Jade Crew: Alpha Bear (A BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance) (Ridgeback Bears Book 1)

by Amelia Jade

  "You could have at least warned me," he said softly.

  Emma shut up. He was right, that would have been the fair thing to do. But still...

  "I didn't think about it because I worded my report quite strongly in your favor. I told them that given the situation they had hobbled you with, you were making more of it than any other Alpha likely would have. I said it was miraculous that you hadn't put Evan or Russell down yet, and that it was telling earlier when Russell refused to outright follow Evan when he tried to leave. There wasn't much more I could have done to help."

  She sat back, taking a deep breath.

  Garrett sighed. "Well, I appreciate your kind words, but Ajax filed a report as well, unfortunately. He was pretty pissed about the fight the other day."

  "Really?" Emma asked, surprised by both parts of that statement. "He isn't the type to do that, and he wasn't even around for the fight. He knew perfectly well what would happen when half his crew walked outside after yours. That doesn't sound like him at all," she said, confused.

  "My thoughts exactly, but apparently we were wrong," Garrett said, the anger beginning to fade, though only barely.

  The mine shaft was only twenty minutes farther up the mountain than their Lodge, and they didn't talk for the rest of the drive, pulling into the parking lot still in silence. This time, however, the quiet was not comfortable. Emma desperately wished Garrett would tell her what else was going on, but he hadn't said another word and didn't seem inclined to at that point.

  She closed the door behind her, watching as he got out and grabbed his bag from the bed of the truck. He turned and looked at her for a moment, his chest rising and falling in a large breath before he turned to go.

  "Really?" she said, walking around the truck to get closer to him. "That's how we're going to leave it? You're not even going to tell me what's going on? I made a report, but nothing in it that would leave you this mad. I'm not fucking stupid Garrett, something else is going on. Tell me," she demanded.

  He stared at her again before walking back over.

  "What's wrong? What's wrong is that between your report and Ajax's, the Kedyns have given me a week to get my crew under wraps, and three days to find another stone. Three. Days. We haven't found one in a week, and we can barely work as a team to make any progress!" he shouted, though it wasn't directed at her. Not entirely, at least.

  "What?" she exclaimed, astounded by his words. "That's ridiculous! That is absolutely not fair at all. Every Alpha gets at least a month to come around. You get two weeks? There has to be some explanation for that!"

  "If there is, they didn't deign to give me one," he snapped, kicking one of his tires in frustration. “This is great, just fucking great.”

  “Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked tentatively.

  Garrett looked over at her. He opened his mouth, paused, then closed it. She could see the deep breath he took as he calmed himself, probably preventing him from saying something he would have regretted.

  “Right now Emma, I think I just need to be alone.”

  Ouch. That hurt. She wanted to be there for him, to help him get through this together, as a team. The two of them as one would find a way to fix this, she was positive of it. But Garrett didn’t trust her right now—she could feel it in his words. He felt betrayed by her, and Emma couldn’t exactly blame him for that, even though she hadn’t known that Ajax would be filing a report of his own.

  “Okay,” she told Garrett, heading off toward her room, feeling defeated.

  What could she do about the situation? There had to be something that she could do to help Garrett out. And why had Ajax filed a report with the Kedyns? She pondered that as she pulled out her room key.

  She was so engrossed in her thoughts she completely missed the figure following her in the shadows.

  Chapter Seven

  Garrett

  The urgent pounding on his door came less than a minute after he had entered.

  “What?” he snarled, opening the door to reveal Cole standing there.

  Cole was the smallest member of his crew, and also completely loyal to Evan, so the sight of him there did nothing to improve Garrett’s mood.

  “This had better be good,” he growled unhappily. Deep down he realized that Cole didn’t really deserve his anger at this point, but part of him was glad to have a target to chew out. That all changed when his junior-most crewmember spoke.

  “Emma is in trouble. I don’t know what he was planning, but Evan just dragged her into the woods.”

  Garrett stared at Cole for a long moment, evaluating him.

