Shifter Legends (17 page)

Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. It shouldn’t be a problem for me.

Briana swore she saw a grin on his feline face.

Good idea. I will stretch out a little farther, funneling in the shifters along with Eliza. I won’t be too far, my love.
Grant heard it all as he separated himself from them. He was close enough to see, but the distance gave her a little room to plan. And to breathe.

The defensive position was a good one. They had chosen a higher ground, one that was complete with a rough terrain blocking the possible paths up. It wouldn’t completely deter them, but it would slow them down.

When the two groups finally clashed, sounds of bodies slamming against one another took Briana by surprised. They sounded like small bursts of thunder, a clap and then a crash as they came down on one another, the front lines taking the brunt of it. Briana wasn’t at the front. They were not as powerful as the fully trained Shifters, but they were still a formidable force, so Grant had positioned them towards the middle of the group. Shifters broke through the ranks, fighting breaking out and making its way towards her. Doubt filled her as she realized that there was no difference between these Shifters, they looked too similar. It wasn’t like her team was wearing red and the enemy was wearing black. Briana wasn’t sure if she would be able to fight them without knowing.

Relief flooded her as the first enemy came into view, approaching her. It was a lot easier to tell who was who than she had previously realized. She could feel the Pride bond, tell which Shifters were friend and which were foe by the feel of them, and the smell of them.

Luke reached the first Shifter before it even got within twenty feet of her and Lauren, the two at an arm’s length from each other as they searched through the crowds of people to see who would be charging at them. She kept her head on a swivel, like Grant told her.

How are you doing?
He asked, sending out a query from his location. He had to be at least fifty yards away. She thought he would stay closer than that.

No action here yet, just a couple of strays.

Our line is going to break, Briana. Then you will see more action that you could have wanted. We will make it, it doesn’t seem like they are as strong as I previously thought, but they are c…
Grant intercepted two Shifters at once, his thought cutting out as she watched him engaged in battle. She thought watching him take on such a formidable opponent would give her cause to worry, but it only strengthened her confidence in him, and in herself. He was strong as he took them both down at the same time, his Alpha strength and mental prowess proving to be too much for them. She watched them struggle against his will, but it was futile. He put them down. It was swift, but it wasn’t painless.

It was then that the line broke, just as he had said it would, a flood of Shifters making their way through the men, rushing to gain ground and take down her Pride. It was like a dam broke and all the water was rushing out, except these were cougars, and they were coming right for her.

The onslaught of Shifters dispersed through the group, until a small group made their way towards her. They must have felt her aura, because their Alpha status was strong as she took them in. This was as much a battle of minds as it was of body. She had to fight their calls to submit, realizing at once that she needed to send out her own calls.

We are the stronger force. Make them submit. You must make them submit. Do not kill them, if you do not have to, make them submit. Knock them unconscious.

Luke engaged two of the smaller Shifters, his will strong but his body stronger. The larger, more formidable Alpha approached Lauren and Briana, his inner voice screaming at them to submit.

Briana was one of the most powerful Alphas in the country, let alone her Pride. She wasn’t about to submit to this man. She screamed back at him, her thoughts blowing through the ranks in waves. Other Shifters on his team, further out, submitted to her will and immediately hesitated, providing her Pride with the moment that they needed. Shifters all around her went down, her Pride taking advantage of the slight misstep.

The man in front of her flinched, but only just before he came down on her, lunging for her to stop her from issuing out orders.

Her mountain lion was strong, but not as strong as his. He was at least twice her size. Lauren jumped on his back, sinking her teeth into him, hoping to deflect his blow, but his claw got Briana, digging in deep at her side, taking a chunk of fur with it.

She howled out in pain, which translated to anger and made her commands that much more furious as she screamed out into the battlefield for total submission.

This time the Alpha hesitated, his claws retreating as he unwillingly shied away from her. Her mind was so much more powerful than her physical body. It was her strength, and it was to be used.

Before she could gain control a force behind her picked the Alpha off of her body like it was nothing, sending him flying into a tree head first. The loud crack of his skull against the pine suggested that he would not be getting up from that slam.

A pair of jade green eyes met hers as Grant’s mountain lion stared down at her.

You shouldn’t have come for me. You left Eliza vulnerable.

She is fine. Mates are stronger when they are near one another. Lauren being on the same battlefield gives Eliza an advantage, especially so close to mating.

Lauren is her… mate?
She didn’t know Lauren had mated anyone. It must have been recent. No wonder all of Luke’s affection was going unrequited.

We don’t have time for this. You have succeeded in providing us the advantage we needed. Our quadrant is secure. We need to get to the north to support the Alpha. That is where a majority of the Shifters have been sent.

He was right. She nodded and motioned to her Pride mates who ran with him around towards the front, where the battle was raging.

What do we do with those who have fully submitted?
Briana asked, eyeing the few Shifters who were prostrate on the ground.

They will be escorted into our holding facility, where they will be taken as prisoners of war.

She was under the impression that motorcycle clubs didn’t keep prisoners of war for long.

