Alpha in a Fur Coat

by Sloane Meyers

  “Maybe not such a bad thing,” Storm said as she lifted a spoonful of chili to her mouth. “We could probably all use a little time away from all that crap.”

  “Yeah, well, it might be a long time away,” Calum said, stepping into the doorway of the cabin. “Things aren’t looking good in Chicago.”

  Jack turned around and smiled. “Calum, good to see you buddy. I was about to ask Grant where you were. I saw you guys all come in for a landing, but then you disappeared.”

  “Yeah, I went to help Drew destroy the hover, which surprisingly only took a minute. He’s got blowing things up down to a science. Anyway, he’s rounding everyone else up now so we can discuss our gameplan. Hope and Mia went with him.”

  “Where did everyone else go?” Grant asked, realizing for the first time that things were pretty quiet. He was too tired to be very observant at the moment.

  “They all went out to look at a waterfall that’s not too far from here” Jack said. “There’s supposed to be some great hiking around these parts.”

  “Yeah, I’ll bet,” Grant said. “That’ll be one nice change from living in Chicago. Not much nature in the city.”

  The group fell silent again at the mention of Chicago. It was strange to think that the city where they had been blissfully living just days before was now under attack. Grant looked around the small cabin, and realized for the first time that the entire thing was probably smaller than his living room alone had been in Chicago. He wasn’t sure how they were all going to be able to sleep in here. They’d have to all get cozy on the floor to make it work. He looked over at Storm who was shoveling chili into her mouth and seemed to be a million miles away mentally. He would love to get cozy next to her, but he wished they had their own room. The best time to be stuck in a tiny one-room cabin with a bunch of other people was definitely not hours after finally convincing a girl to sleep with you. Grant sighed, but he didn’t have long to think about where he could sneak away to with Storm, because moments later the rest of the crew entered the cabin.

  Boisterous laughter filled the air, and Grant couldn’t keep a smile off his face as he saw the rest of his friends cramming into the small room. Sure, things would be tight. But they were all safe, and that’s all that mattered.

  “Alright, alright, everyone. Quiet down,” Drew said, clapping his hands loudly a few times for emphasis. “Let’s lay out some ground rules and expectations here. As you all know, this is an electronics-free zone. We’ve destroyed everything except my one heavily-modded phone. If you absolutely need to get somewhere, I’ve got a small fleet of gas-powered vehicles and aircraft. But the best way to stay hidden is to lay low, so that’s what we’re going to do for now. Unless it’s urgent, no one needs to stray any further from this cabin than what you can walk in a day’s time. I get weekly food deliveries from a guy in a nearby town, so let me know if you have any special requests. But don’t get crazy. This is about survival, not about living in luxury.”

  “How long do you think we’ll have to hideout?” Juno asked.

  Drew shrugged. “Who knows? Things are crazy right now, and they’re going to get crazier before they get better. Which brings me to my next point. This cabin is small. Really small. Now, I know we’re all good friends, or fast becoming good friends, but tempers are going to flare up with so many bears in such a small space. Since we’re going to be here a while, I thought I’d float the idea of building a few additions onto the cabin. Wouldn’t be that hard to do, if some of you boys are up for a little bit of manual labor. Plenty of trees around that would make good logs for a cabin.”

  Grant perked up. He liked this idea. Not only would he potentially get more privacy with Storm, but he’d have a project to work on. Building a log cabin sounded a million times better to him than sitting around reading a decades old newspaper.

  “Let’s do it!” Grant said, slapping his fist on the table. “That sounds like my kind of project.”

  Murmurs of agreement rose from the other men in the group, and Drew nodded. “Alright. We’ll get started on that tomorrow. The only thing left for me to tell you, then, is that it’s important you don’t tell anyone where you are. If you happen to meet hunters or hikers out in the woods, don’t get too friendly, and don’t tell them where this cabin is. There’s no big secret to hiding out. The big things are no electric signals, and not blabbing your location to everyone. Everything else, like supplies and getting news about the outside world, I’ve got my sources for. You all just relax and enjoy your little getaway in the woods. We’ve already contacted your clans back in Alaska, so they know you’re safe. For security reasons, we won’t be having much contact with them, though. I know you guys want to talk to them. Trust me, I’ve got my own clan back in California I worry about. But for their safety and ours, it’s best if we keep the communication to a minimum at this point.”

