Chapter Eight

Brock stepped outside into chaos. It seemed as if every member of the Holloway den had gathered to watch Lawrence Walker being brought in. Brock understood the pull. Walker had cost them much. As an elder of their den, he’d lured their former alpha, the Holloway’s father, Matthew, away from the protection of the den where he’d been murdered, his body brought back by a liger shifter who’d stumbled across Matthew too late to save him. As if that weren’t enough, Walker had helped a group of hunters plan strategic attacks on the Holloway’s den, with a focus on killing as many female shifters as possible.

Even that wasn’t enough, though. Walker had then used his position as a respected elder to sow discord and lure the remaining elders to hide any surviving females, letting no one know they were alive. Not even their new alpha, Laramie Holloway. Walker probably would have killed the survivors if he’d thought the other elders would have allowed it without balking. Perhaps, if he’d been the only one to discover survivors, he would have quickly finished the job. Instead, he’d talked others into hiding them for the females protection, leaving their den in shambles. Unlike some other species of shifters, only female bear shifters were able to carry bear-shifter children. Without their females, the den would eventually die out. Now, they all stood together, ready to see justice brought to the man responsible for all of it.

Brock made his way to the bottom of the steps and joined his brothers. Laramie stood in the center. Koby and Slade stood to one side. Jensen and Matheus on the other. Brock slid in between Jensen and Matheus. Holt, Fletch, and his brother, Milo, stood with them. The rest of the den was spread out. Some on the steps. Some in the grass or gravel. All of them waited as the first vehicle appeared, followed by several others.

“Koby, Holt,” Laramie barked out as the lead vehicle came to a stop.

Brock watched as his brother, Declan, stepped out of the driver’s side before rounding the hood and opening the passenger door for his mate, Xandra.

“Brother,” Laramie greeted, stepping down to embrace Declan.

Their family was whole again. All seven brothers together. They’d always been close. Their mother had given birth to the seven of them across the span of ten years. She’d never regretted not having a daughter, saying her sons were more than enough, but Brock couldn’t help but think she’d have loved meeting her daughters-in-law. She’d have a lot to talk to Laramie’s mate about. Emersyn Langston was the daughter of the former alpha of the Washington Langston pack, her father killed in an attack by hunters. Em was a Kodiak female. The only one in existence as far as they knew.

There were the two Blackstone sisters who’d mated into their family: Sidia, who’d mated Koby, and Xandra, who’d mated with Declan. Rissa had followed Em to Wyoming, and Slade had fallen hard and fast for her. And Jemma. Brock’s fiery mate would have had his mother in stitches of laughter with the way she made him crazy. Five of her seven sons mated, with two of the mates, Em and Sidia, pregnant.

Brock let go of those thoughts as Koby and Holt removed Lawrence Walker from the back of the vehicle. He looked worse for wear, cuts and bruises on his face, hair and clothes disheveled. Chance and Wood were the last to exit. Both bear shifters had been sent with Declan and Xandra to hunt down and bring Walker back to the den where justice would be given.

“Jasper?” Chance questioned immediately.

“He’s in the cabin across from the clinic,” Jensen answered.

Chance looked to Laramie, and at their alpha’s nod, he turned and left. Jasper had asked after Chance as soon as he’d arrived, too. The two shifters had grown close when they’d served as den enforcers under Matthew Holloway. Laramie had reinstated Chance as an enforcer under him, and Brock had little doubt Jasper would be given the same status once he was fully healed.

“Declan,” Brock greeted his brother with a hard hug.

“I see you finally came to your senses,” Declan said, gazing over Brock’s shoulder.

Brock glanced back and saw his mate standing next to Helen and Fletch.

“I can smell her on you,” Declan added, pulling Brock’s attention back to him. “How’s it feel to be a mated man?”

“We’re not mated yet,” Brock admitted. “She was hurt during the recent attack.”

“That will definitely wake a man to what’s important.” Declan patted him on the back then moved on to greet Matheus. Brock headed over to join Jemma, putting his hand against the small of her back as he tugged her against him.

“Feeling okay?” he murmured at her ear, rubbing his nose along the line of her jaw.

“I’m good.”

More people spilled from the cars that had followed Declan’s. Greetings were tossed out as more of the members of the Langston den joined their numbers. Brock kept his eyes on his sister-in-law, Em, as she moved among them, welcoming them. They would have to officially swear fealty to Laramie and the Holloway den before they’d be allowed to join, but he didn’t doubt they would, just as the rest of the members who’d joined them had.

“Lawrence Walker!” Laramie bellowed as the male in question was shoved to his knees.

Any chatter halted immediately. Brock pulled Jemma even closer as he felt a tremble go through her. It was a reminder his mate had been the only survivor in her family. Both her parents had been killed, and Jemma had only been thirteen at the time. Had she heard their deaths, or had she already been hidden away? Brock had been so busy running from himself and what he felt for her that he’d never taken the time to ask. God, she deserved so much better from him. Going forward, he’d make sure he was the mate she needed, the one he should have been all along.

“The great and powerful Laramie Holloway,” Walker sneered. Holt gripped the other man by the hair and jerked back his head, so he was forced to keep his eyes on Laramie.

