by Eve Langlais
“Roger that,” she nodded.
“Nat, if he gets past me, protect Jane. Don’t let him get to her. If he’s enraged there’s no telling what he might do.”
“But what about…”
“I can take care of myself. Protect her as if she was part of the pack. Okay?”
“Sure, yeah. Be careful, Hutch.”
I grunted in reply. Being careful wasn’t really an option any more.
***
“YOU’RE NOT JANE.”
“No shit, Sherlock.”
The bear looked pretty much like how I imagined. Big and dumb. But there was so much power there. Something more than just strength. Power driven by a single purpose. It made him even more dangerous.
“WHO’S SHERLOCK? WHERE’S JANE?”
He only seemed to have one volume. Bellowing.
“There’s no Jane here, Lenny. Just me and the rabbits.”
He was getting angry. I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. I couldn’t beat him. And if we ran there was a chance he’d catch us. Even if he didn’t, I didn’t want to lead this big oaf back to my pack..
“I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING. CUT IT OUT, LITTLE WOLF. WHERE’S JANE?”
Nat made a darting run from the mouth of the cave, to distract him.
“THAT’S NOT JANE. BUT SHE GOT NICE BOOBIES. MAYBE I’LL TAKE HER INSTEAD.”
I felt my calm slipping.
“Bring it on Hodor. You’ll have to get through me first.”
He grinned and raised his arms as he shifted. His clothes shredding as an already large man turned into an even more imposing beast. He didn’t give me enough time to take stock of the situation as he charged at me with a roar.
I desperately reached for the wolf inside, looking to draw on its strength and speed, but it was too late. I sidestepped as best I could as the massive brute barrelled into me and sent me skidding across the snow in a heap.
So much for me slowing him down. It had taken him all of five seconds to get past me.
“Hey asshole!”
Apparently that was Jane’s way of getting his attention. I approved. He turned his back on me and headed towards the two women.
I shook my head, to try and clear out the cobwebs. Damn it. I was Hutch, alpha of the Scraptown pack. I was more than this. I was born to protect. If I couldn’t even protect my own mate and a little slip of a deer, how could I lead a pack?
I put my head down and charged, shifting as I ran. I couldn’t beat him, but if I could annoy him or frustrate him enough he just might give up. Bears might be belligerent and single minded, but they were lazy.
I jumped and hit his back at an awkward angle. It was like running into a wall. The muscles that shifted beneath his skin might has well been made of rock.
I tried to sink my teeth into his neck, but it was insulated by such a thick layer of fur and skin that I couldn’t even get a grip.
He shrugged me off like I was a toy. I hit the ground and rolled, scrabbling in the snow to get my balance back. I was too late. Before I could recover, a massive paw filled my vision as he swatted me aside once more. I was sent crashing into the snow again.
He roared at me. He didn’t look confused or annoyed now. He looked angry. I was pissing him off.
“Hey, you. Come over here so I can kick your ass, you big dumb bear.”
Jane to the rescue again. It wasn’t quite what I had in mind, but it was working. She was keeping him distracted. For what though? I wasn’t going to wear him out like this. At this rate I was going to be battered and broken before he even worked up a sweat.
But it was the best plan I had.
I pulled myself to my feet, ignoring the pain in my ribs, and made another run at him.
Chapter Five
Natalie
So much for my plan to get Hutch in the mood for Christmas. It had been a disaster from the start and now? It was a whole new level of disaster entirely.
Hutch’s tactics clearly weren’t working. Every time we managed to distract the bear, Hutch would attack. And every attack was easily knocked aside with bone crunching force. Hutch was looking more and more ragged as time went on, and I didn’t think he could take much more of it.
If we didn’t give up Jane to this snarling maniac, he was going to take my beloved mate apart.
But he’d never give her up. Hutch may have his rough edges, but he’d never abandon someone to that kind of fate. He’d die first, and I couldn’t let that happen.
