A branch snapping brought him out of his thoughts. A huge, black panther was approaching from the main trail. Landon didn’t know which one it was, but he knew none of them would hurt him. He nodded toward the beast, but rested his head against the tree again. He was a little surprised when the animal laid down next to him.
“I don’t know how to tell you all apart when you are in this form,” he said, rolling his head to the side to open one eye. “You’re going to have to shift if you want to talk. I don’t speak panther.”
Landon knew the sound of the human laugh the moment the beast shifted. He didn’t want to look at Noah without clothes, but he peeked at him again to note the male had knelt in front of him.
“Are you coming to the solstice tonight?”
“I haven’t decided,” Landon shrugged.
“At least come to the house for the meal,” Noah suggested. “I’d like to see you there.”
“I’ll check my schedule,” he teased, finally opening his eyes to look Noah in the eye. He tried his hardest to not look at his naked body and succeeded.
“It’s Sunday,” Noah chuckled, rolling his icy blue eyes. “The office is closed today.”
“What time is everyone gathering?” Landon asked, noting a change in the temperature. The sun would be going down soon.
“At nine,” Noah replied.
“What are you doing out here in the woods?” he asked, blushing a little. “I mean, I thought you all shifted and ran at midnight. Why are you out here now and not waiting?”
“Talon has one of us run the land before sundown on the solstice to check the property,” Noah advised him.
“Good idea,” Landon sobered. “I hate that you have to take so many precautions just to be safe on your own land.”
“We’ve learned our lesson about safety too many times,” he replied.
Landon agreed. They’d had too many intruders and brushes with death on their property. It wasn’t fair to them. The shifters only wanted to live in peace, but since coming out to the humans, things have been dangerous for them.
“Want to head back to Talon’s with me?” Noah asked, standing and brushing off the dirt from his bare knees.
“I guess so,” he replied. “It’ll be getting dark soon.”
Landon started to rise on his own, but a hand in front of his face made him pause. The shifter was standing over him, his naked body on full display. A masculine scent filled the air around him, and he knew it wasn’t from the forest around him.
His eyes met Noah’s and time seemed to slow. There was heat in the icy blue depths of the shifter’s eyes. His mouth was slack, his canines were not present, and the hand in front of his face was inviting despite the predator hovering over him.
As Landon reached for Noah’s hand, wanting to accept the offering, his eyes raked over the shifter’s human body, noting the thick muscles in his legs, the chiseled abs covered with tanned skin, and the erect penis a foot from his face. Landon swallowed hard as Noah leaned forward, their fingers only inches apart.
“Fuck,” Noah growled low in his throat. The harsh curse shocked Landon, but he knew something was wrong when he looked up and saw Noah’s eyes were flashing amber.
“What’s wrong?”
“Talon has called out for me,” he announced, dropping his offered hand. “I have to go. Someone has arrived and we need to be on protection duty.”
“Go, go!” Landon waved him off, knowing the alpha’s call was the most important thing of all. “I’ll see you at the solstice.”
The male shifted and ran through the woods at top speed, disappearing out of sight as quickly as he had arrived.
Jade heard the vehicle arriving at the alpha’s home only minutes before her phone rang. “Hello?”
“Jade, I need you to come to my office,” Talon stated, his voice deep. Something was wrong. “Your father is here.”
“Fuck,” she mumbled under her breath. “What does he want?”
“I don’t know, but I will find out,” he promised. “I’ll be waiting on you.”
Jade wanted Booth to go with her, but he was out patrolling the back of the alpha’s land. She was certain Talon’s second call was to her mate. He’d be home soon when word got to him her old pride had shown up.
The moment she walked into the alpha’s house, several Guardians were already there. Taze, Savage, Storm, Winter, and Axel were lined down the hallway leading to the office. Each one stood at attention with their arms folded across their massive chests. None of them spoke a word, but from the looks on their faces, she knew they were here to protect her with their lives.
She didn’t even bother knocking when she reached the door, pushing it open wide. Her father stood from his seat in front of the alpha’s desk, his weathered face holding frustration and anger like she’d never seen before.
“Father,” she nodded.
“Jade, you need to stop this nonsense and come home,” he demanded.
“That will never happen,” she growled, moving away from her father. “I’ve found my home here, and I’m not leaving. I have a mate.”
