Rescued By An Alpha, Complete Set (25 page)

"Let's walk down towards the river, where we can find some suitable branches to make a bow."

Chan and Philippe made their way down towards the trees. As usual, Chan was on the alert and careful for any strange noises. They climbed one of the big trees. Chan clambered up in no time at all, as graceful in human form as he was in jaguar form. Philippe, awed, slowly followed him. Chan soon found a suitable branch to cut off. Once down on the ground, Chan started to teach Philippe how to shape the branch into a useful bow.

"If you learn how to handle a bow and arrow, you will always be able to kill some wildlife and never go hungry. Okay, let's get started. Here is a knife for you. When you are in your human form, you should always carry the knife with you. There are many threats to watch out for in the jungle, and you always have to be prepared to defend yourself."

They both worked on the bow and some arrows, and they turned out well.

"Here you are, Philippe. You have yourself a fine bow and some arrows, and now we have to teach you how to use it." Chan was a good teacher, but a tough one. He didn't let Philippe leave before he was sure he'd mastered the art of shooting whatever he aimed at.

CHAPTER THREE

"It feels so good to have the freedom to jump up a tree and climb to the top, or hide from the view of any intruders," Philippe sat up in the tree, enjoying the view as the sun started rising. The sky filled with red and splashes of pink. The morning dew on the leaves of the tree shimmered from the reflection of the many colors, a mesmerizing sight to watch. The birds had started to wake, welcoming the daybreak with a song ringing with the joy of the new dawn. But through the singing of the birds, he began to hear something sounding like a human crying. He got curious and jumped down from the tree to follow the sound.

He hid behind the bushes and saw a young woman sitting on a tree stump, crying and covering her face with her hands. She seemed to be alone.

I will scare her if I show myself in the jaguar form, and I don't really feel like shifting to my human form. I was just having such a good time. But I can't leave her here by herself.
Philippe argued with himself, but the urge to help her won, and he shifted into his human form.

"Hi, young lady, can I help you?" Philippe said as he came out from the bushes.

She looked up, startled by the sound of his voice. Her eyes were red, from the tears running down her face, and strands of her long blonde hair had come undone from her pony tail, falling down over her face.

"Oh, I'm so glad to see you. I'm hopelessly lost. I've got no idea how to get out of here!"

"How did you get here? We're so far from everything," Philippe asked.

"I was on a little boat with a few other tourists and a tour guide when a group of unfriendly thugs surrounded us. They killed the men and took the women prisoner. I was the only one who managed to escape, as far as I know. I've been running for a long time. I don't know where I am" she said.

"My name is Philippe, and I'm staying in a cave not too far from here. You are welcome to come with me until we find a way to get you out of here," He offered.

"My name is Candela. Thank you so much." She was a bit wary.
I hope I'm not walking into another trap.

Philippe sat down next to her and started to prepare her for the situation. "I must warn you, though. I haven't been here long, but I live in a cave with a pride of peaceful jaguars. We are all shape-shifters. You don't need to be frightened; no one will hurt you."

He felt attracted to this pretty young woman. He enjoyed her heavy scent and began to feel aroused. It worried him, because he hadn't planned to mate with anyone. And how would he explain to Chan if he brought a young human woman back to the cave?

Candela looked at him in disbelief. "Oh my God. Shape-shifters and jaguars. You can't be serious?"

"I suppose it might be a bit of a shock for you, especially on top of what you've been running away from. What if I find you a safe spot where you can wait for me, while I go and ask for permission to bring you back to the den?" He remembered the way Serena had fainted when he first told her about being a shape-shifter. He felt a sudden pang in his heart.

"Okay, but where can I hide?" She looked around desperately.

He took her over to a thick row of bushes surrounding a large tree. "Come over here, I will help you to climb up the tree and you can wait up there. Philippe got her placed way up in the tree. "You should be safe up here, I will come back for you as soon as I can."

Back at the den, he met Chan at the entrance. "What's happening?" As usual, he had already tuned in on Philippe's encounter with the young woman.