A plan. I needed a plan. But Hutch was the fighter, not me. I thought back to the times I’d seen him fight, whether for sport, or to protect me. I thought of how happy he was training the cubs. How he’d grown, as a man, and a leader since settling into his new role.
And then it hit me. I had a plan…
“Jane, get his attention. Engage with him. Get him to talk to you.”
She squinted her eyes, unsure if she should break from Hutch’s original orders.
“Just do it, okay? Trust me.”
Jane nodded and walked towards the bear. I couldn’t hear what she was saying, but her calm, soothing tones were having the desired effect.
The bear slowed and stood on its hind legs before shifting back to the huge mountain of a man who had come looking for Jane.
Hutch looked confused. He prepared to take another run at his opponent, but I gestured to him to wait. I hoped he’d trust me.
I called out to him, “Maybe it’s time to think outside the box. Maybe you need to fight a little dirty.”
He looked confused for a moment, then a wolfish approximation of a grin spread across his face. He got it.
Hutch shifted again and the wolf, my wolf, came charging across the snow. Half way towards his opponent he shifted back to human form, without missing a beat. The bear sensed him and turned, swinging a big, meaty, human fist that would send Hutch flying into next week if it connected.
It didn’t. Hutch wasn’t there anymore, he was in the snow, sliding between the bigger man’s legs, punching upwards as he did so.
The big man’s eyes bulged as he let out a strangled squawk of pain and collapsed, before curling up in a ball in the snow. As I approached, I could hear him whimpering. It sounded… almost like he was crying.
I found my voice. I let the wolf out, just enough. I couldn’t command the same way Hutch did, but I could still intimidate the likes of this kidnapping asshole.
“She’s not yours. None of them are yours. Go home or we will end you.”
The bear groaned, still recovering from Hutch’s low blow.
“Do you understand?”
He sniffed and nodded.
Hutch staggered to his feet, bruised and bloody. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen him like this and I was sure it wouldn’t be the last. Trouble seemed to follow him around.
I wanted to hold him close and tell him he’d be okay, but I didn’t feel up to it. I felt wretched. I just wanted to go home.
“Let’s head back, Hutch. I think we’ve had enough of a vacation.”
Hutch nodded. “Probably a good idea. I think I broke a rib, maybe two. You coming with us, Bambi?”
Jane smiled. “Sure. But call me that again, and I’ll kick your ass.”
***
We got back home to Scraptown after dark. Everybody was drinking around the bonfire and I walked next to Hutch slowly toward the light. I could see Gina breaking up an argument on the other side of the fire. I sighed.
“Why so glum?” Hutch winced a little at the pain in his chest as he hugged me against his shoulder. “Come on, Nat. It’s almost Christmas. I thought you loved the holidays.”
“How are you so happy?” I asked.
“What? What do you mean?”
“I was going to take you to Tommy’s cabin. We were going to have a nice, relaxing time and cuddle in bed and then it all got ruined! I got us lost, and we had to spend the night in a cave, and fight a kidnapper, and… and… ” I choked on a sob. All of my plans had been utterly destroy
ed.
“And what, Nat?”
Hutch stopped just outside of the crowd of people gathered around the bonfire. He put both hands on my shoulders.
“I’m sorry, Hutch,” I said, wiping a tear away. “I didn’t mean for it to turn out so… ”
“So awesome?”
My mouth fell open, and I stared up at him agape.
“Awesome?”
“Are you kidding me?” Hutch beamed like a little kid. “I got to run with my wonderful mate through the snow, and we had amazing primal sex in cave, and I rescued a damsel in distress and if that wasn’t enough, I got to punch a honest–to–God werebear in the balls… this was the best present EVER!”
“Are you serious? You had fun?”
“Of course I’m serious. It was like you planned the perfect weekend, Nat!” Hutch kissed me on the forehead and hugged me tight against his chest. I was so flabbergasted I could only stand there, arms at my sides. “Thank you so much! You’re the absolute best!”
