Keeper of the Alphas - Complete (26 page)

When Cami woke up, the house was lit up in deep blue shafts of early morning light. She was tucked in against Jayce’s chest, his strong arms wrapped around her, his legs entangled in hers, as though he meant to tie them together like a quilt. She cuddled against him a moment longer, loving his warmth, his unapologetic intimacy. Getting Marcus to snuggle like this was like pulling teeth.

Speaking of. There was an empty spot behind her. The fire had died down, snuffing out the warmth of the house with it. She could feel cold air peeking under the blanket—blanket?—wrapped around the two of them. Blue, wooly blanket. Must have been Marcus’s doing. She pulled the blanket around her shoulders tightly.

“Blanket hog,” Jayce murmured without opening his eyes.

“You’ve got me,” Cami said, tilting up against his chest as she squeezed him tighter. “I’m warm.”

“You’re like a human toaster oven,” Jayce mumbled groggily. Then he opened his eyes. Glanced over Cami’s shoulder, then over his own. “Where’s Marcus?”

“I don’t know,” Cami yawned. “Probably off being grumpy somewhere.”

“Maybe,” Jayce said, but he looked unsettled.

“Jayce?” He turned to look back at her. Cami traced a finger over his clavicle. “I have to pee.”

“Thank you for telling me that.”

“But it’s too cold outside the blanket.”

Jayce smiled down at her. “Do you want me to go get your clothes?”

Cami nodded vehemently. “Yes, please.”

He pressed a tiny kiss to her lips. “What do you want?”

“Umm…my like…white dress with the navy lace.” He gave her another kiss. “A clean pair of panties.” Kiss. “My white bra hanging off the bed.” Kiss. “Socks.”

“Any socks?”

“Something that matches.”

“Okay.” Last kiss, lingering. He tasted like sleep and sex and pinewood. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

“Thanks, Jayce.” She pulled the blanket tightly around her body and watched him get up. Still wildly impressed by the lines that ran down his back, the slim cut of his hips. An ass that looked firm enough to take a bite out of. “Nice ass,” she said as he walked away, half muffled by the blanket. He wiggled it and she giggled. He went upstairs and she felt a twinge inside of her, as though she were unlocking a safe. A fire tickled the logs behind her, warming the chilled cabin.

Jayce returned in record time with her clothes over his arm. “My hero,” she said and tugged her dress over her head. Cami dressed quickly, then rushed to the bathroom upstairs. She peed, brushed her teeth, combed her hair and braided it back. She felt sore from last night, but a good sore, like she’d run a mile. Refreshed.

When she came back downstairs, Jayce was wearing last night’s clothes and holding a slip of paper, looking perplexed. “What’s it say?” Cami asked.

“
Out. Be back later
.” Jayce folded the paper back and set it down on the table. “Does he do this a lot?”

“Yeah. Like, every morning.”

“Huh,” Jayce said.

“What?” Cami sprawled out in a seat at the kitchen table and extended her arms across it.

“Nothing.” But there was
something
written all over his face.

“Spit it out,” Cami said. “Cougar got your tongue?”

That made Jayce wince. Finally, his shoulders sagged and he said, “I can’t lie to you anymore. Not even for Marcus. We didn’t get attacked by a cougar last night.”

That made Cami’s blood run cold. “What
did
happen?”

Jayce leaned back against the kitchen cabinet, visibly uncomfortable, and said, “I saw him going into the woods, so I followed him. He was…training with another bear. He’s preparing to take on Aldric. On his own. He thinks if he defeats him and reclaims the woods, he’ll be able to keep you from tackling Aldric head on.”

Of course
. Leave it up to Marcus to do something suicidal.
For her sake
. Cami felt her blood start to boil. “So you think he’s…what? Out training?”

Jayce tilted his head. “That. Or.”

Cami lifted her eyebrows. “
Or
?”

Jayce raised his hand. “
Or
he knows where Aldric is and he went to track him down while we postcoitally slept the morning away.” A shrug. “It’s what I would’ve done.”

“Yeah.” Cami toyed nervously with a napkin on the table.

“Hey,” Jayce said, reaching into his pocket. “I got something for you.”

“A present?” Cami lifted her head, welcoming the distraction.

