She had been working hard to learn how to communicate with her animal, to control it and now she could shift willingly, thanks to Jen who had been helping her. She was surrounded by people that she trusted and had come to call her friends. She was getting to know her biological father who would drop by every couple of days to see her and she had found her mate, her fated mate. A concept she had no idea even existed a month ago, yet here she was, lying in the arms of the man that was the final piece in the puzzle of her life. The man who showed her what it was to be loved and to love in return.
“What’cha thinking about over there?” His sexy voice vibrated from his chest against her back, her smile widened “Just about everything that’s happened and how far we’ve come”. She rolled over in his arms until her eyes met his “and how much I love you.”
Archer leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her lips before pulling back and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I think I’ve loved you since the first time we touched between those cell bars” he said with a smile before his face suddenly turned serious. “Lara, I’ve been meaning to say something, something that has played on my mind since before…well, you know” he swallowed hard and Lara placed a hand on his chest in encouragement. “It’s about my father, I know you feel guilt over what happened and I couldn’t bring myself to tell you who he was at the time because I thought you’d think I was just like him and I’d lose you…but, I ended up losing you anyway.” He swallowed hard again and dropped his gaze. “I’m sorry, Lara. I thought you would only beat yourself up even more if you found out that man was my father and I didn’t want you hurting any more than you already were. The truth is he deserved what he got, he was a…a – “
“A Monster” Lara finished his sentence and Archer’s eyes lifted to meet hers once again before he nodded. She lowered her eyes to his chest as she ran her hand over the defined muscles there to distract herself from what she was about to say.
“Archer, I’ve done a lot of thinking over the last month and even though I still have a few things to work through, I don’t regret anything. Your father was an evil man and you are nothing like him.” She flicked her gaze back to his eyes for a moment before continuing to watch her hand move over his chest. “I’m not glad I killed him, but I don’t regret it either. If I didn’t act out of instinct and do what I did that night, you wouldn’t be here right now. Carter would never have been able to revive you without the extra energy that the torment of killing your father, created inside of me.”. Lara said as she ran her hand up and down his chest, relishing in the warmth of it. It was a reminder that he was here with her, alive and breathing. When she looked up to meet his eyes, he had lowered his brows in confusion, and it was then that Lara realised he didn’t know anything about how Carter was able to bring him back from the dead. She huffed a laugh “It’s a long story, but I’m glad you’re back.”
“I’m glad to be back” he smiled widely before continuing “and if this is what I get to wake up to after coming back from the dead, I’d die a million times over” he leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.
When he pulled back, she turned to her bedside table and opened the drawer, taking something out of it, she turned back to him. “I want you to have something. It was a reminder that what we felt for each other, this mating bond was real, and it gave me hope. It’s what I clung to over the last few weeks but now that I have you back, I think you should keep it.” She took his hand and placed a small tiny item in his palm. The bullet.
“Is…is this what I think it is?” Archer asked, surprised
She nodded “Carter used his abilities to take it out of your chest and heal you.”
Archer looked down at the bullet before he closed his fist around it “It’s a reminder that anything is possible…You did this, Lara. You saved my life and made the impossible, possible” he leaned in to kiss her gently on the lips again but this time, when he pulled back, he tilted his head in an inhuman way and flared his nostrils before flicking his gaze to the window.
“We should thank your Dad for telling you about Carter and his healing powers” Archer said as he rested his head back on the pillow, looking back into Lara’s eyes
Lara smiled “Next time he comes around, I’ll mention it.”
Archer smiled back and huffed a laugh “We need to work on your shifter sense of smell. You can tell him now, he’s here” he was laughing now as Lara’s eyes widened.
“My father? Shit!” She threw the covers back and noticed that she was naked, of course she was, they had slept naked every night for the last week. She rushed to the wardrobe and pulled out some fresh clothes before heading to the bathroom door. Before she stepped in, she glanced back at Archer who was still in bed, his arms resting behind his head as if he’d just been enjoying watching her rush around, his wide smile beaming at her from across the room. Lara weakened at the knees. She couldn’t believe how much her life had turned around in such a short time, but right now, she just wanted to enjoy this moment right here. She felt like the luckiest woman in the world as she raked her gaze over Archer. His ruffled hair from sleeping, his strong biceps as they rested behind his head, the deep ridges of his chest that had her mesmerised for the last twenty minutes, and his perfectly defined abs which were half covered by the sheets that gathered just below his waist.
