Chapter One #3
He turned around and rubbed his back against the bark, enjoying the feeling. He wasn’t sure how long he wasted there, but after a while, his body felt loose, and he was ready to run.
It wasn’t always easy to do so in a forest, but it had been even more complicated when Seth had lived on the streets and had needed to be careful not to scare people or attract the wrong kind of attention.
There were always people willing to hurt others, especially when they were different—when they were shifters.
But Seth didn’t have to worry about that here.
This might be a pack, but most of the members were bears—not polar bears like Theo and Seth, but bears nonetheless.
It meant that the pack had accepted Seth and Theo more easily than they had the others, and it made Seth feel a little less out of place, even though his white fur set him apart.
None of that mattered right now, though. He ran between the trees, enjoying the feeling of his feet pounding on the forest ground and the dead leaves. He ran deeper into the woods, unsure of what he was looking for.
It wasn’t raised voices.
He stopped running, but he didn’t stop moving. He just slowed down, trying to listen to the loud voices. It wasn’t yelling, but it was close.
Someone wasn’t happy.
It was none of Seth’s business, but at the same time, the yeller sounded angry. It wouldn’t be unheard of for some pack members to attack others, or even worse, to attack people they felt didn’t belong, like Seth’s little pack and the mages.
Was that what was happening? Was one of the mages in danger?
Seth didn’t know them, but he did know that it wouldn’t be fair for them to have to go through that.
They were here because they finally refused to be forced to hurt people by their leaders.
They wanted something different, to build a life they could be proud of and in which they didn’t have to fear for their lives.
They’d made the right choice, and they shouldn’t be punished for that.
He made his way between the trees until he could see movement ahead. He was careful where he put his paws, but he didn’t think any of the three men heard him. One of them was too busy trying to calm the other two down, while the two would-be attackers were yelling at him.
That was definitely one of the mages. Seth had seen them when they’d first arrived, and while he hadn’t caught the man’s name, he remembered seeing him with a woman and a baby.
“Your kind isn’t welcome here,” one of the pack members said.
Seth was pretty sure his name was Tim. He hadn’t been happy when Seth and his pack had arrived, either, but Seth had ignored him.
Of course, Tim had never been stupid enough to grab one of his friends and corner Seth in the forest. Considering that Seth’s brother was the alpha mate, it wouldn’t have ended well for him.
It wouldn’t this time, either. It didn’t matter that the mage wasn’t a shifter.
He was a pack member because Chance had decided that he was, and that was that.
Chance had been clear that whoever had a problem with his decision could talk to him or leave, and some pack members had.
Others had stayed, even though they clearly were unhappy with their alpha’s choice.
Tough luck.
“Look, I don’t want any trouble,” the mage was saying.
“Then you shouldn’t be here. Your kind brings trouble.”
“I only ever did what I was ordered to do,” the mage said.
“And you think that’s an excuse?”
“I know it’s not. I know I should’ve said no. All of us should have. You can’t tell me that your first instinct wouldn’t be to obey if Chance ordered you to do something, though. You can’t tell me that you wouldn’t do anything to protect your family.”
Seth was impressed. The man was cornered, but he was standing up to the shifter ranting at him. He also wasn’t wrong. Most people would do anything in order to protect their families, including hurting other people. It wasn’t a good thing, but it happened, and ignoring that wouldn’t help anyone.
“We want you gone,” the other shifter said. Seth hadn’t been able to see him because he’d been behind a tree, but now, he could, and he recognized him, too.
The mage shook his head. “I’m really sorry, but that won’t happen. We don’t have anywhere to go.”
Christian, the second shifter, raised his hand. Before Seth could do anything about it, he backhanded the mage. It was strong enough to make the mage stumble, but not so strong to make him fall. That was a good thing, but it still enraged Seth.
He stepped forward, roaring loudly. If these two decided to fight him, he’d be in trouble, but he was counting on the fact that there were only two polar bear shifters in pack territory, and these two knew it.
They had no idea who was standing in front of them, Seth or Theo.
They wouldn’t risk attacking either of them.
They knew what Chance would do if they did.
* * * *
FOR A SECOND, WHEN the polar bear stepped forward, Ryan wondered if they were going to attack him, too. Considering his luck, he wouldn’t have been surprised. He’d left the house to go for a walk and relax, and instead, he’d been berated and slapped.
Not a great way to end the day.
When the two shifters had confronted him, he’d tried to leave. He’d done everything he could to keep the situation under control. He didn’t want to use his magic on these guys. He didn’t want to give Chance a reason to kick him out.
If anything happened and Ryan had to leave the pack, his family would follow.
That was why he couldn’t afford to do anything that would put their place here in jeopardy.
Madeleine and Alyssa deserved a place to call home where they could feel safe and didn’t have to worry about the future.
Ryan’s parents deserved to have a place where they could rest and watch their granddaughter grow up.
Hell, even Ryan deserved to have a place where he could be at peace, but clearly, that wasn’t going to happen today.
The two shifters took a step back almost as one when they saw the polar bear. Ryan sucked in a breath and waited, hoping this wouldn’t become an even bigger mess than it already was.
“Is that the alpha mate?” the shifter who’d hit Ryan asked.
“Could be,” the other whispered.
The first shifter raised his hands. “It was an accident. I didn’t mean to hit him.”
Ryan rolled his eyes. His cheek stung, and it definitely hadn’t been an accident. How did this guy think he could convince anyone of that? Would he try telling the alpha mate that he’d fallen and had somehow hit Ryan in the face?
Ryan didn’t even care that his cheek felt like it was on fire.
He was angry. He understood where these guys were coming from, but it wasn’t a good enough reason to hurt anyone.