"I heard this young woman crying. She was lost and didn't know where she was. She had escaped from an unfriendly tribe that captured the women and killed the men while on a tour boat down the river. I made her wait in up in a tree while I came back here to ask for permission to bring her here to the den." Philippe, who used to be in command of his own pride, felt a bit embarrassed about having to ask.

"Let's go and get her." Chan grabbed his big knife and bow and arrows.

Philippe shifted into his jaguar form and trotted in front of Chan to show the way, but when they got closer to the spot where Candela was hiding, he change back to his human form. A big cat was lying in front of the bushes, waiting for the right moment to climb up the tree and attack her. They stopped on the spot, not sure how to handle the situation. Chan didn't want to kill the cat, so he changed to his jaguar form and send out a loud roar, scaring the big cat. Philippe quickly shifted and joined him in scaring away the cat. It took a look at them and fled.

"Hi Candela. I'm back. You can come down now; you're safe. We scared the big cat away and I brought the alpha of the pride with me." Philippe, who was now in his human form again called out as he pulled back the bushes to make an opening for her to jump down from the tree."

"Oh, there you are, I'm so glad to see you. I was so frightened!" She was still shaken, but at the same time she felt a rush of excitement going through her when she saw Philippe.
He is so handsome,
she thought.

"This is Chan, one of the alphas of the Golden Valley den."

"Hi, Candela. You're welcome to come and stay with us until we find a way out for you."

"Thank you. I'm so grateful to you. I don't know what else to do." She managed a little smile, but was visibly scared stiff by her situation. Philippe got a good look at her and saw how attractive she was, but she also seemed very vulnerable. She appealed to his male instinct of wanting to protect her.

"Hop on my back," he said as he shifted into his jaguar form.

"Oh, oh!" Candela put her hand up to her mouth in fright.

"It's okay, he won't harm you," Chan assured her. She climbed onto Philippe's back.

Chan's partner Romina stood in the entrance of the den to welcome Candela when they arrived. "Nice to meet you. Don't worry, you are quite safe here."

Candela was relieved to see a woman in the cave. She looked friendly, and like she was ready to give birth soon. They all sat down by the big fireplace in the middle of the room. One of the other women came with a cup of warm tea for her. She looked around the cave and was not sure whether to be scared or impressed with all the jaguars lying around, relaxing or sleeping. She spotted Gonzo up on the dais, and couldn't seem to be able to take her eyes off him.

"That is Gonzo, the other alpha of the pride. He takes care of things in the den. Chan is the warrior and hunter. They are both respected alphas," Philippe told her.

"Oh, I see." She nodded.

Philippe couldn't deny that he was attracted to Candela, and it annoyed him. He didn't want to get involved with another human again, not after how hurt he'd felt when Serena broke up with him. Yet here he was again, falling for another one. He couldn't help himself and wondered frantically if he could be true to himself or let his sexual urges get the better of him. Candela was so attractive, and he sensed her arousal whenever he was near her. His instincts wanted her there and then, but he thought he better listen to his brain and not his cock.

Chan came over to Philippe and Candela. "We have a certain exercise routine we follow every morning. You are welcome to join us whenever you are ready. We have to be fit, with the many hidden dangers around here in the jungle."

"After a good night's rest, I'm sure I'll join you," Candela said.

"I'll show you where you can sleep." Philippe took her down the long corridor to a small room. "I haven't been here long either, but this is a little guest room, and I'm sure you will get a good, undisturbed night's sleep in here." Lots of pelts were thrown over a bed; it looked very comfortable. "I will be in the next room, so if you get frightened or have any problems, just come in and get me."

"Thanks. That's good to know. I'm not sure how safe I'll feel in here by myself," Candela said in a little insecure voice. She lay down on the bed and closed her eyes.

Philippe stood there for a few minutes and admired her while she dozed off to sleep. He went back into the store room and found a candle. He brought it into her room, put it on a rock, and lit it.

