Cohen

by Emilia Hartley

  Shocked noises and roars filled the night sky as the news set in. Dan, the second in command, killed by a human? How?

  “We wanted the alphas for our pack! But after this… not anymore,” Lucas sneered. “Change! We have much to plan for.”

  The snaps of bone and grunts of pain began almost immediately as the Northern Wind pack morphed to human almost in unison. Many couldn’t remember when they were last in human form; the sting of the cold biting against their skin as they became re-accustomed to the sensations of being human once more. They shivered unendingly in the breeze, passing out blankets as they waited warily for the next order.

  The leader didn’t seem fazed. He paced angrily within the field, impatient and bothered. He was thinking, his eyes washing a glare colder than the night winds over his pack as idea after idea was visibly discarded. Suddenly he halted in his path, a frigid glare flashing in the moonlight as it froze one scared bear in place.

  He stalked slowly forward, like a predator that’d locked onto his prey. He closed the distance by snaking his hand out, snagging the blanket wrapped tightly around the transformed bear’s shivering body. “You,” he hissed. “What’s your name?”

  “S-Savannah…” the bear whispered, almost too quiet to hear. Lucas tugged hungrily on the blanket, but despite her fear, she wouldn’t let it budge.

  He gave it one last hard tug, and when she held fast to the fabric, he grinned. “You’ll do nicely.” She didn’t dare speak, eyes averted as she waited patiently for Lucas to finish his thought.

  He dropped his hand, turning away. “You’ll go there.”

  “Go… there?” Savannah dared to repeat.

  “To the alpha territory, you imbecile!” Lucas snapped. “You’ll go there, make friends, and be unassuming. Do whatever you can to make them accept you as their own.” His lips curled into a sickening grin. “And when they least expect it… we’ll be there.”

  Savannah shivered, but not from the cold.

  Lucas speared her with a glare. “Don’t tell me this is something you’re incapable of doing?”

  She was already shaking her head. “No, no, of course I’ll do it!” she assured franticly.

  “Good,” he growled, as he reached down behind a fallen tree and pulled out a long chain. Something on the end glinted silver in the moonlight, a key. He walked back to her, slowly and deliberately.

  As he slipped the cold chain over her head, his hand trailed down her cheek and across her collarbone in a sickening caress. “If you fail me…” he whispered, breath hot on her cheek as he leaned even closer to her ear. “I’ll deal with you personally.”

  Chapter One

  Tom walked into the office to a nervous Jo and a rather amused looking Nick. He knew that he and Jo hadn’t exactly gotten off on the best foot, and that was kinda his fault, but he was working to mend those bridges, and it seemed to be going well… until now at least. He could hear Jo’s heart hammering in her chest and her breath coming quickly as she focused not to avert her gaze. It wasn’t quite fear, but she was definitely nervous.

  “Hey guys,” he greeted with a bit of confusion. “What’s up?”

  Nick grinned down at Jo. “It’s going to be fine,” he murmured, laying a light kiss on her temple. He looked up at Tom. “She has something she wants to tell you.”

  “Yeah, I kinda figured that. Jo?” Tom prompted, giving her an inquisitive leer, which only seemed to make her fret more.

  “Oh, she replied glancing desperately up at Nick. “It’s just about the cabin.”

  Tom frowned. “Okay? What about it?”

  Jo lifted her hands in defense. “I might have moved some things in.”

  Tom looked from Jo to Nick, his confusion only growing. “O… okay? Is that it?” He could see Nick holding back a bark of laughter. “What, did you think I’d been mad or something?” She averted her gaze even more, remaining quiet. “Oh come on, Jo. I thought we’d moved passed this. You both agreed you’d be moving into the cabin weeks ago.”

  “She was just worried that saying it and actually doing it would be totally different for you,” Nick replied, pulling an embarrassed Jo to him. “I told her you were cool with it then, and you’re cool with it now, but—”

  “I just don’t want you to feel… bothered by me anymore,” Jo interrupted, finally finding the courage to speak for herself. “I don’t want you to think I’m… I don’t know, taking your brother away from you or something. I know you two have had only each other for a long time.”

