by Maia Starr
Sam bit down on her lip, glancing away at the moment Dean clamped down, but Brendan howled in frustration as he quickly lowered himself to let Sam slide off. Once she did, he jumped down, charging Dean furiously and letting sand fly behind him. Dean limped while he braced himself, and howled back in response, though Brendan didn’t waver. Brendan tackled his rival, the rolling into the water. Waves crashed into them both, dampening their fur and blinding Sam to much of the action. The water kicked up in each alpha’s frantic movements shimmered in the sunlight, causing Sam to climb down the rocky banks to get a closer look. She didn’t want to simply wait, hoping to see Brendan come out on top; her help would be needed eventually. Brendan was a great fighter, but not even he could go on without break forever.
As if on cue, Dean was thrown into the sandy banks only a dozen feet from her, particles of sand flying everywhere. Sam blocked her eyes and mouth and then turned to gaze at the black furred beast wheezing and struggling to rise to its feet. Dean’s limbs began to give out, forcing Sam to listen as bone cracked and echoed around her. Blood also oozed from Dean’s side, and as he glared at Sam, she recognized a familiar look in his dark eyes: fear.
As Brendan strode ashore, trotting over to stand between Sam and his rival alpha, Dean shifted back to his human form. To Sam’s surprise, he rolled and cursed on the ground, sand sticking to his back and side wound. He managed to push himself to his feet, his body trembling and finger shaking as he pointed at her. “Goddammit, woman! This is all your fault...I never should have screwed you so many times.”
“No, you shouldn’t have,” Sam said stoically, frowning at the monster in front of her.
Dean hissed. “I built that attachment for nothing. You’re so damn ungrateful! I gave you a reason to live, a purpose to fulfill, and then you go and run away, only to show up again, just out of my reach?” he began to laugh uncontrollably, wildly, as if his mind was finally breaking. “It’s like you were the one following me around, and not vice versa.”
While he spoke, Brendan inched closer, snarling and growling, and Sam stayed by his side. Her hands shook, but ultimately she managed to ball her hands into fists. “It’s too late to ask for forgiveness. The past can’t be changed, Dean.”
“No, it can’t,” he growled. Eyeing Brendan, Dean opened his arms, allowing them both to see how unnaturally bent his wounded arm had become. He grinned from ear to ear, despite the crazy pain Sam knew he was going through. “Why don’t we settle this like men, eh, Brendan? One last fight over the girl? Come on, you oaf, shift back already, and let’s give Sam here a nice show!”
Brendan hesitated, glancing to the two lifeless bodies of his packmates laying on either side of them. Sam looked as well, her heart swelling and dropping, until she couldn’t bear to look anymore. There were so many dead, all at the hands of the man before them. It would be suicidal, dumb, to have Brendan oblige her ex-boyfriend now, and yet…
Brendan cast an anxious look back at her. To her surprise, Dean remained quiet, unmoving, not going in to hurt Brendan for his lapse of focus. She realized moments later that Brendan was waiting for her own decision. She thought for mere seconds before coming to her decision, noticing her desire not only to stop Dean, but to hurt the one thing he truly cared about: his pride.
“Do it,” she said coldly to Brendan. Locking eyes with Dean once again, Sam scowled. “You’ll be sorry you asked for this.”
Dean snorted as Brendan shifted. “Yeah, right.”
“Fine then,” Brendan said, striding forward. “Let’s do this, Dean. Settle this here and now.”
At first, Sam averted her eyes, regarding the scene before her as the oddest she’d ever seen. Two butt-naked men approached each other, their manhoods swinging with their strides. If the situation hadn’t been so serious, Sam might have let her mind wander into titillating fantasies.
Brendan darted forward first when the two were close enough, clearly aiming to try and headlock Dean. Dodging his rival’s endeavor, Dean slipped to the side, punching Brendan in the ribs. Brendan didn’t flinch, instead turning to hurry his pursuit. He stretched out both arms, aiming to grab whatever part of Dean he could. Sam didn’t expect Dean to play fair the entire time, but she didn’t expect him to change tactics so early on. He bolted towards her, startling both Sam and Brendan. He was on her in seconds, tackling her to the ground. He got under her, locking his elbow around her neck and bringing them both to their feet. With her neck squeezed hard, she gasped and struggled for air, trying to wiggle her fingers under his biceps, but found it difficult.
