Page 12 of Alpha’s Vow (Copper Canyon Shifters #3)

CHAPTER 12

brYCE

T he sprawling expanse of Copper Canyon Ranch came into view as Bryce drove his truck up the winding dirt road. The landscape stretched endlessly, the lush pastures dotted with grazing cattle and the occasional silhouette of a horse. The familiar sight usually brought him a sense of peace, but today, his attention was split between the view and the woman seated stiffly beside him.

Sable hadn’t said much during the drive. She stared out the window, her eyes scanning the scenery with the wariness of someone who never let their guard down. Bryce understood her silence. She wasn’t just stepping into a new place—she was stepping into his world, and he didn’t take the significance of that lightly.

“You okay?” he asked, his deep voice cutting through the quiet.

Sable glanced at him, her expression unreadable. “Do I have a choice?”

Bryce grinned faintly, but his tone was gentle. “You always have a choice, Sable.”

She didn’t reply, but the stiffness in her shoulders eased slightly. It wasn’t much, but Bryce would take it.

As they pulled up to the ranch house, the door swung open, and Colt Savage stepped onto the porch, his arms crossed over his chest—his sharp eyes assessing. Landon appeared a moment later, leaning casually against the railing with a mug of coffee in hand.

“Well, well,” Landon drawled, his grin wide as he took in Bryce and Sable stepping out of the truck. “Look who’s back.”

Colt’s gaze shifted to Sable, his expression softening with curiosity. “And you’ve brought company.”

“This is Sable,” Bryce said, his voice steady as he stepped to her side.

His words hung in the air for a moment before Landon let out a low whistle. “Mate, huh? I don’t know, Sable, I think you could have done better than Bryce.”

“Probably,” Bryce said, his tone firm but edged with humor. “But here we are.”

Sable’s eyes flicked between the brothers, her posture rigid as she folded her arms. “Is this where you tell me I don’t belong here?”

Colt stepped forward, his expression calm but direct. “No one’s saying that. We’re just giving Bryce shit.”

Landon grinned, his easygoing nature breaking through the stress. “Colt’s the serious one. Don’t let him scare you.”

Sable’s lips twitched, a flicker of amusement crossing her face before it disappeared. “Not much scares me.”

“Good,” Colt said, nodding approvingly. “You should fit right in.”

Bryce’s chest swelled with pride at Sable’s defiance, but he was also keenly aware of the strain beneath her calm exterior. She was stepping into uncharted territory, and her wolf bristled with the uncertainty of it all. He placed a hand lightly on her back, offering a silent reassurance.

“Come on,” Bryce said, his voice steady. “Let’s head inside. There’s someone else you should meet.”

Inside the ranch house, the warmth of home greeted them—wooden beams, the scent of fresh coffee, and the faint buzz of conversation. Bryce led Sable into the spacious living room, where two women were seated on the couch, their laughter filling the air.

“Briar,” Colt called, his tone softening as his mate turned toward them. Her red, curly hair framed a face full of warmth, her sharp eyes alight with curiosity.

“And this is Dakota,” Bryce added, nodding toward Landon’s mate. She was a force of energy, her dark hair pulled into a ponytail as she leaned forward to get a better look at Sable.

Briar stood first, her smile easy but measured. “You must be Sable. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Dakota wasn’t as subtle, bounding up to Sable with an energy that seemed to catch her off guard. “Bryce’s mate, huh? Took him long enough to find someone who could handle him.”

Sable’s eyes darted between the two women, her expression a mixture of surprise and wariness. “It’s… nice to meet you.”

Bryce stepped in, his voice cutting through the growing intensity. “Sable’s been through a lot. Let’s not overwhelm her.”

Briar nodded, her gaze softening. “Of course. If you need anything, just let us know.”

Dakota grinned. “And if you want to escape Bryce, we’ll help with that, too.”

Sable’s lips curved into a faint smile, the closest thing to ease Bryce had ever seen from her.

Later, after the introductions had settled and the others had retreated to give Sable some space, Bryce took her to the stables. Ghost nickered in greeting as her mistress approached. The sun hung low in the sky, casting a warm glow over the ranch as they walked toward the sprawling paddocks.

