Free Alpha Bear by Bianca D'Arc

and he looked good enough to eat. But that was
a thought Urse kept carefully to herself.
    They went out into the darkness with great
caution. Armed men were all around, forming a cordon as she started
casting the circle. It would have to be a big circle to do the
trick. She started at one side and worked her way around. She’d
have to be careful when they neared the beach. She’d do that bit,
closest to the water, as fast as possible. Just in case.
    “It would be best to keep your men outside
the circle, and away from the water,” she said to John in a low
voice as she worked.
    He was right next to her, helping her. This
first part of the process was mostly mechanical. She’d said a
blessing over the big bag of rock salt they’d procured for her and
began to lay the thin line of salt that would form the circle. The
men were cognizant enough to keep clear of the line, once she’d
laid it.
    It was slow work because this circle was
going to be the biggest she’d ever cast. But once it was complete,
it would—hopefully—shield her from whatever the leviathan was going
to throw at her. The men outside though… She had to impress upon
them just how dangerous this could be.
    “The guys and I discussed this, but we don’t
really know what to expect, right?” John said. He was holding the
fifty-pound sack of salt for her as they made their way around the
perimeter, laying out the circle a few feet at a time.
    “The minute this circle closes, expect all
hell to break loose,” she told him, speaking loud enough for the
men around them to hear. “You men should stay behind the circle.
Theoretically, anything inside—meaning me—should be okay.”
    “And me,” John put in, his voice a deep
rumble next to her. “I’m staying in here with you, if that won’t
put you in more danger.”
    She shook her head, totally surprised by his
intention to stay with her.
    “Once the circle is closed, it should be
self-sustaining unless someone or something breaks it. You can stay
with me, but John…” She paused a moment to touch his arm. “You
really shouldn’t. This will be the focal point for the beast’s
wrath. I’ll be protected from its magical attacks—in theory—inside
the circle, but I’ll also be launching magic of my own outward.
That’s the nature of the circle I’m casting here. It keeps magical
things out but allows my magic to cross the barrier. There may be a
bit of a buildup in here before I launch. It could get
uncomfortable.”
    “I have quite a bit of magic of my own,
Ursula. Bears are among the most magical of all werecreatures. I’ll
help you if I can. It’s my home. The whole town was my idea. I
should bear some of the burden of protecting it. This shouldn’t be
all on you.”
    Once again surprised by his gentle tone and
deep thoughts, she thought about how she could make this work. And
then, the men on the outside of the line she’d been drawing with
salt had their spokesman come over.
    “We’ve been listening in,” Sheriff Brody said
in that urgent soldier voice of his. “We can do our part outside
too, ma’am.”
    “What?” She honestly hadn’t expected this.
Since last night, she’d been so worried that she’d be all on her
own, but here were allies. Strong allies, if she wasn’t much
mistaken.
    “None of us are proper mages, but we’re
experienced with the use of magical barriers and fortifications.
We’ve used them in the field a few times, when no humans were
around to see what we were doing.” Brody winked at her while he and
John chuckled.
    Why were they laughing? Didn’t they know they
were about to face down a giant fucking sea serpent?
    “Who are you people?” She heard the
words come out of her mouth, too late to stop them.
    Now they were all laughing.
    “Oh, honey,” John said between chuckles. “You
knew a lot of us were soldiers, right? I guess you didn’t realize
that up ‘til very recently we were all part of one of Uncle Sam’s
elite Special Forces