Forever's Fight (13 page)

“Austin started to, but Patrick interrupted him. Chase was the one who let the bomb drop. Yes, they’re still both alive…well, last I saw of them. They took off while I stayed behind to have a few words with your brother.” All of a sudden, she wasn’t certain it was a joke. She turned to Jade and tried to swallow the fear that chilled her veins. “You don’t honestly think he’d kill them, do you?”

“Not Patrick, but another Alpha would. They disobeyed a direct order. Patrick specifically told us to stay out of this mating, that the two of you would work through it in your own time. He wanted to give you as much time and as little pressure as he could.”

“So, because he’s your Alpha you have to do everything he says? What kind of life is that?” she asked, incredulously.

“That’s how shifters survive. We need that command structure. Otherwise, things would get out of hand, especially in larger prides,” Jade explained. “Patrick is still new to his role as Alpha. He hasn’t been willing to embrace it as much as he should because we’re a very tight-knit family. Now that he’s allowing outsiders here, he’s going to have no choice. Either accept his role as Alpha or risk being overtaken…and none of us want that.”

“What would happen then?”

“For another Alpha to take over an established pride, he would have to challenge and defeat the ruling Alpha. If Patrick lost, it would put all of us at risk.”

Clarissa sat there for a moment, trying to digest what she had just learned. “Then why allow anyone else to come here? He already has Nolan here, then Andrew will come here, and he offered a safe place to Cotton, the wolf shifter we met when he found me.”

“He’s giving them a safe place in exchange for their help. Anyone who comes to Forever Creek will play a role in our future. We all have to fight together in order to regain our freedom.”

“You really do believe shifters can live amongst the rest of civilization again, don’t you?”

“I have to.” Jade’s eyes darkened, and Clarissa could have sworn she saw tears threatening to fall. “Otherwise, all that we’ve lost so far has been for nothing. All that we stand to lose in this battle has to be for something. We deserve to live without fear, just as everyone else does. If you didn’t believe it, too, you wouldn’t be here.”

“Believing and wanting are two different things.” She stopped swinging her legs and turned toward Jade. “I want to believe it could happen, but I’m not sure the government will ever allow it.”

“If all of us banded together, they’d have no choice. Shifters could stand united and strong, and our numbers would far outweigh those opposing us.”

Clarissa thought about that for a moment, conjuring images of Patrick standing at the frontlines, demanding their freedom. One new question popped into her mind. What would happen to a human mate of a shifter if the shifter were captured? Would the government put her into a camp like they were doing to the shifters who weren’t in labs? Or could she be killed?

She knew the powers that be weren’t above stepping on someone’s liberties if they thought it was in the best interest of the country. Now she wondered how many other humans with shifter mates would be at risk. How many had already been captured or killed? Were any of them in the labs, where scientists might study how the mating affected a human body?

“Clarissa,” Jade called out. “You traveled miles away. What are you thinking about?”

“Mates.” She shook her head and pushed the thoughts aside. Jade was dealing with enough, trying to relocate shifters in danger, reconnect lost family members. The last thing Clarissa wanted to do was get her started thinking about their human mates and what happened to them. Instead, she forced herself to change the subject, to focus on what they had been talking about initially. “Why wouldn’t he tell me that this unfinished mating would jeopardize the mission?”

“Because my brother is hardheaded. He thinks he can control everything, and that it’s his job to protect us all from the dangers in the world. He was always like this, but now that he’s our Alpha he’s become a little more protective.” Jade ran her hand over her midsection. “Especially with me.”

“He wants to keep you safe.” Clarissa caught the sudden change in Jade’s voice and the way her hand went to her abdomen. Could there be scars hidden under the sweater from the time she’d spent as a captive?

“He wants to do the same with you.” Jade smirked. “Patrick has a big heart, and he’ll go to the end of the universe for someone he loves.”

“I don’t want to be protected.” She tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “I guess that’s not completely true, or I wouldn’t be here. Still, I deserve to know the truth. How could this mating possibly work otherwise? If he’s going to keep important things like this from me, how can I have a strong relationship with him? Trust is the most important thing in a relationship.”

“Just trust? What about chemistry between the sheets? Love and romance?”

“Those things are important, too. Especially in the bedroom,” Clarissa admitted with a wink.

“I know you said you don’t want to be protected, but with the danger we live in, a protector isn’t a bad thing.”

“I guess you’re right. It’s just such a change for me. When he excludes me from something like this, it is hurtful. I felt like he doesn’t trust me.”

Jade nodded. “Patrick can be like that, but he’s doing it so you don’t worry as much. Go talk to him, let him know how you feel. Until the mating has been complete, both of you are on shaky ground. Once you’ve committed to each other, he’ll no longer be able to hide things like this from you. The two of you will be in tune with each other and there will no longer be secrets between you. Give things time. Everything will work out.”

She tipped her head to look at Jade. “I know you weren’t happy that he was destined to mate with me, and you didn’t believe I was good enough for him.”

