by Lacey Thorn
Em swiped a tear off her cheek. “I won’t let anything happen to her.”
“I know,” he replied. “Get to Wyoming. The Holloways will protect you. Knowing the two of you are safe will help me focus on what I need to do.”
Em gripped his hand hard. “Be smart. Be safe. Remember that baby bear of yours is counting on you to come back to her.”
“I will,” Malachi vowed, his gaze meeting hers. Cold promise lit his gaze, along with something else. He seemed almost apologetic.
She prayed fate wouldn’t steal Ruby’s father from her, as well. It would be a cruel blow the little girl should never have to face.
Chapter Two
“I’m not choosing,” Laramie Holloway asserted.
The words were like a bomb detonating in the room. Everyone grew quiet, then the shouting began.
“What the fuck do you mean you’re not choosing?” Koby, Laramie’s brother and second in command, demanded.
“Of course, you are,” Jensen declared.
“The fuck you aren’t,” Declan growled.
Slade and Brock threw out similar comments. Even Matheus, the youngest of the seven Holloway brothers and often the peacekeeper of the family, made his ire at Laramie’s words felt.
“Enough!” Laramie roared as he stood, bracing his hands on his desk and staring down each of his brothers until the muttering subsided. “As of right now, we can confirm only seven females from our pack survived the attacks. Three of them are already mated. Two to Holloways.”
Seven out of an entire pack of bears. There wasn’t a day that went by that Laramie didn’t remember the strategic attacks that had wiped out the lifeblood of his pack. First, with the death of his father, the alpha before Laramie. Then, with well-timed attacks that crippled them by appearing to wipe out all the females. They’d still been grieving the loss of their father when the attacks had taken place.
For five long years, they’d believed no females had survived, a death sentence in a bear den. Their females were the heart of the pack. Though male bear shifters could and did marry humans, only a female bear shifter could carry bear shifter children. By taking out their females, their pack had been as good as erased.
Only there had been survivors. Females the elders of the pack had hidden in a bid to keep them safe. Females that should have been brought to the alpha for protection. Immediately. Laramie was still angry the elders had chosen not to trust him. It didn’t matter that they’d all been advised to do so by the very man who’d betrayed them all—one of their elders, Lawrence Walker, a man who’d looked his alpha in the eye and lied. Numerous times.
“Koby and Declan getting mated has nothing to do with you selecting a mate,” Holt countered. The human was a great addition to their pack and was turning into a trusted friend. Holt saw things in a different light than the rest of them. Probably because he was new to bear shifters.
He’d first met Holt when he’d brought Gabriel’s mate to the Holloways for protection. Gabriel was the liger who’d brought their father’s body home. There wasn’t much Laramie wouldn’t do to help the cat. Unfortunately, there’d been a rogue shifter traveling with them who’d planned to take Gabriel’s mate back to the hunters who had experimented on her as a baby. The pride of cats had managed to prevent that from happening. Holt, along with two other members of the pride, had come back to the Holloways to offer help. They’d worried the bears might have been compromised during the cats’ brief stay on their land. Laramie liked the pride of cats—at least all the ones he’d met. They were good people, solid and trustworthy. He’d offered help when they’d needed it and knew they’d always return the favor if he asked. Especially now that one of their own had joined Laramie’s pack.
“It does,” Laramie countered. “The three surviving Blackstone sisters have chosen their mates. Sidia mated Koby, and Xandra chose Declan. The Holloway line will live on through them. The Blackstone line will live on through Jaeda since she took you as a mate.”
Jaeda Blackstone had been the first to arrive. She’d been stalked all the way to the Holloway land. The hunters chasing her had forced her to travel the final distance on foot, running hell bent for leather. Koby and Holt had been watching, along with Holt’s friend, a cat shifter named Murphy Dockery. Koby had shot the men chasing Jaeda, but not before they’d managed to strike her with a dart laced with a muscle relaxer and something stronger to knock her out.