“A mate?” he barked. “You’re supposed to find a mate within our own pride.”
“What?” she gasped. “How in the hell would I find a mate there when it’s obvious my mate resided here at the Shaw pride.”
“You weren’t supposed to leave!” he bellowed and reached for her arm. The two Guardians against the wall made a move to protect her, but she side stepped him and held her hand out to Ranger and Axel. “You should be punished for disobeying the alpha and leaving.”
“You have no rights over me, and the alpha doesn’t want me there,” she spat, her eyes turning amber. “Alpha Gentry made that clear when he broke my face with his fist, and you sealed the decision to leave when you didn’t stick up for me.”
“You’re just like your worthless mother,” he accused. “She wasn’t as strong-willed as you were when I took her in.”
“Don’t you dare bring her into this,” Jade snarled, pointing her finger. She knew she could touch her father as he was of her blood. The anger inside her swelled as she advanced on him. “You were nothing to me as I grew up. A father would’ve protected their daughter against anything…anyone. How dare you come here to demand I come ho…ouch!” The moment her hand made contact to push him away, a burning pain like nothing she’d ever felt sizzled across her palm. She guarded her hand and fell to her knees, hissing from the pain.
The door to the office opened and Booth’s feral roar echoed throughout the room. She gasped and called out for him even though the pain in her hand was too much, but her mate had already secured her father against the far wall.
“You’re not her father?” Talon roared.
“Booth,” she cried out, still leaning over her hand. She knew exactly what was being said, and the more she realized the nature of what was going on, the angrier she became.
“How could you!” she bellowed, jumping from her position on the floor. The anger overrode her pain, and if it wasn’t for Booth coming to her side, taking her hand into his, she would’ve used the pain as a form of feral rage. “I’ve hated you all my life, and I’ve felt guilty because I thought you were my father.”
“Your mother’s true mate wanted to be an alpha, and he knew she had the alpha gene somewhere in her blood. She escaped him after he’d forced the mating and raped her repeatedly until she became pregnant,” he admitted as Axel held the male against the wall with a forearm across his throat. He coughed when the Guardian pushed a little too hard.
“Let him finish,” she ordered, breathing a sigh of relief when Booth’s touch stopped the burning pain.
“We took her in, and when you were born, she died,” he admitted. “I resented her for leaving me to raise her bastard cub.”
“Did you love her?” Jade prayed there was some explanation.
“No, I did not,” he snarled. “The male that sired you was told she could rule a pride, but she couldn’t. Oh, A
lpha Gentry said he felt her push of power, but she was able to take his blood and connect to him. We never found out who in her bloodline was an alpha. It could’ve been from hundreds of years ago for all we knew.”
“Then why do you want me to come back?” she questioned, pushing away Booth when he tried to stop her from approaching him. She wasn’t worried about being touched again because Axel held the male steady. “There has to be a reason.”
“Alpha Gentry wants you to help him lead.”
“Ha! So he can force me to be his mate? You’re out of your fucking mind,” she scoffed, and with that, punched him in the eye, feeling satisfied at the sound of a cracking bone. Paybacks are a bitch. “Take that back to the Gentry pride as my answer. If you come back, I will kill you.”
“Get him the fuck off my land!” Talon yelled as Booth took her into his arms again.
Her mate hadn’t jumped in to protect her and she kissed the side of his neck when he took her hand again to stop the burning pain from touching a male that wasn’t her mate. “Thank you.”
“You are my warrior,” he whispered. “I have no problem letting you handle your own battles.”
“I think I love you, Booth Woods,” she replied as the male was pushed out of the office by the rest of the Guardians.
“And I love you, my warrior,” he responded, scooping her up into his arms. “We are going to have to talk about your temper, though.”
Epilogue
Summer Solstice
Talon sighed and wiped his hand over his face. The last twenty-four hours had been hell. Jade’s father wasn’t really her father, and the alpha gene was in her blood, but it’d been weakened throughout her bloodline.
Liberty hugged him as he stood from his seat in the chair in his bedroom. He’d been there for the last hour, refusing to eat his meal. His mind was wracked with uncertainty. There was a decision to be made tonight, and he wasn’t sure if it was the right one for his pride.
“Whatever you decide tonight, I will be there for you,” she offered, kissing the mating mark on his neck. “I love you, Talon.”
“And I love you, my mate,” he said, taking her lips for several minutes.
