by Fel Fern
Logan crossed his arms and looked at him, expression unreadable.
“Liam’s amazing. He’s more than I deserve. No other shifter would take in a pregnant Omega who’s carrying someone else’s child. I want you to know that I didn’t plan this. I wasn’t looking for a protector. I fell hard and fast for your brother.”
Eli delivered those words from the bottom of his heart.
“I know,” Logan finally said. “It took me a long time to accept you. I don’t like change. The three of us were doing fine on our own until you arrived.”
Those last few words almost sounded like an accusation but Eli listened with an open mind. Besides, Logan was finally opening up to him.
Eli never thought the tight-lipped and angry grizzly shifter would ever let Eli inside his tightly erected shields. Eli was now a vital part of Liam’s life. Logan and Lucas were important to Liam, so they were also precious to Eli.
“My own family felt like strangers to me,” Eli said, deciding to share a part of his heart he only shared with his mate. “They only saw me as a pawn to further their alliances. I’ve only been here for a month, but Liam, Lucas, and you? You three feel like the family I’m always meant to have.”
Eli wasn’t done. “You guys have become important to me, you know?”
“Stop it,” Logan said, tone harsh. Were Logan’s eyes watering? “You can stay for as long as you want. I can’t do anything about this situation anyway.”
Logan finished his coffee and walked past him. The werebear retreated to the basement again. Was he afraid Eli would catch him wiping his tears away? At the very least, Eli had managed to bridge the gap between them, even just a little.
“Liam,” he whispered to the empty kitchen. “Come back soon with Lucas.”
13
Eli
The ringing bell made Eli pause from washing the cups Logan and he used. They weren’t expecting guests until next week. Maybe it was a local or a staff they hired?
His stomach churned. What if it was the police and they had news of Lucas? Eli wiped his soapy and wet hands on the nearby wash cloth and headed to the reception area.
“Eli, hold up,” he heard Logan call from the basement.
Eli rolled his eyes. Logan and Lucas were just as bad as Liam. Eli was pregnant. It didn’t mean he’d gotten more fragile or weak. He spotted a man tapping his foot impatiently in front of the desk.
Eli froze in his footsteps as a horrid and familiar scent hit him. Steve turned towards him, eyes narrowed. Every muscle in Eli’s body locked in his place.
He barely recognized Steve. The Steve he’d known was always impeccably dressed in expensive designer suits. Steve was always careful about his appearance.
Steve was the CEO of a large shipping company but he was CEO in name only. He knew Steve spent his days playing video games in the office. Steve wasted his nights, seeing other men behind Eli’s back.
Eli didn’t care Steve cheated on him. In fact, he was always happy when Steve didn’t come home for the night.
He would have mistaken the shifter in the red hoodie and messy hair for a stranger if it weren’t for Steve’s scent. Cigarette smoke and stale beer mingled with wolf musk. There were dark shadows under Steve’s eyes and he looked like he lost a ton of weight.
Was Steve real or a figment of his imagination?
“You fucking traitor,” Steve said in a low voice.
Steve’s eye color turned piss-yellow.
Steve’s teeth and claws lengthened, then shortened. It was as if Steve couldn’t control his shifts any more. The angry and murderous aura coming off him was so overwhelming that Eli took another step backwards.
“How did you find me?” He whispered.
Eli needed to buy him and his babies more time. Logan would be here any moment. Where the hell was he? Hearing a crash in the kitchen, Eli jumped. It was followed by a series of roars and snarls.
Sweat coated his back as the realisation dawned on him. Steve hadn’t come alone.Steve probably bought back-up and that shifter was probably tangling with Logan. This was all on him, Eli realized.
Despair and terror dug its claws inside him but Eli refused to let them take root. He brought this upon himself. Eli knew Steve would find him sooner or later.
Liam and he let their guard down when nothing happened after a couple of weeks. Part of him hoped Steve had written him off as dead and had given up looking for him. Wistful thinking. Eli couldn’t freeze up now.
