Page 100 of Bruised MC Bear
3
Xander
This wasthe chance Xander had been waiting for all these years. His instincts screamed so loudly, he could hardly hear the words Kiera spoke. His men had a shot at freedom, and Kiera was going to be the one to help make that happen. The part of him brought about by the transformation spell made him certain of it. That was the thing about strong magic. It left something behind. Something intangible and unreachable inside of him felt Kiera and her familiar’s abilities, and recognized that she was the key.
Before that evil witch Minassus had cast his spell on him, he had been an ordinary human. He’d worked hard to build as good a life as he could for his mother and himself. Everyone else in his family had been killed during the Big Storm nine years ago, so he did everything he could to care for his mother. Shortly afterward, Minassus’ scribes, scientists and witches made three discoveries that changed everything.
First, two of the Regent’s scribes found a written account from almost three hundred years ago, after the first ravagers had appeared. The report described a failed ravager attack and their retreat from Akimiski Island near James Bay in Canada. The cause: polar bears that inhabited the island had defended their territory, brutally wounding or killing scores of the monsters. Second, at the same time nine years ago, scientists in the employ of the Regent had discovered that it was the presence of the 236-k gene in humans that allowed them to be turned to polar bear shifters. Finally, the witches had perfected a powerful spell to transform large groups of people to shifters all at the same time. Afterward, it was the evil, traitorous familiar belonging to Minassus who had recommended turning all men with the gene to polar bear shifters, to use them as defensive weapons against the ravagers.
Minassus had thus established a way to bolster the defense of Sector Two’s boundaries. Of course, he used surreptitious methods to build his new army. Every healthy male in the central village of Sector Two was called to the Great Hall under the guise of holding an emergency meeting. On their arrival, Minassus announced there was a way for a select number of men to serve and protect the Sector. Given that the ravager attacks had affected every household and family, every man in the room raised their hands to help.
The scientists did their tests, and three days later, Minassus again called on every man with the 236-k gene. He told them they would be made stronger, more powerful, and capable of bringing down all ravagers that approach or breach the Sector’s outer walls. There was no mention of being transformed to shifters, and no advance notice that they would never live with their families again. Those realities came later, and with them, the segregation, oppression and mistreatment of Xander’s kind began.
He was in the first group that was transformed. The unfortunate first cases. Quarantined and tested for the gene. Once their suitability to become shifter soldiers was confirmed, Minassus and his familiar, a Siberian tiger, cast the spell to turn them. The men with the 236-k gene were all turned, but the spell was too strong for the witch vessels. The tiger familiar died immediately. Minassus was almost killed too. He fell into a coma for nearly a month. During that time, the head of his personal guard carried on his work, training Xander and the other turned shifters, and then unleashed them to fight days after their transformation.
The first ravager they killed was a massive victory. Sadly, it had come at a cost. Six of the two hundred turned shifters had died, and just as many had been severely wounded. Still, it was a victory, and they had learned enough about the ravagers during that first battle to improve their defensive tactics in time for the next attack.
Once Minassus came out of his coma, his first decree was to actively recruit the strongest witches of the Sector. He matched them with older, more powerful familiars so that they stood a better chance of surviving future transformation spells. His second degree: he established the Sector Two Boundary Protection Unit and made it mandatory for all men eighteen years and older possessing the 236-k gene to join. He also augmented the number of his personal guards, sending them to all villages in Sector Two to test each male, no matter the age, and drafted those who were of age.
No stone was unturned, and no man with the gene was exempt from the draft. Anyone who refused was imprisoned until they agreed to serve. Some died under mysterious circumstances. It didn’t matter that these men had lives of their own, wives, children or families, or futures. They belonged on the Boundary Protection Unit. Like possessions, puppets of the Regent.
Now, there was a girl in front of him who carried the promise of freedom for his kind. The ninth Chosen, the ninth witch selected by Minassus to do out his bidding. All Xander wanted was to regain the free will every person was born with, so each man with the 236-k gene could choose whether or not to serve. It would take a revolt to make that happen, and the Chosen would need to refuse to turn more men. This young woman was the first Chosen who seemed to think for herself. To Xander, that meant he had a chance to unveil Minassus’ lies, and convince Kiera not to carry out the spell. He wasn’t certain exactly how just yet, but he would start with seduction. The rest would hopefully come within the next nine days. The plan would come together, and of that he was certain, the same way he knew so many other things, thanks to his heightened instincts.
The best part was Kiera wanted him. It was obvious to him from her quick breathing, the way her pupils dilated, and the flush in her cheeks whenever his eyes fell on her. And she was beautiful, with soft green eyes, vibrant red hair, and a lush, shapely body under all those garments. He smiled. What he had to do was sure to have its share of enjoyment.
“There are things you want to know about me,” he murmured. “You’re dying of curiosity, aren’t you? Innocent women like you aren’t allowed to know men like me.”
Her skin flushed again. “I’ve never known anyone like you. That’s true.”
“Go ahead. Ask your questions.”
A look of confusion crossed her face. Xander had caught her off guard.
She sat up straighter, squaring her thin shoulders. “All right. The Regent has provided initial numbers, but just to confirm, how many of you are there?”
“There’s only one man like me.”
She let out a little sigh. “You know what I mean.”
“At last count, there are four hundred and fifty-nine turned shifters living in our camp. There are also one hundred and fourteen men who have not yet been turned. They are considered trainees, and have lived with us since the spring.”
“Out of curiosity, how long have you been a shifter?”
“Nine years. I was eighteen. But you already know that. I am confident the Regent briefed you on all of these details before this meeting.”
“True, but building a rapport requires—”
“Breaking the ice? There’s no need to waste this time on what you already know. I can think of so many other ways to…to build a bridge between us. Starting with this.” He stood up, left his side of the table, and sat in the empty chair beside her that was meant for her familiar. “There. Progress. Does our proximity feel better?”
He smiled as Kiera stiffened up in her chair, her cheeks flushing to an even deeper shade of red.
“I suppose,” she stammered out in a breathy whisper.
Holding the sides of his chair, he turned it to face her. “Proceed with your questions.”
She ran a nervous hand up the side of her face, tucking some stray strands of hair behind her ears. “All right. Were you declared the alpha immediately after that?”
He chuckled. “No. I became the alpha six years ago. Just so you are aware, an alpha isn’t declared. Our leadership is…asserted, claimed.”
