Destined to the Pride

by Kristen Strassel

  “You’re welcome to stay here.” Ari picked up her plate and Dylan’s. “I know it’s small, but we can get an air mattress or something.”

  As sweet as that offer was, we would obliterate an air mattress in about an hour. That wasn’t going to work. “Maybe we could stay with Chloe and Cane?” I suggested. I liked that idea way too much. And Leo and Cane got along great, unlike the constant power struggle with his brother.

  “They’re going to be bonding and having a baby. They don’t want roommates.” Leo shook his head. “We’ll start looking for a place until we can get things going up on the mountain. I think we could do some cool stuff there, not have a traditional area. Skiing isn’t the only snow sport, and if we focused on some of the alternatives, we could make it a destination.”

  So Leo had been thinking about this. Everything had been such chaos since the idea had been proposed we’d barely had a chance to talk about it.

  “Nice.” Dylan nodded. “I’d be interested in that, maybe bringing some clients up there for training.”

  Leo’s eyes lit up. “Yeah. There’s a lot of conditioning that can be done for all of the activities up there that would really make people enjoy them even more. I’m sure we can incorporate Daphne’s talents into this, too. Give them a whole experience. If we do this right, it could really be one of a kind. That’s what I want.”

  “SO I’M BORING, HUH?” Leo teased, grabbing at my waist when we got into the truck to head to Mount Deception.

  I squealed because it tickled. Because I squealed, he kept doing it. “I said everything but you was boring in that cabin.” I finally got away from him, and smoothed my sweater back down. “Please say we don’t have to go back there, Leo. Seriously.” I’d left my job as a waitress when I shifted for The Mate. When Leo went to work, I’d been trapped in the cabin, not only afraid of predators, but being discovered by my herd. Leo and I were fated to be together even if he wasn’t a buck, but we’d kept it quiet until he claimed me. I’d been so lonely. And with no electricity, I wasn’t able to do anything.

  “I know you hate it there.” He snuck a look over at me while he drove, and I put my hand on his leg, maybe a little too close to his groin. “But you have to understand something. I don’t make a lot of money doing what I do. I’ve been able to do what I love because I haven’t had to worry about paying for a place to live.”

  Oh. Now I felt bad. But not bad enough to spend the entire summer without electricity. “I can get a job. I can go back to The Roadhouse. And they’re always looking for people at the rec center for the summer. I can teach dance or tumble. Or I can help you guys out on the mountain. Even if you couldn’t pay me, it would save you from hiring someone else and paying them.”

  “This isn’t going to be easy.” Leo put his hand over mine, moving it over his fly.

  “It’s not.” I ran my fingers over the length of his growing erection and he groaned, picking up my hand and dropping it back on his leg. “I still think it’s dangerous.” My mind flashed back to that guy who came between me and Linnea. He wasn’t a lion, but he was still familiar with her work. But Leo’s purr snapped my attention right back to him, and I didn’t have a chance to think about it any more.

  “It is,” he said, lacing his fingers between mine. “But the payoff could be huge.”

  “How does Dylan have all this money?” I asked. It technically wasn’t any of my business, but if he was dragging us all to this mountain with the promise of a new life, I needed to know everything. “I didn’t know personal training was so lucrative.”

  “He made a bunch of training videos that sold well. And I think he did some modeling when he was younger.”

  My eyes were huge. The videos I knew about, but the modeling was news to me. “Really?” Dylan acted like he was such a tough guy. I giggled. “Do you think he’d loan you any of his modeling money?” Anything not to go back to that cabin.

  “No. And I’m not going to ask,” Leo growled. His body stiffened under my hand, I knew I’d said the wrong thing.

  If there was a parking lot at Mount Deception, Dylan didn’t know about it. He pulled his truck over into a small field, more like a place where trees forgot to grow.

  “You been up here before?” Leo asked, looking around. I held his hand. His energy was changing. The vibration wasn’t a purr, it was something different.

  “Couple of times. It’s a lot bigger than Soldier. I never saw anyone but I did find the ski area.” Dylan stretched, his focus on the slope of the brae in front of us. It rose quickly without any gentle introduction. “We need to shift.”

