by J. L. Wilder
He dug in, pulling forward, forcing the bears to fall back. They couldn’t match his pace. They were too bulky and not made for running long distances the way he was. If he tried to turn and fight them, he knew, they’d have had him. But he could outrun them.
After a while, he heard no more footfalls behind him. He looked back over his shoulder and saw that there was no sign of them.
I lost them, then. This is as safe as it’s going to get to go home.
He steered into a wide arc and headed back toward the cave.
“WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED to you?” Louis asked, jumping up from his seat on a rock beside the fire. He helped Xavier over and sat him down carefully. “You shifted.”
“That’s all you have to say?” Xavier complained.
“No, it damn well is not all I have to say,” Louis said. “You come back here naked and bleeding, after being missing without any word for over an hour—”
“I was getting us breakfast,” Xavier said.
“I don’t see any breakfast,” Louis said.
“I dropped it, okay?” Xavier said. “I speared a rabbit, but I was being chased by fucking wild bears, and one of them slashed my leg, and yeah, I dropped my damn spear. I’m sorry about your breakfast.”
“That’s not what I’m upset about,” Louis said, stripping off his shirt.
“You can’t seriously be upset about the fact that I shifted,” Xavier said.
“No,” Louis said. “If they were on you, then you had to.”
“They would have killed me otherwise,” Xavier said. “They were trying to kill me as it was.”
“There’s never been a confrontation like this between the bears and us,” Louis said. “They’ve been in our territory for weeks, and they’ve never attacked us outright. I wonder why they decided to do it today.”
“Maybe because they found me on my own,” Xavier suggested. “Every other time we’ve crossed paths with the bears, you and I have been together. Maybe they didn’t like those odds. Maybe they weren’t willing to try me until it was four against one.”
“Stay still,” Louis said. “You have to let me look at that scratch.” He probed the wound carefully with his fingers. “This doesn’t look too deep. I don’t think we need to go to a hospital.”
“Of course, we don’t need to go to a fucking hospital,” Xavier glowered. “It’s already healing.”
It was true. The wound, which had been flowing freely as Xavier had run away from the bears, had begun to knit itself closed.
“Let me bandage it up, at least.” Louis got to his feet and moved toward the cave, where their pile of medical supplies was kept.
“Just let me shift back for a few hours,” Xavier said. “I’ll heal faster in bear form, you know that.”
“No,” Louis said. His tone was deadly serious. “We need to talk about them. You were right, Xavier. I should have listened to you last night. We shouldn’t have wasted that time on drinking. Something has to be done about them. They can’t be allowed free run of our territory. They’re too dangerous.”
“So, what do you propose we do?” Xavier asked.
Louis knelt on the ground beside him and began to clean his wound. “I don’t know,” he said. “But whatever it is, we’ll need to act quickly.”
“I say we fight them,” Xavier said. “We need to take a stand. We need to show them that we’re not going to allow ourselves to be pushed around by a bunch of bears.”
Louis looked up at him, shaking his head slowly. “We’re not going to fight them, Xavier,” he said. “Are you out of your mind? There are four of them. Four that we know of. There could be even more.”
“But they’re bears,” Xavier said, feeling exasperated. “They’re slow. You should have seen them today. They shamble.”
“Really? Because one of them got his claws into you.” Louis began to wind gauze around Xavier’s thigh.
“That only happened because he got the drop on me,” Xavier said. “They had the element of surprise today. Even with that, I was able to outrun them in the end.”
“Okay,” Louis said. “But in a fight, we wouldn’t be outrunning them. We would be taking them on directly. They’re bigger and stronger than we are. You can’t write that off.”
“I’m not,” Xavier said. “I’m only pointing out that we have advantages on our side too.”
“I don’t think we can fight them,” Louis said. “And frankly, I’m not willing to try it.”
“Then what do you want to do?” Xavier demanded. “You said yourself that we can’t just keep ignoring them.”
“We’ve got to go south,” Louis said. “It’s the only thing I can think of. We’ll have to pack up and leave this cave behind.”
Xavier couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “But this is our territory,” he protested. “This cave is our home. You can’t seriously be suggesting that we just give up the land to them and run off?”
“I don’t want to get killed because I was too stubborn to leave while I could,” Louis said. “And I don’t want you to get killed either. You got away from them today, but that could have ended differently. What if they’d caught you, Xavier? Based on what you told me, it sounds like they were ready to kill.”
“I could have taken them,” Xavier said.
“You could not have taken four bears by yourself,” Louis said flatly. “That’s just crazy. You know that’s crazy. Even you don’t think you would have won a fight under those conditions.”
He was right, but Xavier didn’t want to admit it.
“Suppose we do what you’re suggesting,” Xavier said. “Suppose we leave this place behind and find somewhere new. What happens when the bears follow us?”
“They won’t,” Louis said.
“You can’t possibly know that,” Xavier snapped.
“There’s no reason they should,” Louis said. “They clearly want to be here. They’ll be happy to have won this power struggle. They’ll take the land, and we won’t have to see them anymore.”
