by Moira Byrne
"Done me up right? Do you guys actively try to emulate cavemen, or does it just come naturally?" I asked dryly. I was amazed that I managed to sound so calm because my blood was pulsing through my veins. I trembled with unvented rage as it reached a feverish boiling point inside me. I was so angry that I barely registered the fear beneath it all.
"Oh, Aly," Robby let out a disappointed sigh, "you always were such a bitch."
Seth looked me up and down, ill intent in his eyes. "I look forward to breaking you."
"Sweetheart, I would break you first," I seethed.
Robby tsked and wagged a finger in the air. I wanted to bite it off.
"Now, now. Is that any way to talk to your dear friends? What're we going to do, Seth? Seems like little Aly-cat can't keep her claws from coming out."
A slow smirk spread across Seth's smug face. "Well, Robby, we'll have to teach her a lesson."
"What sort of lesson, boys?" I cocked my head to the side. "I already know how pathetic you are. I don't need a demonstration."
Satisfaction coursed through me as the humor slowly leaked out of their expressions.
Seth's eyes turned blue as his cougar looked out. When I glanced over at Robby, I saw his were the same. Robby suddenly shifted, ripping his clothes to shreds. I let out a long warning growl, but they didn't back away. Instead, they slowly started to move forward, one to my left, the other to my right. One still human, one cougar.
Fear coiled in my stomach, but I knew I could take these morons. Neither one could find his own ass with both hands. I'd knock them sideways and teach them a lesson about how to treat a woman. I might not be able to take them both at the same time, but they were stupid enough that I could get them to fight me one on one.
"C'mon, Seth." I crooked a finger at him, a brow arched. "Now's your chance to break me. You don't want Robby taking all the credit, do you?"
Seth snarled, his cat surfacing in his eyes. My stomach churned as I realized it wasn't an angry snarl, but an excited one. He liked that idea, didn't he? A nasty smile lifted the corners of his lips, confirming my sickening thought.
"Stand back, Robby," Seth said with a commanding growl, "I've got this."
I resisted the urge to laugh as the cougar backed off to the sidelines, tail flicking through the air. They were so predictable. Seth stalked forward, his eyes bright with excitement that seemed to grow with each step. It amazed me that I had let these assholes slip under my radar for so long.
Seth was so confident that he didn't even come in swinging. He reached out for me like I was going to wilt on the spot, intimidated by his unbelievable manliness. I narrowed my eyes. Joke's on him. I was ten times the man he was, and I took a martial arts class my last semester of college.
The moment he was close enough, I grabbed him by the wrist and jerked him forward. I slammed my free hand into his chin—which snapped his neck back—then flipped him onto the ground. He landed with a thud and a loud groan.
I took several steps back, then snorted and kicked some dirt at him. "Hey, how you gonna break me from down there, buddy?"
Despite my snark, I was acutely aware of Robby starting to pace on the sidelines. His cougar's tail was flicking faster, a low growl rumbling from him. Let's just hope they play fair.
Seth got to his feet, a hand rubbing at his jaw. "You're going to wish you hadn't done that."
"I gotta be honest, I'm feeling pretty good about it so far."
Robby growled, and I quickly glanced at him. He was still in the same place as before. A second too late I realized it was a deliberate distraction. I snapped my attention back to Seth, but he was already moving forward. Before I could react, his fist landed square in my stomach. I let out a pained wheeze as I slumped over, but I knew I couldn't give them any openings. I barked out a laugh with what air was left in my lungs.
"Is that all you got?" I mocked as I straightened up and lightly stepped back. Truth be told, Seth had a pretty solid right hook and my stomach would probably have a bruise to prove it.
"I have to take it slow if I want to break you, don't I?" Seth mused with a smirk.
My cat roared inside me and pushed to the surface. It wanted me to shift, but I couldn't risk it. Two cougars on one wouldn't end in my favor. I had to play them just right and hope I either managed to knock Seth out, or pray for a miracle. For now, my goal was to knock this idiot out.
