by Kim Fox
There was only one person that Tyler knew of who traveled with an entourage of birds. And right on cue, he drove his motorcycle into the camp.
“Who the fuck is that guy?” Slate asked with a frown. “This night keeps getting weirder and weirder.”
“Me again,” Tyler said, heading over.
Slate huffed out a breath. “You hang out with the strangest fucking people.”
Tyler glanced back over his shoulder at the twin. He was standing there shaking his head while completely naked. “I sure do,” he muttered.
Rhett stepped off of his motorcycle and took a deep breath as Tyler marched over. “Did you come to try and finish me off?” Tyler asked with a tight voice.
“Shit,” Rhett cursed under his breath. “He found you?”
“Yeah,” Tyler snapped back. “He almost killed me.”
More ravens appeared from overhead, landing on the motorcycle and the nearby pickup trucks. Izzy was at Tyler’s side, growling at the birds.
“Not the trucks too now,” Slate complained in the distance. “I hate these fucking birds.”
“So now you see,” Rhett said, ignoring the complaining twin. “He has to be stopped.”
Tyler crossed his arms, flexing them against his chest. “What do you want me to do about it?”
Rhett stroked his black goatee. “Take back your rightful place.”
“I don’t have a place there anymore,” Tyler snapped back. “And by the way, I still haven’t forgotten your little role in that day.”
Rhett sighed. “That was a long time ago and I’m a different man now. But I’m not asking you to do it for me. Do it for Isabelle.”
Tyler turned away, shaking his head. His older cousin always went for the jugular.
“You still love her,” Rhett said, pressing him. “Don’t you?”
Tyler bit his bottom lip to stop his chin from trembling. “She didn’t choose me, Rhett.”
“Come on, cuz,” he said opening his arms. “She couldn’t have. You knew as well as she did what Jacob would have done to both of you if she had run off with you. What choice did she have? Really?”
Tyler sighed. “You always have a choice.”
Rhett shook his head. “Not always. Not everyone is as brave as you.”
Tyler ran his palm over Izzy’s soft fur. This day had started off so great…
“Your people need you,” Rhett said.
Tyler pointed to the naked men circled around the firepit who were finally getting dressed. “These are my people now.”
Rhett wrinkled his nose up in disgust. “Who, these…bear shifters?” he asked, making a sour face. “You’re a wolf playing with sheep. Come back and be the pack leader that you were destined to be.”
That right there…the arrogance of his people. The skin shifters always thought that they were better than everyone else. That’s why they closed off the community to humans and regular shifters all those years ago.
“These sheep took me in when my people closed the door in my face,” Tyler said, stepping forward. Rhett was his cousin but Tyler would still knock his teeth out if he insulted his new family one more time. “When you closed the door in my face.”
Rhett raised his chin and nodded. “I was wrong,” he said. “I’ll admit it.”
“It still doesn’t change the fact that you did it,” Tyler said.
Rhett nodded. “I get that you hate us, cuz. And you probably should. If I was you I would never step foot in Creston Falls again.”
Tyler shrugged. “You’re not really selling it too well.”
“But do it for Isabelle,” he said, locking eyes with him. His cousin always had the darkest eyes. “She needs you. Your brother has gone off the deep end and it’s killing her. He beats her every day, tortures her, locks her in her room. She risked her life to come see you,” he said, shaking his head. “And now it was you, who slammed the door in her face.”
Tyler winced as his stomach hardened.
“Remember that,” Rhett said as he climbed back onto his motorcycle. He started the engine and revved it. “Because when he finally kills her, the blood will be on your hands too.”
Tyler stood there staring at the spinning wheels as Rhett disappeared down the gravel road. A cloud of ravens took to the sky, following him out.
“Finally,” Slate yelled. “Stupid fucking birds! Who the hell is going to clean my roof now?”
“So I guess we have a rhino now,” Royal said, watching as the rhinoceros wandered around the ranch stripping the leaves from the bushes by the forest.
