Beaufort Creek Shifters (10 book series)
The Lion’s Arranged Marriage Chapter 14

Gwendolyn

I was practically on fire.

No one had ever made me feel the way Neil made me feel. In more ways than one. The kiss alone was enough to blast me right out of this world. But that bite? It had been the culmination of years of hiding myself away.

Any other man wouldn't have prompted the same reaction. Neil was a unique shifter, a lion with a heart of gold and a fierce energy that protected those around him. He didn't just defend his friends, he defended his pack. He was passionate about making sure everyone was safe. That alone could have inspired my choice.

And it was odd to call it a choice seeing as we had been shoved together by our alpha.

However strange it seemed, it felt like it made sense. Neil had chosen me as much as I had chosen him. Our hearts sang when we joined hands. Our bodies yearned for each other in ways that transcended the physical. What felt right for us might have been odd to others, but it was just how we worked.

That didn't require clarification for anybody.

If it was right for us, then we could roll with it all we wanted.

That was all I could think about while looking into his eyes. My neck stung slightly, but it was no match to the vibrating pain that pinged throughout my body. At this point, it was merely white noise joining the fray.

Behind us, the monitor beeped. Neil broke eye contact to check the screen.

A low growl resonated in his throat. "We need to get out there."

I gasped as I clutched his shoulders. "Neil-my brother!"

Guilt smacked me right in the face as I raced for the door. Cesar wasn't an easy person to forget. It was the alarm that had distracted us-and the security room, the kiss, the bite.

Still, regardless of the explanation, I felt a strong sense of duty to protect my brother. He was the only person in my family who I truly liked. Everyone else was just background noise. Besides, he got along with Neil beautifully. That meant so much to me.

Neil held my face tenderly. "Hey, breathe."

I followed his command, sucking a gulp of air into my lungs. My head stopped swimming and my heart calmed.

"We're going to replace him, okay?" He peeked over my shoulder, concern dancing in his eyes. I didn't like that look. But when he turned his attention to me, calm echoed from his pupils. "We're going to protect him just like we're going to protect each other, alright?" "Yes, sir." He smiled warmly. "Good girl."

Good gods, I thought. I never thought I'd like hearing that phrase.

There was no time to truly think about it. Neil pulled me to the doorway, up the stairs, and into the foyer. By now, everyone had evacuated the mansion. They were probably hunkered down in the neighborhood at the end of the driveway. It was the safest place to be other than the security room in the basement-because it meant everyone was together.

My brow furrowed. What about Cesar? Is he with our parents? Do they have any idea what's going on right now?

I followed my mate onto the porch and into the driveway. We jogged down the hill to the neighborhood, coming upon a creepy scene.

The streets were totally empty.

Presumably, everyone had retreated into their homes and locked themselves away. That was for the best. But if Cesar hadn't gotten inside in time-or if he was locked up with some other family-what was I going to do? How would I explain that to our parents? A dragon floated gracefully above, scales shimmering in the late afternoon light. The sun was getting ready to rub elbows with the land. If the sun set with these wolves still on the loose, we were in for a long night of trouble. What if they've already escaped?

While we jogged to my house, a few doors flew open. Shifters appeared in their animal forms-a horse trotted in the opposite direction along with a few wolves, two bears, and a couple of eagles. Why were people coming out? What was happening? My heart hammered a bit harder.

I grabbed Neil's hand. "Something else is happening. I can feel it."

"You too?"

I looked at him. Sweat coated his forehead and soaked into his wheat-colored hair.

I frowned. "I don't think the dire wolves are the only threat."

"I think you're right, darling."

"We should pick up the pace. My brother might be―"

"HEY!"

Tanner jogged up to us soaked in sweat, huffing from adrenaline, and smudged with dirt on his cheeks. He stopped in front of Neil while hiking a thumb over his shoulder. "We got a real problem, man." "What's going on?"

"You got to come with me. We have a huge wave of creatures heading right toward us."

I stepped forward. "What?"

"The dire wolves..." Tanner shook his head. "It was just a distraction. They got away. But then Raymond-"

Neil growled as he tore off his sweater. "Tell me where!"

I watched my mate strip down. I waved my hands before he could start his shift. "Wait a second. What about Cesar?"

"Darling, I'm sorry to say it, but we have to go to the battle line. Blake needs us."

"I want to know that my brother is safe."

Neil gritted his teeth. He locked eyes with his best friend, the two of them quietly communicating. After what felt like an hour, Tanner nodded.

"I'll scout your house," he said to me. "When you shift, you can tap into your channel. I'll tell you what I replace."

Black fur exploded on his skin as he lunged away from us. Soon, it was a silver-specked wolf hauling away toward my house instead of a human. Tanner moved quickly-that meant it wouldn't be long before I knew whether or not my brother was safe. But until then, my heart would probably ram a hole in my chest.

Neil took my shoulders. "Darling, breathe. Please. You have to breathe."

I met his gaze. "You know I'm not staying behind."

He smiled warmly. "I wouldn't dream of anything else."

"You dream of going into battle with me?"

"I mean, when you put it that way..."

I chuckled while lacing my fingers with his. He rested his forehead on mine, dozens of unspoken words traveling between the thick layers of skin separating our souls. When would we join as one? At the end of our lives?

With this battle, would we even have very long to wait for that?

