“We do not have female Guardians here,” he began. “There have been several rumors going around the shifter community about us, and that one simply is not true.”
“Why not?” she asked, narrowing her eyes. “Women can be just as strong as the males.”
“I didn’t say that,” he growled, tucking his chin. He couldn’t touch her with his alpha magic, and she sat up straighter in her seat to prove she wouldn’t be bullied. “I have females who are in charge of protecting my home when the Guardians are away from the land. They have not fought for Guardianship, and as of right now, we have not offered.”
“Why haven’t you offered?” she pressed.
“To be honest with you, Ms. O’Connor,” he sighed, relaxing back in his seat. “The females who are training with my Guardians are mated. If I hold a fight at the Summer Solstice and include them, the mates of those females would stop the fight. As you well know, a mated male is very protective.”
“Then keep the males away,” she suggested. “Let the females fight for dominance.”
“I have sixteen Guardians. There is no way we could keep this from becoming a war between my men. I will not even risk it.”
Talon’s statement was final. Even though she wasn’t of his pride, Jade knew he was serious. Even though she wanted to fight another female at the solstice, she knew the leader was right. “I see, sir.”
“If you are looking for a new pride, I can offer you a place here,” he stated. “But first, you need to tell me why you left your other one.”
“Difference of opinion,” she answered.
He frowned. “Because you like to fight?”
“More on the lines of me training with humans at a local MMA facility and didn’t tell my alpha or my father.”
“What happened when they found out?” Talon leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk. His eyes flashed amber, and she didn’t really need to tell him what happened. From the response of his panther, Jade knew he had a very good idea why she was sitting in his office.
“I’d rather not speak about that,” she hedged. “Let’s just say it wasn’t received well.”
“Do you need to see our healer?” he growled, those sharp eyes of his turning completely amber.
“No, I shifted, sir,” she promised. “It was only a six hour drive, but I stopped for a few days at a friend’s cabin close to the Arkansas/Missouri state line.”
“Have you eaten?” he continued with the questions.
“I have,” she replied with a nod.
“Do I need to worry about your pride coming here for you?”
“No, sir,” she sighed. “They don’t want me there.”
“Because you are an alpha?” he asked, shocking Jade.
“Excuse me?” she gasped. What was this male asking? If he hadn’t noticed, she was a female.
“You are an alpha in your own right, Jade O’Connor,” Talon stated, standing to his full height. “You should be leading your own pride, not trying to join mine.”
Chapter Three
Noah watched as Landon walked past his home with Olivia at his side. The male had finally opened his practice in town, but he wasn’t happy. Noah could sense his mental pain and it was driving him crazy the male had all but turned in on himself after healing from his injuries.
“Hey man,” Cole, Dane and Olivia’s mate, said as he approached. The male paused to look up the road, his eyes following his mate and brother.
“How are things?” Noah asked as he kicked out a chair on his front porch. The cottage he’d had built was next door to theirs, and it wasn’t uncommon for one of them to stop by on their days off to chat.
“He’s not any better. Olivia is doing all she can, but Landon won’t talk much about what happened,” Cole admitted, leaning his head back on the chair. “He’s worried about the scar on his back.”
“Humans don’t heal like we do,” Noah advised him. “Has he seen a human doctor?”
“He has, and with a lot of laser treatments, he could have it reduced, but the scar will always be there. It could be costly and painful to have it worked on.” Both males became silent as the reality sunk in. Landon would have to deal with that for the rest of his life.
“Want a beer?” Noah offered as he drained what was left of his own.
“Sure,” Cole replied.
Noah went inside and returned with two bottles, handing Cole one as he cracked the top on his own. They sat in silence for the longest time, only stopping to look down the road, past the alpha’s home to the driveway where they saw a small, white truck pull up to the main house.
“Any idea who that is?” Cole asked.
“New pride member,” Noah said offhandedly. He knew who it was, because his brother had confided in him the night before. Talon didn’t want the other Guardians aware of the female who was asking to join the pride and fight for a position with them at the Summer Solstice. They didn’t need to upset the mated males.
When Olivia came into sight again, Cole stood and walked to the edge of the porch, gaining her attention. She whispered something to Landon and he looked up from where he was watching the ground as he walked. He nodded and they turned into Noah’s short driveway to greet them.
“Can I have one of those?” Olivia asked, jutting her chin out toward the beer in her mate’s hand.
“I have plenty,” Noah told her, turning toward the human male. “Would you like one?”
“That would be great, thank you,” Landon replied, looking at his feet again.
“Why don’t y’all come inside,” Noah offered. The three of them followed him, and he removed two beers from the fridge, cracking them open and setting them on the counter so he didn’t accidentally touch Olivia.
The thought of touching Landon fluttered through his mind, but he shut it down. Noah was still trying to understand the weird feeling he had when the male was around. It was hard to explain. His beast was on the same page. Anytime they saw Landon, both of them would stand up at attention.
He didn’t know why he was so interested in Landon’s care, and it was driving him crazy when he had to ask Olivia or Cole about the male. Noah wanted to do more than sit on the sidelines while he watched Landon mope around and pretend he was better than he actually was.
