Page 43 of Brutal Reign (Shadowed Heirs #5)

43

I t’s been a while since I’ve been up before the sun. The pale glow of dawn is filtering through the trees when River, Ace, and I set out on the trail, accompanied by the chirp of birds as they rise to greet the day. There’s a distinct chill in the air this morning, signaling that the weather is about to turn. The birds will be headed south soon to escape the cold, while I’m perfectly content to stay right here with my fated mate.

I’m not big on running unless it’s in wolf form, but after last night, I’ll do just about anything if it means being near River. The pull of our bond is even stronger now that we’ve sealed it. Suddenly, the thought of sleeping in is a lot less appealing if it means being separated from her .

Yeah, the mate bond has turned me into a fuckin’ sap.

This may be the first time that I’ve joined in on River’s morning run, but it’s far from Ace’s. I’m well aware of his little habit of stalking our girl, following her out of the barracks at dawn every day to keep a watchful eye. The guy’s got issues, but who am I to judge? Between the three of us, we’ve each got our fair share. Guess we’re all cut from the same, fucked up cloth.

Riv’s conditioning routine has clearly been paying off, because she’s running at a decent pace this morning without her usual huffing and puffing. I’d venture to say she’s even enjoying it. Paired with the other subtle things I’ve picked up on since the three of us marked last night, I’ve got a theory brewing in the back of my mind, but I’m staying quiet about that until we get the opportunity to test it. I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up if I’m wrong.

“You wanna stop up here for a rest?” Ace asks, pointing to a break in the trees ahead.

“No, I feel great!” River exclaims, her ponytail bouncing as she runs alongside him with extra pep in her step. “Last night totally energized me, I feel like I could run a damn marathon right now.”

I shoot Ace a glance, wondering if he’s thinking the same thing I am. I’m betting he is by the amount of looks we’ve exchanged like this one lately.

“I could use a break,” I pant, wiping at my brow with a forearm.

“Jeez, Walker, I thought you had more stamina,” River teases, smirking at me over her shoulder.

“You know damn well how much stamina I’ve got, Jacobsen,” I growl back.

She snorts a laugh, shaking her head as she veers off the trail into the small clearing. Slowing to a stop, she whips around to face me, folding her arms over her chest as I approach and popping out a hip. “Maybe you should’ve been out here in the mornings running with us,” she quips sassily.

“You mean when you were running and Ace was stalking you?” I scoff.

River darts a glance toward my best friend, the corner of her mouth ticking up in amusement. “Is it really stalking if you’re aware and let it happen?”

“Don’t act like I wasn’t stealthy about it,” Ace grumbles, grinning back at her.

I swing my gaze between the two of them, wrinkling my nose in confusion. This must be yet another one of their weird things that I’ll never understand, like when they discuss the intricate details of the music they listen to. My relationship with River is completely different than Ace’s, but in a way, I guess that’s the beauty of this double bond. We each have our own unique connection with our mate that defies comparison. One doesn’t come at the expense of the other, and both can be equally as strong.

There’s a certain comfort in that realization; one I didn’t even know how much I needed until it hit me. Alphas are competitive and possessive by nature, but I can finally see how there’s no need to compete with Ace when we can both possess River. She’s mine, and she’s also his. She’s ours .

“Well, he can loosen up on his bodyguard duties now that you’re marked,” I drawl, stepping in closer to River. I reach out to sweep the pad of my thumb against one of the fresh scars at the junction of her neck and shoulder, admiring how my mark looks on her skin. “Everyone knows who you belong to now.”

She covers my hand with her own, smiling softly at me. “As much as I love these marks, I think this one’s my favorite,” she breathes, lifting the hem of her t-shirt with her opposite hand.

I dip my chin to glance down between our bodies. River’s leggings are riding low on her hips, showing off her fresh ink. “Think I have to agree with you on that,” I reply with a smirk.

“Let me see yours again,” she prompts.

