No Ifs, Ands, or Bears About It

by Celia Kyle

  Damn it.

  Nails digging into his shoulder wrenched Ty’s attention back to his own battle. The claws dug deep into flesh and muscle until they collided with bone. Another explosion of agony rocked him and he decided he’d had enough.

  Ty threw off the hold, and plowed his deadly nails into the male’s shoulders. He let his bear out to play, allowed the beast to transform his mouth into a snout and release his fangs out in full force. Saliva pooled in his animalistic maw, the bear inside him excited at the prospect of drinking the other man’s blood.

  The moment his opponent was close enough, Ty hit. He opened his jaws wide and struck, sinking his fangs through soft flesh. The coppery liquid flowed over his tongue, danced across his taste buds, and sated the bear’s hunger. The massive body against him struggled. Claws scratched and dug into him, but Ty wouldn’t be denied his victory. He tightened his jaws until his teeth scraped against each other, and then he jerked his head, bringing the male’s throat along with him.

  The bear wanted to savor the feel of his opponent’s flesh sliding down his throat while the man was disgusted with the idea. Instead of enjoying his meal, Ty spat the lump of muscle and skin on the ground so that it lay beside his opponent. The man wrapped his hands around his throat, but Ty knew it was hopeless. The guy would be dead in moments.

  It was then he noted the silence, the quiet that invaded the space. He let his gaze wander over the room. He took in the cowering males, the gore that coated the walls… The blood that crept out of the bodies of the males he’d brought with him.

  A new rage filled him, an anger that overrode the pain of his wounds and pushed his bear forward even more.

  And it had one source.

  Ty spun toward the hyena Alpha. A little of that smarmy smile had fallen from his expression, but the belligerence and arrogance remained.

  “Where is he?” The words were garbled by the beast’s snout, but he got them out nonetheless.

  “Who?”

  “You have something that belongs to me. And I want it back. Where is he?”

  “Do I?”

  The bear roared inside him, it demanded that he slice hunks of flesh from the hyena Alpha. Slowly.

  Ty strode toward the male, not caring about anything or anyone but the piece of shit before him. A wave of Sarah’s scent washed over him with just the slightest hint of Parker’s added. “You have mine.”

  He should have stopped five feet away—or even four—but he strode right up to the hyena Alpha and went for the male’s neck. Hand outstretched, he realized his mistake the moment he was within grabbing distance. The Alpha shifted his weight and ducked then dug a clawed hand into the steadily bleeding wound on his abdomen.

  The pain… No, not pain. Pure, unadulterated agony assaulted him. It beat at his insides, tearing into him and wrenching muscle from bone. The bear within him wailed at the hurt that assaulted them.

  The male made a fist, burrowing deeper into Ty’s flesh. “Hurts, doesn’t it? All that poison running through your blood.”

  Fuck, he should have realized… Poisoned claws. Fucking pussy-assed hyena pieces of shit.

  Ty brought his hand to the male’s throat and sunk his nails into his flesh. “Where the fuck is he?”

  “Kill me and you’ll never know.” The Alpha squeezed harder.

  Ty countered the other man’s tightening. “Or I can just fucking kill you. They have my fucking son. Where are they?” He shook the Alpha, smiling through the pain when a crack of bone followed the move.

  “Release me.” The words were garbled and accompanied by a dribble of blood escaping the Alpha’s mouth.

  Ty bared his fangs. The bear was quickly growing accustomed to the throbbing hurt that attacked them. “Give them to me and I might let you live.”

  Claw-tipped fingers scraped his forearm, but the new physical pain was nothing compared to the loss of Parker. He shook the hyena Alpha again.

  “Where are they?” Ty squeezed harder, and his animal rejoiced in the Alpha’s whine. The male would be dead soon, he’d make sure of it. Ty may bleed to death, but the Alpha would be gone.

  In one swift movement, the Alpha released Ty and shoved him. The move surprised Ty and his grip involuntarily eased enough for the Alpha to break free. Ty stumbled back until he was no longer within striking distance. Blood coated him from head to toe, each and every scratch reminding Ty that his wounds bled liberally and were numerous.

