Shifter Legends (18 page)

She had gotten away in the end, retreated to another biker club’s hideout, no doubt. And for what? Her M.C. had lost. They were destroyed. At least, the ones who had stepped forward to fight. It had cost both sides a great deal.

They had lost their Alpha, two of their Pride Council members that she didn’t know, and they had almost lost Eliza.

Lauren had gotten lost in the fighting, unable to determine where Eliza had landed, so she fought hard to protect her, but in the end she had gotten separated. When they told her about Eliza, Lauren rushed to her, and didn’t leave her side until they determined she would live. No one was sure if she would ever walk again.

“How is she doing?”

“She’s talking. It is slow, and kind of labored, but they think she should be able to gain most jaw function over the next few weeks.” Lauren looked like a shell of her former feisty self.

“Eliza is a strong woman, and a great fighter. She’ll survive. I’m sure of it.” Even if she wasn’t she would not have said anything different. It was what Lauren needed to hear. That was her job as an Alpha.

“Grant hasn’t been to see here all day. Where is he?”

 “I’m not sure, to be honest.” She only saw bits and pieces of him, even though she was living in his room now. He would come in, grab her and hold on to her, sleep for a few hours, and then make his way back to the council.

The burden of cleaning up the mess rested on Grant’s shoulders, but he stepped forward, like a true Alpha. Briana was the only one that ever saw the doubt in his eyes.

So when he walked into the cafeteria and locked eyes with her she knew something was up. She stood and walked towards him, without even making her excuses to her friends.

“You need to come, the council needs you right now. Bring Lauren too. She can’t hide forever.”

The two of them got up and followed him out of the cafeteria and through the hallway. It seemed like they were never alone anymore, eyes always on them. The same sad, pitying stares. Was it because they were a part of the Pride Council now, or because they lost loved ones? She wasn’t sure, but she knew she did not want to know.

“Why?” She asked. Briana wanted to give her friend as much time as possible to process.

“They’re coming.” It was all he said as he opened the door to the Pride Council and ushered them in.

“Who?” She fought the urge to roll her eyes. He was so aggravatingly cryptic lately. Their mating bond was stronger than ever, but she could tell he was shutting her away.

“The Desperados. The bigger, badder M.C…” His eyes were hard as he looked her over, then they softened. He pulled her close to him and kissed her softly. “The worst part is, who they are bringing.”

“Who?”

“Your mother.”                            

She knew the M.C. was just the tip of the iceberg. Not everyone on it was friendly, even if they pretended to be, like Matthias, and not everyone would be there to do them favors.

It made her even more nervous.

“I’m sorry this is just… it is a lot to take on, Briana. I need you to be there for me. Can you do that?” Grant’s face was serious as he looked at her. The council room was empty, but she knew there was a place for her there. One that she had to fill. She looked at Lauren, who nodded at her.

“I’ll always be here for you, Grant. I am mated to you. I need you. Just don’t shut me out.” She cleared her throat. “We need to form a plan. Some way to sway the entire Pride Council to be on our side. To help us get the advantage. I have a feeling we are going to need to play some serious politics.”

“Well, you’ve come to the right V.P.”

☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

“Can you explain to me again what exactly is going to happen?” Briana had been trying to chew over what Grant said earlier all night, but she needed more detail. Needed to know the inner workings of the club that was coming in to judge them. He was faster than her and his stealth as he dodged the other people moving through the halls of the lodge could not be matched. She felt like a bumbling idiot next to him.

“Whichever motorcycle club decides to “mentor” comes as soon as possible, Briana. They are the ones who judge and sentence those who fought against us. They also decide our fate. It sucks. We could maintain our independence, or be a part of their club. It’s called a patch over. It means our cuts get a new patch on them. Their patch.” He pointed to the patch on his back that labeled him a “Shifter Legend.” “It might not be there forever. We were ready for this, hell we are still cleaning up blood and attending to the wounded. Eliza is still in a hospital bed.”

“What will happen to them?” Briana already had an idea from what he had said earlier, but she couldn’t help but ask again. She wanted to know exactly what would happen.

“Many will be absorbed, but many more will be executed.” Grant looked around and added, “That is why I want you to come to the Pride Council meeting. We need to discuss the possible consequences.”

“I get that they attacked you without just cause and they lost, but don’t we want as many Shifters in the world as possible?” Shifters were fewer in number than ever before, the mixing of human and Shifter making people like her, people who had recessive shifting talents, fewer and fewer. Her instincts prickled.

“The punishments are harsh in order to deter people from this kind of behavior unless they are sure they are going to win. It’s like that for a reason. Pride law isn’t the same as what you are used to. Things are much more brutal in our world.” Grant kept his voice low as he moved through the crowds of people but she could still sense the feral in him, and it scared her. They all seemed to have their eyes on him since the battle, and the death of their Pride leader. Grant was Second in command, which now made him Alpha. He commanded everyone’s attention wherever he was. Briana had not gotten used to that yet, and half the time she had to fight the urge not to snap at those staring.

Down, girl. He is the Alpha now. We will have plenty of time to take a bite out of them.

Grant grabbed her hand and pulled her close to him as he turned down the hallway and walked through his bedroom door.