The walk to the backyard was silent. The Guardians were standing at the back of the circle, protectively watching over his pride. Females held their cubs while their mates stood at their sides. The females who’d trained stood close to the raised platform. Jade’s eyes followed his every move. Her mate, Booth, stood a few feet behind her at the edge of the circle, keeping his eye on her.
The pride quieted as he took his place with Liberty at his side. She squeezed his hand for support when he cleared his throat.
“Welcome to the night of the Summer Solstice,” he began. “This is our time to come together as a pride to celebrate our heritage. I have had a lot weighing on me for the past month, and I have finally made a decision on the path our pride will take into the future.”
He glanced at the females in front of him. Jade, Evie, Calla, and Hope were all there, standing at attention much like the Guardians on the outer circle.
“It has been brought to my attention that rumors have been spread throughout the shifter community saying I allow females to become Guardians. This is not true.”
A wave of mumbles and soft growls rolled through the crowd, but he held his hand up to silence them.
“Our females have stepped up and learned to fight back,” he continued. “These females have overcome adversity in our world, proving the old ways are no longer valid for our species. They have vowed to protect my pride, and for that, I have given them a role to protect my family should I, and my Guardians, be away. The females are an asset, and I respect them as much as my Guardians.”
He released his mate and stepped off the raised platform, coming to stand in front of the four females. “Of the females who’ve trained to fight, you four have shown you are warriors, protectors, in a time of need. I have tried to find a way to allow you to fight for a spot with my Guardians, but at this time, I am sticking with my final statement. Females will not be fighting at the solstice tonight.”
The pride gasped. The females never looked down, nor did they protest at his words. They were as solid as a Guardian and should be held in the highest regard.
“I have one final offer to the females,” he announced, raising his voice. “I am offering a training class to the females who wish to fight alongside my males. The stipulation will be they take a course, instructed by the females of my choosing. This course will be tough. It will test your abilities, and should you pass, I am offering you the roll of Protector. A Protector will be honored in this pride like a Guardian, and these females will continue to be in charge of our lands. They are to be equals.”
The rise of voices around him turned from shock to cheers. The only females not moving or speaking were the four in front of him.
“This is all I can offer you,” he said to them all. “The course will be the same as what we train the males, but it will keep you out of the dominance fights. It will keep peace within my pride.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Evie replied, clearing her throat.
“I don’t want an answer tonight,” he replied as the crowd’s cheering died down. “The four of you will need to discuss this and decide on your answer.”
“How long do we have to make our decision?” Hope asked.
“I’ll give you five days.”
The females nodded and Talon took his place on the raised platform. He couldn’t judge their feelings on the subject, but he did feel some uncertainty from Jade. He did what he could to save the sanity of his mated males. If he’d granted them a chance to fight at the solstice, the night would’ve ended differently.
Talon would let the females make their choice from the option he’d given them. If they decided to accept his terms, he would set up the program himself, because he knew each and every one of the females who were willing to protect his pride were worthy of the title of Protector.
The End…
Note from the Author:
Thank you for reading Booth.
We are nine books in, and I still love every single one of these characters. Booth and Jade were hard for me to write, because they didn’t have the easiest time in accepting the fact they were mates.
Jade reminds me so much of my mini me that I used a lot of her stubbornness and strength into this one.
Booth was a pain in my ass, though. Ack! So stubborn.
I came to realize something…Savage, although he is the most, well, savage, of them all, he is the one who likes to remind the others what idiots they are when they won’t touch the women who are destined to be their mates. Oh, Savage…such a romantic.
I hope you loved reading this book as much as I loved writing it. Please take a moment to sign up for my newsletter here… http://authortheresahissong.us9.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c4937ac38edd1ca66bdb0dac0&id=a1c57b98b0
And I know, I know…you guys and gals are ready for Noah and Landon.
They will be next.
Until then, be kind to each other…
Love,
Theresa
About Theresa Hissong:
Theresa Hissong is the bestselling author of the Rise of the Pride series. She writes paranormal romance, rockstar romance, and romantic suspense.
She enjoys spending her days and nights creating the perfect love affair, and she takes those ideas to paper. When she’s not writing, Theresa spends her free time traveling and attending concerts all over the United States.
Look for other exciting reads…coming very soon!
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Booth (Rise of the Pride, Book 9) Page 16
