Savage Love

by Riley Storm

  Logan looked at him briefly, then the giant beast plunged back into the fray behind them, leaving Lucien to do what was necessary.

  With a brief focus of mental energy, Lucien undid the change.

  “Stop this,” he said as soon as his vocal chords were formed again, though the change hadn’t finished with the rest of his body. He was still covered in fur, with paws larger than a human head. “Call them off. No more need to die.”

  “If we leave, I’ll just come back with more,” Lyken said matter-of-factly. “Until I have you all. I won’t stop. So you call your men off, and return to Moonshadow Manor with me. Peacefully. And I’ll let her live.” He tightened his grip on Alison’s neck. She whimpered again, but said nothing.

  Strong woman.

  “You don’t have to do this, Lyken. Your orders are immoral. They are wrong! Our King is insane. He will lead us to ruin. Just look at what he’s doing to us already!” Lucien pleaded, gesturing at the battlefield behind him.

  “Orders are orders,” Lyken said firmly, unyielding. “If we start picking and choosing what to obey, then we end up like this. Chaos. Return to us, Lucien. Follow your orders. Obey your King. It is the only way.”

  Lucien was shaking his head sadly. This wasn’t the man he had grown up with. That Lyken was dead. Long gone. In his place was this hollow shell of a man, with nothing but his orders to believe in. It was sad. Lucien pitied him.

  This was it, he realized. The turning point. There was no stopping the fighting, the hunting, the dying, not while Lyken—and beyond him the King—still lived. None of them would back down. Lucien had to choose. If he believed in his cause, then Lyken had to die. Now.

  But was his cause worth that? Was it worth killing one of his own?

  “Lucien,” Alison said suddenly, surprising both shifters. “I love you. You know what you need to do, no matter how tough it is. No matter how hard it is. You know. But not only that, I believe in you. No matter what.”

  Lyken growled and pushed her to the ground. “Enough.”

  Lucien took a step forward, anger boiling away his other emotions, filling him with the elemental fury of a lover seeing his mate hurt.

  “I believe in you,” Alison whispered loud enough.

  Then she winked at him.

  Lucien had enough time to be surprised before he saw her reach for her boot. A wicked-looking—and familiar—knife appeared in her hand, and she stabbed it deep into Lyken’s leg.

  The shifter howled and backhanded Alison away, reaching to pull the knife from his leg. Lucien didn’t give him the chance. He closed the distance before Alison even hit the ground, a thunderous roar ripping from his throat as he charged.

  Lyken came up, the knife pointed at Lucien, but he was too slow. Too surprised by the bold and courageous actions of the tiny human.

  Using his momentum, Lucien grabbed the entire knife-filled hand as it came for him, rotated it and continued his forward charge. The knife punched through the protective chest wall and into Lyken’s heart, killing him even as Lucien lifted the now dead shifter into the air.

  “ENOUGH!” he bellowed, pivoting hard on one leg and tossing the corpse into the middle of the clashing pack of wolves, many of whom were bleeding badly by this point.

  Lyken’s body bounced twice and came to a stop. Like a rock dropped into a pond, the fighting slowly stopped in an outward ripple, until all the shifters were staring at Lucien.

  “It’s over,” he commanded, his voice filled with an authority he’d never known he possessed. “No more death. No more.”

  For a moment, he thought they were going to resist, that all of Lyken’s team would fight to the death to try and avenge their leader. The night was silent, and then the first one lowered his head to the ground, exposing his throat. Surrendering. The rest followed, until they had all surrendered.

  Nodding in satisfaction, Lucien forgot them, his mind focused elsewhere.

  “Hey.”

  He nearly jumped out of his skin as Alison appeared at his side, nursing her shoulder with one hand.

  “You’re okay,” he breathed, reaching out to gently bring her into an embrace.

  “Yes. I’m okay. My shoulder hurts.”

  Lucien nodded. “I know a place they can look at that.”

  She snorted, then pushed back, looking up at him, brown eyes glowing gold with concern. “How are you?”