She’d recognized her mate instantly, making a beeline for Holt and throwing herself into his arms. The minx might have tricked the human into mating her, but even Laramie could see the love that grew daily between the two. He watched it flourish for his brothers and their mates, too.
“There are only four females left that we know of. Not nearly enough for all the bloodlines in this pack. I won’t diminish other bear lines by choosing. I’ll select the males I believe are the strongest among us and let the four women choose from them.”
There was rumor there were more surviving females, those Lawrence had given to the hunters for God only knew what purpose. Laramie and his brothers had no idea where the females were or if they still lived.
“If that’s how you feel, then none of the unmated Holloways should be among the candidates,” Jensen declared.
Slade, Matheus, and Brock all nodded in agreement.
“I’m not asking that from any of you,” Laramie began, but Brock cut him off.
“You don’t have to. It’s the right thing to do.”
Laramie blew out a hard breath. It broke something inside him to think of his brothers never having cubs of their own.
“It’s a nice gesture, but you don’t have a choice, Alpha,” Koby stated.
Laramie merely crossed his arms and glared.
“No other male in this pack will pick a mate until their alpha does. We all know it. It won’t matter to the rest of the pack that two of your brothers are mated. Because none of them know the truth about the Holloways and how the Kodiak DNA works,” Koby reminded them.
“Not to mention, the Kodiak gene is recessive in both Koby and Declan. It’s not in you. There’s no guarantee either of them will sire a Kodiak cub,” Jensen interjected quietly.
Laramie growled in frustration. His brothers were right. No one outside of the family knew that any of the Holloway brothers could sire the next Kodiak bear. Laramie was the only one of the brothers who’d been born with the Kodiak inside him. His brothers were all grizzlies. But that meant nothing when it came to the next generation. Hell, if they were lucky, more than one of them would create a cub with the Kodiak gene. That’s the way it should be with seven of them.
The key was they had to mate a bear shifter female to have a chance. That was the thing about their breed of shifter. Only female bears could carry bear shifter children. A male bear could mate with another species, but he wouldn’t have children who carried his genes. Koby and Declan had both married female black bear shifters, which meant the Holloway line would continue. One or both of his brothers could create the next alpha. Yet, Koby was right. No one in the pack, outside of them, knew it. That meant none would mate if Laramie didn’t.
Keeping his lips firmly closed, Laramie conjured the words that had played over and over in his head since the remaining females had arrived safely to Holloway land.
They weren’t for him.
Though he knew any of them would accept him as mate, it wouldn’t be a bond built on anything other than necessity. God help him, but he wanted more than that, though he’d never admit it to anyone but himself. Hell, he’d learned from the master that the pack came first. He’d never questioned it. Until Jaeda Blackstone had arrived.
He’d dealt with the blow of his father’s murder, helping his brothers as they’d raged in grief. And he’d questioned. How had his father been captured? It made no sense. Matthew Holloway had been an alpha among alphas. Having a liger shifter bring their father’s body home after the hunting party had tortured and kill
ed him had nearly crippled them. The carefully planned attacks that had occurred during the wake of his death had finished the job.
The weight of being the new alpha was heavy on Laramie’s shoulders. He still felt the loss of every pack member killed during those raids. Though the focus had been on their women, many a man had been killed trying to protect the females.
Rage burned through that pain now that he knew the elders of their den had looked him in the eyes and lied to his face. Not a single one of them had come forward to speak to their alpha about what they’d suspected, a betrayal from within the pack. Or about what they hid—female survivors, the very lifeblood of the pack. It was a betrayal he’d never forget. Especially now that the pack knew it was one of their elders who’d betrayed them to begin with.
“Laramie!” The snap in Koby’s voice pulled Laramie from his thoughts.
“You okay?” Holt asked. Leave it to the former Marine to pick up on nuances Laramie’s brothers missed. It made Holt a valued member of their inner circle. He might be a new addition, one that Tah, the head of the feline pride, teased Laramie about stealing, but Holt belonged with them. He fit so seamlessly it was as if he’d always been one of them.
