Page 63 of Alpha's Claim

He is so sick.

“Oh yes. Ordinary game is no longer a challenge. That’s the reason I invited Darius to Lockepoint in the first place. To confirm what Hannibal here had already sniffed out.” He motions to the big, scarred guard.

Hannibal is huge. He has to be another shifter, one whoturned on his own kind. Because who could better teach someone how to hunt a shifter than another shifter? He’d know all of a shifter’s strengths and weaknesses.

Thom cocks his head to the side. “Do you think Darius’ brothers will come to save him if we put up the distress signal?”

Ice water floods my veins at the thought of the werebear brothers storming in to save Darius and me, only to be captured, one by one. “No,” I croak. “You can’t.”

“Oh, I’m going to. Darius will be the first to be hunted as soon as he calls on his friends.”

“He won’t do it.”

“I think he will.” Thom motions, and a guard steps up, opening a medical case and showing me the vials inside. “Especially if I threaten to poison you. That’s one thing I’ve learned about shifters. They’ll do anything if you threaten their fated mate.”

Wren

“Are you sure you want to do this?” the doctor, Matthias, asks. He’s seated beside the bed in the guest room where I’m staying. Beyond him, the huge blond guy, Teddy, and his gorgeous wife Lana stand in the doorway. Matthias and Teddy are my sister’s friends, and they rescued me. Apparently, I was on death’s door after Thom poisoned me. Luckily, Matthias was there and able to heal me.

Right now, I feel amazing. I’m riding a surge of energy, and instead of lying down to rest, I want to do anything I can do to help find and rescue Paloma.

“I’m sure.” I lie down and close my eyes before anyone can argue. Connecting psychically with my sister is easyas breathing. Right now, my rescuers are doing all they can to find her and her boyfriend Darius. Thom took them, and no one knows where. I can use my psychic gifts to See where they are and maybe get some clues to their location.

I calm my breathing, like Paloma taught me, and slip into a trance. Next thing I know, I’m looking down at the version of myself lying in bed. Matthias waits beside me, head bowed in thought. Teddy paces the living room of his and Lana’s gorgeous mountain home. Lana is watching him worriedly.

I let myself sink deeper, and the vision fades. I expand my energetic field, imagining a ball of light pulsing bigger and bigger until it’s stretching from horizon to horizon. My sister is out there, and I can sense her energy–it’s so much like mine.

All of a sudden, she’s right next to me. I touch my energy to hers, but she’s too preoccupied. Her field is full of worry and a heavy sadness. I imagine light and love flowing from my heart space into hers.

The picture of where she is becomes clearer. I keep feeding Paloma my warmth and let the vision solidify.

She sits in a big warehouse type place, with boxes and guards all around. Next to her is Darius. I take in every detail of her surroundings, trying to get a clue as to where she might be.

“They’re in a warehouse in a forested area. Somewhere high in altitude,” I murmur.

“Good, that’s good. They’re both alive? What else?” Teddy asks.

“Thom is there. I…don’t see him, but I can sense him. Blech.”

Wren?Paloma senses me nearby but can’t see me. Isend a push of love her way. She’s still worried and confused, but she accepts my presence.

Satisfied, I turn to Darius. His energy is a raw, pulsing wound, and I can’t ignore it any longer. He’s in so much pain.

I drop to my knees beside him, trying to send healing energy. I only sense more rage.

And then the light changes, and I get a vision of Darius not as a man, but as a huge brown bear.

“There’s a bear inside Darius. I don’t know–that’s how it shows up.”

“That’s right, Wren. Darius has a bear side, and if he would let it out, it could save them. Can you tell him to let it out?” Teddy asks.

I study Darius. There’s something over him, isolating him from me and everyone, even Paloma.

The shadow over him solidifies into dark bars. Darius’ bear is in a cage.

I pace closer, and an angry paw swipes out, narrowly missing me. I jump back. The bear roars, a wounded, echoing sound.

“I know,” I tell it. “You’re not free.” I pace around the structure, but it’s solid. I can’t figure out how to break it open. The bear won't let me get close enough to comfort him.