“If you don’t stop looking at me like that and get in the bathroom, I might have to join you in there and then you’ll really be late to see your father” Archer said smugly. Lara lowered her eyebrows and narrowed her eyes a him before she disappeared into the bathroom to get ready.
Archer was still in bed when she left the room and ran downstairs, past Seb and Jen eating breakfast at the dining table and Carter who was sitting on the lounge playing Xbox. She opened the front door and walked out to the clearing to meet her father, just like she’d been doing since she moved in to Archer’s place almost two weeks ago. She still couldn’t believe that she was building a relationship with her biological father. She had spent her whole life wondering who he was and what he was like. Now, here she was, finally living out her dream of getting to know him. Her father held his arms out as they reached each other and she stepped into the hug, putting her arms around his back in return as he kissed her forehead. They still had a long way to go before she could trust him completely and she wasn’t quite ready to call him ‘dad’ yet, but she would forever be grateful for everything he’d done. Without his help, Archer would still be dead, and she didn’t even want to think about where that would have left her. Little by little she was coming to understand the man that her father was, the man that had known no other choice but to give up his only daughter for her own safety.
“Lara” her father pulled her back keeping his hands on her shoulders, he looked into her eyes as he said “I came here to tell you something, something important. There have been whispers lately that another one of those Humans Against Shifters facilities are setting themselves up not far from here. Word is that they’ve regrouped and are taking extreme measures to prevent what happened at the last place. Lara, you need to get out of here.”
Lara heard a gasp from behind her and turned to see Jen, Seb and Carter now standing on the porch, thanks to their shifter hearing, they had obviously heard what her father had just said and came out to find out more.
Lara shook her head “I won’t run. I’ve only just found my place in this world, I can’t leave now”
“But…Lara, they could attack you again, kidnap you and do God knows what!” Her father said, concern in his voice.
“Let them come” A deep voice said from behind them, it was Archer. Lara turned to see him walking down the porch stairs, past the others, dressed in a tight black t-shirt and light blue jeans that hung low on his hips. He strode up to meet them in the clearing and placed his arm around Lara’s shoulder, he smiled down at her before turning to face her father “Let them come” he repeated in that confident, authoritative tone. “I won’t let anythin
g happen to her, or anyone else” he jerked his head behind him towards the others before continuing “Ever again. They can try, but they won’t touch us. Not this time.”
Truth. She had finally learnt how to use her shifter abilities to know when someone was being honest, and he was. He said it like an oath, a promise to protect them. The last week, she had watched Archer become increasingly more confident in himself and his abilities. She’d seen Seb, Jen and Carter look to him for direction and he didn’t hesitate to provide it, he was becoming something of a leader for them, he was becoming their Alpha.
Alpha? The thought struck Lara suddenly. She had never even entertained the idea of having an Alpha, but now that she dwelled on the thought, she realised that she already thought of Archer as her Alpha. She felt her panther inside her let out a snort of approval, twitching her tail behind her with content at the thought. As Lara looked back at the others, she knew they felt a loyalty to Archer too, they looked up to him and it seemed his death had awoken something inside of him that he didn’t even realise he had. She turned back to see her father smiling at Archer, he placed his hand out in an invitation to shake. Archer looked slightly confused for a moment before he smiled and reached out, placing his hand in her fathers and shaking it.
“My daughter picked well with you” her father said before he took his other hand and placed it over their entwined hands “Take care of her like you promised, Alpha” There was that word again. It seemed even her father had picked up on the dominant animal inside of Archer and the authority that he was exuding. Without any explanation about what he had just said, her father released Archer’s hands and leaned over to cup Lara’s cheeks in his hands before placing a kiss on her forehead and then disappearing off into the trees at the end of the clearing.
“Told ya so” Seb’s voice echoed, Lara didn’t have to be facing Seb to know he was smirking. When Lara and Archer turned around, he had moved down the porch stairs and was standing in the clearing a short distance away from them. She saw his expression grow serious and he dropped to one knee.
