by Lacey Thorn
“I’ll never forget the day I received the message about you, Aleksy. My brother, Zane’s father, and I went to get you. I didn’t think you’d make it. The woman who’d found you had wrapped bandages around you. She was terrified to try to stitch you up but didn’t want to leave you open. You were so pale from blood loss. I tucked you into my shirt, placing you right over my heart. My Amala said I saved you by will alone.” Orsai smiled as he spoke of his late wife, and Aleksy felt a surge of remorse. He knew he was to blame for her death.
“She was the one who suggested I give you my blood. It wasn’t enough though,” Orsai continued, casting a glance toward Zane. “You have the blood of two panthers inside you. I believe that’s why your genetics were altered. The hunters had sliced you open. I had no clue what all they’d done to you before they cast you out. I could tell they’d taken samples from your organs. You were so tiny, a newborn babe, and they’d cut you open with no care to the life they held.”
“Jesus,” Zane muttered and clenched his fists.
That day had changed the course of Orsai’s life. There were times Aleksy wondered how the other man could stand to look at him. He was always grateful Orsai could.
“I’m sorry,” Aleksy whispered.
“What do you possibly think you have to be sorry for?” Orsai demanded.
“You saved me and lost Amala. If you had it to do all over again—”
“I wouldn’t have changed a thing. My mate wouldn’t have allowed it. We’d never been blessed with children. My brother’s mate was days from giving birth to Zane. One look at you, Aleksy, and we were all in love.” Orsai shook his head sadly. “We were making plans for the two of you to grow up together. Hell, you were practically brothers or at the very least cousins with both my blood and Zane’s dad’s blood inside you, healing you. Your body seemed to reject our blood at first. Amala worked frantically to save your life. One moment we were sure you were breathing your last. Then you changed right before our eyes. You didn’t just heal. You…flourished. In hours. It was the most amazing thing I’d ever seen. It still is. Every time I start to lose my faith, I remember that day. The hunters tried to destroy you, and you defied all the odds to survive.”
“My father’s blood is in him?” Zane asked. “How the hell is it that I don’t know any of this? He has my father’s blood in him. My blood. You didn’t think I should know that?”
“Would it have made you hate me any less?” Aleksy asked.
“I’ve never hated you.”
“You blame me for Amala’s death, for your parents’ deaths,” Aleksy countered.
Zane shook his head. “Never. I blamed you for taking my uncle from me.”
“Zane,” Orsai said while Aleksy laughed.
“How do you figure that? I was the one he shipped around. You were the one he kept.”
“He didn’t stay with me,” Zane replied. “He was always on the road. Checking on you.”
Aleksy shook his head. “I rarely saw him.”
“That makes two of us.”
“What have I done?” Orsai asked softly. “The two people I love most in this world and I’ve set them on a course against one another. Zane, son of my brother, I have loved you from the moment I knew you were conceived. I look at you, and I see my twin brother and the amazing woman he mated. You are his immortality, as Amala and your other children will be yours.”
“Amala?” Aleksy whispered the name softly. “Your child is a daughter?
Zane nodded, his face softening. “She’s a beauty like her mother, my mate, Diane.”
“Congratulations,” Aleksy murmured.
“I see the loneliness in your eyes, and it cripples me,” Orsai said. Aleksy stood, pacing away.
“I’m not lonely,” he growled. He had Tony. Now, he had Lyra.
“Before Zane claimed his mate he was dosed with a form of feral fever. He took off. The panther inside him becoming primal.”
“Like my beast,” Aleksy stated.
“I feared I’d lose him as I did you,” Orsai told them, holding up his hand when Aleksy turned to speak. “Don’t deny it, Aleksy. I lost you a long time ago, and I don’t even blame you for closing yourself off to me.”
“I didn’t close myself off,” Aleksy disagreed. “Who do you think called you here?”
“I’m aware of who placed the call, who always places the call to me,” Orsai countered.
“Tony calls because I tell him to.”
“He calls when you don’t, also,” Orsai added.
