Page 11

Locke

“You think I’m crazy, don’t you?” I asked Markus. If I was a real alpha, I would’ve named him as my beta. His main responsibility was our mental health and healing, but he served as my confidante and I deferred to him on opinions of the community on a regular basis.

“We don’t use the word crazy. But a little reckless, yes.”

I laughed. “That’s fair.”

“What do you need from me? Do I need backup? Have the dart gun ready?”

It broke my heart to say it. “Dart gun, yes. Backup, no.”

“I heard what Dean said about him being your mate. Was he right?”

“I think so.”

“Fate is tricky for sure. Never know what she’s going to do.”

“I’m gonna shift first. You’ll have to open the door for my bear. Close me in. Unless I’m on the verge of death, don’t make a move.”

“Of course. I’ll be out here if you need me. Do we need a safe word or something? A sign from you that you’ve had enough?”

Before I could dress him down for making that comment, I turned to see him laughing. “No one knows you can secretly be an asshole.”

“That’s the point of a secret. Now come on. Let’s go. Go get your omega.”

I stripped my clothes off and shifted right there before Markus could spew any more nonsense. My bear came out more forcefully than usual. He was eager to be around our mate and convince him to shift, to get to know him better.

To tell him that he was safe with us.

I let out a low chuff to let my omega know I was coming in. As soon as the door opened, the bear opposite me got to his feet and roared as loudly as he could.

“Yep. That’s my cue.” Markus shoved my bear farther inside the room with the closing door, and I cringed at the slam. He would have my back, but in the meantime, it was me and my omega.

A battle I never thought I’d have to fight.

I reached into my mind to commune with my bear. He, in turn, pushed for a connection with our mate. It pained him to strain his mind so much. A connection with his mate should be easy. As simple as gazing upon his mate for the first time.

This was anything but easy.

And then it became harder.

Our omega had two bears inside him. They were fighting for dominance over him. Clearly his natural bear was losing. What I saw in front of me wasn’t the bear the goddess gave him but a lab-forced animal that was neither from this world nor anything near tame.

He was wild and triggered by any motion or sound.

Never a calm moment in his existence.

His pure dominance was born from fear. He feared that the abyss he’d come from was the same darkness he would return to.

He didn’t know that taking a step back for his human side to prevail wouldn’t be the end of him, only a shift in power.

No wonder he couldn’t or wouldn’t shift back.

No one wanted to die.

You are safe here. We are here to help you. Shift back. Let your human side free. You will not die. You can rest if you’ll only let him out. Let my mate free.

The bear backed up so quickly, he hit his hindquarters on the back wall, cornered by me and my alpha command.

Even an unnatural bear should be subject to the chain of command.

He roared at me again, this time louder, but I could feel his hold on the other two entities inside him waning. He was losing control and my omega was fighting to take over. All three of them were mine. I would take care of all parts of him until he could take care of himself.

But two bears? This was getting harder by the second.

Didn’t mean I was going to quit. Not by a long shot.

Shift, bear. Let your human side out. I command you. This is an order from your alpha.

That last part seemed to do it. I shifted back to my human side once I was sure the change was taking place.

It wasn’t pretty.

Most shifts were a blur of magical movement, but my mate’s was nothing close to magical or beautiful. It was violent as his bones cracked, muscles shifted. Skin tore and bled. Hair changed form and colors. His blue eyes went to black and then blue and black again. This war inside him was a dangerous one. I had to make sure he emerged the victor.

After what felt like an hour later, my mate, in human form, lay on the floor. He shivered and shook, and I had a blanket handed in to me through the window to cover him up.

“Where am I? Are you…is this?” His voice enfolded me in warmth.

“You’re safe here. Do you know what your name is?”

Selfish of me, but knowing that part of him, well, I was starved for it.

“Of course. It’s Kellan. Where in the hell am I?”

“This is a sanctuary for shifters who have gone through trauma.” I left it generic. He would tell us what happened to him eventually. “No one here will ever hurt you.”

“Humans?” he asked, scanning the room.

“No humans here. Only shifters.”

And then my mate with two bears inside him laid his head down and passed out cold.