A Bear Temptation

| Chapter Eight |

She loved him.

Zeke couldn't breath. It felt as though the life had been sucked from his body. It didn't help that Maxton was sitting on top of him even although he didn't have the energy to fight anymore. The truck took them further from Katze and with each passing second his heart shrunk.

The little girl stared at him, she hadn't taken those inquisitive eyes from his. She looked so much like Katze although her eyes and hair were different. It was what he imagined her to look like at that age.

Silence surrounded them, they had long left the Panther territory, Zeke knew right now there was no use turning around. The Panthers may have already called the Council and that was probably why the trucks were zipping past the trees like there was a fire on their tail.

That didn't stop him from wanting to jump from this truck and go back to her.

"We are nearly there." Fleur smiled at the little girl, she didn't respond only looked down at her clasped hands then back to him.

Zeke smiled down at her, it probably looked forced - it certainly felt it. It must have been intimidating for her being in a truck with people she didn't know. Katze was right about something, she would be safe with them.

The anger still fizzled through his veins that Katze didn't tell him. How could she keep something this big a secret? He felt like he knew her these last few days, now it felt like everything had been a lie. The anger always seemed to fade though as he stared at the little girl, she had done it for her, how could he stay mad when she had did all of this to save her sister?

"Someone is here." Maxton grunted as they neared Our Wood.

"How do you know?"

"Wolff just told us, he's slowing the truck to be cautious." Zeke cursed his human hearing for the billionth time since the bear had been taken.

"Who is it?" Zeke said calmly although the wariness in his eyes was clear.

"You're Mum and Dad and someone else, he can't pick up the scent. Smells like burning."

"They were supposed to leave right after we had." Fleur frowned.

"Well there must have been a change of plan." Maxton aired as the truck stopped.

They all emptied the vehicles quickly. Zeke pulled the little girl behind him watching the tension rise in the air. Wolff walked over to them his green eyes hard.

"Who do we know who can mask their scent with a smell of burning?" He asked tilting his head to the side.

"It can't be." Fleur gasped.

"I'll kill him." Maxton was running though the trees before anyone could stop him.

Instantly everyone vaulted after him. Wolff bellowed his name as his feet pounded off the earth with a fierce determination. A roar from Maxton's Bear confirmed that he had changed.

Picking up Calla he bolted through the trees with the others. The little girl stared in awe as one by one the others changed into their animals. She smiled, her whole face lighting up as she looked at them.

"Bears." She whispered watching them run forward.

They made it to the clearing. Zeke placed the little girl behind him to shield her as Neve's bear stood before them in protection.

It was too late.

Maxton lunged, his bear pinning their visitor to the ground. A bellowing roar left the animal as it slammed it's two front paws to the ground by the man's head.

"We need to know why he is here." Pax demanded once he returned to his human self.

Maxton roared in return his animal not liking that idea in the slightest. For Maxton things were black and white. He saw two options, life and death. For him there was nothing between.

"Stand down Maxton." Wolff commanded nodding to Pax in agreement.

Maxton's bear hummed lowly, the soft tone lifting in the air around them. His large head turned to Wolff those blazing eyes showing the hate lurking inside him. Looking back to the man his growl became more violent.

"Oh for crying out loud. Don't make me beat your a*s again. Get off him. He came to help." Jeff stepped forward stealing Maxtons' attention.

"That's an order Maxton. Step away and change. Now." Wolff demanded the order heavy in the air.

Slowly, almost hesitantly Maxton stepped back letting Ash get to his feet. Before Maxton could turn back Ash had released a bolt of fire around him, trapping him from the others. The ring was so tight there was no chance of the bear leaving Maxton's skin so his human could return.

"This was my favourite shirt." Ash moaned dusting himself down.

There was an eerie silence that seemed to have captured them all. The little girl stepped closer behind him as the smoke thickened in the air, her small hands gripping onto his arm tightly. Zeke could have laughed. She was in Our Wood surrounded by some of the most deadly predators in the world and she clung to a human. Poor, broken little cat.

"Let him out." Wolff nodded to Maxton's bear. Its eyes were deeper than he had ever seen them. Maxton was definitely pissed.

"I'd rather not." Ash shrugged.

The others circled him, moving quickly so he was surrounded completely. Zeke stood at their back with the girl protected, Neve before them. She would make the perfect mother bear one day.

"It wasn't a question Ash." Wolff said as he crouched, ready for the bear to have his skin if needed.

"Hello little cat." Ash smiled at Calla who gripped tighter to him.

"Don't speak with her." Zeke warned.

"Bearless and yet fearless. You were always quite remarkable."

"Enough of the games." Wolff stepped forward, even Zeke could feel the potent dominance that fell from his skin. "Why are you here?"

More silence came, thick and fast in the air like a heavy thunder storm dampening their already tense moods. The others had changed back waiting on their Alphas command should it be given. His Mum and Dad were with them and as his eyes met his Dad's he nodded smiling sadly at the little girl at his feet.

"It doesn't matter why I am here." Ash stated. "All that matters is that I am here."

"No, that isn't how this works Ash. You come into my territory, then you answer my questions otherwise you leave. If you don't go willingly, it will be by force. I have a Clan to protect and lets just say with everything going on at the moment, I will do exactly what I have to in order to protect them all."

"You think you could?" Ash remarked with a smirk, Zeke wished he could punch it off his damn face, he didn't tolerate smugness well.

"I don't think I could, I know that I will."

"That is why the Council fear you most you know Wolff. It is the loyalty you have here that gained their attention. They've seen it and they know that you could add to it. You could unite people against them. You could have power over them." He pushed.

"I don't want power, I want my people safe." He was standing before Ash now, toe to toe, eye to eye.