  Ari and I exchanged wide-eyed looks. “Dylan...” her voice shook.

  He stepped toward her and put his hands on her shoulders, resting his forehead on hers. Her panic visibly subsided. Anyone who doubted he was her mate obviously never spent any time around the two of them. “Baby, take all the time you need. And if we have to bring you back to my cabin as a cougar, that’s what we’ll do.”

  Ari nodded, but in the fear didn’t leave her eyes. So much had gone wrong the last time she’d shifted. Dylan put his arm around her waist and led her toward the trees. Leo followed, and I had to hurry to catch up with him.

  “I won’t be able to talk to you guys.” My heart was already pounding. The only good thing I’d ever found in any forest was Leo.

  Leo reached out for my hand. He shook his head like he was trying to clear it. “Same plan as always. Two taps for danger, three to go back.” He kissed my head, then pulled away. “No one’s going to attack you. And no one’s going to hold me back.” That was for Dylan as much as it was for me.

  I tugged on Leo’s arms, dragging him back toward the truck. Ari and Dylan were lost in their own debate about shifting. I couldn’t be concerned about that. “Stay with me while I shift,” I pleaded. I was getting more comfortable with the transitions, but only when we had control over the environment.

  Leo took my face in his hands and kissed me so hard I had to catch my breath. All the doubt in my mind disappeared, like little bubbles popping in a sunbeam. He could tell me all he wanted that he was going to protect me, but until he let me crawl inside of him, I’d never truly feel safe.

  He led me back over to the passenger’s side of the truck, and tugged the bottom of my sweater up. I lifted my hands over my head and let him undress me. Between every step he planted another hungry kiss on my lips.

  Once he’d stripped me bare, my shift began. It came swiftly, and I sprinted in the meadow trying to get the lay of the land while Leo turned lion. In my own apprehension about this, I hadn’t noticed that Dylan and Ari had already shifted. Ari in her cougar form was closer to my size, sleek and beautiful. Now Leo and Dylan actually looked like twins. Their manes rippled in the wind as we headed into the woods.

  Mount Deception was beautiful this time of year. Now that the sun was high in the spring sky, the first signs of life had started to emerge. The trees had little buds on them, and flowers had begun to poke through the soil. Everything smelled fresh, in stark contrast to the deadly stench of autumn.

  The forgotten trails weren’t very well marked. Spray painted red dots every few yards to mark our way. I wondered when the last time a human had set foot on this mountain was and how willing they’d be to do it again. There was so much work to be done to get this place ready for the public. Brambles tangled in our fur as we maneuvered up the brae. So far the only animals we’d encountered were squirrels and birds, but Dylan circled what looked like a burned out hull of a home. Half a tree, its stump hollowed out, but someone’s belongings were there.

  A bear den. I pushed closer to Leo, even though there was no sign of the inhabitants.

  Everyone else was talking, but I had no idea what they were saying. So frustrating. Dylan trotted away from the den with Ari close on his heels. Leo followed with a growl, and I had to gallop to keep up with them.

  It wasn’t much longer before we came upon the ski area. I only knew it was that from the rusty ski l
ift that spanned the remainder of the slope. The actual trails were choked by weeds and vegetation. Otherwise, it was a collection of dilapidated buildings in the middle of the woods. We entered the largest one through a broken door, and it was like the building had been frozen in time. So much of the equipment and merchandise remained. Whoever last ran this place left in a hurry. I tapped on the antique cash register with my nose, wondering if they’d left money behind, too. If they did, someone else had already taken it.

  The cabins weren’t in much better shape, but it looked like they’d at least been wired for electricity. That was a good sign. We were miles out of town, and Dylan might have some money, but he’d never have enough to electrify an entire mountain.

  Our investigation didn’t take very long since what was left of the ski area was small, so we headed back the way we came. All of us froze when a roar broke through the birdsong.

  Leo and Dylan circled Ari and I, looking for what had to be lions or cougars. Within seconds, a group of lions emerged from the forest, snarling.

  They hadn’t been expecting company.