  He didn’t care. He couldn’t care. Not when he had a son to find and an Itana to claim. The male before him stood between Ty and happiness and he’d be damned if a fucking hyena was going to end him.

  Ty strode forward and the Alpha did the same until they rushed one another, arms locking, claws piercing skin and digging into the other’s body. He lived and breathed the coppery fluid now. Nothing existed beyond bone, flesh and blood. His world centered on destroying the male before him and nothing else mattered. Nothing.

  He snapped his jaws, reaching for his opponent’s vulnerable throat, but was merely met with the other man’s teeth. More of the shift rushed through him. Legs bulging and pressing against his jeans. His feet stretched in his boots, the space within them lessening with every heartbeat.

  “Itan!” Isaac called to him, but the bear wanted this male’s blood covering his claws and sliding over his tongue. He’d been injured by the now dead hyena, but he still had more than enough rage to fuel him. The hyena Alpha would die. Quickly or slowly, he would be dead. Soon. “I have Sarah, Itan!”

  The single name broke through the haze of bloodlust that had captured him. He paused in his attack, but didn’t let his guard down, keeping his muscles tense while he held the Alpha. “Isaac?”

  The heavy thump of booted feet crunching bodies and bone announced someone’s approach and the scent of the forest reached him. A wolf. Reid.

  “I’ve got this one, Itan.”

  “Don’t—”

  “I won’t kill him. At least, not yet. He and I have unfinished business, also.”

  Ty let some of the tension flow from him and eased back, shoving the injured hyena away. “His claws are—”

  “Poisoned. Fuckers can’t win a fight without it.”

  Ty spared a glance at the wolf Alpha and noted the steadily flowing wounds that decorated his body. His animal’s healing should have sealed the wounds by now, but hadn’t. He took a look around the room, noted the broken bodies that littered the ground and the pieces that splattered and clung to the walls.

  “They died too quickly.” His gaze landed on one of his own bears with his lifeless eyes staring directly at him. “Way too quickly.”

  A low whimper drew his attention, the sound soft and distinctly feminine.

  He met his brother’s gaze and Isaac threw a beaten body toward him. The woman’s scent identified her, but visually, the person looked nothing like the female he remembered. Blood coated every inch of her skin, her clothes clung to her in tatters and more than one cut decorated her flesh. She was a broken, battered woman.

  And his bear didn’t give a fuck; not when pain and rage pumped through his blood. She’d more than likely been involved in the death of Parker’s parents and had probably participated in the initial attempt at killing the cub. She had definitely paid to have her husband murdered, and she’d succeeded in kidnapping Parker.

  No, he didn’t have an ounce of pity for Sarah.

  Only her whimpers and his heavy panting broke the silence, as if everyone held their breath in anticipation of his next actions.

  They’d all seen so much death and they may see one more.

  Ty crouched beside the whimpering female. He buried his fingers in her blood-matted hair, fisted the strands, and yanked her head back until she was forced to look at him. Her lip was split, both of them swollen, and her left eye wasn’t much better. The right was able to focus, and it was zeroed in on him.

  “Where’s Parker?”

  “I’m sorry, Itan.” She spoke with a raspy breath, h
er lungs rattling with her exhalation.

  “Where is he?”

  “I’m sorry…”

  Ty yanked on her hair and eased closer to her, baring his impressive fangs. He had no doubt about what she saw. Blood filled his every breath and the liquid coated his furred muzzle. It clung to his lips and painted his teeth and he wouldn’t hesitate to add hers to the mix. “Where. Is. He?”

  More of Sarah’s scent invaded him, a combination of blood and cum wrapping around him. She hadn’t just been beaten but raped, as well. Where had Griss been through all of this? Were they treating the male the same? Inwardly, he hoped so. But that left him with the question of Parker’s location, and whether they were…

  The hyena Alpha’s snarl followed by the smack of skin against skin reached him. Good, let the wolf get in a few strikes.

  Ty looked over his shoulder at the hyena Alpha. The male was bent over, one hand clutching his throat while the other held his stomach. “Tell me.”

