by Stormy Glenn
"No." Mary's hands covered her mouth.
"You know he will. He saw Jasper as weak even before he left the clan. If Jason ever learns about Jasper's true nature, he'll kill him just as sure as he's killed all the others."
Mary cried out as she jumped to her feet and ran out of the room. Dwayne winced when he heard a door slam shut a moment later. He felt for the woman. No parent should ever have to admit their son was a homicidal maniac.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth from the very beginning," Alpha Kersey said, “but I'm sure you can see why I need someone to officially challenge me."
Dwayne understood. It was basic clan law, something they all learned during their year of bear training. Clans were handed down to the firstborn unless there was a challenge loss, and then they were given to whoever won the challenge.
"I'm sorry about your son," Rob replied.
"Jason was lost to us the day he transitioned. I don't know what happened to change him the way it did, but the boy I raised, the boy I loved, doesn't exist anymore. What remains is a nightmare living in my son's body."
The man had tears in his eyes when he glanced up. "I know you haven't made up your mind yet about accepting my proposition. If you decide not to challenge me, I beg you, take Jasper with you wherever you go. I've already lost one son. I can't lose another."
"You realize if I take you up on your challenge I may have to fight your son?" Rob asked.
"I know." He didn't sound happy about it.
"If we fight, I doubt he'll submit to me. I may have to kill him."
Alpha Kersey drew in a stuttering breath. "I know that, too."
Dwayne felt bad for the guy, but not bad enough to tell Rob not to fight for all he was worth. They were bear shifters. Fights for dominance were one thing. Challenges to lead clans were almost always fought to the death.
"I am sorry, sir," Rob said.
"Albert." The man shot Rob a small smile. "Please, call me Albert."
"You need to understand that I am young," Rob started. "I only graduated three weeks ago. I wasn't even an alpha until Casey. And, while I've been through my bear training, I don't have alpha experience. I'm not sure I'd be much better for your clan than your son."
Albert actually smiled. "Just admitting your inexperience puts you miles ahead of Jason. He'd never admit a weakness. He despises anyone who is not strong like he is, although he doesn't like anyone who is stronger. He likes being the big man at the top of clan hierarchy."
He sounded like a complete ass to Dwayne. He'd run into people like that before. Raymond came instantly to mind. The two assholes were like carbon copies of each other.
Dwayne jumped up and stood with Harvey when the front door crashed open and a man came running in. He moved closer to Casey, intent on protecting the alpha mate if needed.
"Alpha Kersey." The man rushed to the alpha's side. "Sir—" He was panting heavily.
"What's wrong, Sean?"
"Jasper's been taken."
"What?" Albert shouted as he jumped to his feet. "What do you mean he's been taken?"
"Franny said she saw Jason and a bunch of his guys driving through town. When she told me, I raced over to Jasper's apartment just in time to see them shove Jasper into a car and drive off with him."
Albert's face paled. "Was Jasper alive?"
"I couldn't tell, sir."
"Thomas—"
"I'll gather some men, sir," the sheriff said. "Give me ten minutes."
Rob stood, pulled Casey into his arms, pressed a kiss to his lips, then turned to face Albert. "Alpha Kersey, I challenge you for alpha position of your clan."
"Shit, he's really going to do it," Dwayne sent to his mate through whatever bond thing had developed between them. He hadn't realized how useful it would become until now.
"It certainly looks that way," Harvey replied.
Alpha Kersey stared at Rob for a long, poignant moment. "I yield."
Dwayne let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Holy fuck! Rob was the new alpha of the Silver Lake Clan.
Albert glanced at the two enforcers who had never moved from their spot. "Do you witness this challenge?"
"Yes, sir." Both men nodded as they answered.
"Go get the alpha mate."
One of the men hurried off through the kitchen. The alpha glanced at Dwayne, Harvey, Jeb, and Billy Ray. "Do you witness this challenge?"
"Yes, sir," Dwayne replied right along with the others.
He drew in a shaking breath. This was unreal.
"You okay, mate?" Harvey asked silently.