Tugging at the collar of my t-shirt, I stretch the fabric down my chest so she can see the black club tattoo inked on my left pec. She immediately leans in and presses her lips to it, a shiver of delight running through me as sparks tingle between our skin.

Pivoting toward Ace, River gives him the same treatment, moving in closer, lifting up on her tiptoes, and pressing a kiss to the spade inked on the side of his throat. Then she steps back, placing a palm to the center of each of our chests and looking between us adoringly.

“I love you guys, and I love our bonds,” she declares, getting all sentimental on us.

Not that I mind.

I’m feeling all warm and squishy myself right now, so I hook an arm around her waist and pull her in, stealing a strawberry-tinged kiss before passing her off to Ace so he can do the same thing. The asshole tips her back and deepens it before pulling back, leaving her red-faced and flustered as she straightens.

“While we’re out here, I wanna try something,” I say, deciding that now’s as good a time as any to test the theory I’ve been brewing up.

“Oh yeah?” she asks, her puffy lips sliding into a devious smirk. “What’s that?”

I flicker a glance toward Ace. “Do you trust us?”

“Well, I just bonded myself to both of you for life, so yeah,” she snorts.

“Then try shifting to your wolf.”

River barks a laugh, rolling her eyes. “You just trying to get me naked?”

“I mean yeah, always, but now that we’ve got our own dorm, we can fuck whenever we want to,” I reply with a smug lift of my chin. “I’m trying to do something else here, though, so humor me. Don’t just shift, but fully give yourself over to your wolf. Let her take control.”

Her playful expression evaporates in an instant, eyes widening and lips turning down in a frown. “Are you out of your mind?” she questions, her voice strained. “You know that isn’t safe.”

“We’ve already proven that she’s not a danger to us, and that was before we sealed our bonds,” Ace remarks, reaching out to rest a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I’m with Seb on this, babygirl. I think it’s important that we learn how to pull you back out when she takes over, in case that happens during the challenge. We were able to do it somehow at your packhouse, remember?”

“Well yeah, but…”

“No buts,” I interrupt tersely. “You know this is a good idea, Riv. One we probably should’ve thought of sooner and been working on.”

Her hazel eyes flicker between us as she chews on her lower lip nervously, still considering. I don’t blame her for being apprehensive about letting her wolf out, given her history, but something feels different since we marked. I don’t think she’s even realized it yet. River has become so accustomed to shutting out her inner animal that she didn’t even seem to notice how easy it was for her to push her wolf back last night while Ace was tattooing her. I don’t want to be too optimistic here, but I’m beginning to suspect that when she sealed her mate bonds, it might’ve also bound River’s wild wolf.

My connection to my own wolf strengthened after we sealed our bond, so it stands to reason that hers would, too. We can’t know for sure until she shifts, though.

“Okay,” River finally agrees, blowing out a shaky breath. “I’ll try it, but I’m trusting you guys to subdue her if something goes wrong.”

“Easy,” I scoff. “Your wolf is a powerhouse, but there’s two of us.”

“We’ve got you, babygirl,” Ace murmurs in agreement.

She nods, slowly backing away as she peels her t-shirt off over her head. I could be polite and avert my eyes while she strips down, but where’s the fun in that? She’s my mate , and I fucking love her body. Which is why I keep my stare firmly trained on her as she undresses, raking my appreciative gaze over every inch of her bare skin.

“Here goes nothing,” River sighs once she tosses her clothes aside, balling her hands into fists as the air around her starts to shimmer. Her bones snap, body rearranging. A heartbeat later, she’s taken on the form of her stunning white wolf.

No matter how many times I’ve seen her wolf, I’m always awestruck when she first shifts. Her wolf is larger than that of any other female shifter I’ve seen, and her snow white fur is striking. She shakes it out, looking, looking from me to Ace, and then just as quickly as she shifted to her animal, she shifts back.

“Well shit, that was fast,” I comment as the air clears and River rises to stand in her human form.

“My wolf didn’t fully take over,” she grumbles, her brows pinching together and a little crease forming between them. “I tried, but she doesn’t seem to wanna play ball.”