  “If you have news sources, what are they saying about Chicago?” Sebastian asked.

  “It’s a mess, that’s for sure,” Hope piped in. “We were looking at the news right before we escaped. Rioters are burning the city. The shifter scanners are apparently working, and a witch hunt has ensued. The Mayor is calling on the President to get the scanners in mass production and start mandatory scans. It’s a mess.”

  “It’s really frightening,” Mia added. “It won’t be long before the scanners are widespread and every state in the country is going after shifters.”

  “They’re going to find us here eventually,” Storm said, frowning.

  Grant thumped his fist on the table again. “So let them find us,” he said, standing up and stretching to his full height. His alpha tendencies were in full swing, and he wasn’t even trying to fight it anymore. He wanted to lead and inspire this group. He wanted to protect them. “We have time to come up with a plan. We’re smart, and strong. We’ll figure out what to do. And I guarantee you that by the time they find us, they’ll wish they hadn’t.”

  All eyes on the room turned to look at him, nodding and murmuring in agreement. Grant felt pride swelling in his chest as he realized that, for the first time in a long time, he had a meaningful sense of purpose. The shifter population was in danger, and he was going to fight to help them. No more sitting on the sidelines.

  But the real swelling of pride came when he looked over at Storm, and saw her smiling up at him with admiration. If she was happy with him and his plans, what more could he ask for?

  This change of scenery wasn’t going to be so bad, after all.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Storm lay on her back in the darkness and stared up at the ceiling, watching the strange way the moonlight filtered its way in through the treetops outside. All around her, she could hear the steady rhythm of breathing that came from deep sleep, punctuated by the occasional snore. It had been a long day—a long couple of days, really. But Storm couldn’t quiet her mind down enough to sleep. She glanced over at Grant’s sleeping form next to her, and almost reached out to stroke his back. He was lying on his left side right now, with his face turned away from her. But even the view of the back of his head was amazing. Now that she had given in and let her desire for him run away with her heart, she wanted nothing more than to kiss him over and over, and make love to him with complete abandon. Unfortunately, making love with abandon wasn’t possible in the middle of this crowded, one-room cabin.

  Storm wanted to talk to Grant, too. Since their frolic in the hovercar, they’d barely had a moment alone. Storm felt anxious and unsettled. They had so much to talk about, but it wasn’t likely they’d be magically getting any privacy any time soon. They would have to make their own privacy, but Grant hadn’t attempted to get her alone at all since they got back. She felt a twinge of annoyance, and then of panic. Was he having second thoughts about her, now that they’d mated? Had it not been everything he’d hoped for?

  Storm furrowed her brow, and felt anger starting to bubble up in her core. Who did he think he was? He had pushed her long and hard to give in to him, a
nd now he didn’t want her anymore? She should have known better. Typical alpha male behavior. Furious, Storm stood up and made her way toward the door, stepping silently over the sleeping shifters on the floor. Thankfully, Drew had left the front door of the cabin wide open to let cooler air in, so Storm didn’t even have to worry about a creaking door. She slipped silently out into the night, breathing in deeply and relishing the scent of pine. She started making her way across the clearing in front of the cabin, heading for the thick forest on the other side. She didn’t know where she was going, but it didn’t really matter. She just wanted a chance to stretch her legs.

  As soon as she slipped into the forest, she stepped behind a tree and removed all her clothes. Then, with a low growl, she squeezed her eyes shut and let the primal force of her bear take over. A whoosh of power and energy emanated from her body as she shifted into a giant, fearsome grizzly. Her arms and legs morphed into the fur-covered arms and legs of a bear, and her human face melted away into the head of a bear, with soft round ears and long, sharp teeth. She let out another growl as the transformation completed, and then took off running into the woods.

