Xander

by Dana Archer

  The bear shifter twisted Xander’s hair and jerked his head back. Another shifter male slipped what resembled a dog’s prong collar around Xander’s throat. It wasn’t the same, though. The pressure-sensitive collar being affixed to Xander would sever his head if he shifted. Or pump him full of drugs, as Brock had suggested the shackles on Elias did.

  Xander bucked, trying to break the Ulgran shifter’s hold on his hair before the other male tightened the metal collar.

  The bear shifter holding him slammed his foot down harder on Xander’s back. “Stay still, alpha. This isn’t a death collar. The prongs will steadily inject you with the drug that’ll keep you subdued until tonight. From what we’ve learned, Royals develop a tolerance to our drugs, and we can’t have you trying to escape. It’ll ruin our plans.”

  The other shifter twisted something on the collar, tightening it around Xander’s neck. The sharp points of the prongs broke the surface of his skin, and an icy cold sensation slithered down his spine.

  The strength he’d glimpsed, along with the presence of his wolves, faded. Heaviness returned to his limbs. The Ulgran shifter tugged Xander to his feet, but his legs wouldn’t support him. The other male who’d fitted this collar on him wrapped his arms around Xander’s torso and dragged him forward.

  His eyesight wavered, turning the world around him into an undulating landscape. The distortion churned Xander’s gut. Bile crept up his throat, choking him. He was going to throw up. Gods, that would amuse the other shifters to no end. Not happening. Xander swallowed the burning liquid and closed his eyes. He would not give his captors the satisfaction.

  They paused in their forward trek through the compound where he’d been brought. A harsh creak resounded, reminding Xander of the heavy wooden doors they’d had on their homes in ages past.

  The nauseating scent of human sweat, animal dander, and urine permeated the space. Xander pried his heavy eyelids apart. A set of dark stairs loomed in front of him. The shifter carrying him moved down them.

  Xander’s feet smacked into each tread. Pain radiated through his legs and up his spine. It added to the nausea in his gut. He pressed his lips tighter together.

  The snarls and growls of a beast grew louder the farther into the building they descended. The noise reminded him of a wolf, but the male making the sounds wasn’t in his animal’s form. This was a shifter in his human form. There was only one reason he’d sound as crazed as he did. He was feral.

  “We figured you’d want to spend some time with your opponent before the fight tonight.” The Ulgran shifter bent in front of Xander. The scar on the male’s cheek distorted his smile, making him appear as crazed as the feral shifter howling in rage. “You know, so you can reconnect. Talk about old times, maybe your pack mates, or whatever. It has been years since you saw him.”

  A noose tightened around his chest. Although there were several males from the Winchester pack who’d gone missing over the years, something about the way the bear shifter looked at him, as if he was anticipating this revelation with a sick glee, warned Xander he wouldn’t like this meeting.

  “Ah, you can’t tease him that way. He is an alpha. At least until he loses the challenge tonight. We should show him a little respect,” the male dragging him down the corridor said.

  The Ulgran shifter grunted. “He don’t look so tough to me.”

  “Wait until we take that collar off and give his body a chance to purge the drugs from his system. Even without his hands, he’ll make Killer fight for the win.”

  Killer.

  Xander’s blood went cold. They were going to make him fight his brother. To the death.

  “Nah, Killer’s been too enraged since we didn’t bring his little female back to him. He’ll rip the Winchester alpha’s head off within the first minute of the challenge.” The Ulgran shifter’s voice held pride as if he personally had a hand in antagonizing Elias’s incensed state.

  “Ya wanna bet?” The male carrying Xander laughed. “A hundred bucks the Winchester survives the first five minutes.”

  “No way.” The Ulgran bear shifter laughed. “The whole ceremony will be done in five minutes. Both their heads lost, and the wolf spirit entrapped in that ball thing, ready to be shipped across the country.”

  No! The denial reverberated in Xander’s head. He forced his muscles to respond. He turned his head and studied the Ulgran shifter. Confidence shone in his eyes. Xander had expected it with the way the cocky male was acting, but the confirmation Xander sought was reflected in his eyes too.

