On the Ridge by Jayda Marx

Chapter Three

Ridge

 

I smiled as I watched my friend Rowdy leap from branch to branch in his cougar form as I walked on the ground as a human beneath him. We were on our way to collect the ingredients to make the drink our pack was famous for; Dewdrop.

Dewdrop was the only known substance that could intoxicate a shifter, since our metabolism was much higher than that of humans, and our pack members (the whole whopping three of us) were the only ones who knew its ingredients.

We kept it a safely guarded secret and since we alone held the key, we alone profited. The money we made from selling our elixir to other packs and shifter-owned bars provided us all with a very comfortable lifestyle.

None of us had to work beyond creating the drink, but Rowdy chose to keep a job at Pride Place, a dance club/bar owned by a pride of lions from Locust Falls who happened to be our great friends.

Rowdy lived up to his name; he was wild and free spirited. He craved the excitement of gyrating bodies and drunken nights, and felt right at home with the flashing lights and thumping bass of the club.

I visited the club every now and then, mainly to find some company for the night, but our Alpha Rider rarely stepped foot inside; the nightclub wasn’t his scene. He was more of the strong, serious type.

Our pack members were all vastly different, but we needed each other; Rider was born an Alpha and was born to lead and to share his wisdom and protection. Rowdy needed guidance to keep him out of trouble, along with acceptance of his uninhibited side. I craved companionship. These men were my family; my brothers.

We’d been together for years, since we were disowned by our original pack. Well technically, Rowdy was disowned; as a child, he exposed our identity to two hikers, which was strictly forbidden in our pack. Only other shifters or shifter mates were allowed to know our secret. Otherwise, we would open ourselves up to hunting and/or research.

Our pack tossed him aside, effectively ‘cutting out the cancer which would bring the downfall of our kind’. Even his parents turned their backs on him, keeping their allegiance and loyalty to our old Alpha.

But he was just a child. He didn’t know any better and certainly couldn’t fend for himself. So Rider, feeling the call to claim his Alpha status and lead, stepped up and chose to leave the pack to look after Rowdy.

I chose to join them; not only was I disgusted with the actions of our old pack, but I respected the hell out of Rider for what he did. I knew he was the Alpha I'd follow anywhere. And I really liked Rowdy; I was several years older than him, and he’d always felt like my little brother. He needed me.

And so, the three of us formed our own pack and made a home in the Collingswood Forest, even after our original pack left the area. We leaned on each other, learned from each other, and had carved our place into the world.

It was Rowdy who discovered Dewdrop; he was out exploring one day and got thirsty. He found a flower which had morning dew trapped in its petals and lapped it out. He immediately grew tipsy and came back to our pack lands stumbling and giggling.

Rider and I were shocked at his demeanor; even fermented berries had no effect on a shifter. We had to know what had intoxicated him. So, we hunted the plants once more and with some experimenting and tweaking, we concocted the perfect elixir.

Now we visited the hidden patch of flowers a few times a week to collect the dew inside them. We traveled in pairs while the third member stayed back to protect the homefront.

My feet came to a halt when I heard the unmistakable roar of a black bear in the distance. “What the hell?” It was a rare sound; bears didn’t usually make it unless they were threatened or ready to attack.

Rowdy shifted and jumped down from a high branch. “Ah, dammit,” he grumbled when his ankle twisted at an unnatural angle. He shook his leg until the bone snapped back into place. He was lucky to have shifter immortality and quick healing; otherwise the young man would’ve gotten himself killed a long time ago.

“Was that a bear?” Rowdy asked as he stepped beside me. The top of his head came up to my shoulder; he was small but no less strong than any other shifter. Well, except for maybe Rider; he was built like a brick wall.

I nodded and strained my ears for any other sound. Since the bear’s cry, a feeling of urgency and panic seized my heart. My pulse raced and my senses were on high alert for any clue as to why.

