by Tonya Brooks
The alpha power was an innate form of energy that only a select few purebred alphas possessed. They could emit short bursts of it to force an entire pack of wolves into submission if they got out of control. It was very rare and extremely powerful. And if Dane lost control it could be deadly.
Mother fucking hell.
This was all their bitch of a mother's fault. If she hadn't warped their psyche's this shit wouldn't be happening. Being pimped out to pedophiles by your own mother had a tendency to fuck with a child's head. Reece had become a vicious creature filled with rage and a ruthless determination to never be subject to anyone else's control.
Which is how he had become the most powerful alpha in the country.
His brother was a completely different story. Dane had been born an alpha, but he had suppressed his wolf's natural inclinations in the vain hope that their mother would love him if he was obedient. He had actually believed the sick bitch when she'd told him that he wasn't loveable and he never would be.
Combine that shit with his brother's kind heart and generous spirit and what you got was a chivalrous prick who refused to embrace his destiny. Dane went out of his way to take care of others as a true alpha should and their adoptive father had known that he should have been his successor.
So had Reece.
When Dane had refused to step up and accept his full potential, their father had named him pack alpha. Reece ruled with an iron paw and the respect he commanded was rooted in fear. But the pack loved his brother, though the idiot couldn't see it, and would blindly follow his lead without question.
It looked like the time had finally come to settle the matter once and for all.
This situation with his brother was long overdue. And it wasn't like he had a choice. As the pack alpha, it was his responsibility to rein Dane back in, even if he had to bare fangs and claws to do it. Jesus. Jolie was going to be pissed, but there was nothing else that he could do if his brother provoked a confrontation.
"Fall back and give him some breathing room," he commanded heavily. "I'll be there as soon as I can."
"I'm going with you," his wife said as he'd expected.
"Sunshine, Dane is almost rogue right now and it won't take much to push him over the edge," he pointed out. "I don't want you anywhere near him until he's in his right mind again."
"Oh, please," she scoffed. "Dane would never hurt me and you know it."
"But he is going to hurt me and I don't want you to see it," he said seriously and hugged her tight.
"Oh, hell no," his wife growled and pushed him away. She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "I'm going, Reece, so stop arguing and get your ass in gear."
Goddamn, he loved it when she got feisty.
No amount of arguing could make her stay behind and he couldn't bring himself to lock her in the penthouse, so thirty minutes later, Jolie was by his side when the helicopter touched down. The cabin sat in a large clearing and appeared deserted. Reece could sense the presence of his pack waiting in the surrounding woods.
His mate walked past him toward the cabin and he caught her arm to hold her back. His brother stepped out on the porch and a wave of pure energy slammed into Reece, causing him to stagger backward. His hold on Jolie loosened and she slipped out of his grasp to march right up to his brother, completely fearless.
"Dane, you and I are going to have a come to Jesus talk after I make sure your mate is all right," she warned as she walked right past him and into the cabin.
***
Jolie found the other woman sitting in a chair in front of the fireplace, her eyes huge and unfocused. She was dressed in Dane's sweatpants and t-shirt and her hair was still damp as if she'd recently showered. She lowered herself into the chair beside her and saw that Shana looked like she was in shock and scared half to death.
After what she had done, Jolie wasn't feeling all that charitable toward her right then. She reached out and grasped her cold hand and dazed pale green eyes met hers. "Shana, I know this is scary, but you have to get hold of your fear," she said sternly. "Dane's wolf is reacting to it and it's just making the situation worse."
"We're surrounded by wolves," she said just above a whisper.
"They're here for your protection," she assured her.
"But I don't need it," the other woman said as a tear slid down her cheek. "Dane would never hurt me. He told me the howls I heard meant that the wolves were here to watch him and that the alpha was coming. He swore he wouldn't let anyone take me away from him. I'm terrified that they're going to hurt him."
Jolie's brow crinkled before she said, "You're afraid for Dane?"