“She didn’t like being inside,” said Bryce, “so I had them build her a lean-to with a big paddock.”

Sable nodded. “Thank you. She doesn’t like feeling penned in unless she can see me or my truck.”

The scent of hay and horses filled the air in a way that soothed Bryce’s wolf.

“This is the heart of the ranch,” Bryce said, gesturing to the horses grazing in the distance. “We’ve been talking about expanding—breeding rodeo stock, not just cattle. Horses, bulls, the works.”

Sable glanced at him, her brow furrowing. “And what does that have to do with me?”

“I want you to take charge of the horse division,” Bryce said simply.

She stopped in her tracks, turning to face him fully. “What?”

“You’ve got the skills,” he said, his voice steady but firm. “The way you work with horses, the way you connect with them—it’s something special, Sable. You could build something incredible here.”

Her expression hardened, her arms crossing over her chest. “You think this is a way to distract me? To keep me from going after the hunters?”

“No,” Bryce said, stepping closer. “I think this is a way to give you something more. A purpose beyond revenge.”

Sable’s eyes flashed with defiance, but there was something deeper in her gaze—uncertainty, fear. “I don’t know how to be part of something like this.”

“Yes you do. You were part of your pack,” Bryce said, his voice softening. “Now you’ll be part of ours.”

Her breath hitched, the bond between them vibrating with quiet intensity. She looked away, her fingers brushing the wood of the paddock fence as she struggled to process his words.

“This isn’t a fix,” she said quietly. “It won’t change what I’ve lost.”

“I know,” Bryce said. “But it can be the beginning of something new, something different.”

Sable exhaled, the stiffness in her shoulders easing just enough for Bryce to see a flicker of acceptance in her posture.

“Think about it,” he said, his tone gentle but firm.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting the ranch in shades of amber and shadow, Bryce felt a quiet hope settle inside him. Sable might not be ready to trust fully, but she was here. And for now, that would have to be enough.

The golden hues of the setting sun bathed Copper Canyon Ranch in a warm glow as Bryce leaned against the paddock fence, his eyes fixed on Sable. She stood a few feet away, her posture tense as she scanned the open expanse of the ranch. The sight of her, arms crossed and lips pressed into a thin line, told Bryce everything he needed to know—she was about to reject his offer.

“I can’t do this,” Sable said, her voice low but firm. “It’s not me.”

Bryce straightened, his broad shoulders blocking out the fading sunlight as he turned to face her fully. “What’s not you?”

“This,” she said, gesturing to the horses grazing in the distance, their coats gleaming in the light. “The ranch, the stability, the… future you’re talking about. It’s not who I am.”

“It could be,” Bryce said, his voice calm but resolute. “If you let it.”

She scoffed, turning away from him. “You don’t understand. I can’t just… settle here, Bryce. Not while they’re still out there. My pack, my family, never lived like this. We kept to ourselves up in the mountains. We were a small community, who liked it that way. I don’t know that I’d fit in with anyone else.”

Bryce stepped closer, his boots crunching against the dirt as he closed the distance between them. He reached out, his hand brushing her arm in a touch that was firm but grounding. “Sable, I’m not asking you to forget about what happened. I’m not asking you to stop fighting for your pack.”

“Then what are you asking?” she demanded, spinning to face him, her eyes blazing with anger and pain. “Because it feels like you’re trying to distract me, tie me down when I’m this close to finishing what I started.”

Bryce’s jaw tightened, his wolf bristling at her resistance. But he kept his voice steady, his tone carrying the unyielding dominance he knew she would respect. “I’m asking you to let yourself want more. To see that there’s a life beyond revenge.”

Her gaze faltered, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her face before she looked away. “I can’t just stop. I can’t let them win.”

“No one’s asking you to stop,” Bryce said, his voice softening. “We can go after them, Sable. Together. But you can’t lose yourself in this fight. You need something to come back to. Something worth fighting for.”

