Shadow Of A Mate

by SA Welsh

  Kyle brushed off his own amusement and met Merrick’s gaze. “I thought that at least while Deke was here, Katrianna would be busy and not thinking of another way to put us off course or stop us. At least now we know for sure she’s aware of our pursuit—”

  “We’ll have to move faster and more carefully now. She won’t stop. My mother doesn’t like to lose,” Logan interrupted quietly, staring into the fire, expression blank. The usual almost blinding handsomeness of his face was now dull and muted to merely beautiful.

  He assessed the wolf shifter for a moment and his heightened senses narrowed in on him as if Kyle were hunting. Logan had been desperate to make right what his mother had done to Jay since they left Pack Valley.

  However, in the rush of everything that happened Kyle had forgotten that Logan might not only feel a pull of loyalty to the pack. Katrianna was, after all, his mother. He noted the lines of strain at the corner of Logan’s eyes the way the man’s lips were now drawn into a thin line as if he were under a lot of stress.

  The closer they got to Katrianna’s lair the quieter and more withdrawn Logan became. Kyle wasn’t so wrapped up in his own issues that he hadn’t taken notice. It was worrying.

  If Katrianna was able to take control of people, who better than someone she already shared a blood connection with. Logan’s shifter heritage should make it harder for him to be influenced. However, if Logan was confused or conflicted in how he felt about his mother, it might give her an opening in which to manipulate him.

  Even though he didn’t want to believe it, Kyle looked at the tense body lines. Perhaps he’d have to keep a closer eye on his friend. Just to make sure Logan was still himself.

  Turning back to Merrick, Kyle saw the same assessing coldness in Merrick’s eyes that he imagined was in his own. As they looked at each other Kyle understood that the two of them were of the same opinion. Logan would need watching now that they’d forced Katrianna’s hand.

  He moved off to the side so Logan wouldn’t feel any more uncomfortable. The wolf wasn’t stupid, he would have felt their stares on him.

  “So you really knew Deke was a trap.” Merrick obviously had doubts from the way he said it and the slight raising of one eyebrow.

  Kyle nodded and paused, wondering what he should do next.

  There was a lot to talk about and a lot of ground to cover. He was barely restraining the urge to yell at everyone to get on their feet and start running toward their goal. The alpha power was rising again and eroding his sense of humanity.

  His body wasn’t built to withstand that much power and it would become uncontainable if he didn’t have help. Tryst and Mack would do anything for him, but he feared this was too far out of their league. All of them. He glanced around, looking back at the way they’d come from the city and the sparse desert environment and then to the darker swampland they were in now. The world was a lot bigger than any of them had any experience of.

  No matter how much Kyle wanted to charge ahead and do this all on his own, he had to face that he had a timer ticking down until he became a danger to the people around him, to his friends.

  And as loathsome as the idea might be, Kyle needed the older lynx.

  Merrick was the only one that might understand and be able to help him. Tryst and Mack were skilled enough to hold him off momentarily. Rogo was big enough and strong enough to be able to contain him for a short while if he crossed a line, but sooner or later Kyle was going to lose himself again.

  “Can I talk to you, Merrick?”

  The lynx smirked. “What do you call what you’re doing now?”

  Kyle’s patience cracked. “Wasting time.”

  Without waiting for another jibe or argument, Kyle walked away, assuming Merrick would be unable to resist following after him, if only to find out what he was going to say. Sure enough, he heard an aggravated growl and footstep. Cats and curiosity. It never failed.

  His betas stood to attention, ready to follow, but he held up a hand and shook his head. The leopards frowned and sat back down, looking torn and a little scared. Did they think he was luring Merrick away so he could kill him and dump the body?

  They walked for a ways, far enough away that the rest of the group wouldn’t be able to overhear them.

  At a loss as to how to start talking to Merrick, Kyle opted for the obvious. “We’re in Katrianna’s lands now. Like you said before, she knew we were here the second we arrived or not long after despite our attempts to lay low. She will have eyes everywhere and I doubt she will take much time to regroup from Jay’s lightning bolt to the ass before coming at us again.”