  “Why are you telling me this?” he said, his feet already sliding into his boots. Cole had steadfastly proven loyal to Evan time and time again, though he had never really instigated anything, simply following in his shadow. Could this be the sign of fracturing amongst their clique?

  “I like Ms. Labelle. She’s never done me wrong, and I’ve never been unjustly punished, despite being an idiot sometimes. I don’t like the rumblings coming from Evan. I think he’s lost it, or is very close to losing it. I don’t want anything on my conscience.”

  That was as close to admitting his defection as it would likely come, Garrett realized, and decided that now wasn’t the time to press the forming divide.

  “Where?” he asked instead, following the outstretched pointed arm to the forest that bordered the Lodge on the far end, past the rooms that they had not yet opened up or repaired. The sunlight was fading fast, but his enhanced bear sight made quick work of the darkness, bathing everything in a soft, silvery glow as he tracked Emma’s scent.

  Cole joined him without a word, which made Garrett a little uneasy. He knew Cole alone wasn’t a threat to him physically, but Evan would be a tough fight if it came down to it, and taking on the two of them would likely be more than he could handle. He almost sent Cole back to get Corey, but then thought better of it. If Cole truly was about to switch his loyalties to Garrett, the last thing he wanted to do was show that he didn’t trust him by sending him back to the Lodge to get one of "his" bears.

  “How much farther?” he said softly. Whispers carried farther than soft-spoken words, and he didn’t want to alert Evan that they were approaching if he could avoid it.

  “I’m not sure, he didn’t take me there ahead of time,” Cole replied in an equally low, soft voice.

  Nodding, the two pushed onward, following the dual scents of Evan and Emma.

  “Why is it so hard for everyone to see?” Evan’s voice came through the trees all of a sudden, accompanied by some whimpers that could only have come from Emma.

  Garrett’s blood flowed more freely as he imagined what he would do to Evan if he had harmed a hair on her body. His bear was so close to the surface now that thick, coarse hair began to emerge from his skin. Despite several calming breaths, Garrett realized it would do no good. Emma was his mate, no matter what he told himself, and his bear knew it. She was in danger, and it would stop at nothing to rescue her. He would have to handle this next part very delicately.

  “Garrett couldn’t hold this crew together if he tried. Now he’s on the verge of getting us all fired and branded as Unfounded. He needs to step back and let me lead.”

  There was a distinctive sound of someone snorting, though it sounded muffled, as if they were gagged. Still, Garrett couldn’t help but smile fiercely. His mate may be scared, but that didn’t mean she was going to accept Evan’s delusions. She was strong, stronger than any woman he had known before, and that was attractive. He wanted her so badly right now, he thought, as the two crept to within visual range. They were thankfully downwind of their target, so he wouldn’t smell them coming.

  Evan was standing in the middle of a clearing, pacing around Emma, who lay on the ground. Her hands were bound and a gag was stuffed in her mouth, secured with what looked like a belt.

  “So what I’m proposing, like I told you earlier, is that you send another report labeling him incompetent, and nominating
me as Alpha instead. It’ll be easy,” he said, his voice dangerously smooth.

  Emma just rolled her eyes.

  “That’s enough,” Garrett said as Evan lifted his hand, ready to hit her for her disobedience.

  Evan whirled, facing the new voice.

  “Oh, well if this isn’t just perfect,” he said sarcastically.

  Cole, Garrett noticed, was still hidden in the bushes. So he wasn’t quite ready to confront his former boss, Garrett thought in the back of his mind. But he had to admit this wasn’t his fight either. This was Garrett’s.

  “Let her go,” he ordered, though neither of them expected it to work.

  "Why?"

  Garrett pondered his response for a moment, trying to come up with a compelling argument that might actually get through to the man standing across from him. A simple threat of force wouldn't be enough, not after Evan had already gone this far. They both knew that Garrett would win if it came to that, so he would have to approach it in another manner.