“But you’re proving me wrong.”

“Maybe…but that’s because you opened my eyes to what I should have seen.” She pulled her legs out of the water, and turned toward Jade. “He needs a mate that is willing to stand by his side and fight for the good of the shifters. I wasn’t sure I was willing to do that but I am. How much help I can be is still to be determined, but I’m on your side. We’ll fight together.”

“Welcome to the family.” Jade leaned forward and hugged her.

That one word sent joy spreading through her.
Family…

It was beginning to snow as Patrick headed back to the resort. Ice crunched under his lion paws, and with each step his pace slowed. His beast enjoyed being set free, and didn’t want it to end. Giving himself just a few more minutes to feel the fresh air tease through his fur, he lowered himself to lay in the snow, on the last incline before reaching the castle.

For months now, this had been home, but he’d never felt completely comfortable. Now that he’d found Clarissa, it was beginning to seem more like a place he could enjoy living in. He caught a glimpse of movement in the pool room. Staying low, he scooted forward, ignoring how the snow cooled his stomach as he slid into a better position. Focusing, he could make out Clarissa and Jade sitting at the edge of the pool, their legs dangling in the water as they talked.

A twinge of jealousy coursed through him. He wanted that same natural ease with Clarissa, but now he was concerned he might have pushed her further away. However, he knew the relationship she was developing with Jade was important. She needed another woman to talk to, and so did his sister.

He could feel the connection come alive as Jade caught a glimpse of him on the hill, watching them.
Let go of your ego and get down here. Show your mate you’re only trying to keep her safe.
Jade’s voice echoed through their mental connection.
She needs your reassurance.

She’s pissed I’m trying to protect her.
He didn’t move.

You’re our Alpha. Being controlling and protective is in your nature. But she’s not a shifter and doesn’t understand. So, get down here and explain it to her.

He rose to stand on his paws and slowly wandered down the hill toward his mate. If she had been a shifter, she would have understood his role. She would have realized why he was protecting his pride. But a human would see it as being smothered. For the rest of their lives, he’d have a thin balancing act to follow when it came to keeping her safe and keeping his mate happy. In the end, her safety would outweigh her happiness. She could be mad at him and alive, but if she got killed because he hadn’t protected her, there was no going back from that.

As he strolled up next to the wall of windows he saw the way Clarissa watched him. There wasn’t fear in her eyes, only concern and curiosity. He loved the way her gaze followed him as he made his way toward the door.

“It’s Patrick.” Jade slipped her feet out of the water, stood, and made her way to the door to meet him. She scooped up her flip-flops along the way. “You two need to talk.”

“Talk? How is that going to happen if he’s like that?” Clarissa watched as Patrick strolled into the pool area and disappeared behind a wall where the showers were.

“Give him a moment and he’ll change. Meanwhile, I’m going to leave you two alone so you can work this out. Tell him. Otherwise, he’ll never know.”

A few minutes later, he stepped out with a towel around his waist to hide his nudity, and found Clarissa where she remained at the pool’s edge, staring out the windows, lost in thought. He stood there for a moment, admiring how the last rays of sunlight cast a golden aura around her. She was gorgeous, and if he played his cards right, she’d be all his.

“She’s right angel,” he said softly. “If you don’t tell me I’ll never know. I might be part human, but no matter how hard any of us try, we could never think like you. At least not completely. Our animal is always within us, and they play a part in how we think.”

“What do you mean?”

He sat down beside her, getting comfortable. “Take for example the fact that all of us are adults, but not one of us moved away from home. Austin did time in the military, but when he was discharged, he came home. To you, that might seem odd, but to us it’s normal. Even though some of our animals are solitary creatures, as shifters we band together. We’d spend our whole lives together if possible. We add mates and children into the mix, but most of us never leave our pride unless it’s to join another. There are a few who live alone, but they’re rare. Those are usually the ones causing the issues that expose us and make our presence known.”

“So, the wolf shifter who killed all those people didn’t belong to a clan?”

The headlines from the news flashed before his eyes. People had been eaten alive. He recalled human authorities hunting for the killer, while the shifters banded together, conducting their own manhunt. Knowing only a shifter could be behind the murders, they’d hoped to find the killer first. They were too late. In Washington D.C., cops stumbled upon him in the middle of his feast, two victims dead and another one barely alive.

“Patrick?”

He slid his legs into the water, and adjusted the towel that covered him. “He was a loner, that shifter. The loneliness made his sanity snap, and the wolf within him gained control.”

“Did you know him?”

He shook his head. “But if the Alpha of his pack had known his mental stability was in question, it was his duty to do something.”

“Even though he left?”

“The pack leader would have still felt the connection to him because he hadn’t vowed himself to another pack. So, yes.”

“Why do you call them a pack, but yours a pride?” She tipped her head back to look at him, leaning on the palms of her hands.

