Ranger did his own sweep of the backyard, narrowing his eyes on the crowd. Hope squeaked out in surprise when Ranger tightened his hold on her and started walking. “I can’t stand this. You have to talk to me now.” He didn’t stop until they were inside their cabin.
“It’s really nothing,” she hedged.
“Bullshit,” he barked. “Tell me.”
Taking a deep breath, Hope flopped down on the couch and tried to calm her nerves. What she had to say wasn’t usually acceptable among their kind.
“I don’t want to have cubs,” she admitted, her words coming out fast. “I mean, I don’t want to have them for a long time. Maybe…maybe never.”
“Really?” Ranger frowned.
“It’s not that I don’t like them,” she tried to explain, “I just don’t think it’s for me.”
“Well,” Ranger paused to kneel at her feet. “I’ll admit I am at a loss for what to say.”
“Just say it, Ranger,” she huffed.
“It’s not like a female to not want to have cubs.”
“I’m only twenty six,” she stressed. “I want to teach the other females how to fight, and having a cub inside me will limit what I can do. I’m not saying that I don’t ever want a child, but I do want to wait for a while. Maybe a couple of years.”
“We just found each other, Hope.” He smiled, cupping her face tenderly. She loved it when he held her so tenderly. “We can wait for the rest. Nothing says we have to have young right away.”
“You’re not mad?” she asked, relief easing her shoulders when he shook his head.
“No, angel, I’m not mad,” he chuckled. “I’ll just have to go buy condoms for when you’re fertile…unless you like my seed on your tongue?”
“Hmm,” she purred. “Maybe we can discuss this later.”
“Naked?” he teased.
“Naked,” she laughed, walking away with that sexy sway to her hips that drove her mate crazy.
Hope rounded the alpha’s home with her mate in tow. The pride had gathered around the two boxes and the two couples who were expecting young. The two males, Winter and Savage, looked distraught at all of the feminine decorations, but they smiled lovingly at their mates, Nova and Mary Grace.
“Are you ready?” Nova asked, her beautiful face shining with her pregnancy.
With a loud cheer from the pride, both females grabbed the tops of the boxes and looked toward each other. With a nod, they lifted the lids and balloons drifted out as the pride roared from the sight.
“Boys!” Savage hollered, grabbing his brother and fellow Guardian. Both men slapped each other on the back as Nova and Mary Grace embraced, tears flowing from their eyes.
“I’m happy for them.” Hope smiled as Ranger took her hand.
“So am I,” Ranger replied.
Hundreds had gathered at the new building. The Community donors had paid millions for their little piece of property to work as a cover for their plan to round up the shifters. The old church had been in foreclosure, but that didn’t matter to him. The fat man had so much money lining his pockets, he could’ve had a new one built to his specifications. This one was just more convenient and the upgrades had taken a fraction of the time.
“Boss, you’re on in ten minutes,” the young male that assisted him said as he came to the door.
“Is the media here?” he asked as he rolled the half-smoked cigar between his fingers. It was a good smoke, coming from Cuba. Who fucking cared if they were illegal in the states? He sure as hell didn’t.
“They are in place, sir.” The boy smiled. “The sanctuary is packed full of people.”
“Even better,” the man chuckled, his beady gray eyes bouncing with joy.
He took his time straightening his tie and adjusting his slicked back hair. This night was going to be the start of a change in the world. His plan would take effect as soon as the cameras stopped rolling.
The cold metal of the door handle felt odd against his palm as he opened the door with sweaty hands. His assistant, the one he didn’t even know the name of, waited patiently until it was time to escort him to the hallway that led to the pulpit.
When the doors opened, a hush fell over the crowd. The flash of camera bulbs caused him to blink, but it did not make him pause. No, he was in charge, and he knew his plan was solid.
He placed his notes on the podium and cleared his throat, looking out into the crowd. Each and every news station was in attendance. Every seat was filled, and even a few stragglers were standing against the back walls.