Jayce gave her a crooked grin. “Kind of. I made it a long time ago so…don’t laugh.” He handed her over a bracelet beaded with what looked like small animal teeth and precious stones.

Cami held it in her fingers, twisting them through it, and said, “Is this…?”

He nodded. “Yeah. You were fifteen and you asked for a necklace with raccoon teeth. Because you wanted to be—”

“—just like Pocahontas,” Cami finished. She looked up at him, grinned. “This is…horrifying.”

Jayce barked a laugh and held open his palm. “I can throw it out, it’s weird.”

“No! No.” She clutched it to her chest protectively and then slipped it on. “It’s
me
. I love it.”

Jayce looked secretly thrilled. He had to be. He’d only been holding on to that for seven years. It deserved a better
thanks
. Cami got up and went to press a kiss to his lips. And another. They were interrupted by a high-pitched yowl coming from outside. And then another. And another, until it sounded like a chorus of yips and screams.

“What’s that?” Cami asked.

“Stay here,” Jayce said, quickly stepping towards the door.

Cami, of course, did
not
stay there and went rushing after him, quick on his heels. When they burst out onto the porch, they were welcome by a quite a sight. A pack—five, maybe six, maybe
seven
coyotes—circled the house. Their fur was dusted cinnamon grey, ears back, each barking and howling as they approached.

The coyote in the center of the pack bowed over and shifted. He cracked and morphed into a man—darkly tanned, sleek, with black hair that flowed down to shoulders in waves. He was crouched over on one knee and he pushed himself up with his fingertips, tossing his hair back with a flick of his head and a darkly devious grin. “Well, well, well, ain’t this a pretty picture,” the coyote-man said, his eyes flickering between Cami and Jayce.

“What do you want?” Cami said boldly and Jayce moved an arm in front of her to keep her back.

The shifter’s eyes locked on hers. “Allow me to introduce m’self.” He took a bow, dramatically, as though he was lowering an invisible hat. “Remy Caylan, at your service, Miss Coltrane. Now, I’m afraid it’s not a
what
I want, darlin’. It’s a
who
.” His smile cut like a dagger. “An’ that
who
is you.
You-who
.” He cackled a laugh, and the coyotes barked with him until their racket became nearly deafening.

“Go,” Jayce hissed to Cami. “Out the back. Find Marcus. I’ll handle these idiots.”

There was strength in his eyes she hadn’t seen before, a solid, steadfast determination. “Jayce—” Cami started warningly. Yes, Jayce’s wolf was bigger than these coyotes, but he was vastly outnumbered.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said under his breath. “I’ve got a couple of tricks up my sleeve.”

As if on cue, one of the coyotes yapped as it flew up into the air, dry leaves scattering around it. Suddenly, the coyote was hanging from the tree in a mesh net, squirming and howling.
A hunter’s trap
. Jayce and Marcus must have set them up last night.

Remy watched the coyote struggle and then turned back to the pair, clicking his tongue against his teeth. “Now, now. That ain’t any way t’ show hospitality, is it?”

“Go,” Jayce barked at Cami and then crouched down, his wolf form quickly snapping into place. And just in time, too. One of the coyotes launched themselves at the two of them. Jayce’s wolf was nearly twice its size and he grabbed the dog, shaking it like a chew toy and tossing it. It skittered across the wooden panels of the porch, nails clicking.

Cami willed her frozen limbs to move. She couldn’t leave Jayce here. She couldn’t. But—

She couldn’t help him if she stayed.
Find Aldric
. If she could stop Aldric, she could put an end to this fighting.

Remy’s eyes flashed at Cami and, quickly, he shrank into his coyote form and came lunging forward.

Cami dashed back inside, slamming the door in his face. She heard the coyote form hit the door, heard him bark. The keys jangled as she snatched them off the foyer and zipped through the house, out the back door and towards Marcus’s truck. She could hear the animal sounds—the shrieks of the coyotes, the wolf’s low bark—and they vibrated through her bones. Her hands shook as she shoved the key in the ignition and twisted it. The truck sputtered and then squealed out of the backyard, burning rubber down Argonne Road.

Her heart pounded.
Find Marcus, find Marcus, find Marcus
. But how? He could be, literally,
anywhere
. The woods surrounding Tyburn went on for miles.