“That’s a hell of an assumption,” Xavier said. “What if you’re wrong? What if they do follow us? Do we just keep moving on? Keep finding new places to live, over and over, letting them drive us out of our home again and again?”
“It won’t be like that,” Louis said. “There’s no way they would keep following us. They would have to have some personal grievance against us to do that. As soon as we’re a few miles south of here, we should be safe.”
Xavier sighed. “I don’t like it,” he said. “Giving the land up to them. I’m supposed to be an alpha, Louis.”
“You’re an alpha without a pack,” Louis said. “All you have is me. Your strength isn’t what it could have been.”
It wasn’t the first time Louis had suggested that Xavier had sacrificed some of his potential by leaving his pack behind and living independently. And to an extent, Xavier supposed, it was probably true. It would no doubt strengthen an alpha to have a whole pack submitting to him instead of just one beta. And Louis’ submission didn’t count for that much anyway since Xavier almost never gave him orders.
He supposed he could order Louis to stay and fight the bears.
But he wouldn’t. He would never order his friend into a battle where he might be hurt or killed. If Louis didn’t want to fight, there would be no fight.
“All right,” he sighed. “We go south, then. We leave today.”
“We should wait a few days,” Louis suggested. “Let your leg heal up first.”
But Xavier shook his head. “If we wait, I’m going to change my mind,” he said. “We should go right now before I have to spend too much time thinking about it. I’ll stay human for a while so I don’t have to take the bandage off.”
“All right,” Louis said. “I’ll start packing.”
Xavier looked around the cave and allowed himself to feel a moment of sadness for the life he was leaving behind. This cave had been his home.
Now, he supposed, he would never see
it again.
Chapter Four
ZOE
“Have you heard the news?” Daphne asked, reaching over to grip Zoe’s arm as Zoe slid into her seat in Wilderness Skills on Monday.
“What news?” Zoe asked, frowning. “It’s too early in the morning for news. I haven’t even had my coffee yet.”
“It’s not too early for this news,” Daphne promised. Then she frowned. “And you’re not supposed to be drinking coffee. Where did you even get it?”
It was true that coffee was a restricted substance on the Omega University campus. Almost anything that wasn’t considered nutritious was held back from the girls—not offered in the dining hall and frowned upon by the staff. But it wasn’t strictly against the rules, and after all, Zoe wasn’t planning on becoming pregnant anytime soon. She didn’t even have an alpha. There was plenty of time in the future to give up her vices.
“I brewed it in the dorm,” she said.
“In our dorm room?” Daphne sounded scandalized.
Zoe had to laugh. “It’s instant coffee, Daphne. It’s not even the good stuff. You’re acting like I’ve been shooting up or something.”
“I’m sorry.” Daphne allowed a smile to grace her face. “You’re right. It’s a silly thing to get upset about. I just...I think you should take care of yourself. That’s all.”
“I do take care of myself,” Zoe said. “I eat all my vegetables. I go running every day. I get lots of sleep every night. I’m the picture of health.”
Daphne nodded, though she didn’t quite look convinced.
“I thought you said you had news,” Zoe said, eager to talk about something other than coffee.
“Oh!” Daphne said. “I do. It’s probably the biggest thing that’s happened at Omega University in years.”
“Seriously?” Zoe couldn’t think what would possibly qualify.
“You know the junior wilderness trip?”
“Of course.” She pointed to the front of the classroom, to the brochures on the professor’s desk. “Looks like we’re going to be getting the details about that today.”
Daphne nodded. “Well, I heard that this year, the alphas from Shifter U are going to be coming along.”
Zoe stared at her friend. “What? No way. They wouldn’t do that.” The wilderness trip was supposed to be a chance for omegas to hone their skills, to pit themselves against nature. It was the kind of experience that would never again be replicated in their lives—once they joined a pack, there would always be someone else around to do the hard work, to interfere when something seemed dangerous.
“They’re doing it,” Daphne said. “Logan told me.”
Zoe raised her eyebrows. “How did Logan tell you? We haven’t seen him since Track and Field Day.”
“He called me,” Daphne admitted. “Last night.”
“You’re not supposed to have a cell phone on campus,” Zoe said.
“And you’re not supposed to have coffee. We could go around and around about this.”
“Why didn’t I know you had a phone?” Zoe asked. “We live together. I could have borrowed it.”
“I didn’t want you to borrow it.”
“Why not?”
“Who would you have called?”
“I could have ordered a new eyeshadow palette,” Zoe said. “I’ve been running on fumes, and you know that.”
“You look better without it,” Daphne said. “Alphas will think so too. They like it better when we’re natural.”
“It’s still my choice to make,” Zoe grumbled. Every aspect of life at Omega University was about stripping away the things that brought shifters closer to their own humanity.
“Listen,” Daphne said. “I only have a phone because I need it to keep in touch with Logan. He bought it for me. But generally, we’re supposed to be getting in touch with our animal sides. That’s what’s going to make us better omegas, and it’s what’s going to make us appealing to alphas. Someday, when you leave school and settle down—”
“You don’t know,” Zoe interrupted. “You don’t know what settling down is going to look like for me. Maybe my alpha and I will move back to the city and live there, the way my pack does.”
