by Cecilia Lane
Then something tugged her purse and ripped it down her arm. The strap caught her wrist and twisted her painfully around. “Hey!”
A purse snatcher, in a hat and dark sunglasses, yanked again to separate her from her purse. With it successfully in his control, he turned and ran.
“Motherfucker,” Gray cursed. He slipped around Meghan with a speed she didn’t expect and took off after the culprit.
Her flip-flops slapped against the ground. She tried to keep up with the two running men. “He took my purse!” she yelled. More of the crowd turned to see the cause of the commotion.
The purse snatcher ducked around another building with Gray hot on his heels. Meghan skidded to a stop and nearly tripped over her own feet. Stupid flip-flops. They weren’t meant for a chase scene.
She rounded the corner in time to see the purse snatcher pull a small device from his back pocket. The thing buzzed dangerously before connecting with Gray’s chest.
The shifter cursed again before ripping the stun gun from the snatcher’s hand. He threw it down on the ground, hauled back, and threw a hard punch into the man’s face. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Gray snarled.
Blood spurted from the man’s nose, but that didn’t stop Gray. He landed two more punches against the man’s ribs and stomach. He yanked Meghan’s purse out of the man’s hands and roughly shoved it back at her. Then he threw another punch that sent the man reeling to the ground. A hard kick and the loud crack made Meghan gasp.
Feet beat behind her and a flood of bodies entered the alley. She didn’t fight them. Her hand covered her mouth and she slowly backed from the scene. Someone pulled Gray away, while others bent down to check on the purse snatcher.
“Get off of me,” Gray roared.
He found a surge of strength and ripped his arms away from those holding him back. Through the crowd and over heads, their eyes met. Meghan bit her lower lip. The man she’d been about to kiss had a face twisted with rage and fury.
He was dangerous and out of control. An electrical charge to the chest did nothing but irritate him. A sharp kick cracked a man’s ribs. He was free with his fists and happy with violence.
Meghan backed away another step. Bentley had been right that shifters were dangerous and unpredictable.
Then Gray blinked. Gold eyes faded to blue and shame dripped from him.
Chapter 10
Gray’s inner animal snapped and clawed at him. Meghan look horrified. Her scent had gone sour in his nose. Everything light and fresh about her changed into something darker and fearful. He frightened her and that was unacceptable.
But his bear couldn’t grasp what their actions had done to their mate. It was natural to protect her. A show of force was needed to let other males know harming her would only end in their destruction. Only, that natural response, that deep instinct, shoved her away and made her scared.
The bear raged under his skin. He wanted to snap the attacker in half and prove to Meghan they were worthy of caring for her. He wanted to kill all fight in himself and show her that they weren’t to be feared. The two dueling desires made the bear furious.
Gray clenched his fists and closed his eyes. One breath. Another. The scent of the crowd flooded his nose, but Meghan’s stood out from them all. Still scared. Of him.
He couldn’t act. Not the way he wanted. She wasn’t part of his world and didn’t understand.
When he opened his eyes, she was gone and the angry face of his alpha filled his view.
“The fuck did you do, Gray?” Callum demanded.
“He stole her purse,” Gray shot back.
“Human,” Callum growled. “Use your fucking nose.”
The familiar beep of an emergency vehicle reached his ears. He heard Judah shouting for a path at the mouth of the alley. The onlookers slowly cleared away until it was just Gray, Callum, and a handful of officers. Paramedics pushed through and rolled the human onto a body board.
Gray paced away when he heard the man groan. He’d done that. And it frightened away his mate.
His skin itched. There were too many people even after the majority cleared out. His gums ached and a dusting of fur tried to push through his pores. He was going to shift. He needed it. He failed at being human and a good mate. Life was simpler on four legs.
Callum’s hand clamped over his shoulder. “No shifting. Not now. If you paid attention to your surroundings, you’d see Judah trying to clean up your mess.”