  “Scratches,” he said. “Most of it’s not mine.”

  “That’s not what I meant,” she said, doing a credible impression of a growl. “How are you doing?”

  Lucien turned to stare at Lyken’s body. He lay flat on his back, eyes staring up unseeing into the night sky. The knife was still in his chest, buried to the hilt. The same knife that had nearly killed Lucien, used to kill his old friend.

  “I don’t know,” he admitted, his legs suddenly feeling weak and unsteady. His stomach churned, and Lucien thought he might be sick.

  “I don’t know. We won,” he said, voice hoarse. “But at what cost?”

  41

  Alison was starting to worry.

  They were back at the warehouse now, and after a brief side trip to feed Bergey with some food they had grabbed from a twenty-four hour drugstore, she had focused her attention solely on Lucien.

  Logan had organized the rest of the shifters of both sides and was looking after the injured and those now coming down from the adrenaline boost. When Alison had learned what these men had put themselves through to ensure they were able to fight, she’d nearly keeled over. That much adrenaline would have killed a normal human!

  Yet apparently, each of them had taken the dose without complaint. It was astounding, and just yet another sign that they were truly brothers, willing to do whatever it took to help one another out with their fight.

  She was confused, and feeling useless now though. The battle was over, and she’d done her part to help, confident in her choice, but she didn’t know what to do now. Lucien had retreated to their tent and now he just sat there, staring off into space, barely responding. She’d forced a protein bar down his throat, but he’d just chewed mechanically, unresponsive.

  “How’s he doing?”

  Jumping slightly at the unexpected intrusion, Alison turned to see Logan standing nearby, looking at the tent as well.

  “Not good,” she admitted. “He just sits there, staring into space.”

  “He’s never killed one of his own kind before. That was always a thing for him. He wouldn’t kill another wolf shifter.”

  She nodded, still not able to comprehend the casualness with which shifters treated death. You’re going to have to if you want to help him though. You must push through. You don’t need to understand why, to know that they do.

  “Is this is his first time killing anyone?” she asked, trying not to lose her composure at even asking such a question.

  “No,” Logan said with a snort. “He’s taken down some bears, and a couple of those Panthera assholes as well.”

  “Panthera?” she asked, filing away the knowledge that there were bear shifters as well. The world just kept getting crazier and crazier.

  “House Panthera. Felines. Lions. Leopards. Tigers. Etc. Bunch of assholes,” Logan said derisively. “Picture a six-hundred-pound housecat in human form.”

  Despite it all, Alison actually snickered at the comparison. It certainly did evoke a particular image, she had to give him that.

  “Okay, so it’s not about killing in general, but about another wolf,” she said thoughtfully. “And his friend.”

  “Yes.” Logan shifted uncomfortably. “I hate to do this to you, but I think it has to be you who goes to him, Alison.”

  “I was planning on it,” she said. “But why do you not think you can do it?”

  Logan smiled grimly. “I’m a friend. And a wolf shifter. He doesn’t need any reminders of what he’s lost.” Logan pointed a thick finger at her. “He needs a reminder of what he’s gained. A lover. A mate. If anything is powerful
enough to get through to him, it’s that. Go tell him what you told him on the battlefield. Force him to acknowledge it. Hopefully, that will pull him out of it.”

  “Not such a bad idea,” she admitted. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” Logan hesitated. “I need you to do this, Alison. To succeed. These others expect me to lead them, but I can’t do it without Lucien at my side. Please.”

  She nodded. “I will. For you, but also for him.”

  And maybe for me as well.

  The big shifter gave her a nod before moving back to the center of the warehouse where the shifters were dealing with the bodies of the dead—seven in total had died, three of Lucien’s allies, and four of Lyken’s team, including Lyken himself. Far fewer casualties than she’d expected. But still too many for Lucien.

  Steeling herself for how she knew she would likely have to act, Alison walked over to the tent. Their tent. She went inside, finding Lucien exactly where she’d left him, sitting cross-legged in the center. Back straight, head up, eyes staring, unseeing.

