by Jade White
“They were fighting each other.”
“Fighting?” She choked out the word.
He stared down at her before facing the crowd. “Killing.”
She felt cold and gasped. “No.”
Beric cleared his throat. “Teal Warriors, please listen to me. There is no reason for any of you to dare rise up against the Blood Roses. They are our guests here—”
“No.” Miera hated to contradict him, but he was wrong. “We are not guests here. We Blood Roses are one with the Teal Warriors. We are not two packs.”
Beric nodded and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Some of her coldness melted away, her body warming at his touch. “We are one pack. We are united both for our fight against the real enemy, the Brutal Claws—”
“And afterward,” Miera said loudly. The baby was still crying, although a little quieter now. “If we want to have a future…” She held up the baby, who immediately started to wail so she brought him back to her chest, where he settled albeit uneasily. “We all want a future, and the only way to have one is to fight together.”
“Fighting each other will only destroy all of us,” Beric added.
Grumblings came from the crowd, and Miera’s heart sank when she realized there was a clear division in the group. To the left, reflecting where Beric stood, were the Teal Warriors. Likewise, the Blood Roses were to the right, in front of her.
The grumblings grew louder, and Miera swallowed hard. She couldn’t help feeling overwhelmed. Her baby needed her, or so she liked to think, although there was no guarantee her baby would live for much longer.
There was no guarantee any of them would live for much longer.
Her father made his way to the front and glowered at the Teal Warriors. “They are the reason why the Brutal Claws keep coming inside. Their fence should prevent them from entering, yet they still come and come. One or more of them is helping them.”
A Teal Warrior, an older one, glowered right back. “We would never dare endanger ourselves. I agree there is a traitor, but we all know the traitor is a Blood Rose.” And he spat toward her father’s feet.
There was pushing and shoving and blows exchanged, and Beric had to physically break up several fights. Miera refused to show her horrified fear. Her baby was crying again, and honestly, she wanted to cry too. If they didn’t learn who the traitor was—because she had to agree with them that there was one—there was no way the two sides would ever trust each other, and without trust, they would never fight together.
She cradled the baby to her chest. How could her father of all people voice such displeasure with the other pack? He had agreed that her marriage was their best option. Did he hate her because of her out of wedlock pregnancy so much that he would risk their own pack being destroyed? She glared at him, ready to call him out, but he stalked away. Like a petulant child.
Beric had broken up enough of the fights that the were-jaguars were slowly leaving. A Teal Warrior walked right in front of her. “Whore.” He spat at her.
She hadn’t even thought about their reaction to the baby. Most would assume the child was Beric’s, but the smarter ones would realize the timeline didn’t quite match up. She should have anticipated their judgment, their hatred. She had given into battle lust, and now her baby was hardly alive.
There’s no point in looking back.
The crowd had slipped away, and Beric returned to her side. “Stay here while I quickly check the fence.”
She hated that he was leaving her side, but he shifted to his were-jaguar form and was off already. In no time at all, he returned. Wordlessly, he wrapped his arm around her and guided her back to Helen’s house. Once she sat on her bed, she tried to nurse for the first time. The baby immediately gagged. If he wouldn’t eat, he definitely wouldn’t thrive.
She attempted to nurse again, and the baby tried again, but she had no idea what she was doing, so she couldn’t be sure if he was getting anything or not.
“There’s only one thing we can do,” Beric said suddenly. He had been standing by the window, but now he came to sit down on the edge of the bed.
“What’s that?” She was feeling tired again, but not because her body was weak. She was tired of fighting, tired of being worried, tired of feeling as if they were doomed.
“There has to be someone helping the Brutal Claws. Maybe they promised that were-jaguar protection, promised to allow them to join them, I don’t know, but someone is helping them. The fence is secure. I ran all along the perimeter, and there is no damage to it, none at all. They had to have climbed over it again, and the only way that could have happened is if someone aided them because of all the additional patrols we have set up.”
“We have to find whoever the traitor is.”
Beric nodded. “Exactly. I know we want them to try to work things out together, but it might be best if I try and seek out the Teal Warriors and see if any of them are the traitor.”
“And I’ll do the same with the Blood Roses.” She wanted to brush his hair from his forehead, to lie down with him again, to feel protected and safe for once. But she was heir to a pack that was facing annihilation, and she had to be strong, or at least as strong as she could be. “I’ll also deal with my father.”
Beric frowned. “Father-in-law from hell,” he muttered.
Surprised, she burst out laughing. The baby shifted and stirred in her arms, his eyes closed. She hadn’t seen his eyes open yet. Would she ever see his eye color?
“I shouldn’t have said that.” Beric sounded apologetic, and he rubbed the back of his neck.
“No. Believe me, I’ve not been thinking kindly toward him lately.” She sighed. “I know he’s angry with me—”
“He has no right to be.”
Miera gaped at him. “He’s my father, and I disappointed him.”
“You’re human.” His lips quirked into a smile as he patted her leg. “Well, half human, half jaguar, but you’re strong and capable. So you might have made a mistake? Who cares? We all make mistakes.”
“Might have made a mistake?” she repeated softly.