Dwayne sent Harvey a small smile. "I'm okay."
"Dwayne, I want you and Billy Ray to stay here and help guard Casey, Albert, and Mary." Rob pointed toward the front door. "No one comes through that door unless Albert knows them and gives his okay. Understood?"
Dwayne nodded.
"You're protecting my world, guys. If you need to get your fur on, do it."
Dwayne grinned. "Yes, sir."
"Harvey, Jeb, I'll need you to come with me. One of you needs to stay in human form so Dwayne can call us if there's trouble here at the house."
Dwayne shot Harvey a sharp look.
"Uh, that might not be needed, Rob," Harvey said slowly.
Rob raised his eyebrows. "I know Dwayne and Billy Ray are capable fighters, but we don't know what we're up against. We have to plan for every eventuality."
"No, I get that, but…" Harvey licked his lips as he glanced at Dwayne.
Dwayne nodded. "He needs to know."
"Know what?" Rob asked.
"I can talk to Dwayne," Harvey said.
Dwayne's eyes widened. "Seriously?"
That's what he was going with?
Rob's eyes rolled. "We can all talk to Dwayne, Harvey."
Harvey huffed. "I can talk to him in my head."
Dwayne chuckled when Rob's jaw dropped.
"You can what?" Rob finally asked.
"Dwayne and I discovered that we can talk to each other in our heads."
"I've heard about this," Albert said, "but I never thought to see it myself."
Dwayne quickly glanced toward the former alpha. "You know how this happened?"
"Well, I've heard rumors. I've just never met anyone who was double bonded." Albert's face flushed a little when he shrugged. "You can't double bond in a heterosexual mating. It only happens with…uh…same-sex matings."
Huh.
"What is a double mating?" Casey asked. "Rob and I are a same-sex mating. Can we be double mated?"
"Huh…" Albert glanced toward Rob then to Harvey.
Harvey's cheeks were flushed red when he replied, "It means we both claimed each other, Casey. In every way."
Casey's eyes rounded. "You mean…"
Harvey nodded. "In every way."
Okay, now Dwayne felt flushed.
Eyes huge, Casey gulped then glanced at up at Rob. "Oh, I don't know if I could…um…"
Rob chuckled before pressing a kiss to Casey's forehead. "We'll talk about it later, cub."
"But—"
"Later, cub."
Casey huffed.
It was cute.
"So, if I understand this right," Rob said, "you and Dwayne can communicate mentally through some sort of telepathic bond."
"It looks that way," Harvey said. "We've used it a few times since we discovered it."
"Does it work in your shifted form?"
"Uh." Harvey shot Dwayne a look. "We've never tried it. I haven't shifted since our last stop and trek through the woods."
"Well, don't you think that before we take off, we should know that?" Rob asked. "I'd hate to be in the middle of a battle only to find out it doesn't work."
Dwayne winced. "Battle?"
"Well, I doubt Jason is going to hand Jasper over just because I ask nicely."
"He could," Dwayne insisted.
Rob just stared at him.
Dwayne shrugged. "Well, he could."
Not that Dwayne actually thought that would happen, but he could hope.
"While that would optimal, I doubt it will happen. From what Albert has said, Jason doesn't seem like the type of guy to give up so easily."
"He's not," Albert warned. "He'll kill Jasper before he gives him up."
"Why do you think he took Jasper?" Dwayne asked. "Do you think he knows about him?"
"I think Jason took his brother as leverage against me," Albert replied.
"Leverage?"
"I suspect that at some point, I will be issued a challenge," Albert said. "Jason will hold on to Jasper to get me to submit to him and give up my clan."
"My clan now," Rob said firmly. "And I don't care if he challenges me. I'm still taking Jasper back."
Holy shit! Rob had a clan.
"Albert, you need to stay here," Rob said. "If Jason denied you entrance into his territory, you can't go there. As a member of my clan, I'm responsible for your actions."
Albert inhaled a shaky breath. "You're going to let us stay then?"
"I'm pretty sure I'm going to need a lot of advice to get up to speed on leading a clan. Who better than the former alpha?"