“Good evening, my name is Carlin Eldridge, and I am the leader of the Community,” he began, holding a bible high into the air. “I am here to talk to you tonight about the devil’s abominations, and the plan we have to rid them from our world. ‘Tis God’s will…so it shall be done.”
The doors to his left and right opened, the rhythmic sounds of boots echoing throughout the room as a hundred soldiers marched inside, each one decked out in camouflaged combat gear usually worn by the military, bearing a black and red sash.
“The Community mercenaries will be spreading out across the world to capture and destroy these shifters. Our churches will be opening their doors, starting in one hour, to accept volunteers.”
Carlin Eldridge gathered his notes and walked out the way he came in, silently going into the office he’d claimed for his own. The roar of the congregation was drowned out only slightly when he closed the door.
“Good…again,” Kye barked, holding his mitts up high to block his face. “Don’t be afraid to hit me. I can take it.”
“Fine,” Evie huffed, using more force as she swung, hitting Kye hard enough that he had to take a step back. She’d taken the gloves off and, with Hope’s guidance, had learned to use her hands to defend, and boy had she ever learned.
His girl was a badass. Ranger had been right when he said that Evie would be a voice of change in their world. He could see the determination in her eyes. It was there, like a smoldering forest fire, waiting for the time to ignite and destroy everything around her. Other females in the pride looked at her with respect. She was oblivious to it, but all of the Guardians saw it…Talon saw it.
“Was that good?” she asked, looking hopeful.
“Do you even have to ask me that?” Kye smirked. “Baby, you’re doing amazing.”
“Good.” She nodded, cracking her neck from side to side.
The door to the training room opened, pausing Kye in his praising. Calla entered with the new Guardian, Taze. Both of them set bags down on the bench by the window.
“Hey.” Evie frowned. “What’s going on?”
“We came to train,” Taze replied, then shrugged. The male sighed heavily and held up his hand to stop any other questions. “Look, I apologized to everyone except the two of you. What I did was stupid and uncalled for in regards to respecting my pride.”
“No harm,” Kye replied, removing one of the focus mitts and extending his hand for a shake. “Why are you here with Calla?”
“She asked me to train her,” Taze answered, reaching in his bag for a towel to wrap around his neck. “Her brother is fucking pissed, and I’m sure he will be here any moment to kick my ass.”
As if he’d been summoned, Malaki entered the room, his face red from his anger. “This is not going to happen!”
“Yes, it is,” Calla growled, taking a step so she could place herself between Taze and her brother. Evie raised a brow and took a step closer to her friend, but it wasn’t needed. Calla bristled at her brother’s anger. “I’ve already told you.”
“I don’t know why you are doing this,” Malaki barked. “It’s not like the alpha is going to let you become a Guardian.”
“Well, what if he did?” Calla pushed. “I’d fight at the Summer Solstice if our alpha opened it up for females.”
“Have you lost your mind?” he screamed, causing Calla to step back in shock.
Kye’s eyes widened when Taze pushed Calla behind him as if to protec
t her. Evie laughed when Calla punched Taze in the arm and moved in front of him. “I don’t need you to protect me, Taze.”
“I’m sorry,” Taze replied, seeming to catch himself. Yeah, Kye understood Taze’s automatic response. He’d had that same reaction up until he started training Evie.
“Mal,” Calla sighed. “Please leave. I do not want you here.”
“Really?” he scoffed. “After everything? After all of the hell we’ve been through?”
“I cannot rely on you for the rest of my life, Malaki. Damn it,” she cursed. “When you mate, I will be alone again. I’ve found that I am good at fighting. I’ve never been good at anything. Don’t let this come between us.”
“Calla,” Malaki growled, his eyes sparking amber. “I’d never leave you alone. You know this.”
“Please leave,” she said, pointing to the door.
“You’re going to get yourself hurt,” he snapped as he slammed out of the building.
