“Time!” Savage called out, rushing to the center to hold his hands out so both males knew to stop. Taze and Axel returned to their kneeling position.
“Lucky and Diesel,” Talon announced, waiting until the males rose from their position. Their accelerated healing had already kicked in and the few cuts and scratches they had were already starting to heal. “Take your places and shift. Your panthers will know the rules. It is in our nature to fight for dominance. Good luck.”
The males did as they were told, and within a few seconds, two massive black panthers stood tall and on alert. Savage moved out of the way and the animals collided in the middle. Their panthers weren’t as reserved when fighting, not like when the young males were in human form. The beasts instinctually fought for dominance.
Diesel’s panther was the first one to falter, blood oozing from a wound on his shoulder. Lucky’s beast honed in on that area, clawing and nipping at the bloody spot, hoping to weaken his opponent. Talon was surprised at the stamina of all four males.
A feminine cry sounded as Diesel’s panther fell to his side, his large chest moving up and down rapidly as it tried to regain its breath. Diesel’s father wrapped both of his arms around his mate, holding her back from running to her son’s aide.
“He’s fine, love,” his father whispered. “Do not dishonor him or this pride.”
When Savage called time, Talon used his alpha powers to force the males to their bellies, demanding they shift. Both men were covered in dirt and blood, but walked proudly back to their spot at his feet.
Taze’s panther was larger than Axel’s by about thirty pounds, but that did not stop Ranger’s brother from making his position known. The male’s panther was a strong and steady fighter. Axel’s claws slashed at Taze’s hind leg, sending the panther to the ground.
Axel’s beast circled his opponent, waiting for him to either rise to his feet or close his eyes in defeat. Talon leaned forward, waiting for the same. He was about to have Savage stop the fight when the panther twisted and jumped to his feet as if he’d been struck, wasting no time in rushing Axel.
Snarls and yelps sounded as the two fought again, neither one of the males giving up so easily. These were the type of fighters Talon wanted at his side. All four males had shown excellent fighting skills, although each one of them were different in their own way.
“Time!” Savage called. “Shift and return to your alpha’s feet.”
Talon waited until the four males were back in place before stepping from the platform. His decision had been made. His panther pushed forward, causing his eyes to glow amber.
“Males, rise to face your alpha,” he ordered. The males stood, but did not lift their eyes. “You have pleased your alpha. I have made my decision on this year’s pick for Guardian of my pride.”
“Taze Malone, step forward and lift your eyes to your alpha,” Talon ordered, waiting until the male did as he was asked. “You have demonstrated excellent skills, pushing you into the higher ranks of my pride. Congratulations, son. You are now marked as a Guardian of the Shaw Pride.”
“It is my honor to serve you and protect our pride.” Taze bowed, taking to his knee again.
“Lucky Cooper, step forward and lift your eyes to your alpha,” Talon ordered to the next male. “You have shown your alpha that you have exceptional planning when you are faced with an attack by your enemy. This has raised your status within my pride. Congratulations. You are now marked as a Guardian of the Shaw Pride.”
“It is my honor to serve you and protect our pride.” Lucky smiled and bowed, mimicking the same position as Taze had taken.
“Diesel Monroe, step forward and lift your eyes to your alpha,” Talon called out. “You have proven to your alpha that under dire circumstances, you pushed past your pain and possible defeat to come back and fight until the end. You will now be held at the highest esteem within the Shaw Pride. Congratulations, you are now a Guardian.”
“It is my honor to serve you and protect our pride.” Diesel bowed, taking to his knee again. He was a little slower due to what Talon was sure to be several broken ribs. The male did not flinch or complain.
“Axel Coleman, step forward and lift your eyes to your alpha,” Talon ordered, his eyes glancing toward the older Coleman. Ranger was still standing at attention and showing no emotion toward what was about to be told to his baby brother. “You have please your alpha. The skill and quickness with which you defend yourself in the heat of battle could be the one thing that saves you so you can continue on in protecting my pride. You will now be marked as a Guardian. Congratulations, return to your spot.”
The pride cheered as the males stayed in their spots, conditioned to do as their leader ordered. Talon held up his hand to silence the pride, waiting until they all focused on him.
“It is not often that we have this many Guardians chosen on the Solstice, but I feel that all four of these males have qualities that will help us protect our pride. It is imperative that we have qualified protection now more than ever.” Talon moved closer to his new Guardians, taking a moment to touch each male’s head. He whispered a vow in a language his father had taught him.
“You are now dismissed to return home to heal,” Talon announced. “You have three days to pack your things and move into the single Guardian dorm. After that, your training will begin.”
Talon raised his hands in the air and gave his pride the command to shift for the night. All of the pride stripped and shifted, most of them running off into the darkness of the woods to play and hunt. The four males stood and shook each other’s hands before silently returning to their homes.
“I will assign them a room by tomorrow afternoon,” Savage offered as he stripped off his shirt. His mate was already in her panther form, laying on her belly beside the picnic table in the backyard.
“Go run with your mate, Savage,” Talon said, looking toward the window where his mate waited inside for him. “I’m going inside with my mate.”