Albert smiled as he patted Rob's shoulder. "You're a good boy."
Dwayne tucked in his lips so he wouldn't smile at someone referring to the new alpha of the Silver Lake Clan as "boy." Once they were alone, however, he wasn't going to let Rob live that down. From the smirk on Harvey's face, he was thinking the same thing.
"I'll need the sheriff and a few of the others to go with us," Rob stated. "I'm not sure what we're going to face once we get there."
Dwayne was pretty sure they were going to face a fight, especially if everything they'd heard about Alpha King was true.
"Hey, I have a question," Dwayne piped in. "If your name is Alpha Kersey, how is your son named Alpha King?"
Albert sighed. "Well, it seems my son feels he is destined to be king of his clan, and maybe all clans if he truly has his way. He believes he is the best man to lead us all. He took the name King so everyone would know who he is."
What a dork.
"We better get going," Rob said. "We need to find Jasper before Jason does something truly stupid."
Dwayne was pretty sure it was too late for that.
He took a step closer to Casey, the spot where he was supposed to be. Not only did he like the little guy, but he'd been given the sacred duty of keeping him safe. He would not let his new alpha down.
His heart climbed into his throat as he watched Rob, Harvey, and Jeb head for the front door. As strong as he knew they all were, they were still headed into battle. There was a very strong possibility they were either come back injured or dead.
"Hey," Dwayne called out to Harvey. When the man turned, he smiled then whispered through their bond, "I love you."
He wanted to say it in case he didn't get the chance.
Harvey's jaw dropped. "You're telling me this now when I can't do anything about it?"
Dwayne chuckled at the shock on Harvey's face. He didn't understand how the man couldn't know how he felt. They were mates. "I guess you'll just have to make sure you come back."
Harvey started for the door, but paused and glanced back over his shoulder. "Just so you know, I love you, too."
Dwayne's eyes narrowed. "You're evil."
"Maybe." Harvey's deep chuckle rang through the air as he walked out. "But you love me anyway."
Dwayne grunted. The bastard was right. He did love him anyway.
He was still evil.
Chapter Nine
Leaving Dwayne after exchanging those all-important words left a bitter taste in Harvey's mouth, and yet, he knew he had no other choice. His duty right now needed to be to his alpha. Besides, Dwayne would smack him for leaving Rob to go into battle alone, and it wouldn't be one of those good smacks either.
The sheriff and several men were waiting for them outside. Harvey eyed each of them, wondering if they could be trusted. At this point, the only people he trusted were the ones he'd come with. The sheriff and the former alpha were in the top running, but that was pretty much it.
"Alpha Colton." Sheriff Riley gave Rob a respectful nod then tilted his head to show his submission to a higher-ranking clan member. "I have five men to go with us, all good, strong fighters."
"Will they listen to my orders?" Rob asked.
"Yes, sir." The sheriff narrowed his eyes and looked at each of the men. "I have informed them that you won the challenge against Alpha Kersey and now lead our clan. If need be, I can have the former alpha confirm my words."
Rob lifted an eyebrow as he eyed the five clan members. "Will that be necessary?"
"No, sir," all five men replied quickly.
Harvey would have been dead not to notice the slight shiver of fear in their tones. They didn't know what to think of Rob. Considering the man was six foot nine inches tall, most people didn't. And he was even bigger in his bear form.
Harvey wasn't surprised his brother had become an alpha bear. He was big enough to give even the strongest alpha pause. But better than that, Rob had a heart of gold. Granted, he was young and had a lot of growing to do, but he was still a good man. Harvey was proud of the man his baby brother had become and had no problem following the alpha anywhere, even into battle.
"We need to go, Alpha," Harvey said. The longer Jasper was in his brother's hands, the more possibility of harm being done.
"You can ride with me," the sheriff said.
Rob nodded. "Is there going to be a problem with you going in as the sheriff?"
"I'm following up on a report of a kidnapping. I dare anyone to question me."
"That's pretty handy." Rob gestured to Harvey. "You might need to take him on as one of your deputies so he can do shit like that."