  Tom thought about it. Did he feel like Nick finding his mate and moving on without him was a bad thing? Not really. He’d learned from a very young age how important finding one’s mate was, and though he was initially apprehensive about the two of them being together, he saw how happy Nick was with Jo by his side. That’s all that mattered.

  “Go right ahead Jo. We might be brothers but it’s a bear’s purpose in life to find a mate to make life worth living, you know? It’s not my place to impose on that.” He shrugged. “I still have the live-in here at the shop. And hey, if I ever get bored, there’s always Dan to talk to in the back.”

  “How is he, by the way,” Nick asked, mildly concerned.

  “Fine, I guess,” Tom replied with a wave of his hand. “Healing slower than we’d originally expected, but fine.”

  Jo squirmed, and Tom could smell her telltale guilt from the damage she’d caused. “Tell him I’m sorry.”

  “Eh, he doesn’t deserve an apology,” Tom muttered. “Besides, I think he’s just happy to be alive, you know?”

  “Still,” Jo asserted. “I’d like for him to know I didn’t mean for him to suffer. I was just protecting Nick.”

  “He knows that,” Tom said, rubbing the back of his neck. “He might not like it, but he understands why what happened, happened.” Jo opened her mouth to protest further, but Tom continued, “Fine, fine, if you really insist, I’ll apologize to him, but I’m telling you, he doesn’t really care either way. I think he just wants to hurry up and get out of here, if we’re being honest.”

  Nick nodded. “That makes sense. We did run him over with a car,” he quipped.

  “You mean I ran him over,” Jo corrected.

  “We’re a pack. What one of us does, we all take responsibility for, love.” They exchanged a look that Tom didn’t quite understand and it made him feel left out.

  “Alright so, it’s settled,” Tom spoke up. “You two are moving into the cabin, I’ll have this place to myself once the Northern Wind brute is out on his own, and then everything can return to some semblance of normalcy.”

  “Well…” Jo muttered.

  “Well?” Tom mimicked, eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Well what?”

  “Well, there’s a bit more news," she said apologetically.

  Tom looked to Nick who shrugged his shoulders. “News to me too, apparently.”

  “Well, you know how you both agreed that I could work here as a secretary and maybe get the books in order?”

  “Yeah,” the brothers said in unison.

  “Well, that’s what I’ve been doing, and it turns out I may have bit off more than I can chew.” She grimaced. “The organization of the business seems easy enough, I can do that no problem, but I only know enough about numbers to know that we’ll more than likely need an accountant. It’s not really my thing.”

  Tom rolled his eyes with a groan. “Seriously?”

  “Yeah,” Jo sighed. “I know how you are about… outside people, so I’ve been a bit worried about bringing it up.” She steeled her gaze. “I would say anything else if I could, but I can’t. It has to be done. You’re due on your tax returns soon.”

  “Fine, fine,” Tom succumbed. “Part time, days only. And you have to put out the advert.”

  Jo smiled, and Tom could feel how relieved she was that he hadn’t put up much argument. Did she really think him that big a hassle? “Fine by me!”

  “Yeah, yeah. I’m gonna go check on our patient before you f
ind any more bad news to throw my way.” He paused at the door, turning back to Nick. “You think we should put out a message or something that Dan’s alive?”

  Nick frowned immediately. “I don’t. You saw how Lucas reacted when we told him Dan might survive.” Tom nodded, recalling how Lucas called Dan trash and how he has no use for him. “I don’t think throwing an injured bear back into that environment would be the smartest idea.”

  Tom shrugged. “Maybe, but he’s not one of ours. We shouldn’t make him our problem.”

  “What if he was?” Nick asked, feigning nonchalance. “What if we made him one of ours? One of us?”

  The implication hit Tom all at once. “You can’t be seriously considering what I think you’re considering, Nick,” he said, mouth agape.

  It was Nick’s turn to shrug. “I am.”

  “Wait… what am I missing?” Jo asked, confused.

  “Nick wants to recruit Dan. Ask him to join our pack,” Tom answered.

  Predictably, Jo’s eyes lit up. “Really?” she asked, looking up at Nick hopefully. “You think he’ll say yes?

