Page 1 of Into the Lion's Den (Secrets of the Northland Shifters)

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REESE FITZPATRICK

“Nervous?”

My hand froze. I’d been rolling the bullet—the bullet that had changed everything—between my thumb and forefinger for the last thirty minutes. But at the sound of my brother Sam’s voice, I quickly dropped it into my desk drawer and swiveled my chair to face the door.

I was Reese Fitzpatrick, the oldest of the five Fitzpatrick siblings. Sam was second in line, and he was waiting for my answer with his eyebrows raised above his angular face. Sweat dampened his sandy blond hair at the temples, and his work clothes were smeared with axle grease.

“Alphas don’tgetnervous,” I said. Weakness was not an option. Especially now.

Our father’s unexpected death hadn’t allowed for an organized transfer of power. I was having to learn both my new role as alpha and the behind-the-scenes business operations on the fly. And just that morning, our events coordinator had quit without notice.

Sam pulled a face. Always the most perceptive of my siblings, he clearly wasn’t convinced by my feigned sense of calm.

“Even an alpha might be a little uneasy,” Sam said, “if they’d, for example...just spitballing here...taken over running their father’s business. Add onto that how weird it’s gotta feel sitting at his desk...sleeping in his room...”

Leave it to Sam to get right to the heart of it. “Everything will be fine. This resort’s a well-oiled machine. I’m not going to fuck it up by making changes.”

And really, what was there to change? After our mother left, our father had created the Evergreen Resort & Retreat Center in the Misquah Hills of northeastern Minnesota. It had started as a sanctuary for him and for us—his five children—but now the place boasted a beautiful lodge with massive decks and two full bars, forty guest rooms, a bunkhouse for staff, stables for fifteen horses, and an equipment barn filled with four-wheelers, cross-country skis, snowshoes, camping equipment, and canoes.

Not to mention it had a stocked private fishing lake with a boat dock and thirty-two hundred acres of unspoiled wilderness to run whenever my siblings and I felt the need to stretch our legs.

And being mountain lion shifters, there was a serious need to stretch.

“Okay, but...” Sam frowned. “Have you changed your mind about the ban?”

Right. My ban on shifting.

I leaned back in my chair. As powerful and influential as our father had been in his human form, he’d been unstoppable once shifted. That is, until he met a hunter's bullet six weeks ago.

We still didn’t know if the shot had been fired by a startled poacher hunting out of season, or if there was something more ominous afoot.

“I’m not changing my mind.” My voice came out rumbling and gruff, caught on the verge of a growl.

“But we’ve all been holding our shape for weeks,” Sam argued. “Not to mention it’s May. Don’t tell me the lion isn’t pacing inside of you.”

I clenched my teeth. I’d be lying if I denied it, but I owed it to our father to not only keep the business alive but my four siblings as well.

Springtime had a stirring effect on all animals, and it was no different for shifters. We’d have to resist the urge until we could be assured our father hadn’t been intentionally targeted. Even an unplanned shooting wouldn’t be a comforting conclusion, but it was better than the alternative.

“There won’t be any more discussion on this topic.” I stood, rising to my full height.

I’d been tall before, but since becoming alpha I’d had a second-wind growth spurt. I now stood at six-six, and my musculature had increased substantially with it.

“Fine,” Sam said, holding up his hands in surrender. “We’ll follow your lead, but...Christ, Reese. This sucks. My skin...it’s like...itchy.” He reached behind him and scratched his lower back.

I checked my watch. “Have you seen Toby and Mel?”

The bus from the small airport in Evergreen would be arriving soon with the additional employees we brought on each summer. Our father had always insisted that all five of his children be outside to greet them.

“Toby is getting the bedding delivered to the employee bunkhouse, and I saw Angel head out to feed the horses.”

“Okay. But what about Melanie?”

Sam huffed out a laugh. “Does anyone ever know where she’s run off to?”

Right. Our little sister had given our father a run for his money, but I’d be damned if she’d pull the same shit on me. She and I needed to have a chat.

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