The sheriff's eyes narrowed as he turned to look at Harvey. "You got any training?"
Harvey glared at his brother. "Yeah, I have some training, but just a little bit. They kind of require it when you're an Army Ranger."
Rob chuckled.
The sheriff's eyebrows lifted, both of them. "You're a little young to be an Army Ranger, aren't you?"
Harvey shrugged. "They liked me."
Truthfully, he probably was a little young, but he had excelled so much during his training that his superiors had sent him directly to the Army Rangers. They were not going to be thrilled he was leaving.
"There are some requirements you'll have to pass, but I'm pretty sure we can find you a spot down at the station."
Harvey was not reassured by those words. They sounded as if he'd be cleaning jail cells instead of fighting crime. Harvey raised his hand. "I'm good. Thanks."
"You don't want to be a deputy?"
"I'm not saying that, but right now, we need to concentrate on getting Jasper back, not my long term career goals. I don't even have a place to live. My mate and I need to do some talking before we make any decisions."
The sheriff gave a single nod. "Fair enough."
Once at the sheriff's vehicle, Harvey took the backseat, leaving the front passenger seat for Rob, with the sheriff driving.
"Tell me about Jason's clan territory," Rob ordered. "What kind of place are we walking into?"
"Jason set up his clan in the town closest to Silver Lake. I've always suspected that he did that with the intention of taking over his father's clan and combining them into one clan. I think his plan is to take Jasper out so he can't inherit then kill his father, leaving him the only heir to take over the clan."
Harvey snorted. "Guess he didn't plan well enough."
"Well," the sheriff said, "he is an idiot, so…"
Harvey chuckled. He was pretty sure he was going to like the sheriff. The man had an interesting sense of humor.
"Tell me about the territory," Rob demanded again.
"The town is about the same size at Silver Lake. The humans who live there are not aware of our existence as far as I know. We certainly never told them. There's a clan law abou
t exposing us to humans."
"That's pretty much a law with every clan," Rob stated. "How you ended up with an entire town that knows is beyond me."
"It was our land before the town was there," the sheriff explained. "Our old alpha, Albert's grandfather, made it a rule that only people who knew about us could live here. That's one of the reasons the town has stayed so small all of these years."
"What about the clan home?"
"Jason has a big, fancy house on the edge of town. It sits up on a hill facing town with woods behind it. I've never been able to figure out how he paid for the place. The man doesn't work or have any discernible income coming in."
"Clan dues maybe?" Harvey asked. He knew some alpha required astronomical clan dues. Others just a little. It was kind of the measure of an alpha how much he required from the clan.
"Or he robbed a bank," the sheriff said. "With Jason, you can never tell."
"You don't sound like a fan," Rob pointed out. "Do you have personal history with him beyond being the beta of the Silver Lake Clan?"
"No, but I've been around since he was a boy, and Alpha Kersey and his mate were right. Until Jason transformed, he was a different boy, a good boy. Once he did, he was nothing but a headache. I can't tell you how thrilled I was when the man left town."
The more he heard about this guy, the less Harvey wanted to meet him.
"Jason has surrounded himself with a group of thugs who are nothing more than a bad movie biker gang. They don't need a reason to beat someone into the ground. They do it for fun. And they hate anyone who is different than they are."
"Bears?" Harvey asked.
"As far as I can tell," the sheriff replied. "After one too many run-ins with them, Alpha Kersey ordered them out of our territory."
"So, they broke the rules when they came to get Jasper?"
The sheriff snapped around to stare at Rob. "They took Jasper. Isn't that enough?"
"No, I meant beyond that. Obviously they broke the rules when they kidnapped the alpha's son. I'm trying to figure out what other rules they may have broken. The more information I have, the more leverage I have. Knowledge is power, Sheriff."
"Well, as far as I can tell, they came into our territory after being strictly forbidden to be here by our alpha, and there is no way they can refute what they've done. Alpha Kersey stated that every single member of their clan was banned from entering our territory without his express permission beforehand. He didn't give it."
