by Jane Jamison
“I’m okay. It’s not that far anyway. I want some time alone. Please. I’ll be all right.”
He didn’t like it. That much was written all over his face. “Can you get back to the house on your own?”
“Yes.” She wiped fresh tears away, tears that had nothing to do with the cow and her calf. “Should I leave?”
“Hell, no. I’m asking you to stay. Don’t let Rick’s short temper run you off. Please, Mallory, stay. I promise you we’ll answer all your questions when you get back.”
She tried to answer, but the words caught in her throat.
“Okay, then. See you at the house. But if you’re not back in five minutes, I’m coming back here.” Settling his hat farther onto his head, he spurred his horse into a gallop and rode off.
She wanted to do more for the cow and her calf, but what? Knowing that the ranchers, and most anyone else, might think her crazy, she stood over first one then the other animal and said a small prayer.
The ride back to the house lasted longer than she’d thought it would. It was as though the horror had seeped into her body and taken away all her incentive to hurry.
* * * *
Gunner wasn’t like a lot of werebears who didn’t like werewolves. He figured they were like anyone else. There were good ones and there were bad ones. Jacob Carr was one of the good werewolves from the nearby town of Forever. Still, it wasn’t a welcomed sight to see Jacob standing in front of their house talking with an already irritated Rick.
They were deep in conversation by the time he’d looped his horse’s reins around the hitching bar next to Rick’s horse. They’d take care of their mounts, brushing them down and giving them feed after Jacob left.
“We’re doing all we can. You know that, Rick.”
“Then you’re not doing enough.”
Jacob was a reasonable man, but Gunner had to admit that Rick could get under even the most level-headed man’s skin when he was in a mood. And he was definitely in a mood.
“And what are you bears doing about it?”
“It’s a damn werewolf that’s doing the killing. That makes him your problem, not ours.”
Rick took a step forward, his gaze locked with Jacob’s. For both werewolves and werebears, it was a confrontational gesture. Gunner got between then, then shot his brother a warning look.
“We’re going out every night. Hell, we haven’t had two hours a night to rest or to spend with our new mate. And it’s getting harder to keep things from her.”
“Then why didn’t you tell her?” Jacob’s intense look said it all. “If she’s really your intended mate.”
“Mallory’s the one, all right, and we should’ve told her before now. But I wanted to have enough time to explain it to her, time enough to stay by her side while she tried to accept it. No way would I leave then even if the damn wolf came onto our land again. I wanted to break it to her without all this other shit getting in the way.” Rick growled. “Fuck, I don’t know why I’m telling you any of this.”
“I did tell her, but she didn’t believe me.” Gunner’s own bear twisted his gut, warning him that it was about to break free. “Rick’s right. When I told her she didn’t believe me. It’s going to take time to prove it to her and more time to get her to accept it.”
“It’s none of your damn business anyway how we handle her.” Rick’s inner beast was at the surface. His eyes blazed amber and his growl was filled more with the sound of a beast than with a man’s groan. “Just know this, Jacob. Once we catch up to that fucking werewolf bastard, we’re going to get payback for our losses. After that, you werewolves can have him.”
“Rick”—Jacob’s face hardened—“you know that’ll cause problems. If you get to him first, you hand him over, unhurt. Do you get my meaning?”
Shit. If he didn’t diffuse the situation soon, there’d be hell to pay. It had taken a while, but the werewolf pack of Forever and the werebear clan of Shatland had forged a tenuous truce, hoping to live in peace. The vampires, who for some unknown reason tended to favor the werewolves, had helped in the process. He didn’t want to see a war break out now.
“Jacob, we’re in this together.” He pushed back a snarling Rick. “We’re doing whatever we can to help out, but this is a rogue werewolf.”
It was almost funny to see a werewolf look sheepish. No shifter wanted to see one of their kind go bad. “Yeah, he is. We still don’t have any idea who he is. Or if he’s working with others. I can promise you, though, that he’s not from Forever.”
Rick snorted, a derisive sound that had Jacob pulling back his lips in a snarl. “Like we can trust a werewolf’s word.”
“Damn it, Rick, knock it off. Jacob’s one of the good ones. He keeps his pack in line.”
Rick met his gaze, then backed off. “He got two more of ours.”
Jacob groaned, but at least the sound held more groan than growl. “The town had a meeting about the problem. We’re going to do our best to compensate any werebear who lost stock.”
That was more than he’d expected. He had to give Jacob and his brothers, Jayden and Jackson, respect for that. Being the unofficial leaders of the werewolves in Forever, they’d no doubt had a large part in coming to that decision.
“That’d be appreciated. Tell your brothers that we’ve got most of our people out checking their herds every night. If anyone catches this werewolf, we’ll give you a call.”
“Thanks.” Jacob checked Rick, obviously unsure if Rick was going to back off for good. “I’ll get going. If you want help with those two carcasses, I’m happy to lend a hand.”
Rick flared again. “We don’t need your help. You just get that fucking wolf.”
“Fine. Just offering, is all.” Jacob backed away, not turning around and showing his back to them until he’d made it back to his pickup.
“You could’ve handled that better.”