  This wasn’t going to be a normal challenge. If it was, Elias would walk away the new keeper of the Winchester pack’s spirit. This would be a death match in the truest sense of the term, not only for Xander and Elias but for the pack. Losing the spirit animal would kill every last member.

  “No.” Xander mumbled the word. Neither of the males escorting him into this basement prison responded to the low grumble. Probably a good thing. They didn’t need to know his muscles were tingling with life as his body fought the draining effects of the drug.

  “I’m telling you, the Winchester alpha will last. I’ve seen him fight. He’s quick on his feet. He’ll avoid Killer’s blows.” The male carrying Xander let him drop.

  Xander’s forehead smacked into the unforgiving concrete floor, radiating more pain down his spine. His wavering vision cleared, giving him an undistorted view of his cell. The eight-by-eight enclosure was empty, but the sight of the redheaded male two cells down stopped Xander’s heart.

  Elias stood naked with his hands fisted around the bars of his cell. Blood dripped down his forearms from where his modified claws dug into his own palms. He shook the bars and snarled. Wild, unfocused green eyes scanned the basement before zeroing in on Xander. No sign of recognition showed in his gaze.

  “Looks like Killer found his next prey.” The male who’d dropped Xander grabbed the stubs where his hands had once been and dragged him into the cell.

  “Yep. I love that hungry look in his eyes too, and once we modify the cocktail of drugs we feed Killer tonight, it’ll be even better.” One of Xander’s captors rolled Xander to his side and stabbed a fat syringe into the vein in his arm. He pulled back on the plunger, filling the thing with blood. He repeated the process five more times, then finally yanked the needle out and patted Xander’s head as if he were a child. “Enjoy your time with Killer, oh mighty alpha. Baldi and I need to walk a circle for you two to fight in.”

  “Don’t worry,” Baldi, the scarred bear shifter, mocked. “I’ll show your goddess the utmost respect as I drip your blood on the ground.”

  “Yep, me too. I’ll even snarl and growl as I drip Killer’s blood.”

  Xander’s blood along with the blood of another member of the pack would be sufficient to cast a circle. The magic of their pack was in Xander’s blood.

  Unable to stand, Xander couldn’t stop them.

  Both males left, slamming the cell door behind them. Their conversation and laughter faded, leaving Xander with the growling snarls of his baby brother.

  Xander held Elias’s enraged gaze and allowed his own fury to seize him. He needed the strength to fuel his anger for tonight. He’d have to last an hour in the circle with Killer, not just five minutes. Waiting out the full moon’s peak was the only way the two of them would live to see tomorrow.

  Chapter 42

  Snow covered the ground, and dusk turned the woods into a darkened tomb. Gwen scanned the Alaskan forest, looking for anything that reminded her of the last time she’d walked these woods.

  Nothing looked familiar. Not surprising, really. Her attention had focused fully on protecting her little sister then.

  Today, instead of running from the bad guys, she was hunting them, along with most of the Winchester pack. She couldn’t see her pack mates, but she knew they were close. They’d shifted and slipped into the woods once they’d driven as far as they’d deemed safe. Only Vlad, Corey, and Xane remained at her side in their human forms.


  She moved closer to Vlad and lowered her voice to a near whisper. “Why here?”

  Vlad glanced at her before scanning the woods. “Do you mean, why Alaska? Or why here, where you were kidnapped?”

  Neither, really. “Why such a remote section of Alaska? Out of all the places they could’ve staged this fight—” Gwen tripped on a rock and stumbled into Vlad’s side. He steadied her, then eased his hands away, likely giving her the chance to stand on her own. Any other time, she’d appreciate knowing he wouldn’t coddle her in public, but the longer they walked, the heavier her limbs felt. “Why here? I traveled with the fighters for months. These matches usually took place in the middle of cities or even in old barns or school gyms. This…this place is too remote to draw a paying crowd.”

  “They’re not interested in making money this time.” Corey stepped to Gwen’s side. “They want our pack’s spirit.”

  “And since Alaska is the neutral zone, it’s the perfect place to conduct illegal ceremonies,” Xane added.