She felt a stinging sensation on the side of her neck and slapped it, expected to feel a flattened mosquito balled up in her fingers. Instead, she felt the ridge of her Mark, where Marcus had bitten her.

Cami put her foot on the breaks and tugged down the rearview mirror so she could get a good look at her Mark. It looked unchanged, but she could feel it underneath the skin, a low, burning throb. She put the gear in reverse and eased up on the brake. As the truck receded, so did the sensation. She flipped the gear back into drive and moved on ahead. The burning intensified.
Hotter
.

Marcus was in trouble
. And her Mark was leading her right to him. Cami flattened the gas pedal and sped ahead as the asphalt gave way to an uneven dirt road.

Finding Aldric was a challenge. At least, it
should
have been. But Marcus
knew
Aldric. He knew his clan-brother well. He knew all his favorite nooks and crannies to hide in, and he knew where Aldric went when he really, truly did not want to be found by hunter eyes.

Marcus couldn’t blame him. If he were planning to single-handedly rip every human in Tyburn to shreds, he would go into hiding, too.

Or not
single-handedly
. He could smell danger. Other bears. Foxes. The recently stale trail of a pack of coyotes. All leading in and out of the same place.

Deep in the woods, beyond the Rouge River (Marcus had trudged through the cold water to cover his scent and now his fur was heavy with it), was a passageway through the snaggle-toothed mountain.
Rormuth Pass
, they called it. The passageway was deep and black, easily hidden from human eyes. Beyond the passageway lay a clearing. Complete with tents. Huts. Mud-and-stick houses. Where his clan lived, comfortably, throughout the seasons.

His ex-clan
. Before he was defeated and ousted by Aldric. Even this far out, he could smell traces of his lost home. The wet-animal smell of unkempt bear cubs. Crushed boysenberries and blueberries, used for their color pigment. Someone was cooking. He could smell stew,
rabbit
. Hard times.

Marcus could feel his other home—his
new
home—simultaneously pulling him backwards. The whole trek here, he’d been fighting his instincts to turn back. It was a nagging, a dull throbbing at the back of his head, like a whisper:
Go home. Your mate is in trouble. She needs you
.

No
. Jayce would protect her. There was only one way to help Cami now. And that was to keep pushing forward.

When he got to the lip of the cave, Marcus closed his eyes and felt the transformation roll over him. It was law that non-clan members had to enter the camp in human form. He stood naked on two legs and stepped through the narrow passageway. His human eyes had a hard time adjusting to the dark, and he reached out with his hand, tracing the sharp edges of the rocky sides as he pushed forward.

A light peeked out through the end of the passageway. He followed it, squinting as he broke through. It took a second for his eyes to adjust and, when they did, he saw it. The den. Burlap tents, woven rugs, boiling vats of food and water. Men and women, many of them naked or barely clothed despite the cold weather. They had once been a proud clan, well fed, clean, where cubs tumbled around and played freely. Now, Marcus could only spot one, maybe two cubs, cuddled close to their mothers. Blinded by his hunger for power, Aldric had abandoned his clan. Many were thin, covered in mud. It was worse than Marcus had imagined. One by one, they stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at him.
Familiar
faces. Until every eye in the clan was on him.

Marcus stood his ground. Shoulders squared off. Strong, like a mountain. A flap from one of the tents lifted and Onya came out. She strode towards Marcus with a quilted piece covering her chest, a sarong wrapped around her hips. “Now you know how bad it is,” she said when they stood face-to-face.

His eyes met hers. Cold, hard. “Where’s Aldric?”

Onya looked nervously over her shoulder. Sure enough, Aldric came ducking out of the tent, loose pants hanging low on his hips. He narrowed his dark eyes at Marcus and stalked around the other man. “You got a death wish, brother,” he growled, his voice low and throaty.

Marcus didn’t budge. Instead, he kept his eyes on the Alpha, watching his every move. “I’ve come to take back what’s mine.”

“What’s
yours
?” Aldric’s voice was a loud boom, for all the clan to hear. He bellowed a laugh, an ugly sneer cut across his face. “There is nothing for you here.” Onya’s averted her eyes, dropping to the ground with forced obedience. Aldric’s scar shone prominently as he squinted. He spat on the ground at Marcus’s feet but, again, Marcus didn’t move, didn’t flinch.

