14. Chapter 13
Chapter 13
Elena
I only have a second to revel in the marvel of seeing Alex’s bear after so many years. As much as I love his human form, as a bear he’s majestic—a true apex predator radiating raw power and dominance.
But as quickly as the thought comes, I recognize exactly what’s happening. Gregor provoked Alex into a challenge to be the Alpha of the Archipelago Pack. A visceral fear grips me as I watch the two massive bears circle each other, teeth bared and muscles rippling beneath their thick fur.
I almost focus for a second too long. Cassandra gets the jump on me. Rushing at me as though to strike, her face twisted with rage and jealousy. Instinctively, I shift into my Polar Bear form, standing my ground with a ferocious roar. I will not let this she-bear harm me or interfere with Alex’s rightful claim to lead.
As Cassandra shifts into her bear form, I’m slightly intimidated. She’s an impressive Kodiak Bear, but smaller than my Polar Bear form.
We circle each other, growling and posturing, but hesitating to inflict real harm. I know that Alex belongs with me, and I to him. She is not going to stand in our way.
Cassandra lunges first, swiping at me with her claws. I dodge out of the way just in time, feeling the breeze of her paw as it whistles past my furry side. I countered with a swipe aiming for her shoulder to give her a warning scratch.
She yelps in pain but doesn’t back down. Instead, she charges at me headfirst, attempting to use her weight to knock me over. I plant my paws firmly on the ground and brace for impact. We collide with a thud that shakes the earth beneath us, both of us stumble backwards to regain our footing.
The fight rages on between Cassandra and me, our growls and roars echoing through the shipping containers. Alex has the upper hand against Gregor, but I can’t let my guard down. Not when it comes to protecting what’s mine.
Suddenly, we both freeze as Alex pins Gregor to the ground, his jaws around the Alpha’s neck. In that moment, we both shift back into our human forms, panting for air.
“Alex...” I whisper, my heart in my throat as he hesitates. He just realized what he was about to do. But then he finishes off Gregor with a single bite.
Cassandra screams, “No!” and tries to run toward them, but I grab her arm. “Cassandra, no! You can’t change anything now!”
Tears stream down both our faces. I take in the scene. Gregor. The Alpha who raised me in his home lies lifeless on the ground in front of Alex still in his bear form. Alex, my mate and the new Alpha of the Archipelago Pack, shifts back into his human form. Blood covers his body. His skin is marred from where Gregor got in a few good strikes and bites. Alex’s eyes lock on mine, and the weight of what he’s done is written all over his face.
I drop the hold I have on Cassandra. She darts forward to attack Alex. “How dare you?” She raises her hand to strike Alex across the face.
He stops her hand easily.
I walk behind her. “I don’t believe you want to start by striking your new Alpha.”
“What did Gregor tell you the plan was, Cassandra?” Alex asks, his hand still holding her wrist to stop her from attempting to strike him again.
“Just that I was supposed to get you to meet him here. If I did that, I’d… I’d…” Her sobs make it so she can’t finish.
“You’d?” Alex prompts not showing any sign of being moved by her tears.
“I’d save the Pack.”
“Gregor knew the Pack—the island—was in danger?” I ask.
“Yes. We all know it. We didn’t know what to do about it. Gregor said Alex was the answer. But I didn’t think—“
“Gregor didn’t intend to return from that fight,” Alex says solemnly.
“And you did what you could for the Pack,” I say. “But I won’t tell you again: keep your hands off my mate. Or we’ll finish the fight we started back there.”
“If I’m not—I don’t know where to go from here,” Cassandra says quietly.
“Back home. Now that you know Alex is off limits, you can find your mate. The one that completes you.”
Alex drops her hand and takes mine to pull me closer to him. “Or you can see the world. I’d help you do that too, Cassandra. Gregor knew you weren’t my mate when he sent you on this mission. He set you up. I don’t think he did it maliciously. But he did it all the same.”
Tears continue down Cassandra’s face. “Pick him up,” she says as she walks to an open container. “Follow me. I hid clothing here for when the fight ended. I knew someone would need something to wear in front of the humans. We can keep him hidden until we can get him back to the island for burial.” Her voice cracks on the last word.
Alex and I follow behind her, our hands still entwined. The shipping container holds a few random supplies thrown about and a rod across the back with clothing in various sizes hanging neatly.
“You did this for today?” I ask as I grab a tank with a built-in bra from one of the hangers.
“No. I told him to meet here because I set this up a while ago. When anyone from the island comes here, they know this container is ours.”
“Is this the only one?” Alex asks.
“No. I have similar setups in many of the cities we visit. I make sure they’re stocked and clean. Other Packs pay money to the Archipelago Pack to use them too.”
“That’s brilliant,” I say. “Simple concept, but useful.”
Cassandra’s lips curve into a sad smile. “Thanks. At first, Gregor thought it was just a cute idea. I think he only agreed because he thought the planning and maintenance would distract me. Then when it started to be profitable, well, then he thought I could get Alex to return. Something about entrepreneurs like other entrepreneurs. Although he didn’t say it quite like that.”
“I’m sure he didn’t,” Alex said. “Elena’s right. It’s a great idea. Simple to run but useful enough that shifters would pay for access. Beats trying to find a laundry line and steal clothes when you shift unexpectedly.”
A laugh escaped me at the memory his words conjure. We were hiking together and encountered a pack of wolves. We knew we’d be faster in our bear forms, so we shifted and ran. When we got away, we shifted back and then recognized our conundrum. We had no clothing. We could go as bears, but a Polar Bear and a Kodiak Bear strolling through the human town would have definitely garnered unwanted attention. So we found a house where the family’s clothing hung on the line and stole some clothing. Alex sent them two hundred dollars in an anonymous envelope the next day to compensate them for the missing items.
Alex catches my eye at the shared memory. We share a smile. “Cassandra. Think about what you want. What you really want now that all of this has happened. You don’t have to tell me now. I’ll help you though.”
Cassandra nods and turns to leave. “Right now. I just want to be away from here. I—“
“You don’t have to explain. What can we do to help you with the cruise line?”
“Nothing. I only agreed to work through to this stop. My stuff is already off the ship.” And with that, she leaves, walking through the containers as though she’s done it a hundred times and has no concerns that she’ll get lost in the maze.
“What do we do now?”
“We let the Archipelago Pack know they have a new Alpha,” Alex says. His voice is a mixture of excitement and resignation. I’m not sure what he’s thinking, but a certainty settles over me that he will tell me when he’s ready.