by Morgan Rae
He hadn’t let his Beast out in months. Not since it had burst from his skin in a fit the night Holly turned down his proposal. He was going for a personal record, three months since his last bear outing. Out here, the woods beckoned louder than usual. Familiar haunts chimed in his ears like church bells, warming his blood.
(Climb that tree. Roll in that creek. Mark your territory. Drag your mate out and fuck her under the shade of the fir trees.)
Jacob wet his lips and tightened his grip on the steering wheel as the Beast strained at its leash. Down. He saw Holly in his mind’s eye, tried to imagine what she was doing now. Probably just finished up the last of her classes and was on her way home. Was she there already, curled up on the porch with a book, waiting on Jacob for dinner? The thought settled warm in his chest as though the sunset herself had pressed her fingertips to his heart, and his Beast quieted again. As soon as this job is over, princess, he thought to himself. I’m coming.
Brent seemed slightly agitated, fidgeting around in his seat and checking his phone compulsively, but Jacob thought nothing of it. Knowing Brent, he probably had a hot date with a honeypot waiting on him. His brother always did have piss-poor taste in women. His order was always a pretty face with a side of risk. Greedy, sticky-fingered Linda Catz. Belly-shirted Belinda Moore. That pole dancer from who-knows-where. Just another reason why Jacob was grateful for ever-stable, sane Holly. Better to get out of that mess while he still had what was left of his dignity.
The asphalt came to a bumpy finish and the truck growled on, spitting up gravel and sand. When they came up to Wolf’s Creek, Brent said, “Hang left.”
In Wolf’s Creek? Jacob knew Etna like the back of his hand. “There’s no one up here,” he said.
“That’s what the directions say,” Brent said, but Jacob got an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something didn’t add up here. They rumbled down a narrow path and came to the end of the road in a dense thicket of trees.
Jacob killed the engine. There was no house here and no one waiting for them. His hair stood at the back of his neck, senses heightening instantly.
“Aw, shit,” Brent swore. “There’s supposed to be someone here.”
“It’s a trap,” Jacob said. His eyes scanned the woods for some kind of activity.
“You wanna turn around, boss?” Jacob could feel Brent’s eyes on him, looking for some kind of direction.
“No.” It would be so easy to turn around now. Tuck tail and run. But that wasn’t how Jacob operated. His Beast didn’t back down from a fight. As far as he was concerned, there were two ways around this. The first was run away and pray it didn’t happen again (which it would, because running showed weakness and put a target on the whole clan’s back). The second was to meet his confronter face-to-face and nip it in the bud, even if that meant breaking a few bones in the process. His Beast was alive, running through his blood, and he could hear every small rustle in the trees, smell every little animal that scurried across the muddy woodland floor. He hopped out of the truck and said, “Let’s see where the surprise party is at.”
Brent followed obediently behind. As long as his Beta had his back, Jacob was prepared to face whatever they threw at him.
A snap of twigs made him jerk around and come face to face with…Miranda. And a sleek and svelte cougar at her heels. The large feline weaved through the trees, slinking closer, the muscles like water along its back. Cougars. Wonderful. If ever there was a beast that could put up a good fight, it was a cougar.
“Boys,” Miranda said, her smile sharp enough to cut glass. “So glad you could come.”
“What is this, Miranda?” Jacob pressed, less amused. Brent hung quietly by his side, ready to defend his Alpha the second Jacob said the word.
“Call it a redistribution of power,” Miranda said. “Face it, Jacob. Your Beast is eating you alive from the inside out. It has been for a very long time. You’re a danger to yourself and your clan.”
“So this here is a coup,” Jacob said, arms folded over. “You’re cutting the head off the snake. Can you believe this, Brent?”
Brent said nothing. Jacob glanced over at his Beta and felt something cold wash through his veins. “Brent.”
“No, boss. Can’t believe it.” But Brent was echoing his words, forcing them out like he was reading from a script.