I rushed forward and feigned striking from the right. He fell for it and dodged my non-existent hit, moving into my real attack. I nailed him so hard from the left that he fell to the ground once more. I leapt on top of him and started wailing. I got in a few solid hits when my world was tossed askew.
My body flew through the air and I cried out as my head thumped against the ground. Pain shot through my jaw. I felt like a truck had just collided with my side in a solid wall of agony. My body protested and groaned, but I forced myself to get up once again.
Robby paced in front of Seth, no longer on the sidelines. He must have plowed into me. He stayed between us as Seth slowly picked himself back up. His clothes were ripped. He had a split lip and a fresh bruise forming on his cheek. He winced as he moved, favoring his ribs. In short, he looked like shit. Good, he deserved it.
As I watched him with some sort of sick satisfaction, I felt something trickle at the corner of my lips. I brushed my fingers against the warmth and they came away stained red. Nice work, Robby. I clenched my hand into a fist and forced out a laugh as I wiped the rest of the blood away.
"Way to sucker punch me, you flea-ridden troglodyte. So much for honorable combat, right?"
Neither reacted to my insults. They didn't seem to care that I thought they were cowards. Of course not. They only cared about being on top. Typical, selfish idiots. As they circled around me, I flicked my eyes back and forth, straining my ears as I listened to their every movement. They might have thought they had the advantage, but I had something they didn't.
The rage of a new mom.
4
Ben
Thwack! Another branch whacked me in the forehead as I ran to catch up with the older couple. The Greenhavens, Aly had called them. They were moving faster than I expected through the trees. It was as if the branches were moving out of their way. I felt a sharp sting as another branch whacked me. What the hell? My wolf made me sure-footed and quick among the trees, and I never ran into branches when I ran, in either form.
I jerked to the side as another branch suddenly smacked me in the arm. Were the trees around here possessed? Surely the fae wasn't doing this to me on purpose?
"You need to be more careful or you might injure my trees," the older woman said coldly.
"Petunia, be nice," the older man said.
"I am, Peter."
That was when I knew for certain that the branches were moving out of their way, but not mine. In fact, they were definitely targeting me. Aly's new grandmother was attacking me with trees.
I moved a few paces to the side. The branches finally quit assaulting me after Peter gave Petunia another look, something between disappointment and amusement. I kept my attention scanning back and forth, looking for threats.
My wolf paced restlessly inside me, torn between protecting my child and defending Aly. I hadn't wanted to leave her behind, alone, but she seemed confident she would be fine. My wolf pushed at the back of my mind, still uneasy.
The look on Aly's face flashed in my mind and I suddenly realized what had her so agitated. Her expression when she first saw them hadn't been the look of a woman who saw someone from her past. No, it had been the look of someone who saw something they feared from their past.
My tension relaxed a touch when I saw the house ahead. I only hoped it was our destination. Anxiety clawed at me over the thought that Aly was in danger. That she stood the line so I could get our child to safety. I should have stayed and made her go with Ana instead.
I had tried, but I felt like I could have tried harder. What could I have done though? Thrown her over m
y shoulder? I knew I needed to hurry and get back to make sure she was okay. If she was in trouble, I would be there to help. No matter what.
I pointed to the house ahead. "Is that where you're headed?" I asked the couple.
"Sure is," Peter said cheerfully.
He seemed so untroubled, I almost wondered if he was aware of the danger. Although, I wasn't even quite sure what the danger was myself. It felt serious, and that was all I needed to know. I had to get back to Aly.
"I think Aly's in trouble," I told them as I yanked my shirt over my head. "But I can't leave you defenseless—"
"We are not defenseless," Petunia said in a frigid voice. "We were not followed either. You may return to Alysse's aid."
The absolute confidence and command in her tone froze any questions I might have had. Seconds later, my clothes were in a pile and I was in my wolf form. I ran ahead of them, casting for any scents. I made a wide circle around them. Nothing. Just to be on the safe side, I ran around the house. I wouldn't forgive myself if I didn't make sure my daughter was safe.