What had hitting Ryan achieved? Except for hurting him, of course, which could’ve been the goal.
These guys were angry. They wanted someone to pay for causing that anger, and Ryan was the easiest target.
It was certainly easier to attack him than to talk to the alpha.
Chance wouldn’t be happy with any of this, and Ryan wondered if these two had hoped he wouldn’t go to him. Had they even thought things through?
Insisting it had been an accident would be stupid. Maybe if they admitted what they’d done, Chance would turn a blind eye. After all, Ryan wasn’t really a pack member. He was an outsider.
He was a mage.
The polar bear rose on his back legs. He was impressively tall, and for a second, Ryan was worried again. Then, the polar bear began shifting.
It wasn’t the alpha mate. There were only two polar bears in the pack, so it wasn’t hard to understand who this was. It was almost as bad as if the alpha mate had walked in on this. There was no way Theo’s brother wouldn’t tell Theo and Chance what had just happened.
The two idiots who’d attacked Ryan seemed to understand that. Even though it wasn’t Theo standing in front of them, naked as the day he was born, they still took another step back.
“You’re not going to tell your brother about this, are you?” the man who’d slapped Ryan asked.
“Why shouldn’t I?” Seth answered. “You’re doing the one thing Chance explicitly forbade. You’re attacking one of the mages who’s taken refuge with the pack.”
The second shifter didn’t seem to have gotten the memo that he needed to be careful because he pushed past his friend and glared at Seth. “Who the fuck are you to tell us what to do? You’re not one of us.”
From what Ryan knew, he wasn’t completely wrong.
The alpha mate and his brother hadn’t been with the pack long.
It was long enough for Chance to fall in love with Theo, but still.
They were kind of outsiders, too, just not as much as Ryan and the other mages.
They were shifters, so it was easier for the pack to accept them, even though not everyone had.
These two certainly didn’t seem to have.
Ryan couldn’t see Seth’s face because he had his back to him.
Ryan was having a hard time keeping his eyes off the man’s round ass.
Ryan wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to the way shifters walked around naked as if it wasn’t anything strange.
To them, it wasn’t, but to him? He could feel his cheeks flush and his chest heat.
“I knew you were an idiot, Tim, but I didn’t know you were that stupid,” Seth drawled. “I don’t care if you think I don’t belong. I don’t care about anything that comes out of your mouth. You were told to leave the mages alone, and you haven’t. I’m going to have to tell Chance.”
Tim paled. Maybe he was starting to realize what an idiot he’d been. “It was a mistake.”
“Oh, it definitely was, but I think you meant it. I think you wanted to scare Ryan into leaving. You don’t want him here, and you feel like you have the right to tell him what to do. Chance will be very interested in finding out about this.”
“This is my home, not yours. You don’t belong here,” Tim snapped. “Neither of you does.”
The other shifter grabbed Tim’s arm, but Tim wouldn’t move.
“I belong here as much as you do,” Seth said. “I’m a pack member, and my brother shares a bed with your alpha. Do you really want to tell Chance that Theo and I don’t belong?”
Tim opened his mouth, but the other shifter pulled him away before he could say anything. That seemed like a smart choice. The only thing Tim was doing was digging his grave deeper.
Luckily for him, his friend seemed to understand that. He dragged Tim away, harshly whispering to him and shaking him when he attempted to turn back around.
Ryan watched the two leave. As soon as they were gone from his sight, he reached up for his cheek, wincing. That was going to leave a bruise. Even if it didn’t, it would be red enough that his mother would notice it.
Ryan didn’t want to tell her what had happened. He didn’t want her and the rest of their family to be afraid of leaving the house. No matter what Tim and his friend thought, this was their home, too. It was the only home they had and the only place they could go. They couldn’t afford to leave.
“You okay?” Seth asked when he turned to Ryan.
This was the first time they talked. Ryan knew who Seth was because he knew who Theo was.
He’d also heard the story about how the two of them and the rest of their family had ended up with the pack.
He’d thought that meant that the pack would be fine with having the mages there, but clearly, he’d been wrong.
“I’m fine, thank you,” he said, still poking at his cheek.
Seth grimaced. “Are you sure? Because I saw him hitting you.”
“I’ve survived worse.”
Seth frowned. “Maybe you did, but it doesn’t mean you have to go through that again. You should see a healer.”
“It’s nice of you to worry, but I promise I’ll be fine. It was just a slap.”
“A slap that he shouldn’t have given you. I swear, some of the people who live here are idiots.”
Ryan burst out laughing. “I don’t think Tim would be happy to hear you calling him an idiot.”
“Do I look like I care about what Tim thinks or wants?”
He didn’t. He looked good, though, and Ryan had trouble keeping his focus on Seth’s face. No one would blame him for that.
Seth wasn’t tall, but he was well-built, with nice shoulders and a flat stomach.
Ryan could see scars peppered on his skin amongst the blond hair, and he was curious, but he wasn’t about to ask.
Seth’s short blond hair was messy, as if the shift had disturbed it, and his brown eyes were warm.
He actually looked worried, which surprised Ryan since they didn’t know each other.
But Seth knew what it felt like to be an outsider. He’d probably been through something similar. Even if he hadn’t, something told Ryan that he would’ve defended him anyway.
“My eyes are up here,” Seth said, sounding amused.
Ryan was definitely blushing now. “I’m sorry,” he said, staring at the trunk of the tree next to Seth.
“I’m Seth.” There was barely restrained laughter in Seth’s voice, and even though Ryan still felt embarrassed, it helped him relax. It didn’t look like Seth was offended.
“Ryan,” Ryan said.
“Well, Ryan. Welcome to the pack.”