“But why get involved? And don’t give me that fated mate romantic nonsense.”

Bryce chuckled. “Okay, let’s put all the romantic stuff aside. They took down your pack. They’ve taken down others, and from what Rush has been able to tell me, their numbers are growing. Your pack appears to be the only pack that was taken down as a whole. They seem to take down individuals and only in shifted form. From a purely practical standpoint, how long do you think it’ll be before they come for those of us here at Copper Canyon?”

Sable’s breath hitched, the truth and significance of his words railing against the walls she had so carefully built around herself. She didn’t respond, her fingers tightening around the fence as she stared out at the horizon.

Bryce took another step closer, his presence solid and unrelenting. “Look around, Sable. This place—it’s not a prison. It’s a chance. A chance to build something new. To take what they tried to destroy and turn it into something stronger.”

She turned to him then, her eyes searching his face for something—reassurance, maybe, or proof that he wasn’t just trying to trap her. “What if I can’t do it? What if I don’t know how?”

Bryce reached for her hand, his calloused fingers brushing against hers. The bond between them throbbed with quiet intensity, grounding them both. “No one is born knowing how. You have to give yourself time to learn.”

Her lips parted, a retort on the tip of her tongue, but she didn’t speak. The fire in her gaze dimmed slightly, replaced by something softer, more vulnerable. Bryce could see the war waging inside her, the struggle between the life she had lost and the one he was offering her now.

“I don’t know if I can let go,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. “Not completely.”

“You don’t have to,” Bryce said, his tone steady. “But you can let yourself hold on to something else, too.”

For a long moment, Sable said nothing, her gaze fixed on the horizon as the sun dipped lower, casting long shadows across the ranch. Bryce didn’t push her, even though he wanted to. He knew better than to force her hand. Sable wasn’t a woman who could be cornered or coerced—she had to come to her own decisions in her own time.

Finally, she exhaled, her shoulders relaxing just enough to show the smallest crack in her armor. “What would it even look like? If I said yes.”

Bryce smiled. “You’d take charge of the horse division. You’d build something incredible—train, breed, make this place yours. And when we’re ready, we go after them. We, not you.”

She nodded.

“Every step,” Bryce promised, his voice low and firm. “You don’t have to do this alone anymore, Sable.”

She looked at him then, her eyes meeting his with a vulnerability that took his breath away. For the first time since he’d met her, she wasn’t just the fierce, guarded fighter driven by revenge. She was a woman standing on the edge of something new, something terrifying, and Bryce knew just how much it cost her to even consider it.

“I’ll think about it,” she said finally, her voice soft but resolute.

“That’s all I’m asking,” Bryce said, his hand still resting lightly on hers.

They stood in silence for a moment, the quiet of the ranch settling around them. The bond between them pulsed faintly, a steady reminder of the connection they shared. Bryce’s wolf stirred, satisfied but not complacent. He knew this was only the beginning.

As the last rays of sunlight disappeared below the horizon, a faint breeze stirred the air, carrying with it the scent of wildflowers and moonlight. Bryce glanced at Sable, her profile illuminated by the soft glow of the rising moon. She looked calm, but he knew the storm inside her was far from over.

And yet, for the first time, he felt a spark of hope.

“Come on,” Bryce said, his voice low but warm. “Let’s head back. Tomorrow’s a new day.”

Sable nodded, her steps lighter as they walked back toward the house. Bryce’s mind churned with plans, strategies, and the quiet promise he had made to himself the moment he’d claimed her: to see this through, to stand by her side, no matter what.

As they reached the porch, Sable paused, her hand brushing the weathered wood of the railing. She glanced at Bryce, her eyes catching the light just enough to reveal a flicker of something—trust, perhaps, or the beginning of it.

“Tomorrow,” she said, her voice firm.

Bryce nodded, a slow smile tugging at his lips. “Tomorrow.”

But as they stepped inside, Bryce’s wolf bristled, sensing the faintest trace of something wrong on the wind. Danger loomed, closer than either of them realized.

Tomorrow, it seemed, might come with more challenges than either of them had anticipated.