He took a breath, nodded, and then kissed my forehead. "Come along, snow. We should get going. We'll know more when we tap into the pack's mental channel."

Reluctantly, I peeled myself away from him. I shed my clothes and stood with him in my birthday suit in the middle of the street, absorbing the absurdity of the situation. We were about to face down Raymond and his men over a throne issue because of a woman who decided to cheat on her mate.

It was ghastly to imagine. How could anyone cheat on their mate?

I frowned. Unless they were never mates at all.

My gaze swept to my mate, to the man who had stolen my very heart and soul without speaking a word. And when he had spoken, everything was sealed from that moment. Though I hadn't known it then, my very being belonged to him.

That was the nature of our bond.

I didn't need to see Neil shift. I knew when he started shifting just by the way the energy around us swirled. As soon as I closed my eyes, I gave myself to that energy, following the scent of clary sage with a hint of pepper. Dreamy waves took me over as I became a snow owl once more and flapped my wings.

A lion stood beside me, tall and mighty. With a cheeky inner grin, I fluttered up and onto his back where I perched protectively.

An army approaches led by two men, Blake reported in the mind channel. It's Raymond and a man I don't recognize.

I frowned while replying, Do you see Dr. Myrtle?

Not yet, our alpha responded. Though I'm sure he's here somewhere.

Undoubtedly.

The mad doctor wouldn't let his experiments go anywhere without him. I knew that from personal experience. I had to imagine that he was lurking somewhere beyond the crowd, either in the forest or somewhere in the neighborhood. We had to get this place locked down and protected.

It was up to us now.

Neil, Alpha called. I need you and Gwendolyn here. Milton is covering the neighborhood.

My mate hopped forward, trotting to the edge of the neighborhood that led to the woods-and the perimeter where the army was likely approaching.

If they weren't approaching from all sides already.

A shriek from the air signaled Milton's defense. He was probably holding off whoever was approaching from the other side. Wolves howled behind us. The sound drifted away, fading as it got farther away from us, yet staying somewhere inside my mind. Those were our rear reinforcements.

Neil growled low in his throat. I felt the vibrations through my talons.

Darling? he projected to me. Promise me something.

I pinched him gently with my talons. What's that?

Don't give up if you think we're losing, okay?

I nodded sharply even though he couldn't see me. Of course.

Gwendolyn? Neil? That sounded like Tanner. Cesar is safe in the house!

Relief flooded me from head to toe. I let out a small hoot of celebration and let my head swivel around, studying every tree that came into view. I knew Neil would do his best to get us quickly to the battleground while avoiding other foes.

But still, I wanted to watch out for him.

And now that I knew my brother was safe, I could give the battle my full attention. As well as the protection of my mate.

Neil paused between two thick trunks, lifting his head to peer at me with one of his mustard eyes. I hope you realize you're stuck with me even after the battle ends.

I almost laughed. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Are you sure you want to do this? The way he asked made me think he was considering running away from the fight-which wasn't like him at all.

It didn't take long for me to search his soul as to why. Neil, you're not going to lose me.

How do we know that? he retorted.

We don't, I admitted. But I'm speaking it now into existence. Fair?

He huffed through his nostrils and turned back to the path head. Fair, my little snow owl.

He walked on in reverent silence. Even our mental channel remained quiet as we approached the field. Blake stood at the center of a long line of shifters in various forms. Many of them were wolves, but I recognized my alpha easily. He stood proudly with his head held high in the air next to his mate, Veronica.

They were such a powerful force in this pack. No enemy could withstand their effort. I knew as Neil joined the line that we would be much the same-and that was because we had marked each other.

If the stories from our elders were true, then our bond could barely be rustled by anything.

Not even the threat of death.

Blake took a step forward. He gritted his teeth, exposing them to oncoming shadows rustling in the trees on the other side of the field. I knew Raymond had been spotted, and I knew better than to think that Dr. Myrtle wouldn't be hidden somewhere nearby. Right now, we just had to wait until they arrived.

One by one, dire wolves and griffins stepped through the trees. Some of the smaller shifters were basic wolves like my alpha with chimeras wandering alongside them. It was a wicked sight-mostly the sheer audacity of Dr. Myrtle to have experimented at all. To think that those chimeras and griffins used to be regular shifters. And with all those tests, what had happened to their human sides?

Was there anything left?

Neil crouched slightly and said through our connection, Easy, snow. Save your tears for later.

I'm not crying, I claimed.

Yet the mournful hoot that I softly released to the universe might have said otherwise.

It's alright, he assured. Feel whatever you need to feel. But remember, stand your guard. Those things are still our enemies.

I stared at the approaching creatures. There were plenty in front of us to face. But how many were coming from behind? The distant sound of Milton's screeching sliced through the steady sound of paws marching upon the soil.

And then in the very middle of it all was Raymond Gilbert. He was flanked by dire wolves as he wielded a sword, raising it up to point at one of his accompanying creatures. A figure sat atop the one to his left. With my owl eyes, I focused on the person-no, that was a woman. She gripped the fur of the dire wolf's neck, holding her chin up like some underground queen.

Blake whined.

That reaction was unmistakable. He didn't speak through the mental pack channel. He didn't need to. We all knew exactly who we were looking at a woman with Blake's same icy demeanor and eyes to match, and the stylish garb of an aristocrat. It was his mother.