Ranger (Rise of the Pride, Book 5)

by Theresa Hissong

  “The alpha’s home is in the center of town.” Noah cursed. “We will have to go in under the cover of darkness.”

  “We need to lay low for the next hour or two at least,” Ranger said, looking out the window of the truck. The sun was setting, but not quick enough.

  They had already wasted a day by taking the long drive from northwest Mississippi. Two weeks was all they had to be away from Talon without showing signs of weakness. This mission was going to hopefully only take one night…this night. He had no desire to be away from his mate any longer than that.

  Noah, Booth, and Storm were just as focused as he was in regards to taking out Boris Small. It was rare to have one of their kind go off the rails and take over a pride in such a manner as the way this one had. It was against all of their natures to harm their own kind.

  “There’s where we are supposed to meet our contact.” Storm pointed to a dirt road that led back into the forest. There was no mailbox on the road, so it looked like someone’s abandoned property.

  Booth maneuvered the truck to where it was hidden from sight by any passing cars, and then turned it around so they were facing the road for a quick getaway if needed. Ranger studied the satellite view on his phone to pinpoint exactly where they were.

  “Kraven said that the pride has been staying close to their homes and families since Boris took over,” Ranger informed the men. “This guy, Thorne Blackwell, is supposed to be an alpha, and he should’ve been the next one in line for this pride.”

  “How so?” Booth asked.

  “The old alpha was his father.”

  “Shit!” Noah slammed his hand down on the bed of the truck. “And why in the hell didn’t Thorne take the power back from Boris?”

  “Because of the females…my female,” Ranger snarled, feeling his panther push for dominance.

  “What happened, Ranger?” Noah barked, his own eyes starting to glow amber from the tension in the air.

  “It was my fault the females were hurt,” a voice said as a male with long, brown hair emerged from the wooded area behind them. “My name is Thorne Blackwell, and this pride is rightfully mine.”

  “We have been sent by Kraven to help you,” Ranger replied, holding out his hand. “My name is Ranger Coleman, and Hope Alexander is my mate.”

  “How is she?” Thorne asked, his face full of guilt.

  “My mate is now stronger than ever.” Ranger wanted to assure this alpha that his mate was in perfect shape even after her scarring, and that he had no reason to feel guilty. “She told me everything. I promise you, alpha, that she is doing very well.”

  “She’s strong,” Thorne chuckled. “This is true. I’ve seen her brother spar with her. She has one hell of a right hook.”

  “Yeah,” Ranger flinched, rubbing his jaw. The males with him chuckled under their breath. He’d told them about her response to him volunteering for the trip to North Carolina. They’d teased him for a few hours about it, too.

  “Are you ready to do this?” Noah asked, leaning against the truck.

  “I have a concern,” Thorne said with a frown.

  “And?” Storm pushed.

  “Several of Boris Small’s Guardians have gone missing,” he replied, folding his arms over his massive chest.

  “Like disappeared? Or left the pride because they wanted to find another?” Ranger inquired.

  “Disappeared.” Thorne cursed. “There hasn’t been any word of what they’re doing.”

  “How many?” Booth walked forward and clenched his fists at his sides.

  “Boris has twelve Guardians,” Thorne replied. “Six are gone. Six are patrolling his residence and the town.”

  “We can handle six,” Ranger chuffed. “What I want to know is where the other six are and what they are planning?”

  “I’m sure we can get answers from the six left or from Boris himself,” Noah said, still looking bored. “Can we go in now?”

  “Let me tell you the plan I have for taking Boris Small out of power,” Thorne announced, his eyes sparking amber. “I want my pride back.”

  Tree frogs sang their nightly song as Hope sat out on the front porch of the cabin she and Ranger had made their home. She sensed the other pride members settling into their homes and the Guardians were prowling in the woods around the land.

