Axel growls under his breath. This has long since been a sore spot for Gunner. After their father was killed by a hunter in his bear form, Gunner has a hard time being shifted. Even when they’re assured they’re safe from prying eyes, Gunner is still wary. When he was discharged from the Army, his paranoia got worse.
“I’ve already scouted, brother. There are no guests out. We can trek out for a couple of miles and then shift and run. It will be good for us to go together. And,” Axel pauses and waits for Gunner to meet his eyes, “you’re the best tracker. If there were any people out there, you’d be the first to know.”
Axel hears Gunner grumble under his breath before mumbling “fuck” and Axel knows he’s convinced him.
There is no changing into workout clothes. They all have heavy-duty boots on, except for Jack, who, after a half mile, slips off his Crocs and socks and goes barefoot for the rest of the hike. They shove each other playfully as they make their way further into the forest. All of them but Gunner, who pushes everyone off him and keeps telling his brothers, “fuck off, I’m trying to listen.” Axel only looks fondly at his younger brother and shakes his head.
When they’ve made their way deep into the Montana forest, deeper than Axel would have gone, but he let Gunner lead so he’d feel better about them shifting, they stop in a small clearing of trees with Gunner’s nod.
“It’s been too long since we’ve done this, brothers. Too damn long. And I know it’s mostly my fault.” Jack sputters in indignation, but Axel holds up his hand to stop him. “I’m the leader of this family now, and while we all stepped up after Dad died, I didn’t take over all the roles, one of which was keeping up the runs. I can’t promise the lodge will be ok, I sure as fuck hope it will be, but I don’t know. What I can promise is that we will be together, the four of us. Brothers in blood, family forever intertwined.”
Axel grips Raif’s and Jack’s shoulders as they stand in a circle, and they, in turn, grab their other brothers. It’s after a moment's hesitation that Gunner claps his hands on his brothers’ shoulders so they are linked in a circle.
“Forever intertwined,” they all say together.
When their father was alive, before they’d shift and go on a run, he would have them stand in a circle just like this and grasp each other’s shoulders. He would tell them they were “brothersin blood” and “family forever intertwined.” Axel understands the significance of saying the same words to his brothers now. For the first time ever, he feels himself fully stepping into the role of leader, one he should have done years ago. But he is doing it now.
They shove off each other, and there is electricity in the air. They all quickly disrobe, tossing their clothes on the ground and growling under their breaths. Axel loves it, he can almost taste their excitement.
Jack is the first to shift. As soon as he drops his pants, he steps back and shifts right in their little clearing.
“Watch it, asshole,” Raif snaps as he jumps out of the way. Even in his bear form, Jack looks like he’s smirking.
Gunner is next. Taking a few steps outside of their circle and standing statue still for a moment before letting the shift slip over him. He lumbers around for a moment before butting his head into Raif’s chest, who then shifts and swipes a harmless paw at Gunner. Axel watches his brother’s shift and move in their full grizzly bear forms, huge and hulking beasts.
He lets the shift take over himself, feeling his bones crack and rearrange and his skin stretch. His senses are enhanced. His sense of smell is coming in sharper, and the focus of his eyes is extending further. He can clearly hear the birds in the tree tops and closes his eyes for a brief second, reveling in how good it feels to be in his bear form.
They can’t speak in their bear forms, so Axel merely tilts his head and begins to walk further into the forest, leading his brothers for the first time in a long time. They lumber onward quietly. Occasionally,bumping into one another and rubbing against a tree. Only Gunner stops every once in a while to look around and twitch his ears, listening intently. Axel understands that it has to be hard for Gunner to let go like this. He’s proud of his brother for even taking this step.
Lumbering turns into slow runs till Jack rams Raif in the side, causing them to roll and tumble together. They are playing. They snap at each other, swiping paws and huffing and growling, till Jack gets the upper hand and roars in Raif’s face. Raif is quick to roll his brother off him, and Axel chuckles inside at seeing his brothers play like kids again.
He watches them go at it till he’s blindsided and hit hard in the side at his ribs. It takes him a second to realize Gunner has tackled him. Gunner’s playing. Axel knocks Gunner about the head, and Gunner loosely clamps down on Axel’s side.
The two groups tussle till Jack tackles Gunner, and then it is all four of them wrestling. Axel’s ecstatic. It has been many years since they have all shifted and run together, and for him to see his brothers so free and playful tugs on his heartstrings. He may have neglected his duties to his brothers as their leader before, but like hell he’s going to keep doing it.
He will drag them all out either individually or as a group to shift. They need it, fuck, he needs it too. Their bears are as much a part of them as their human selves, and they can’t deny or push back their bears. It’s probably part of the reason they’d all been grumpy assholes for so long. Never again.
And with Chloe now by his side, he feels like he can take on the world. The lodge might fail, but he knows he won’t ever lose his brothers, and he knowshe won’t ever lose Chloe either. She is his mate, his forever. And no matter where they live, they’ll be together.
Between the run with his brothers and his recent discussion of marriage and babies with Chloe, he couldn’t be happier. He truly, for the first time in a long time, feels that no matter what happens with the lodge, that he’s at peace. Finally.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chloe
Danielle and Chloe are sitting on the back deck of the lodge in rocking chairs, drinking wine. Danielle said wine is required for celebrating Chloe getting a boyfriend.
“He’s really cute,” Danielle says, taking a sip of her wine.
“Yeah.”
“And nice.”
“Yeah.”
“Good in bed?”
“Yeah.”