“I’m challenging your position as Alpha.” Marcus’s eyes locked on the other man-bear’s. His voice rumbled, “One last fight, Aldric. You and me.”

“You will respect me as your Alpha,” Aldric roared.

Now it was Marcus’s turn to laugh. “You’re not my Alpha.”

“No.” His dark eyes measured Marcus’s, calculating. “You obey a new master now.” He leaned in; Marcus’s spine stiffened when he heard the other man sniff. “You stink of your human. The girl has tamed you, hasn’t she? You’re nothing more than a domestic dog that eats off the floor and begs for scraps. I will take us out of the darkness. When I am through, our people won’t have to hide anymore. We will live as kings. You have nothing to offer them.”

Marcus sighed. “A rat turd would make a better Alpha than you. I have not come here to argue.”

Anger flashed over Aldric’s eyes. “A challenge has been issued!” he barked, taking a step back and grounding his feet. “Onya, you will stand as witness.”

“Yes, sir,” Onya murmured dutifully. Her eyes flicked up briefly, however, and caught on Marcus’s. He gave her a small nod.

“Let the bear who wins this fight be crowned the true Alpha,” Aldric announced as the clan members huddled closer to watch the fight, eyes wide.

“And let the other die bloody,” Marcus muttered under his breath.

Aldric paced a semicircle in front of Marcus. Marcus remained motionless, but his eyes followed the other. “You would die, then,” Aldric growled. “For a human.”

“Not any human,” Marcus said.

“After I kill you,” Aldric said, his voice like chewing on metal bits, “I’m going to rip her navel to throat. Slowly.”

Marcus set his jaw. He crouched down on all fours and felt the change ripple through him, violence flooding his veins.
Time for the Beast to come out of its cage.
Aldric followed suit quickly. Dark hair sprouted from his skin, and his muscled shoulders rolled back, bones crunching. The hulking bear let out a roar.

Marcus’s bear didn’t waste time. He charged instead, ramming himself bodily into the other bear. They clashed—two big, hulking beasts—and rose on their hind legs, wrestling, teeth snapping.

The bears braced themselves. They were locked together, claws dragging lines into the dirt as they pushed against one another. Marcus tried to keep his bear firmly upright, knowing all too well that once they were on the ground, it was over. They were matched for strength and neither seemed to be giving anytime soon. Puffs of white air left their muzzles as they panted. Marcus’s eyes were locked on the other bear’s; Aldric’s scar was visible, a naked black mark above his eye, and his irises flashed orange.

Aldric shifted backwards and the unbalanced weight threw Marcus off. He came tumbling forward, and Aldric was on him instantly, pinning him down and sinking his teeth into the other bear’s throat. Marcus struggled under his weight but he couldn’t get a grip, not with Aldric forcing him down. He could feel his pulse beating under Aldric’s fangs as the other bear pulled, threating to rip his throat clean out.

Remembering Onya’s trick, Marcus swiped his paw against the ground, tossing up dust in Aldric’s face. The other bear released his grip and stumbled back, barking in pain, blinded. Marcus could feel blood weighing down his fur as he rolled up onto all fours. Aldric was furious, foaming at the mouth, his large head swinging side to side, the dust in his nose and his eyes making him as vulnerable as a cub.

This was Marcus’s chance
. Adrenaline pumped hotly through his veins. He braced himself and prepared to launch at the other bear and rip his head clean off—

“Stop!”

That voice
. Even with the thrill of the fight thudding in his ears, Marcus’s Beast couldn’t ignore that voice. His head swung around and he saw Cami. A lone human in the middle of a bear clan. Marcus could
smell
surprise ripple through the clan and his heart caught an extra beat, terrified that the bears would attack her. But she didn’t look scared; if anything, she looked completely at home. Her expression shifted only slightly when she saw how Marcus was bleeding, a look of worry crossing her face, but then she pulled it together and stared straight at Aldric. “No one’s dying today,” she announced loudly.

Aldric rubbed the dirt off of his face with his paw and Cami saw a new hunger gleaming in his dark eyes as he spotted Cami. Aldric roared and leapt at her. Cami didn’t budge. She lifted her palm and closed her eyes. Rather than drawing her power from her burning rage, she took a breath and cooled the heat in her veins. She let calm confidence flow off of her in tendrils.