For a long time, Aleksy had been aware Tony kept Orsai posted on how things were going with him. He’d never called Tony on it. He’d appreciated his friend doing what he couldn’t—no, what he wouldn’t. He decided to ignore Orsai’s comment and go back to Zane, his mate, and the feral fever.
“Good thing you had a mate to help with the fever.”
“I didn’t at the time,” Zane said then shrugged. “I knew she was my mate, but she was off limits. She’s one of the doctors in our pride, and close with my alpha’s mate. I tried to stay away from her.”
“Why?” Aleksy asked. One look at Lyra and he’d known she was his, known he’d do anything to get to her. And he had.
“I was trying to protect her,” Zane offered.
“Your mate is safest at your side.” Aleksy believed that. Lyra would be safest if she stayed with him. He wanted her with him now. He should have brought her with him to this chat.
“My wife is human,” Zane said. “Until she met us, she was safe from hunters. Now, she’s as big a target as any of us. They’ll show her no mercy. What they did to your mate, even with antibodies aiding her, I’m not sure she’d survive that.”
Aleksy had no response. He’d seen Lyra. She’d been at death’s door even with the animal inside her. The beast had been caged, but it had been there. Had she been human? He wasn’t sure even his enhanced genetic material would have saved her.
“I should have kept the two of you together. Aleksy is right. It’s safest to keep the ones you love close to you. It’s why he stays with Tony. That boy took one look at you and claimed you as his brother.”
“Tony is family,” Aleksy agreed.
“You may never believe me, Aleksy, but I loved you from the moment I saw you. I held you in my arms and felt this urge to protect you. I thought the Great Creator had finally answered my prayers for a child. Then Amala saw you, and she seemed to light up. We did everything to save you.”
“Then you lost her, and Zane lost his parents,” Aleksy reminded Orsai.
“Yes, I did,” Orsai agreed. “And I knew they’d keep coming until they killed me. It never once occurred to me that you’d blame yourself for that. That group of hunters were after my brother and me long before you came into the picture. We became complacent after we mated. Forgot the lessons of the past and paid the ultimate price for it. In the aftermath, I did what I thought was best to keep you both safe.” He laughed, but there was no joy in the sound. “Now, to hear Aleksy say with such confidence that the best place for someone you care for is at your side makes me wonder if I had it all wrong back then. Zane, I purposely let you believe I was going to Aleksy. And Aleksy, I let you think I was with Zane. I thought it was easier for both of you that way. Now, I see it was only easier for me.”
“You…” Zane began.
“Can’t change the past,” Aleksy finished.
Orsai nodded. “No, we can’t. I can help the future though. And that future could depend on your mate, Aleksy.”
“What do you mean?” Aleksy’s heart beat accelerated.
“Your mate formed a link with Tah though she’s never met him. They didn’t even know of each other. Somehow that link was formed. For our species to survive, we have to unite. I truly believe Tah is the one to do that. He needs to figure out how he linked with Lyra. That’s the way he’ll call all of us. Together, we will more than survive. We’ll thrive.”
“I’m not joining them, Orsai,” Aleksy stated firmly
. He’d learned the hard way that even his own species feared him. He didn’t want to be part of a group that would be cautious around him, never fully trusting him. He had his mate and his best friend. That was enough.
“You don’t have to join them,” Orsai agreed.
“We’re not that bad,” Zane argued. “You might find you like our family. And we’re family, Aleksy. Not just me and my pride, but you and I. You have my father’s blood in your veins. My uncle’s. Mine. Like it or not, I won’t let you just walk away from me.”
“My blood changes nothing,” Aleksy swore.
“It changes everything,” Zane challenged. “You wanted to be the lone liger before, and I didn’t argue. You have a chip on your shoulder that makes everyone keep their distance.”
“That’s rich,” Aleksy growled. “They keep their distance because of this.” He pointed to his eyes. “Because they’re afraid of me.”
“Please, you’re not the only one with the freaky eyes.” Zane pointed to his own yellow-hued eyes that were vivid against his ebony skin. “You think people don’t shy away from me?”