“Uh… I guess… you’re welcome?”
“Damn straight. And now that I’ve had a chance to unwind, I can get back to the pack. And you can get back to organizing the decorations. I think Jane will be a good one to help you with that.”
“Speaking of Jane, how is she? Do you think she’ll be okay?”
“I think she’ll be more than fine.”
Hutch thumbed over to the other side of the bonfire. Three of the Scraptown guys were hanging off of her every word, their faces rapt with attention.
“See? She’s part of the family already. And that’s what Christmas is all about, isn’t it?”
“Sure,” I said, feeling much better. “Yeah. Well, I’m glad you had fun, Hutch. Even if it wasn’t as romantic as I’d planned.”
“I’ll show you romantic,” Hutch said, twirling me before sending me into a low dip as he pressed his lips against mine. Some of the pack turned to hoot and holler at us, their friendly faces lit by the warm flames of the bonfire.
“Go Hutch!”
“Kiss her like you mean it!”
“That’s how an alpha does it!”
Hutch released me, a broad grin filling his face. Then he turned to the group of cubs who had tumbled over to our side of the bonfire and strode into the light, his chest puffed up like he’d just won the prize fight. Which, I guess, in a way, he had.
“Hey cubbos, let me tell you all about how I fought a bear!”
“A bear?”
“No way!”
“How’d you beat him, Hutch?”
“Well, it all started with a terrible blizzard… ”
I smiled at Hutch standing in front of the group of kids, recalling the story and gesturing wildly. Gina came around from breaking up the fight and stood beside me.
“Looks like you got him in the Christmas spirit,” she said. “I don’t know how you did it, but you did.”
“I don’t know how I did it, either,” I said, shaking my head.
“Come on and get some cocoa with me,” Gina said, tugging on my arm. “We’ll roast marshmallows and you can tell me all about what really happened.”
“Sure,” I said, but I couldn’t help but cast one more glance back toward the fire. The sparks from the bonfire spiraled up into the night sky, silhouetting Hutch’s broad frame. The pack here was truly my family, and so was Hutch. And I couldn’t wait to make some more Christmas memories with all of them.
The End
Copyright © 2014 Aubrey Rose / Molly Prince
All rights reserved.
First Edition: 2014
ISBN: TBD
If you enjoyed the story you can learn more about Nat and Hutch in
Alpha’s Last Fight
More than anything, Natalie wants to keep her secret hidden. Locked away. She’s too scared to love, scared that the unthinkable will happen again.
Five years ago, the monster got out. And the one person she cared about will forever carry the scars she gave him. She vowed then that she would never let her wolf come out of hiding again, and she’s not about to break that vow for some guy she met at a crazy underground shifter fight.
Especially if that guy is an arrogant, asshole alpha male.
Cocky, tattooed, and sexy as hell, Hutch runs his pack by his own rules. He fights, he wins, and he can take his pick of any of the screaming girls who cheer him on. He has everything he could possibly want.
Except a sweet, sassy, curvy mate.
But Natalie isn’t the only one with a past, and when a lifetime of lies and broken promises begin to catch up with him, Hutch is given one chance to make things right. A last fight with no rules, no limits and next to no chance of survival. Hutch is willing to risk everything to redeem himself in the eyes of his pack… but can he risk the love of the only woman who has given him a reason to live?
Alpha’s Last Fight is out now on Amazon, check it out!
The sequel Alpha’s Last Chance is also out now!
About the Author
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Aubrey Rose lives in sunny San Diego, where she likes to lay around in a hammock reading her favorite romances. When she’s not writing steamy stories, she can be found dancing naked in front of the mirror to Abba while her cat watches disdainfully.
Want to be notified of any new releases? Sign up for my mailing list now, and never miss a new book! You’ll also get a FREE copy of my bestselling shifter romance Blind Wolf as soon as you sign up!