“Alpha” he said loudly from across the clearing, his eyes flashed a golden yellow before returning to his usual light blue colour.
“Alpha” Carter said from where he stood at the bottom of the porch stairs, as he joined Seb in dropping to one knee. Lara saw his eyes flash a bright green with those elongated reptilian pupils that she had previously seen.
“Alpha” Lara’s eyes flicked to Jen at the sound of her voice, she was standing off to the side of the clearing and her eyes flashed a golden yellow colour before she dropped her gaze and fell to one knee.
The hair on the back of Lara’s neck was standing on end now at the electricity in the air surrounding them. Something was happening that she couldn’t explain but whatever it was, it felt right, like destiny was unfolding in front of her. She lifted her gaze to Archer; his eyes were a pure gold and his vision was trained on the others who were still kneeling. He looked awed and shocked at the same time.
Suddenly, Lara felt her panther’s instinct inside of her and was overcome with the urge to pledge her loyalty to him, to her Alpha. She loved him with every fibre of her being, he was her fated mate and she had already pledged to care for his heart. Now, watching him become the man he was meant to be, the man who embraced the dominant, protective animal inside of him, it made her realise he was born to lead, born to be Alpha and it made her love him all the more for it.
“Alpha” she said as she took a step back from him and knelt on one knee. She could feel her panther come to the surface just enough to know that her eyes were probably a golden colour now. Archer looked down to Lara and smiled, he ran a hand over her cheek and bent over to kiss her gently before he took a step back and let his dominant animal take over.
A lion exploded out of Archer’s body instantly, it stood well above Lara’s head as she remained kneeling down and she imagined even if she was standing, he would still tower over her. She reached a hand out and ran it over his side, feeling the soft, tawny coloured fur under her fingertips. She looked up to meet his feline gaze, for a moment she felt intimidated under the weight of his stare but there was such familiarity in those eyes, even without seeing his natural brown colour. Interrupting her thoughts, he lowered his head and began to nuzzle her neck, tickling her with the soft fur of his mane.
Releasing her, Archer’s lion gracefully walked into the middle of the clearing, towards the forest, the powerful muscles in his legs flexing with each movement. He stopped and turned around, facing them before opening his mouth and letting out a tremendous roar that shook the ground beneath her feet and echoed through the clearing, surrounding them. Lara’s panther stood to attention and she recognised the need to shift, the need to change and be with her Alpha in shifted form.
Lara closed her eyes and let her animal take over, her shift would never be as instant or as graceful as Archer’s but slowly she was learning how to adapt to the change. Her body bent and contorted as her hands became paws and she became her black panther in a matter of moments. Lara moved on four paws now to join Archer’s lion. Instinctively, she rubbed her body along his side affectionately before nuzzling his neck. My Mate she thought as he nuzzled back in return.
Seb’s wolf appeared beside them and she turned to see Carter and Jen standing a short distance away, still in human form. Suddenly, Archer let out a soft roar and began loping towards the trees that lined the forest, it was then that Lara realised what was happening. They were forming a bond, becoming a pride, but since a pride could only consist of other lions, they would be known as a crew. The Alpha lion in Archer was calling their animals forward, and even though Jen and Carter no longer had their animals, they clearly retained their shifter instincts as they walked to the end of the clearing.
As they reached the tree line, Archer turned and playfully let out a huff before sprinting into the forest, Lara’s tail was twitching with excitement as she glanced a look at Seb’s wolf who was breaking into a run now, his tail wagging as he chased Archer. Knowing they could never keep up with the animals, Carter and Jen took a seat on a fallen tree trunk where the clearing met the forest, they smiled at her as she strode into the woods. Lara’s ears twitched in Archer’s direction, she could scent his path as she broke into a run, blasting ahead and speeding through the forest feeling the breeze against her whiskers. Archer had come through on his promise to take her through the woods in shifted form and show her what true freedom felt like. After all, she had never felt as free as she did right now, running through the trees, towards Archer, her mate and her Alpha.
Note from the Author
Thank you so much for reading The Lion’s Purpose, the first book in the Crew of Rogues Series. I had so much fun putting this together and I hope you fell in love with the characters as much as I did!
I am currently busy writing the second book in the series so stay tuned for Seb’s story…
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