Gray swiveled his head and found the Bearden Chief of Police off to one side with the SEA agent who handled his registration. At least it wasn’t Agent Haskell. That man believed every shifter guilty of every sin. Agent Beasley seemed a little more reasonable.
Still, Judah and Agent Beasley’s lips were both drawn tight. Judah crossed his arms over his chest and nodded once, then made his way towards Gray.
“Gray, you need to come with me,” Judith said quietly. “We need to get this cleared up.”
Gray hitched the corner of his mouth up and tried to smirk. “Lead the way.”
At least they didn’t cuff him. Or maybe it was too bad. His bear rolled through him and raked his displeasure against Gray’s insides. But his alpha’s orders still stood. No shifting.
And dammit, he kept the order in his mind as he was seated in the back of Judah’s cruiser and then locked in a holding cell at the police station.
It wasn’t the afternoon he expected to have. But it was his own damn fault.
The minutes faded into hours. His bear paced in the back of his head and offered him no respite. Every moment inside that cage was a struggle. A struggle not to shift. A struggle to keep sane. Hell, he struggled even to keep down the water the officers gave him around hour three.
Hour four brought him worry. No one had news for him and no one was willing to let him go. He replayed the scene over and over, trying to shift the focus of his mind from Meghan’s face to the man he hurt. Had he killed him? He couldn’t think of another reason for the extended wait.
Finally, the main door opened and his alpha stepped inside. Judah accompanied him and both men came to a stop in front of Gray’s bars. They crossed their arms and peered at him with identical expressions of disappointment on their faces.
“He’ll live,” Callum announced. “But he’s got two broken ribs, a broken nose, and a concussion.”
A weight lifted off Gray’s shoulders. Not because he wanted to see the man live. Whether he lived or died wouldn’t bother him. He attacked Meghan. It was what he deserved.
He just doubted Meghan would want anything to do with him if he was a murderer.
“You’re free to go,” Judah added. “But I strongly recommend you keep your distance from Ms. Wilcox. She gets you too riled up. Agent Beasley has agreed to keep this off your record until a full report can be completed, but recommends you think of this as your second strike and keep your nose clean from here on.”
“He stole her purse. Are we just letting that happen now?” Gray dug his fingers into his palms. It wasn’t right. Where was the justice? Why did some human fucknugget get more consideration than the shifter who stopped a crime?
“No. But you’re not an officer and you’re a registered shifter now. She has big trouble written all over her. I don’t think this was something that just happened. Which makes it even more important for you to keep your distance.”
Gray’s forehead wrinkled with confusion. “It didn’t just happen? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means, Gray, someone baited you and I think you acted the way they wanted.” Judah inserted the key into the lock and swung the door open with a creak. “I advise you to stay out of the way of any humans, Ms. Wilcox included, and lie low.”
Gray nodded and agreed at Judah’s expectant glower. The moment he hit the parking lot, he spun around and walked a few steps backward. He shaded his eyes and addressed his alpha. “Can you just take me to my truck? I need to see if Meghan’s okay.”
Callum sta
red at him blankly. “Do you think she wants to see you?”
“I have to make this right.” Gray brushed hair out of his eyes to give him something to do. He couldn’t think that Callum was correct. It would just further rot his already ruined insides.
“Did you not listen to a word Judah said? You have two strikes against you. Don’t make it a third.”
“Two strikes under investigation. I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“And when the third happens and they take you away? You think you’re going to do any better in some shifter lockup? What happens when you shift in your sleep then?”
“Are you ordering me away from her?” Gray snapped.
Callum looked at him with pity in his eyes.
“Are you. Ordering me. Away from my mate?” Gray demanded again.
“Would it matter if I did? Or would you buck that command and throw the clan into chaos?” Callum shook his head. “If you’re going to make your challenge, get it over with.”