“It wasn’t easy. I overturned the entire house looking for clues. None of the private investigators I hired could dig up anything on your escape. The PC you used finally gave me answers,” Steve said, feral gaze trained on him. “I hired a hacker to crack the PC password. I had him dig up your deleted search history.”
Steve crept closer to him. Eli felt trapped. He couldn’t run back into the kitchen. Logan was fighting another shifter there. Steve blocked his other exit—the front door.
Oh God. Where did Eli leave the gun Liam give him? Eli couldn’t seem to remember. Steve felt and looked unhinged. He was surprised Steve came here himself instead of hiring someone else to bring him back.
Eli’s mind quickly worked. Steve’s dad and Eli’s own father probably didn’t want news of his disappearance getting out to the public. The media would have a field day if word got out that Steve, an Alpha who came from a wealthy shifter family, couldn’t hold onto one Omega.
“You can make this hard or easy, Eli. Tell me you’ll make it hard.” Steve’s eyes gleamed with malice. “I’m up for a chase.”
The old Eli would shut his mouth and might even apologize. Eli didn’t owe this bastard anything. He stood his ground and lifted his chin.
“I’m not going with you anywhere. I’ve found my mate, my real one. We’re about to have kids. Leave unless you want to get hurt.”
Steve didn’t need to know the babies were his.Eli wasted six months of his life, letting Steve terrorise him. Steve was only a big bully. He wasn’t a real threat. Steve didn’t hold a candle to Liam.
Liam could break his ex in half—except Liam wasn’t here. He swallowed. He rubbed his sweaty palms against his jeans and reminded himself he wasn’t alone.
Logan would make short work of his opponent soon. Meanwhile, Eli had to buy himself more time.Steve stared at his stomach and howled. Eli swallowed.
Shit. He shouldn’t have mentioned kids. Babies were a touchy subject for Steve. Clothing ripped and brown fur covered Steve’s entire body. He saw murder in Steve’s eyes.
There was no recognition, no mercy left there. Eli always knew there was something wrong, something missing in Steve. To see Steve devolve into a Rogue shocked him. Move, Eli silently yelled at himself.
Someone grabbed his shoulder. Logan shoved him backwards. Logan used his big body to shield Eli. Logan snarled as Steve’s claws left gashes on his chest.
Eli landed on his ass. He wasn’t hurt. Logan had taken most of the damage. Relief filled him. He and his babies were unharmed thanks to Logan.
“Eli, go somewhere safe,” Logan said through gritted teeth. “I have this.”
Steve launched himself at Logan again. Steve was already in between wolf and human form. Eli bolted past Steve. Steve tried to claw at him but Logan had shed his human skin. A giant grizzly bear replaced Logan.
Logan used his big paws to swat Steve backwards. Blood slicked the new wooden floors. Hearing another snarl, he risked a look over his shoulder. A second werewolf, a big black bastard with scars all over his muzzle, came at Logan from behind.
The image of Logan’s lifeless body rose in his head. Horror held him in a tight grip. He didn’t know what to say to Liam if Logan died on his account.
Eli halted. “Logan, watch out!
The black werewolf collided into Logan. That gave Steve the opportunity to slink away. His situation just took a turn for the worse. Eli ran faster, his pulse racing. He eyed the shotgun he left on a nearby table. Eli swiped the gun on his way out of the lodge
.
His breaths came short. His legs burned. They threatened to give out but Eli couldn’t stop. Steve would be on him in seconds. Eli couldn’t shift, not without risking his babies. He was in the advanced stage of his pregnancy.
Eli still had the gun but he wasn’t sure he would be able to hit anything in his panicked state of mind. Steve’s muscled form collided with his back legs. Eli toppled over. The gun clattered from his fingers.
He curled into himself, rolling to protect his stomach as he hit the ground. A furious roar from the woods made a flock of nearby birds take flight.
He hear that sound before. His heart raced. Eli reached for his mating bond with Liam and felt his mate respond. Liam was coming. Steve was in for a world of hurt. Eli reached for the gun again.
He didn’t have time to take deep breaths and aim. Eli fumbled with the safety and fired. Steve drew back, hissing.
“This gun’s loaded with silver bullets,” Eli yelled.