Rick leaned against the railing, making a show of acting as though he was relaxed, but Gunner could see through the act. His brother was still upset about the cattle and even more about Mallory.
“I guess you’re thinking I owe her another apology. Again.”
“I don’t know which of you has the harder head, but if you guys don’t stop butting against each other, we’re all going to lose out.” He wasn’t sure how he’d handle it if he had to make a choice. Could he choose between his brother and his mate?
Chapter Ten
Mallory had arrived back at the house after skirting around it, hoping to avoid running into Rick. Once she’d tied her horse close enough to their horses so that they’d see it, she’d come up to the rear door of the house, then slipped inside. As she’d reached the stairs, she’d heard voices and her curiosity had gotten the better of her.
I should tell them I’m here, then go upstairs. Or better yet, just go. I can’t eavesdrop. That wouldn’t be right.
Yet she couldn’t resist. Had she heard Rick talking about her? She leaned her head against the door.
“Just know this, Jacob. Once we catch up to that fucking werewolf bastard, we’re going to get payback for our losses. After that, you werewolves can have him.”
Had he said werewolves? That, of course, was ridiculous. She must’ve misunderstood. Or were they joking like Gunner had joked with her? Concentrating, she put her ear against the door again.
“Rick, you know that’ll cause problems. If you get to him first, you hand him over, unhurt. Do you get my meaning?”
Was Jacob humoring him? Or did he believe it, too?
“Jacob, we’re in this together. We’re doing whatever we can to help out, but this is a rogue werewolf.”
She jerked away, sure that she’d heard correctly this time. Werewolf. Oh, my God.
Had she missed something? Did Rick and Gunner have mental problems and make up fantastic stories?
“Yeah, he is. We still don’t have any idea who he is. Or if he’s working with others. I can promise you, though, that he’s not from Forever.”
Rick snorted, a derisive sound she’d heard before. “Like we can trust a werewolf’s word.”
“Damn it, Rick, knock it off. Jacob’s one of the good ones. He keeps his pack in line.”
Pack? As in werewolf pack?
It was impossible. And yet, they talked about it like they were discussing anything else.
“He got two more of ours.”
She gaped at the door. Rick was talking about the cow and her calf. She stumbled backward, then caught her heel on the bottom step. She sat down, hard, but barely noticed. Her attention was fixed on the door as her mind struggled to understand.
Amber eyes. Rick’s wound. Strange teeth. Growls and snarls.
Gunner had said they were werebears. Had he told her the truth? But that was crazy.
Her breath hitched in her throat. It couldn’t be real, could it? And yet didn’t all those factors point to them being werewolves? Or were they werebears? How could she know? Did she want to know?
And yet, she already knew.
She had to get away. The men she’d trusted to tell her the truth had lied to her. But it was more than a lie. They were either insane or…supernatural creatures. She clamped a hand over her mouth to hold back a hysterical laugh. Or was she the insane one?
Primal survival instinct took over as she half ran, half scrambled up the stairs. She’d grab her purse and phone, leaving her suitcase behind. If she was lucky, they’d see her suitcase and think she was still around somewhere. In the meantime, she’d call Kid and beg him to come rescue her.
Rescue her? How had her life gotten thrown upside down so fast?
She hurried to get her things, then crept down the stairs and paused. Although she could hear Gunner’s and Rick’s voices, it didn’t sound like they were talking to the other man any longer. She had to get going before they came inside and caught her.
How much more pain could she handle? She’d gone from suspecting them of animal cruelty to loving them, only to be twisted up inside when Rick had killed the cow. He’d been right to put the animal out of its misery. The long ride home had given her enough time to get past her shock and realize that she’d been wrong to rail at him. She had intended to apologize later, after he’d cooled down.
But now? Now she’d found out that creatures like werewolves and werebears really existed. What were they called in books? Shifters?
She closed the back door behind her as quietly as she could. She couldn’t take the chance that they’d have supersensitive hearing like the shifters in books and movies did. Glancing over her shoulder every few moments, she ran into the pasture, intent on taking the roundabout way back to the main road. Once she was there, she’d call Kid.
What would she tell him? He’d guessed early on that she loved them. Kid would dig and dig until he found out why she’d left. And then promptly take her to a psychiatrist.
She pushed across the pasture and dug out her cell phone as she walked. Checking back toward the house yet again, she punched in the speed dial number for her friend. Her heart sank as it went straight to voice mail.
Fuck. Why now?
Kid had a habit of not charging his cell phone. She’d cautioned him about it often, but none of her warnings had worked. The only thing left to do was to leave a message and hope he’d get back to her soon.
“Kid, it’s me. Please call me as soon as you can.”
She’d just ended the call when it hit her that she should’ve gone ahead and asked him to come and get her. And to tell him that it was urgent.
A noise behind her had her wheeling around. When she did so, she tripped over a large rock and went down on her butt.
“Ugh.”
But she didn’t have enough time to get to her feet before she lifted her gaze to the huge man. He was as tall as Rick and Gunner and even bigger. His muscles bulged from the sleeves of his black T-shirt and his legs strained at the denim of his jeans. He was undoubtedly strong. Yet although his bulk was massive, his blond hair, blue eyes, and rounded face gave him the appearance of the boy next door. She had an awful feeling that he was anything but that.
