Page 7 of Alpha’s Vow (Copper Canyon Shifters #3)

CHAPTER 7

brYCE

T he Copper Canyon Ranch stretched wide under the clear Texas sky, its sprawling pastures dotted with grazing cattle and the occasional dust cloud kicked up by a galloping horse. Bryce stood on the front porch of the ranch house, leaning against the railing with a bottle of water in hand. The view should have calmed him, but his thoughts were a tangled mess, and no amount of fresh air seemed to help.

He couldn’t get her out of his head. Sable, with her sharp eyes and the fire in her every move, had stormed into his life like a force of nature. She was his fated mate—there was no denying it. The claiming bite had sealed that bond, tying them together in a way that was both thrilling and maddening. But Sable hadn’t exactly welcomed the connection, and Bryce wasn’t sure what to do about it.

“Brooding again?” Colt’s voice cut through Bryce’s thoughts, and he turned to see his eldest brother stepping out onto the porch. Colt carried himself with the steady confidence of a man who had seen it all, his sharp eyes studying Bryce with a mixture of amusement and curiosity.

Landon followed close behind, a mug of coffee in hand. He grinned as he took in Bryce’s restless stance. “Let me guess. This is about her.”

Bryce shot them both a glare. “I don’t brood.”

Colt leaned against the railing beside him, his arms crossed. “You’re not exactly subtle, Bryce. The way you’ve been pacing around, anyone could tell something’s eating at you.”

“And it’s not just something, it’s someone,” Landon added, his grin widening. “You’ve got that fated mate look about you.”

Bryce sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “All right, fine. I met her.”

Colt raised an eyebrow. “Her?”

“My fated mate,” Bryce said, his tone steady despite the whirlwind of emotions the words stirred in him. “Sable.”

Landon let out a low whistle. “Well, damn. Didn’t see that coming.”

Colt chuckled, shaking his head. “I always figured I’d be the last Savage to find a mate. Figured you’d be the first.”

“Are you kidding?” teased Landon. “Not with all those buckle bunnies out there wanting to have a fling with a real cowboy, and a champion bronc rider at that.”

“It’s not like I planned this,” Bryce shot back, his voice edged with frustration. “I didn’t ask for the bond. It just… happened.”

“And the bite?” Landon asked, his tone laced with mock innocence. “That just happened too?”

Bryce stiffened, his jaw tightening. “She was mine. Instinct kicked in and the next thing I knew I was sinking my teeth into her throat.”

Colt exchanged a look with Landon, his expression caught between amusement and disbelief. “You bit her without asking? Bryce, that’s about as impulsive as it gets, even for you.”

“I know,” Bryce growled, all that he had done pressing down on him. “It wasn’t planned. She’s my mate, and everything in me said I had to claim her.”

“And how’d she take that?” Landon asked, though the grin on his face suggested he already knew the answer.

Bryce exhaled sharply, running a hand through his dark hair. “She punched me in the nose and stormed off.”

Colt laughed, the sound deep and genuine. “Sounds about right. She’s got spirit.”

“More than spirit,” Bryce muttered. “She’s strong, fierce. She’s been through hell, and she’s still standing. But she’s so damn stubborn.”

“What do you know about her?” asked Colt.

“Not a lot. Bits and pieces, but something terrible happened to her, and she’s looking to get even with those behind it. No one seems to know much about her. It’s all a big mystery.”

“She sounds perfect for you,” Landon said with a grin.

Bryce glared at him but didn’t argue. Perfect was one word for it, though it didn’t come close to capturing the storm of emotions she stirred in him.

Colt’s tone grew more serious. “So, what’s the plan? You’ve got a bond with her now. You can’t just ignore it.”

“I don’t want to ignore it,” Bryce said, his voice firm. “But she’s on a mission, and she doesn’t want my help. She’s tracking some men—at first, I thought it was just one, but now it seems it’s a group. She’s not exactly thrilled about me interfering.”

Colt nodded, his expression thoughtful. “Sounds like you’ve got your work cut out for you.”

“Tell me about it,” Bryce muttered.

Landon sipped his coffee, his grin returning. “You’re gonna need backup if you’re dealing with something like that—someone who has connections you don’t and who can get information that you can’t.”