The sharp sting of betrayal was replaced by a much more palpable anger. Jacob grabbed Brent by his shirt and yanked him forward, growling in his face. “What’ve you done, you brainless coward?”
“Y’don’t know what you’ve been like, Jacob!” Brent snapped, pulling back. “You’ve pulled away from the clan. Y’don’t let anyone in. Every time I try to help, you push me away. You’re losing it, brother. And the clan can’t go down with you. Just say you’ll step down and we’ll walk away. The crown is killing you.”
“I do this for you!” Jacob barked. “For our clan! I wear the crown of Alpha so none of you have to live like this! You wanna tell me again how I’m not doing enough for the clan? You need me to wipe your ass too?”
“Boys, boys,” Miranda cooed. “Don’t kill each other. Let us.”
With that, Miranda let her dress drop to the ground, rustling the dried leaves below. A fluid change fluttered over her form and her bones cracked as she fell to her hands and knees. Her head bowed and, when she lifted it, all her human features had vanished, replaced by a snarling cougar.
Chapter 38
Holly felt a sharp pain run down the side of her neck, as though she had been stung. She stopped on her way out of her office and just managed to keep her books from falling as she gripped the side of her throat and winced. The burning pain radiated. As she cupped her mark, she felt it throb under her fingertips.
What—?
She dug her compact out of her purse and flicked it open. Holly peeled her scarf to the side so she could get a better look at the scar. It felt like it had reopened, but it looked fine. Clean, even, no reason it should be hurting like it did.
And then a thought, out of nowhere: Jacob is in trouble.
“Dr. Westmore, I—”
“I’m sorry,” Holly said quickly, cutting off the student who had rushed up to her, hands filled with papers. “I have to go. I’ll be in my office first thing tomorrow morning.”
“But—”
Holly rushed to her Buggy and slammed the door. There, she took a deep breath and tried to quell her hammering heartbeat. Her fingers slipped to the side of her throat and, when they hit her mark, they drew back sharply as though burned.
Don’t worry, Jacob. I’m coming.
Holly shoved her gearshift into drive and sped off, towards Red Moon Ranch.
Chapter 39
Miranda’s cougar snarled with a full set of sharp fangs.
Wonderful. Jacob knew what she was doing. She was trying to get him to change. She was poking the bear in its cage and trying to prod the Beast out of him. Two humans against two cougars didn’t stand a chance, but two bears—
Or one bear. “Brent?” When Jacob glanced back, Brent was gone. Instead, he heard the truck rev up and peel away, throwing up rocks and dirt in its wake.
Sonofabitch. Jacob suddenly didn’t like his odds. Well. He didn’t fancy a staring match with two mountain lions. He turned in his spot and took off, quickly running through the woods. Even as a human, he was a strong runner, but not as quick as the big cats. His mind went a mile a minute; he knew these woods like the back of his hand. He needed somewhere, a safe place, somewhere he could hole up without having to transform—
But even as his brain ran a scan of the area (houses? Not for miles. Stores? Back in town. The road? Good luck making it there in time), he could feel his Beast stirring inside of him. Preparing. Jacob felt branches snap against his legs and cut across his face as he barreled through, throwing all of his effort into reaching the road. If he could get out of the woods, then maybe, maybe…
A sharp pain rang through his body and he doubled over with
a shout, grabbing a hold on a thick tree trunk for stability. His Beast was clattering inside him, threatening to spill out.
(What are you doing? it hissed.)
(We don’t run. Don’t run. Turn around. Turn around!)
TURN AROUND!
Jacob whipped around suddenly and roared, a low, deep, animal bellow. He planted his heavy paws on the ground and reared up, a towering, growling black bear now. He could hear better. Smell them better. And fight better.
One of the cougars—the smaller one, Cayden—had been charging full speed, recklessly, and now he was doing his best to bring himself to a stop before he collided head-on with the bear. The large cat let out a yowl as he tripped over his own paws and tumbled flat on the ground in front of the bear.