Beric nodded to the baby in her arms. “You don’t regret having him, do you?”
Tears burned her eyes as she shook her head.
“Then it wasn’t a mistake. It was meant to be.” His smile grew, and he stood. “And if he’s meant to have a future, we need to be able to figure out a way to root out the traitor before they bring all of the Brutal Claws on us.”
Miera watched him leave. Locating the traitor wouldn’t be easy, but she sure hoped they found him or her soon. She’d kill the traitor herself, regardless of if he or she turned out to be a Teal Warrior or a Blood Rose. No one would prevent the packs from uniting and standing up against the Brutal Claws. No one would prevent their attempt to secure happiness and a future. No one.
*
Beric had made a note of the Teal Warriors who had taken part in the battle, and those who had not. He made a round at the hospital to see who was wounded, and newly so, and was assured the doctors and nurses had everything they needed to tend to them. Several were-jaguars, however, he still hadn’t seen, including his best friend Mark. And he wanted to locate Sam.
As he headed for the mess hall, a reasonable place to start his search for the traitor, he spied Jess leaving it. She had her right arm in a cast, but otherwise, the were-jaguar looked strong and healthy.
He waved her over. “Have you seen Mark lately?”
Jess blushed. “No. Not since… ah, well, last night.” She couldn’t look at him.
Beric refrained from rolling his eyes. The two had a history, and it seemed they were back together again, although Beric wasn’t sure if Mark could ever truly forgive Jess for cheating on him the last time they had been together.
“So you don’t know where he is?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No. We, ah, usually only spend time together at night.”
More information than he needed.
“If you see him, te
ll him to find me,” he instructed.
“Yeah. Sure. Whatever you want.” Jess rushed away, head down, steps quick and forceful, as if she couldn’t get away from him fast enough. For liking sex so much, Beric was surprised she was so shy.
Or maybe that was all an act. Maybe Jess had another reason for not wanting to be around Beric.
His paranoia was reaching an all-time high. At this rate, he’d be questioning whether Mark could be the traitor instead of asking him to help sniff out the traitor.
Inside the mess hall, Teal Warriors and Blood Roses alike were eating meager portions on opposite sides of the building. Beric strolled down the center aisle and finally found Sam. He was devouring his food as if there would be none tomorrow.
Beric sat across from him.
Sam glanced up. “Running on no sleep,” he muttered. “Trying to keep my strength up. The fence is secure. I know it is. I checked and double checked and all the repairs and everything have been completed, and there haven’t been any signs of them trying to break it again. How they came over with all of our guards… I just don’t know. I mean, yeah, the fence is long and we need more people to watch it, but we’re doing the best we can and…” Sam never looked more his age than he did at this moment. He wearily rubbed his face. Normally, he was clean-shaven, but days’ old stubble prickled his chin and cheeks. “You gave me a job, and I failed you.”
Beric shook his head. “You haven’t failed me. You said so yourself, and I’ve seen it with my own eyes. The fence is stable. That’s all I asked of you.”
“But the Brutal Claws are still coming in.”
“They are determined. And they have help.”
Sam nodded, grimacing. “The bastards. Turning us against each other.” He glanced across the way toward the Blood Roses.
“Might be one of our own,” Beric pointed out.
Sam started to shake his head then stopped. “The majority of those guarding the walls are Teal Warriors. But all of them I would trust with my life and my wife’s and children’s lives too. I just don’t see how…”
“If you see anything out of the ordinary, anything suspicious, even if you want to dismiss it, let me know. We have to find the traitor.”
Sam slammed his fist onto the table. “Damn straight we do. You can count on me.” He stood then sat back down. “Maybe I’ve been pushing myself a little too hard.”
“When’s the last time you slept?”
“Got two hours yesterday and an hour the day before.”
“Go sleep,” Beric demanded. “You’re no use to me if you’re dead on your feet.”
The older were-jaguar sighed. “You’re right. My body can’t handle this like it used to. But I only need two hours. Then I’ll be good—”
“At least four.”
“But—”
“Sam, the Brutal Claws won’t be back in four hours.”
The were-jaguar’s eyes darkened. “You can’t be sure of that.”
He had a point. No one knew what the Brutal Claws were planning. Well, no one other than the traitor.
Sam left.
Beric stood and glanced at the other Teal Warriors. Most he had known all his life. Could any of them have been the one to betray them? It seemed impossible, but desperation and fear could turn anyone into a traitor. They lived in a terrible time, in the grips of terror every day and every night. It almost shouldn’t be a surprise that someone had tried to find a way to ensure that at least he or she would survive the war.
Still, he hated the traitor, whoever the person would turn out to be.
He questioned a few others, but they had been fighting the battle right from the start and he found it impossible to believe they would have fought so fiercely if they were the traitor. Feeling discouraged, he left the mess hall and found himself walking toward the fence. They had fewer guards during the day, and he’d have to change that. They needed more. The more eyes, the better. Hopefully that would deter the traitor. Anything to make his or her presence more visible.
Beric climbed a tree and scouted. A were-jaguar was walking his way, toward the fence. A guard going to relieve another one?
