Alphas & Allies

by Maz Maddox

  “Aw, hell. What happened?” Gavin rumbled.

  And Cervitaur wrath was brought forth.

  Even though Nigel was much smaller than his husband, in his Cervitaur form, they were almost eye to eye, and his antlers technically made him the same height. Nigel unleashed hell on him, poking a finger into his chest as he demanded to know why his mighty warrior husband didn’t come to his rescue.

  Gavin was in his human form, hands on his hips, calm smile on his face. This, of course, pissed Nigel off more, for his handsome, bastard husband to look so amused by his obvious plight. The twins looked delighted by distraction and tried to sneak away, but Antonio glared daggers and pointed at the ground in a silent command to stay put.

  They did so with their eyes on the ground.

  The yelling went on for an obscene amount of time before Gavin caught his husband’s hands and moved in closer. Nigel squeaked at him to unhand him, but his rabid, verbal assault was no match for Gavin’s smooth voice and charm.

  “You going to keep fussing all day, darlin’?”

  “I am not fussing! I am expressing the injustice and stupidity of this situation!” Nigel stomped one hoof again but seemed to deflate slightly as Gavin kissed his cheek. There was mumbling about not appreciating the severity of the situation, as well as chiding Gavin for showing public displays of affection so brazenly. Antonio smirked at the lack of conviction in either statement.

  “Now I’m sure the twins are going to apologize, aren’t they?” Gavin glanced the boys’ way, Nigel scowling at them with a bit of a pout.

  “Sorry, Nigel,” they mumbled almost in unison, their cadence falling apart when they weren’t causing mayhem.

  Nigel smoothed his long, chestnut-brown hair back around his proud yet tasteful antlers and fixed his vest slightly. “Apology accepted,” he said with a sniff.

  Logan and Luke waited until Antonio motioned for them to go, which they did so in a hurry.

  “There now. See? All is right with the world.” Gavin tapped his husband under the chin and got a little “hmph” as an argument.

  “You really must do something about their antics, Antonio. They’re nearly seventeen and acting like wild animals.” Nigel aimed his ire at Antonio but was no longer purple with rage.

  “That scorpion was the size of a quarter, Nigel.” Antonio snickered. “It couldn’t have scared you that bad.”

  Nigel’s sensibilities were ruffled then. “That’s not the point! They look up to you. Do something about their behavior, or they’re going to end up smashing rocks in a chain gang.”

  “They’d just find a way to weasel out of the cuffs before it got that far,” Alexis said as she sauntered over, teeth gnawing on a wooden toothpick. “Those boys are slippery as they are tricky.”

  “Is that disgusting beast out of my home?” Nigel asked Alexis who had been charged with dispatching the foul thing from the premises.

  “You mean the quarter-sized scorpion with no tail?” She cocked a brow. “That beast?”

  “Yes. That beast.” He scowled.

  “This one here?” She made to pull something out of her pocket, causing Nigel to scream and hide behind Gavin, who laughed in amusement before he could catch himself. Nigel swatted at Gavin’s back and hissed about the situation not being funny at all.

  Alexis laughed, a bright and almost evil thing. She was a little taller than Antonio, older by twenty years, with hay-blonde hair kept short that curled around her ears. The silver handle of her revolver gleamed against the sunlight as she barked her laughter, her hand always close to it. Even though her laugh lines were deep around her eyes and she smiled often, she was a woman who scowled deeply into her whiskey when topics of war and loss floated through the air.

  “I’m just fucking with you, Nigel.” She wiped at her eyes. “Oh, hell. Yeah, it’s out of your house. Go lie on your fainting couch and read some poetry.”

  “As a matter of fact, I will.” He stood tall and sniffed, lifting his chin. “Good day, Miss Alexis. Antonio. Gavin. Let’s go.”

  “Yes, dear.” Gavin slipped his arm around his husband’s waist and saluted Alexis and Antonio before walking his fuming husband home.

  “That man is something else.” Alexis shook her head as Nigel strode away, tall and propper.