When a scream pierced the air, my feet moved without my brain having to tell them to. I’d never heard the voice, but I recognized it by the way it called specifically to me. The cry lit up my every cell and called them closer. Fear, hope, and disbelief ricocheted through me as I ran.

“My mate,” I told Rowdy, who was following me closely. He needed no convincing to come along, but I wanted to share what was happening.

He quickened his steps until he was next to me, giving me a confused look. “The bear?”

There were undoubtedly shifters of all kinds in these woods and the surrounding area, but the bear wasn’t one of them. And as we got closer to the sounds, I could scent the animal and my mate.

“He’s human,” I replied, “And he’s in danger.”

“Shit.”

Rowdy and I shifted at the same time. He was already nude since he’d been in his cougar form already, but the denim of my jeans ripped and fell during my transition.

My long, lean muscles stretched as I ran at top speed, tearing up the earth with my claws. Another growl sounded and my heart dropped when the scent of my mate’s blood filled my snout.

I pushed harder and leapt into a small clearing, where I came upon a gut-wrenching scene; a huge black bear which had to weigh every bit of five hundred pounds hovered over my mate’s slender body, which was covered in blood. The most jarring sight was the acceptance in his beautiful moss-green eyes. My mate was prepared to die. 

But I wasn’t prepared to lose him. I let out an ear-splitting yowl and charged at the bear. I stood up on my back legs and threw my weight into its broad body, but it was like trying to knock over a barn.

I spread my jaws and sank my sharp teeth into the bear’s back, causing it to growl and stumble. Rowdy jumped in, biting and clawing at the animal’s neck. It snarled and shook us off. Cougars - even two of us - were no match for the brute strength of a black bear. But we didn't stop. We pounced at the animal again, clawing and snapping at its flesh.

We weren’t causing a great deal of damage to the animal, but luckily, we pissed it off enough that it no longer wanted to deal with us, even if it meant losing out on dinner. The bear huffed and backed away from my mate.

It took a few steps away and grabbed a backpack in its teeth before it sauntered off into the trees. I hated that the animal took my mate’s belongings, but I didn’t think it was wise to chase after it. Besides, that was trivial; my mate needed help.

I stepped closer to my mate and surveyed his injuries. A large bite was missing from his calf and his torso was ripped with deep claw marks. His face was untouched, but his skin was very pale. He’d lost a lot of blood and if I didn’t help him quickly, he wasn’t going to make it.

It wasn’t until I saw a fresh wave of fear in his eyes that I realized I was still in mountain lion form. I shifted quickly and when I knelt close to him, his expression changed into one of excitement.

“It’s...you…” he whispered in a strained, weak voice, and my heart leapt. It was unheard of for humans to recognize their mate; that was an instinct reserved for shifters, but his words were undeniable. He knew me.

“It’s me,” I whispered back, gently combing my fingers through his hair. “I’m here. I’m right here with you, my love.”

His eyes narrowed and his voice was hoarse and barely audible when he murmured, “Love…”

Tears filled my eyes and I huffed a watery laugh. “Yes, beautiful; I love you too.” I hated that I didn’t know his name, but it didn’t matter because my soul knew him. It recognized its perfect match and true love. I knew without question that this man was my purpose and my future.

My mate was fading quickly from consciousness. Hoping to soothe him, I leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead before promising, “I will never leave you. Everything will be okay, and I swear on my life that I won’t let anything happen to you.” If I wasn’t mistaken, I saw peace in his eyes before they fluttered shut.

I snapped my gaze to Rowdy, who was watching the scene with wide eyes, and told him, “He’ll lose more blood if I move him. I need you to go get Rider while I stay and tend to my mate. Go as fast as you can.”

He nodded and shifted without a word. He darted off through the trees, running faster than I’d ever seen him go. Rowdy was wild and free by nature, but he was also reliable and loyal. I trusted him with everything I had and I knew he wouldn’t let me down.