“Every group of animals is technically called something. For wolves it’s a pack, for bears it’s a sleuth, lions a pride, but with leopards it’s a leap. Some instantly understand what a pack or a pride is, but few know what a leap is. It’s just easier for some to be considered a clan instead. We’ve considered calling our group a clan instead of a pride since we will be made up of other shifters besides lions, but calling ourselves anything other than a pride is a hard habit to break. It’s not just a name, but who we are.”

She stared at him for a moment before letting out a deep sigh. “Jade said you need to embrace your Alpha more if you’re going to bring others in. Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“I do. In the end, it will give us more power. I’ve got my inner Alpha under control, and if they’re going to come here they will have to vow their loyalties to me, severing all their former ties.” He placed his hand on her thigh and gently squeezed. “This isn’t the reason you rushed off before. Don’t you think we should discuss that?”

“First, one more question. Why do prides make that much of a difference? I mean, you said before that the wolf snapped, and his beast took control. How does having a pride keep that from happening?”

“An Alpha has a connection with every member of his pride, so they’d have known long before the murders started and they could have redirected his mental instability into something else. It’s an Alpha’s duty to make sure things like that never happen, no matter the price.”

He’d already had to think about the price of his duty. When Jade was captured, he wondered what condition they’d find her in. Every day that passed, he hoped she could keep her sanity. He was grateful the scientists who tortured her hadn’t been able to break her spirit. She was still their Jade, despite the lingering scars and nightmares. Those were things they could overcome.

“How does this connection work with human mates?” Clarissa wondered, breaking him from his reverie.

“When one of my members mates, it lights the connection between the two. If the mate is a shifter, it would be the same as any other. They’d have to cut any ties with their previous pride or clan and vow themselves to me. If they mate with a human, the connection would still be there, but not as strong. My connection to the human mate would flow through the shifter. The shifter who vowed themselves to me would be the link joining the human to me and the pride.” He tried to explain how it all worked but it was so much more than that. Until she was fully a part of it, she couldn’t truly understand what it was like to experience the bond with the pride members.

“What about for
your
mate?”

With a raised eyebrow, he glanced at her. “For you, it’s different. Unless I shield you from the connection, you would feel the members of the pride. As my mate, your voice is like mine. They’d be expected to follow your orders just as they’d follow mine.”

“If our mating is going to work, you need to be straight with me,” she said, her voice firm. “That means telling me
everything
. I won’t put up with the old ‘protect the woman’ crap. I understand you have to safeguard the pride, but if I’m going to be your mate and I’m supposed to do my part, that means we’re equals and I refuse to be treated as anything less. I won’t have you hiding shit from me just because you think it’s best. You’re going to have to be up front with me, or we’re going to have some serious issues.”

“You know what they say about teaching an old dog new tricks? Well, it’s worse with a lion. Us big cats are set in our ways.” When she started to say something, he held up his hand. “But I’ll try. That’s the best I can give you.”

“When the mating is complete, won’t I know it when you’re hiding something from me?”

“Who told you that?” When she smirked at him, he shook his head and gave a light chuckle. “Jade, I should have guessed.”

“Is it true then?” she pressed.

“Yes. The connection would make it harder for me to hide things from you, even at a physical distance. That’s one of the reasons the mating should…well, it would help if it happened before I leave.” He paused for a moment, questioning his decision to be so forward about the topic. “Even with miles separating us, I would still be able to feel you as if you were there by my side, and my lion would be calm. Without the bond, my lion would be like a cat pacing a small box, searching for a way out, constantly on edge, and growing more and more distracted as our time apart stretched on.”

She pulled her legs out of the water and stood. “Who were you to decide I wasn’t ready?” There was an edge of irritation to her words.

“I was trying to give you time to adjust to all of this. You’ve been dropped into it, and it’s a lot to take in, to accept. I didn’t want to rush you into something you weren’t completely sure about. There’s no going back from a mating, and like I said before, there’s no divorce or separation. You have to be completely ready to jump in with both feet and hang on tight because it’s going to be the ride of a lifetime.”

“You couldn’t have known if I were ready without asking me.”

He stepped out of the pool and went to where she was standing. “Well, are you?”

She took a step back and raised an eyebrow at him. “If I say yes, are you going to take me right here on the cold tile?”

“Oh, angel, I’ll take you any way I can have you, but I think we can find somewhere better than the floor.”

The door pushed open and Luke hovered in the doorway. “Sorry.” He glanced from Patrick to Clarissa before continuing. “It’s important.”

“I’ll be there in a minute.”

Luke nodded. “My office.”

As the door closed, Patrick took her hand in his. “I’m sorry, angel.”

“Don’t be. Go. But when you’re done, come find me.”

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.” He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers in a sweet, tender kiss. His lion surged him forward, demanding a taste of her, but he restrained himself. There would be time for that later.

Clarissa had spent much of the evening in the lab analyzing LUNA and working out her calculations. She had only taken a brief break when Jade brought her a plate of food since she had skipped dinner. Now she was curled up in bed waiting for Patrick, her notebook and pen in hand as she ran through the calculations. Something about LUNA was amiss, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.