  Of course. Without any shifter groups calling Alaska home, there was less a chance their crimes would be noticed. She should’ve realized that, but she was having a hard time focusing on anything. A hazy feeling, similar to what she experienced when she took allergy medicine, clouded her mind. Then again, she’d been up for over twenty-four hours. Although she’d closed her eyes on the plane, sleep had evaded her.

  She licked her dry lips and pushed her body harder to keep up with the shifters who were already moving slower because of her. “Do you smell other shifters?”

  “Yes.” Vlad lowered his voice. “Ulgran clan members have walked this way recently. We’re on the right track.”

  “Unless they’re purposely leading us in the wrong direction.” Corey’s words held a sharp bite of annoyance.

  “We sent scouts in different directions. If our pack mates see something, they’ll let us know,” Xane said.

  Gwen glanced at Xander’s twin but couldn’t make out his face. Xane’s image blurred. Dizziness made the world spin. Gwen stumbled and landed hard on her knees. A jolt of pain shot up her spine.

  Vlad pulled her unsteady body to his. “Are you okay?”

  Was she? “No, not really. I’m tired. Really tired. I should’ve slept on the plane.”

  Vlad brushed Gwen’s hair away from her face. “You were perfectly fine until we started hiking.”

  Gwen made a frustrated sound. Her weakness was going to get Xander killed. Gwen grabbed Vlad’s shirt. “You should go on ahead. Maybe Corey can take me back to the SUV.”

  “No.” Vlad lifted her into his arms. She automatically linked her hands around his neck. “You’re going to close your eyes and concentrate on your body. If you start feeling stronger, you’re going to tell me, because then we’ll know we’re going in the wrong direction.”

  “Why…” Realization settled over her. The tiredness plaguing her wasn’t hers. It was Xander’s. Gwen groaned. “They’re drugging him.”

  “That’d be my guess. Our mate wouldn’t allow anyone to simply haul him through the Alaskan forest otherwise.”

  Gwen smiled and rested her cheek against Vlad’s chest. “I thought you considered Xander your partner, not your mate.”

  “I’m not so sure the term matters anymore.” Vlad moved so quickly through the woods, the trees rushed by them. “Xander is mine as much as you’re mine.”

  Ice slid through her veins, chilling her body and leaving her muscles leaden. If Vlad hadn’t been carrying her, she’d likely have fallen face-first onto the ground by now. “How far have we traveled?”

  “We’re nearing the old mining village where…” Vlad tightened his hold on her. “Where Devin and I found that mattress soaked in your blood.”

  The memory slid through her mind. Another kidnapped woman had operated on Gwen’s wrist, the one that had been mauled by the wolf shifter she’d shot. The pain had been horrendous. The sounds she’d made had been inhuman. Gwen shook her head to free herself of the recollection. She didn’t want her memories clouding her present.

  “There were cells in the basement of one of those buildings. They’d been full of humans the shifters had collected.” Gwen lifted her heavy head and looked into Vlad’s face. “It’d be a perfect place to keep Killer and Xander. And the town square would be big enough for a fight ring. Of course, there wouldn’t be much room for a crowd to watch, but if they only want the Winchester spirit, it wouldn’t matter.”

  A pleased look settled over Vlad’s face. “Then that’s where we’re going.”

  “Should I stay back?” Gwen didn’t want to be left behind, but with the way her body felt, she would be more of a hindrance than help.

  “Too dangerous,” Xane chimed in. “Just stay quiet and let us do the fighting.”

  “That’s what a pack does for its leaders, Gwen. It has nothing to do with your ability to defend yourself,” Corey said as if she’d expected Gwen to be upset by Xane’s statement.

  A few hours ago, Gwen might’ve been bothered by Xane’s words. After watching the pack come together to save Xander, she understood them. Each member had different strengths, which, combined, made a cohesive unit focused on their goal.

  She nodded instead of speaking. Tingles were spreading through her limbs, chasing back the heaviness. The drugs in Xander’s system were wearing off. She’d bet her life on it. Actually, she was betting the lives of her entire pack on it.

  “Hurry, Vlad. The fight’s going to start soon.”

  Vlad glanced at where the full moon dominated the night sky. He didn’t say anything. He tucked her body closer and ran.