  “Maybe?” he replied to his mate. “There’s a big chance he’ll say no, but what’s the harm in asking?” He looked to Tom, mild apprehension in his eyes. “Come on, you heard Lucas. He’s already denounced him, Tom. If we throw Dan out there, he’ll have nothing. No one. What’s the big deal in maybe offering him a home here with us?”

  “Oh, gee, I don’t know, his loyalty to an enemy pack, maybe?” Tom shot back, angrily. “This is nonsense, Nick! Dan’s not an idiot; you don’t think he’ll jump at the opportunity to get back in his pack leader’s good graces by offering him some hot intel on the alpha pack the moment we decide to lower our guard?”

  Nick’s brow furrowed. “That’s not really fair to him, Tom. He’s offered no form of resistance since waking up here weeks ago. We owe him at least a small benefit of the doubt.”

  Tom shook his head. “Becoming mated has warped your logic, Nick.” He shot a look at Jo, her expression hurt. “No offense. I just think if you really had your human mate’s safety in mind, you’d think twice before making such outlandish plans.”

  Nick squared his shoulders at the mention of his mate. “I stand by my decision, Tom. And so does my bear. Neither of us think having Dan around Jo is a bad decision.”

  “Then you’re both fools!” Tom shouted. “It’s bad that Lucas thinks we killed his second in command, but how do you think he’ll react when he finds out what actually happened?”

  “We can deal with the Northern Wind,” Nick replied. “We’ve proven that time and time again. Plus, without Dan, Lucas is down one of his strongest bears. He wouldn’t dare try anything rash right now.”

  “But he always comes back with more problems for us, Nick,” Tom retorted. “This will surely guarantee backlash of the highest degree. Am I the only one here who just wants to be left alone?”

  “You know as well as I do that Lucas won’t rest until we’re dead or he gets close enough to scare us away. It’s our job to make sure we remain strong enough so that neither of those things happens. Dan could help us with that!”

  “What makes you so sure he’ll even say yes?”

  “I’m not!” Nick barked, nostrils flaring. “There’s no guarantee that any of this will even happen, so there’s no point in arguing over it now.” Tom could see him visibly calming himself, probably for Jo’s sake. She hadn’t been around long enough to be accustomed to their bickering, and even Tom noticed the alarm on her face.

  He nodded. “You’re right. There is no point. For now I’m just going to work on getting his leg back in working order and getting him out of here. Whatever you decide to do after that is on you.” Without another word, Tom undid the locks on the door guarding Dan from the world and slipped inside.

  It was darker in the back room; thick curtains covered the small windows that looked out over the forest. “Afternoon, Sleeping Beauty,” Nick called, pulling back the drapery to let in a bit of natural sunlight. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”

  He knew that Dan wasn’t asleep, he’d made him lunch only a short while ago. The food lay uneaten on the nearby table, as Dan sat on the couch with his eyes shielded from the brightness. A low growl rattled the injured bear’s chest as he glared in Tom’s direction.

  Tom scoffed. “You know we’re trying to help you, right?” He walked to the cabinets where a container of large painkillers were locked inside. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, if I had it my way, you’d be gone, but the human pities you.” He held out the pills and a small cup of water to Dan. “So just sit back, relax, and enjoy the coddling. You can kill us after you’re better.”

  Dan took the cup of water and pills without a word, downing them both. Reluctant though Tom was to have an enemy in his home, he couldn’t help but see a bit of truth in Nick’s words as he watched over Dan. Before their last battle, Dan was Lucas’s second, a strong bear. Though not an alpha, he’d certainly be an asset if he agreed to join them here.

  But loyalties ran deep with packs, and Dan had been dealt a severe blow when Lucas left him to rot out in the forest. There was no doubt in his mind that Dan would do whatever it took to get back in with his pack, even if it meant throwing the people who’d nursed him back to health under the bus. With a human in their off-man pack, they were more vulnerable than ever. Tom couldn’t afford to be as blindingly trusting as his brother was.

  At least, that’s what he told himself as he held back a grin at the grimace that Dan bit back when the disgusting aftertaste of the painkillers hit his tongue. “Yeah, they’re pretty gross, which is why it’s recommended that you take them with food,” he said, nodding to the cooling lunch on the table.