“Shit,” Calla said, covering her face with a hand.
“It’s going to be okay,” Evie said, wrapping an arm over Calla’s shoulder. “It’s going to take some time for the males to get a clue that we are stronger than they believe.”
“It hurts me when he gets mad,” Calla admitted, wiping away a tear. “He’s my blood. Malaki protected me in so many ways during my captivity. There’s never going to be anything that I can do to ever repay him for the times he took beatings from those wolves…beatings that were meant for me.”
“He’s going to have to accept your decisions,” Kye added, looking deep into Evie’s eyes as he continued. “It’ll take him some time to get used to you training. We males can be dumbasses at times.”
“It goes against everything that we’ve been taught to have females in any type of combat,” Taze said, stepping up to Calla’s side. “I learned my lesson the hard way.”
“And what lesson is that?” Evie chuckled.
“That the women are growing…rising within this pride,” Taze explained, looking at both women. “After seeing what Hope did to that male in her cabin, I agree with Ranger…the women are stronger than we thought.”
“Damn right,” Hope replied. All of them spun around to find the female standing in the door with a gym bag slung over her shoulder. Her mate, Ranger, and the alpha’s mate, Liberty, standing at her back.
“I’m here to help.” Liberty smiled. “I’m also here to train you on firearms.”
“What?” Evie gasped, her eyes widening. “Seriously?”
“Oh yeah,” Liberty smirked. “I am totally serious.”
“Oh hell,” Taze chuckled.
“Come on, ladies. Let’s kick some ass,” Liberty replied, opening up the bag she carried. Inside were two handguns and several boxes of ammo. “I know just the place to practice.”
“Turn on the news,” Garrett growled into the phone. Talon frowned before growling out his own reply. “What the fuck for?”
“Do it, alpha,” Garrett barked.
Talon grabbed the remote and switched it to the local channel, pausing when he saw a man standing at a church podium. He was about to say something to the Watcher when Mary Grace entered the living room, freezing when she looked upon the screen.
In the next moment, she cried out, dropping the glass of milk she held in her hand.
“What’s wrong, Mary Grace?” Talon asked as he came to her aide. The female looked like she’d seen a ghost.
“That’s the man who held me hostage in the lab,” she barely choked out, wrapping her arm protectively around her pregnant belly. Talon pushed out his powers to calm the female.
“Garrett?” Talon cursed when he put the phone back to his ear. “Get here, now!”
“Already on my way,” the sheriff promised.
Talon and Mary Grace watched in horror as the male spoke of eradicating the shifters, hoisting a bible into the air. An army of soldiers entered the church, draped with a red and black sash, with an emblem over their hearts. The camera zoomed in and the emblem was nothing more than an elaborate letter C for the Community.
“Mary Grace,” Talon spoke softly. “Take a seat on the couch. I’m calling in the Guardians.”
The next hour was frantic as the entire pride gathered at the alpha’s home. Guardians were ordered to arm themselves with the guns the sheriff had brought weeks ago. Savage and Winter held their mates close as he laid out his plan for protection.
“My deputies will assist you,” Garrett vowed.
“No one leaves the land,” Talon ordered, looking at his pride as they cried silently.
“We are going to be prisoners in our own home,” Marie cried, pulling Evie and her brother close.
“We have no choice,” Talon replied. “They have declared war on us, but I promise you, as your alpha, I will protect you with my own life.”
Guardians took to their posts, and the pride settled in for the night at the alpha’s home. No one dared to leave the group and return to their cabins. The females of the pride made their plans to stay in groups. Evie, Calla, and Hope gathered in the corner, whispering softly to each other.
Talon caught Hope’s eyes as she looked up with determination. He knew those females were planning to help protect his pride, and as he looked at the other females, his mate included, Talon made a decision that would send another ripple through their family.
“Hope, Evie, and Calla,” he called out, making the females turn. “I want you on guard duty at the pride house. Take shifts, and come to the security room so we can get you armed.”
