Page 105 of Bruised MC Bear

But now, change was coming.

Xander dismounted his horse at the gate and crossed the fence separating his troops from the rest of the Sector. The enclosure was made of tall logs that stood on end, with wire mesh connecting them together. This barrier was also protected by magic, a constant, unnecessary reminder of their separation from the citizens. He only noticed he had been stomping through his camp with clenched fists when several of his men stopped what they were doing to salute him. He pulled himself together. It was not the time for anger.

Especially not now.

With Kiera in the picture, Xander could see possibility again. She was the first witch Xander had met who had looked him in the eye, and set aside their differences, even if only for a few moments of this morning’s meeting. That alone was promising. Letting go of the past, he walked into camp with his mind on a new future. Kiera did not realize it yet, but her powers were not to be taken lightly. Minassus needed her to perform the shifting spell. She was stronger than him, a fact Minassus would inevitably downplay to her and to everyone in his coven.

She was fiery too, and beautiful.

And probably a virgin.

No…definitely.

She was a Chosen. She had to be a virgin.

It would be easy to show her the truth, and then seduce her.

Or vice versa.

Or both at the same time.

Whatever it took.

If it all went well, Kiera would not need convincing about the shifters’ plight. If she was strong enough, and an independent thinker, she would stand with them against Minassus. All the shifters needed was an ally among the fortress witches. The leader of the Nauru had already come around to the shifters’ way of thinking, but their sorcery was limited to containment spells. With Kiera’s openness, paired with her responsibility for this year’s transformation spell, Xander had found his missing piece of the puzzle. Kiera was potentially more than an ally. Time would soon tell, but for once, there was hope.

The only thing he had to worry about was remaining subtle—it had never been his strong suit. He was always ready to go, to push forward. He had never been good at biding his time, acting or playing it cool. Thankfully, only nine days remained before Kiera had to cast the transformation spell. Less than nine days to seduce her and bring her around? He looked forward to this new challenge. One thing was for certain. He would not stand by and watch while another batch of young men became slaves.

“How was the meeting?” Liam, Xander’s best friend and most trusted advisor, asked when Xander crossed paths with him near the camp dining area.

“Promising.” It was the only answer he felt comfortable sharing. He was keyed up, filled with energy, optimistic for the first time in years. Already, he wished nine days would pass in the blink of an eye so he could see the outcome of putting his plan into motion.

“You look like you need to shift,” Liam murmured. “Either that or you need to find a human female and get laid.”

Xander smiled and shook his head. Liam knew him well enough to register the caginess in his stance. The urge to give way to his animal trembled under his skin. It had been almost a week since his last shift, so his polar bear was restless. Meeting Kiera today did not help. Right now, giving in to his beast was exactly what he needed to do.

“Shifting it is, but not for too long,” Xander told him. “Let’s go.”

They headed to the closed-in wooded area of the camp. The space had been set aside for letting their animals out and for tactical training while in shifter form. Removing his clothes and placing them on one of the nearby posts, Xander closed his eyes. His animal was rearing to take over. In mere moments, all human thought ceased, and his body yielded until he was all polar bear.

He roared, and beside him, Liam’s animal echoed him. They wrestled and grappled for some time, then explored the woods, parting ways with their muzzles to the frosty ground. Invariably, they would meet up again near a tree or felled log, and would wrestle some more until they were both out of breath. After some time, when Xander’s polar bear was ready to yield to his human side, he transformed back quickly. The tension had left his body. He could focus again, and his first contemplation was seducing Kiera.

Liam shifted back to his human form shortly afterward. As they dressed, Liam studied his face. “How was that meeting? Really?”

“Just as I said,” Xander told him. “It was promising.”

His best friend grinned, but did not let up on the discerning glance. “Promising for our cause, or to get your dick out of your pants for a witch?”

The answer was both, but it was too early to let Liam into his plan. “Get your mind off my package and worry about your own. I hear it’s been months since you had a woman, Liam,” he joked.

Liam had a smug grin on his face. “Your access to our camp’s rumor mill is sorely lacking, fucker.”

“Yes,Iam the fucker, Liam. Andyouare the…un-fuckable.”

“It’s kind of interesting you think so because that, my friend, is not what your momma told me.”

Xander laughed hard for the first time in days. Liam was the only person with whom he could be himself. All the other shifters saw him as alpha, a larger-than-life leader meant to rule. “Keep my momma out of it, shithead. In any case, if you’re not careful, you’re liable to go blind next time you jerk off.”

“Have you not learned? You can fool everyone, but you cannot trick me.” Liam pulled Xander aside, looking in all directions to make sure no one was close enough to hear them. “What exactly do you plan on doing with that witch?” he demanded in a fierce whisper.

It appeared that Xander would share his plan for Kiera after all.