  Chapter Ten

  TWO OF THE LIONS STALKED toward Dylan, and the three others stared down me and Leo. Dylan was up on his hind legs, battling both of them easily. Another lunged at Leo, sinking his teeth into his back. I screamed, bucking back, realizing how outnumbered we were. I was absolutely helpless as Leo had the lion on his back on the forest floor. Even if I wanted to fight with him, I had no claws and my teeth were made for leaves, not flesh.

  Ari circled around, herding me away from the fight. Two more lions stood guard, like they had something to protect. Their gaze made me feel filthy, because there was no secret what they saw when they looked at me. Dinner.

  Leo ripped the flesh of the lion who’d attacked him. The lion shrieked, his skin still hanging from Leo’s jaws. Ari tapped me three times, jerking her head down the path, and started to run. The lions gained on us, and I didn’t want to slow myself down by looking back to see if it was Leo and Dylan.

  We didn’t stop until we got back to the cars. Ari and I rounded the trucks, watching our mates get chased by two of the lions from the fight. As long as I was doe, I was in danger, so I willed myself to shift back. Ari was still in her cougar form. Now naked, I dove into the truck cab so I could get my clothes.

  Ari didn’t shift. I ran my hand through her fur as Leo and Dylan tangled with the lions again. Their bodies flipped around in the grass, fur literally flying. The Deception lions retreated, but when their bodies started to shake, I knew they were about to shift. Ari rumbled under my touch.

  Two naked men stood before Leo and Dylan, who had yet to shift. Both of them had long, dark blonde hair and muscles rippling under their tense, tattooed bodies. They crouched defensively, moving back and forth with their hands up to shield themselves from the snarling lions in front of them.

  “Shift back!” one of them demanded. “If you attack us in human form, it’s war.”

  The one who didn’t speak looked over the lions to me and Ari. “You break the rules, they’re all out the window. Your women are fair game, too. Especially the doe.”

  Leo lunged at the lion who said that, but didn’t attack. He shifted back but Dylan still prowled as a lion. “Come on.” Leo’s voice was low as he grabbed a handful of Dylan’s mane. “Don’t fuck this up.”

  Both of the shifted lions raised their eyebrows. “What are you talking about?” one of them asked. “We know every lion on this mountain. Every cougar and doe, too. You’re not from Deception.”

  Dylan growled as he shifted back. He ran his hand through his filthy hair. “We were looking at the ski area.” He and Leo mirrored the rival lions, tense and crouched, daring someone to try to attack now that the playing field was even. “We don’t want trouble. We need a place to call home.”

  Ari whined under my touch, and I wondered if she actually said something. No one acknowledged her, but I felt the same exact way.

  The two lions looked at each other in disbelief and laughed. “The ski area?” they asked. “How do you think you’re going to do that?”

  Dylan bristled from the challenge. “We have a plan. It won’t be immediate, but it would be good for every shifter on this mountain,” Leo explained. “Like my brother said, we don’t want trouble. At all.”

  “You came unannounced. You attacked one of our pride. You say you don’t want trouble? You have a hell of a way of showing it.”

  “You attacked him first!” Everyone’s eyes were on me. They already thought I was weak because I was a doe. I’d let one pride run me off a mountain, I wasn’t about to let it happen again. “We’re only interested in the ski area, which you obviously aren’t.”

  The lions smiled like I was too cute, or they were thinking I’d taste great with tomato sauce. It was hard to tell. “We aren’t like the shifters in Colorado Springs, or wherever you’re from. We’re not interested in playing nice with humans or making friends. Things work around here. They’re not broken, and they don’t need fixing.”

  No one saw the bear rumble out of the woods. He lumbered in between Leo, Dylan, and the lions, roaring at the two strange men. I pressed against Ari’s body, and she growled. The bear stood on his hind legs. It was shocking how tall he actually was. His fur fell away from his body, and a dark haired man emerged.

  “That’s the guy from the coffee shop!” I whispered to Ari. He’d protected us once, but now we were trespassing on his mountain. I wasn’t sure if I should wave or hide.