“He’s so cute,” Camilla said, clasping her hands together. “Do you think it would be safe if I go pet him?”
Royal shook his head, looking at his mate like she had lost her mind. “He just smashed through all of us like a bowling ball crashing through pins, and you want to go pet him?”
“Yeah,” she said simply, staring at the rhino with a smile on her face. “Can we keep him?”
Thorn rubbed his chin. “I think we should bring him back to the zoo.”
Stetson cringed as he took a step back. “I’m not going anywhere near the zoo!”
“He looks so happy here,” Layla said, wrapping her arm around Camilla’s shoulders as they oohed and aahed at the rhino.
“I think we should keep him,” Kylee said.
Everyone turned to her, staring at her in shock. She was the sheriff after all and she was suggesting that they break the law.
“What?” she said with a defensive shrug. “I hate zoos.”
Thorn nodded. “He does have a lot of room to graze out here. We can put him in with the cows at nighttime.”
Camilla squealed in delight. “I’ve always wanted a rhino in my life! He’s like a chubby unicorn!”
“He’ll fit in great here,” Layla said. “He’s horny just like the rest of the boys!”
“We should name him Horndog,” Slate said with a laugh. They all agreed.
“Welcome to the squad, Horndog!” Thorn shouted. The rhino lifted his head, gave them an uninterested look, and then turned back to eating the bush in front of him.
Tyler sighed as he walked away. Normally the squad’s shenanigans always cheered him up but today he just wasn’t in the mood. He kept thinking about what Rhett had said: “He beats her every day, tortures her, locks her in her room.”
Isabelle had risked her life to come and see him and he told her no. The woman he always loved had reached out a hand to be saved and he smacked it away.
Picturing Jacob with his hands on her made his heart race and his body tense up. He gritted his teeth as he walked towards the forest with Izzy following closely behind. He picked up a stone and whipped it into the darkening forest.
I have to save her.
But how? He had just seen first hand how powerful Jacob was. Could he possibly stop him?
He had to try. If he died, he died, but he had to try.
Isabelle had always been his favorite person in the world. They had been inseparable since they were toddlers. There were two powerful families in Creston Falls: the Jones family and the Lexington family. There had always been tension between the two but Isabelle and Tyler never paid any attention to that. They were best friends and did everything together.
When the two hit puberty their friendship blossomed into love. Hunting for frogs turned into make-out sessions and drawing each other pictures turned into writing each other love notes. Tyler could still remember the way that only Isabelle could get his heart pumping. A single flash of her gorgeous hazel eyes or the faintest smile from those luscious lips always had him breathless. She was constantly on his mind every second of every day.
Then, on Tyler’s sixteenth birthday, he had found out a secret. Isabelle had been promised to one of the Jones’ boys. She would marry either Tyler or Jacob. Before Tyler’s parents died, in an effort to draw peace, the two dominant families had made a pact to marry their new babies to each other, joining the families forever.
They
could have been together. Just like they had always wanted. Just like they were destined to be.
But she chose Jacob.
Tyler was crushed. The little girl who he had first kissed to stop her from crying after she had scraped her knee in the forest, the preteen who he had saved up three months worth of allowance to buy her the pogo stick that she really wanted, and the teenager who had told him ‘I love you’ after they made love for the first time, had chosen Jacob.
Even thinking about it all of these years later still hurt. This was one wound that time was not healing. His heartbeat slowed and there was a painful tightness in his throat that was all too familiar when he thought back to that day.
When it rains it pours and the bad news kept piling on. The old ruler, Isabelle’s grandfather, had died at the same time as Isabelle’s decision and the skin shifter community was looking for some fresh, young blood to rule. What better choice than Jacob? He was twenty-one at the time and was married to the daughter of the second most powerful family in the community. And on top of all that, he had the markings of a master skin shifter. Jacob had always been polite and respectful to the elders, using his looks and charm to win them over. But Tyler knew the truth.