  “Why are you telling me this?”

  “Because from what I understand red lynxes are supposed to be powerful and I’m warning you that you may need to...disable me if we do not reach her lair soon.” He avoided looking at the other man and instead surveyed the area around them.

  Merrick made an impatient sound. “What are you talking about?”

  This is where things got tricky. He didn’t like making himself vulnerable by blabbing his secrets to another dominant cat who wasn’t a pack member.

  “We talked about this briefly before getting on the plane. I didn’t tell you all of it and I think I led you to believe that I simply pushed over the edge to pull my alpha side into maturing. That’s not exactly true.” He stopped and waited for the explosion, but Merrick only stared at him with dark, suspicious eyes.

  “Before I left, my father and I forced my alphahood ascension to manifest early. That’s where all this power is coming from—” He waved a hand at himself, motioning how he’d grown two inches and put on enough muscle mass that his shirt was stretching to its limit in order to accommodate the increase. This time Merrick did explode.

  Merrick stared at him with wide eyes, brows scrunched down as the older shifter lit into him. “You don’t have any idea what you’ve done, do you? I thought you were already close and you just skipped a step. Not that you had—idiot!” The male grabbed him by the collar and hauled him close with surprising strength, nearly lifting Kyle off his feet.

  “Merrick, calm down!” He freaked at the unexpected attack and clutched at Merrick’s fists, trying to get him to let go.

  How the hell did Merrick have the strength to shake him like a rag doll? They used to be similar in size and build, but now Kyle was much bigger both in height and muscle.

  “Stupid child!” Merrick shook him.

  “Hey!” Now Kyle’s jaguar was getting pissed. Kyle moved his grip to Merrick’s wrists and squeezed until the man was forced to let go.

  Dropping him unceremoniously, Merrick growled and spun away. “The likelihood is that you’ll either go crazy or your body will rip itself apart trying to contain all that power. What the hell did you think you were doing?”

  Kyle cautiously considered Merrick, concluding that he wasn’t going to leap at him again before walking over to the edge of the swamp and gazing down into the murky water.

  “I was giving Jay the best chance. Some of my power spreads to Jay. That will give him more time and give us a weapon to use against her. If I go insane with alpha power and anger, just point me in her direction and run like hell. One way or another there will be a body to put in the ground at the end of this,” he swore, watching a small ripple in the water.

  Aware of Merrick coming toward him, Kyle was anticipating another attack, a long lecture or a scathing insult about how childish he was to think he could do this on his own.

  Possibly the last thing he expected was for Merrick to simply stand next to him and place a hand lightly on his shoulder. Neither of them spoke any more, but Kyle had the distinct impression that the two of them had reached an understanding.

  Chapter Six

  Still standing in the swampland and watching the murky water ripple as critters skated over the surface, Kyle waited.

  Merrick was the first to break the silence after what was only a few minutes but seemed like hours. “Forcing your body and your jagu
ar to ascend is irrevocable. Whatever happens with Jayden and the witch, you will always be different now.”

  “And I wasn’t before? Being mated to one of the two remaining red lynx shifters who also happens to be a seer of possibly infinite power potential and the last of that ancient bloodline, too?” Kyle smirked and glanced at Merrick as he joked.

  Merrick inclined his head. “Touché. However, you will have to deal with the repercussions—”

  “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Right now I just wanted to make you aware of the situation and prepared to...” he couldn’t quite say the words.

  “To stop you from hurting the others,” Merrick finished quietly with a note of respect.

  “Yes.” If he did hurt Tryst or Mack or the others, he’d never forgive himself. He knew the risks to himself when he agreed to this and he didn’t regret his decision. Sometimes there just wasn’t a good choice.

  Nodding, Merrick seemed to understand his reluctance to talk about what would happen after this. “Okay then. We’ll table this discussion for another time, then.”

  “Thank you,” he said gruffly, clenching his fists to try and contain the rush of relief and gratitude.

