Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Kylan

Cillian’s scent and the copper tang of blood are heavy in the air as I follow the sounds of the hounds. Aldair is by my side, matching my speed. I’m being cautious, not wanting any of the villagers to see me.

But more importantly, I don’t want my mate seeing me. I can’t risk it. We can’t risk it.

The closer we get, the faster my heart races. Her natural berry scent mixes with her fear and urges Aldair and me to move faster.

Cillian’s scent is stronger now, telling me we’re close. As I catch sight of him up ahead, he motions us further on. Aldair and I spot the blood on him, but there’s no time to ask about that now. The three of us move as one, as we close in on the hounds tracking our mate and the humans leading them.

“Do not engage,” Aldair warns in a low tone just for Cillian and I. The closer we get, the easier it is to hear the voices of the men standing in a small clearing at the cliff face.

“They want to harm her…” Cillian hisses back. “If we end them now–” but Aldair cuts him off.

“I can smell the blood on you, Cill. You’ve done enough damage tonight. If we kill any more humans, they’ll hunt us next. Unless they find our mate, we remain hidden,” Aldair says with a bark. Even though Cillian is also dominant, he rarely challenges Aldair’s authority. “We can scare them off,” he huffs, his shoulders tensing when the scent of our mate’s fear spikes in the air.

“On it,” Cill snaps, already dashing ahead. I wait here, watching the two men through the trees, when Cill sends the hounds into a frenzy, and they take off into the trees. The Beta says something to the small Alpha about getting back to his horse before following his hounds.

I can hear more of the villagers heading this way, maybe ten of them. If my brother’s and I do nothing, they might find our mate. I believe she’s hidden within a small cave under a bush just behind this small, smelly Alpha.

“I will find you, you little bitch. What I have planned for you…you’ll regret ever having denied me,” the little bastard grunts, before storming off away from the cliff face, most likely to find his horse. My jaw snaps, my teeth gnashing in the air, and I leap forward, ready to end the little fucker where he stands, but my brothers are faster.

“Shhh,” Cillian says, as I’m caught by my arm with his blood-covered clawed hand and yanked behind a tree. “I understand your anger brother, but Aldair is right, if we kill him, it will be too suspicious.”

“But what he just said!” I growl, and Cillian’s eyes flash with anger and violence.

“The humans have said a lot of things tonight that make me want to rip their tongues out, but I’ve already done enough damage.” Cill shakes his head, not releasing my arm until I nod my understanding.

“What did you do?” Aldair hisses at Cillian when it’s clear the humans are gone, and won’t be returning tonight. I’m glad their eyes are on each other and not me. I know they see me as weak, and I hate it.

“What I had to.” My older brothers face each other, the power struggle between them only lasting a moment, before Cillian’s lips stretch in a wide grin. “Nothing you wouldn’t have done, in my position. Brother.” Cill tilts his head, his eyes shining brightly. “They wanted to take our mate against her will.” The dark quality my brother’s voice takes when he says the words would make a weaker Alpha tremble.

But I’m not weak, and Cillian would never turn on me.

“I will find you Bear,” a sweet, tiny voice vows after a low Omega whine echoes through the air. The three of us snap our heads toward the sound, silently moving closer to her.

“Is she in there?” I ask, attempting to move past him, only for both my brothers to tug me back this time.

“She’s hiding for a reason.” Cill lifts a brow at me as if I’m clueless, and I grunt.

“I know that, I only wanted to know she’s safe.”

“She’ll be safe in there tonight. She can’t go back to her village now.” Cillian pauses, a sad look passing over his expression. My brothers and I know how that feels. We can never go back to the place we were born. “Ky, she was on a horse, track it. Make sure it didn’t fall into one of our traps. I will remain here to guard her in case anyone stupidly returns.” I nod, eager to feel useful.

“I'll alert Ma first. She will be worried about why I left without saying goodbye. Then I’ll head to the cottage to grab whatever else we might need for tonight,” Aldair says, and I watch as his monstrous form shifts. Before our eyes, his skin ripples with change as golden skin replaces fur. My eyes go wide, as I look at Cillian, who remains himself, and then down at my body. Hope blossoms and then dies in my chest when I don’t change too.

“So Ma was right,” Cill says with a smirk, as Aldair takes a few steps back, causing him to revert to his true monstrous form once more. Maybe I’m just not close enough to her… I glance back to the bush I know conceals her.

