Page 2 of His to Defend

“It’s good to see you, man.” Ryker Jackson raised his glass in a toast to his cousins who were all gathered around the bar at the local pub, the Station.

“How long has it been?” Axel, the oldest of the cousins, asked before he drank deeply. “Three years? More?”

“At least three,” Luke, his younger brother, agreed. “It’s been at least that long since we left Jackson Valley and you were gone on some sort of shoot or something. Remember?”

Ryker remembered it well. It was his first professional photo shoot. He’d been trying for years, submitting to travel sites and magazines in hopes that someone would hire him on for a full shoot. His dreams had come true that year when he was sent by Ice Climbers to document a mountain climbing expedition on Mount Washington. It had been exactly what he’d worked for and when the shoot was done, he was riding high and ready to return to the valley and tell his cousins and best friends about his success. Only, when he returned, they were gone.

Their grandfather, the patriarch of the valley, had kicked them all out—Axel, Luke, and the youngest brother, Kade—after they failed to stop their sister from running off with what she thought at the time was her fated mate. The brothers had made a choice not to stop Kira, a choice that had hit Kade, her twin, the hardest.

But it had been a blessing in disguise because after their grandfather kicked them out, the brothers had settled on the ridge and in doing so had created what had quickly become an eco-lodge destination in the mountains of Montana.

“I do remember,” Ryker said with a smirk. “It’s funny how things work out, isn’t it?”

Not that anything had worked out. Not as far as Ryker or their grandfather was concerned. Which was why he was there. The invitations had gone out for Axel and Harper’s wedding and although Gordon, their grandfather, never got one, Ryker had. He’d had no intention of actually going to the wedding. After all, it was a wedding. Shifters didn’t get married. It was a human tradition. And a ridiculous one at that. But worse, Axel might be marrying a half breed, but he was already mated. He was the alpha of his pack. It was unthinkable, and as far as Ryker, his grandfather, and their entire clan was concerned, it was unacceptable.

“I’m glad you’re here, Ryker.” Axel’s dark eyes, a mirror reflection of his own, stared at him, watching him. Ryker’s cousin wasn’t a stupid man; he knew exactly why Ryker was there.

“Me too,” Ryker said, ignoring his cousin’s unasked question.

Luke wasn’t quite so subtle. “Why are you here, cousin? I find it hard to believe Grandfather would have given you his blessing to attend something so…human.”

“Or maybe he didn’t give his permission,” Kade chimed in. His cousin’s tone was still light-hearted, but Ryker was smart enough to know that there was an underlying seriousness. It was only a matter of time before they grilled him about his intentions. They were on guard, something Ryker respected.

Ryker shook his head and took a deep pull from his beer. “Honestly?”

“Of course.” Axel’s gaze hadn’t wavered.

“I missed you guys.” It wasn’t a lie. Not even a little bit. Ryker did miss his cousins. They were like brothers to him. Sometimes even more so than his own brother Liam, who at times could be a little too intense for his own good. “And yes, you’re right, I don’t get the whole wedding thing.” He looked at Axel. “And I really don’t get the whole mated to a—”

“Don’t say it.” Luke put a hand on his arm in warning.

A warning Ryker heeded. “I just don’t get the whole mating thing at all, I guess.”

Kade laughed. “You’re not the only one,” he said. “It took me a long time to understand myself.”

“No,” Luke said. “It took you finding a mate of your own. Maybe that’s all you need.” He turned to Ryker. “You need to find your mate.”

Ryker laughed. “Hell no. Women are nothing but trouble. Mates especially.”

“I don’t know.” Kade wiggled his eyebrows. “I’m pretty fond of the fairer sex myself. Especially my little bespectacled bear.”

Ryker tried not to react, but as much as he loved his cousins, he couldn’t deny that he struggled with the fact that they’d all mated with completely unsuitable mates. As Alpha grizzlies, they should be choosing strong, fierce grizzlies of their own to further the bloodline, to keep things pure.

He didn’t bother voicing his opinions. They weren’t anything the Jackson brothers hadn’t heard before. After all, those opinions came directly from their grandfather and was exactly why they’d lost their mother when they were young. She’d chosen to be with their father, who was dying, and had left the children with the Jackson clan, making them official Jacksons. It was a similar story for Ryker, Liam, and their sister Natalia. Only it wasn’t until their father died, and their mother, Kristine, came searching for her family, that their grandfather even knew about their existence.

It had been a major scandal in the Jackson clan, that their patriarch, Gordon had a bastard daughter, and she in turn had three young children. But when the dust settled, they all took the Jackson name, as was customary and they were accepted into the clan.

“Wait until you taste her paella,” Kade said, still talking about his mate. “It’s a favorite of the guests.” Obviously proud, Kade puffed up his chest and fortunately the talk shifted away from mates altogether, a fact Ryker was grateful for. Even Axel jumped back into the conversation. He’d been noticeably silent ever since Ryker almost stuck his foot in his mouth about his mate.

It wasn’t until Luke and Kade left to return to the ridge and Ryker was left alone with Axel as they cleared up the bill that Axel turned to him and said, “You have a problem with my mate.” It wasn’t a question, but Ryker didn’t bother denying it. He nodded once and Axel continued. “Look, I’m not going to pretend that I’m okay with it,” Axel said. “Because I’m not. But I do understand it. Grandfather’s influence is strong. I get it. But I want you to know something. Not one of us planned on falling in love with the women we did. It was fated, and although it can’t really be explained unless it happens to you, I can say this…imagine the world’s strongest magnet. Now imagine you are a piece of metal. There is nothing you can do to break free from that pull.”

Ryker nodded, although he didn’t really understand.

“My mate is a half breed,” Axel continued, his voice steely now, an underlying thread of a growl running through his words. “It’s true. And I might understand your reluctance to be okay with that. But if you ever make her feel like she’s not good enough, or say one ill word toward her while you are a guest in my home, cousin or not, I will not hesitate to kill you. Are we clear?”

Ryker nodded and finished his beer. He knew Axel’s threat was far from empty and he could respect it. “Crystal.”

“Good.” Axel broke into a broad grin and smacked his cousin on the back. “Now let’s go so I can show you the ridge.”