“I’m not— That’s not—” Gray blew out a breath and passed his hands down his face. The built-up rage of frightening his mate and being warned away from her exploded out of him. And now his alpha accused him of making a play for control and ruining the clan’s dynamics. It was too much. “I didn’t do anything wrong! I protected her. Twice. Now everyone tells me to stay away. Like that’s even possible. Did you stay away from Leah? Did Cole? Did Nolan? Fuck! Hudson gets to go visit his jailbird whenever he pleases.”
A wave of power pressed over his skin. It should have calmed him. His bear snarled at the attempt of alpha influence. Callum lifted his lips and growled a warning. It was a reminder of who would lose a fight to the death between them.
It barely kept Gray to his skin.
“Hudson has contacts outside of the enclave,” Callum said in a low voice. The power rushing out of him didn’t lessen. “He’s allowed to see her during visitor’s hours. She has a sentence to serve for the fires she set. Mara’s giving him information to track down hunters.”
Gray sneered. “That what they’re calling it these days?”
“Graham.”
He threw his hands in the air and paced away. “Fine! I won’t go near her. Your wish is my command, alpha.”
His bear roared loud enough to drown out all external noise. The beast bucked inside of him and Gray nearly doubled over. His throat went dry with the struggle to keep the animal in check.
The fight was already lost.
Gray took off his shoes and chucked them in the back of Callum’s truck. His alpha bent down to undo his own laces and Gray snarled. He wanted solitude. He didn’t want a babysitter. “No. I won’t go near her.”
Callum dropped his boots in the back of his truck without comment and ripped his shirt over his head.
He was disappointing everyone around him and frightening away the one woman he wanted to keep near. Maybe they were right, all of them. He needed to stay away. He couldn’t keep her safe with his bear on a hair trigger.
It was a mistake to give in to his inner animal that morning. He should never have driven up to Meghan’s cabin and invited her into town. How many more incidents did he need to cause before he drove her right back into the arms of her pro-human ex? He was proving the douchebag right with his every action.
His chest tightened. He felt like he was dying. His heart didn’t want to work. The beats were too rapid. He’d scared his mate. He saw the rejection in her eyes. It was even worse than seeing the disappointment in his alpha’s. Who he was at his very core was toxic to everyone around him.
He’d be better off alone. They’d be better off alone. At least then he’d die without taking anyone with him.
Claws ripped holes in his jeans from his fingers already changing. Gray kicked out of the pants before the first bone snapped. Callum shook his head and tossed the jeans in with the rest of the clothes. He watched carefully as Gray panted his way through his shift.
The bear roared fury at Callum and then they were off towards the woods with his alpha trailing behind as an unwanted guardian.
Gray didn’t know if Callum protected him, or Meghan.
Chapter 11
Meghan picked up and set down the box of cereal twice. She tried to remember the ingredients or even if she liked the flavors without success.
She’d been in a cloud for three days. She couldn’t focus or sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the face of the man that Gray beat until he was on the ground and bleeding.
Maybe he was too dangerous for her. Maybe the entire enclave was too dangerous for her. She felt watched, like they all knew what she was thinking. The hair on the back of her neck prickled, but no one glanced her way when she dared to look up.
She lived a sheltered life. No blood, no mess. Certainly no fist fights. A mugging was an everyday threat that never actually happened to her. Her roles were never violent, either.
But being around Gray, around the enclave really, had given her an attempted abduction and a purse snatching. Had Bentley been right about them all along?
Meghan glanced out of the side of her eyes. Fear spiked in her veins. Her heart pounded against her breastbone and she tried to find the unseen threat that made her hands shake.
She jumped as the bell over the market door rang. Enough. She tossed the box of cereal into her basket and made her way towards the register. She dumped another bottle of wine in with it. She could drink that and figure out where she’d stay for the next few weeks as soon as she made it out of town and back up the mountain to the privacy of a cabin she’d been told would be protected.
Meghan shivered. It was no longer a comforting thought.