No strange scents caught my attention. I ran back around to the front of the house, then paused as I studied the approaching older couple for a moment. I was trusting my child's life in their hands.
Petunia was definitely a strong fae and Peter struck me as the sort of man to have firearms, so I knew Ana would be safe. Besides, Aly trusted them. That meant I could, too.
I would always stand by her side and trust her judgment. Without further hesitation, I bolted into a run. I needed to go help Aly.
I ran back to where I left Aly to pick up her scent, then I was hot on her trail. It was easy to find her and the two males from her old pack. One clearly held the scent of excitement and lust. I snarled. He wouldn't touch her.
I heard the distinct sound of Aly growling. My blood raced through my veins. They were fighting. I had to get to her. As I moved through the trees, I saw the shape of two people and a cougar. I could tell one of the human shapes was Aly.
A combination of a growl and a bark tore out of me as I raced forward, my ears tight to my head. I skidded to a halt and stood so I was between Aly and the man and the cougar. My lips pulled back as I let out a series of snarls and growls, showing my sharp canines. They froze in place.
"Ben, what the hell?" Aly's outraged voice rang above my snarls. "Get out of here, you moron. You're supposed to be with Ana."
My only response was to flick an ear at her. All my focus was on my opponents. I sized them up. They looked like bullies—all bark and no bite. It was possible I could scare them off. Avoid too big of a fight.
Aly was still talking, but her voice faded to background noise. I wasn't listening to what she said, only her tone. She was angry. Good. Angry was better than afraid. Time for some action.
I didn't want to give the cougar the chance to make the first move. He was standing next to the man, snarling at us from several feet away. Before anyone could figure out what I had planned, I charged the growling cougar.
He froze for a heartbeat, startled by my charge. He then started backing up, slashing out at me with his claws. I didn't give him a chance to catch his breath and continued to push forward.
I caught a movement out of the corner of my eye and saw the one who was human start to yank off his shirt. I spun and jumped at him. There was no way I wanted to battle two cougars. Before I reached him, the snarling cat landed in front of me, and it was my turn to be surprised as the cougar acted as a barrier between me and the man.
I quickly regrouped and let out an angry bark. I sprinted forward, startling the cat. He backpedaled, running into the man he was trying to protect and knocking him down. They tumbled to the ground, but the cat jumped to his feet and scrambled back. He moved awkwardly in a series of small hops and jumps to keep from stepping on the man.
The man rolled to the side to try to get out of the way, messing up the cougar's footing even more. Their confusion didn't stop me. I focused on the cat and chased him as he scrambled away from me.
I had no worries about stepping on the man as I moved forward. He'd either get out of the way of my claws or not. The only way to fight a cat was to keep close. Not let him use his claws. With this in mind, I didn't let him get any distance between us and continued to press forward.
He had to stop when he ran into the bushes behind him. I kept moving until there was almost no space between us. He swiped at me with his claws. I squinted my eyes to protect them as I moved in to clamp my teeth on his throat. He had nowhere to go to escape my attack, but he tried to defend himself. His claws scraped through my fur, and I felt a sting as they pierced my skin.
Aly's angry voice continued to flow around me. I wasn't sure if she was yelling at me or not. It didn't matter; I couldn't answer her. All I could do was fight.
The pitch of her voice suddenly changed, and as my jaw closed on the cat's throat, I focused on her to hear what was going on. The cougar frantically scrambled, clawing at me with his front paws. Then he dropped onto his back to try to rake at my belly. I applied pressure to his throat, cutting off his air.
The sound of flesh hitting flesh followed by a pained cry from Aly rang out. I unclamped my jaw from the cougar's neck and yanked my head away to see what had happened. Aly had a red mark on her cheek and blood trailed down from her lip.
Even with her head turned to the side, I could see the pained look on her face. As I watched, the man snapped a punch to her stomach and she bent over with a grunt, her head almost to her knees.