“At least, yours are one color,” Aleksy stated. “I have to tell those brave enough to ask that I have a human condition called heterochromia.”
“You explain?” Zane countered with a lift of his brow. “I usually growl and watch them scurry away.”
Aleksy stared at the other man for a moment, fighting the tug on his lips. Finally, he relented and let a chuckle escape. “I growl, too.”
“It’s good to see the two of you getting along,” Orsai commented. “I should have spoken with both of you sooner.”
“Yes, you should have,” Zane agreed. “Secrets divide, and we can’t afford division from one another. We need to stand together, or we’ll never be free of the hunters.”
“Is that what you’re doing in Oklahoma? Standing together?” Aleksy asked.
“Yes.” Zane crossed toward him. “The only way we’re going to survive is if we band together. We’re too easy to pick off when we’re spread out and afraid. We’re stronger together.”
Aleksy nodded. “Tony and I will send those we rescue your way.”
“You should think about joining us,” Zane advised.
Aleksy shook his head. “I’m not a pack animal.”
“What about your mate? Lyra has family now—Reno—and with him comes the rest of us.”
“That’s my mate’s choice,” Aleksy answered, but the words felt harsh against his tongue. He couldn’t let her leave him. It would destroy him.
“You have family in our pride, too, Aleksy. Me. We share the blood of my father. That makes you a brother in my book.”
“I’m not a man others want around for very long.”
“Tony doesn’t seem to mind,” Orsai commented.
“Tony doesn’t count,” Aleksy replied as the door opened.
“Tony always counts,” Tony stated as he stepped in and looked around. “You all done in here?”
“Yes,” Aleksy replied. “What’s up?”
“I just spoke to Lyra and her brother. Thought you’d want to know right away, too. Our team was able to track Blane and his group,” Tony said.
“Where are they?” Aleksy demanded.
“Back in Chicago.”
Chapter Sixteen
Lyra needed air, and now that she knew Blane was all the way back in Chicago, she figured it was safe enough to venture out as long as she stayed close. She hadn’t been outside the bunker once since she’d awakened in Aleksy’s bed. She craved fresh air. It was what she needed to think, and at the moment, she felt completely overloaded. She had a mate. She had a brother and apparently, a pride with an alpha she either needed to go see or he’d be compelled to come to her, putting himself, his mate and their child in danger. No pressure or anything.
She’d gone from having no male figure in her life to having too many, and all of them were demanding. She felt horrible for having such a thought about her mate. The man had literally saved her life. And she knew he loved her, felt it every time he looked at her. It terrified her. Loving her got people killed.
She pushed out the front door and strode quickly along a dirt path that seemed to circle the bunker.
Her muscles burned, her bones ached, and she was edgy. She knew what her beast wanted. It was time to let the other part of her emerge, to allow it freedom from the confines of her body. It was time for the animal to show itself to her. She knew that but still fought the pull to give over.
Emotion overwhelmed her, almost suffocating her, making it hard to release control. Her mate was so sure of himself and their relationship. He didn’t question that she was his mate. He simply stated it as fact and moved forward. She could use some of his confidence. She wasn’t sure anyone had ever accepted her as completely as he did. Not even her mother.
She loved her mother. Nothing would ever change that, but she was starting to realize the woman had let fear rule and guide her. And she’d passed that on to Lyra. Aleksy was totally different. Lyra couldn’t see him running from anything. The man had intimidation down to an art. Even Blane had fled when Aleksy had come after her. Aleksy was bigger than life. Somehow, she didn’t see him wanting to head to Oklahoma with her brother, and she definitely wouldn’t be going anywhere without him.
Which brought her to Reno. He’d rebelled at the idea of them being related. She understood from Amia that it had more to do with the fact his mother hadn’t been their father’s mate than anything to do with Lyra. Their kind only mated once, and Renly Esponetti had left both their mothers after the women had given birth. Knowing that made her despise the other man even more.
