The Alpha Bear's Magician

by Jasmine Wylder

  "Yes." The alpha grunted. "Right through here."

  He led her around some thick wild rose bushes, into a small glade of grand fir trees. There were several fallen cedars nearby, which made a small cave. Not as nice as the cabin, but as darkness fell Mandy didn't really care. Her bladder was full to bursting, and she slipped away to take care of her business. When she returned, Zack was gone. Martin and Adam left as she sat down next to a small fire. She shivered, and Daniel moved a little closer.

  "Thank you, for before."

  Daniel shrugged.

  Mandy fidgeted, holding her cold fingers to the heat of the fire. "So… how did you end up being alpha anyway? I mean, I know that it's a hereditary thing, usually, but you're rather young…" She sucked her lips between her teeth, regretting the question as Daniel's eyes darkened. What kind of dumb question was that, anyway? "I'm sorry. You don’t have to answer that."

  "My parents were killed in a car crash a year ago. I became the alpha by default. It's not like the clan really wanted me."

  "Really?" Mandy was stunned. He seemed so dedicated to the clan, to the detriment of his romantic relationships even. "Why?"

  "I have social issues," he said with a small, pained smile. "I don't always understand what people need or want from me."

  Mandy squeezed his hand. "That's a lot of pressure, especially on top of being an alpha."

  He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, and his lips pulled into a weak smile. "I think you're the first person to actually say that."

  Her cheeks flushed pink and she looked away. "Well, I know I wasn't here for long, but it looked like you were doing a pretty good job to me."

  Daniel shrugged. He added a few twigs to the fire. "My father was much better at all of this. He was dynamic, charismatic, fair. I can't remember him ever losing his temper. Adam is much better at that sort of thing than I am. I know of a few clan members that wished that he would challenge me for the leadership."

  Mandy frowned. It was true that she hadn't been there long, but from what she had seen, there was no way that Adam would challenge his brother. She opened her mouth to say so but found herself unable to speak. Maybe it was the lighting of the fire flickering over Daniel's features, echoing the sadness in his eyes. Maybe it was the closeness she needed from him on this cold night to warm her. Maybe it was the frustration of Zack and his unwanted persistence.

  In any case, she suddenly found herself moving forward. She shifted to her knees and pressed her lips against Daniel's. He jerked surprised, but as Mandy was pulling back, mortified that she had just put him in such a position, his arms snaked around her waist and he pulled her back tight, hard. Her eyes slid shut as the kiss deepened.

  Daniel released her suddenly. Mandy ran a hand through her hair, flushing, as Martin and Adam both returned to the glen, each carrying some small logs. None of them looked at each other and Mandy had to stifle a giggle. The mood dropped significantly when Zack returned. Soon after, Mandy crawled into the cave of fallen logs with the jackets the men gave her. She watched Daniel's form in the firelight until her eyes were too heavy to keep open. A smile crossed her face as she drifted off.

  It was a nice kiss. Shame there couldn't be more.

  Chapter Six

  Daniel

  He tried not to linger too long on the kiss. Even if it meant something, the fact was that he didn't have time for romance. He had his clan to look after and a wicked vampire to stop. Once that was done, it wasn't like Mandy would stick around.

  After Eleanor was defeated, he needed to solidify his place as alpha and work hard to prove himself worthy of leading them. He couldn’t waste time romancing a woman. It didn't matter that she was soft and sensuous, or that holding her in his arms had made his blood fire. Romance just wasn't in the cards for him. He had more important things to worry about.

  And yet the next morning, the taste of her lips kept slipping back into his mind, along with an ache in the pit of his stomach for more. He'd never thought that it was appropriate for two people who had barely met to jump into bed with one another, but if they hadn't been interrupted the previous night… who knew how far they would have gone?

  He shook his head, driving out those thoughts as they came through the trees to the wolves' town. The buildings were built in more slender styles than the bears preferred, with gently sloping roofs rather than the steep peaks that were seen in his clan's territory. The streets were built closer together, the sidewalks only wide enough to allow one person to pass at a time. The whole thing looked rather cramped to him.