  She sprinted for a long time, enjoying the feeling of the forest floor beneath her legs. It had been so long since she had run free in a wilderness. As much as she had loved living in Chicago, she had to admit that she had missed being able to romp outside. There wasn’t much nature to speak of in the city, and, besides, there were too many people around. You always had to worry about whether someone was going to catch you shifting.

  Storm ran for the better part of half an hour, slowing only when she found herself at the edge of a swiftly flowing stream. She sniffed the fresh water, savoring the way it smelled like earth and rock, and then she lapped up the cool liquid, drinking thirstily and replenishing her energy.

  When she had drunk her fill, she started following the river upstream. She felt better now. The forest had helped some of her anger to seep away, and she wanted to spend some time exploring. It must have been well past midnight now, and Storm should have been exhausted. But she felt strangely awake. Something about the fresh air and the feeling of freedom had given her a second wind. She swung her bear neck back and forth, working out the kinks that always came from being in human form too long. As she walked, the sound of rushing water became louder, and she soon saw why: up ahead of her, a large waterfall cascaded over the side of a rock. The moonlight lit up the falls, making the water look like falling glitter.

  Storm paused and let out a sigh. The nature out here was simply beautiful.

  Her moment of reverie was suddenly interrupted by the sound of snapping twigs behind her. She whirled around quickly, her fur standing on end as she searched for who or what was causing the noise. Her nose immediately picked up a familiar scent. Grant was out here. A few seconds later, he appeared. He had let his bear out, too, and Storm watched as a large, white polar bear stepped out of the thick forest of pine trees. She let out a small sigh as she watched him gracefully move his giant legs and paws. His bear was a truly magnificent creature—the most beautiful bear Storm had ever seen.

  Storm watched as he padded slowly over to her, then nuzzled her nose with his own. He looked deep into her eyes, and Storm noticed that his eyes were churning and glowing yellow. He was filled with desire for her. After another moment of nuzzling, he let out a low growl, and then a huge rush of energy shot out from his body as he switched back into human form. Storm let out a low growl herself, letting her body morph back into a woman.

  They both stood there, naked with the moonlight shining down on their skin. The waterfall behind them filled their ears with the sound of roaring water, and Storm’s heart started to beat faster. What would it be like to lie down and make love on this soft, grassy patch of earth against a backdrop of beautiful nature?

  But as quickly as that thought crossed her mind, so did another thought. The unpleasant reminder that she was mad at Grant.

  “You’ve barely talked to me all day,” Storm said, keeping her voice even, but crossing her arms to let him know she meant business. To her surprise, he didn’t get defensive. Instead, he just nodded wearily.

  “I know,” he said. “I’m sorry. I wanted to, but everyone had so many questions about everything back in Chicago. It was hard to get away. I wanted to sneak out with you tonight, but it looked like you had fallen asleep right away. I didn’t want to bother you, then, since I figured you were probably exhausted. But when I heard you get up and sneak out, I decided to follow you. I came out of the cabin just in time to see you shift, so I decided to keep my distance for a while to give you time to let your bear play.”

  Storm dropped her eyes, feeling a little ashamed of herself for automatically getting angry with Grant and assuming that he didn’t want anything to do with her anymore. Finally, she looked up at him and shrugged.

  “You could have asked me, you know. I would have been happy to sneak out with you. I couldn’t sleep, anyway. I kept forcing myself to keep my eyes closed, hoping that sleep would come. But it was useless. Too many thoughts running through my head.”

  “Thoughts about what?” Grant asked, stepping closer and pulling Storm into his arms. She could feel his erection pushing against her, stiff and strong. But he didn’t attempt to kiss her right now. He just held her. He wanted her, but he was holding back and giving her space.

  “About us. About Chicago. About our families back home and whether they are safe. About the future of shifters in general. About how I’m going to stay sane cooped up in a one-room cabin with you and all those other crazies back there.”