He climbed down to greet the newcomer. Charles. Instantly, the hairs on the back of his neck rose. He had never had a problem with the were-jaguar before, but now he couldn’t help looking at him sideways ever since Miera had been grievously injured saving him.
“Why aren’t you making more blades?” Beric demanded. “Or armor? The Brutal Claws sometimes wear some. Maybe we should too.”
Charles gave him a lazy smile and headed toward the east, along the wall. “I hadn’t been told to make armor. I guess I could try. If you want.” His smile grew.
Beric reluctantly fell into step beside him. “You’re lucky to be alive,” he said stiffly.
“She is a fierce warrior, isn’t she?” Charles’s smile could not stretch any wider. “Strong and brave and beautiful.”
Something in his tone had Beric halting. “Loyal, too,” he said slowly.
For an instant, anger flashed on the were-jaguar’s face. Only for a moment, and then Charles was back to smiling again. “Very loyal,” he conceded. “She would do anything to bring the packs together. Although I do wonder…”
Beric did not want to rise to his bait, so he held his tongue.
“I do wonder if the baby will help or hurt.” Charles shrugged. “A cute little boy, isn’t he?”
“Stay away from the baby,” Beric growled.
“Why?” Charles asked innocently.
“He needs to…” Beric shook his head. He didn’t want everyone to know how weak and frail the baby was. “Have you seen the baby?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“When Miera brought him out,” Charles said easily.
But Beric knew that was a lie. Charles hadn’t been in the crowd.
“You saw him in the hospital, didn’t you?” Beric demanded.
“He isn’t in a hospital,” Charles chided.
“The makeshift one,” Beric growled.
“Temper, temper. You know that’s not a good trait for an alpha to have. Why, what would your father say?”
“He would say I should rip out your throat.”
“For what?” Charles blinked and shrugged. “I never realized you were such an angry were-jaguar before. You had better be careful. Anger can make one stupid.”
“Or it can open one’s eyes.” Beric still couldn’t piece together how Charles had been the one to meet up with Miera that time, but he knew the were-jaguar had to have been Charles.
“Ah, so you finally pieced it together. Yes, the baby is mine. I got Miera pregnant. How does that make you feel, knowing she had been with me? That she contemplated leaving everything and everyone behind to run off with me?”
“She didn’t.”
“Only because of her duty to her people. Which is the only reason why she married you. She doesn’t love you. She doesn’t want you. She wants her freedom, and I can give that to her.”
“No you can’t. You can’t give her anything. She would never leave her people—”
“Exactly. She would never leave them. So she’ll either be stuck here, for the rest of her life, chained to your side out of duty, or…”
“Or she’ll die at the hands of the Brutal Claws.” Beric felt more and more uneasy as their conversation went on. Although the sun was hours from setting, this portion of the compound was dark and isolated. No one else was nearby.
“No, no, no.” Charles sighed and shook his head as if he was talking to an ignorant child. “I thought you were smart enough to figure it all out by now. You see—”
“You’re the traitor. You’re the one who engineered the attacks, told them when to come, where to climb, and all so you could survive.”
“Not just me!” For once, Charles’s feathers seemed ruffled, but then he smoothed back his hair and seemed to regain his infuriating calm. “Me, and Miera, and our baby. The three of us will be the onl
y survivors. The Brutal Claws have promised to allow us the freedom to go off and form a new pack. We’ll have more babies, so many babies, and life will be perfect.” Charles’s teeth turned into fangs. “But you aren’t welcome. And that’s another promise I worked out with the Brutal Claws. That you are mine to kill.”
“I don’t think so.” Beric shifted easily, enjoying the feeling of his body changing shape into his sleek jaguar.
The two met in a clash of fangs and claws. Vicious slashes left red streaks of blood on their fur. Charles, despite needing Miera to rescue him, proved to be more than a capable fighter. In fact, Beric had his hands full. Charles was fighting as if he was possessed. Actually, he almost fought as savagely as a Brutal Claw, tearing and ripping into Beric.
The blows they exchanged were enough to seriously wound the other, but neither slowed their frantic pace. No way would Beric be bested. He had to survive. For his people, for his wife, and for his son.
Miera had held him, the baby. He should have asked to hold him too. The baby might not have his blood, but the baby was still his.
Charles would not supplant him in their lives. He would be the victor.
But as the battle wore on, blood streaking from his numerous wounds, his head pounding, his ears ringing, he could no longer be certain that victory would be his after all.
THE FINAL CHAPTER
Miera was loath to give the baby back to the doctors, but even she could see that the baby was gasping for breath. The last time she had attempted to nurse, the baby’s face had turned blue, and she became so frightened that despite her wanting to stay by his side, she gave him back.
One of nurses mentioned that it was good that she had tried to nurse but for her not to expect much.
“Can I expect him to live through the night?” she asked.
The nurse’s face became a mask. “I can’t say. No one can.”
Miera knew that would be the answer, but she needed some kind of reassurance, even if it was only a lie. Still, she had a job to do. Right now, the doctors were playing the part of mother more than she could. Just because she had a baby didn’t mean that she was no longer heir.
