Alpha?
He didn’t respond.
Great. Now I needed to figure out his code, how to protect Gabe, and how to make sure Barry didn’t do something stupid if his father lost. Things were not looking good.
“You say fate...I say lust. You wanted his little twink ass and you have had it. Let him go and stand by your—”
“Enough!” Soren’s voice silenced the room and I felt Gabe’s hand grab mine. “We will follow the laws and have the challenge. The rest of this is all noise.”
“What if I challenge the human? Then what? Will you still follow the laws of our people?” Barrett officially had a death wish.
Soren walked up to him, standing toe to toe and then spoke so low, my bear ears could hardly hear his words. Soren was downright terrifying when he was like this. “Are you questioning my authority, Barrett? Because if you are, we can end this now.” Any shifter within earshot understood the underlying question, Do you want to live to see the challenge?
“No, Alpha.” He bared his neck. At least he wasn’t completely out of his mind, that would have made his bear more dangerous.
“Then you know the laws and your implication otherwise is an insult to your den. Apologize to them.” Soren was pisssed. I couldn’t remember seeing him this angry since the day his mother died.
And that was when it hit me. He was afraid he was going to lose me...that I might not be the one walking out of this. He wasn’t an angry Alpha, he was a scared one.
“Why can’t he challenge me?” Gabe asked softly. “Is it because I’m human?”
“No, it’s because the challenge has already begun its course.” Though if I lost, the outcome for Gabe was dire.
“Ummm okay.” He squeezed my hand. “Good thing you’ve got this.”
His trust in me had my bear clawing at me to claim him all over again, and maybe we would. But not yet. For now we needed to face this obstacle in our way and destroy it. Barrett was not going to come between us. I would not allow it to happen. My bear would not allow it to happen.
He was ours to protect.
The baby was ours to protect.
Ours. Mate. Babe.
We had everything in the world to fight for and failure was not an option.
But as Barrett and I prepared for battle, Otto, one of the den elders, shuffled forward, one hand raised. He was the den librarian, and while most of the sacred texts were in Soren’s possession, Otto spent much of his salary acquiring rare tomes on bear shifter history.
His other hand clasped a book, the pages as spotted and wrinkled as his hands. “Alpha,” he shouted, his voice brittle, “may I speak before they begin?”
Not now, Otto. Please don’t distract me.
Soren had a choice. He could refuse, but he nodded and Otto said, “No matter the outcome of this challenge, the Beta’s mate is safe, along with the baby. A child whether unborn or running free in the world is sacred. The ancestors decreed that no omega who is carrying a child in his belly can be harmed by any challenge by or to his mate.”
A hushed silence fell over the room.
A wave of relief rushed over me. Of course. My father who was a history buff had talked of this. It made sense. Bear shifters valued families, children and their den above all else. Gabe was safe no matter what.
Twenty-Five
Gabe
What in the hell was I thinking? I’d put Brad’s life in danger as well as mine and the baby’s. I’d gladly sacrifice my existence if it meant saving our child, but right now with the tiny nugget burrowed in my belly, we were one and the same. There was no one without the other.
But an old man with a balding scalp and spindly legs had just thrown new information into our midst. Is this true? There was still a threat to Brad’s life, but if the old-timer was right, the baby and I were safe.
“Get out of the way, you old fool.” Barrett elbowed the man, and almost knocked him off his feet, but he was saved by two teen alphas.
“Barrett!” Soren barked.
“I have no time for this drivel,” Barrett shouted. “It shows you are all biased against me and my kin. But I will bow to this supposed law and be magnanimous to the human and the half-breed in his belly. He is off-limits, unlike his mate.” His eyes were firmly on Brad.
The older members of the den along with children were hustled outside. The alphas remained, both male and female, tense, their bodies rigid, but not interfering. Something had been set in motion that could not be stopped. There was only one end.