  "Did you really expect I wouldn't find out about this?" he asked instead. "I mean really, what did you expect to happen after you went this far? Or did you even think about the consequences to your actions?" He fell silent after that, staring intensely at Evan, trying to gauge whether the other shifter was actually listening to what he said or if he was too far gone.

  The flicker of comprehension that dawned in Evan's eyes told him everything he needed to know. His rival had been acting out of passion and anger, not a delusional sense of power and control. At least that was something, although it would make it harder for Garrett to do what had to happen next. He sighed internally, wishing it hadn't come to this point.

  "You know what I have to do now, don't you?" he asked softly.

  Evan's eyes met his, a shock of fear running through them. Had he really thought that Garrett wouldn't go that far, that he would refuse to mete out the punishment that went along with his actions? Using overwhelming force to harm, coerce, or otherwise abuse a human was practically the first offense listed in the Lionshead Mining Consortium rulebook. There was only one punishment for a guilty party, and that was death. If the suspect could be apprehended normally, then the Kedyn brothers would dole out the punishment.

  But in situations like this, where others were in harm's way, an Alpha of a crew was granted the ability to dispense the verdict and carry out the sentence. Garrett did not want to do it, in fact, part of him wondered if he was even capable of it, but the rules left him no choice.

  "Let her go, Evan, and I'll be quick," he promised, reaching out a hand toward Emma.

  Evan's eyes darted wildly around, looking for an escape, but there was none. Garrett would catch him, and that would be that. For a moment, it looked like Evan might surrender peacefully. Then with a deep growl, he half-pushed, half-threw Emma in Garrett's direction.

  Her hands flailed wildly as she flew through the air, but Garrett caught her and spun smoothly to absorb her momentum.

  "Are you okay?" he asked, putting his body between hers and Evan.

  She nodded, but the relief in her eyes was quickly banished by a look of fear as she saw past his shoulders.

  Shit.

  Garrett knew what was coming, and he had a scant half second to react. Using more force than he was comfortable with, he grabbed Emma and threw her in the direction of the bushes where Cole was hiding.

  "Get her out of—"

  He didn't complete his sentence before Evan crashed into him, the sheer size of his bear hurtling Garrett off his feet and through the air until he collided heavily with a tree, the trunk shuddering under the force of his impact.

  Falling to the ground, gasping for air, Garrett heard the thunder of approaching paws. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Evan bearing down on him once again. Forcing his arms to move even as they screamed in protest, he scrambled around the far side of the tree, putting the foot-and-a-half-wide trunk between him and the charging beast.

  "Evan!" he yelled with the semblance of breath that came to him. "Don't. Do. This." He didn't have enough air to make it one complete sentence while dancing back and forth, keeping the tree between him and his opponent.

  Frustrated at his inability to get around the tree, Evan did the next best thing. He launched himself at the tree. The trunk shivered under the impact of almost two tons of animal, and Garrett heard a distinct cracking noise.

  "Ah, shit," he muttered, realizing the tree wouldn't last long, and that he would have to fight Evan after all.

  Before Evan could charge the tree again, Garrett took several steps away and let his bear forth. The huge, midnight-black animal ripped forth from his skin, a deep basso growl echoing through the forest, announcing his presence. The last time Garrett had gotten involved in a fight, he had held back, trying not to harm his crew too much. This time there would be no holds barred.

  Evan, it appeared, had the same idea. A battle cry rang out through the clearing. It wasn't just a normal roar however; this one was infused with command, that unique element that only certain shifters were born with that allowed them to project a physical hold upon those they ruled. Evan's command hit Garrett like a sledgehammer as it rippled out through the clearing, powerful enough that even Cole, who had snatched Emma and began to run, howled his anger from several hundred feet away, trying to ignore the command to bow down and obey.

  Garrett's front knee bent under the onslaught, but that was as far as he went. As the roar faded, he looked up, meeting Evan face-to-face before rising up on his hind legs.

  Sorry Cole, he thought, then unleashed his own roar, revealing for the first time just how outclassed Evan was.