  “What does Gavin say? Deer centaurs are delicate things?” Antonio offered with a smile.

  Alexis snorted. “Yeah. Delicate is a word for it all right. Though compared to Gavin, I think most things are delicate. We practicing your shooting today?”

  Antonio gave a nod. “Absolutely.”

  “Good.” She clapped him on the shoulder and continued on her way, moving like a woman who would gladly arm wrestle a bear. Antonio winced slightly at the jostle of his shoulder. Even after three years, the scars the bullet left behind still pinched and ached. The muscle and bone that had come apart from the stranger’s bullet had been packed with gauze and stitched back together. Over time, the pain dulled and the wound healed.

  But there would always be something broken inside him.

  Cash turned his nose into the wind and inhaled. Beyond the strong scent of cattle and horses, the only traces in the wind were of dry dirt and his town.

  There was no trace of the bandits Draton’s ranch had warned him about, even though the ornery old coot had insisted they were spotted close by. It had been over two months since the last time he had to draw a gun or bear his teeth against rogues or bandits.

  “These ain’t like your regular, piss ant bandits, alpha Cash. These is some deviant cutthroats that kill women and children alike. You really never heard of the Devil’s Pack before?” old man Draton had asked him, his bushy brows pressed down into the leather of his face. Cash had only shaken his head, figuring the news was another rumor mill.

  Just to be sure, he smelled the wind anyway.

  Afternoons in Guarida were relaxed, and the townsfolk had fallen into a smooth routine of laughter and bickering when he wasn’t around. The playful sounds grew quiet and still as he led the traded cattle into the town. As usual, he wasn’t greeted or even spared a glance as he helped lead the beasts to their pin.

  There had been a time at the very beginning he tried to make nice, but it was hard to come back from shooting a beloved, teenage alpha for what seemed like greedy reasons. While Cash knew in his gut the town was safer in his hands, he vastly underestimated how much they had loved that boy.

  Oh, well.

  Matias was waiting for him when he got back, as usual, and give him a curt nod in greeting.

  “Foods inside for you, alpha.”

  “Thank you kindly,” Cash grumbled, pushing inside. The home was formally the exiled kid’s, which had done nothing but piss everyone off more. If there had been another place ready, Cash gladly would have taken it, but the home was going to go to waste with no one in it. It was small, cozy, and simple, with stucco walls and open windows to let the breeze through. Not only was it perfect for a man alone, but it was also placed near the entrance of the town.

  “Do you want me to draw you a bath?” Matias waited for orders like a puppy; something Cash had grown to temper his annoyance about. The young man was lanky as he was eager as hell to kiss as much ass as possible.

  “Reckon so.” Cash eased his gear onto the floor and rolled his shoulder.

  “You know, I can help rub those knots from your shoulders if you--”

  “Not necessary.”

  For some strange reason, the usually obedient Matias grew a bit bolder than he should and put a hand on Cash’s arm. Cash paused at the contact and moved his eyes to the man, who stood just tall enough to meet his eyes.

  “I really don’t mind…” Matias added as he tightened his fingers around Cash’s arm just a bit, the message he was trying to relay not lost on Cash.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Cash lifted his chin toward the door. “They already hate you for hanging around me. You trying to get yourself thrown out of town?”

  Sco
wling wasn’t anything Matias was good at, and he went from plain looking to just unpleasant. “I don’t care what they think. You’re the alpha. I only care what you think.”

  Just because he felt like maybe this situation lent itself to finding some truth, Cash asked, “Lemme ask you this, Matias. You’ve been bringing me food, cleaning my boots, and drawing me baths for three years. Why? Everyone else wants me dead and gone.”

  “Because you’re alpha,” he responded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, running his hand up Cash’s arm to feel its strength. The entire encounter made Cash’s skin feel slimy, and he pulled his arm free from the hungry grip.