  “Just...keep this in mind. Not many truly understand alpha power, not even alphas. It comes from a deeply primal place that forms the foundation of who we are as shifters. My people—red lynxes—connect to that heart of ancient power. It isn’t simply about dominance. It is beyond the comprehension of rank or alphaness. The power runs in our blood. We’re made to contain and wield it. There is a reason alphas need to mature before they can touch it—but that’s not what I want to talk to you about. What I’m trying to say is that a true mating bond, like you have with Jay, also comes from that heart of magic.”

  “I don’t understand.” Kyle didn’t know what Merrick was trying to point out to him here.

  “The mating bond is the best weapon you have. If you hope to stay alive long enough to get to the witch and save my nephew then you cling to it and you funnel as much energy into the bond as you can to buy Jayden more time. No more dream walking and no trying to get another reaction like Jay’s astral projection—I knew you were going to try it so don’t deny it. You open the bond from your end and only allow energy to pass one way. From you to him. You’re the dominant partner so the bond will answer to you. The mate connection will recharge from the energy Jay expended soon. By then we need to be ready to strike because the alpha power will also have built to an explosive point and you won’t be able to distinguish friend from foe through the furious need to get to your mate.”

  Narrowing his eyes, Kyle frowned. This was an awful lot of information to throw at someone. And Merrick wasn’t exactly known for his sharing nature. “How do you know this?”

  Merrick smiled sadly at his question and for a moment Kyle was struck at how like Jay the expression was. “Experience.”

  There was a story there, but he didn’t push. Though they seemed to have a truce between them for now, they weren’t going to become best friends that shared heart to hearts. At least not any time soon.

  Kyle figured Merrick had finished and turned to walk back to the makeshift camp and the others. It was time to get moving.

  “Kyle?”

  He looked back over his shoulder and saw Merrick in profile in the darkening swamp. With the sun going down over the horizon there was still enough light to see the faint glimmer of a tear rolling down Merrick’s cheek.

  The sight was so shocking, he started to reach out, but stopped himself when he scented the grief and pain coming from the lynx. Merrick wouldn’t thank him for comfort right now. Dominant shifters hated seeming weak.

  “Whatever happens, Jay can be your only priority. Not revenge or some convoluted need for vengeance. Jay must be what you want most or everything will be lost.” Merrick’s voice was strong and unwavering in his demand. “Do you understand?”

  “I-I understand,” he said, feeling as if he was swearing a solemn oath.

  Merrick nodded. “Then we better get back to the others and start moving before Katrianna comes looking for us again.”

  “She’ll be more careful next time. Jay nailed Deke good.” Kyle smiled with pride as he said it.

  “Yeah, he did,” Merrick said proudly. “Exactly how his father would have done it.”

  That pulled him up short. Kyle tipped his head to the side, wanting to hear more about where Jay came from. “Jay’s like his father?”

  Nodding, Merrick continued walking, forcing Kyle to follow. “Jay is almost the mirror image of him apart from the eyes and build. I thought when I first met my nephew that there was nothing of my brother in him. But electrocuting someone making a move on his mate? That was pure Devlin. One time a wolf shifter tried to woo Marion when the two of them had only recently gotten together.”

  Kyle filed every bit of information away to tell Jay later. “What did he do?”

  This time when Merrick smiled it had the hint of mischievousness he recognised as the same smile Jay had when he was thinking something naughty. “Let’s just say the wolf walked with a limp for a while and didn’t make any more moves on Marion.” Merrick shared a feral grin with Kyle before adding, “He also babbled about a ghost cat chasing him.”

  Nodding in appreciation, he resolved to try and get Merrick to share stories like that with Jay. He had to believe Jay would be here to hear them.

  They reached camp a few minutes later to find Logan and Mack napping on the floor in animal form and Tryst repacking their supplies into the large backpacks. But there was someone missing.

  “Where’s Rogo?”

  Tryst glanced up from stuffing the metal canteen dishes into the bags. “The lion went to run the perimeter and go hunting for some meat just after you two left. He should be back any second—”

  A loud roar split the air.