Tyler couldn’t let his brother be in charge. He knew what Jacob was capable of and he felt that it was his duty to try and save his people from his brother’s cruel wrath. So, he ran against him.
But they voted for Jacob.
Jacob’s first order of business after electing his four horsemen, Rhett, Nathan, Emry, and Wallace, was to banish Tyler forever.
He could still remember the details of that day. Rainy. Dark. Cold. It was perfectly fitting. Rhett was the one who came for him. Tyler had expected that from his brother, but not from his cousin. He could still picture Rhett standing in the rain with his sword drawn, his wet black hair plastered to the sides of his face while the raven on his shoulder cawed menacingly at him.
Rhett wouldn’t even let Tyler gather his things. His excommunication was to be immediate.
He didn’t even get to say goodbye.
As much as he was heartbroken, as much as he was crushed, he still wanted to say goodbye. Isabelle had been by his side his entire life. She was his soul mate. His everything.
He wanted to tell her that even though he was hurting, even though he felt like his heart would never recover, he wouldn’t have changed those years with her for anything. The joy of being with her for the first half of his life was worth the anguish of losing her for the second half.
But more than anything, he wanted to tell her one thing:
I’ll be waiting.
“Tough day,” Thorn said from behind him.
Tyler sighed as he looked down at the wolf by his side. “Yeah. But I’ve had worse.”
“Whatever you need,” Thorn said handing him a beer, “the Clawed Squad will give you.”
“Thanks,” Tyler said, taking the beer with a heavy sigh. He took a much-needed sip and groaned. Did beer always taste this good?
“When are you leaving?” Thorn asked in a flat, monotone voice as he stared at the beer can in his hand.
Tyler took a deep breath and looked at his alpha. The Thornado was his best friend. He had been since the day that General Samson had introduced them seven years ago. The two were more serious than the other guys in the squad and always saw things eye to eye.
Tyler raised the can in his hand. “After this beer,” he said in a low voice.
“Ah shit,” Thorn said, stepping in with his arms open. He wrapped them around Tyler and gave him a warm bear hug. “Let me come with you.”
“You know I can’t,” Tyler said as Thorn released him. Jacob would just use Thorn’s bear against him. It was too dangerous to bring any of his friends along. This was something that he had to do by himself.
“What if you link-up to my bear,” Thorn said. “Then you could bring him along for help.”
Tyler smiled as he shook his head. Leave it to Thorn to suggest something like that. If Tyler linked-up to his Kodiak bear then Thorn would likely spend the rest of his life following Tyler around in his bear form. He wouldn’t do that to his best friend.
“Nobody fights like the Thornado,” Tyler said, smiling warmly at his friend. “But this is something that I have to do myself. He’s my brother.”
Thorn nodded. “I want you to take my truck.”
Tyler sighed. “Thank you,” he said, feeling his heart fill up. These bear shifters were his true family. They would do anything for him. Tyler could ask each of them to come along and they would all say yes without a second of hesitation, even if there was a strong chance of them never coming back.
“Well, old friend,” Tyler said, feeling his breath catch as he took his last sip. “I’m done with my beer.”
Thorn smiled sadly. “I guess I couldn’t convince you to stay for another?”
Tyler shook his head as he gave his alpha another hug. “Some other time, boss.”
“Go kick some ass,” he said, tapping Tyler’s back. “And go get that girl.”
Tyler looked to the firepit in the distance where the rest of the squad were laughing as Slate reenacted how Royal flew through the air during the rhino attack.
“Want to go say goodbye?” Thorn asked.
Tyler sniffed as he shook his head. Goodbyes were too hard. He knew that more than anyone. “Can you just tell them…” he stopped as his throat burned and his eyes began to water.
“They know,” Thorn said, wrapping his arm around his shoulder. “Believe me, they know.”
