by Fay Walsh
“Bears... Shifters...” the words stumbled from her lips, fear etched in her voice, and she felt sharp pains in her chest. She paid little attention to the person who had spoken previously, until they clapped their hands, she craned her neck up to look at him.
Harmony’s eyes extended at the person she was staring.
“Y-You, K-Kiran, what do you want from me!”
Harmony shivered violently. Whether it was from the faint breeze in the air, or the fear, she couldn’t tell, but she felt her skin crawl as Kiran’s lips pulled into a maniacal smile.
“I see you do know what we are, Hunter,” Kiran said and crouched low to Harmony’s level. He chuckled and reached out his hand to run his fingers across Harmony’s skin. “Not so tough now, are you?”
Harmony wrinkled her face and moved her chin so he couldn’t touch her, but the tips of his fingers were still able to graze her chin. She couldn’t be sure what chilled her the most, his touch, or his cynical laughter.
“What do you want?” Harmony gritted her teeth, trying her best not to show fear. She still tried moving her wrists around to break free, but they were bound far too tight.
Kiran smirked. “It’s amazing how you were able to bewitch my brother, but guess what, babycakes? You aren’t fooling anyone.” Kiran reached out his hand and forcefully grabbed Harmony’s cheeks and turned her face to him.
Harmony’s eyes bugged out of their sockets as she tried to let out a scream, but found it useless as she stared into Kiran’s icy blue eyes, it was as if she was rendered paralyzed as his eyes vibrated.
“My brother is soft and weak, he was one of the most feared Alpha’s in the county…”
Alpha? Harmony thought. She mentally shook her head, she didn’t want to believe the truth that was obviously right in front of her. Roan wouldn’t have lied to me.
“But when Hunter’s, your kind, killed her it broke him. He’s never been the same after that and then... He met you.”
Kiran released her cheek from his hand and tilted his head to the side. “What’s this? Tears? You won’t distract me with your tricks. All you Hunters are the same, soulless monsters, that kill families one by one and mount them on your walls!”
The group of bears lets out simultaneous growls as they craned their necks and opened their jaws, revealing sharp fanged teeth.
“I’m not a Hunter!” Harmony screamed at him. She leaned forward and the ropes that bound her rubbed against her skin. The tears that had sprouted from her eyes poured down her cheeks and under her chin as she stared face to face with what she was sure was the monster from her dreams.
“Really?” Kiran exclaimed. He had a crazy look in his eye as he leaned toward Harmony and pointed to the scar on his eye. “Do you not remember this? Do you not remember what you did to me?” He shouted at Harmony, who turned her face away so she couldn’t look at the wild look in his eyes.
“Look at me, you damn Hunter!”
Kiran slammed his hand on the tree trunk and Harmony screamed. Wood splinters fell over her head, falling into her eyes, and nose. She felt strong hands wrap around her shirt’s collar, Kiran forced her to look at him.
Instantly, memories flashed through Harmony’s mind. She remembered everything clearly from her father telling her to run to seeing the group of bears running down the snowy hill to their cabin. Harmony remembered the smell, she never knew fear had a smell until then, it smelled bitter and she remembered feeling sick to her stomach, but her mother grabbed her and her sister to run.
She remembered her sister’s cries and her mother’s hardened, but calm, voice telling Chrys things would be alright. They made it to the back and she remembered the blade her mother gave her, telling her that silver could kill a Shifter. That’s where she remembered hearing it. Harmony could remember the feel of the cold on her skin, the constant shivering as the icy beast chased them. She remembered the blood that coated the snowy ground and her mother laid, dead, right beside the bear she had managed to kill. But lastly, she remembered the bear with the icy, menacing blue eyes that wanted nothing more than to kill her sister.
It was in that moment, in that fit of rage, that she experienced pure undeniable strength and courage. She didn’t feel fear, not for herself, because she knew that neither she, nor her sister would survive.
Harmony’s eye twitched as the memory hit her like a ton of bricks and every single memory that had been forgotten came back to her full force. The secret meetings, the conversations with their parent's friends, and the many times they moved over the course of Harmony’s life.
“I-I’m a... Hunter?” Harmony furrowed her brow and a single tear escaped out of her eye as she no longer stared into Kiran’s eyes, but into space.
Kiran snorted and stood on his feet.
“And so now you’ve finally admitted it. You will die for what you, your family, and every last damn Hunter have done to Shifters for centuries.”
Harmony pulled out of her dazed state and stared at Kiran, where she could see that in his left hand, he held a sharp dagger. Harmony’s eyes widened as she tried to let out a scream but couldn’t find her voice.
“One fewer Hunter to worry about.”
Kiran’s arm swung down, and Harmony gripped her eyes closed, but the sudden feeling of electricity ignited through her body just as she heard his voice.
