Buried and Shadowed (Branded Packs #3) (11 page)

But it wouldn’t be enough.

It never was.

Oliver covered their bodies with his own, swiping at the shadows but never making contact. He clawed, bit, and roared; yet nothing worked. The shadows used their fangs and claws to attack his body, digging through his fur down to the flesh.

His blood covered the ground below him, and he knew this would be the end.

This was how he would die.

And if he didn’t move from the vision, he might die for real, as well. Because sometimes, whatever happened in the vision, also happened to his unconscious body.

He couldn’t let his life end like this, couldn’t let Gibson and Mandy die at the hands of the unknown.

Oliver pulled away, his body shaking, his vision going gray. As he closed his eyes, his breath growing ragged, another wolf emerged from the darkness, his eyes intent.

Theo.

But what would Theo be doing here?

Theo growled over Mandy’s body, and Oliver opened his mouth to roar back, but the darkness took him again.

He woke up in a pool of his own sweat, his sheets tangled around his hips and chest, heaving as he fought to catch his breath. With a lurch, he turned on his front and emptied the contents of his stomach into the empty trashcan he kept near his bed for situations just like this.

Once he could breathe again, Oliver stood on shaky legs and went to clean up his mess and toss his sheets in the washer. As he got in the shower, he stood under the spray, leaning on one hand against the wall so he could figure out what he was going to do with this new vision.

Just because Theo had shown up in the dream right when the shadows had disappeared didn’t mean he had anything to do with Gibson and Mandy’s deaths. In fact, it could have been something completely different, yet Oliver couldn’t shake that Theo had something to do with what would come.

And possibly with what had already happened.

Theo wasn’t happy with Mandy for choosing Oliver and Gibson over him, but that didn’t mean he would be responsible for their deaths. In fact, Theo had spent most of his life making sure Mandy was safe and secure, even within the walls of their confinement. But Gibson had been attacked—even if it had been before Mandy had come to them both. Perhaps Theo had known before even Oliver did of Mandy’s choice. And Claire…Claire had hurt Mandy.

He knew he was reaching at this point, but he didn’t know what else to think. Theo had been part of his vision, and this particular dream had felt more real than anything else he’d dreamt before.

Something was coming, he knew that, and perhaps Theo would be part of it.

What made this whole thing worse was that Oliver shouldn’t have had a vision like that at all. Something was wrong with him, his visions, his powers. He shouldn’t have visions of those closest to him, those he loved. Because, damn it, he loved Gibson and Mandy. He may not have had them in his life for long, but they were
his
. So he shouldn’t have had a vision about them.

And no Foreseer he had ever heard of had dreamt of their own death.

That just didn’t happen.

Whatever was off, he would find a way to fix it, but he knew it wouldn’t be easy. He sighed once more and turned off the water before getting out to dry himself. He’d promised he’d meet Gibson and Mandy in the den center for breakfast, and he knew he was already running late.

He didn’t sleep much thanks to the visions, but apparently, his body had decided that a dream where he had
died
would be the one that kept him unconscious for far longer than usual.

Oliver dressed quickly and left his home, making his way toward the den center and hoping he wasn’t too late to meet up with Gibson and Mandy. As soon as he found his way to the path, his body relaxed. Their scents reached him, circling around his body before finally settling into his skin as if they had always been there and would always be.

Gibson and Mandy walked toward him, hand-in-hand. Mandy’s smile brightened when she caught sight of him, and Gibson gave him a little smirk.

These two were his, there was no question. He’d had Mandy, and would have her in his life again, and soon he would have Gibson. And after that…it would be the three. They would find a way to make their world work, make what they needed, them as one, work.

He just prayed he would have enough time to find that path.

Oliver opened his arms as Mandy walked toward him and burrowed close. “I thought I was meeting you there.” He kissed the top of her head, inhaling her scent as he did.

Gibson walked to his side and kissed his lips softly. Oliver’s bear reared up, needing more, but he pushed him back. For now.

The wolf smiled at him. “We figured we’d pick you up instead,” Gibson said. “This way, we make sure you actually show up on time.”