  As he emerged from the trees, the others trailing behind him, Daniel frowned. He often visited the wolves, and he had never seen the streets so quiet before. They were constantly coming and going, even at night. A shiver ran down his spine and he knew in the pit of his stomach that Eleanor had beat them here.

  The wolves' alpha, an old man named Philip, exited a nearby building. A dozen of his best warriors streamed out from behind him. Philip walked towards them, his step light, airy almost, a smile beaming on his face. Their movements were languid, but it couldn't be a coincidence.

  Daniel held a hand out behind him. The others came to a stop, although the lion stepped up beside him and made a show of flexing his muscles. Idiot. If they were enthralled, no macho display would stop them.

  "Daniel!" Philip cried as they drew closer. "It's good to see you, my boy. We've been expecting you."

  The only words Philip ever had for Daniel before this was 'you'll never be as great an alpha as your father'. Even if he hadn’t known that something was wrong, that would be enough to tip him off. His hackles rose as he took in the glassy look in Philip's eyes. His first instinct was to get his brother, Mandy and the others out of here, but he forced himself to stay still. In a game where they were already outmatched, he needed to know what his enemy's weakness was. That meant talking.

  "I assume since you're happy to see me, Eleanor has been here," he said evenly, keeping any threat from his voice.

  "Eleanor, yes." Philip beamed. "Charming lady, isn't she? She's most anxious for you to join her. I tried to dissuade her, but she got me seeing the truth of the matter. You're not an entirely bad chap. Everybody has their uses, even you."

  It seemed that Eleanor's enthrallment turned her thrall's brains into soup. "And my use will be?"

  Philip sighed. "The greatest honor of all. She has decided that you will father her children, to lead her generals once they are resurrected."

  Hell.

  No.

  He felt the growl rising in him at just the thought of the vampire using him that way. His bear charged forward, battering against his ribs. He rolled to the balls of his feet, preparing to attack. The wolves shifted their stances too, anticipating him.

  Behind him, Mandy whimpered.

  "The queen wants her, too," Philip said, eyes on the witch. "She said we could kill the others if we have to, though. But that won't be necessary, I'm sure now that you know what she wants you'll go right to her."

  Should he press for more information or get them out of there? A growl rose up his throat, and the wolves began to fan out.

  "Run!" Daniel shouted.

  The wolves behind Philip launched themselves forward. Daniel let his bear take charge, and with a roar met them.

  On either side of him, Zack and Adam attacked, blocking the wolves from Mandy. Martin began chanting words and throwing bolts of light. A glance back showed Mandy with both hands pressed into the ground. Daniel roared in fury as he grabbed Philip by the neck and threw him to the ground. Did none of them know how to obey orders?

  A wolf leaped at Daniel, but a vine burst from the ground and wrapped around its throat. The alpha batted his paw at another of the wolves, sending it bowling backward, and roared, ordering his companions to flee. Several more wolves tore into his side, forcing him to release Philip.

  With a howl, the alpha wolf launched himself at Zack. The lion lithely leaped over the wolf and came crashing down on
his back. Daniel roared, once again ordering a retreat. Adam backed to Martin and tugged at the wizard's arm. Martin, in turn, grabbed Mandy around the waist and started to pull her away. Zack looked up at him with his yellow eyes, tail twitching, mane bristling around his feline face.

  Philip howled. Zack tore his claws into the alpha wolf's sides and seized his head in his giant jaws. He yanked and twisted his body–a loud crack shot through the air and Philip collapsed.

  Horror flooded Daniel. He wasn't a personal fan of Philip, but the old wolf had been a great alpha and was well respected by his clan. He charged forward. The wolves flowed towards them. Four of them jumped on Adam, another two at Martin. Daniel threw himself at Zack and seized the lion by the scruff of his neck. Zack snarled, slashing at his stomach and Daniel dragged him back.

  "We have to go," Mandy cried.

  Zack twisted and clawed at him, and he released the lion. Let him be enthralled or killed! He was lucky Daniel didn’t kill him himself after what just happened.