  Grant laughed. “Yeah. It’s a lot to think about. There aren’t a lot of answers about the future of shifters right now. We’ll have to see how things play out. But don’t worry about our families. You know our dads are both kickass alphas. They’ll take care of them. Our job is to take care of our own little ragtag crew out here.”

  “Our crew?” Storm asked cautiously. “Are you sharing the title of alpha with me?”

  Grant smiled and held her tighter. “Of course. You’re an alpha, too. And we’re lifemates. You know it as well as I do. We’re a team. Maybe someday we’ll go back to Alaska and lead one of the clans out there. I never thought I’d say that, but, well, a lot has changed in the last few days. But, for now, our job is here. With our friends. Our crew. Our makeshift clan.”

  Storm was silent for a long time, trying to process everything Grant was saying. Her first instinct was to protest, and say that she had left behind clan life. But she was starting to realize that it didn’t matter how hard she tried to run. Destiny always caught up with you. She was destined to be with Grant. She was destined to be a leader. It was time to step up and lead.

  “Okay,” she said softly. You’re right. We’ll work together and take damn good care of our little crew here.”

  “Good,” Grant said, and then dropped his voice so it was low and husky. “Now that we’ve got that settled, what thoughts about us were running through your head?”

  Storm felt a shiver of pleasure run through her at Grant’s tone. “Just…wondering if you’re committed to this for the long term. And how we’re going to make this work, stuck out here in the wilderness.”

  Grant kissed the top of her head, then pulled back his face to look into her eyes. His own eyes were still churning and glowing yellow with desire. The intensity in them took Storm’s breath away.

  “I’m in this for life, Storm. You’re my lifemate. I want to marry you, if you’ll have me.”

  “Was that a proposal?” Storm asked, half-laughing. But Grant was serious.

  “Yes. It was a proposal. Not a romantic one, I guess, but I can’t hold back from what I want to say. At least we’re near a waterfall. That’s romantic, right?”

  Storm chuckled, half from amusement and half from nervousness. Was this really happening?

  “I’m serious, Storm. I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I know that the idea of ‘us’ is new to y
ou, but it’s been on my mind for a really long time. Marry me?”

  Storm’s face broke out into a huge smile. She wanted to tell him that he was crazy, but she couldn’t deny that she felt the same way about him. She’d been fighting the attraction for so long, and now that she had given in, she wanted more of him. She wanted every second of her day to be filled with him—with his scent, his sound, his skin against her skin.

  “Yes,” she said. “Yes. I’ll marry you. I love you, too, my lifemate.”

  Grant’s throbbing erection poked harder against her stomach, and he dipped his face down to kiss her neck. Fiery heat shot through Storm’s body, starting where Grant’s lips touched hers and shooting down all the way to the tips of her toes. But as much as she wanted to lose herself completely in his arms right now, she forced herself to stop and push him back. She still had questions.

  “What about our situation?” she asked. “We’re stuck out here in a one-room cabin with a bunch of other shifters. We have no privacy. How are we going to grow a relationship?”

  “We have privacy right now,” Grant pointed out.

  Storm furrowed her brow. That was true. But she hated feeling like she was sneaking around.

  “Look, I know it’s not ideal,” Grant said. “But it’s not forever. Somehow, everything is going to work out for shifters. I really believe that, deep down in my soul. And for now, we’ll just have more midnight rendezvous.”

  Storm nodded slowly. “You’re right. At least we’re safe here, and surrounded with good friends.”

  Grant smiled. “Yeah. Life’s not so bad, eh?”

  Storm grinned. “Nope. Not so bad. And it’s about to get better.”

  And with that, she pulled Grant back into her arms and kissed him deeply. He groaned and returned the kiss, their tongues dancing as they pressed up against each other, skin to skin. After a few moments, Grant pulled Storm down with him onto the grass. Storm was on her back, the cool, soft grass feeling amazing against her burning skin. The roar of the waterfall behind them muffled the sound of her breathing, but she was panting with desire. Between her legs, she could feel herself growing wet with anticipation. She wanted Grant. Needed him. And she was about to get him.