“You’ve betrayed your den,” Laramie thundered. “Spilled the blood of those you should have protected. Tonight, you will be judged and sentenced. Blood for blood. Life for life.”

Roars of agreement filled the air at Laramie’s proclamation. Walker hadn’t just spilled blood in the Holloway den. He’d helped attack the Langston den, as well. Em hoped he’d share who among her group had been involved. While the Holloways had lost most of their females, the Langston’s had lost mostly their males. Both packs had lost their alphas, Mathew Holloway and Emory Langston.

Lawrence Walker had a lot to pay for. But he wasn’t the only one.

“I’ve betrayed no one,” Walker yelled back, drawing more snarls. “It’s always been survival of the fittest when it comes to our kind.”

“Survival of the fittest?” It was Jensen who stepped forward then. “You targeted our women. The lifeblood of this den.”

Walker laughed. “Looks like you replaced them.”

“There is no replacing them,” Laramie fired back before Jensen could speak. “There’s no replacing anyone who’s blood has been spilled by you or the hunters you colluded with.”

“I heard you had a visit from some of those hunters.” Walker grinned, and Jensen punched him hard in the face. It was wild seeing one of the most controlled of his brothers lose his cool. Declan, Matheus, and Jensen were the calm ones.

“Jensen!”

Jensen turned with a snarl. “Every day, I fight tooth and nail to save our people. I patch up wounds, work to counter the drugs we’re injected with, operate with the sole purpose of saving lives. I research and research until all I can see is blood pathology and our unique DNA coding in my mind. Still, it isn’t enough. Still, I watch us die. Even worse, I watch the most precious among us fall into a place where I can’t reach them. Where death is preferred over one more day on this planet. And you have the gall to say survival of the fittest! You are the one unfit to live. Did you even show your face when you lured out my father and murdered him? Or did you hide in the shadows and watch while others spilled his blood?”

Walker growled, and Brock knew Jensen had hit the nail on the head. Lawrence Walker was too much of a coward to actually face an alpha like Mathew Holloway.

“No, you prey on women, like the weak male you are,” Jensen charged.

Walker laughed again, the sound a bit mad. “Looks like I’m winning.”

“You pompous sonofabitch.” Jensen flew at him, and it took Brock, Slade, and Matheus to pull him off.

“Enough!” Laramie roared. “You’ll get what’s coming to you, Walker. On my timeline, not yours.” He glanced at Koby. “Take him away. Judgment begins at sundown.”

Holt and Koby jerked Walker back to his feet and led him off with Wood, Declan, Fletch, and Milo. Laramie headed toward the rest of his brothers.

“Jensen?” he questioned.

“I’m fine,” Jensen snarled, trying to shove them off him. At Laramie’s nod, they let him go. “I’m not sorry I punched him. I’d gut him like a fish and let his blood and organs spill out.” He lowered his head and took a deep breath. When he glanced back up, he’d regained control. “I won’t be there tonight. My time is better spent trying to save lives. We’ve lost too many already.”

Laramie nodded, and no one tried to stop Jensen as he walked away. Jemma surprised Brock when she stepped away from him and glanced at Laramie.

“I’m going to go with him.” When Brock moved to follow her, she shook her head. “I’ll be fine. Jensen shouldn’t be by himself. He’s alone far too often with his thoughts. I know what that’s like,” she added.

“Thank you, Jemma,” Laramie said.

“I’ll find you in a little bit,” Brock called, and she glanced back with a nod, following in Jensen’s wake.

“I’m worried about him,” Matheus voiced.

“He’s got a lot on his shoulders.” Laramie’s words hit them hard. “We need to get him more help.”

“He has help,” Brock reminded everyone. “It’s that he doesn’t trust anyone but himself.”

They all knew that was true.

“I’ll help out more. He’d trust me. He’s been telling me for years that I’d make a good doctor,” Matheus offered.

“If that’s what you want to do, then we’ll all support you,” Laramie said. “But only if it’s your choice.”

“I know that. Now, why don’t I take Brock and work on getting some cabins ready for our newest arrivals? You’ll want to meet them and get the rundown from Em. Then when you’re satisfied, I’ll be able to direct them to where they can stay.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Brock agreed. He’d go with Matheus, talk with him about what he really wanted, then head over to find Jemma and check on Jensen.

“Brock?” Laramie called out. “You and Jemma?”

“Not yet,” Brock answered the unvoiced question. “Matheus got us out of bed this morning. I haven’t had a chance to speak with her.”

“She spent the night in your bed,” Laramie reminded him, and Declan whistled softly.

“She just woke up after being out for days after the attack, the poison on the knife she took, as well as the drug they injected her with. I took her to my room, helped her take a shower, fed her, then held her while she slept. She was in no condition for anything else.”

“Well said,” Em agreed as she joined them. She immediately walked to Laramie, taking the hand he held out to her. “It’s time to meet some more of my friends. They’re good people, and they’d like to stay.”

“Of course. Brock, Matheus, the cabins. Slade, you and Rissa come with Em and me.”

Brock left with Matheus, but his mind was on his mate. He needed to get Jemma alone and have that talk he’d mentioned. There were things they needed to discuss, actions he needed to explain to her. Once he’d addressed all her questions and reservations, they could look to the future and all the possibilities it could hold for them.