“You’re not going to run?” Savage frowned.
“No, I need to talk to Liberty about the sheriff,” he replied.
“I still don’t like that guy,” Savage snarled, his eyes flashing amber.
“Agreed.” Talon nodded, walking away from his Guardian.
Now, he had to talk to his mate about what all she knew about the sheriff.
Chapter Six
Sheriff Lynch watched from afar, unseen and undiscoverable. He was torn over what to do. It’d been years ago that he was sent to watch over one female. Liberty was to be protected at all costs, but now…his orders had changed.
He was to protect the pride as a whole.
Certain factors had fallen into place to put him in the path of the shifters. Of course, he didn’t know what the future held. That was not one of his many talents. Only the gods decided how fate played out in the human realm.
As the fight for dominance raged on in the backyard of the alpha’s home, his eyes were on the window to the living room. Inside, Liberty rested with the older Mrs. Shaw not far from her side. Talon’s mother was weak, her health failing as the days passed.
Garrett was saddened by his current task. It wasn’t right for a Watcher to ask why or to alter the future in anyway. He knew what had to be done, even if he didn’t agree with what the outcome would be in the end.
Talon dismissed the pride to run and hunt in the wild. He spoke to the Guardian Savage and made his way inside. When he saw the alpha pull Liberty into the protection of his arms, Garrett closed his eyes and disappeared into thin air.
“Come to my office with me,” Talon said, holding out his hand for his mate. His mother was asleep on the couch, a blanket pulled up over her shoulders. June was sitting in the high back chair, keeping vigil over the two women.
“What’s going on?” Liberty scowled as Talon closed and locked the door. He didn’t say anything else until he leaned against the edge of his desk.
“Sit down, Liberty,” he paused, “I need to a
sk you some things about the sheriff.”
“What’s going on with Garrett?” she asked. Talon gritted his teeth at her using the male’s first name.
“Tell me about how you know him,” he ordered, folding his arms over his chest.
“Well,” she paused to think for a moment, “he started school with me back when we were in high school. I think it was my freshman year and he was a junior.”
“How did you become friends?” he asked, waiting for some information he could use to tie all of the questions he had about the sheriff together.
“I fell out of the tree in our backyard and broke my arm.” She chuckled, obviously replaying the memory. “Garrett was in one of my classes and offered to carry my books for me. Since I was stuck in a cast for six weeks, we struck up a friendship and he seemed to become my protector after that. One night when I was out on a date, he showed up about the time my date started getting a little handsy. Garrett marched the guy out back and beat him up. He took me home that night and made sure that I was okay.”
“Did you ever date him?” Talon asked, his canines thickening in his mouth. His eyes glowed amber as he hissed out his question.
“No,” she laughed. “Oh, I think he always wanted to date me, but he just wasn’t my type.”
“Good.” Talon nodded, his panther relaxing.
“Why are you asking me this?” she questioned.
“I need to show you something,” he announced, reaching back to retrieve the tablet from his desk. He pressed the buttons on the screen and turned it around for Liberty to see. “I had Ranger check the camera from outside the healer’s home the day you saw the flash of light. The video has been slowed down to about a tenth of the speed so you can see exactly what we found.”
“Play the video,” she ordered, taking the tablet from Talon’s hands. He sat back and watched her face as the scene played out in front of her very own eyes. He knew the moment she saw what they’d seen. Liberty’s eyes widened and she looked up at him in fear. “He’s…he’s an angel?”
“You didn’t know?” Talon asked softly.
“No!” she snapped. “I…what? I’m so confused.”
“Be calm, my mate,” he cooed, pushing out his powers when she began to stand in agitation. “I will get to the bottom of this. I promise.”
“Is this why he’s been so concerned about me all these years?” she asked, looking at him like Talon had all the answers. All he wanted to do was hold his mate close and promise her that the sheriff wouldn’t harm her, but he couldn’t make those promises yet. “Is he my…god, I can’t believe I’m going to say this…Is he my guardian angel?”
“I will find out,” he vowed.
Evie ran with the warm summer air blowing in her face. She turned away from the other younger pride members and ran deeper into the woods behind the alpha’s home. She could feel Kye at her back, following her as she ran.
Freedom was so much sweeter now that she saw the world through different eyes. The beast that ruled her mind at the moment was happy…content. She was experiencing the thrill of the hunt, using her senses to find a tasty meal.
Kye huffed at her, increasing his speed to come alongside her. The two beasts slowed to a trot, neither one of them touching. Evie’s human mind sighed, knowing he was near. She may have been training to protect herself in the event she was kidnapped again, but that didn’t mean she wanted Kye to calm his protectiveness toward her. Of course, she’d never tell him that. As much as she wanted to be able to protect herself, knowing he was there just made her love him more.
“Shift with me,” Kye said from her side as soon as they reached a small meadow at the back of the property.
Evie pushed at her panther, demanding out. Kye’s increasing mating scent was driving her crazy with lust and all she wanted to do was nuzzle into his neck where she knew her mark would eventually be once they were officially mated.