“Hm,” Ace muses, swiping a hand over his chin in quiet contemplation. “Let’s try again.”

River frowns like she’s not too fond of that idea, but she doesn’t argue. Instead, she draws a deep breath and closes her eyes, the air shimmering as she calls her wolf forward for a second time.

Once again, nothing exciting happens. She just stands there in her animal form, looking between me and Ace and whining low in her throat before shifting back.

“Well?” I ask hopefully.

River shakes her head, her espresso hair swishing around her face. “Still didn’t work. For once, it seems like she has no interest in taking full control.”

“One more time,” Ace urges.

She frowns, snapping her head in his direction like she’s going to tell him to shove it, but when their eyes lock, her expression softens. Her throat bobs with a hard swallow as she nods, rolling her neck on her shoulders and calling her wolf forward yet again.

This time, as soon as she shifts, I turn to Ace and punch him in the face. My knuckles meet the flesh of his cheek with a resounding smack, causing him to stumble back a step in stunned surprise.

“The fuck was that for?” he scowls, rubbing at his jaw.

“Trying to rile up her wolf,” I shrug.

Ace glowers at me while he stretches his jaw, his eyes darkening. “Fine,” he huffs, retaking the distance between us and winding up. Before I can dodge him, he punches me right back, blood spurting from my nostrils on impact.

“Fucking asshole ,” I growl, clutching my nose to stem the bleed. It doesn’t feel broken, but it still hurts like a bitch, my eyes watering.

River’s wolf snarls at us, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end.

“Well look at that,” Ace muses, gesturing toward River. “Guess it worked.”

I cut him a glare before turning to face Riv again, locking eyes with her ferocious wolf. “Shift back.”

Instantly, she complies, popping up on two legs and sweeping her long dark hair out of her face. For a long moment she just stands there staring at us, chest heaving with her ragged breaths. Then she abruptly bends down to swipe a sharp rock up off the ground, dragging it across her palm with enough force to draw blood.

“Hey, what the hell are you doing?” I shout, both Ace and I rushing toward her.

“Look!” River exclaims as she holds up her hand, the skin on her palm knitting itself together right before our eyes.

I stop in my tracks, heart stuttering in my chest.

Did she just…?

A giddy laugh spills from River’s throat as she lowers her healed hand and slices her palm with the rock again, watching in awe as her body quickly heals itself.

“Stop that,” Ace grumbles, grabbing for her arm and snatching the rock out of her grasp before she can hurt herself again.

“I’ve never healed this fast,” River marvels, her wide-eyed gaze pinging from Ace to me. “You guys, I think sealing our bond did something else. I think…”

“Your wolf integrated,” Ace finishes for her, as if he already knew. I mean, I also suspected it, but if this isn’t proof, I don’t know what is.

Riv’s head bobs up and down with her nod, a wide grin stretching her lips. “Yeah, I think so. Every time I tried to let her take over, she didn’t. She couldn’t .”

“Fuck yeah!” I cheer, lunging for River and scooping her naked body up into my arms. I spin her around with a laugh, setting her back on her feet just in time for Ace to swoop in and tackle her with a hug of his own.

“Do you guys realize what this means?!” River shrieks, practically vibrating with excitement. “If I’m actually in control, then there’s nothing holding me back from this challenge. I don’t have to be afraid of hurting someone, I can actually go full out and win.”

“Damn right you can,” Ace agrees, grinning right along with her. “From now on, no more morning runs. Instead, we’re gonna come out here and wolf spar every morning to get you ready for the challenge this weekend.”

“Psh, I’m ready,” she replies, waving him off with a proud lift of her chin.

“Don’t be cocky,” I murmur, scooping an arm around her waist to pull her in close. “You don’t just need to beat Jake, you need to crush him. Show everyone in your pack exactly what you can do so that if anyone else is considering challenging you, they’ll think twice about it.” I cup her face as I lean in closer, staring into her hazel eyes. “Show them all how strong you are, Riv. Why you’re the best and only choice to lead your pack.”