  “What’s the problem?” The bear’s gaze slid between Leo, Dylan and the lions.

  “Intruders.” One of the lions said. “They went through the ski area.”

  The bear turned back to the brothers. “That’s private property.”

  “We’d love to talk to your pride about the ski area, we can work together or we won’t bother you at all.” Dylan took a step forward, like he wanted to shake hands with the guys, but they both folded their arms in unison. They were right, they weren’t like us. They were much more feral, and the tension was growing.

  “You don’t listen!” The lion who’d been mostly quiet roared. “We don’t play nice. Find another mountain for your rouge animal circus.”

  “We trust you’ll be gone as soon as your cougar shifts back,” one of the lions said. “Normally we’d consider it a challenge that she stayed cougar, but we can tell she’s lame.”

  Ari slumped under my touch. I crouched down and hugged her, which raised some enemy eyebrows. Whatever. Just because every other lion in Colorado was out for blood didn’t mean that Ari was.

  Dylan stalked forward to attack but Leo grabbed him by his hair. “And we consider that a challenge,” Leo grunted.

  “Everyone cool down.” The bear held up his hands, and his gaze fell to me for a little too long. I forced a smile. “I’d actually like to hear what they have to say. That area’s going to waste. But now’s not the time. You’re all too hot-headed.” The bear turned to Leo and Dylan. “Come back and find me. You saw my den. I’ll make sure these guys listen.”

  The Deception lions didn’t respond before they fell to all fours and shifted, roaring in warning before they disappeared in the trees. Once they disappeared, I collapsed against Ari, arms around her, resting my head in her fur. Her heart pounded as fast as mine.

  “Sorry, man.” Leo took a step toward the bear and held out his hand. The bear accepted with a firm handshake. “We mean it. We don’t want trouble.”

  “The lions are overprotective of their land.” The bear sighed. “They aren’t welcoming to outsiders. It’s time to do something with that ski area. There are shifters here that will listen to you, if your plan is solid.”

  Leo had his back to me, but Dylan’s face brightened. “We want to respect the traditions here,” Dylan said, stepping closer to his brother and the bear. “I’m Dylan, this is my brother Leo. We grew up in the San Isobel Mountains, and lately we’ve been on Soldier Mountain.”

  “I’m
Bid.” The bear’s gaze fell back to me. “I’ve heard there’s been trouble on Solider recently.”

  “We took care of it.” Leo’s back tensed as he spoke.

  “We’ve lived in peace for a long time.” Bid’s words sounded like a warning. He looked young, maybe thirty, but when he spoke, he sounded so much older. “We plan to continue doing that.”

  Dylan smiled. “We want the same thing.”

  Bid nodded, but didn’t say anything else before shifting back to bear.

  Leo’s jaw was a hard line when he ripped the truck door open and hastily got dressed. “How did that all start?” I asked. I was so frustrated, only knowing half of what was going on.

  “You need to stop being so reckless,” he grunted. “The lions were pissed we were at the ski area.”

  I bristled at being scolded, but we had enough problems right now without adding a fight to it. “Enough for you to try to kill that lion?”

  Leo nodded with an angry smile as Dylan rounded the truck, back in his jeans and sweatshirt. “Daphne, be glad you couldn’t hear what they said.”

  “I have enough disadvantages without not knowing what’s going on!” I got up, my hand still on Ari because I was shaking with anger. “Stop treating me like I’m weak!”

  “Trust me, you didn’t want to hear it.” Leo pulled me into his body roughly. I melted against him, even though I was still pissed. His hand moved up and down my back like he needed to memorize the curves of my body. “I would have ripped that bastard in two if we weren’t completely outnumbered.”

  DYLAN’S CABIN WAS OUTSIDE of Woodland Park, on a windy road in the foothills on the mountains. Ari shifted back once we got here, thankfully without much trouble. She lay with her head in Dylan’s lap, and he played with her hair absentmindedly. His face was pinched and he definitely wasn’t relaxed.

  “What do you think?” Leo asked once we got settled. I sat in his lap on the floor, Dylan didn’t have any other furniture besides the couch. “They let us get away without much of a fight.”