  “I thought I’d do a bit of blue steak later,” Tom continued, casually. “As a fellow bear, I’m sure you’d love a bite or two, but I’m not going to cook a perfectly good ribeye just for you to waste. If you want one, you’re going to have to tell me.” He watched with slight amusement as Dan fought to keep his silence, the injured bear’s eyes flashing with anger. Tom knew Dan would probably want to settle this with a swipe of claws and a flash of fang, but he was still much too weak to change.

  Finally, hunger won out. “Yes, I want some,” Dan bit out, his voice low.

  “Thought you might.” Tom replied, gathering the cold lunch as he walked to the door. “I’ll be back in a bit. Feel free to shout if you need anything.” Slamming the door behind him, Tom made sure to lock it tightly.

  As interesting as it might be to entertain the thought that Dan would want to join them, there was no telling how they could even begin to put that plan in motion. Dan still appeared to hate everything they stood for, and with good reason. Their safest bet was to nurse him to well enough health and get him out of their hair for good.

  Tom couldn’t wait for that day.

  Chapter Two

  Human skin is so weird, Savannah thought to herself. It meant showering in bathrooms, sleeping in real beds and cooking food on a stove, things Savannah hadn’t done for herself in a really long time.

  Lucas had helped her out by way of a singular key. It belonged to a house in the heart of the alpha territory. The house was filthy, abandoned, and in a state of disrepair, but she wouldn’t dare complain. She was just surprised that her leader would aid her at all.

  A house, broken though it was, helped her become a little more human. It had a shower, a bed, a stove, and even a few extra things like a closet for her clothes and a mirror to remain presentable to the public eye. Though her muscles complained as she walked and she had to remind herself to do things like comb her hair and brush her teeth, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief. This was the most free she’d felt in a long time.

  “But I’m not free,” she reminded herself as she threw open the creaky windows. She had a mission, and though she couldn’t see him, she knew that Lucas would be watching over her as she wandered the streets of Woodhaven. If she slipped up, he’d be
there to rain down fire and brimstone on her. She shuddered at the thought.

  The problem was coming up with a way to interact with them. She knew they lived on the edge of town and worked as mechanics, but she had no car and no knowledge of car repair. Being a bear was her only selling point, but coming off of the back of an attack by the Northern Wind, they probably weren’t too keen on meeting more of their kind for a while.

  With a sigh, Savannah grabbed her coat. Maybe a walk would clear her mind, or perhaps asking a few of the locals about the brothers could open up a few possibilities on how to get on their good side. “Plus, I need more food for cooking,” she reminded herself with a groan. Cooking was so much more difficult than hunting.

  She decided to head straight for the grocery store. She’d already memorized the path and the people that worked there knew her face from her past few trips. They’d be the easiest to converse with. Plus, she was really low on food. It wasn’t far, only a few blocks off, and the fresh air did wonders for her mind as she strolled along. The stuffy old house that Lucas had lent her reminded her too much of his control over her, and it was tough to think past her fear.

  As she rounded the corner to the store, a sign in the window immediately caught her eye. Before she could even comprehend the words, her heart began to speed. “Financial assistant wanted,” she read aloud. “Part time. Apply to Jo at Brewer Mechanics.” Jo… the human girl. Brewer Mechanics… the shop the alphas owned. She gasped as realization hit her. This was it. Her golden opportunity.

  Though she didn’t have all the right credentials for the job, she’d always been decent with numbers and she’d had a bit of experience in running a business, in a life before this one. She didn’t have any reason not to try. She had no doubt an opportunity like this would not present itself to her again. She had to take it.

  Steeling her gaze, she took off in the direction of the mechanic shop. It didn’t take long to walk there; she’d walked quickly enough that her breath was panting out in puffs of white vapor as she closed in on the shop’s office door. She tried to convince herself it was solely from exertion, but even she could feel the nerves coursing through her veins as she reached out to open the door. “They don’t know you’re from the pack,” she reassured herself, eyes darting about to make sure she hadn’t been spotted. “Just calm down and act natural.” She fixed a smile on her face and promptly threw open the door.