Daphne gave her a pitying look. “So few alphas want that,” she said. “I know it’s what you’re used to, but the point of coming to school was to prepare yourself for the real world. Alphas like to balance their human sides with their animal sides. They want us to be able to do the same thing.”
“Yeah,” Zoe said. “Maybe.” Although she didn’t want to believe it, she thought her friend was probably right. Every alpha she had met since coming to Omega University seemed to share Daphne’s priorities, and every class she had taken here had emphasized the importance of keeping her dual nature in balance.
That was why they weren’t supposed to have things like makeup and cell phones. Those items tied them too tightly to their human sides.
But, of course, every omega had an indulgence or two. A phone her alpha had bought her. A subscription to a fashion magazine. An e-reader or a tablet for watching videos.
It was Zoe’s bad luck that her biggest human indulgence—her makeup—was something she wore on her face for everyone around her to see.
Zoe was spared having to debate the matter anymore by the arrival of Professor Browning. He was a cheerful beta and one of the best-liked professors at Omega University. He never seemed to have any trouble commanding the attention of his class.
“Good morning, ladies,” he said, striding to the front of the room and picking up the stack of brochures from his desk. “Would someone come and pass these out, please?”
One of the girls in the front row took the brochures and began to move around the room, handing them out.
“The junior wilderness trip is a time-honored tradition at Omega University,” Professor Browning said. “As I’m sure you’re all aware, every year, the girls in the junior class travel north to spend a week developing wilderness skills. You’ll learn hunting, foraging, navigation, and field medicine, and you’ll put all those skills to practice while we’re in the wilderness.”
Zoe sat up a little straighter. She had looked forward to this trip for a long time. The opportunity to test her skills against real wilderness conditions was an aspect of her animal side that she could get on board with.
A brochure was placed on the desk in front of her. She picked it up and opened it. It contained pictures of students from previous years on the wilderness trip, sitting in tents and smiling for the camera or gathered around a fire.
“This year, we’ll be doing things a little differently,” Professor Browning said. “Most unfortunately, we’ve had reports of a clan of wild bears to the north. This clan is no standard pack. Who can tell us about the feral alpha borderlands?”
Daphne raised her hand.
Professor Browning nodded at her.
“The feral alpha borderlands is a stretch of territory to the far north, near the Arctic Circle,” Daphne said. “The territory is occupied by wild alphas who are members of no pack. The story is that they’re almost incapable of living with other shifters. They can’t share territory without fighting, and they can’t work together. If they don’t manage to keep a distance from one another, they usually end up killing each other.”
“Correct,” Professor Browning said. “And it’s for that reason that our wilderness trip keeps far to the south of the borderlands. The feral alphas couldn’t possibly tolerate anyone else on their land without it coming to violence.
“But we have reports, this year, that a group of alpha bears have linked up and moved south. Somehow, they’re working together.”
“They shouldn’t be able to do that,” Zoe protested. “Alphas can’t work cooperatively, can they? It isn’t in their nature.”
“No, it isn’t,” Professor Browning agreed. “It’s unclear what exactly is going on with them. And because of that, there was serious talk of canceling the trip this year. The administration doesn�
��t want to put our omegas in danger. After much discussion, though, it was decided that this trip is too vital a part of our curriculum, and if there was any way at all to proceed with it, we wanted to do so.”
“So we’re still going?” someone asked.
“Yes, we’re still going,” Professor Browning said. “The alphas from across the road at Shifter University have agreed to accompany us.”
An excited chatter rose up around the room. Zoe was sure the other omegas were thinking of the potential for socialization this would afford them. Many of the omegas in their class were already mated, and this was an opportunity to spend a full week in the company of their alphas. It was an experience they had never had before.
She looked around the room, wondering whether anybody else was feeling the way she was—let down by the fact that they were going to have to share this important experience with a bunch of alphas.
“Quiet down, please,” Professor Browning said mildly. “We need to discuss how this development is going to impact the trip. And I expect everyone to pay close attention and to stick to the rules I’m about to lay out for you. I know we’re not always strict with you when it comes to enforcing the rules here at Omega University, but on this trip, I’m afraid the opposite will be true. These rules are for your immediate safety and for that of everyone else on the trip, and anyone behaving out of line will be immediately sent back to school.”
Zoe felt her eyes widen. She had, in fact, never heard Professor Browning sound so serious. This danger must be very real.
“The alphas will not be along to take part in our wilderness activities, nor will they be free to socialize,” Professor Browning said. “They will be there as guards. They’ll set up a perimeter around the camp and work in shifts so that those who aren’t currently guarding the camp will be sleeping. You are not to disturb either group. Their work is very important, and they have to be prepared for a fight at any moment.”
Beside Zoe, Daphne pouted a little. “We won’t even get to hang out?” she muttered. “What’s the fun in that?”