After a few hours, Candela woke up with a fright; she'd had a bad dream. She wrapped one of the pelts around herself and grabbed the candle to help her find the way. She headed into Philippe's room, where he was fast asleep. She didn't want to wake him, so she crawled into his bed and cuddled up to him. In his sleep, he put his arm around her and pulled her in close to him. Candela felt a little aroused, but also very secure and safe, here in the arms of this handsome man.

CHAPTER FOUR

Chan was worried about the other women taken prisoner.
I want to talk this over with Gonzo and get his advice.
He climbed up on the dais to talk to Gonzo. "What do you think of the other women's situation in the camp with the thugs?" Chan said.

Gonzo had a faraway look in his eyes. "Not good. I see the women being tortured and roughly treated. They need our help. You should get the warriors together and go and rescue them," Gonzo said

"Yes, that's what I think I should do. I can't stop thinking about them," Chan said.

A little party of warriors from the den set out to help the women. They were all athletic and each one of them had been trained by Chan. He was very disciplined, and pushed them all to be in top shape. As they got nearer the camp, they climbed the trees surrounding the area to check it out. It was late at night, and the only light was from the huge fire in the middle of the camp. The men were lying around the fire, either sleeping or high.

Chan sneaked into the camp to find out where they kept the five women. The jaguar warriors shifted into their human form and climbed the trees. They had their bows and arrows ready to strike in case Chan should be attacked.

Chan soon found the tent where the five women were kept. He crawled into the tent and saw all the women tied up together. He quickly put his hand up to his mouth and whispered, "Shhhh, I'm going to get you out of here, be very quiet and I will cut you loose."

"Oh, thank you," they all whispered back

After Chan cut them all loose, he told them, "Wait here. I'll be back. I have to go and alert my helpers, who are waiting behind the trees."

Chan sneaked back to let the warriors in on the situation. "I found the women, and they're waiting for me to come back. You all need to move a little closer to the camp so you can get a better shot at the thugs if they should give us trouble. We'll take the women out quietly, one by one."

The women were scared, and whispered to each other, "Who is he? Can he really help us? Where is he taking us?"

"We don't have any other choice than to follow him. It can't be any worth than staying here with those wild and brutal crooks," Anne said, trying to calm the other women down.

Then Chan came back to the women. "I'll get you all to crawl behind the tent one at the time." One of the men got up from the fire and walked over towards the women's tent. Before he'd reached it, an arrow went straight through his chest, and he fell to the ground. One of the other men saw one of the women crawl out of the tent and grabbed his ax to stop her. He didn't get far before an arrow went through his chest too. Soon all the women were hiding behind the tent.

"So far so good. Now, everyone run as fast as you can over to the trees and hide behind them. Don't worry, people are watching out for you in case one of the brutes try to harm you," Chan said.

All the women got safely into the jungle. They gathered together around Chan, and his warriors circled around them.

"We'll take you to our den, where you'll be safe until we can find a way to get you out of the jungle," Chan said.

Each of the five women said, "Thank you for helping us." They looked around at the big muscular men standing around them, but they couldn't see too much of them in the dark.

"You're welcome, but we still have to get to our den. It's a long walk. You must stay close together, because it's now hunting time for the big cats," Chan warned them.

"Oh, will it be safe?" one of the women said in a shaky voice.

"You'll be safer with us than with those natives," Chan assured her.

They walked all night, and just before sunrise, they heard a roar. Chan and the warriors stopped dead in their tracks.

"Get back in the bushes and hide," Chan yelled to the women. Right before their eyes, he shifted his form to a jaguar, as did some of the warriors. Three big cats appeared on the scene, ready to fight. Some of the warriors climbed the trees with their bow and arrows ready. The women ran for their lives into the bushes and hide. They watched the big fight taking place between the three cats and the jaguars through the leaves of the bushes. The roars and growls coming from the cats made them shiver. But the cats were outnumbered, and soon retreated from the fighting grounds, back into the jungle. Nobody needed to be killed, which was a relief for Chan; he only killed when it was absolutely necessary.