Montana Wild Bears: Books 1-4 Bundle (BBW Paranormal Werebear Shape Shifter Romance Boxed Set) (41 page)

I wish Drake were here,
he thought glumly.
His brand of insane might just come in handy.
While most of his lieutenants had embraced the new state of affairs with open paws, Drake had been less than receptive. He’d thrown so much of himself into the war between the Bitterroots and the Arders that it was hard to face the realization that his actions came off as little more than senseless cruelty when Ryder’s plans were revealed. Thinking back to it, Ryder kicked himself for not seeing it coming. The young man had been through too much to bear the burden of his wrongful decisions, and as such, it was no big surprise that he had left in the night. Ryder could only hope that Drake could find peace with himself and one day find his way back home.

They’d been crouching in the fresh snow for hours now, driven there by a hint dropped by one of the scouting parties. After intense discussions between the two clans on what to do with the wolf threat with as little bloodshed as possible, it had been Julian who had come up with the most elegant solution. If the wolves were spying on them, they might as well spy on the wolves. Years of living with corporate espionage seemed to have made Julian uniquely equipped for dealing with the need for secrecy and covertness. To everyone’s surprise, the most urbanely inclined of the werebears had turned out to be the most capable spy. It was thanks to Julian and his crew that the Arder and Bitterroot clans now knew to wait patiently by the side of this particular road, expecting a veritable mass of werewolves to rain down on them.

Every nerve was on edge, and it wasn’t made any better by the quickly setting sun. Ryder was growing stiff and annoyed. When a whiff of distinctly shifter scent was carried to him in the wind, it was not a moment too soon. Small clicks sounded through the forest, the various groups marking that they too smelled what Ryder had sensed. The hairs on the back of his neck rose up. The Kadin pack had been circling their grounds for a while now. When they attacked Jackie, he had killed two, and they’d taken down several others from smaller packs during scuffles, thankfully with no losses on their side. But it all served to aggravate the wolves to a point where not retaliating was nigh impossible.

It wasn’t long until Ryder could hear the roar of engines. Headlights appeared on the trail, and he gave a signal to the bears along the track. Countless trucks appeared in a tight row, and when the first large vehicle was just about to pass him, the rattle of chains and the screech of breaks created a satisfying cacophony. He scrambled onto the road, a snarl on his lip. The Kadin warriors were jumping off of their trucks, the tires pierced by the spiked chains the bears had hidden in the snow and pulled up just in time. Suddenly the quiet forest teemed with life. Tens and tens of werebears appeared from the forest, circling the stopped trucks.

Ryder stepped in front of the first truck, Jackie hovering close behind him, with Jackson joining him from the other side of the road. Adrenaline pumped through his veins. The headlights of the truck made it hard to see in the budding darkness, but he crossed his arms on his chest and tried his hardest to keep from shifting and tearing right through the lanky, muscled bodies of the panicking wolves.

“We want to talk to your Alpha,” Ryder boomed, his voice tinted with just the right edge of barely kept restraint. He didn’t even have to act that he was inches from turning into a murderous beast. One wrong move and he’d revel in ripping out the wolves’ throats just like they’d done to Bryce.

“QUIET!” a female voice yelled, commanding the wolves to be still. Ryder shared a quick look with Jackson, who seemed just as ready to roll as he was. Silent confrontations between bears and wolves were spread all along the length of the makeshift circle, the werebears outnumbering the wolves by a fair bit. Though the wolves seemed surprised, their readiness to fight was in no way dimmed.

Good soldiers,
Ryder noted to himself.
Dangerous.
One always had to respect their enemy. Still, Ryder was impressed that no one – neither bear nor wolf – had shifted. If they did, everything could swiftly break into a bloody pandemonium.

“I believe you mean me, then,” a calm, masculine voice called. Heavy boots landed on the crinkling snow, and a moment later, the broad-shouldered, dark-haired form of the Kadin Alpha stood face to face with Jackson and Ryder. He flashed a brilliant, charming grin, cocking his head to the side.