Brad and Barrett. In human form, but there was a primitive… no, not that… brutish aroma whirling around, one I’d never encountered. Were the bears preparing for war as the men were, poised to rip one another’s head off?
What hope did I have of preventing bloodshed when I, as a human, hadn’t the strength to match them, nor the insight into the mind of a shifter? To me, Brad was my mate, lover, fated match, and father of my child. Not a raw fighting machine ready to fight to the death.
Think, Gabe. Many of my fictional heroes and heroines had used their intelligence when combating a foe. Words, not deeds. I rifled through my extensive knowledge of literature which was all I had. That was my skill. As a kid, I’d used language to give bullies the runaround, tying them in knots with words.
I hadn’t mastered how to throw a punch, which would be of little use here. And I'd never touched a gun. And even if I had one, I wasn’t familiar with how to shoot. A bow and arrow? Out the question. A sword? Nope.
All of these frantic thoughts were rushing through my head, crisscrossing one another and accompanied in the background by snarls and curses while globs of spit sprayed over both of the combatants.
“Please don’t do this,” I begged. “Settle this as men, not bears.”
“Get back, Gabe.” Brad’s authoritative tone smacked me in the face, and I considered they might be his last words. To me. “And remember I love you. Tell our child how I fought for him or her and for you.”
Our child may never meet his alpha father. My little half-shifter. I mourned the loss that was creeping closer, waiting to claim my mate. That’s it. “Wait!” I screamed, hoping my frantic voice would penetrate their thoughts now they were in war mode.
Barrett’s harsh laugher was followed by a sneer, his lips parting to reveal teeth that were more bear than man. “The pitiful human thinks he can alter the course of history. Say your piece before I shred your mate in half.” But while he spoke, his eyes remained fixed on Brad. Smart man. He was weighing his opponent, not giving him space to launch a deadly attack.
Brad shoved out an arm to protect me as I took a step toward Barrett. His anguished face, lined with despair, his mouth set in a grim line, his hands ready for battle had me wavering, but this was my last stand. “Don’t do this, Gabe. This is my fight.”
“Let the little omega speak.” Barrett’s bitter, rancid breath laced with loathing, flowed over me. I refused to grimace and didn’t move a muscle. Even the baby seemed to understand as the traces of nausea faded.
“I may not have the physical strength of a shifter, and I will not stoop…” I gulped and paused, my heart in my throat, my palms running with sweat, my legs barely holding me up. “I will not stoop now…” I emphasized the last two words and caught Brad’s eye. Please understand my love. “...to your level of abuse.” I lifted one trembling hand and chewed my lips in order to stifle the scream that was curled over my tongue.
Placing my left hand on Barrett’s shoulder, while I cupped my flat belly with the other, I said, “I can only imagine why you have such loathing in your heart. Change is scary, but bullying those who are defenseless says more about you than me, Barrett.” I took slow deep breaths willing myself to continue without breaking down.
“Know this, alpha, if you kill my mate, the little one I carry will make it his or her life’s mission to track you down. You will never be free.” I was losing confidence that my plan would work and instead it was lying face down waving a white flag.
<
br /> “While our child lives, you will be a hunted man, never staying in one place, always looking over your shoulder, not able to trust another living soul. And your son will be forever worried he may be caught in the crossfire. From this day forward you will be marked. The living dead.”
That caught his attention, and for one second, his eyes flicked to me. Big mistake, you arrogant fool! “Now!” With eyes closed, I stooped low and then flattened myself on the floor as claws and teeth ripped fur, skin, and flesh. Strong hands dragged me away as I screamed for my mate.
An anguished howl filled the room. Was that me? Brad? Barrett? Was it a death rattle? The last sound a man made before his life ended. I flung myself toward the scrum, both bears now, no longer human. Tufts of clothing floated onto the floor and coated my face, eyelashes, and tongue. I would forever associate this moment with the singed odor and taste of cotton.