  “Did you really think I’d let them stay permanently? That old man needed you distracted, and this lovely was payment.” The hyena Alpha rasped out the words.

  Fucking Robert. He’d kill him the moment he found Parker. More pieces fell into place. The bastard was old and would probably die soon. He would want someone as strong and twisted as him to take over Cutler. Apparently he’d found it in Griss. Except Parker’s parents and then Parker himself stood in the way.

  A trembling hand gripped his steadily bleeding forearm and he looked to Sarah. Tears filled her eyes and a tiny piece of him ached for the pain she’d suffered. But then he remembered Parker, Mia, and one of his bears lying dead ten feet away. That emotion vanished.

  “Have you checked in at home lately, Itan?” The hyena’s words grated over his skin.

  The blood in Ty’s veins stilled and froze, his heart ceasing to beat for one second and then two. The truth was etched into Sarah’s features. Griss had gone to his home.

  “Will I find Parker there, Sarah?”

  She gulped and nodded. “Forgive me.”

  Ty let her head thump to the ground and shifted his weight, muscles bunching as he prepared to rise and face the hyena Alpha. He’d kill the male and then tear Griss apart.

  “No. Please, Itan. Mercy.”

  The true plea was in her eyes. She didn’t want forgiveness—wasn’t begging for leniency—she begged for death.

  Making a choice he hated, Ty let his claws lengthen fully, sharpening and growing until his hands were beyond deadly. Despite his need for vengeance and his dreams of killing Sarah slowly, the reality of his position hit home. By her actions she was a traitor to the clan and yet she was still a woman. A woman he’d sworn to protect and care for as her Itan.

  “Please.”

  He tilted her head back, exposing the blood-caked line of her neck. “May your soul be welcomed with loving arms.”

  It was the standard prayer, one recited by rote even if he didn’t believe her soul would be embraced. With one, lightning fast strike, he slit her throat, pushing deep with his claw and ensuring her death came quickly.

  He rose to his full height then, watching her life fade until her heart no longer beat. His beast was satisfied with her death. It wanted to fight and destroy Griss, but it detested the idea of challenging a female. Her request for mercy appeased the animal’s need for retribution.

  Letting his gaze sweep the room, he found everyone’s attention on him; bear, wolf, and hyena alike. A glance through the dirt-caked window revealed the home was surrounded by his and Reid’s men. Good. He focused on the hyena Alpha then. Defiance still lingered in his gaze but that cocky attitude was no longer present. His beast yearned to tear the man limb from limb, but if the Alpha and Sarah were to be trusted, he needed to get to Mia.

  “I’m ordering a purge. Twenty-four hours for singles. Forty-eight for family units. This is my town now. I don’t want a fucking hyena here in two days.”

  A glowing rage entered the hyena Alpha’s gaze. “You can’t—”

  Ty snarled and flexed his claws. “I can’t what?”

  The Alpha’s intent focus burned him, the look promising retribution, but Ty’s rage burned hotter. When the man said nothing more, he returned his attention to the wolf Alpha. “The Alpha and inner-circle die regardless.”

  Reid raised an eyebrow.

  “What?” Ty didn’t have time for games. He felt more of his life sliding away with each breath. His wounds still bled liberally with no hint of stopping any time soon and fatigue clawed him. Griss was on his way to Mia and if he hurt her…

  Reid shrugged. “We’ll do more wet work and get rid of these pieces of shit and even help in Grayslake if we’re needed, but this will become our town. Not just the bears’ or the wolves’, but ours.”

  “You think we can work together?”

  “Yes,” Reid jerked his head in a quick nod.

  “Done.” Ty forced himself to stand tall as he reached for Reid—his wounds making themselves known. They each gripped the other’s forearm, digging in their claws to seal the alliance between their peoples. Ty didn’t have much blood to spare—the poison in his veins was seeing to that—but they needed the connection. More would have to be settled before a true bond could form, but for Mia and Parker’s sake, he would work with the wolves.