When Molly Prince isn’t writing about big girls, bad boys and the trouble they can get into she’s looking after her young son, husband and dog&hellip and wondering why the men in her life need so much looking after!
Alpha’s First Christmas © Copyright 2014 Aubrey Rose & Molly Prince
Witches Shall Rise
The Sarath Web Series – Short Story
Terah Edun
Chapter One
It was ten days before the Christmas season was officially over. For Katherine Thompson, that day couldn’t come soon enough. She wasn’t normally a curmudgeon. In fact she loved people. People, however, didn’t seem to have that same reaction to her. So when the triple–whammy of human, coven, and fae holidays came around one after the other, and she was forced to socialize with people, her life became a recipe for disaster with a capital D.
To further her sense of anguish, Christmas always felt like an unholy alliance between her mother and all of the homebodies in the rest of the town. Those people who delighted in forcing their almost–grown children to carol in the streets until midnight and strung enough lights on their houses that their streets could serve as landing strips. Christmas was a human holiday to begin with but it had slowly spread and seeped its way into many of their small town’s rituals. Sometimes Katherine felt like she was the only one who understood how silly it was to decorate the town with mistletoe garlands that did nothing but attract nasty sprites and set up fir trees for which bog demons loved to climb up on to surprise people walking below the innocuous–looking trees.
“It’s just not practical, at least not for people who live and breathe magic,” Katherine muttered with a disgusted look at a particularly festive pink tree in a shop woman.
“Yeah, yeah Ms. Grinch,” said Connor with a roll of his eyes, “Come on, we’re going to miss the bonfire.”
He grabbed her arm, tucked her hand inside the crook of his elbow and proceed to drag her along as they weaved between individuals heading in the same direction they were.
“What’s the rush?” asked Katherine exasperated, “It doesn’t start for another hour anyway.”
“The party doesn’t start for another hour,” Connor said in excitement as he led the way, “The free booze however will be long gone by then.”
When he tried to squeeze past a guy twice his height with muscles to boot, Katherine hurried to intervene between the two and defuse a situation she didn’t need right now. Pushing Connor through the gap that had opened up ahead, she flashed an apologetic but
brilliant smile at the glaring man who stood to the side.
Sometimes it pays to be royalty, Katherine thought in relief.
They managed to disappear into the crowd before any words were exchanged..
“The swig that Samuel hands out isn’t worth dying over,” Katherine said sharply.
Connor huffed. “I beg to differ Katherine.”
Katherine exclaimed, “That guy almost punched your lights out.”
“Would have been worth it,” Connor said. “The emphasis here is on the free part.”
Katherine rolled her eyes as she said, “I don’t know how you drink the stuff.”
“Magic, baby, magic,” Connor said while squeezing Katherine’s arm and peering around eagerly for his favorite keg provider.
Katherine sighed. “Magic like that only works in certain circumstances.”
“Whatever,” he said as he whistled and waved at a friend to get their attention. Katherine’s gaze caught on the three girls who were already a little unsteady and standing over a fire in a trash can. She could have told them the wind was about to pick up but she didn’t. She just watched as one of them screeched and the other two rushed to slap away the small fire that started on her sleeve.
When she turned away from staring at them, she saw Connor watching her.
“What?” demanded Katherine crossly.
“Still upset about the computer lab incident?”
Katherine glared. “It didn’t cross my mind until you brought it up.”
She was lying. He knew it, she could tell just by the look in his eyes. That didn’t mean she would admit it.
As they stared at each other in brittle silence, sharp winds began to blow against them. Only them. Katherine knew she was the cause. Sometime it felt like she was carrying around her own personal gale when she got upset. Luckily, it didn’t happen all that often.
Connor shook his head. “Alright, my bad.”
Katherine crossed her arms. “That computer lab mess wasn’t my fault.”
“I never said it was,” Connor said quickly.