  She felt safe and secure at the Shaw pride and loved everyone that she’d met. Only the wild Guardian, Taze, had given her problems, but Talon assured her he wasn’t going to be bothering her anymore. Apparently, the alpha had a meeting with the male and set him straight. When she mentioned it to Ranger, he only replied with, “That’ll teach the punk.” After that, Taze’s outburst in the training room wasn’t spoken of.

  The sound of human feet running up the road brought Hope out of her daydreaming. The Guardian Dane, her mate’s best friend, appeared, his eyes glowing amber.

  “Get inside and lock the door,” he ordered as he ran toward her. “Now! Do not make me touch you.” In their world, when a male told you to go or he would be forced to touch you, a mate, it was important.

  As soon as her foot cleared the small foyer, Dane was behind her, slamming the front door. He locked the deadbolt and rushed around the room, making sure the windows and the slider for the back door were secure.

  “What’s going on?” she finally asked, watching the Guardian moving at top speed through her cabin.

  “Guardians from your old pride are at our gates,” Dane snarled. “They’ve been detained, but Talon doesn’t know if there are more. We will take all precautions to keep you safe.”

  “Is…is Boris Small with them?” Hope’s panther whined in her head and recessed deep into her mind out of fear. She closed her eyes and tried to pull her beast forward, but it didn’t work.

  Come on, girl. I need you with me. Be strong.

  “No,” Dane answered.

  “How many of his Guardians were detained, Dane?” she asked, feeling her heart race. Her panther needed to reappear. She needed her for strength.

  “Three,” he answered.

  “That’s not right,” she frowned. “Dane, there has to be more. He wouldn’t send in three Guardians to get me from an entire pride. Especially one that’s as strong as the Shaw pride.”

  “We only found three,” he reminded her. “Talon sent me here until they can check the land to make sure there are no more. I will stay with you until Ranger returns, too.”

  “Where’s Ranger?” she gasped. Dane’s face distorted slightly, showing pain of his own. “Are they okay?”

  “We don’t know,” Dane replied, his teeth clenching in anger. The huge Guardian stood at the window and peeked through the curtains at the front lawn. “Ranger and the others have shifted to go take out Boris Small. We will hear from them soon.”

  “That’s it?” she snarled. “You’re not worried?”

  “Hope,” Dane sighed, looking away from the window to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Your mate is going to be okay. You have to have faith in him.”

  “You don’t understand, Dane,” she began, but quieted after his hard glare.

  “He is a strong male, despite his injury,” Dane snarled, becoming protective of his friend.

  “I know he’s strong,” she barked, gritting her teeth. Her panther wined so loudly, Dane’s eyes widened, his own panther pushed forward, causing a partial shift.

  “I know,” he replied. “I know how frightened your panther is, Hope. Ranger told me everything.”

  “Just because my beast is scared doesn’t mean that I am,” she huffed, crossing her arms.

  “I never took you for one to be afraid of much,” Dane said. “Still doesn’t change things, Hope. Ranger is going to protect you, and if that means he has to kill the man who scarred you, then he will take him out and not blink when he does it.”

  Their argument stalled when both of their enhanced hearing picked up the sound of paws on the wooden deck out the back door. Dane held his finger to his lips, telling Hope to keep si
lent. The Guardian moved to the partition between the kitchen and living room. She did the same, moving at top speed, hoping that whoever was out there was friend and not an enemy.

  Dane shot off a message to his fellow Guardians, letting them know there was possible movement around the cabin. He pointed to a spot behind him so Hope would move there for her safety. She did as she was told, trying her hardest not to make a sound.

  Dane’s phone lit up with a text. The Guardian’s eyes widened before turning the screen around for her to see the text from their alpha.

  Cameras picked up three unknown males on our land. Keep Hope secure.

  Hope screamed when a huge black panther shattered the bay window, sending glass everywhere. Dane’s panther ripped from his human skin and attacked the foreigner, taking him to the floor as he made the kill in an instant.

  “Dane!” she screamed as another one entered the same way as his friend.

  Hope balled her fists and calmed her breathing, remembering everything her brother had taught her in training. She jumped back when the two males rolled to the side, almost taking her to the floor.