“I don’t have the gene, alpha,” she admitted. “Nowhere in my bloodline did we ever have an alpha.”
“So, nowhere in your ancestry does it talk of an alpha?” Talon pressed. This female was pushing her power toward him, and his panther didn’t like it one bit.
“I come from a long line of servants, beta types.”
She was definitely an alpha, but she didn’t know it. From what she’d said, she had been training to fight and had done so for a year. Someone in her previous pride had punished her for it, and it was all Talon could do not to demand she tell him the truth so he could deal out justice to the people responsible for making this young woman fear her home enough to flee.
“Interesting,” he said, standing from his seat. “I’m assuming you are wanting to move to this pride regardless of me allowing you to fight in the solstice?”
“I need a new pride,” she cringed. “I don’t have anywhere else to go. You are the only one I reached out to as I was leaving my old one.”
“Are you willing to take my blood?”
“About that,” she said, scrunching up her nose. “I’ve only been away from my pride for three days. I have time to choose, right?”
“You do,” he replied with a nod.
“May I have permission to stay here and make my decision after I’ve visited for a few days?”
“Our home is open to you,” he agreed, but narrowed his eyes. “If for some reason you cause harm to my pride, I will put you down.”
“I understand,” she said. “Do you have a room I could rent out or do I need to grab a hotel in town?”
“You will stay here in my home,” he offered, wanting to keep her close. He needed to keep an eye on the female,
and he would need a Guardian at her side whenever she left her room. “I will have one of the females show you to a room, and I will have a Guardian assigned to you while you are here.”
“Does that make me a prisoner?” she asked, scrunching up her nose.
“It’s for everyone’s safety.” Talon wasn’t so sure about this new arrival. Her alpha magic was there, and it even pushed at him a little, but she was completely unaware of it. He didn’t know how she’d suppressed it all these years. It was obvious her family history was wrong.
“I’ll give you my decision in three days,” she promised, holding out her hand. When Talon shook it, he felt her strength.
For a small female, she had the power of a warrior, and he was certain the women of the pride were going to come to him once Jade made it known her real reason for being here.
“Don’t bring danger to my pride,” he reminded her.
“And again, my old pride doesn’t want me anyway,” she sobered.
Talon called to Marie, asking her to show Jade to her room. When Evie’s mom arrived, she hurried Jade out of the office and closed the door. He leaned back in his chair and called down to the gate. “Booth, when you get off your shift, I need you to come by my office. I have a job for you.”
Booth entered the alpha’s office right as the sun was setting. Talon’s daughter, Ember, played around his feet. She was two and a half and the apple of her father’s eye.
“You wanted to see me?” Booth asked as he took a seat.
“I would like to talk to you about Jade O’Connor,” Talon said and rubbed Ember’s dark brown hair.
“Are you going to let her fight?” Booth wanted to growl, but he held it back. He couldn’t imagine anyone allowing a female to fight during the solstice. There would be blood and injuries. The males would go insane holding themselves back from protecting them.
“No,” Talon growled, his eyes flashing amber. “She is remaining here for a few days to see if she would like to stay.”
“You seem a little apprehensive,” Booth noted.
“I am.” Talon paused. “The female is an alpha, but she says she doesn’t have the gene.”
“Wait, what?” Booth gasped. “Seriously?”
“Yes.” Talon cursed under his breath, mindful of his daughter’s young ears, and stood from his seat. “She was…well, she kept pushing her power toward me. It’s weak, not as strong as you’d think, but it’s there.”
“Do you think she’d challenge you?” Booth’s panther snarled protectively in his mind. He couldn’t pinpoint his panther’s agitation. Either he was upset over the idea of someone challenging Talon, or the beast was upset over the idea of his leader fighting a female.
“I don’t think she would, but with that being said, she is capable.” Talon came to rest on the edge of his desk. Booth noticed the fine lines tightening around his alpha’s eyes. “Her strength comes across as an attitude that will test me. If she wants to stay here, she’s going to need more training.”
Booth saw the knowing look in his alpha’s eyes. Talon was going to task him with that job. “You want me to do it, don’t you?”
“I think you should work with her and report back to me on how skilled she is,” he ordered. “I trust your judgment.”
Booth didn’t like the idea of fighting with that female. He’d sparred with Calla before she’d turned twenty just four months ago. This new female wasn’t a part of their pride yet, and even though the males of the Shaw pride were accepting of females fighting, he didn’t know how they’d react to a new one in the training center.
“I will work with her, but I need the other Guardians on notice that they are to accept her as they do Evie and Calla, and even Hope. I don’t want any of the males to get out of hand if I lay her on her ass.” Booth didn’t want to hurt the female, but from the first interactions he’d had with her, he knew she was a total badass.
He wasn’t going to go easy on her, because even if Talon denied her request to fight at the upcoming solstice, he may ask her to be a private guard with the other females.
“I will hold a meeting today,” Talon promised. He took his phone and shot off a group text to his Guardians. Booth’s phone chimed when the message was sent. He glanced at the message to see what was said.