Once again, unseen hands pulled me to safety, dragging me over the floor on my stomach with my arms outstretched toward Brad while I wept.
A huge thump had me blink away the tears, as one bear lay on his back, the other with a paw on the first one’s chest, both bloodied. Brad. My love. Brad was the one on top, his teeth, dripping with saliva and blood, wrapped around the other’s throat.
And then Barrett shifted. A man beaten, forced to submit to another’s will. Brad’s bear was in command, his teeth poised for the kill. And then Brad also shifted as his opponent lay humiliated before the den alphas.
A flurry of hands and feet disturbed the silence. Soren separating the two. Brad wiping blood from his lips, his eyes on me, pleading for forgiveness when it had been my fault. Would he still love me?
The alphas surrounded Barrett, dragging him to his feet while Soren took command.
“You know the laws of old, Barrett. Brad has spared your life—for now. Two choices. Death with dignity or we disown you. You will be stripped of your allegiance to this den and be a loner. Forever seeking a place to hide, and never finding it.”
To my ears, it sounded much as I had described Barrett’s future if he had killed Brad. The man held by two alphas wiped blood from his mouth and surveyed the room. He lifted his chin, but when he spoke, his disembodied voice was that of a beaten man. “I choose life. Allowing a human to be part of our den means we have given up everything we stand for, and I will not be part of. I disavow you all.”
And as he was hauled from the room, I hurled myself into Brad’s arms and he picked me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist and kissed his face, not caring blood was smearing my clothes and face. Kisses, hugs, mouths on flesh, hands raking through hair. Desperate for a connection.
His lips were in my hair and he mumbled, “That was an incredibly foolish thing you did, and yet the bravest thing I’ve ever seen. No bear can match the strength you showed, my love.” And while his words and arms kept me safe, my gaze went to Barrett’s son. He was rocking back and forth, hands over his face before curling himself into a ball. The utter desperation struck at my heart.
Twenty-Six
Brad
“That was an incredibly foolish thing you did, and yet the bravest thing I’ve ever seen. No bear can match the strength you showed, my love.” I’d never been so scared. Otto and Gabe! What a team! I’d be forever grateful to my mate for helping to save my life and Otto for ferreting out the information from an ancient text.
I looked around and there to the side was Barry hunched into a ball, visibly shaken. Gone was the anger he’s shown earlier, and in his place was a scared little boy.
“Alpha?” I asked, wanting clarification on how to proceed.
“It’s up to you. You can challenge or leave him to make his own decision.” Soren came up beside me, his hand squeezing my shoulder. “He didn’t ask to go with his father, for what that’s worth.”
Gabe took a step toward Barry and then hesitated. Instead, he called out. “Come ‘ere.” He sounded like he was calling an old friend over instead of the person at least partially responsible for the stress and violence we had just had to deal with.
“Me?” Barry’s voice quaked.
“Yeah you, come ‘ere. I wanna ask you something.” It amused me how Gabe could morph his word choices to fit the situation. He wasn’t Professor Hottie right now, he was a random guy you’d hang out with, and Barry seemed to be responding to it, slowly walking over and stopping a couple of feet in front of us.
“So tell me, did you want to go with your dad or do you wanna stay here?”
Barry’s eyes bugged open. “Here.”
“Excellent.” Gabe took a step closer and lowered his voice, “I get that he’s your dad, but my guess is it was all him. None of that was you, was it?” Barry squinted at him as if trying to figure out if my mate had been drinking. “I mean, you did want to mate with my man so that sucked, but the rage, the challenge, and the violence—trying to get us killed—that wasn’t you.”
“No. It wasn’t. I hated the way my dad was pushing it. I hate fighting and it terrified me. He knew I…” Barry snapped his mouth shut.
“He knew you what?”
“My bear...I...we...there’s this coffee shop by my job and there’s this omega there...a human omega...and we…”
“Then why would you even flirt with my man?”