"Of course I am," she insisted in anguish. "He's going to be punished for loving me and I don't even deserve him."
"You love him," she said in astonishment.
"So much it's tearing me apart," Shana confessed miserably.
"Then you have to tell him," she urged.
"I can't," she denied in a broken whisper. "I can't be his mate. It wouldn't be fair to him."
"What's not fair is letting him think you don't love him," she countered unsympathetically. "Letting him believe that his mate rejected him is the cruelest thing you can do."
"I know he's hurting now, but…"
"But nothing," Jolie interrupted bluntly. "He'll always hurt unless he goes rogue and has to be put down. There is no walking away from a mate bond. I've tried and it's a living hell." The sound of an unholy roar caused her heart to stop. "Oh, God. They're going to fight. Stop him, Shana. For God's sake, stop this before it's too late!"
***
"Get the fuck out of here, Reece," Dane growled in an ominous tone.
His brother was already sporting fangs and claws and from the way his eyes were glowing reddish gold, he wasn't far from rogue. Reece stopped twenty feet from the porch and held both hands up in surrender."I'm not here to take her, Dane," he denied. "I just want to talk. This isn't the way to handle a mate and you know it."
"I won't lose her," his brother insisted stubbornly.
"You will if you keep scaring her," he pointed out and lowered his hands. "I can smell her fear and I know it's making your wolf batshit crazy."
"She's not afraid of me," he denied in a snarl.
"She's scared of something," he insisted since the stench of fear was almost overwhelming. "You need to find out what it is and fix it so she's not afraid. Prove to your mate that she has nothing to fear."
"I know how to take care of my mate," his brother snarled and jumped off of the porch to face him in an aggressive stance that had Reece's wolf rising to the challenge. "I took care of your mate when you wouldn't."
"And I thank God for that every day," Reece confessed as he forced his wolf back down. "Now it's my turn to repay the favor. Let me talk to your mate."
"No."
"Dammit, Dane, you can't just keep her here against her will," he insisted. "If she doesn't want to stay then you have to let her go."
"She's my mate," he snarled aggressively.
Yeah, talking was not going to resolve this situation. Reece knew what he had to do and it was gonna hurt like a mother fucker. He prepared himself for the fight of his life and prayed it didn't cost him his life. He said the one thing guaranteed to make his brother lose control. "She doesn't love you."
An unholy roar rent the air as his brother dove at him, shifting in mid-air. Reece was prepared for it and shifted as well. The two massive wolves collided with a vicious snarl that echoed through the clearing and into the distance. The battle was going to be bloody and he hoped like hell that they both survived it.
***
Shana raced out the door of the cabin and stared at the scene before her in astonishment. Two massive wolves, one white, the other black, were locked in an epic battle. They slashed at each other viciously with teeth and claws until blood coated both their bodies. She clapped a hand over her mouth to hold back a scream of sheer horror.
Her cuddly wolf wasn't the playful creature that sh
e adored. This was a ferocious beast intent on the complete annihilation of his opponent. The fierce snarls and growls were a far cry from the sweet howls and playful barks she'd heard before. Neither wolf was willing to back down and this was obviously a fight to the death.
Dane was hurt and bleeding. He was fighting with the brother that he loved. And he was doing it for her. Her horrified gaze saw the white wolf sink its teeth into the black wolf's neck and forcefully slam it to the ground. Then those powerful jaws shook his opponent like a poodle with a stuffed toy.
The black wolf heaved a heavy breath and went limp beneath him.
The mournful howl of dozens of wolves filled the air.
Jolie screamed in agony.
Shana didn't even think.
She just ran.
Her feet carried her directly into the fray and she grasped the back of the white wolf's neck with hands that trembled and pulled hard. She had to stop him before he killed his brother. If it wasn't already too late. The last thing she expected was to see those lethal blood coated fangs coming for her own throat.
Time stood still in that instant.