Bryce’s gaze sharpened. “I know. That’s why I called Rush.”

A few hours later, Bryce stood in the cool shade of the barn, his phone pressed to his ear as he waited for Zane “Rush” Rushton to pick up. The Texas Ranger was one of the few people Bryce trusted implicitly—a man who had seen more danger and chaos than most could even imagine.

“Bryce,” Rush’s voice came through the line, low and steady. “What’s up?”

“Got a situation,” Bryce said, leaning against a stack of hay bales. “I need your advice.”

“Shoot.”

Bryce hesitated for a moment, then dove in. “I found my fated mate. Sable Morse.”

Rush was silent for a beat before letting out a low whistle. “Didn’t see that coming. Congratulations, I guess.”

“Not sure congratulations are in order,” Bryce said dryly.

“Wait. Did you say Sable Morse?”

“I did. Do you know her?”

Rush whistled. “Not personally, but I know who she is. We’ve been tracking her. She’s got a hell of a story. Her pack was slaughtered by hunters, and it seems she’s on a mission to take them down. She’s smart, capable, and lethal as they come. Can I assume you’re not in favor of her taking the revenge she’s owed?”

“You could say that,” Bryce admitted. “She doesn’t want my help. Hell, she doesn’t want me around at all. But she has to be in over her head, and I can’t just stand by and let her get herself killed.”

Rush’s tone was thoughtful. “You claimed and marked her, didn’t you?”

Bryce closed his eyes briefly. “Yeah. I didn’t mean to—it just happened. Now she’s furious.”

Rush exhaled. “That’s a tough one. The bond isn’t something you can take back, and it’s not something she can ignore. Whether she likes it or not, she’s tied to you now.”

“I know,” Bryce said, his voice low. “But she’s not ready to accept it. And I can’t force her.”

“Probably not. If what we’ve been able to learn is true, forcing Sable to do something she objects to could be dangerous.”

“Given what you just told me, I’d be more inclined to help her.”

Rush chuckled. “Not something you want to say to a Texas Ranger, but it’s also the reason we’ve made sure no one could connect the deaths we think she’s responsible for. If she won’t let you help, you can still be there when she needs you. Whether she admits it or not, that time will come.”

Bryce leaned back against the wall, his mind racing. “I need to figure out what she’s up against. These hunters…”

“From what we can tell, they’re organized, well-funded. If you can get ahead of them…”

“Maybe I can keep her safe.”

Rush’s voice was steady. “Let me see what else we can dig up. But Bryce, be careful. People like these hunters don’t play by the rules.”

“I know,” Bryce said. “That’s why I need to be ready.”

There was a pause, then Rush added, “And one more thing—don’t underestimate Sable. She’s survived this long which means she’s got more strength than most.”

Bryce smiled faintly. “Oh, I know. She’s the strongest person I’ve ever met.”

“Good,” Rush said. “Now prove to her that you’re worth having around.”

Bryce ended the call. Sable might not want him by her side, but he wasn’t about to let her face this alone. She was his mate, and he would protect her—even if it meant standing in the shadows until she was ready to let him in.

The late afternoon sunlight glinted off the corrals and shimmered over the lush pastures. Bryce paced the length of the porch, his phone pressed tightly to his ear. His jaw was tight, his eyes sharp as he listened to Rush speak on the other end of the line.

“I’ve been digging into a group of killings we’ve only started to connect together,” Rush said, his tone low and clipped. “There’s a pattern. The victims—all of them—seem to be tied to an incident in Montana where a pack of wolves were slaughtered. The deaths we’ve linked together are systematic, methodical, clean, and relentless.”

Bryce stopped pacing, his shoulders stiffening. He already knew who it was. “And the authorities?”

“As far as I can tell, we’re the only ones who’ve started to connect the dots, but there’s not much there to connect them. If it’s Sable, she isn’t leaving much behind—no real evidence, no clear trail—and it’s personal, so unless you know who it is, there’s really no pattern to spot.”

Bryce gritted his teeth. Of course it was personal. Sable wasn’t the kind of woman to let go of what had been stolen from her. She’d lost her pack, her family, her entire world. And now, she was on a mission to destroy the people responsible.

“Any names?” Bryce asked, his voice low and steady, though his wolf bristled with unease.

