“Asher?”
“Father.” I stepped into the center of the circle and positioned myself between him and Weston. “Step away from him.”
Behind me, Weston choked out the word, “Father? Run, Asher, or they’ll kill you too.”
He didn't understand because he thought I was like him. And while my stepfather no doubt possessed murderous thoughts, Weston assumed I’d be next on the kill list. I’d put off telling him who I was, and now I’d have to explain it in front of the den that I’d only been a part of for a few short years. But my only purpose was to keep him alive, and I hoped he’d still love me when this was over.
“He's not a threat.” I kept my gaze on Father. "He's a scientist studying wildlife conservation, and he wants to help polar bears.”
“He's human.” Kipp’s voice sliced through the air, and the sickening crunch of his boot that day echoed in my head. “He's been asking questions about us and has to be eliminated.”
“No.” I refused to look at my stepfather. If I did, I might shift and tear out his throat. “Father, listen to me. Weston means us no harm. He's here to study polar bear migration patterns and to help protect the habitat. He doesn't know about shifters.”
He does now, my beast offered.
Father’s eyes glistened with tears and one hand shook slightly.
“My son. You're alive.”
We could have our reunion later, when Weston was safe in my arms.
“He’s my mate.” My admission was greeted with silence except for the wind rustling the trees.
My stepfather laughed, but it was laced with bitterness. “The firstborn son of the Alpha does not mate a human. This is why you never deserved to be heir. You were always too soft and weak.”
“I was six years old.” I could no longer ignore him, and I allowed my beast to the forefront of my gaze. “And you pushed me through the ice and held me under. But my beast is special, and he forced a shift before it should have been possible to keep us alive.”
Kipp glanced at Father. “He wandered off because he never learned to listen and obey.”
“Liar!” The sound that word made reminded me of an explosion. "You took me out on thin ice on purpose and left me there to die.”
There were gasps, murmurs, and more whispers, and Father’s pallor receded and was replaced with redness.
“He's lying.” My stepfather’s voice shook, and hisses darted around the circle as he tried to convince the den his version was correct. “And no one is going to believe these wild accusations.”
But I had something better than accusations. “I have the scars.” I yanked my coat and shirt off and turned around to reveal the scar on my back. “And I remember your satisfied expression when I was drowning.”
“Kipp, is this true?” Father’s tone brooked no argument, and many of the people surrounding us hugged the person beside them or tucked their arm in theirs.
“Of course not. He’s lying, just as he used to when he was a boy.”
“Not once do I remember Asher lying.”
“You’re an old doddering fool who is past their best-by date.”
The den gasped in unison. No one spoke to their Alpha like that.
“Don't lie to me!” My father's roar cracked a sheet of ice in the nearby pond. “I command you to speak the truth.”
Kipp peered at the den members as if hoping for support, but no one spoke up or went to his side. “He would have destroyed this den with his gentleness.” My stepfather raised his voice to match Father’s. "And I was right. He’s returned after twenty years, mated to a human. This is what you wanted as your heir?”
My father's voice broke. “You took him from me.”
“Father.” I’d made my decision. If Father took on Kipp, he might not win. “This is my fight.”
He stared at me, and in his eyes, I witnessed the need for vengeance battling with wanting to let me prove myself. “Make it quick.”
Behind me, Weston begged me not to fight, though he assumed I’d take on Kipp as me, Asher. My stepfather sneered and said I was no match for him. He called me a cub, but I was in no hurry to show him otherwise.