“I’m good. Just need some air.” Laramie rolled his shoulders as he moved toward the door then turned as several of his brothers rose to follow him. “By myself. I’m sure you guys can manage to entertain yourselves for the rest of the night. I’m going to do a quick walk-by of the cabins then check along the perimeter of the national park.”
“Brock and I were over there earlier,” Matthias said. “We haven’t gone over the trail to the east if you want to head that way.”
“I’ll do that,” Laramie agreed then stretched and opened the door. He’d taken a handful of steps when Jemma slammed into him. He knew she’d seen him there, knew this was part of whatever plan she had to get him to choose her as a mate. The youngest of the survivors was still in her teens, though she made sure everyone knew she was old enough to take a mate. Something about her rubbed Laramie the wrong way. Out of the four remaining women, she was the last one he’d choose.
“Oh, Laramie, I didn’t see you.”
He caught her hands and held them away from his body afraid the girl might actually try to grope him as she ran her hands over him as if searching for injury.
“You should watch where you’re going,” he snapped. “You could hurt yourself.”
“Not me.” She leaned in with a giggle and practically purred at him. “I can take things a little rough.”
“There you are.” Sidia, Koby’s mate, came around the corner, her eyes snapping fire at Jemma. “I told you to stay with the others. What do you think you’re doing up here?”
Laramie eased Jemma farther away from him, urging her closer to Sidia, who practically vibrated with anger.
“I didn’t want to stay down there. It’s stuffy in that room. Besides, I wanted to see our alpha.” She preened up at him, probably thinking she looked flirtatious. All Laramie saw was calculation. She had no chance in hell with him.
“Jemma, you’re to listen to Sidia and Jaeda. It’s for your safety,” Laramie reprimanded.
She tried to worm her way close to him again. “But I’m safe with you. I trust you completely. I’d do anything to please you.”
“Then obey Sidia,” he grunted as he stepped away, moving down the hall toward the main entryway and the door to fresh air. He heard Sidia’s angry tone followed by a growl from Jemma. He had little doubt Sidia would put the other woman in her place. Hopefully, before Koby heard the girl and chose to do it for his mate.
Laramie stepped out into the night and immediately his shoulders relaxed as the air whispered over his skin and the sounds of the woods surrounding their home filled the air. He headed toward the east, taking his time as his senses acclimated with the night. There was a hum to the air, a heavy blanket of humidity that foreshadowed the promise of rain. And something else. He couldn’t put a name to it, had no idea when or where, but something stirred the animal inside him. It was as if man and beast both waited for something.
He paused at the arch of the curve in the road that led to the cabins when headlights flashed in the distance. Most of his pack had already come to swear fealty then left, heading back to homes and lives that kept going no matter what their pack endured. He had no idea who was coming. He stood in the center of the road, feet planted firmly, arms crossed over his chest as he waited. The wind ripped at his hair as the SUV came into view.
The driver hit the brakes, but never once jerked the wheel. A woman. She started to open the door, making the light come on briefly before she shut it, glancing into the backseat. It had been only a moment, but it was plenty long enough for him to note the sun-kissed blonde curls tousled around a face that screamed perfection right down to the pale, blue eyes. Another might not be able to note as much so quickly, but he was bear. Alpha.
When she glanced back toward him then pushed the door open, he caught his breath then inhaled deeply as her scent tickled his nose. Human. Bear. And something more. Something illusive that teased his senses. He fought his bear’s growl. Fought the need to walk to her and jerk her against him. Instead, he stood quietly, watching as she made her way to the front of the white four-door and faced him across the glow of the headlights.
“Laramie?” His name tumbled from her lips and had his cock standing in reply as her husky tone seemed to wrap around him and stroke his flesh to life. “Laramie Holloway?”
He nodded, probably seeming arrogant when the reality was she’d robbed him of his voice. She was pure feminine perfection, and he was afraid of what might leave his lips if he opened them to speak to her.