  The alpha bear ran for Mandy, who was surrounded by wolves by this point. He barreled through them, stopping by the witch long enough for her to clamber onto his back, and rushed for the trees. Moments later Zack fell in step behind him. A glance back showed Martin and Adam forming a line against the wolves, keeping them back.

  Daniel almost turned back. He would have, too, except for Mandy's weight on his back. With a cry of anguish, he plunged into the trees and left his brother behind. He ran until his lungs stitched with every step, and even then he forced himself to keep going, albeit at a slower pace. When he felt like he couldn't take another step, he stopped and allowed Mandy to slide off his back.

  As soon as he was certain she had regained her footing, he whirled on Zack. He shifted, hands clenching into fists. His bear roared, wanting to rip off the idiot lion's face. Part of his mind said that he already had a reputation for having a bad temper, but Daniel didn't care. He slugged Zack right in the mouth. Bones cracked, and the alpha smiled. Good.

  Zack growled and jumped at him, but before he could make contact, a vine burst from the ground and wrapped around Zack's middle. He was dragged back, and as Daniel followed, Mandy jumped in front of him, putting her hands out.

  "They were enthralled, you didn't have to kill the alpha," Daniel snarled at the lion. "You shouldn’t have."

  "You weren't going to do it," Zack snarled back. "Enthralled or not, they were going to kill us. Why should I show any mercy? I'd expect this sort of weakness from a bleeding heart like Mandy, but alphas are supposed to be stronger than that!"

  "Alphas know when to kill and when not to."

  Daniel sucked in a deep breath. Losing his temper wasn't going to help the matter. As much as Zack disgusted him and how he clearly held no regrets despite having just killed a man, he was still needed. They had just lost Martin and Adam, and Mandy needed protection. He hated having to trust her safety to this disgusting brute, but when it came down to it, better him than one of Eleanor's thralls.

  Once this was over, however, the lion would face the consequences of his actions.

  Mandy stepped closer to him, trembling. Her hands clasped his biceps.

  "We have to go back. Martin and Adam. They need us to go back. She'll enthrall them again, and then what?"

  "If we go back, we'll be enthralled, or at the very least captured until we're enthralled."

  Mandy's eyes widened. "We're going to leave them?"

  "They probably won't be enthralled. Just killed," Zack said with a nasty smile.

  Daniel hated the thought of leaving his brother. His chest ached even as he made his decision. But part of being an alpha was making sacrifices–hard ones at times. "We keep moving. Eleanor's power is spreading, but she has to have a limit to her power. We need to get somewhere where we can warn everybody about her. Humans, witches, shifters. We all have reason to want her stopped."

  Mandy's hands patted around her hips before she rose her hands helplessly. "I don't have my cellphone."

  "Mine broke," Zack muttered.

  Daniel didn't have one, either. He almost cursed but held it back at the last second. What was the point of all this technology if none of it worked when you needed it? It was like the tractors that the clan used. As soon as the fields were ready to plow, they'd break down. Sometimes he wondered if the whole industrial revolution had been a terrible mistake. The only good thing to come from it was better medical technology.

  "If magic is what brought her back, magic can stop her," Daniel said, focusing on Mandy again. "We need to get to your coven. This time we can't risk going too slow, so we will go to the road and take the first vehicle that comes our way."

  "And what if the person we take it from—" Zack started.

  "I said take, not ask nicely if they'll give us the keys," Daniel snapped. "Mandy, I'll carry you."

  Her eyes narrowed. "No."

  "We're going to be running, and your legs are too short to keep up."

  Zack opened his mouth, but Mandy spoke before he could. "Fair enough. I'll let you carry me, then."

  The dress she wore was torn to her hip, revealing a shapely leg and a peek of red lace underwear. If the situation wasn't so dire, Daniel would have spent a little more time soaking in that knowledge, but there was no time for that. He crouched in front of her, and she scrambled onto his back. Her legs wrapped around his waist, and he gripped her thighs to lift her a little higher. He liked the feel of her skin in his hands more than he cared to admit.

  "Figures," Zack grumbled under his breath. "It took me five months to convince you to let me meet your parents, but your new boyfriend gets to meet them right away."