He lied right through his teeth out of sheer desperation. Steve considered him for a few seconds but Eli could only buy himself so much time.
With his superior speed and strength, Steve could knock Eli’s gun away if he wanted. Steve must’ve come to the same conclusion because the bastard lunged at him again. Eli drew a shaky breath and waited for Steve to land his death blow.
14
Liam/ Eli
Liam
Spotting the two massive grizzlies circling Lucas triggered Liam’s rage. Lucas was too busy fighting the pair off to notice the third bear slowly coming at him from behind.
Although it was tempting to come to his brother’s defense right away, Liam didn’t wade into the fight yet. These weren’t wild animals. The normal grizzlies on their land wouldn’t attack a human unless provoked. These bastards were shifters.
He sniffed the air. These three bear shifters smelled wrong somehow. Sick. A closer look showed him their bloodshot eyes and scarred and matted fur. Rogues. The shifter Lucas hadn’t noticed leaped at Lucas’ exposed back.
Liam dived into the fight, intercepting the Rogue before it could reach his brother. He roared at the werebear’s face and swiped a claw at his face. The Rogue drew back only to come at him again, his claws and fangs unsheathed.
Liam and the Rogue tangle in the dirt. He grew pissed. The Rogue tried to swipe his claws at Liam’s eyes but he dodged at the last second. He closed his teeth on the enemy’s throat and refused to let go.
A pair of fangs punctured his left hind leg. One of the Rogues Lucas had been fighting had come for him, but Liam didn’t let go of his first prey.
His teeth pierced through fur, skin, then right through the Rogue’s pulse point. Blood gushed out in a torrent.From the corner of his eye, he noticed Lucas had finished off his opponent.
His brother came barrelling at them. Lucas violently tore the Rogue biting Liam’s leg away from him. Liam dropped his prey. The Rogue’s empty yellow eyes stared up at him.
He looked for Lucas but his brother didn’t need a hand. Lucas tore out the last Rogue’s throat and let out a triumphant roar.
Liam tried to piece together what happened. Lucas set out early only to find these Rogues. His brother couldn’t take all three shifters at once.
Knowing Lucas’ mind worked, Lucas probably tried to separate the Rogues and take them out one-by-one. Too bad Rogues were known to be unpredictable. These Rogues must’ve known each other in real life. That could explain why Liam found all three of them fighting Lucas. Lucas probably couldn’t isolate them.
Lucas would’ve been mincemeat if Liam hadn’t arrived. With the two of them fighting together side-by-side, they easily finished off their enemies.
There was no use trying to negotiate with Rogues. These shifters were no better than wild animals who were out to destroy and kill whoever got in their way.
Both he and his brother were bruised, bloody, torn-up but they were alive. That was all that mattered. They must look awful though. Eli was going to give him a scolding once he returned.
On the heels of that thought, Liam suddenly tasted something acrid. Fear and panic were suddenly thrust inside him, disabling his ability to think.
Overwhelmed, Liam forced himself to take deep breaths. A growl slipped his lips. It took him a second to realize these intense emotions came from the mate bond he shared with Eli.
Someone placed a hand on his bloodstained furry shoulder. He jerked, snarling into Lucas’s face. His brother had changed back to human form while he was lost in his thoughts. He relaxed a little.
“Trouble at the lodge?” Lucas asked.
Unable to speak in bear form, Liam nodded.
“Then go. I’ll take care of the bodies,” Lucas said.
Liam started making his way back to his mate. Awful scenarios kept playing in his head. He trusted Logan to guard Eli. Liam tried to reach out to Eli again but his mate was in panic mode. Liam tried to send soothing and calming emotions through the link, unsure if it would work.
Both of them were new at this. Neither of them fully understood what the mating bond was capable of yet. What if Steve and Eli’s family finally managed to track Eli down?Liam had to admit that when nothing happened after a few weeks, he put Steve and Eli’s family away from his mind.
Completing the lodge’s renovations was his number one priority. Cursing himself, Liam pushed his powerful body faster. Bears weren’t natural runners like wolves but his speed could still take an opponent by surprise on occasion.
