Chapter Nine
There was no hint of suspicion in Orion when he returned. The smoke had long since blown away and Nix had showered to rid himself of any lingering smell before he dressed.
There was only one problem that reared its head over the next day. The Alpha seemed set on not taking Nix with him. That wouldn't do. This was one journey he needed to be on. The third morning when Orion was due to leave, Nix made one last, desperate attempt to convince the Alpha to bring him along.
"I can shift," he offered.
"That shoulder's not healed enough for flying."
"Not… not a bird. " He hadn't enough energy for that. He'd never manage the transformation, let alone sustain flight. "A wolf."
Orion contemplated his words and Nix pushed just enough.
"I don't want to be here alone. What if someone comes? I'm safer with you." He knew that would do the trick. Alphas were protective of their mates. Any suggestion of danger and Orion wouldn't be letting him out of his sight.
The Alpha stared at him, brows drawn.
"Fine. Hurry up and shift. We leave in five. You'll need to keep up."
Orion left the room and Nix undressed where he stood, piling his clothes on the table. It had been a while since he'd shifted, but his constant proximity to Orion had boosted his energy. It was easy to draw on his wolf, pull him out to play. He spent a few moments getting accustomed to being back on four legs before seeking out Orion. Orion was waiting by the front door which he pulled shut once Nix stepped outside. Then Orion stepped away from the house, throwing a sideways glance at Nix.
"I hope you're not scared of bears," was all he said before he shifted. Nix had a lot of reasons to fear bears, this one in particular. As Orion shifted, he pushed closer to the ground, watching the transformation with both horror and fascination.
The brown bear was huge. Bigger than Nix's vague childhood memories had imagined.
When the bear swung around, his eyes lighting on Nix, the wolf sank right down against the ground, watching with frightened eyes. Had the bear been toying with him? Did he know who and what Nix was? Did he know why Nix was there? He could kill him with one swipe of his paw.
Nix closed his eyes, waiting. But all that happened was the slightest brush of fur against fur. When he opened his eyes again, Orion was giving him an unreadable look but Nix had the strong sense he was amused. Could bears laugh?
Orion made a sound low in his throat, turned, and started to walk. After a few seconds, he looked back at Nix, jerking his head forward. With some misgivings, Nix followed.
Orion set a fast pace, which Nix felt was unfair given his legs were shorter. He was practically running to keep up. It wasn't going to be hard for him to fake an injury or a struggle when the time came.
He kept his eyes peeled as they moved, looking out for the landmarks March had described to him. They left the valley the house was situated in, crossed another wood, two rivers, and entered another valley bisected by another river, narrow and fast moving. They walked alongside it. This was the valley March had spoken of. And up ahead was the triangle shaped rock that marked the stopping point. He was to get Orion there and no further.
They were about a hundred yards away when he started to limp. Fifty yards and he started to drag his front paw, falling behind. It was another few seconds before Orion noticed and they were only feet from the rock. Everything after that seemed to happen in slow motion. Orion turned back and began to move towards him, his focus and attention solely on Nix. He shifted as he walked, showing far more power and grace than Nix ever had during a change.
He crouched beside Nix. "Your shoulder?" He reached for Nix's front leg as he spoke, sliding his hands up to what, in human form, would be his injured shoulder. Nix whined as his hand brushed the injury.
"Easy," Orion said, "I just need to check the joint, okay?"
Orion's attention was so focused on him, that the coyotes were already visible before the Alpha heard them. Whipping around, he noted in a matter of seconds the two dozen shifters bearing down on him at speed.
Nix heard him curse, watched him try to shift back, but the first coyotes were on him before he completed the change. Nix didn't see any more. He did as he'd been told, scrambling towards the large rock, and skirting around behind it. He'd wait it out, let the coyotes do their job. He'd done his. Fulfilled his purpose. March would be proud; his family would be rewarded.
There were growls and cries coming from the valley beyond. He tried to tune them out, focusing on anything else. Doing his best not to think of what the coyotes were doing to his Alpha. Not, not his Alpha. The bear, the monster who'd savaged his people, who still bore a grudge against them, and was mobilizing other shifters to destroy their protectors. He was getting what he deserved. So why did he feel such guilt?
A low growl behind him had him turning. One of the coyotes. Vander. Was it over? But no, he could still hear growls and yelps in the distance. Vander came closer, looking anything but friendly. What did he want? He growled again, taking another step forward and a spark of fear lit inside Nix as an awful idea took root in his mind. He tried to push it away, that foolish thought, but the closer the coyote shifter got, baring his teeth, the more certain he became.
There was nowhere for him to go. There was a wall of sheer rock on three sides, Vander blocking the only way out. There was no way he'd win in a fight. Sure, he was bigger, but he was weak, his body drained easily by the morning's walk. He whined instead, a high-pitched sound of fear. Why? Why would March do this to him?
He crouched against the ground and closed his eyes, waiting for death to come to him. There was a startled yelp then silence. A long silence. Opening his eyes, he found Vander gone. Where? Why?
The ongoing silence was a relief. It was over. The bear was dead. He could go home, back to his family. His people would hail him as a hero even though the only thing he felt he resembled was a coward. He hadn't even been brave enough to watch while the coyotes took the Alpha out. Shifting back to his human form, he gave himself a few minutes to acclimate.
Feeling like he was in a dream, he escaped from his hiding place back out into the valley. The first thing he saw was Vander, sprawled against the rock wall, his body mangled, neck broken. He stared uncomprehendingly at the crumpled form as he stepped past it and out into the valley. The next thing he saw was another coyote dead on the ground. Then another and another. And standing in the midst of the carnage, tall and strong, was Orion. As soon as he walked into view, the Alpha's eyes snapped to him and he prowled forward, a low growl sounding from his throat.
Nix knew this was it. They had failed. He was going to die. The Alpha's paw swiped at him, and he stumbled backwards, hitting the ground with a cry. As he scrambled away, using his hands and feet, the Alpha stood on his back paws and shifted effortlessly before following after him.
"This was you."