“KIRAN!”
Harmony snapped her eyes open and her heart dropped in her chest when she saw the sharp tip of the knife an inch from her face. Kiran turned it away and both he and Harmony stared at Roan approaching from the brush of the forest.
Harmony’s heart leaped out of his chest and an exasperated sigh of relief left her lips. “Roan!” he was shirtless, and his expression was something that Harmony had never seen before. There was a darkness in his eyes and right then and there, he was more terrifying than his brother.
The pack of bears backed away as Roan walked toward his brother, but they growled in his direction as if some force was keeping them from attacking him.
“Brother, it’s good to see you!” Kiran exclaimed with his arms held out. “I’m glad you finally came to your senses. We were just about to –”
Before Kiran could finish his sentence, Roan grabbed his brother by the collar of his shirt, and with ease, he threw Kiran over his shoulder. Harmony jumped at the action, noticing that Roan didn’t even break a sweat, where he had thrown Kiran several feet away from him.
Several of the bears inched closer to Kiran in what looked like an attempt to help him up. Kiran shooed them away and slowly stood to his feet, where he dusted off his pants and when he looked up his mouth was filled with blood.
“I told you to leave them alone!”
Kiran sneered. “What can I say? I’ve suddenly fallen in love with your girl. I just couldn’t resist,” Kiran said callously, but Harmony knew that he was far from being sarcastic. She could feel malice on each word that he used and again shivered.
Roan stepped toward Kiran and the two brothers stood almost at equal height, staring the other one down.
“You’ve gone too far, Kiran.”
“Me? Haven’t you gone too far, falling in love, and being with a human? A Hunter no less. You’re supposed to be our Alpha, but instead, you’re pussy whipped and will lead us straight into a Hunter’s trap.”
Harmony stared at the brother’s showdown and her heart was speeding a mile a minute. She didn’t know what would happen and she didn’t want Roan to get hurt, knowing that Kiran could rip him to shreds if he wanted to, but she could have sworn that she heard Roan growl menacingly.
“She is my mate.”
The pack of bears growled at his sentence, unbeknownst to Harmony, what that meant.
“And that’s even worse, mated to a Hunter, despicable.” Kiran closed his eyes, but after a few moments snapped them open and he possessed the same dark look that Roan had. “That is why, brother, I challenge you, for the title of Alpha, may the best man win.”
Harmony didn�
��t know what that meant but she knew by the thick tension in the air that it wasn’t good and that they meant to fight each other.
“Roan, get back!” She screamed at him, but he did not heed her warning.
She watched as Kiran backed away from Roan, he instantly turned into a large brown bear. Harmony’s eyes widened as Kiran, now in bear form, let out a loud roar. His sharp blue eyes targeted his brother.
“ROAN!”
But Roan did not run.
Harmony watched as his body contorted and she heard what sounded like bones snapping. Harmony’s eye twitched as she watched Roan’s back muscles expand, his pants started to shred, and expand. Brown shades of hair replaced his naked flesh and she saw his neck crane back as his nose started to transform into a snout.
The transformation was complete as Roan, in full bear form, stood on four legs.
Harmony’s entire body shook, and her eyes were wide. She felt as if time had slowed as she was trying to process the information in front of her.
The bear turned around and stared at her with bright amber hue eyes and the electricity that she had been so familiar with surged as Roan looked at her.
Chapter 12
The moment Roan turned his head briefly to look at Harmony, his heart fell in his chest. He could see the dazed look in her eyes, her pupils dilated, and her shoulders stiff, her legs close to her chest.
She was terrified of him.
An aggressive growl made Roan turn around, but not before he was slashed in the face by Kiran’s sharp claws. Roan let out a loud grunt in response to being attacked. He turned to his brother, who stared at him icily, it was clear that Kiran had every intention of killing him. It explained how the Alpha’s calling hadn’t worked on Kiran, he had already gone rogue.
The rest of the Herd hooted and let out rambunctious noises at Kiran’s strike. It was obvious that they had all turned rogue. Roan felt betrayed and wondered when all this had happened. He wondered if the mishap that had happened to Harmony was the first instance of Kiran’s betrayal, or had his brother betrayed him long before that? His mind reeled with questions.
Why have you betrayed me, brother?
Roan let out his frustration by emitting a vicious growl and opened his jaws, running toward Kiran at full speed.
The two brother’s slammed into each other with full force. Kiran turned his head and brought his mouth down onto Roan’s side, Roan bit down onto his brother, and the two made eye contact with one another.
The Herd stood on their hind legs and harmoniously rejoiced. Roan figured that they thought Kiran would win this fight and become the new Alpha. He wondered what his brother was truly doing all those times he sent him to visit other packs.
Had he been gathering an army? Forming rogue packs? Or killing Hunters?