Branches whipped at his face. He dug his long, wicked ebony claws into the earth. Liam pictured himself slicing the enemy to ribbons with them. Sweat trickled down his back. Liam was getting close.
The lodge loomed ahead of him. The dark wooden roof peeked back at him through a cluster of trees. He threw back his head and let out a roar to tell his mate he was coming. Eli, hang on, Liam thought.
He blamed himself for leaving his pregnant Omega at the lodge. Liam should’ve woken Logan up and let him look for Lucas while Liam stood guard over his mate.
Too late for regrets. He only hoped he could reach his mate in time. Liam pushed his way past two trees. The lodge was finally just a few feet from him. He heard the loud thud first. Wood cracked and splintered.
Logan barrelled right through the front door, a big black muscled werewolf nipping at his heels. Logan was covered in rake marks and blood. Liam then saw his mate.
Time came to a halt. Another werewolf, a leaner one with brown fur, padded towards Eli. Eli’s hands shook as he pointed a shotgun at his attacker.
Fury like Liam had never known, swarmed him. How dare this puny and pathetic werewolf attack a pregnant Omega, his Omega?
Neither Eli nor his attacker seemed to notice his arrival. Liam took two, three long strides towards them.
Eli looked up and saw him. Relief filled his Omega’s features. Eli scrambled away from his attacker. The werewolf didn’t have a chance to give chase.
One swipe of Liam’s massive paw sent the pathetic bully sprawling backwards. Logan must’ve dispatched the other werewolf by now but Logan wouldn’t interfere. His brother understood this was Liam’s kill.
The brown-furred werewolf opened his jaws and let out a warning growl. Liam wasn’t the least bit impressed. Liam padded towards him.
Mercy didn’t exist in his dictionary. This furry bastard might not be a Rogue but once he came after Eli, he just signed his death sentence.
The werewolf must’ve underestimated Liam’s speed because he wasn’t fast enough to dart away. Liam drove his claws into his opponent’s belly. The werewolf whined. He didn’t get off on pain and violence but at that moment, he wanted this fool to hurt, to suffer.
Liam looked over his shoulder to where Eli still sat in the dirt. The asshole who attacked his mate wasn’t going anywhere, not while he remained skewered on Liam’s claws.
Eli’s eyes were wide and he wrapped his arms around his belly. Eli and he shared a look of understanding.
This fucker had to
die. Liam returned his attention to the werewolf. The bastard didn’t deserve a quick end, but he didn’t want Eli to continue watching his horror show.
Eli had been through enough today. Liam sunk his fangs into the struggling werewolf’s neck. He ripped out the bastard’s throat, ending his misery.
Eli
“I’m sorry,” Logan told Eli for the third time that evening.
“Logan, enough,” Eli said.
All four of them sat down for dinner. After the long day everyone had, Eli bet everyone was hungry. He managed to whip up some sandwiches and chips.
“You’ve apologized too many times.” Eli added.
Liam couldn’t stop glowering at his brother. Logan clenched his jaw so hard, Eli had a feeling he had plenty to say to Liam.
Good grief. All three Griffin brothers were a mess, covered in bandages and cuts. Since they refused to go to a hospital, Eli tended to each of them as best as he could before they sat down for dinner.
How could Eli explain to both Liam and Logan that he was fine? The worst was over. For now, they could breathe easy. Lucas was the only one who seemed oblivious to the tension in the room.
“Are you going to eat those chips?” Lucas asked Eli.
Eli shook his head, passing his plate to the hungry werebear.
“I trusted you to do one thing,” Liam finally said through gritted teeth.
Eli could sense Liam’s testy grizzly through their mate bond. If this went on any further, Liam and Logan would start brawling in animal form. Eli couldn’t have that.
All of them had worked so hard on the lodge and these two knuckleheads could easily wreck all the renovation work. They definitely have to replace the front door. Right now, it was boarded up with a sheet of plastic.
The kitchen was also a mess thanks to Logan’s fight with the other werewolf. Eli cleared his throat. He reached out across the table and brushed his fingers over Liam’s arm. His mate blinked and looked at him.