They arrived just in time for their whole world to get turned on its side. The groups were locked in a battle, with Book at the front. He was struggling against a formidable Alpha, one that she assumed was Max. She couldn’t tell from where she stood, but she caught the very wisps of red fur that let her know it was most likely his lion.  He retreated for just a moment, but was back with reinforcements. One among those was the distinct lion form of Alice. She would know her anywhere.

So that was what the traitor had been doing while they were fighting their way out of the bar. Taking the opportunity to fight with the enemy. She was ready to pounce on her in that very moment.

 Briana watched as the strong Alpha and another large Alpha feline both lunged for Book, their claws ripping through him, their mouths strong on him as they overwhelmed him. They went down with him, the ripping and tearing of flesh so loud that the entire field of Shifters could hear it.

Anger, hurt, and fear flooded through Briana all at once. She looked around and realized it was happening to the entire Pride. They were all seething as they prepared to attack, any reason drained from their minds. They were bonded to their Alpha, even her, and they needed to make sure that whatever the consequences of the fight were, it was worth the cost.

Eliza sprinted at the two of them, leading a charge of about fifteen other Shifters, but it was already too late. The life drained from Book’s eyes before she even got there. Eliza grabbed Max and with a quick movement snapped his neck, leaving the Shifter limp. Her rage flowed through her as she exacted her revenge on the taxed Alpha. President or not, he was dead. It was over. Just like that. The group that was with Eliza tore down an entire row of Shifters, leaving Grant and Briana to compel the rest.

Rows of Shifters fell to their knees, the fight drained from them, the life in their eyes dull. They didn’t have the loyalty that her clan had. They didn’t have the fire. They knew they were outmatched. Especially without their Alpha.

“You will submit to me,” Grant yelled, grief fresh on his face. “And face the judgment you deserve.”

***

“What happens now?” Luke stood naked in the field, his body covered in blood as he looked over the battleground. They all had shifted back to their human forms to assess the damage.

 Corpses in human and mountain lion form littered the forest floor, their limp bodies set off at angles that were not natural. A few of them were alive, no doubt, but Briana wasn’t sure how many. All she knew was that they were leaderless. That a new Alpha was needed. That empty feeling was enough to make her numb. She may not have known Book well, but he was their Alpha. He pushed the pack. It was him that she owed her loyalty to.

She looked over at Grant who seemed to be a husk of what he was before the battle, before the trial. She saw vulnerability for the first time in his eyes, and it scared her. He spit on the ground and walked by her, barely seeing her as he addressed Luke.

“Now, we see who is still alive. And we make sure we get all the prisoners. We take a vote. In the Pride Council. And in the motorcycle club. Who lives. Who dies. We decide what to do with the other club. We decide what to do with the traitor.” It was then that she realized he was going through each person close to him and checking them for wounds, things that adrenaline may keep them from feeling.

“If we are lucky, one of the more benevolent clubs will come by and make sure we are getting on okay. If we aren’t, we will get a patch over, now that our Alpha is gone.” Grant checked Briana over, his hands roaming all over her body, making sure no blood was hers.

She had come out of this unscathed, but the same could not be said for all their friends.

“The patch over? Other clubs?”

“They were due for a visit anyways. This will just speed things up. When a Pride attacks another and loses, that attack is treated as an insurrection and the members are dealt with. If they win, then sometimes the bigger clubs turns a blind eye, allowing the Pride that challenges to either take over and absorb the old one, or slaughter them. Prides have allied clubs, hopefully one of ours will stop by. Hopefully one that isn’t looking to acquire any Alphas.” Grant’s tone was hollow as he explained.

“That seems pretty brutal.”

“We are feral Mountain Lions. We survive, Briana. We honor the brutal, we care about winning. About conquering. It is only when you fail that you are noticed.” She winced at how emotionless he was towards her now that he knew that she was safe.

“Spread out, we need to find our council members and our Alphas,” Grant instructed.

Briana turned to address Luke and Lauren, but it was then that she realized Lauren wasn’t there.

“Where is Lauren?” Briana asked a little frantic. She should have been there. There was no reason that she wouldn’t be.

“I… I don’t know. I got so caught up in the fight,” Luke admitted, searching the battlefield for her.

“Find her,” Grant ordered, concern in his eyes.

The two of them threaded through the bodies looking for Lauren. She had to be there. She had to be alive.

Briana moved through the bodies, pulling up anyone who was okay to walk, and calling attention to the healers when they found someone who was alive but in need of more critical care. All the while, she continued looking for Lauren. She could have been inside. Briana didn’t remember seeing her during the entire battle, but Grant had said she was fighting with Eliza.

“Briana. Eliza’s over here. She’s hurt. Get the healers,” Grant called out to her.

He looked worried.

Briana called out to the medics and ran to help him.

They had lost a whole lot more than they had ever anticipated. 

☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

Briana sat next to Luke and Lauren in the cafeteria as the two ate. It had been days since the battle, but the images of people dying before her eyes were there every time she tried to close them. All because of one person, one who had betrayed the entire Pride and gave away their location. Alice.