Mandy snorted and pulled back so she could push at Gibson. “That’s not true.” She looked up at Oliver and batted her eyelashes coyly. “I wanted to walk together.” She paused. “And maybe make sure you weren’t running late, but that’s because I’m a dork. A dork with a schedule, though.”

Oliver chuckled and kissed her then, needing her taste. She moaned beneath him and he grinned as he pulled away. “As I’m running a bit late, I thank you.” His stomach rumbled. “And apparently, so does my stomach.”

“Let’s get you fed, big boy,” Gibson said with a laugh.

“Big boy is right,” Mandy whispered under her breath and blushed beet-red. “I, uh…didn’t mean to say that out loud.”

Oliver grinned wide. “I’m not complaining.” He gripped her hip as they walked, a lightness coming over him, shattering the darkness that had overcome him in the dream. With these two, he could breathe, could think. This was what he’d been missing all this time, and he was damn glad he at least had this time with them.

He cursed inwardly.

He
would
change his vision.

He
would
save them all.

No matter what.

A growl sounded behind them, and Gibson turned, shoving Mandy between him and Oliver. The hairs on the back of Oliver’s neck stood on end and he let his bear come forward.

Though it was daylight and he could see through the tops of the trees, he knew this part of the path, knew these trees.

He’d dreamt them before.

Four lions prowled through the wooded area, one male and three females. The male’s black mane billowed in the wind, his body sleek muscle. The three females surrounding him had their heads down low, ready for attack.

“What the hell?” Gibson spat. “
Cats
?” As he was best friends with a cat, it made sense to Oliver that Gibson was just as confused as he was.

But as Oliver inhaled, he caught the…lack of scent that had been on Gibson after the attack, the same lack of scent that had covered Claire’s body.

Before Oliver could contemplate the ramifications and think about why these cats would do such a thing, the lead female pounced. Gibson rolled out of the way, but not before she clawed the wolf right through his stomach.

Oliver had seen that wound before.

This would
not
happen exactly like in his dream.

Oliver roared and swiped at another female, the closest shifter to him. “Get help!” he called to Mandy.

“I can’t!” she called back.

He risked a glance over his shoulder as she rolled to the ground to get out of the way of the third female. The male lion stood where he was, watching the women fight, but Oliver didn’t take his eyes off him fully. He knew how lions fought, and this male wouldn’t stand back for long.

He was waiting for an opening.

Oliver pushed at the female lion in front of him, raking his claws down her side. He was bigger, stronger, and would win in a fight when it was shifter against shifter. But he was in human form, and couldn’t strip down to change without bearing a weak side. He also couldn’t focus completely because Mandy was fighting someone much larger and stronger that she was while Gibson was bleeding out next to him, still fighting.

And yet the male lion continued to watch.

Waiting.

Oliver ducked a bite that would have severed an artery on his leg and slammed the female lion to the ground. Gibson was winning against his enemy, but if he didn’t get someone to take care of his wound soon, it would be too late.

Mandy was fighting hard as well, but she wouldn’t last long. She wasn’t a fighter, and though she was trained, her opponent was better.

Oliver turned to help, then hit the ground hard, a fiery pain radiating down his back as the male lion pounced, clawing and biting Oliver’s flesh. He roared and turned, throwing the lion to the ground. He heard a sickening pop as the lion broke bones, but the bastard came back at him.

Mandy screamed as the lion jumped on her, and Oliver turned his attention to her.

Mistake.

The male lion and the female one Oliver had fought at first attacked him as he turned toward Mandy’s scream.

“Mandy!” he called out, but he was afraid it would be too late.

Just as her opponent pinned her to the ground and opened his jaws to bite Mandy’s neck, a grey wolf bounded out of the trees, throwing his body into the lions. Mandy rolled to her feet and clawed at the lion, as well.

He knew that wolf, knew that scent.

Theo.

Hell, thank God he’d been wrong about his dream.