  Was he being serious? Daniel gave him an annoyed glance. Either that was a bad joke or he was trying to guilt her about something that wasn't happening. Even if she had kissed him, Daniel wasn't her boyfriend. And running from a vampire queen was hardly the time to be picky about this sort of thing.

  "We're not going to meet my parents," Mandy mumbled, hardly audible. "Just my mother. My father's in jail."

  Chapter Seven

  Mandy

  They continued all through the night. Mandy's eyes ached from tiredness, and the starting of a headache throbbed in her temples. They had followed the road for a long ways before a vehicle had passed them by. Daniel hadn't fooled around to get it, either. He threw himself into the car's way, and when it slid off the road to avoid him, he hauled it back onto the blacktop and politely informed the driver, a young woman, that they were taking the car.

  Daniel had driven and Zack took the front seat, leaving Mandy in the back trying to comfort the terrified woman. By the tears streaking down her face, the witch's words did no good. Mandy herself could hardly muster up the right words as she told the woman what was going on. It all seemed so impossible.

  The coven's town looked as it always did, bright houses with gardens in their front yards lining the streets. People were out and about, cheerful as usual. Mandy directed Daniel to her mother's house. Once there, he handed the keys back to the woman and apologized for the fright he had given her.

  "You need to go as fast as you can. Go north. There's a war coming," he warned her.

  She took off at once, but Mandy didn't stop to pay attention. Her hands trembled as she rushed into the house. The door was unlocked, but the house was quiet.

  "Mom?" she called. "Aunt J?"

  There was no answer. That in itself wasn't cause for alarm most times. They lived in a tight-knit community with a low crime rate. Her mother left the house all the time without locking the door. In this situation, though, Mandy's nerves stood on end. She gathered the magic in the pit of her stomach and braced herself to attack in case they were ambushed. Daniel's presence behind her was comforting.

  "Mom?" she called again.

  Daniel's hand closed around hers. "We have to get to your council. This situation is going to take a bit of convincing."

  "We shouldn’t have wasted time coming here," Zack muttere
d.

  Daniel growled. Mandy knew he only came here to try to alleviate her fears. Instead, they had grown worse.

  "Mom often goes out visiting people," she said hesitantly. "She's probably with a neighbor."

  "We have to go." Daniel tugged her hand.

  Mandy hated leaving, even though she knew that there wasn't any point to sticking around an empty house, waiting. They probably should have gone to the council first, but she was so worried...

  "Let's go," she mumbled.

  The coven needed to know what was coming. Still, her feet dragged as Daniel gently guided her towards the front entrance. Her heart hammered in her chest and the taste of bile was strong in her mouth. If something had happened to her mother and aunt…

  The back door opened and closed. Mandy's heart nearly leaped out of her chest as she turned towards the noise. She clung to Daniel's hand, light-headed. She couldn’t make herself move, too afraid that it wasn't going to be her mother or aunt, that it would be someone else, a harbinger of doom.

  Or that it would be her mother or aunt, under the thrall of Eleanor.

  "Mrs. Hicks?" Zack called.

  A moment later, Mandy's mother stepped into the room. She wore her plain gardening clothes, spotted with clumps of mud, earbuds hanging from the iPod shuffle clipped to her collar. Mandy let out a cry of relief and rushed to embrace her mother. Mrs. Hicks made a startled noise but hugged her back.

  "Mandy! I didn't expect to see you today. Let me look at you." Mrs. Hicks pulled back to arm's length and looked up and down Mandy's form. A pleased smile crossed her face. "Oh, you look fantastic. And look at that curve in your tummy. You're pregnant, aren’t you?"

  A red flush rose in Mandy's cheeks. "Mom!"

  "What?" Mrs. Hicks rolled her eyes. "You've always been shy, but this is ridiculous. Why else would you come visit me in the middle of the week? And you've got Zack with you. I'm so glad to see that you're back together."

  A chill ran down Mandy's spine and she stepped back. Her mother had never verbally said she didn't like Zack, but the way she reacted when Mandy told her she had broken up with him was more than enough to prove there was no love lost there. And now she was saying these things…