Jacob’s Beast launched on the cougar immediately, pinning him down and sinking his teeth into the cougar’s soft belly. The cat screeched and swiped its claws uselessly against Jacob’s thick, protective fur, twisting and turning in the large bear’s jaws. Jacob bit down harder, snarling. They got what they wanted. They got the Beast. Now they would reap the consequences.
Mama cougar wasn’t far behind. Miranda leapt on his back and sank her claws into Jacob, hissing. She bit into his shoulder and he barked with pain, releasing Cayden. The younger cat slunk away, whimpering, limping.
Miranda held on with her claws as Jacob thrashed around and rose to two feet, slamming his back into a tree, trapping her between bear and bark. The cougar released her grip, which gave Jacob a chance to twist around and fight her head-on. But the second he did, she was gone. He could smell the bitch and he growled, frustrated, and whipped around, hunting for her.
Swat! He felt her claws on his back. The bear quickly jerked around and spotted her leaning against a low-hanging tree branch. He lunged at her, but for all his strength and bulk, she was quicker and she sprung to the next tree. His claws shredded bark as he jumped at the tree and began to climb after her. Her tail twitched with anticipation and, as soon as he was within paw’s reach, she jumped down from the tree, landing with all four paws on the ground. She swatted his hind leg, sinking her teeth into his paw, and then bounced back to the floor and raced off.
Jacob’s bear barked in frustration and dashed after her. Somewhere in the back of Jacob’s mind, the human part of him was screaming that this was a dangerous game of tag. It quickly became evident that she wasn’t trying to kill him; she was trying to rile him up. Miranda wanted him to lose himself to the Beast, past the point of no return.
But for all Jacob’s screaming logic, the bear had only one train of thought. Protect my clan. Claim my land. Don’t back down.
Kill the cat.
Chapter 40
The Buggy thu-thunked as it puttered under the hanging Red Moon Ranch sign and started its slow crawl up the hill. At the top of the hill, Holly could see her and Jacob’s house, all dark. She put her cellphone to her ear and tried to call him for the fifth time. The phone rang and then went to voicemail. Hey, this is Jacob Westmore. I’m probably out drinking. Leave your number and I’ll get back to you when I’m sober—
A loud whistle caught Holly’s attention. She spotted Brent standing on the side of the road and he waved her down. Holly slowed to a stop in front of him and rolled down her window.
“Hey, have you seen Jacob?” she asked. She kept her tone controlled, but a tremor of worry ran through it.
“Jacob? Uh…” He took off his Stetson and raked his fingers through his untamed hair as he glanced up at the dark house at the top of the hill. “Yeah…think he’s on a job up in the mountains.” Brent propped his elbows up on her open window and leaned over, almost too close for comfort as his eyes examined her expression. “Why, somethin’ got you worried?”
How to tell him it was just…instinct? Of all people, a man who shifted into a bear regularly should know about instinct. Still, Holly felt foolish mentioning it—maybe she was just being paranoid. She shook her head and rubbed the side of her neck, trying to ward off the sting there. “It’s…nothing. He just said he’d be back in time for dinner.”
Brent pulled a crooked smile. “Well, them mountains are awful twisty. I wouldn’t hold my breath.”
Right. Holly tried to ward off her old friend, Mr. Disappointment. She cleared her throat and then said, “Right. Of course.” A man had to earn a living, after all. She knew that. So why did something not feel right? Holly’s gaze fell behind Brent and landed on the work truck parked beside his house. It was filled with the heavy tools and supplies they needed to complete any job under the sun. “He went to work without the truck?” she asked.
Brent followed her gaze and seemed to spot the truck for the first time himself. A look flashed over his expression—guilt?—and then he cleared his throat and pulled another smile. “Small job. He didn’t need it.”
“Oh.” Holly’s unease tumbled around in her like a heavy belt caught in the spin cycle.
“Hey, city girl,” Brent said, giving her a tap on the arm and tugging her out of her worst-case-scenario thoughts. “You up for a little work? I could use a hand putting some fence posts in.”