Rush hesitated. “The last victim was a guy named Markson. He was found two days ago—a knife shoved between his ribs and straight into his heart.”

Bryce’s heart slammed in his chest. Markson. The name clicked instantly. He was one of the men Sable had been hunting—Bryce had overheard her say as much. The timing lined up too perfectly to be a coincidence.

“What put you guys onto it?” Bryce pressed.

“Rumor, innuendo, and people calling to tell us the bits and pieces they knew. There are a lot of shifters who don’t want something like this coming to light for fear that it will alert the authorities to our presence. There was talk of a woman,” Rush said. “We didn’t have a description of any sort, but when we started looking, most of the killings were immediately after a rodeo. When we quietly started asking questions. What we came across was a kind of ghost story hunters tell to scare each other. The rumor was a lone wolf. Dangerous.”

Bryce’s silence was answer enough.

Rush’s voice softened. “I get it, Bryce. But if she’s out there doing this alone, she’s in over her head. These hunters aren’t small-time. They’re organized, well-funded, and ruthless. They’ll come for her hard if they figure out who’s behind these hits.”

“She’s not helpless,” Bryce said, his tone hard. “You don’t know her like I do.”

“Maybe not,” Rush replied. “But even the strongest need backup. And if she’s your mate, I know you’re not about to sit this out.”

Bryce exhaled sharply, the weight of Rush’s words settling heavily on his shoulders. “No,” he said quietly. “I’m not.”

“Good,” Rush said. “Because from what I’m seeing, things are about to heat up. Watch your back, Bryce—and hers.”

“Always,” Bryce muttered before ending the call.

He lowered the phone, his thoughts racing. Markson was dead. Sable was still out there, moving through the shadows, striking at her enemies with precision and fury. She was unstoppable—but she was also alone. And that thought ate at him.

Bryce’s wolf growled low in his chest, the primal need to protect his mate surging to the forefront. He couldn’t let her keep running. He couldn’t let her face this fight without him. She might hate him for interfering, but he’d rather deal with her wrath than risk losing her.

He headed into the house, his boots echoing on the wooden floors as he made his way to the study. Colt and Landon were seated at the table, going over some ranch plans, but they looked up as Bryce entered, his expression grim.

“What’s going on?” Colt asked, his tone cautious.

Bryce didn’t waste time with pleasantries. “Markson’s dead—him and his cronies wiped out her pack. Rush has linked him to several other killings. He thinks Sable’s behind it.”

Landon whistled low. “Damn. Is she?”

“Yes,” Bryce said, his voice clipped. “But she’s got reason. I’m going after her.”

Colt raised an eyebrow. “You sure she wants your help? She doesn’t strike me as the kind of woman who wants saving.”

“She doesn’t,” Bryce admitted. “But this isn’t about what she wants. It’s about what she needs.”

“And what’s that?” Landon asked, leaning back in his chair.

“Me—someone who has her back,” Bryce said firmly. “Even if she doesn’t ask for it. Especially if she doesn’t.”

Colt studied him for a long moment, his expression thoughtful. Finally, he nodded. “All right. Just be smart about it, Bryce. If she’s in the middle of something dangerous, you don’t want to expose her.”

“I know,” Bryce said, his tone steady. “But I’m not letting her slip away. Not again.”

That night, Bryce packed a bag and loaded up his truck. The desert air was cool and quiet, the stars stretching endlessly above as he pulled onto the highway. His instincts were sharp, his focus unyielding. He didn’t know where Sable was heading, but he had a feeling he could find her. The bond between them pulsed faintly in his chest, like a compass pulling him toward her.

He replayed the last time he’d seen her, the fire in her eyes when she’d warned him to stay out of her way. She was fierce, determined, and so full of rage that it spilled out of her like wildfire. But beneath that fire, he’d glimpsed something else—a vulnerability she tried so hard to hide.

Bryce’s hands tightened on the wheel, his resolve hardening. He would find her. He would protect her, even if it meant going to war with the hunters she was chasing.

The miles stretched ahead, the open road a promise of danger and discovery. Bryce’s wolf stirred restlessly, the pull of Sable’s presence growing stronger with every passing mile. She was out there, and he was closing in. Whatever lay ahead, he was ready.

And when he caught up to her, they’d settle this. One way or another.