Kiran stood on his hind legs as did Roan, both brother’s stood as tall as ten feet, as they eyed one another with devious intent. From Roan’s peripheral, he saw a blur and then noticed Kai behind the tree that Harmony was attached to.
Roan sighed. Good, now that Harmony is free, I can focus my attention on Kiran.
Roan let out another growl and attacked his brother, just as Kiran charged at him. Roan could see Harmony running, but for a brief moment, she turned around, and Roan felt a pressure against his heart that emitted pain.
Forgive me, Harmony.
***
The fight had gone on for some time, both brothers were badly injured, and maimed. The Shifter brother’s huffed and circled each other, eyeing the other’s movement to see who would go first.
Roan made the first move.
But at the same time, Roan saw Kiran’s paw move, however, instead of attacking he slashed at the dirt and flung sand into Roan’s eyes rendering him temporarily blind.
While blinded, Roan could sense the Herd’s movements approaching him, he was sure they would try and attack him. Despite them knowing they would lose, Roan assumed it was only to give Kiran enough time to run away.
The sound of another, recognizable, amiable growl echoed in the air. Roan rubbed his eyes with his paws and just barely saw Kai, in full bear form, he stood in front of him and protected him against the Herd who huffed backward in fear. If there was anyone almost as strong as an Alpha, it was his beta.
From the forest trees, there were several other bear shifters of different shades and sizes that surrounded the rogue Herd. Some of them were Elders, while most were still loyal to Roan, and they surrounded the rogue Herd to take them in.
Kai’s snout rubbed against Roan’s side to check on him and Roan grunted to let him know he was well, he stood up on his hind legs. He was weak from his battle with Kiran, a Shifter who goes rogue becomes increasingly stronger once he broke from an Alpha’s hold.
All Roan could think about was his brother’s betrayal, and all he wanted was to hold Harmony in his arms, but the look of fear would forever be imprinted on his mind. He had to know, for peace of mind, but he feared the worse.
***
It had been ten hours since Kiran’s betrayal and the rogue Herd had been incarcerated without release. They had to use brute force to make the Herd reveal Kiran’s whereabouts and plan to the Elders.
“Alpha, you need to rest, you haven’t had any sleep since your fight with Kiran,” April said. They were inside of the Ranch’s infirmary, to change his bandages.
“I can’t do that, April. Kiran is still out there and who knows what he has planned, who he is planning with, or if there are other rogues out there.”
Roan made sure to send Kai and other members of the Herd to make sure that both Harmony and Chrys were safe. Kai had been confirming to him that no one has followed or gone near them.
“I understand, Alpha…”
Though Roan can hear the hesitation in her voice. He reached out for her hand and squeezed it. April always had a motherly approach about her, and with his own mother having passed away when he was a boy, April had been a surrogate ever since.
“Thank you, April. I promise you I won’t push myself too far.”
April smiled and sighed. “Alright, I’ll hold you to that, then.”
There is a knock on the door, interrupting their conversation.
“Come in,” Roan told the person on the outside. The door creaked open to reveal a young man with a medium sized build and curly blond hair. “Cory, what can I do for you?”
“Alpha, the Elders wanted me to ask you what you wanted to do with the rogue criminals? It doesn’t seem like they are going to reveal anything no time soon.”
Roan raised his brow curiously.
“Oh? What did they say?”
Cory shook his head and sighed. “Nothing helpful. They only praise Kiran, and support what he is doing. They look at you as a failed Alpha and see you as weak, like Kiran said, when Celine died, you softened.”
“Cory, really?” April questioned him.
“What! I-It was their words not mine. I swear, Alpha!”
Roan held up his hand, to settle April.
“It is alright. Thank you, Cory, you may return to your post.”
Cory nodded and left out the door, closing it behind him.
Roan got off the infirmary table and dressed again, he slipped his shirt over his bandaged body.
“And what are you to do now?”
“Simple. I’m going to question them, see if I can force the Alpha’s Calling onto them and if they have truly gone complete rogue. If not, then the rest is up to the Elders.”
“And after? You’re going to see that girl?”
Roan didn’t respond to her.
April sighed. “I trust your judgment, Alpha, but if word gets out to the Elders, to the Herd, then it could spell trouble for your position as Alpha and possibly the girl.”
Roan headed for the door but stopped midway to respond to April. He knew the consequences, that the Elders may not take kindly to a human, a Hunter no less, and he wasn’t sure how they would take the news of him being mated.
“I know,” he said before leaving out the door and headed where the prisoners were kept.
He only hoped that what Harmony felt for him was strong enough to bypass it all.
***
The Alpha’s calling did not work on the rogue Herd, they were far too gone from his connection. Whether they were linked to Kiran or only thought of him as a better suited Alpha, there would be little way to make them talk.