  Merrick and Kyle broke into a run, racing in the direction of the lion’s call. Mack’s leopard pulled up alongside them and edged ahead with Logan’s wolf.

  As they jumped over tree roots and ducked under branches Kyle could hear Rogo struggling and something big splashing in the water. It sounded a lot bigger than Deke’s body.

  With leopard swiftness and agility, Mack reached the lion first with Kyle and Merrick close behind. He could hear loud splashing, but couldn’t see where it was coming from or what was causing it.

  Pulling up short next to Rogo, he helped the big lion up then rolled to the side when Rogo leaped past him and roared at something behind them. He had just enough time to duck before Rogo came flying back over his head and slammed into a heavy tree trunk.

  Immediately his senses cast out, searching for the threat.

  Alpha energy rushed through his veins like adrenalin at the same time as he turned and saw both with his senses and his eyes, something very large and very dangerous. It looked like a snake and he had no idea how long it was, but it stood a towering twenty feet out of the water and had an enormous spade shaped head with glowing green markings above the eye ridges and smoky white eyes with no pupil.

  “What the fuck is that?”

  “It’s a swamp anaconda,” Merrick answered breathlessly, edging in front of the wounded lion since Rogo had yet to sit up again after crashing into the tree. “Make no sudden movements.”

  The unnerving white eyes of the snake impossibly seemed to follow them as the giant head tilted and swayed as if trying to decide which one of them to eat first.

  “Even anacondas aren’t that big,” Tryst argued, slowly coming to stand at Kyle’s side as Mack flanked the other.

  Swinging in their direction the snake obviously decided that they looked the tastiest. It opened its mouth wide and displayed two enormous white-coloured fangs. On the very tip of one of the pointed teeth hung a drop of sickly yellow liquid. Venom?

  That wasn’t right. There was something more unnatural about this anaconda than its size. Real anacondas weren’t venomous, they were constrictors.

 
Judging by the way the giant anaconda’s coils slid out of the dark clouded water of the swamp and wrapped around a fallen tree, crushing with ease, Kyle was certain he didn’t want the snake coming near any of them.

  “Don’t let it catch you,” he warned, eyes fixing on the broken pieces of wood.

  “Stating the obvious.” Merrick widened his eyes in the appearance of innocence when Kyle’s head snapped in that direction. Yep, he was still an asshole.

  There was no time to do anything but leap to the side as the enormous snake darted down at them. Mack took the opportunity of having the snake’s head on their level to launch an attack.

  Tryst was only a second behind.

  Sighing, Kyle rolled his eyes and followed his betas, jumping on to the snake’s body and clinging on for dear life as it tossed and slithered.

  Seeing Tryst flung off to the side as the snake reared back and flicked its tail up to dislodge them, Kyle’s heart was in his mouth. When Tryst twisted in mid-air enough so he wouldn’t land on his head, but rather solidly on his feet, crouching to take the impact, relief didn’t begin to cover how Kyle felt. Thank God for them being cats.

  Tryst immediately made to jump right back on the rodeo ride from hell. Logan stopped him. Kyle couldn’t see exactly what happened, but one moment Tryst was human and the next there was a wolf and another leopard running around the snake, dividing its attention by snapping and biting at the intimidating curling coils.

  Kyle unleashed his larger, stronger alpha claws and dug them into the leathery scaled skin.

  The snake hissed in pain and fury, diving dangerously from side to side. Mack hissed back and copied Kyle, gouging the thick hide with leopard claws.

  Together, they climbed higher until Mack reached the ridge just above the eye and slashed out at the bulbous white eyes. Instead of blood though, white smoke poured from the wound straight from the eyeball like some sort of horror movie.

  The snake darted to and fro, screeching like a wounded bird of prey.

  Mack roared as he fell and caught himself by one paw, hanging lower down on the snake’s body. In perfect striking distance to be caught with those lethal fangs that were longer than Kyle was tall.