“Hi.” She smiled, stepping into his open arms.
“I’m sorry,” he purred, cupping the side of her face. “God, I love you. Knowing that you were struck by a male sent me over the edge. My panther wasn’t much better.”
“It was my decision,” she reminded him. “Kye, I wish you could understand how much more confident I feel since Ranger started training me. I don’t have as many nightmares anymore, and I’m not afraid to walk alone, even at night.”
“What did the wolves do to you?” he pried, pulling her closer into the safety of his arms.
“I was hurt,” she said sadly, squinting her eyes. She tried to shake the images from her mind, but she couldn’t. “They were so mean, hateful.”
“Did they touch you?” he asked, tightening his embrace as if to give her support, but she didn’t need it.
“Not like you are thinking,” she said. “But they said things…threatened me.”
“They hurt you, too,” he reminded her, his eyes throwing amber sparks with his anger. “I saw the bruising.”
“They wouldn’t let me shift,” she whimpered, feeling tears pricking her eyes. “They kicked me repeatedly in my ribs…my back…my stomach.”
“I want to kill them all over again,” he growled, his eyes fully shifted to amber now. His panther was near, and she actually took comfort in knowing that both Kye and his beast cared for her.
“If I wasn’t drugged, they were beating me,” she admitted. “If I could’ve protected myself, Kye, I might have been able to get away.”
Kye tucked his face into her neck. She felt his shoulders shake slightly as he pressed his lips to the spot where he would mark her. Her male’s heart was shredding from the things that had been done to her. She’d been so concerned about herself that she hadn’t even taken the time to worry about how he was handling her abduction.
“I’m sorry, Kye,” she sniffled, praying she wouldn’t cry. She was so tired of crying.
“No,” he mumbled, pulling back so he could cup her face with both hands. His amber eyes were wet with unshed tears. “I understand now. I should’ve never gotten angry with you for wanting to learn to fight.”
“Really?” She grinned, feeling hope for the first time since he’d raised hell about her training.
“I want to help you train from now on,” he stated.
“Really?” she gasped.
“Yes, love,” he smiled at her, “I want to take over your training. That way, I know for sure you will be able to defend yourself if it is ever needed again.”
“I love you, Kye,” she breathed out, taking his lips before he could reply.
Chapter Seven
Three weeks after the Solstice, Talon paced the length of his office, his mind crammed with worry for his mate and his mother. Harold had just left the office and had told him that his mother’s blood work came back showing an infection in her body. They’d started her on a special medicine to fight whatever was causing it, but he didn’t know if it was going to help.
He’d noticed how she’d been losing weight at a steady pace since the day she collapsed in the kitchen a month prior. Shifters didn’t get human illnesses, but they did have their own share of diseases and cancers that could harm them. If their immune system was compromised, they could develop a rare disease that could take their life.
Harold also informed him that Liberty could go into labor at any moment. She was a week out from her due date and the baby was already in position. The females of the pride had taken to caring for her every need when Talon was away, as their nature called for them to do.
The sheriff had disappeared after his appearance at the pride. Talon still wanted to know exactly what the lawman was hiding. Ranger and Savage had taken on the task of studying mythology to see what they could find. There were a few beings the humans had written about that fit Garrett’s identity, but Talon wanted answers.
“Boss,” Ranger interrupted, pushing the office door wide.
“Yeah?” Talon cleared his throat and pushed the lab report for his mother under an unmarked manila envelope
.
“The sheriff is at The Deuce,” Ranger said. “Want me to ride with you over there?”
“Get Savage and meet me at my truck in five minutes.” Talon scooped up his phone and grabbed the report off his desk, sliding it inside the bottom drawer of his desk as he walked away.
The ride over to The Deuce was quick, and all three of the males entered the bar as cool and calm as they could. The sheriff was in plain clothes, sitting at the bar nursing a cold beer. He set the bottle on the bar top as he raised a brow at Talon. “Alpha.”
“We need to speak with you,” Talon announced. Savage spoke quietly to Nova, letting her know they needed to use her office for this little chat. Nova nodded and stayed behind the bar for protection.
“Sure,” Garrett said, standing up from his seat. “Have you had any problems at the pride?”
“Let’s go into the office,” Talon hedged.
As soon as the door closed, Talon unleased his power over the sheriff. His eyes flashed amber and his canines shot through his gums.
“What are you?” Talon demanded, his nose recessing in his face as his panther took control. Ranger and Savage growled as they moved to his side.
“I don’t know what you are talking about.” The sheriff gritted his teeth, and Talon could scent his lie. “I’d advise you to stand down.”
“You have been spying on my mate,” Talon accused, taking a defensive stance. His Guardians were doing the same. “We have cameras all over our land. I have a very clear picture of you watching through our healer’s window. Want to lie to me again?” Ranger and Savage moved to stand as a sentry at the door, folding their arms over their massive chests. The Guardians were there as Talon’s protection and to make sure the lawman didn’t leave the office without answering the alpha’s questions.
The Birth of an Alpha (Rise of the Pride, Book 4) Page 5