  “Hey,” she said quietly.

  There was no response. Not even a blink. Simply nothing. Lucien had gone into a catatonic state.

  “Is that how you greet your mate?” she snapped. “With rudeness and ignorance?”

  Lucien blinked. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “It’s just that—”

  “It’s just what? That you wish you had given up me, so that he could still be alive? Is that it?” she said, her words caustic, designed to hurt. It pained Alison to do this, but she knew it was the only way. She had to get Lucien to focus on her, on why he’d done what he’d done. And to do that, she had to make him aware of how he was making her feel. Then they could tackle how he felt.

  “I…” Lucien was looking at her now, his eyes finally focusing on something nearby.

  “You what?” she asked. “You didn’t know? Didn’t care? Were too self-absorbed to care? Because I’m pretty sure you told me you loved me, Lucien Canis. Did I hear that wrong?”

  “No,” he said, repeating the word with a stronger voice. “No, you heard correctly. I do love you.”

  “Oh really? Then how come you haven’t even acknowledged what I said to you earlier then?” She put her hands on her hips, letting some of her feelings bleed into the forced irritation with him. Alison hadn’t meant to, but the truth was, she was a little hurt by the total ignorance to what she’d said.

  “I…what did you say?” he asked lamely.

  “So you admit you weren’t paying any attention to me?”

  “I was focused on your safety. I…I guess I didn’t really think about you,” he admitted, hanging his head in shame.

  “My shoulder’s fine, by the way. Just a massive bruise.”

  Lucien looked pained. “I’m sorry, Alison.”

  She softened her glare. “I know. You had to do something really hard tonight. I get that, Lucien. I do. But you can’t let it consume you. It’s not something you chose to do. You were forced into it. That makes you innocent.”

  “I should have found another way.”

  “Another way would have seen me and all your friends dead,” she snapped. “Get that through your head. You are not God. You cannot force people to think or believe things they don’t want to. You do not control other people.”

  “I know. But there had to be some way to stop him without killing him.”

  “You could have surrendered,” she said. “Your cause for his life. But that wasn’t worth it,” she growled. “This is bigger than any one individual, and you know that, if you just think logically.”

  Lucien started to argue, but she shook her head. “No. I’m right. You’re wrong. Be sad, Lucien. Mourn his loss. But do not think for one moment that you were the cause of it. Nobody is judging you for it. Your men would all thank you, if you would just talk to them. Right now, they think they’ve let you down.”

  Lucien’s spine straightened. “What?”

  “They think if they’d fought harder, stopped Lyken and his men themselves, that you wouldn’t be in here moping around.”

  “I’m not moping,” he started, then stopped. “They didn’t disappoint me at all. I’m beyond proud of them. They fought like warriors, with honor, for something they believed in.”

  She nodded. “And so did you. Even if you had a secondary reason as well.”

  “You,” he said heavily.

  “I sure hope so. Otherwise, I fell in love with the wrong man.”

  Lucien’s jaw dropped, and she saw his eyes glaze over momentarily. “You love me?” There was a pause. “That’s what you told me on the field.”

  “Yes,” she said. “I did. I love you, Lucien. More than I can ever begin to understand. I know you might have lost something today, but if you look around, you’ll see you gained two things. A pack,” she said with a gesture outside of the tent.

  “And a mate,” he growled, sweeping her up into a crushing embrace. “Oh, Alison, I’m so sorry.”

  “Watch the shoulder,” she said with a wince, though she made no attempt to move away from him.

  “I love you,” he said softly, the ghost of a smile reaching his lips.

  “I love you too. So very much. I will stand beside you, while you fight for your cause,” she said, leaning on his chest. “Because I believe in you, and I believe in it.”

  “Thank you,” he rumbled, the vibrations of his chest pleasant against her cheek. “I believe too.”