“Look at that, the bears are playing together. I have to say, quite a difference from the battle you were having just a few weeks ago,” he said smoothly. The man looked more bear than wolf. He was powerfully built, made for speed and strength – a far cry from the usual lean and elegant werewolf royals. A smaller form appeared from the darkness, standing close to the man. She was slender and redheaded, her eyes burning with an intensity that was sharp and cutting next to the relative calmness of the Alpha by her side. “Rose, my dearest. Seems that the werebears have decided to gang up on us,” the Alpha noted, smirking. He bowed his head, and Ryder had to curl his hands into fists to keep from shifting right then and there and wiping that smile off the wolf’s face with his claws.

“Daren and Rose Kadin. Pleasure to meet you. Now, what can we do for you?”

Ryder half expected him to extend a hand in greeting. Ryder was sure he’d snap it off if he did. Before Ryder could say anything, Jackie touched his fist softly from behind him.

“Calm down,” she whispered, and he exhaled deeply. Visions of his clan mates dying in the pristine white snow, surrounded by pools of their blood danced behind his eyes. They’d taken down more than twice the number of wolves as the bears he had lost, but it scarcely seemed enough.

“More like, what we can do for you,” Jackson noted, his voice strong and centered. His composure scraped at Ryder’s ears, but he had to admit that Jackson was much better in such situations. While he was led by emotions, Jackson was led by rationale and tradition. Ryder bit down on any words he wanted to spit at Daren Kadin and his wife, whom he remembered from the attacks on Bitterroot. She was remorseless, vicious, bright – all things that made a predator dangerous, no matter her diminutive size.

“And what could that be?” Daren asked, his voice conversational and easy. As if more than a hundred werebears around his troops was little more than an annoyance.

“We could not kill you all tonight,” Jackson said, a growl entering his tone. Ryder’s jaw squared. He could see Jonah and Julian on either flank of the convoy of cars, keeping the bears in check. His own lieutenants were scattered along the line, and Troy and Derek were at the very far end, blocking the wolves’ exit with their troops. It had played together beautifully.

“And what would we have to do for that?” Daren asked, his striking eyes drilling into first one and then the other Alpha.

“You take your people, pack your things and get out of Bitterroot by the end of winter,” Jackson said, the growl growing louder in his voice. Ryder suppressed the urge to glance at his friend, keeping his gaze on the pack leads. They were partially hidden by the darkness, but they were calm and steady. He had to admire that.

“Or else you’ll come and
make
us leave? From what I can tell, your clans can barely live on the same mountain range without jumping at each other’s throats.” It was Rose who spoke now, her voice smoky. Daren nodded his agreement to her words, and Ryder bristled.

“The clans are joining together. We are no longer two clans, but one. And we’re not going to let you blindside us again, you fucking mutts,” Ryder said, the threats not even thinly veiled. Jackson’s palm hit him on the chest, stopping him dead in his tracks. He hadn’t noticed that he’d taken a step forward, his eyes flashing brown. The Kadins hadn’t even flinched, though Daren had pursed his lips thoughtfully.

“I see,” the wolf shifter noted idly, sharing a look with his bride. Well, you’ve got us tonight, at least. I am man enough to admit defeat when I see it.” He swept an arm around himself, motioning to the riled up werebears. “We will leave. As for Bitterroot, I’ll think about it.”

Jackson’s palm stayed on Ryder’s chest. He could feel Jackson’s soothing, calm aura waft over him. Quietly, Jackie slipped her hands around his wrist from behind, not holding him back but reminding him that she was there. Ryder exhaled deeply, trying to let go of the near blinding rage that wanted to boil forth within him. Here they were, the bastards that had taken his friends, his people. And he couldn’t rip them to shreds, even though he badly wanted to. He’d spent days telling himself that he’d remain coolheaded, but it was a whole other level of self-control when he had to face the smirking, self-satisfied face of the Kadin Alpha. The wolves he had lost either meant nothing to him or he was brilliant at hiding it.

