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“New Alpha?”
“I was their Alpha,” he continued with a slight shake of his head. “I didn’t want to do it, but I stepped up, you know? The current Alpha buried his head in the sand for years, if you get my drift, and someone had to do something to keep the clan together.”
Vince nodded slowly. “And that guy was you?”
“Yeah, I kept the whole place from falling apart… until Miguel fucking Ruiz decided he was ready to step up. Since then, I’m nothing. Like they all forgot what I did for them. Like I don’t exist anymore.” He gave a hollow laugh and pointed out his clan’s mountain at the far end of the range, scowling. “I bet they’re all there now, fucking around and forgetting that Ivo was the one who held them together all these years.”
For a few moments, he heard nothing but the howling wind and the thrum of his anger. It was always there, simmering below the surface, ready to explode at only the slightest provocation.
Didn’t people die from living like that? One day his heart might just stop, shifter or not, if he continued to go on like this. His fated mate deserved a man who wasn’t in a constant state of near-rage. He frowned, head ducking down as his eyes fixed to the rocky surface underfoot. Scraggly grasses poked out amongst the dirt and rock, ready to fight for their place in the sun.
“So, you guys have a mountain?” Vince asked, his voice soft. When Ivo nodded, lost in his little pity party, the ram added, “The one at the end there? The big one?”
“Yeah,” he muttered. “We’ve had it for a long time. Generations.”
“Huh.” Another hard shoulder clap followed, jolting Ivo from his thoughts. “Well, whatever, man. Take it out on the trees, am I right?”
Vince smirked as their eyes met, and suddenly they were off again, tearing down the mountainside and surging into the woods near the base. For a time, the ram led the way, Ivo’s bear form trailing after, until finally, the black bear refused to follow. He raced ahead, mouth open and eyes wide with excitement.
Ivo’s inner bear just yearned to run, to be free—unshackled. Yet there was longing too for a mate to partake in all that freedom. Ivo slowed at the thought as Alani’s face flashed before his eyes. Fleeting— one blink and she was gone again. He ought to go back and apologize. Find a way to make things right.
He stopped in a clearing, huffing and puffing when he shifted back to his human form; ready to call it quits with Vince for today. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he turned and waited for the ram’s hooves to thunder after him.
But he was met with silence instead. Not pure silence. The forest came to life around him, unhappy birds chattering and disgruntled herbivores grunting after he’d torn through their homes.
“Vince?” he called out, hands on his hips as he surveyed the scenery. Nothing. Nothing but the usual sounds of the forest. Ivo stalked back into the trees with a frown, only to discover Vince was gone. He’d totally bailed on him.
Why? He was fine blowing off his patrol responsibilities to mess around with Ivo…
The realization hit him so hard that he had to lean on a tree trunk for support. Vince had been asking about his clan. He’d been interested in the location, the Alpha—everything. And Ivo had spilled the most basic of secrets. Basic but important—he had told Vince where everyone, from the youngest cub to the oldest bear, congregated. He had given away their home in a moment of distracted anger.
No. No, it couldn’t be. Vince was his friend. Not a great friend, mind you. Kind of a sketchy guy, actually. All the rams seemed like assholes, now that he thought about it.
“Fuck,” he hissed. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
Even if he was wrong, he knew he had to prepare for the worst. The clan needed to know what he’d done. Even if they hadn’t spoken to him. Even if they had been jerks since he’d been kicked off the throne, they deserved to know their secret mountain home was no longer much of a secret.
All thanks to Ivo Ames—world-class fuck up.