“Seems so,” my oldest brother murmurs, looking lost in his thoughts. He says nothing as he starts back the way he and I came.

“Go on, then, baby brother. Go rescue our damsel’s beast,” Cill chuckles, looking as if he’s enjoying himself immensely.

“We’ll shift too? If I… If I’m close to her, my human form will appear?” I ask, and the smirk on my brother's face becomes a somber one in an instant.

“Yes, Kylan. You aren’t a threat to our mate… Not in this form, but you will have a more…approachable form that will appeal to her too.” Cill claps his hand over my shoulder, staring into my eyes. He senses my fears, my brothers both know me well.

“Keep her safe,” I murmur, dropping my gaze to the forest floor. “If I lose control, you’ll–”

“Tackle you to the ground, and pin your head beneath my knee, like I did when you were a teen. You’ve grown, Ky. You are in control, but yes, if you feel like you’re losing yourself, I’ll happily kick your ass.” Cill ruffles my hair like he has since I can remember, and nods toward the forest. “I would go after the horse myself, but the damn thing would probably have a heart attack. You are the only one of us who can save him for her. See if he responds to the name Bear,” Cill adds, and I frown. Our mate said she would find Bear, was she talking about the horse?

Cillian is right, though. He’d terrify the poor beast. Horses are prey. Very large prey, but still, prey nonetheless. They’re scared of their own shadows. Once, I was feeding one a carrot, and it startled at the sight of the damn orange stick in my hand.

“At least we agree on one thing. You’re no animal trainer,” I tease, before taking a deep breath. I’ll save the horse, then return to her side.

I head in the direction my brother indicated, and follow the tracks, and the lingering scent of my mate. It doesn’t take me long to locate the large brown animal.

The whites of his eyes show as he throws his head around at my approach. Dancing hooves keep me moving while I work my way closer to him.

“Hush, friend. I mean you no harm. Your girl sent me. Is your name Bear?” I whisper quietly as I move my knuckles gently down his neck to avoid accidentally injuring him. I’m not as good at retracting my claws as my older brother is. “Your girl sent me. Is your name Bear, big guy?” I continue to talk to him calmly as I check him over for injuries. He’s very well cared for, telling me my mate treasures him very much. The smell of blackberries dipped in honeysuckle coming off of him speaks to how much time she spent near him.

The beast allows me to lead him through the forest, toward our dwelling, and I take the opportunity to speak to him. Attempt to establish a bond between us, so he’ll trust me. He seems more comfortable with me now, but he’s still weary. I can’t blame him. I am a monster, after all. I doubt he’s ever seen my kind before. Honestly, I’m lucky that the sight of me didn’t send him running.

“Your rider loves you very much, I think. She takes good care of you. In return, you’re loyal to her. That’s why you didn’t run far from her, hmm? Even if you were frightened. What a good boy you are.” It comes natural to me, the praise…he seems like he needs it. “Such a good beast, aren’t you?”

I’m able to get him fed and secure in our holding pen, taking my time to make sure he’s comfortable. Showing him the care I believe my mate would ensure he has.

I can’t deny I’m eager to get back to the cave my mate hides in. I sense Aldair is close, but I don’t offer him my help. I need to be closer to my mate if I’m going to be able to shift into the form she’ll prefer.

So instead of joining Aldair, I head back to Cillian and our mate. Because of my speed, I reach him quickly, making him chuckle.

“Should have known it wouldn’t take you long. I bet Aldair returns soon as well.” Cill snorts a laugh, and I just shrug.

“How is she?” I ask, as I approach. Cillian’s leaning against a tree far enough away from the small cave that if our mate were to pop her head out, she wouldn’t spot him, especially in the darkness, but he’s close enough to jump into action if she needs him.

“She’s asleep. I think she’ll most likely remain here tonight,” he sighs, the quiet between us stretching, before he adds, “I don’t want to frighten her, much as I wish to be near her, but…” Cillian says, before reaching up to scratch the back of his neck. I frown…he looks…unsure? Something my older brother has never looked a day in his life. Cillian oozes confidence, and self-assurance. “I thought maybe to light her a fire…” he adds.

“How will she feel if a fire just appears here?” I ask him.