He turned his attention back to the two big cats in front of him, his rage at full peak. How
dare
these lions attack his mates? He roared, his hump rising on his back. His claws slashed out, and he gripped the female by her neck and squeezed. She rasped, clawing at his arm as he shook her, slamming her down to the ground before picking her up and slamming her again.

He did it twice more before he was sure she was dead and then threw her body toward the trees. The resounding thump might have sickened him if these cats hadn’t threatened his mates.

Gibson came to his side, bloody and pale, his opponent dead where she lay. “There’s something off about them,” he groaned. “I can
feel
it.” He put his fist over his heart. “It’s not over.”

The male lion prowled toward him, and Gibson and Oliver risked a glance at Mandy, who fought the last female lion. Theo lay bloody on the ground in wolf form beside her, and Oliver cursed. He moved toward her to help when she bent, using her shoulder to hit the cat in the gut before rolling to the ground. She kicked out, taking the lion down by the legs and then moved once more to pin the shifter to the ground.

“Don’t you dare
fuck
with my mates,” Mandy growled out.

 Oliver blinked. Well, then. He went to her side, making sure the lion couldn’t move. The shifter had passed out, but he didn’t trust it. He turned then to make sure Gibson was okay since the male lion was still alive and breathing, but he shouldn’t have been worried.

Holden and the other Alphas burst through the trees, their claws out. “What the
hell
happened?”

Jonah, the Feline Alpha narrowed his eyes at the carnage. “Xavior,
shift
.” The
power
in his voice slid over Oliver’s skin and he almost bowed his head. He didn’t know Jonah, but damn, that cat was Alpha for a reason.

Others came out from the trees to help, pinning the other lion down so Oliver could take Mandy into his arms and make their way over to Gibson.

Theo let out a breath beside them, and she went to her knees at the now prone Theo and Gibson at their feet. Oliver fell to his ass at her side, tired and confused as hell. With so many others around them, they were safe for the time being, but he had to make sure his mates were really okay.

“Theo?” she whispered. She ran her hands through his fur, and Oliver didn’t feel any jealousy. This was her best friend, and he had saved her life. Oliver would always be grateful. “He needs a healer.”

As soon as she said it, their doctor came forward, looked between Theo and Gibson, and shook his head. “Damn,” he mumbled and went to work on Theo’s side where Oliver could see rib bones sticking out.

Hell, it was worse than he’d thought.

The bear medic came forward and started to work on Gibson, and Oliver was grateful. They’d fought as one Pack, not three, and now they would heal as one, as well. At least, he hoped.

“Explain yourself, Xavior,” Jonah hissed.

“Fuck you,” Xavior, the now naked male lion hissed.

“They attacked us on the path,” Oliver answered for him. “I don’t know why, but they also have the same muted scent that was on Gibson and Claire. At least they did, I can scent them now.” He narrowed his eyes. “I don’t know what’s going on, but something is off about this whole thing.”

Xavior spit toward him, and Jonah let out more
power
. The male lion fell face down on the ground. Cowering. Shaking.

“Answer,” Jonah ordered.

“We should have been in power, should have been the Alphas,” Xavior finally answered, rising up on his knees once again. “The lions are the kings, and yet we let the tigers rule our Packs? It’s an abomination.”

Oliver blinked at the admission. A dominance challenge? All of this for a backwards way of making a play for the Alpha position? Of the three types of shifters, it was the cats that had a different way of choosing who was Alpha. With wolves, since they were mostly all timber wolves, the Alpha was the strongest. With bears, it was always grizzlies because they were the most powerful unless they were far up north near the polars. But cats had multiple species, and that meant each Pack had to have a cat-on-cat battle to find out which kind would be the ruling family. Oliver honestly didn’t know how that battle had been fought, but he thought Cora’s family, the tiger family, was the strongest by far.

And from the way the lion male in front of Jonah cowered, he hadn’t been wrong.

“All of this? For a change in rule?” Jonah shook his head, disgust on his face. “You could never beat me in a fair fight, so you what? Attacked the Foreseer and Omega to prove a point?”

Xavior raised his chin but kept his gaze down. Oliver hugged Mandy close as the doctors worked on Gibson and Theo beside them.