  After numerous attempts at connecting with Elias, Xander resigned himself to the truth. His younger brother was too drugged to reason with. Or maybe he truly was feral. Xander couldn’t decide which reason fit Elias’s unstable condition better. He did know what it meant to him, however.

  Owen’s vision was about to come true.

  Xander would be facing his own brother in a challenge in less than an hour. Without hands, Xander wouldn’t be able to defend himself, exactly as Owen had foretold. And if Gwen saw him deflecting Elias’s attacks, she’d try to help him. Xander didn’t doubt that for a second.

  Hanging his head, Xander closed his eyes and conjured Gwen’s image. She might not be here to get through to Killer, but she was Xander’s only hope of breaking through Elias’s disillusioned state. “I know they took your little sister from you, Killer.”

  Elias didn’t respond, but the weight of his stare bore through Xander. He raised his gaze and met Elias’s green eyes. Fury simmered in his expression, replacing the unfocused look he’d worn all evening. Xander’s pulse quickened at the sight.

  “Her name’s Gwen.” Xander dragged himself to the bars of his enclosure. An empty cell separated him from Elias. Probably a good thing. Elias likely would’ve tried to get his hands on him. “Beautiful brown eyes, wavy brown hair, and a voice that soothes even the wildest of beasts.”

  Elias hunched down and planted one hand flat on the dirt floor of his cell. “Gwendolyn. Her name is Gwendolyn.”

  The harsh, rough grittiness to Elias’s voice made him sound more animal than man, but the coherence Xander had sought all evening was reflected in his brother’s response. Xander nodded. “Yes, Gwendolyn Annabelle Burnett.”

  Elias studied Xander another long moment, then leaned forward. “They told me she’s dead.”

  Xander looked over his shoulder. None of the handlers stood nearby. Their scents didn’t drift to him. He couldn’t hear any other heartbeats either, but Xander couldn’t trust those clues. The drugs they’d been dosing him with were fading but not gone. Until they dissipated enough, he wouldn’t be able to utilize his wolves’ instincts.

  Facing Elias, Xander opened his mind and reached out mentally to him. As his alpha, Xander could force a pathway between their minds. He hesitated to do so. Elias might very well take the intimate connection as a hostile invasion and lash out. Or it might destroy
the slight hold Elias had on reality. No, Xander couldn’t risk it at this moment. Coaxing him would have to be enough.

  With gentle mental fingers, Xander pushed against the barrier surrounding Elias’s mind. The flimsy shield bowed, then shattered. A rush of distorted thoughts and emotions spilled over, swamping Xander with Elias’s chaotic mental state. Rage, uncertainty, confusion, disgust, and sorrow mixed, forming a whirlwind of discord. Xander embraced it, letting Elias’s mind merge with his.

  “No, Killer. She’s not dead. I’ve seen her.”

  Nostrils flaring, Elias scrambled back and swatted at the air. A thick wall slammed between his mind and Xander’s. “Where? Where have you seen her?”

  “At the hunt.” The scarred Ulgran shifter who’d brought Xander to this place approached Elias’s cell from the opposite side of the room. “The male you are about to fight violently raped your little female while she begged him to spare her.”

  “No!” Xander screamed the denial at the same time as Elias did.

  The scarred bear shifter laughed. “Yes. I saw it all.”

  “Liar!” Xander leaned against the bars and pushed himself into an upright position. His legs wobbled, but he managed to stand. “I saved her.”

  “Then why didn’t she come back for you, Killer?” The other shifter moved closer to Elias’s cell. “Why didn’t Gwen try to save you? She promised you she would. I heard her myself. I believed her too. That little female was a woman of her word. If she’d been able to, she would’ve kept it.”

  “Yes…yes.” Elias nodded. He turned his back on the Ulgran bear shifter and faced Xander. “You hurt her. Took what belonged to her mate. Then killed her.”

  Xander pushed against the thick barrier separating their minds. He had no choice but to force his way into his brother’s mind. The moment the shield came crashing down, Xander took control of his pack mate in the way only an alpha could. “Gwen is alive and safe. I didn’t kill her. I saved her. I—”