“I wasn’t really. I didn’t want to.” His lower lip was quivering and his eyes glistened with tears. “Since I was five years old, I had one job. I was to grow up and mate the Alpha or the Beta. Dad didn’t care which—at least until Soren took over.” Barry turned to Soren. He said you came from bad...genes.” He mumbled the last word softly.
“So you never wanted to go along with your father’s plan?” Gabe pulled him into a hug. It was this weird surreal moment I didn’t quite fully grasp, but at the same time, I could feel the enormity of the moment and not just for Gabe and Barry, but for the den.
They hugged, just standing there holding each other, Barry whispering something in his ear and Gabe nodding along and when they broke apart. Gabe looked to me and said, “You’re right about this den thing. I already made another friend.”
And at that, the rest of the alphas came out of their we’re not listening but so are stances and over to us. The others charged back into the room.
It took almost an hour for the two of us to break free from the commotion, and when I saw our moment, I grabbed his hand and dragged him in the direction of my den apartment.
“Where are we going? I just want to be home, with you, in our bed.” Our bed. Ours.
I loved the sound of that.
“This is going to sound weird, but ta-da...here is my apartment.” I fished out my keys and opened the door. “I prefer my house, but it’s important I have roots here, too.”
“I can see why. It feels like you.” He sniffed the air. “Smells like you too.” He stepped inside, and I was pleased the place was generally in decent order. “Did you know Barrett’s son was being manipulated and threatened with abuse and violence?”
His words took a few seconds to process. “You mean by being pushed to mate? I had suspected, but not to the extent.”
“No, it was more than that. His father vowed to kill his omega if he didn’t convince you to mate him.” My bear roared inside of me. “Do you think Barrett will follow through?”
“He’s banished. He’s a no one, a loner with no family or friends. And I will make sure his relocation includes a very long airplane ride.” Screw it. I’d pay for it myself. No one should be without their mate...no one, not even Barry. Been there. Done that. Refused to do it ever again. “You were amazing, Gabe. You saw what none of us did.”
“Only because I was looking at it from the outside. From now on, I only want to be on the inside. I want to be den.”
“You are, omega mine. Believe me, you already are. You earned your space in their hearts tonight.” I kissed his lips softly.
Gabe’s hand reached up and brushed against my face, “It looks like you are already healing, but let�
��s get you cleaned up and in bed. I need your arms around me and your knot inside me.”
“The best way to clean all this up is probably the shower. Want to join me?”
“I’ll even wash your back.” His other hand cupped my cock. “And anything else that might need special attention.”
“I think it is you who might need the special attention. You are growing our baby, after all.” I took him by the hand to show him where the bathroom was.
“We’re having a baby. We’re going to be dads. It still doesn’t sound real.”
“It sounds almost like a dream,” I agreed.
“My last dream turned out pretty well.” He leaned into me. “I’m expecting this one to be even better.”
“Oh it will be, omega mine, because this time you will have me by your side the entire time.”
“I love the sound of that.”
“And I love you.”
Twenty-Seven
Gabe
It appeared that I’d lose my job in the fall and I was devastated. All my life, I’d worked toward gaining the qualifications I needed to teach English Lit. And now, less than a year later, I wouldn’t be doing that. At least not at my current college.
With Brad being anchored to this place, we couldn’t leave, so my job prospects were rather dim. When Professor Reid told me about the budget cuts, he’d mentioned training teachers but I couldn’t get my head around the leap from being surrounded by first- and second-year students to experienced teachers. The classroom dynamics would change significantly. And would they be resistant to my new ideas of broadening the scope of a traditional English Lit curriculum?
It was a lot to think about, but for now, I’d decided to focus on the baby and Brad. Each day, we learned more about our hopes and dreams, and our relationship deepened. He’d also come to the conclusion I’d never learn to be tidy.
Matched To His Bear: An M/M Mpreg Shifter Dating App Romance (The Dates of Our Lives Book 2) Page 11