Tyler walked to the truck with a heaviness in his heart. Izzy jumped in when he opened the door and sprang over to the passenger’s seat, waiting with her tongue hanging out of the side of her mouth.
“Keep a close eye on him girl,” Thorn said, reaching in and giving the wolf a pat on the head. “He’s my best friend.”
Tyler took one last look at the ranch with the people he loved sitting under the stars, each of their cabins sitting side by side with one giant cabin for the twins, the horses and cows in the distance, and of course, the new rhino still munching on the bushes.
“You got this,” Thorn said, making a fist. “I’ve seen what you’re capable of. This guy has got nothing on you. He just caught us off guard earlier when we were stuffed with meatloaf and slow from the wine. This time you’ll be ready.”
Tyler thanked him as he got into the truck and started the engine. He hoped that Thorn was right.
He waved to him one last time as he put the truck into drive and drove off down the dark road. He was heading to a place that he vowed never to return to. Creston Falls.
It was time to fulfill his destiny.
seven
Isabelle sat on her bed and stared with blank eyes at the blood stain on her floor. It was her father’s blood. Fucking Jacob.
She was married to a monster.
Rosaline, the community’s doctor, had managed to save her father just in time. He was all sewed up and resting in bed. Poor Bach had been standing beside his bed whimpering the entire night.
She bit her nails as her stomach rolled. It was late in the night, well after midnight, but she couldn’t sleep. Her heart had been pounding all day. Not only was she worried about her father (and Jacob had her locked in her room so she couldn’t even go see him), but she was terrified for Tyler.
Isabelle dropped her head into her hands and exhaled hard. She had told Jacob where he lived. Poor Tyler. If there still was a Tyler. Jacob was going for blood.
She would never be able to forgive herself if Tyler got hurt, or worse. She glanced at her father’s short sword on the ground beside the blood stain where he had dropped it earlier. If her soul mate was dead, she had no reason to live. I’ll drive that blade through my heart and end it. Life was just not worth living without Tyler in it.
He hadn’t been in her life for years but at least he had still been alive. There had always been that hope that they would get back together one day. Without th
at hope, she was as good as dead already. She might as well make it official.
She jumped up, startled, as there was a quick knock on the door and the handle began turning. She laid down quickly and yanked the sheets over her body, pretending to be asleep.
Please don’t be Jacob. Please don’t be Jacob.
The door swung open and her brother Wallace walked in. His long blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail and he had that smug look on his vile face that he usually wore. He looked like the male version of her. They almost looked like twins with the same hazel eyes, pointy nose, and light freckles on their cheeks. The similarities ended there. Wallace was nothing like her on the inside. Cruel. Savage. Heartless. That was her brother.
Maybe they were more alike than she wanted to admit. At least Tyler might think so.
“Wake up sister, I know you’re not sleeping,” he said, ripping the blankets off her in one swoop.
She darted up in bed and glared at him. “Did you see what your leader did to our father?” she asked, pointing at the blood stain on the floor. “He tried to kill him!”
“Your father pulled his sword on your husband,” he shot back. “He had it coming.”
“Wallace,” she said, giving him a blank stare. “You can’t be serious.”
Wallace rolled his eyes as he shrugged. “The old man is fine, so what’s the problem?”
“What’s the problem?” she repeated in shock. “He tried to kill your father! Aren’t you a little pissed?”
He waved her away like she was an insignificant bug, which to him she was. “In every war there’s collateral damage.”
“What war?” she screamed. Wallace and his fucking war! Ever since they were kids he would never shut up about it.
“Jacob says it’s going to commence soon,” he said with an evil grin. “The shifters won’t know what hit them.”
“You’ve lost your mind,” she said, wanting to slap him. “Our people haven’t been at war with the shifters in over three hundred years! No one cares anymore!”
“Jacob cares,” he said, thrusting his chest out. “And so do I. And soon everyone will care. We’re going to make sure of that.”