Epilogue
Thanksgiving
The pride had gathered for a huge Thanksgiving feast at the alpha’s home. Over the past three months, the pride had lived in fear that any day, the Community would show up at their gates. The alpha had been monitoring the news sites, and the sheriff had been at the pride almost daily. Deputies were now a permanent fixture around the roads that ran close to their land.
On this night, the pride had pushed aside their fears to gather for a meal. Food was laid out banquet-style on every available surface. Hope had tried to help, but eventually took to setting up the plates and other supplies, because she couldn’t cook…at all.
Ranger and his fellow Guardians were preparing the venison they’d hunted just two days ago. They didn’t use traditional methods. No, they used their panthers to find the prey to feed the pride, just as their ancestors had done for generations.
“Food will be ready soon,” Ranger announced to the females as he entered the dining room. His eyes heated as they found hers. “Hello, mate.”
“Hey,” she grinned, setting a stack of knives at the end of the table.
“So, they kicked you out of the kitchen, huh?” he chuckled.
“No,” she huffed, looking away. “I took myself out before I embarrassed myself by burning down the alpha’s beautiful home.”
“Don’t worry about it, angel,” Ranger said. “I’ll cook for us as long as you’ll let me.”
“Well, it’s going to be forever.” She smiled, walking into his arms as they opened for her. A purr bubbled out of her chest when her panther caught his mating scent. “You know I love you, don’t you?”
“And I love you,” he replied, kissing the top of her head. “I am so proud of the things you have done to help the females prepare to protect themselves.”
“I wish it’d been under different circumstances,” Hope said as she tapped the butt of the gun in the holster at her hip. She never went anywhere without it, ever since the night the alpha had made her a protector. Ranger had ordered the mated females special gloves to carry with them if they ever needed to go hand to hand with an enemy in their human form. They were made like mechanics gloves and fit snug enough to be able to still handle a weapon when needed.
“The government has been wrangling up members of the Community,” he reminded her.
“But it’s still not over,” she replied.
“We will always live in fear of our enemi
es,” Ranger warned. “We are a strong pride and they will have hell on their hands if they come to our gates.”
“I know,” she breathed out, kissing the mating mark on his neck.
They stood there for a few minutes, just absorbing each other’s touch. Hope would never tire of his arms around her. Even though she’d been tasked as security for the alpha’s home and the older females of the pride, she ached for his protection. Not that she’d tell him that, but she was sure he already knew by the way he held her. As her mate tightened his hold, she sighed in contentment. Yeah, he knows.
“Hope,” a voice called out. When she turned out of her mate’s arms, Hope saw Nova standing in the doorway, her hand resting over her swollen belly.
“What’s wrong?” Hope gasped as Nova’s face distorted.
“My water broke,” she cried, looking down at the puddle between her feet.
“I’ll get Winter.” Ranger jumped into action, rushing out the back door to the alpha’s home. Her enhanced hearing picked up her mate’s frantic calls for the alpha’s second in command.
“Hope?” Another female voice called out her name. When Hope looked over her shoulder, she saw Mary Grace coming from the kitchen, stopping in the other doorway to the dining room with an identical look of her face.
“Not you, too?” Hope cursed, looking down at Mary Grace’s feet.
Winter Blue entered the room like a male on a mission, scooping up his mate. He didn’t say anything else as he rushed her out of the house, obviously heading toward the healer’s home.
“Get Savage too,” Hope chuckled as she saw Ranger make his way back inside. Her mate’s eyes widened, but he didn’t say anything as he turned on his heel.
“I think Ranger will swear off cubs forever now,” Hope laughed as she held out her hand for Mary Grace to take.
“Let him watch us give birth,” Mary Grace teased, then sucked in a breath when a contraction hit.
“Come on,” Hope shook her head, “I’ll get you to the healer while Ranger finds your mate.”
Ranger (Rise of the Pride, Book 5) Page 13