  She looked up at his scraggly beard, past that to his eyes. They were no longer blank, but glowing with a renewed vigor, now that he’d been reminded of why he was fighting.

  “Thank you,” Lucien whispered once more.

  She kissed his chin. “You’re welcome. But if you truly mean it, I suggest you take off your pants and show me.”

  Lucien’s growl filled the tent.

  42

  The next day, they held a brief ceremony to honor the fallen on both sides.

  Lucien wouldn’t hear any arguments against it. All the shifters who had fought and fallen were the first casualties of the war, and he was determined to keep it as civil as possible. They would treat their prisoners with respect, as they would the dead. Anyone who couldn’t handle that was not welcome, he’d said. All his men had agreed.

  His men. They weren’t really his men, not anymore. Or at least, they wouldn’t be soon.

  “Where do we go from here?” Lorik asked as the group filtered back inside the warehouse. “What’s next?”

  Lucien paused, looking over at Logan. The large shifter nodded at the unspoken question.

  “Now we go where Logan tells us,” Lucien said, his words a subtle indication of the shift in leadership that was to occur. “I, for one, will fight until the end for what we believe in. Wherever I am needed, I will go. Whatever the pack needs, I will give it, if it is in my power.”

  Logan stepped up, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “Thank you, my brother. But don’t think you’re getting out of this so easily.”

  The assembled shifters chuckled at Lucien’s surprised look. This wasn’t what he’d planned. What was going on?

  “I will do my best to lead us through this trying time,” Logan said calmly. “It will not be easy, and I fear much death awaits us ahead. But I cannot sit by and watch this fool of a King split our great House any longer. He must be brought down. No matter the cost.”

  “No matter the cost,” the other shifters echoed around him.

  “To that end, I’m going to need help. Lucky for you all, I have just the man for the job.” Logan squeezed Lucien’s shoulder tightly as he spoke.

  Lucien wanted to protest, to say he wasn’t ready for this, but he wasn’t given the chance.

  “While Lucien has relinquished command to me, as was his plan all along, I think we all know it’s for reasons like that, he is best suited to be my second. Lucien thinks I’m the best suited for alpha, but I have to think he is. He’s reluctant to lead, because he knows the sacrifice
s those under him would be forced to make. That is a quality of a great leader, and I’m not about to let it go to waste. We could all use a reminder like that from time to time, I think.”

  The assembled shifters rumbled their agreement, one or two even punching the air. Lucien couldn’t believe what he was seeing. After what he’d done, after all he’d asked of them, forced them to do, they still wanted him to help lead them forward? It was unbelievable. He didn’t deserve that sort of loyalty.

  “Told you,” Alison whispered from at his side, loud enough that they could all hear, bringing forth some chuckles.

  “You’re all insane, you know that, right?” he pouted.

  “Absolutely,” Chief chimed in. “Wouldn’t be any fun otherwise.”

  Lana spoke up next. “Don’t forget, you’re here with us. That makes you insane too.”

  Lucien couldn’t help it. He broke out into a wide grin. “Well then, I suppose we insane maniacs will have to stick together, won’t we?”

  The pack erupted in shouts and howls of triumph as they surged forward to hammer Lucien hard with pats on the shoulder and fists to the chest and back. A slight undercurrent of tension that Lucien hadn’t picked up on at first fled as he was buried under the deluge of happy celebrations.

  This, he thought to himself. This is what a pack should be like.

  43

  The party was in full swing and it wasn’t even dark out.

  Alison bounced and danced to the music, as did several of the other shifters, whose names she was still trying to learn. Nearby, Lorik and Lana swayed slowly, moving to the beat of their own drum. Lorik’s head rested on Lana’s shoulder. It was quite possibly the cutest thing she’d ever seen.

  Around the bonfire, Bergey moved from person to person, giving them his best puppy eyes, hoping someone would give him a bit of their food. More often than not, when she happened to look over, he was succeeding. The dog was the biggest mooch to begin with, but it didn’t help that the shifters adored him. He had become their unofficial mascot, it seemed.