“This little game of yours is over, Miranda,” Jacob said firmly. “Give me the key.”
“Demanding, aren’t we?” Miranda said. “Especially for a thief. I caught this one ransacking my jewelry. You know anything about that, Alpha?”
“You know exactly what he was looking for,” Jacob said from between gritted teeth.
“Right. The talisman.” Miranda let out a sigh and cocked her head, not unlike an animal. “Listen…I’ve hidden it someplace you’ll never find it. You’ll just have to accept the fact that, one day, you’ll turn into an animal and you won’t turn back. And when that day happens, I’ll have you eating treats out of my hand.”
Not so long ago, Jacob would have had her up against the wall for saying something like that, seething with rage, his hands around her throat. Now? Well, the impulse was still there, but he curled his hands into fists and dug his nails into them. Felt better about that. Only when he’d peeled the rage back from his voice did he say, “That’s not important now. What’s important is getting my family back together. Let Brent go and you can have whatever you want.”
“Whatever I want?” There it was—that Cheshire cat smile. “I would like your head on a platter and the ruin of the Red Moon Ranch. Do we have a deal?”
Nothing from Jacob. Her smile fell in response and a coldness settled into her features.
“Fine, then. We’ll do this the hard way.”
Miranda reached behind her and plucked the knot on her dress apart in one tug. Her dress fell, revealing her naked form. For a second, she looked human, almost vulnerable in the fading sunlight, but then her bones cracked and she doubled over onto all fours, fur sprouting from her skin.
“I can’t shift,” Brent murmured, panicked, next to Jacob. “We’re stuck in a cave with a fucking cougar and I can’t shift.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Jacob saw Brent struggle even harder against the steel collar around his neck, as though he could bend it by sheer willpower. Jacob’s breath echoed wetly in his ears as he watched the transformation unfurl in front of him. He thought about Holly. Sweet, beautiful Holly. About their baby. He secretly hoped it was a girl, though he couldn’t say why, except that maybe he was too afraid of passing down the title of Alpha to a boy, and he hadn’t realized the thought had been lingering in the back of his head until now. It brought an edge of a smile to his lips.
Family. That was all it’d ever been about for him. Protecting his family.
Holly. The baby. Brent. His clan.
Cayden’s words echoed in his ears. She’s not going to stop until she has what she wants. You.
So long as Jacob kept this up with her, this cat-and-mouse game, each pushing and pulling and vying for control, he knew his clan would suffer the consequences. Which meant Holly would have to constantly look over her shoulder, eyes open for a pair of cougar claws. Which meant their child would never truly be safe. Which meant they would live their lives constantly in danger, living on pins and needles, anxiously waiting for whatever the cougar-shifter thought up next.
It wasn’t rage that seeped through his veins now. It wasn’t hot, burning vengeance. His heart beat heavy in his chest, filled with the love for his family. It wasn’t instinct, or impulse; Jacob made a choice.
I’m sorry you’ve gotta witness this, Brent, he thought to himself. He knew his younger brother would blame himself for what came next. But it was too late for that. Too late to be sensitive. With cold, calculated movements, Jacob unbuttoned his shirt swiftly and peeled it off his shoulders, working off his clothes.
He heard the rattling chain go quiet when Brent stopped struggling. “Jacob, what’re you doing?” When no response came, Brent added, firmly. “Don’t do this.”
“I have to,” Jacob said. His tone left no room for argument.
“You shift now…you ain’t coming back from this.”
“Holly’s working on a cure. She’ll come through.” He trusted that she would—he had to.
“Boss.” Brent’s voice was barely a whisper, a pained echo.
Finally, Jacob glanced over at Brent. There was torment in the other man’s eyes. Jacob gave Brent’s shoulder a squeeze and said, “If I don’t get out of this alive or human, you’re Alpha in charge. Take care of the clan. Protect my kid. Tell Holly I love her.”
Brent gaped at his brother. Jacob released Brent’s shoulder and then stepped away. Miranda was full cougar now, walking a circle around the two men. He felt it come over him, like a wave of energy, surging power through his veins. No longer an uncontrolled, violent explosion; instead, it felt more like dominos tripping over one another, one after the other. A release.