Because she knew with unshakable certainty that Dane would not hurt her. She was his fated mate and he loved her to the point of madness. He would kill for her. Die for her. Protect her with his life. And she wanted nothing more than to be his mate. So she stood perfectly still and whispered the word that would set him free.
The one word that would bind them for eternity.
"Mate."
***
The wolf was a seething mass of rage and fury. His mate had rejected him and the pain was unbearable. He wanted to kill, eviscerate and destroy everything in his path. He had warned his pack mates to stay away for their own protection and they had wisely remained out of sight. But they were still there in the distance, waiting.
His brother had not heeded the warning. The alpha backed down from no one. When it came to his mate, neither did he. His human was strong. Stronger than most. The tight rein that he kept on him proved that. But when his brother dared to speak the unthinkable, his human willingly relinquished control to the beast.
Control that he eagerly accepted.
With a roar of rage and anguish, he sprang into action and attacked his brother. The alpha accepted the challenge and the battle was on. The wolf knew that his alpha would not back down. That this would be a fight to the death. He could die and end his suffering or he could win and continue to fight for his mate.
The wolf chose to live.
His brother lunged for his side and he took the opening. He sank his teeth into the other wolf's neck and forced him to the ground. His human knew the alpha would not stay down and was screaming at him not to kill their brother. So the wolf shook him fiercely, giving him the choice to surrender or die.
Surprisingly, the alpha remained limp in his grasp, conceding defeat. His pack mates mournful howls filled the air, his brother's mate screamed her anguish. They thought their alpha was dead. No one had ever defeated him before and many had tried. His human would have never let him challenge their brother had it not been for their mate.
Just as he released the alpha, something grasped the back of his neck and pulled forcefully. Expecting to face another attack, he whirled around with a vicious snarl and fangs poised to rip the interloper's throat out. The pale green eyes of his mate filled his vision as his jaws encircled her fragile neck.
"NO!" His human screamed in terror.
A beautiful smile covered her face as she said the sweetest word he'd ever heard. The word that freed his soul from agony and washed every vestige of his pain away. "Mate."
Jaw locked in place, his body slammed forcefully into her smaller frame. As they fell, his paws elongated, shifting into human hands that curved behind her, cradling her back and head from making contact with the ground. Shielding her body with the strength of his as his forelegs took the brunt of their weight.
Carefully, so very carefully, he pulled his head back and inspected her neck for injury. Not even a scratch marred her perfect skin, but she lay still beneath him, eyes closed and unmoving. Fearful that he had harmed their mate, the wolf returned control to his panicking human.
***
Dane shifted back to his human form from a crouched position atop his mate. His heart was in his throat, fear shredding him from the inside out. Shana lay beneath him as beautiful as ever with a smile on her lips. His hands slid anxiously over her neck and shoulders, searching for injury, streaking her with blood.
Seeing blood on her made him panic even more because she wasn't moving. Jesus Christ, why wasn't she moving? He was afraid to move her and risk further injury. Eyes of palest crystal green opened and the absolute trust shining in them took his breath away. "I knew you wouldn't hurt me."
A shuddering breath escaped his heaving chest and he gathered her into his arms for a fierce hug. He rained tender kisses across her face and hair, his hands gently stroking her body. "Never," he vowed brokenly. "I could never hurt you."
"But you're hurt," his mate said anxiously as she pulled away to inspect his bloody chest and arms.
Dane rose to his feet and pulled her up to stand beside him. "My wounds are almost healed," he assured her. "All I need is a shower."
A pair of folded sweatpants hit him in the chest before a weary voice said, "Little brother, you are a pain in my ass." They turned to see Reece sitting on the edge of the porch with his wife cradled gently in his lap. His brother was wearing a pair of sweatpants but from the waist up he was streaked with blood and looked exhausted.
Exactly like Dane felt.
"I'm so sorry," Shana said nervously. "Are you all right, Alpha?"