“I…uh…” Holly didn’t have anything against getting her hands dirty, but with worry gnawing at her, all she wanted to do was go home and pace the living room until Jacob came back.
“Y’could kinda use the brownie points with the clan,” Brent added. He wasn’t wrong. Despite the fact that she’d been here for three months now, she still felt completely like an outsider.
It’s what Jacob would want you to do, she thought. Be a good Alpha-mate.
“Yes,” Holly said with a tight smile. “Of course.”
Chapter 41
When Jacob regained consciousness, he was flat on his back, staring up at the night sky between the tree branches. He could feel the warm spring breeze brush over his naked skin, blades of grass tickling. He felt sticky and tasted metal when he wet his lips. Dried blood. A horrific thought swept thought his mind.
Dear God. Please don’t let me have killed anyone.
He straightened up slowly. His bones cracked and his muscles ached as though he’d run ten marathons. He wiped his mouth and spat out tufts of cat fur.
Jacob glanced around. Took in his surroundings. No signs of dead cougar. Or dead anything. At very least, his Beast’s rampage hadn’t been a lethal one.
But the kid. He’d bit into him, hadn’t he? The thought made his stomach clench up in a knot. He didn’t like them one bit, but he didn’t want anyone dead. Especially not a young boy caught up in his own animal instincts.
Been there. Done that. Had the scars to prove it.
Jacob pulled himself back up to his feet and looked down at his hands. They were dirty, mud caked under his nails, and they trembled.
One more transformation down. How long had he been the bear? By the look of the sky, it’d been hours. Maybe more. Used to be he could shift back in a matter of minutes. It was getting harder and harder to bounce back from it. He could practically feel his willpower slipping through his fingers.
(Become the Beast. Be your true form.)
No.
Jacob closed his hands into fists, containing the animal inside of him. He walked until he found his tattered clothes and then made his way to the road and stuck his thumb out. Patience, he tried to remind himself.
Inside, his bones rattled.
Chapter 42
Brent led Holly around the back of the farm where the fence had mostly rotted away. He told Holly to dig deep, narrow holes in the ground while he lifted the new slabs of wood for the fence and impaled the upturned dirt with them. When he saw the shoes she was wearing, however (cream Coco Chanel heels), he sent her to Cassidy’s to borrow a pair of work boots.
“I’m fine,” Holly said with a small smile. “You’d be amazed by how fast I can run in these things.”
“The hell you are,” Brent said gruffly. “You fall and break your ankle, Jacob will have my head. Go on.” There was something off about him, as t
hough if he didn’t keep working, he’d go on a drinking binge. Holly got the impression he wanted some alone time anyway when he shooed her away as though he were shepherding a duckling.
Holly felt her heart wilt. She wasn’t looking forward to seeing Brent’s sister Cassidy again, not after the other woman had chewed her out for bringing Jacob a beer, of all things. She didn’t want to be lectured on how it was “unbecoming” of the Alpha’s mate to dig holes in the dirt with Brent.
Oddly enough, she got the exact opposite reaction from Cassidy. “It’s about time you got your paws dirty,” the other woman said, leaning in the doorway. She jabbed her thumb inside her house and said, “C’mon in.”
Holly made her way inside and was greeted with the smell of freshly cooked dinner, parsley and salmon lingering in the air. Cassidy’s house was cluttered—as any two-child household should be—with toys, gardening supplies, and horse-riding equipment. Picture frames hugged family photos—Cassidy, Dave, and their children; Cassidy and Dave at their wedding; a young Cassidy, Brent, and Jacob standing alongside Mama Mae and their father.. Jacob rarely spoke about his father, the same man from the newspaper article; since they’d been married, all Holly had managed to get out of him was a sentence or two about the other man. Holly’s gaze lingered on the picture, trying to imagine the story behind the man. A hard-working, tight-lipped older man who only spoke when he really had something to say, whose eyes crinkled with the rare warm smile, who drank and smoked and worked too much but always came home right on time for dinner.