Brendan screamed her name, but Dean yelled back. “Stay back, Brendan! Or I twist her neck, and she’s gone for good. If I can’t have her…”
She looked through blurred vision to see Brendan stop, though his body was poised to spring forward the instant Dean slipped up. With her head beginning to pound at the lack of oxygen, and her pulse rapidly beating inside her, Sam knew that there was only one person who could get her out of Dean’s grasp now: herself.
With her mind frantically thinking of solutions, Dean began to drag them both backward. “She’s mine. Haha! You are an idiot, aren’t you, Brendan? Why the hell did you take me up on this?”
Sam shot Brendan a knowing look, receiving a nod from him. When Dean snarled at Brendan for his inattentiveness, Sam elbowed him in the stomach. She knew the attack didn’t hurt Dean, but it alarmed him enough for Sam swing her foot backwards and into his crotch. Dean recoiled, grimacing, and letting Sam loose. She dove forward as Brendan came surging past, colliding with an off-balance Dean. Mimicking Dean’s attack on Sam, Brendan got under Dean and wrapped his arms around Dean’s neck, attempting to suffocate him.
Red-faced and frightened, Dean attempted to try and bite Brendan’s arm, as well as punch him in the stomach, though neither worked. Instead, Brendan snarled one last time, pulling and snapping Dean’s neck.
In the moment that followed, Dean instantly slumped in Brendan’s hold, his neck bent in a way that shouldn’t have been possible. Sam’s jaw dropped, her eyes widening as Brendan glared at the body and shoved it over face first into the sand. He rose, huffing, and staring down at the dead man now at his feet.
A moment of silence went by, with Brendan and Sam locking eyes. He started towards her, and she towards him, though she found her legs weak and feeble, and so she stumbled forward into Brendan’s arms. He caught her easily, scooping her up in one smooth motion so that his arms were under her. He examined her while she stared up into his sparkling amber eyes. Time seemed to stop again, with the only sound reaching her ears being that of the waves washing ashore, and Brendan’s whiskey-like voice above her.
“It’s over,” he said. “It’s finally over.”
“He’s gone…”
“For good,” Brendan added, looking over his shoulder. Sam couldn’t see Dean’s dead body from her positioning, but she found she didn’t want to.
“It happened so fast,” she said, breathing in and out. “But the others…”
“We’ll come back for them,” Brendan said, finishing her thought and beginning to walk away. “Right now, we need to focus on the living, and the includes us. I’ve got this shoulder wound if you haven’t noticed.”
Sam smiled for the first time in what felt like ages. Leaning up, she gripped the stubble on his jaws and pulled him down to her lips, tasting the mix of seawater, blood, and sweat on his rough lips. It was enough to bring Sam back to reality, for the whole of her situation to hit her. The demon that haunted her was gone, and now they’d have to rebuild. Her clinic needed a lot of improvements and fixes.
“I don’t suppose you know a good contracting crew around, do you?” Sam asked suddenly as Brendan climbed the rocky slope and drifted into the forest.
He grinned down at her, smiling. “Maybe I do, but they’re on the other side of the island. We’ll deal with that later, yeah?”
“Yeah,” Sam said shyly, closing her eyes and letting her mate carry her home.↡¶
Brendan
Brendan threw his head back in revelry as the cold beer sloshed down his throat. The mug he chugged was cool around his fingers and made his skin tingle as the crowd around him cheered him on in an ever-increasing rhythm. Brendan drank with the flow, closing his eyes and listening to the voices all around him.
He let himself go, draining the mug until he slammed it down on the long table, bristling with joy as the crowd let out a happy chorus of applause. Brendan stood, bowing and grinning from ear to ear, earning the chuckles and chortles of everyone around.
Suddenly Connor leaped up onto the table, strutting to the middle to gaze around with a broad smile on his face. “Let’s hear it for our alpha, the glorious Brendan himself!” A round of cheers went around, with Brendan laughing uncontrollably. No one saw Ace climb up onto the table, but once the ten-year-old boy was standing next to his father, he let out an equally terrifying roar.