  “Now, now, now, look at what I found,” Chuck, one of Boris Small’s Guardians, growled as he climbed through the window in his human form. “You are far away from home, little girl.”

  “Come on, Chuck,” she growled, widening her stance. “I’m not a little girl anymore.”

  “Bitch, please,” he laughed. The male marched toward her, his pursuit confident like he was going to just take her out with him.

  Boy, was he ever wrong.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Ranger prowled in the darkness, relying on Thorne to lead the way to Boris Small. Kraven and Hope told him to trust the male, and for the most part, he did. The male didn’t scent of lies or anything other than worry for his pride.

  The night was cooler up in the mountains, and the terrain was a little harder to maneuver through than back in Mississippi, but in their panther form, there was no need to stop and take breaks. An owl flew from its perch on a tall limb, hooting once before it disappeared into the darkness. The faint sound of thunder rumbled off in the distance. The threat of rain made a distinct scent in the air, causing his panther’s nose to twitch.

  Thorne’s panther slowed as they came to the edge of the tree line overlooking a large log cabin. Ranger shifted to his human form and counted only two cars in the driveway. A male sat in a chair by the door, his head tilted forward as he slept.

  “They’re not too worried about security if the guard is asleep,” Ranger mumbled, keeping his voice low.

  Noah, Booth, and Storm gathered around his legs in their panther forms, swaying with the need to go in and take out this male. Ranger felt his brother’s tension and need. It matched his own. Boris Small was just on the other side of that door. His mate’s freedom was only minutes away.

  “I see movement,” Ranger whispered. “Is that Boris?”

  Thorne’s panther cackled, narrowing its amber eyes. Ranger shifted quickly and joined the other males as they rushed out of the tree line. As they approached, he listened for any movement surrounding the home and found none. Ranger wasn’t quite sure if that was a good thing or not. Their kind were hunters and had been bred to be stealthy, ensuring they could sneak up on their prey undetected.

  The group didn’t make a sound as they crouched low to move down the steep hill. Each panther took their time as they crossed the gravel driveway and reached the stairs. Ranger’s panther licked his lips, awaiting the taste of his enemy’s blood.

  It was time.

  The male on the porch stirred as their paws made contact with the wood. When the Guardian awoke, he only had a moment to gasp before Noah was on him, ripping his throat out with one well-placed bite, ending the man’s life.

  Thorne’s beast ran headlong into the wooden door to the cabin, splintering the wood as what was left fell from the hinges. Ranger followed the rightful alpha to the pride and found the male they’d come to kill. Boris Small was standing in the living room, surrounded by several males. Two of them were in human form. The other three were panthers.

  Boris Small folded his arms across his chest and narrowed his eyes, zeroing in on Thorne. The male whimpered but didn’t cower, pushing back with his own powers. The push must’ve been enough to make Boris stall in his commands, giving Thorne the opening he needed to pounce.

  The other two males shifted, shredding their clothes in the process. They went for their leader as the three original beasts circled Ranger, Noah, Storm, and Booth. Ranger heard Storm’s panther let out what sounded like a demonic chuckle before digging his claws into the hardwood floor, leaving deep gashes.

  One of the males roared as he attacked. Ranger stepped to the side and caught the male around the neck, taking him to the ground. The male bucked and snarled, tossing Ranger to the side. He felt a pain in his gimp leg, but that wasn’t going to stop his attack.

  A vision of his mate filtered through his panther’s mind, forcing the animal to rage when the male attacked. Ranger’s panther twisted and struck the male’s neck again. This time, he ripped it from his body, spitting it to the ground. When he looked up, all of the males were engaged.

  Boris was backed into the corner with Thorne standing over him. Both men were bleeding from different wounds, but neither of them looked to have been weakened from the fight. Noah yelped once, but quickly took his opponent to the ground, leaving three of Boris’s Guardians left alive.

  Ranger pushed at his panther, calming him from doing too much. He wanted the male’s life for what he had done to his mate, but the kill was rightfully Thorne’s.