She understood the hurt Reno felt. She felt it herself. How different would their lives have been if Renly had stayed around? If she and Reno had known one another? It would have been nice to have an older sibling in her life. Maybe, her mom would still be around if she’d known of Reno and his mom. Maybe, the four of them could have taken care of each other. Or maybe, they would have been easier to hunt. That was a lot of what-ifs and maybes that made no difference in the here and now.
Bottom line was she liked the idea of a brother. She wanted the chance to get to know him and his mate. She wanted to meet Tah and figure out how they’d been able to connect with each other. She wanted to go to Oklahoma, if not to stay then at least to keep the alpha and his family from traveling to meet her. She didn’t want anyone to die because of her. Not again.
She still heard Blane’s threats in her head. “Don’t worry. It won’t be quick. I need to keep you alive for a little while. Just until they come. You’re the key to me getting what’s mine returned to me. Through you, I’ll bring that fucking bitch of mine to her knees. I’ll kill you then I’ll kill that brother of yours while my girl watches and begs for your lives. Then she’ll be where I should have put her from the beginning. Tied to a bed to be fucked and bred. If any of the men can stomach her now that she’s been mauled by that animal she’s taken up with… You’re going to help me destroy that fucking pride. I’ll watch them fall, one by one, until there’s not a damn one of you left.”
She couldn’t let him hurt Amia or destroy Reno and the pride he was a part of. No matter what it took, she’d see them safe.
Lock them out. Lock them out. Lock them out.
She repeated the order to her animal until she felt all of them fade away, leaving her in blissful silence
A rumble rose from her chest, spilling from her lips. The raw sound had her glancing around until she realized it had come from her. She felt it resonate in her soul. Something shifted inside her, almost as if it were locking into place. A roar filled the air, and she immediately glanced around for her mate. He wasn’t there.
Power surged through her as she accepted it was her beast stepping forward, pressing softly against her skin in a plea for trust. It was time to stop fighting. Her lips were stretched wide, her teeth suddenly feeling too big for her mouth. She felt the prick of her canines against
her lip and knew if she glanced in a mirror they’d look more like the ones Aleksy sported. Lyra felt the burn in her limbs, a stretching of her muscles that had fear filling her. How would this work? Would she truly shift? Into what? And how much pain would be involved?
She paused briefly then reached for the hem of her shirt. Her clothing was limited since her things had been left behind in Chicago and Blane or one of his men had removed what she’d been wearing when they’d taken her. The last thing she needed was to shift and lose the clothes Aleksy had found for her. She pushed the loose pants down her hips and let them pool at her feet. Just that easily she was naked.
Lyra dropped to a crouch on the ground as the burning intensified. Then she went to her hands and knees, dropping her head between her shoulders and shaking it back and forth. It hurt. She tried to control it, but she couldn’t. Her animal pressed at her, urging her to flow with the shift of muscle and bone.
She did her best, picturing Aleksy the first time she’d seen him. The way he’d seamlessly transformed from beast to man. Had it been so easy for him? Or had her own pain masked any discomfort she might have glimpsed on his face?
She dropped her guard and tried to relax. She focused on her heartbeat, the rush of blood pounding in her ears. She took a deep breath and blew it out. Then another as she worked to control the anxiety coursing through her. Was it this hard for all shifters the first time, or was she uniquely inadequate at it?
Pain rippled through her. Not crippling but generating a sharp awareness of what was happening. She dropped her head to the ground between her hands, biting off whimpers that were turning to snarls. Her eyesight changed first, colors becoming sharper, clearer. She watched as her hands changed, white fur covering her fingers as they became large paws. She felt her face contorting, elongating, expanding. There was a burning along her spine as her body continued to change.
She shook her head that had become grotesquely larger than the one she was used to, though she was sure it was more in proportion with her changing body. Everything hurt, and then…it didn’t. Where she’d once been, there was now only her animal side, completely formed and free. She felt the need to move. Anxious energy filled her. Her legs ached to run. The muscles in her haunches bunched, and she surged forward, taking off like a shot, bolting away from the bunker. She’d stay within the woods surrounding it, where Tony had cameras set up to keep watch over her.
