherry. She was breathing normally again. He had stopped the majority of her blood loss. Now he watched as her body shook. Her limbs convulsed and she looked like she was in great pain, then her eyes opened wide and she let out a roar, the sweetest sound Jakob had ever heard.

  Skin grew over the cuts and scratches where Blake had penetrated her. The broken limbs righted themselves. The whole process would take the night to complete. Jakob sat by the window and waited.

  ***

  Bree felt great, which was strange. She'd pretty much died last night. Jakob watched her, afraid she'd be angry, but she was excited.

  "So, I'm a wereli… I mean, a lion shifter now?" she sniffed the air and was surprised to find her sense of smell increased three times over.

  "Yes."

  "But I look the same."

  "You are the same, just a slightly different version," Jakob said and relaxed.

  "Like an upgrade?" she teased.

  Jakob smiled. "I'd say so." She was alive. She was happy. Her scent had increased in his nostrils since her change, sending charges of electricity through his nerves. He wanted her more now than he'd ever thought possible.

  She moved through her apartment, testing out her new shifter abilities. Jakob talked her through most of it. She was surprised to find how naturally it came to her. Jakob's mind was linked to hers so that they didn't even need to speak, unless they wanted to. They could literally read each other's thoughts. But if she'd never again heard the deep resonance of Jakob's voice as he crooned her name, she'd have been one sad lioness.

  "Let's go running," she said.

  Chapter 20

  The stadium cheered as Jakob made his way across the baseball diamond. He stood at home plate, William beside him. Special bleachers had been brought out for their guests, and Bree's mom sat in the closest one, bawling. Jacob's hands were sweaty. I'm not nervous. How can I be nervous? This was my idea. That just made his hands sweat even more. Bree had insisted they have no contact the week before their wedding. She had to do "girl things." He had no idea what that was supposed to mean, but it was important to her, so he'd relented.

  The last week had been excruciating. It was the first time he’d slept without her since the night Blake had attacked her and left her for dead. Heat stirred in him, deep and primal. There was something else they'd done every night since Blake's attack. Going without Bree's touch for the past week had left him feeling empty. If he'd had to endure it past today, he didn't think he would have survived.

  His eyes strayed again and again to the clubhouse opening where Bree was supposed to make her entrance. When she still wasn't there after five minutes, he began to get scared something was wrong. She can take care of herself. He knew that was true, but that didn't stop him from worrying.

  When "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" finally started, the crowd stood and Jakob expelled a giant sigh of relief. Bree entered the field. Jakob's jaw dropped. His breath hammered out of his chest, and it was like the first time they'd met all over again.

  Bree's dress was far from traditional. She'd shunned Jakob's money while they were dating, but when it came to the wedding, she figured you only live once. Or twice, in Bree's case.

  Bree's mom had wanted white, but Bree had wanted something to match the golden flecks she saw in Jakob's eyes whenever he shifted. Her dress dazzled under the lights of the field. The stars overhead—she had insisted on a night game—added their own luster. Her dress was glitter and gold and more Vegas show girl than royal wedding. The train was three feet long and dotted with crystal gems. Her full figure was glued to the glistening satin corset that laced up her back with pearl s
tring. Diamonds hung around her neck. Cameras flashed from every angle. Something in her stomach kicked and she pulled her father's arm, pausing for a moment before they continued down the field.

  Jakob looked amazing in his specially tailored suit. He muscles loomed as thick as ever, and when Bree sniffed him her heart began the steady jackhammer that always accompanied his scent. The reverend was dressed as an umpire, and when he started their vows her stomach kicked again. She stooped over slightly and pinched Jakob's arm. He gave her a quizzical look but turned back to the umpire. She had no idea how she'd managed to keep the baby from him. She thought it had something to do with her shifting hormones as the baby grew. She was only two months in, the doctor had told her just days before. She had no idea how to tell Jakob, or what he would think.

  They knew each other inside and out now, you'd think it would be easy to find the words. "Jakob, I’m pregnant." But she guessed it was never easy. Her mother cried from the bleachers, and the rest of Jakob's pride let out a giant roar as Jakob placed the ring on her finger. Jakob's lips tantalized her. He put his arms around her and drew her close. When they touched, an avalanche of heat fell between them. They had to hold each other up or risk falling to the ground and shifting in front of two baseball teams, a crowd of onlookers, and their guests.

  "May I present Mr. and Mrs. Moore. Yooouu'rre ooouuutaaa heeere!"

  The crowd cheered. Between Jakob and Bree's guests, and the actual game that was going on, not a seat was left open. The ball players ran onto the field to finish the seventh inning as Jakob gathered Bree's hand in his massive one and the silent hum of electricity surged between them as it always would.