  “I’ll take that bath now. Don’t you dare be in there when it’s ready. Hear me?” Cash made sure his tone left no room for argument. Matias shrank back and disappeared to do as he was told, and Cash let himself sink into the chair. It was Sunday, which meant the town would be cooking and eating together all day.

  Because Cash had sour luck, it was also a full moon.

  Instead of being with his pack and singing with them at the beautiful night sky, Cash would be watching the hills.

  Alone.

  Again.

  Chapter Three

  “Pin me.”

  Antonio was still in the process of catching his breath when Gavin gave him the command.

  “Come again?” Antonio asked between breaths, his hands on his knees and sweat dripping down the tip of his nose. Gavin motioned his forward, planting his feet in the dirt. The makeshift ring Gavin had made behind his house was near Nigel’s herb garden and made their manly training quarters smell like mint and basil.

  “You’re gonna pin me this time. Like I showed you how.”

  Antonio eyed the situation in front of him and shook his head. “I appreciate your faith in your training skills, Gavin but...you have me beat by forty pounds.”

  “More like eighty. And you’re right. I trained you damn good. So do what I taught you and pin me.” Gavin motioned for Antonio to attack and widened his stance.

  Scrubbing the sweat from his brow, Antonio cursed under his breath and readied himself. Gavin was huge but was, thankfully, not in his centaur form. Unlike his proper husband, Gavin’s skin was tanned from his almost utter refusal to wear clothing, and his brown hair was sunbleached and wild. Antonio shook his limbs free of tension, took a breath, and started circling his opponent.

  Gavin kept his stance low, arms out and ready, and followed Antonio’s movements carefully. Even though the friendly, warm man was there to train Antonio, he showed his student no mercy. Fighting was all about patience, timing, and tenacity. Strike with purpose, with precision, and no hesitation. When Antonio saw his window, he followed Gavin’s instructions to the letter. Since Antonio didn’t match his opponent in weight, he had to use that mass against them like a weapon. Gavin was big, so he’d fall hard.

  Antonio rushed forward and slammed his shoulder into Gavin’s hips, his scar screaming in protest as he hooked his hands behind the man’s knees and lifted. Gavin locked Antonio’s head in his arm and held him chokingly tight as he fell like a mighty oak and crashed into the dirt.

  “Nice start.” Gavin chuckled as he tightened his arm, causing Antonio to cough. “You got me down. Now what?”

  Antonio refused to let himself panic, even with what felt like a python wrapped around his throat.

  “I-I could punch you in the balls,” Antonio ground out around his constricted airway.

  “Don’t you dare!” Nigel snapped from his garden, no doubt fixing his sunhat.

  “Normally that’d be a good idea, but what else you got?” Gavin said calmly.

  Antonio scrambled, kicking his feet into the ground to try in vain to gain any type of purchase. Gavin had fallen easy enough, but his hold was iron tight. Just as Antonio’s vision started to darken, he tapped on Gavin’s arm to signal his surrender. Air rushed into his lungs as Gavin let go and sat up, helping right his gasping student.

  “Let me see your hand.” Gavin held out his hand for Antonio’s, who obeyed in his defeat. Gavin pressed his fingers into Antonio’s wrist, right under the meat of his palm, just hard enough to cause a tight, sharp pain to strike up his arm.

  “Remember this next time you find yourself with a man’s arm wrapped around your neck. Unless you’re having a good night, of course,” the cheeky centaur said with a wink. “Might just save your life.”

  * * *

  Tonight would be his trip, and he needed to make sure he was well rested. It was a long way, and he’d be dead tired before he made it all the way back home to Stonehill again. The small, nothing town was a breath away from Ashtonville, but not much else. They got plenty of goods there but mostly kept to themselves and their farming.

  Antonio rubbed at his shoulder and shut his eyes. The shift tonight would sting because of the scar, but the run would feel amazing. How the hell had time gotten away from him so fast?

  When dusk had finally started to slip into nightfall, Antonio changed and strapped his bag across his chest. The long, woven poncho he always wore for his runs fell past his knees, the stripe pattern matching the fading sunset.