  One moment, Boris was cowering in the corner. The next, he was standing stark naked as a human. His body was covered in bite wounds that seeped blood. His dark hair was matted and in disarray around his harsh face.

  “Hmmm,” Boris laughed, his eyes falling on Ranger. “I scent that sweet female on you.”

  Ranger answered with a vicious snarl.

  “Go ahead and kill me,” he grunted. “My Guardians have already been sent to find the female and kill her. Hope was to be my breeder, and then I was going to give her over to the Community when I used her up, but now, she’s just a waste of space.”

  Ranger’s panther locked his legs, raising his hackles at the mention of his mate. The roar that came from his mouth stunned all the panthers in the room. Thorne shouted out a warning, but because he wasn’t Ranger’s alpha, his command held no weight.

  Ranger shifted in mid-air, taking Boris to the ground. Roars and snarls echoed throughout the room behind him, but the most satisfying sound was when his human fist connected with the male’s face.

  “She is mine, motherfucker!” Ranger’s canines reemerged with his anger, his eyes glowing amber. His panther wanted out, but he wasn’t done yet.

  “She was mine first,” Boris chuckled, spitting blood in Ranger’s face.

  Time froze for only a few seconds as Thorne growled low in his throat. When Ranger looked to his right, he saw the rightful heir to the North Carolina pride place his hand over his heart. “I’m sorry for the things that were done to your mate. I step aside and give you the right to end this, Ranger Coleman, Guardian to the Shaw Pride and mate to Hope Alexander, a female wronged by her own kind.”

  All hell broke loose behind Ranger. Animals snarled and yelped as his brothers took out the remaining Guardians. Boris began to shift, his body morphing within seconds. Ranger’s panther pushed for release, but was stunned when a panther bumped into the back of his legs, knocking him off balance. He quickly recovered his footing, spinning around to reface his enemy, releasing his hold on his human self. As his face began to change, Ranger’s panther screamed out when Boris’s canines sunk into his human leg…the one that had already been mangled by the bear all those years ago.

  Blue lights lit up the night as Winter surveyed the sight before him. Thirty humans dressed in black robes stood in the road at the entrance to the pride, chanting t
heir hate for their kind. The sheriff and his deputies stood guard to keep the peace.

  “Stupid human laws won’t let us just kill them,” Savage mumbled as they sat in the small shack by the gate.

  “Yeah,” Winter snarled. “It’s frowned upon.”

  “They can stand out there all they want, but the first one to step on this land or threaten my mate will regret it,” Savage warned.

  “And the human laws will override our own,” Winter replied, trying to keep a level head. He also wanted them away from his mate. The need to keep Nova and their unborn cub from harm was strong, and he’d do anything to keep them safe.

  “Not if I eat them,” Savage rumbled.

  “Touché,” Winter chuckled.

  “Abominations!”

  “Round them up!”

  “Are you sure I can’t just eat them?” Savage complained, picking up his phone. He frowned at the screen and looked out the gate. “Dane is with Hope. They have movement behind the cabin.”

  “Fuck,” Winter growled, shooting up from his seat. “Call backup for the gate, Savage.”

  “Go!” Savage ordered. “Talon is on his way to meet you at Ranger’s place.”

  “I knew those men weren’t alone,” Winter snarled as he took off at a dead run, hoping he got to his brother’s mate and his fellow Guardian in time.

  As he passed the alpha’s home, Winter saw two of the pride’s older males standing at the door with rifles in hand. He breathed a sigh of relief knowing that his mate was in there, protected. He could worry about his duties and Nova would be okay.

  A flash of light caught his attention as the sheriff appeared, his angel wings fluttering as they disappeared. That shit still made him pause. As a former human, the things he now knew had once been fairy tales and myths.

  “The Community has recruited hundreds of followers in the last forty eight hours,” Garrett complained. “This is just the beginning. I have deputies posted all over town. Everyone is on alert.”