His brother laughed and replied, "Shana, your mate is alpha now."
"The hell I am," Dane barked in denial.
"Tell them that," Reece said seriously and nodded behind him.
He turned around and stared at the scene before him in shock. The clearing and the woods beyond were filled with his pack mates. Even the cubs were there. Every last one of them knelt down before him and lowered their head. It was a show of respect and submission reserved for an alpha and not to be taken lightly.
He looked back at his brother who was kneeling before him in his human form. Jolie knelt beside him, both of them with their heads down. Turning his wild-eyed gaze on his mate he saw her staring back at him with a bewildered expression. With no other recourse, Dane threw his head back and howled his acceptance.
The sound of his pack's joyful howls joined his. When the last sound died out, he announced, "Tonight we'll have a mating ceremony and welcome my mate to the pack." Barks of agreement filled the air before the wolves disappeared into the woods. He scowled at his brother and threatened, "I ought to kick your ass for this."
"You already did that," Reece said in amusement as he rose to his feet and gently lifted his mate. "It was worth every ache and pain. This has been a long time coming, little brother."
"I always thought father was blowing smoke up my ass," he admitted.
"Not likely," the former alpha denied as he hugged him fiercely.
"Congratulations, Dane," Jolie said with a warm smile before she poked a finger in his chest. "If you had seriously hurt my mate I'd be kicking your ass right now."
***
"Can someone please tell me what just happened?" Shana asked in obvious confusion.
That earned a laugh from the other woman. "Dane just beat Reece in mortal combat," she pointed out. "My mate has never been defeated. No one has even come close to taking him down before. But his brother did it. To keep you."
"He damn sure did," Reece agreed as he slid an arm around his wife. His other hand gently caressed her rounded middle as if he were touching their unborn child. A knot of pain filled Shana's throat and she had to look away from the tender moment.
"Hey," Dane said as he lifted her chin up until their eyes met. "Are you all right, beauty?"
He was so perceptive to her every mood and
now wasn't the time for that conversation. So she nodded her head and forced a watery smile to her lips. "I'm just so glad that you're both okay." He pulled her into his arms and just held her. It felt so good, so right, that she wrapped her arms around him and held on tight.
"So am I," Jolie said with feeling.
"All right, let's get the explanations over with so you two can get on with the mating," Reece said with a huge grin and shot his brother a wicked wink.
"Amen to that, brother," her soon to be mate agreed and placed a kiss atop her head. Dane sat down on the edge of the porch and lifted Shana onto his lap. "I told you that Reece and I were adopted but what I didn't tell you is that we're both bastards with different fathers."
"Our mother was an evil bitch and if she knew who are father's were, she never admitted it," Reece chimed in. "So we know nothing of our heritage other than we're wolf shifters."
"I've been able to shift since I was a baby, but Reece wasn't able to until he was thirteen," Dane explained. "Our adopted father told us it was because both my parents were wolves while Reece had a human father."
"Which makes him a purebred and me a mongrel," the older brother joked. "Our father always believed that Dane's biological father was a very powerful purebred shifter because the kid can do things that no regular wolf shifter can."
"Like what?" Shana asked curiously.
"Like when he went for your throat earlier," his brother explained. "His paws turned into human hands while he was in wolf form."
She gasped and looked up at her mate in surprise because she'd never heard of such a thing before. "I couldn't let you hit the ground," Dane said with a shrug. "Paws are not made for catching."
"Yeah, he's always shrugged it off as if it were no big deal," the former alpha derided. "But this time the whole pack felt the power you're packing. I gotta tell ya little brother, that was impressive as hell. You almost put me on my ass."
"That was my intention," he responded dryly.
"Power?" Jolie asked with a frown.
"It's something very rare that only a select few purebred alphas can do," her mate explained. "They emit a burst of raw energy that can knock a wolf off of its feet or calm an entire pack. He did it when we got here which is how you managed to get away from me."