"Seriously? Again?" she cried out in anger.
My vision filmed over in red and I twisted away to go to Aly's aid. Before I could even take a step, she brought her hands up, fisted together. Using her momentum, she slammed her fisted hands up between the man's legs as she stood. She barked out a laugh as he let out a pained groan and cupped his injured manhood. His knees buckled, then he fell to the ground.
"Oh, come on, it's not like you ever used your balls anyway."
I winced in sympathy, even if he was my enemy. While I was distracted, the cougar slammed into me, knocking me to the ground, and I remembered the threat at hand. I twisted, trying to bite the cougar as it leapt onto my back. I heard a loud thump and felt the cougar jerk.
"Get the hell off him," Aly growled.
I wasn't going to make the mistake of taking my attention off the cougar again. There was another loud thump as a stone hit the cougar on the side of his head. Dazed, he tried to shake off the blow and that was the opening I needed. I twisted out from under him and spun around before I lunged forward.
He must have learned from his mistake because this time he dodged and managed to keep me from connecting.
I kept one ear tilted toward his partner. Aly must have knocked his balls into his stomach because he was still laying on the ground, moaning. The dodging cougar suddenly pivoted and leapt into the air to attack Aly.
I followed to intercept him, but I knew I would be too late. In my mind I saw Aly's lifeless body on the ground and my heart froze. Too late. I would be too late.
I moved as fast as I could, but watched as it played out in slow motion. Aly tried to dodge, but her foot caught on a stone and she stumbled. His paw shot out and connected with her head. Her head and shoulders twisted to the side and she collapsed under the cougar's body.
My claws dug into the dirt, yet I felt as if I wasn't even moving, even though I was running faster than I ever had before in my life. The surreal experience continued as I watched a tree branch reach down. It casually scooped up the cougar crouched on top of Aly, like a mother picking up a baby out of a stroller. The cat snarled, twisted, and clawed at the branch, to no avail.
I continued to run until I reached Aly's side, then skidded to a halt. Relief flooded through me when I saw her chest rise and fall evenly. It took a moment for me to register that she was okay. The cougar might have knocked her unconscious, but he hadn't killed her.
My most immediate concern relieved, I turned my attention ba
ck to the tree and stared in disbelief at the sight. I had never seen tree limbs, as flexible as if they were hands, pick up a person. A movement to the side caught my attention and I watched as the man Aly had turned into a soprano finally stumbled to his feet, his eyes wide. He stared at the cougar writhing in the branches. His mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water.
I glanced back at the branches. They didn't seem interested in me and they appeared to have the cougar under control, so I turned my attention to the other threat. I lowered my ears to my skull and growled at the man. He glanced at me, back at the branches, then at me again. He must have decided that I was the threat because he glared at me.
He was standing too close to Aly's prone form for my liking. I lowered my body closer to the ground and snarled again. My muscles tensed, ready to leap.
"Stupid wolf," the man seethed, "you're no match for a cat."
A moment later, he let out a startled scream as a branch picked him up, just like his companion. He started beating at the branch screaming, "Get it off! Get it off!"
I blinked in surprise at the sight, then my wolf huffed with laughter. Not so tough anymore, huh?
"What does he think that will accomplish?" a cold voice said next to me.
I jerked my head toward the voice with a growl and saw Petunia. The light breeze had been blowing in the wrong direction and I hadn't caught her scent. I should've known it was her, though.
Why wasn't she with Ana? I thought in a moment of panic. Why was she here?
"There is no need to growl at me, young man. You aren't in the tree, now are you?" She studied a nearby tree with quiet interest. "Although . . . I could remedy that."
I cautiously stood up from my crouch. The man continued to cry out in the branches while the cougar clawed at the bark as if he could dig his way to freedom.
"That is enough," Petunia said sharply. "Stop that at once. If you hurt my tree, I will inflict the same upon you three-fold."