“Fair point. She just doesn’t have fur to keep her warm.”

“I think she’ll be okay just for tonight.” We can’t just light a fire, she’ll see us. And we can’t exactly stuff her hiding spot with blankets. However, our superior senses mean we can listen to her heart rate and breathing. If something is wrong, we’ll know. “We’ll make sure she is warm tomorrow night.” The words are bitter on my tongue. I hate the knowledge that she’s uncomfortable in there. My instincts are screaming at me to care for my mate… “Her horse responded to the name Bear, like you had suggested. He didn’t go far, even though he was frightened.”

“Good. It will be a comfort to her to find him in a safe place, especially if we don’t figure out how to–” My brother frowns, his words trailing off as he looks at his arm. Maybe he isn’t as confident as I assumed. He’s eager for his human form to manifest as well.

I say nothing, lost to the many thoughts that plague me from breathing in the scent of our mate's pheromones. Thankfully, Cill changes the subject.

“I overheard the vile humans from her village speaking about their intentions for her. There’s an Alpha who claims that she is his. He wants to break her in disgusting ways. He ordered the others to hunt her. Her own parents were involved! We cannot allow them to find her, ever.” Cillian’s tone is filled with gravel, as his body shakes with restrained aggression. Cillian has more control over his instincts than I do, but as an outsider, you wouldn’t know that. Especially in moments like this one.

“We’ll keep her safe, and with time, she’ll grow to trust us. She’ll be frightened at first, but I think we can make her comfortable, even if Aldair is the only one of us who finds his second form,” I say, and my brother nods his agreement, but I can tell he’s hoping we shift, just as badly as I am…

Cillian and I approach the treeline, the pull of our mate is hard to resist, now more than ever before. We glance at each other, and Cillian doesn’t need to speak for me to know what he’s thinking. How close can we get? And how close do we need to be for the shift to happen?

A tingling begins at the crest of my head and flows down my spine. I watch in fascination as the fur along my arms ripples, receding to reveal golden skin like that of our mates. The talons on the tip of my fingers shrink to blunt, ineffective nails like Ma’s. In a daze, I glance up to see my brother has also undergone the same change. I guess this answers one of our questions.

Aldair appears at the edge of the clearing, eyes wide, and mouth hanging open. Cillian looks delighted as he grins like a madman. I imagine the look on my face is somewhere between the two. I’m excited and terrified all at the same time. This is everything we’ve been hoping for.

In his human form, Aldair is shorter than before, and his fur is of course gone. Shaggy black hair frames his face. When his brown eyes catch mine, instead of fear or shock, now all I see is excitement. A smile overtakes his face as we both turn to look at Cillian.

Standing shorter than either of us, the brown hair on his head matches the fur of his monstrous form. Dark lashes accentuate his gray eyes that always shine with mischief.

I wish I could see what my face looked like… I’ll have to wait until we return home.

I look down at my body and find I’m naked and furless except for the dusting of hair trailing down my chest. My cock looks different as well… We’ll need clothing to hide these… I allow my large hand to drift down my body toward it before I’m interrupted by Cillian.

“Leave your cock alone, Ky,” he chuckles. “We'll need clothing before we can introduce ourselves,” my brother says, echoing my earlier thoughts.

“Humans cover most of their bodies, like Ma. I brought some of the clothing she’s been giving us over the years, just in case this happened,” Aldair adds, always prepared. “We need to practice retaining this form, but this skin is not made for surviving the forest bare...” I’m reminded of the day the village I came from was attacked. The only ones who shifted into a human form were our parents. At least, as far as I remember. I was only four, though. My brothers might remember more, but I don’t want to bring up that day in a moment like this.

Aldair heads away from us to grab a bag he left a few feet away. He has only managed a few steps before he hunches over with a grunt.

His form goes back to that of his monster within seconds. Our eyes meet as we realize the implications, if we stray too far from our Omega, we lose the ability to hold this human form.

“Here,” Aldair grunts, as he grabs the bag and tosses it to me, before returning to our side, once again in human form.

Does prolonged exposure to the Omega change anything? Will we eventually be able to shift at will, no matter the distance between us and our mate? I wish I had the answers. The fear of the unknown makes me anxious. Doubt creeps in like a dark cloud sinking into my soul. What if I’m never good enough?

Can I ever truly be trusted around our mate?