“I’d suggest you more than think about it. Just because we’re one clan doesn’t mean I will stop my friend here from raining his special brand of violence down on you. We don’t take kindly to shifters invading our lands. The piles of bodies of your wolves scattered about Cabinet should tell you as much.” Jackson smiled at the end of his words with a chilling grin. Ryder considered the Arder Alpha for a moment, taking in the sight of Jackson at his best and at his worst. He knew that the man was not making things up. As rational as he was, Jackson was ready to let Ryder roll over the wolves if need be. Ryder wasn’t sure whether he was supposed to feel flattered or insulted at being treated like a strategic weapon, but whichever option he landed on, he gained a whole new kind of respect for his friend. His sharp blue gaze returned to the Kadins, and Jackson’s hand fell from his chest.

“Noted,” Daren said with a nod, the smile dimming on his lips. “I assume you expect us to walk?” he asked, cocking a brow.

“Yup! We can use some new trucks! Yours should do nicely,” Julian hollered from down the line, receiving a roll of laughter in reply. Several wolves snarled but that only seemed to fuel the general amusement in the rows of werebears. They’d come there tonight, ready to fight and die. All things considered. Walking away with nearly ten new trucks was not a bad night’s work.

“Well then. Until next we meet,” Daren said smoothly, giving a mock bow to Jackie before he twirled around on his heel.

“Wait!” Ryder called, and Daren turned around with a curious quirk of his brow. “Why did you do it? Why did you want Bitterroot?” he asked, surprised by the desperation in his tone. The one thing he had never managed to figure out, no matter how hard he tried, was why the Kadins had come for his clan to start with. Now he found it harder than ever to believe that it was just about the land. Daren Kadin was far too smart for that, and Rose… well, she was special. Daren gave him a toothy grin, his eyes flashing deep golden.

“Honor,” he said simply. “I’ve lived all my life in my father’s shadow, behind the backs of the pack Alphas. Behind the Master. No more. I’m going to carve out my own kingdom, one place at a time. In ten years, I’ll have more lands than all those packs put together, and they’ll bitterly regret driving me and my mate from their midst. I’ll teach them what it means to disrespect an Alpha like me,” Daren snarled – a primal reaction, and the first time Ryder saw the man be anything less than in control. He took a few steps and, in the beams of light, turned into a large, imposing dark-coated wolf. The beast shifted faster than the bears ever could, warping in a matter of seconds from man to animal. He let out a long, piercing howl that was echoed by the others as they turned one by one.

Rose shifted right after her mate, and Ryder couldn’t help but admire the dainty grace of her small, light colored paws as she sprang past the wolves and took a spot at the head of the pack. She was faster than any of them, even Daren, and she led them back up to the mountains, the wolves snapping and snarling at the bears as they passed. 

She’s trouble,
Ryder thought darkly. Daren he could understand, but his steely-eyed mate… she was a whole different kind of predator. She’d seen things in her life, there was no doubt about it. And he knew from experience that there was no one more dangerous than a shifter with nothing to lose. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he now understood Daren. The right kind of woman could drive a man to lengths he would never have thought he could or would go to. Ryder almost had to wonder what they’d done to Rose to make Daren so wildly adamant about getting payback.

When the last tip of a wolf’s tail disappeared behind the peak of the mountain they’d come down, a roaring victory cry rumbled over the werebears. Jackie flew into Ryder’s arms, and she wiped the stern worry from his face with the sweetest of kisses. He smiled, his arms bracing her as she clung to him, all warm and soft and inviting.

“We did it!” she whispered in his ear, the cheers growing to deafening volumes around them.

“We did,” he agreed.
And I hope we never have to do it again.

“Alright! We’ve got some tires to change!” Jonah yelled, drawing laughter.

“And some rest to grab! I think we can all use some hibernation time, so let’s get this done fast,” Jackson added, receiving even louder cheers. They weren’t going to let their guard down, but things were finally rocking into place for the soon to be Arder-Bitterroot clan.

Ryder kissed Jackie deeply, everything around them disappearing into the backdrop. She pulled back a little, cupping his face with her hands.

“I love you, Ryder.”

“I love you too. And I’m never going to let you go.”

And he meant it. No matter what, he wasn’t going to let anything happen to his mate, his cubs or his people again. He wasn’t going to let anything ruin his happiness, of that he was sure.