  A growl drew Ty’s attention back to the hyena Alpha. “He dies. Slowly.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Dinner had been a quiet affair, the posted guards cycling through to grab a bite to eat while Mia put plates together. She’d shooed Gigi out of the kitchen once the cooking was done. There was no reason for them to both fret and pace the area. Hour after hour passed and still… nothing.

  Keen occasionally got a call and his expression grew graver with each, darkening further until it seemed a storm of rage swirled inside him.

  Yet another guard slid onto a stool, and Mia nudged a full plate in front of him with a smile. “Here you go.”

  He shook his head. “You shouldn’t be serving us, Itana. You should—”

  “Sit on my happy ass while you work to keep me safe? Not happening, eat your salmon.” She smiled to lessen the rebuke and smiled even wider when he did as she asked.

  The trill of Keen’s cell phone had her looking toward the living room once again, and tension filled her veins. Every time it made a sound, her worry ratcheted higher. Had Ty found Parker? Were they okay? Was Griss dead?

  Keen’s face flushed, red rising to cover his neck and face, and then the hue was immediately followed by the rush of brown fur covering his skin. Muscles bulged beneath his shirt, shoulders growing in breadth. The hand holding his cell phone grew larger and she had no doubt his nails were now thick and blackened.

  In an instant, she was off her stool and racing across the kitchen, intent on getting to Keen and discovering what had him shifting in the middle of the living room.

  “You’re sure.” Keen inhaled slowly. “How many?” He paused. “How far?” Another lull. “Yes, Itan.”

  Then the phone crumpled beneath the pressure of Keen’s grip, plastic cracking and splintering in his fist. The obviously furious and rage-filled Keen turned black eyes on her.

  “We need to get you to—”

  The sound of glass shattering cut Keen off, the tinkling still filling the air as a bright red spot formed on his chest. It grew and grew, spreading and soaking the fabric. Another noise, an echoing crack, came next and yet more red bloomed, covering his side.

  Keen roared, more of his bear taking over, and barreled toward her amidst the destruction of the living room. Objects exploded in his wake, and it finally clicked in her mind. He was being shot at. Someone shot him.

  And still he raced to her.

  The moment they hit the kitchen, the male nearby launched across the counter separating them and tackled her to the ground, covering her with his massive body. A huffing Keen soon joined them, the front and side of his shirt now painted in red.

  “Keen!”


  He grunted, but otherwise ignored her. “What have you got, Ash?”

  “Teeth and claws, man.” The male atop her spoke but didn’t release her.

  “Fuck.” Keen wrenched a cabinet door open and reached inside, yanking off a piece of wood to reveal a hidden panel. A press of several buttons on the concealed keypad had shelves retreating, and a cushioned tray of handguns came into view.

  “How?” Ash gasped in surprise and Mia did the same.

  “I’m responsible for security, aren’t I? Training was gonna start today, but with Parker…” Keen reached for a gun and hissed. “Fucking bastards had to hit me twice.”

  “Keen?”

  “I’m fine, Mia. Ash, look under the sink. There’s a panel on the left, rip it off.”

  The man atop her moved away, doing as Keen ordered. “Got it.”

  “Good. Punch this in…” Keen rattled off a string of numbers that never seemed to end, but finally there was a hiss followed by a click.

  “Holy shit, man.” Ash’s voice was filled with awe. “Talk about a fucking equalizer.” The male emerged from beneath the sink, two large guns in hand. “What the hell are these?”

  “HK416s. Point and shoot.”

  Mia watched with wide eyes while Keen shoved pieces of the hand guns together, pushing and pulling on different parts before moving on to the next.

  “Keen, what the hell is going on?” Her voice wavered.

  “Griss is outside. Probably with friends.” A rapid fire of bullets tore through the large kitchen windows and door while another handful hit the front of the house. “Definitely friends.” Keen eased from the cabinet and shoved a gun toward her. “Mia, point, pull the trigger. Keep your arms straight and grip it tight. Try not to close your eyes.”

  “I don’t know—”

  Keen didn’t let her finish. “Ash, give me one of those 416s.”

  Roars joined the crack and thump of bullets assaulting the house. Deeper within the home, wood groaned and snapped followed by the heavy thud of feet on the hardwood floors.