She sinks her teeth into her lower lip, nodding. “I will.”

Rather than heading back to our dorm room when we return to the squad complex, we go to the recruit barracks instead, intent on packing up River’s things so she can officially move in with us. When the three of us enter, it feels as if all eyes land on us. Not only are our fresh marks visible to our fellow recruits, but sealing the bond changed our scent signatures. Everyone here knows exactly what we got up to last night without having to say a word.

I hold my head high as I proudly stride down the aisle of bunks with my mate, feeling like I’m on top of the fucking world. There isn’t a thing that can touch this euphoric high I’m riding.

Not even Chandler and Jake can bring down my mood. The two of them are huddled on her bunk, whispering conspiratorially to one another, but I barely glance their way as we pass. Whatever they’re up to, they’d better watch their backs. They’re no match for River while Ace and I have hers.

The purple-haired menace pops up from her bunk as soon as she sees River coming, rushing toward her with a feral grin. “When do I get to see the room?!” Hayden gushes, linking her arm with Riv’s and pulling her away from us, toward their shared bunk. “I say we kick the boys out, have a girls’ night.”

“Not happening,” I reply flatly.

River chuckles as she swivels to face me, her arm still linked with Hayden’s. “You know you two are gonna have to learn to get along at some point,” she admonishes.

Hayden makes a face, sticking out her tongue at me like a fucking child while I grunt in discontent. There’s no way I’ll ever learn to appreciate her the way River does. Gus and Kendrick are alright, but Hayden’s annoying as shit.

As if summoned by my thoughts, the two guys climb off their bunks and greet River warmly while I grit my teeth against the urge to tear her away from them. In an effort to distract myself, I glance across the barracks toward my old bunk, spotting Beau and Eli as they wander over to join us.

“Hey, Luna,” Beau greets smugly as the two of them rock up, tipping his head to Riv. “Nice marks.”

Hayden makes a scoffing sound in her throat as she turns to look at Beau. “Wrong title, dude. She’s Alpha .”

“Well she’s our Luna,” Eli reasons, nudging Ace. “Back me up here, bro.”

“Actually, that’s still undecided,” Ace murmurs thoughtfully.

Beau’s face screws up in confusion. “What do you mean? You obviously sealed the mate bond.”

“Yeah, but she’s an Alpha with her own pack,” Ace replies calmly. “Our bond is outside of the norm, so maybe that calls for a pack dynamic outside of the norm, too. We still haven’t decided how we’re going to handle everything when Seb and River take their ranks.”

“We’ve got plenty of time to work it out,” I add, sidestepping to clap a hand down on Beau’s shoulder. “My dad’s nowhere near ready to retire.”

“Mine either,” River chuckles, glancing past me at the other recruits filing out of the barracks. Her eyes ping up to the digital clock on the wall and she cringes, hissing in a breath through her teeth. “Shit, we’re all gonna be running laps if we don’t get out there…”

In hindsight, we probably should’ve checked the time when we returned from our run.

“We can pack up your stuff after lunch,” Ace suggests, turning on a heel and beckoning our mate with a flick of his head. “C’mon, babygirl. We all know how much you hate running.”

Hayden snorts a laugh, slinging an arm over Riv’s shoulders to start toward the exit. I allow her to make it a whole two steps before I steal my girl back from her purple-haired bestie , tossing Hayden a glare that dares her to put up a fight. She wisely doesn’t; she just makes another stupid face that annoys the hell out of me.

Ace naturally falls into step with the two of us while we make our way toward the exit of the barracks, taking up his post on River’s other side as we push through the double doors and step onto the practice field. The Kessler twins are already there waiting to begin our training session, Madd wearing his trademark scowl and Avery grinning like the cat that got the cream.

She runs a hand through her long blonde hair as she strides over to meet us halfway, eyes sparkling as they settle on her cousin. “So,” she remarks with a mischievous wag of her brows. “I hear congratulations are in order?”