“Let’s hear it for Brendan!” Ace yelled, pretending to be drunk off of the small cup of apple juice in his hand. The crowd bellowed out in laughter, with Brendan pounding the table in the absolute hilarity that followed. Connor laughed and put a firm hand on his son’s shoulder, shaking him playfully.
Brendan jumped to his feet, gazing at his friend’s young son. The kid was brown-haired and bright-eyed like his father, with the familiar dimples adorning either side of his gorgeous smile. Ace met his own eyes, and for a moment, Brendan’s heart stopped, thinking of the chaotic battle between his and Dean’s pack. Connor had been there and survived it all, though there were a few that hadn’t made it; he pictured to the two lifeless wolves on the beach, one sprawled across the sand, and the other battered by the waves. Smiling gently, Brendan raised his empty mug. “A toast! To Connor!” The crowd went wild, with Connor flexing his biceps to a few female whistles here and there, though his mate glared around. “To Ace!” another cheer went up, with Connor throwing his hands under Ace’s arms and hoisting him up to sit on his shoulders. They spun around.
“And to someone that was braver than us all,” Brendan said, quieting. He turned to look at the angelic woman sitting next to him. Samantha Byrd startled when his amber eyes glanced over her, her hand coming up to block the sight of her slurping up noodles from a tiny bowl set in front of her. Brendan chuckled at her reddened cheeks as he beckoned her to stand. Rising, and placing her delicate, soft hand in his, she smiled nervously at the sudden attention of the entire lodge.
With a deep breath, Brendan turned back to his pack. “Without this woman, we may still have been at war with Dean and his people. One week ago, she stood beside me to bring him down, and because of her efforts, we now are at peace…however temporary that remains.”
Sam shook her head. “No, no, all I did was bandage a few people up…”
“You did more than that,” Brendan continued, eyeing her as he spoke. Tucking locks of her platinum blonde her behind her ear, she glanced to the floor, though a small smile appeared on her lips; that look made Brendan’s heart bleed and thump so hard he was certain it would be heard over the din of the crowd. “You didn’t just help save both packs…you stole my heart.”
Sam glanced up into Brendan’s eyes, her olive hue glistening in the candlelight. Despite the many windows, the gray, snowy day had darkened considerably, and yet Sam seemed to glow.
Connor pointed a moment later, his face exaggerated and twisted, his son Ace mimicking him. “Thief! She stole his heart; someone stop her!”
“Yeah!” Ace said.
Brendan and the rest burst out laughing, and even Sam couldn’t help but chuckle.
“I think this is a wonderful time to announce that your alpha is no longer a lone wolf,” Brendan proclaimed, pausing to let the crowd whisper and mutter with excitement. “Sam here, or Doctor Byrd as many of you probably already know her, is my mate. Treat her with the same respect you treat me, and she might just stay long enough to keep treating us all at her clinic.” A round of nods and agreement went around. “And that’s all I have to say for the moment. Connor, take it away!”
Much to the rolling eyes of his mate, Connor and Ace began to dance on the table, causing every shifter’s focus to land on them. Brendan and Sam collapsed in their seats, with both eyeing each other as the rest of the lodge grew noisier by the second. Brendan tried to flirt with Sam, but over the noise of his pack, Sam could barely make him out; it was easy to forget that Sam was still one of the few regular humans in the Bedrock at the moment. Motioning to her, he got up and walked out, leaving Sam to scamper after him before downing her own, smaller beer bottle.
Inside the lodge, the air was warm with the myriads of candles and sconces on the walls, and with the heated breaths of dozens of shifters lounging about and mingling over dinner. As much as Brendan loved his people, the hall often grew stuffy and sweaty, and more often than not he found himself longing to step outside; though now he wanted to leave the group for different reasons altogether.
Once outside, the crisp, late autumn air and falling snow fogged his breath and chilled his skin. Once he witnessed Sam shiver at the cold, he whirled on her, shoved her as gently as he could to the wall next to the door, and kissed her. Her lips were wet from the beer, the taste of wheat upon her delicate lips, yet her lips were also icy as if they’d frozen over within milliseconds of stepping outside. Her tongue was warm enough to balance her lips, and an awesome twist of icy hot hit him in waves.