"And not so long ago I helped you ensure you could do that." Wolff nodded at his words. "It wasn't that long ago when we were friends." He added.

"You are part of the Council Ash, I will never be your friend."

There was a sadness that embedded itself into Ash's eyes. He looked around at the others, his eyes briefly falling on Zeke's then once again those blue eyes met Wolff a haunted look taking over his features.

"We aren't so different you know. Serena chose me because of my power. She controls me just as much as she controls everyone else."

"Well someone should get her a therapist for those control issues." Zeke aired, he'd had enough, they were getting nowhere. "Why are you here?"

"Serena is weak. She is gathering Clan's. The ones who resist she is killing." Ash took a deep breath looking at Wolff once again.

"Why is she killing them?" Neve asked once she had turned back to her human skin.

They already knew the answer, they didn't need him to respond for the bitter realisation to occur that essentially these people where dying because of them, because they had started a war that was more than likely going to kill them all.

"If they are against her they are with you Wolff. She wants an annihilation at the end not a fight. She needs to show her power now that you have taken her hands and she wants an audience. Serena is weaker than she was and if she doesn't show a brutal strength people may get ideas. They may think that they can turn against her - like you have."

"She gave me no choice." Wolff spat.

"I know." He nodded in agreement.

"So why are you here then Ash, what are you trying to tell me?" Their Alpha demanded.

"You need to get people behind you and fast. She won't wait forever to retaliate."

"You are here to warn me?" Wolff asked the bear rattling in his throat with the anger he was holding within himself.

"I am here to help you. Going to Panther territory wasn't smart today. They think you are recruiting, that will only shorten your time at getting the best chance possible."

"They know?" Zeke whispered.

"Yes and they know what the Panther means to you. The Panthers want to live the future that the prophecy states. They want to increase their numbers and if the Prophecy is correct that is a problem in itself. The Council agreed to this Wolff - that is how desperate they are." He stressed.

"You need to go." Wolff stepped back giving Ash space.

"Wait, what prophecy?" Zeke shouted before he could move.

Ash looked at his back where Zekes dad stood. Zeke watched the silent communication between them. It was unnerving, especially when Ash turned back to him, those eyes filled with pity.

"Your father is the holder of those secrets Zeke. He was gifted them. I only know what I have been told."

Ash was gone in a puff of smoke, the fire around Maxton disappearing with him. As Maxton turned back a bellowing scream lifting into the air.

"You should have let me kill him." He gritted to Wolff, sounding more animal than man as he disappeared into the trees. 

"What did he mean?" Zeke asked his Dad.

He had never seen the man look so sad. Stepping forward he came before him waiting until his eyes met his.

"Son, now is not the time."

"Dad, tell me." He put both his hands on his shoulders begging him with everything he had. He had to know her fate, he had to know why Katze had been ripped from him.

"You don't want to hear it. I was hoping it wasn't true, I was hoping she could stay because of your bond but I didn't realise they were keeping something that she would have given her life for." Jeff looked past Zeke to Calla.

"Dad..."

"Her eyes were her curse Zeke. The prophecy states that a woman would be born, brave and strong. Her eyes would tell them she was their future, without her they didn't have one. Without her they would all die."

"Tell me." Zeke chocked the words from his throat.

"She will be mated to one of the strongest Panthers, they will have young then when the time is right she will be past amongst her people to breed and secure their future. They say that the Panthers will run the supernatural. Don't you see Zeke, the council are letting them do this just to end all of us. Ash was right, they are desperate."

"She is mine Dad."

"No son, she was never yours. And now that they have her, she never will be."

Zeke felt panic sore through his veins, she couldn't mate with anyone else, he would die before he let that happen. She was going to be used by them just to secure their future. They didn't care for her, they would brake her and Katze knew that, his brave mate knew that and still she went with them to save her sister.

"Wolff, we have to get her." Zeke ordered.

His Alpha shook his head as the others looked at him their sad stares consuming his mind. None of them spoke for a long time as they watched him fall to his knees the tears falling from his eyes.

"We need to get her." Zeke begged.

"You know we can't go back Zeke. We are all dead if we do."

"You can't expect me to leave her there. She is mine. Would you leave Neve?" Wolff didn't answer, he couldn't because the answer would make him a hypocrite.

"Zeke..." Wolff's tone had turned hard.

"Don't give the order, please Wolff. If nobody will go I will go myself. By some miracle she loves me, she loves me and I love her. I can't leave her there, I can't...please don't make me."

"I order you to stay. You will never go to Panther territory again. You will not go after her."

The order was like a building falling on top of him. He didn't have the bear yet his body still felt the command of his Alpha, his body still listened and obeyed it. Breaking an Alpha order with the authority just given was near impossible. Wolff had just taken everything from him.

"I will not send you to your death Zeke." Wolff murmured those ashamed eyes finding his in a sharp flicker.

"Without her I am already dead."

Standing on shaking legs he walked further into Our Wood away from the guilty stares letting the trees surround him. He kept going until he was at the water watching the light waves wander past him. He couldn't live without Katze, she was the air he breathed. They said you didn't truly understand how much you missed something until it was taken from you.

How true that very statement was.

Zeke jumped as a hand slipped into his. He looked down startled at Calla. Her little hand looked tiny in his. She was small for her age yet the bravery in her eyes as she looked at him was beyond her years.

"They will hurt her won't they?" She whispered as the tears slipped down her pale cheeks.

"I'm going to get her back Calla. She belongs with us." He promised squeezing her little hand. 

The little girl shook her head. "There won't let her go. They said that once they had her they would keep her forever. That was all they spoke about."

"It doesn't matter what they said." He murmured. "All that matters is what we do."