She heard Aldric groan. When she opened her eyes, she saw he’d stopped in his tracks, only a couple feet from her. He’d been stripped of his bear form and now stood naked, all man. But his feet seemed glued to the ground, even when he tried to push forward.

And that wasn’t the strangest part. One by one, the bears all across the clan got on one knee and bowed down, their palms on the dirt, their heads dropped. Cami’s breath quickened and she murmured, “What’s happening?”

“They’re submitting to you,” Marcus grunted beside her. Back in his human form, he stood, bracing himself against the tree, with one hand clutching his bleeding neck. “You’ve tamed them.”

Marcus and Aldric were the only two left standing.

“I’ll tear you to pieces,” Aldric hissed, as though straining against an invisible leash. “Like your whore mother.”

“No,” Cami said. “You’ll
obey
me. Bitch.”

Aldric’s eyes widened as his legs suddenly went slack. He buckled and his knee hit the dirt, hard. His palm pressed against the ground to steady himself and he gritted his teeth, violently fighting to keep his head up. Cami saw his Beast strain, his eyes flashing red, his fangs extended past his lip.

She smiled. Her fingers spread wide, channeling everything in her. She thought about Marcus. Jayce. Everyone she had to protect.

She thought about her mother and the way she’d hummed to her as she’d drawn her fingers through Cami’s hair.

(That’s it, darling. Just a little more.)

Aldric couldn’t take it anymore. His head finally dropped, eyes averted to the ground. On one knee, palm on the ground, eyes at her feet, he was finally, fully submissive. “
Enough
,” he growled through his teeth. “I submit to you, my Keeper.”

Marcus pushed forward, his hand still on his throat. “Let me finish it,” he growled. His voice was hoarse, but there was steadfast determination written over his face.
Violence
in his eyes. He looked dangerous, wild, and above all,
scary
.

The bloodlust chilled Cami to the bone. She put her hand on his chest, stopping him in his place. “
No
,” she said, firmly. “Like I said. No one dies today.” And then, a little quieter, she added, “I can’t lose you, Marcus.”

“You won’t,” he snarled, eyes still fixed on Aldric’s bowing form.
Prey.

“Yes,” Cami said, “I will.” Even if Marcus survived the fight with Aldric, she knew from that look in his eyes that he would be gone to her forever. The Beast would take over, and then what? No more nighttime snuggles, no more kissing her all over, no more grumpily calling her a brat (and hiding a smile all the while). No more
Marcus
.

Slowly, the Beast seemed to recede and Marcus’s expression softened.
Her
Marcus. He stepped behind her, head bowed, and said simply, “Very well.”

Onya stood then, slowly getting back up to her feet. Her voice rang out, clear to the clan as she said, “All hail Cami, the Keeper of Tyburn. All hail Marcus, your new Alpha.”

Slowly, the bears began to chant. “Keeper! Our Alpha!” Eyes on Cami and Marcus.

In front of Aldric, Cami hadn’t been afraid, but now she felt herself take a step back, the responsibility of all those sallow-eyed faces weighing on her. She felt Marcus’s hand on the small of her back, keeping her in place. “It’s alright,” he murmured, a small smile playing on his lips. “I’m right beside you.”

The shifters were watching her, hopeful, with smiling faces.
Accepting
her into their fold. Cami felt as through her heart was swelling past the capacity of her chest; she was overwhelmed by their gratitude and love. For the first time in a long time, she felt at
home
.

“This looks like the end a’ the line for you, boyo,” Remy said as he stepped over and kneeled in front of Jayce. He smiled crookedly and said, “How’s about you tell us where your pretty little Keeper ran off to, ’n we won’t rip ya limb from limb, ay?”

“Go to hell,” Jayce spat, tasting his own blood. He’d injured his fair share of coyotes, but the remaining three still surrounded him, their teeth in his arms and legs, pinning him down.

“You first.” Remy winked. He reared back as though to transform and then—

A howl broke through the woods from far away. And then another howl joined it, closer. And another joined the chorus, each howl and roar louder than the last.

The coyotes released him from their needle-sharp teeth and backed away. Suddenly they joined in, howling and yapping. A few started in on unbroken whining.