A woman stepped into the middle of the aisle and scowled. “You need to apologize to my brother.”
Meghan stopped, then took a step back. She blinked in confusion. “I’m sorry?”
The woman frowned. “Apologize to my brother.”
The piercing blue eyes and dark hair were as much a give away as the brash attitude. Gray’s sister accosted her in the store.
“He defended you twice and he’s in a world of trouble because of it. Because of you.”
“What? He’s in trouble?” Her hand fluttered at the base of her throat. She didn’t want to cause him any trouble.
“Humans,” the woman’s scoffed. “He’s registered, lady. Any trouble goes on his record. Because of you, he’s being investigated for beating on humans. How is that fair? You’re in here living your life, while my brother suffers for you. And why? Because your stupid fiancé wants to cause him strife. I can’t reach that asshole but I can sure reach you. You need to make things right.”
Meghan’s shoulders slumped. “What can I do?”
“I don’t know. Call someone. Make it clear he was only protecting you. He was set up and no one is doing a damn thing to help him!”
“What? Set up?”
“Haven’t you heard? Rumor floating around town is your purse snatcher had your ex’s number in his phone. Seems a bit of a coincidence, if you ask me. But no one can seem to reach Bentley fucking Moore for a response and the SEA is just letting it slide. Probably on his orders. He owns them, doesn’t he? He backed the registration efforts and their creation.”
Her righteous anger made Meghan’s stomach clench. It seemed the enclave had a better idea of Bentley than she ever did. Every new detail just made her more disgusted with him.
“I wasn’t told. Are you sure?” she asked, not looking to protect Bentley but trying to find some relief of her own guilt.
“I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”
Meghan chewed on her lower lip. “I’ll… I’ll apologize. I’ll try to help.” She lowered her voice. “I don’t understand why Bentley is doing this.”
Gray’s sister shrugged. “Ruined pride. Busted ego. Not my problem. Gray is, and I’m not leaving you alone until I know you’re going to make it right with him.”
“I will. I promise.” When she didn’t make a move, Meghan shove
d her basket at her. “I’ll go now.”
The woman nodded. “Good. Really grovel for it. He looks like shit, which means he hasn’t been sleeping. Your fault, I’m sure.”
Cheeks flaming, Meghan pushed around her. But that didn’t stop the public chastisement. Gray’s sister followed after her, setting the basket of food on the nearest shelf. “Work those tears, Hollywood.”
Meghan burst onto the street. The sense of being watched followed her as she quickly got her bearings. The little market was only a couple blocks from the firehouse. She didn’t know where Gray lived or even if he was on duty, but that was her best shot.
Steps followed after her and she whirled to face Gray’s sister. “I already gave you my word I’d go. I’m going to make this right.”
A hint of respect entered her blue eyes, so like Gray’s. “Please. You’re not important enough to follow. I’ve got some mischief of my own in the works.” An easy smile lifted her lips. “I like that spine you’re showing. Call me Tawny. Catch you later, Hollywood.”
Meghan mulled over the information she’d been given between Tawny’s demands of reparations. Bentley still messed with the town, and with her. She didn’t want to imagine what that stun gun would have done if it found her skin instead of Gray’s. That it was carried at all meant harm was intended for them both.
All on Bentley’s orders, if the cell phone story was to be believed. She didn’t like the idea of Bentley stoking the flames of hatred and liked knowing he paid for violence even less. What was next? A mob-style hit intent on murder? He already showed he was comfortable sending in a security team to collect her.
But there was something else, too. Gray was the only one to call her Hollywood. The nickname was silly from his lips and a little insulting from Tawny’s. It still meant Gray was talking about her.
Now was not the time to get teenage girly about it.
The engine bay stood open when she arrived. She peeked inside and saw a flurry of activity. Men were opening and closing compartments on the fire engine. Clipboards were being checked off. One by one, they noticed her and went quiet.