“I’ve come to ask for your help,” she whispered, casting a quick glance over her shoulder toward the vehicle. “For your protection. Will you protect me?”
“Say it,” he rasped and noted the flare as her eyes widened. Christ, what was he doing? Did he really want her to say the words of the mating ritual? His bear growled yes, but thankfully, the man was stronger.
He inhaled again. He knew that scent. Had smelled variations of it on the other Blackstones. Each sibling had a different scent, but there was an underlying similarity other shifters could pick up on. Jaeda, Sidia, and Xandra were all at the lodge behind him. Only one other Blackstone’s scent could be on the woman.
“Malachi,” he growled and wanted to howl in denial that the woman before him could already be mated to another.
Chapter Three
Emersyn took one look at the giant before her, and her knees grew weak. She feared she might fall to them, and judging by the bulge in his jeans, she wasn’t sure what she might do once she was there. Damn! She’d taken one look at the man and known who he was. He had alpha stamped all over him. Kodiak alpha. She knew the arrogance well.
Damn it. Her father would have liked Laramie. The wayward thought made her heart ache. She had to pull herself together. Malachi and Ruby both counted on her. Damn Malachi. He hadn’t prepared her for Laramie Holloway.
Tall, broad, muscled. So many words could be used to describe him, but there was only one for how she felt. Hungry. For him. God, save her, she might be drooling.
His hair was closely cropped over his ears but lush and thick on top. The scruff that covered his face, slightly darker than the brown and blond of his hair, made her want to rub against him. She’d never felt this way about anyone, especially not at first sight. Not this all-consuming lust that had her nipples tingling and an ache growing between her thighs.
“Malachi.”
Laramie growled the name as if it tasted bad on his tongue.
“Yes,” she agreed. “Malachi sent me here to find the Holloways. To find you. I’m here to seek protection for myself and—”
She stopped mid-sentence at the sound of the door opening behind her. She turned just in time to catch the growling baby bear who ran for her. She scooped the little girl into her ar
ms and held her close. Ruby wrapped her hands around Emersyn’s neck, and the little girl nuzzled her throat as she peeked at Laramie from the safety of Em’s embrace.
“And Ruby,” Emersyn finished, running her palm down Ruby’s curls.
He inhaled. “Malachi’s daughter?”
She nodded in agreement. “And a member of your den.”
“As her mother, so are you.” Laramie didn’t sound happy about that. Malachi had told her she could use him as a barrier between her and the Holloways, but she wasn’t one to use others.
“I’m not her mother,” Emersyn admitted.
“Mama,” Ruby said, cuddling closer and making Laramie lift an eyebrow.
“Shh, baby,” Emersyn soothed, but her gaze stayed on the man in front of her. “Biologically speaking. I am, however, the only mother she’s ever known.”
“Mama Em,” Ruby agreed.
“Ruby, this is Laramie Holloway. He’s the alpha of your father’s den,” Emersyn stated. “Laramie, this is Ruby Blackstone, daughter of Malachi Blackstone and my late cousin, Amber.”
“They were mated?”
“Yes. Amber died during childbirth.”
“I hungwy,” Ruby announced and bounced on Em’s arm until she let her down. Ruby marched right up to Laramie, putting her hands on her hips and staring up at him. It was comical to see the tiny girl dwarfed by the giant man in front of her. Laramie immediately dropped to one knee but still managed to tower over Ruby.
“How’s breakfast sound?” he asked. “Eggs, bacon, toast?”
“Pannycakes,” Ruby said. “Wif bacon.”
“I’m a fan of pancakes myself,” Laramie told Ruby and held his arms out. Ruby showed no fear as she went to him and let him scoop her up as he rose.
“I yike pannycakes, bacon, and choco milk. You got any choco milk?” she demanded.
“It’s my favorite,” Laramie assured her then turned his gaze back to Emersyn. “What’s your name?”