  Alexis gave a wave as she turned in for the night, calling after him to get home safe. Gavin and Nigel were already inside, having dinner and tea by the fire.

  Stars began to wake in the darkening sky, and Antonio started counting the familiar dots that led to his destination. Warm summer air cooled into soft kisses against his skin, and the creatures of the night began to sing. He wanted to sing with them.

  “Are you going on another trip?” Logan asked as he came up on Antonio’s left.

  “That’s right.” Antonio adjusted his strap. “I’ll be back around morning.”

  “Why do you always leave during a full moon?” Luke came around to his right. The teens were taller than him by about an inch but still had room to grow.

  “It’s a wolf thing,” Logan supplied.

  “It’s an our thing too,” Luke insisted. “We should come with you.”

  “I need you here guarding the town.” Antonio was used to this back and forth, since he had it monthly. “You two see better at night.”

  “What about you?”

  “Who guards you?” Luke and Logan spoke one after the other. Antonio secured his pack and patted them on the shoulders with each of his hands.

  “I’ll be fine. Keep them safe and don’t stay out late.”

  “We’ll be safe,” Logan assured. “Full moons are lucky after all.”

  A shadow of pain moved over Antonio’s heart, but he let it pass without giving it more thought.

  The wind smelled of fresh dirt and the promise of freedom. When he was far enough away from town, he shifted into his wolf form and pulled free of his poncho. The flex of familiar muscles helped ease his mind, and the thick fur that covered his skin helped him feel invincible. Years of training and bettering himself in fighting had made him thicker than he once was, but he wasn’t near being a giant.

  Antonio didn’t shift around others often. Most shifters were comfortable with any form, but even the more level-headed cultures still felt uneasy around predatory folk. Antonio’s torso still held a more human shape, with thicker muscles and fur. His hands were tipped in black claws, and his legs elongated to a much more canine shape, though he had no problems keeping him upright.

  It was his face that caused people to cower.

  A long muzzle replaced his human face, packed with razor teeth and tawny eyes that almost seem to glow. Wolves were unique in how much their face changed between their skins, taking on a much more animalistic and feral shape than most others. As Antonio took in the rich smells of the night sky, his long, pointy ears twitched at distant nighttime songs. He carefully rolled up his poncho and stuffed it into the pouch around his chest.

  The moon was round and fat, casting a haunting silver glow over the shadowed landscape. For a moment, a choked song tried to escape as he gazed up at the celestial form that used to
be something so much more than a melancholy reminder of his past.

  Instead of singing, Antonio launched forward and took to all fours to run. Stories in the form of smells past by him as he fired through the plains: prey being hunted, mates being found, offspring chirping for food. They were stories he had experienced many times, but each unique in their telling.

  As he neared his destination after hours of running, a familiar bitterness curled in his chest. The distant smells of so much love and happiness warmed him to his core but stabbed so deep in how far away it always seemed. Being so close to Guarida and not being able to set foot inside was like teasing a dying man with salvation.

  Antonio would give anything to be back home again.

  It was Sunday of the full moon, and the town was celebrating. The painfully sweet smells of beloved food drifted agonizingly close, as did the laughter and music radiating from the square. They were all together under the lucky moon, and Antonio let himself smile as he sat back to watch and listen.

  Just as he let himself settle and drink in the bliss, imagining himself there with Luis and the town, a sharp scent caught his attention.

  It wasn’t wolf. Wasn’t human.

  It was something altogether different.

  And it was coming their way.

  Gods above, Cash hated that the old coot was right.

  Turning his nose up into the wind, he smelled the sour bite of the bandits. At least five were heading his way.

  Cash had shifted into his wolf form but kept his gun belt strapped to his hips. If he had to shift down and start firing to keep up with the onslaught, he was ready to do so. He’d take out as many as he could with his jaws before he got to that point.

  The sounds of the festivities from Guarida danced behind him, the town blissfully unaware of the danger riding their way. He’d keep them from the things in the dark as long as he could, but tonight might disrupt the party.