“Right now, all I want to meet is you, under my sheets.” Grant grinned, his smile infectious as he grabbed her giggling, and carried her to the bed.

She couldn’t help it, when he touched her that same want moved through her. She needed him. At least until she figured out which end was up.

☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

“Why should we even listen to you? What the hell do you know about running a Pride? You were just the VP. I was the real right hand of the President. I should run the Pride.” Olivia was pissed, and she came out swinging at the council meeting. Challenging his rule.

“You can’t run the M.C. you aren’t even a member, Olivia.” A couple of people nodded in understanding. She was his mate, and that said something, but everyone knew that they were not a loving couple. Loving a mate created a bond that couldn’t be denied, one that would have left any other loving mated couple feeling the same way.

Not everyone was happily mated though.

Olivia stood and glared at Grant as the two of them made their way to their chairs at the center of the council.

“I propose that we reconsider the Pride order. I feel less than confident with the current regime change.” Her words had a bite as her eyes glowed and she stared over at the two of them. “We hardly know the Alpha’s mate, and he has proven less than rational at times. Why should we trust him to take over?”

Her instincts were screaming at her not to trust him. Not to trust anyone. Her mother was coming, and she was bringing answers. She wanted them to be the answers she always dreamed of.

Matthias’s words had been eating at her ever since that day in the woods, eroding her trust.

They were hiding things from her. Grant too. She knew there was truth in his statement, even if Grant dismissed it. Yet, she couldn’t dismiss the bond she felt for her mate.

Briana fought the urge to growl, physically growl at Olivia. She was a bitch who needed to shut up. Instead she stood and stared the clearly defiant woman down.

“That is enough. You will be respectful in this room. Do you understand?” It was an order, not a request, and the forced nod reminded the entire room of who the true Alphas were.

Grant held up his hand to Briana and then stood. “Olivia is right. If any of you doubt my effectiveness, or my mate’s, we will not be able to run this Pride in a way that is conducive. So, we need a vote of confidence. Raise your hand if you oppose my interim rule until the appointment of the Alpha by the Elder Council.”

Irritation flooded her as her own mate scolded her. It wasn’t like him, but he wasn’t just her mate anymore. He was the Alpha.

Olivia was the sole hand in the group. No one else so much as twitched theirs.

“I believe it is settled then. Thank you Olivia, for your vote, but as you are the sole no-confidence vote, I will be remaining in power. You may choose to stay or leave this council.” He asserted his dominance over her very subtly, but when she got up to leave, the tension slipped away from his face. He looked every bit of the Alpha in that very moment, his hard jaw and commanding eyes asserting all the dominance the Pride needed. It sent a chill down Briana’s spine. All that strength was hers. He was hers.

“Now if you excuse us, we have a visit to plan.” His cold demeanor reminded her of what Matthias had said, that even Grant could not be trusted.

Briana tucked in and got ready to go over boring details of custom and culture. Motorcycle Clubs were not something she knew anything about, let alone Pride customs. When a bigger M.C. comes knocking on your door, you have to act a certain way. It was overwhelming, and her eyes glassed over a few times, but she knew with Grant’s guidance she would get through it just fine.

The only thing that nagged at her was Matthias. His appearance just days ago resounded in her mind, reminding her that something was going on behind the scenes. Something no one wanted her to know about. Not even Grant.

Grant was supposed to be in their room when Briana returned from sitting with Lauren, so when she saw the note taped to her door she assumed it was from him.

Probably a meeting or something.

Briana

Meet me in the woods, by the hollow as soon as you get this. I have some information that I think you’d like to know. About Grant and his Pride.

-X

She opened the door to her room as she crinkled the note up and shoved it in her pocket. X. Matthias. It had to be. Grant was sitting at his desk going over some very official looking paperwork as she came and started tugging her clothing off.

“What are you doing?” He asked, his eyes fixed on her body.

“I need time alone… as my mountain lion,” Briana said as she shucked off her pants and folded them up, placing them on the bed. She was naked in a matter of minutes. It used to bother her, but now, after the fight, nothing did. Nudity wasn’t something that Shifters cared about. Besides, it was better to get naked than ruin a perfectly good set of clothing.

“Do you want me to go with you?” He asked, standing up.

“No, I can handle myself. Besides, all the threats to us have been neutralized, right?” She couldn’t help but let a little contempt leech into her tone as she brushed past him, leaving her clothing behind.

She had something she needed to meet, and she wasn’t about to let Grant keep her from it. She didn’t even look back to see what state she left him in, she just rushed right back through their door and ran down the hall to one of the exits of their magical lodge.

Briana shifted as soon as her feet hit the earth, her body quickly taking on its mountain lion form as she moved and changed. Those human feet morphed into paws and dug into the soft earth beneath her, leaves and foliage under the pads.

The change itself was exhilarating. She no longer dreaded the shift from human to animal, she reveled in it as everything shifted, even her senses. Briana saw things across a different color spectrum, smelled more things than she ever realized existed. Heard things no human could ever hear. It would have been too much to handle, had her human form not had heightened senses. Even so, they were not as acute as these.

Sometimes she thought about staying in her mountain lion form, letting it consume her, but she knew that was no way to live. Eventually the instinct part of her would take over and she would never be able to shift back.