  If Evan's command had the force of a sledgehammer, Garrett's hit his rival like a runaway freight train. Evan was slammed downward without even realizing it, his legs gone from underneath him, his bear submitting instantly, as if a giant fist had reached out and tried to squash him like a bug.

  Stay down, he urged his rival, but as the bellowed order faded, Evan recovered, surging to his feet and charging at Garrett. Things would have been so much easier if the other shifter had simply submitted, but it appeared that Evan wished to do things the hard way. Shaking his head in frustration, Garrett charged out to meet him.

  As the two titanic foes closed, Evan launched himself upward, expecting Garrett to do the same. Normally he would have, the two bears slamming together as they battled each other with their massive paws, drawing blood with every swing. This time, however, he wanted to put Evan down, and hard. So instead of going up, he went down, letting his body slam into Evan's legs as close to the ground as he could.

  Evan was caught completely unawares, and his front arms flailed as he went down, his face connecting with the ground. There was a satisfying thump, and Evan lay still. He wasn't out, the Alpha knew, but it was close enough. Now Garrett did rear up, bringing his entire weight down on one of the bones in Evan's rear leg.

  It snapped. The sound of it made him sick to his stomach, but the cry that came from Evan was worse. Closing his eyes, Garrett moved over to where the dazed bear was moaning in agony.

  Damnit Evan, why did you make me do this? There had to be another way.

  The law was clear though, and Garrett had a duty to fulfill. Opening his jaws, he closed them around the other's neck. Evan struggled, but a shake from Garrett calmed him down almost serenely, as if he knew what was coming.

  Bracing himself, Garrett prepared to snap Evan's neck, ending the other shifter's life. It was the ultimate punishment, but the only one called for when a bear shifter, or any shifter in Genesis Valley for that matter, used their strength and abilities to purposefully endanger a human. Closing his eyes, he began to carry out the sentence.

  "Wait!" Emma's cry came from across the clearing as she rushed toward the two of them. "Don't do it!"

  Cole was running frantically after her, trying to scoop her up, but she kept fending him off, doggedly closing on Garrett.

  Glad for the out, Garrett opened his mout
h, letting Evan's head hit the ground heavily again. He wasn't so forgiving that he didn't take a small measure of satisfaction from the way that seemed to hurt Evan, letting out a snort so that the other shifter knew his disdain for him.

  "Don't kill him! I forgive him!" Emma cried again as she came within range of them.

  Garrett moved, putting his massive body between Evan and Emma. Then he shifted, knowing the other shifter to be in no condition to fight at the moment.

  "Thank you," she said, throwing herself at him.

  Surprised by her actions, Garrett was driven back a step, his arms hesitating for a moment before they closed in around her, holding her tightly to him. It felt so damn good to hold her that he wanted more of it. He never wanted to let her go again, and so he held on until she pushed him back enough to be able to look up at him.

  He met her hazel eyes levelly, not showing any remorse for what he had been about to do. Garrett hadn't wanted to, but it was his right, if not his duty, to perform it. Unless of course the victim forgave their attacker, as Emma had in this case.

  Turning back to Evan, he noted that the other shifter had changed as well, and was sitting up, holding his leg.

  "You broke my fucking leg!" he said, a mixture of shock and anger in his voice.

  "You deserve to die," he said evenly. "The only reason you are alive right now is because she forgave you. If you don't apologize and thank her for her actions, I swear upon my ancestors that I will end your life right now." There was no anger in his voice; it was simply a statement of the facts.

  "Thanks," Evan muttered, not looking up.

  Garrett stomped on his broken leg none too gently.

  "I'm sorry for threatening you! I'm sorry!" the other man screamed, his hands scraping at the boot, trying to remove it from the broken bone.

  "And?" he growled, his patience gone.

  "Thank you! Thank you for not letting him kill me!"

  "Good enough," he snapped, removing his boot.

  "Come help me set this!" Evan yelled, noticing Cole for the first time.

  "Set it yourself," Garrett snarled before Cole could open his mouth. "If you can't, you'll have to deal with it, or have someone in town re-break it. It's the least you deserve."