Sam gripped his shoulders at his quick movements, jolted from her place against the wall, but she swiftly gave in and allowed Brendan to make something of the moment.
Other shifters giggled and spoke under their breath as they passed by, though Brendan barely even noticed. The only thing on his mind was Sam and her lovely, seductive figure.
Sam was the first to break away, heaving breaths as she stared up at the looming alpha above her. Brendan breathed deep as well, though his every instinct told him to forget about breathing for the time being.
Smiling, she softened her grip on Brendan’s shoulders. “Now that wasn’t so bad.”
“Yeah?” Brendan said, leaning in to peck her on the neck. She moaned slightly, though stopped once the door opened and a group of three male shifters stumbled out into the thin layer of snow. She blushed profusely and whispered into his ear.
“Maybe we should go somewhere else…” she cooed, making his pulse quicken. Excited butterflies danced in his stomach, causing him to rip away from her, grabbing her hand and pulling her along.
“Sounds like a great plan to me!” Brendan said loud enough for the whole of the Bedrock to hear. Sam continued to grow bright red as other pairs watched them stride off into the forest. “What’s the matter?” he called as the main hub of the Bedrock disappeared behind them. “Don’t tell me the cold is getting to you already!”
“No, it’s not that…” Sam said, drawing closer to him as they walked. Once out of sight, and Brendan saw Sam glance over her shoulder, he briskly scooped her up and began to run into deeper into the forest. With his inner wolf howling to taste her again, Brendan’s heart hammered in anticipation as Sam gasped and hollered at his sudden move. Soon, Sam was laughing, holding onto his neck for fun rather than to keep herself from slipping out of his grasp.
Brendan darted up and down a slope and over fallen trees, racing until he came to a somewhat open grove.
“This place looks familiar,” Sam said, eyeing the area surrounding them. “Don’t tell me…is this—”
“My place?” Brendan said, rounding a wide oak tree and spying his dark gray, tiny house tucked away just half a mile away. “It sure is; were you expecting anything else?”
“Won’t the others miss you?” she asked hesitantly, biting her lip as if her suggestion might turn his mind away from his desire for her. Jogging up to the front door, Sam reached down to turn the knob, allowing Brendan to kick in the front door. He turned to bring her inside and threw her onto his bed. Sam gasped and rolled, bringing
the sheets along with her. Brendan grinned, watching her as she covered herself, pulling off his shirt as she smiled.
“I’m the alpha,” Brendan said simply, flexing his pecs and catching Sam’s stare. “It doesn’t matter whether I’m there or not, because I do whatever I want with whoever I want, whenever I want. And right now…” he crawled onto the bed, looming above the slender yet curvy woman curled up in the sheets, “I want you, so I’m going to yank you out of those sheets and take you right here and now…”
Sam didn’t respond. Instead she breathed heavily, waiting for him to make good on his promise. Slowly and carefully, Brendan began to unroll her, picking up the pace once she was fully out. He kissed her, let his hands drift all over her body while he made to undress her; his inner wolf banged against its cage, trying to break out and overwhelm Sam with his lust, yet he held himself back, if only slightly.
Sam playfully struggled underneath him, pushing him back down to her breasts every time he tried to kiss her again. “Make me feel what only an alpha can,” she whispered in his ear, causing him to shudder and groan. He got to the point where he couldn’t hold back anymore, grabbing her pants and tearing them at the seams. Sam balked at his eagerness, but soon her vision was entirely on Brendan’s lower body, her teeth biting her lower lip. Moments later they connected, Brendan’s body stiffening as Sam clamped down on him. They groaned in unison, letting their shared warmth spread over them as they entangled on the bed, letting themselves go.
The bed shook and rocked and squeaked endlessly as Brendan rapidly moved his hips. Sam’s eyes rolled back, her voice cutting in and out, and her body spasming as Brendan kept upping the tempo. Despite the darkness of the room, and the front door still being open, all Brendan could see and feel was his mate, the touch of her delicate, fair skin; he was overwhelmed by the sound of her rhythmic voice penetrating him. Sam was truly opening up to him, especially now that Dean was gone. Her reservations about Brendan had all but vanished, and the result was a woman that gave her all to him, made him experience the kind of pleasure only a few could truly ever feel.