Meeting in my office in fifteen minutes.
“I’ll have Hope work the gate,” Talon added. “I need all of my Guardians in for this one.” He punched another message on his phone and set it aside. “Now, we wait.”
The Guardians arrived in less than the time required, and Booth stood against the far wall, eyeing all of the males. Half of them were mated, and knowing that one or more of their females would attempt to fight for Guardianship sent chills down his spine.
Savage would lose his fucking mind if Mary Grace was to voice an interest in fighting. It didn’t matter she was a strong female, Savage would put his foot down. They had a cub, and sending his female into a situation that could get her hurt would destroy him.
“I gathered you here today, because we have a female visiting us from another pride,” Talon began, looking at each and every one of the males in the room. “I did not tell anyone this, except for Booth, because I knew he’d be working the gate today. Her name is Jade O’Connor, and she comes from a pride in Missouri. She’s here to see if we would be a good fit for her, but she also came on the pretense she could fight for a spot as a Guardian at the Summer Solstice.”
The room erupted in growls. The males shifted on their feet and their eyes glowed with the amber of their beasts. Booth was no stranger to the news, but it still set him on edge knowing the males were forming their opinions of this new arrival.
“No way,” Savage spoke up, his voice echoing over the shouts of the other Guardians. “There is no way we can handle females in the solstice fights.”
“I know this,” Talon said, pushing out his calming powers. The males settled in, all of their shoulders slumping with the demand to calm sent out by their leader.
“She’s trained in mixed martial arts,” Talon began, nodding for Booth to come forward. He pushed away from the wall and came to stand next to his leader. “I’ve asked Booth to train with her. I want a report as to her skills and if she is able to help the other females protect my pride. If she is worthy, I can offer her that.”
“Have you talked to the other females?” Kraven asked. “My sister included?”
“I have not,” Talon answered.
“Evie is very protective of this pride, Talon,” Kye said from his position against the far wall. Booth saw the concern in everyone’s eyes as he looked around the room. The amber glow to the males’ eyes and the tightness around them told him they wouldn’t allow their females to fight anyway.
Booth wanted to laugh. Telling these females they couldn’t do something wasn’t going to go over well. “We should introduce her to the pride soon.”
“I agree,” Talon replied. “I want a pride meal set up tonight. I will talk to my mate and have her get with the other females. For those of you mated, I suggest you speak with your females to let them know we have a new possible member.”
“Do you want us to tell them she is requesting a spot with the Guardians?” Ranger called out.
“Yes, I request you speak with your mates,” Talon replied. “Please do so in a sensitive manner. I don’t know how they will take the news.”
“Evie’s not going to be happy,” Kye mumbled under his breath. The mated males in the room grumbled in agreement.
“There’s more, and this is where I need to warn you about this female,” Talon continued, but had to pause to hold his hand in the air to calm the males again.
“What’s going on?” Noah asked, furrowing his brow.
“The female, Jade, is an alpha,” he admitted, and the room erupted again.
Chapter Four
Jade unpacked her things in the room she was given in the alpha’s home. She was at the end of the hall in a spacious bedroom with a kin
g-sized bed that would fit any Guardian. The floor to ceiling curtains were drawn back to show the back part of the Shaw pride’s land.
To the left of her window, there was a gravel road leading to several cabins. To her right, a renovated barn with a parking area sat about six hundred feet from the backdoor to the home. Between them was a fire pit the size of her small truck. Everything else was covered in trees. She noticed a few paths through them and figured those were made by the pride when they would run.
“Ms. O’Connor,” a female voice called out as two tiny knocks sounded at the door.
“Come in,” she replied.
She folded her tank top and placed it in the drawer as the female entered the room. It wasn’t the same female who’d escorted her earlier. This one was much younger, and she held an air of authority.
“My name is Liberty Shaw, and I am the alpha’s mate,” the brown-haired female announced as she came through the door with her hand held out. “My mate asked me to come visit you.”
“It’s nice to meet you, ma’am,” Jade said, dropping her eyes for a moment as a sign of respect.
“Come, have a seat,” Liberty urged, pointing to two chairs by the window. “Tell me about why you came to our pride.”
“I mean no disrespect,” Jade sighed. “But I’m very certain your mate told you why I am here.”
“Well,” Liberty chuckled, “he did, but I want to hear it from you.”
“Ah, let’s see,” Jade began. “My alpha found out I was training with humans at their facilities and gave me an eviction notice in the form of a black eye and broken cheekbone. My father wouldn’t speak to me, so I shot off an email to Alpha Shaw and left my home within the hour.”
“Oh, honey, I am so sorry,” Liberty gasped, reaching for Jade’s hands. She didn’t usually like to be touched, and it was all she could do not to jerk her fingers free. “So, you’ve trained to fight?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Jade replied, relieved when the alpha’s mate released her hands. She crossed her arms over her stomach to keep from being in that situation again. “I heard the Shaw pride was allowing female Guardians, but your mate corrected me when I arrived.”
Booth (Rise of the Pride, Book 9) Page 2