“Crap, that was a hell of a fall. Are you okay?” He smiled, the teeth larger than normal.
Was she imagining it? Or had her eyes finally been opened?
He held out his hand, offering to help her get up. Her gut instinct, on full alert, told her not to take his offer. She ignored his hand, got to her feet, then put distance between them.
She squinted at him. Had she seen his eyes glow with bits of amber? And yet, they were blue now. “I’m fine. Thank you.”
“What are you doing out in the middle of a pasture?”
She swallowed, then clutched her phone. The urge to dial the house itched at her fingertips, but she couldn’t call the men. Not now that she knew what they were. “I could ask you the same thing.”
He laughed, a mirthless sound. “You sure could.”
His bright blue eyes suddenly filled with amber, glowing in a way that whipped fear into her.
He’s one of them.
“What’s the matter? You act like you saw a ghost.”
Why was he taking off his shirt? She stared, entranced even as panic blared warning signals to run.
“What are you doing?” Her voice came out as a whisper.
“You’re the woman who’s staying at the Northman place, aren’t you?” His hungry gaze took its time running down her body then back up.
Could he be a friend of theirs? Or an enemy? She decided to go with the truth. “I am.”
He glanced around, putting on the pretense of looking for them. “Are the guys around? I’d like to say hello.”
It was time to lie. “Um, yes. They’re within earshot.”
“Well, now, that could put them at quite a distance. Werebears have really good hearing.”
She backed up two more steps when he dropped his jeans to the ground. “Leave me alone.”
“Aw, sweet thang, where’s the fun in that?”
She took off running, dropping her phone as she did. But like with Rick and Gunner, she didn’t get very far.
She fell face-first as he tackled her. Holding her wrists, he put his body on top of hers, pinning her to the ground. A whine escaped her as she sucked in air as best she could with his enormous weight on top of her.
He sniffed, then drew in a long, slow breath. “Fucking A, but you smell good. I can see why those beasts want you.”
She had no chance of struggling against him. He was too heavy, too strong. Instead, she closed her eyes and tried to ignore the feeling of his hand pushing beneath her shirt to fondle her breast.
“You’re going to give me a treat. Cows are fun to kill, but the mate of two werebears? Now there’s the real fun.”
She screamed, the sound bursting from her lungs. “Rick! Gunner!”
Amazing her and surprising the man, an answer to her cry rang out.
“Mallory! We see you!”
Gunner. Thank God.
“You fuckin’ bitch.”
Oh, hell. I can feel him. His body feels different. Oh, hell. He’s changing.
“Stay down.” He fell to her side.
Daring to take a look, she saw the impossible.
Gray fur flowed over his skin. Cracking noises erupted as his bones broke on their own, then moved into nonhuman positions. His eyes glowed with even more amber and fangs sprang outward as his jaws grew longer, forming a long snout. He writhed as though in pain as growls came and went with the transformation. His clothing tore away. A tail sprouted and hands morphed into paws.
The werewolf sprang to his feet, lowered his head, and growled at her.
She cringed, turned her face to the ground, and got ready to feel his fangs drive into her flesh. When it didn’t happen, she almost didn’t believe it. He was up and running, leaving her lying on the ground.
Rick and Gunner rushed to her side, then helped her to her feet.
“Baby, are you hurt?”
“Go! He’s the on
e you’ve been searching for.” She pointed in the direction the wolf had gone. “Don’t worry about me. Get him!”
She didn’t have to tell them again. They bolted after him, tearing their clothes from their bodies as they ran. The change took them even while in motion. In only a few moments, two large brown bears chased after the wolf.
It was true. If she’d had one ounce of doubt left, it was gone. Her men, the men she’d fallen in love with were werebears.
Bears.
The thought came and went lost in the gust of wind as five wolves bolted past her, running after her men and the killer. They were powerful animals, pounding the earth underneath her.
Before she could understand what was going on, they’d disappeared over the small rise.
* * * *
Rick almost barreled into the wolf pack, but managed to throw his weight to the side before impact. He growled as he went into a roll, but he was back on his feet quickly. Gunner slid to a stop, then let out a warning growl a moment before he slammed into one of the wolves.
Damn. He hated that wolves were faster than bears. But then, bears were generally stronger.
Jacob, in his wolf form, stood on top of the rogue wolf, his jaws tightened around its neck. Although Rick knew the other wolves in their human forms, he could still recognize them as wolves.
He shifted, letting the transformation flow over him like the rushing waters of a turbulent stream. “Turn him loose. I’m going to tear him apart limb by limb.”
Gunner shifted, then snarled, giving his human version of his bear’s snarl. “Rick’s right. He’s ours. Hand him over.”
“You know I can’t do that.” Jayden motioned to Jacob who had reverted to his human body along with the rogue werewolf. “We’ve got this. You can head back home and let us deal with our own kind.”
“Fuck that. He put his dirty paws on Mallory. He has to pay for that.”
Rick and Gunner came together, their shoulders touching and faced the pack. It was their right to seek revenge.
“Rick. Gunner. Back off.” Jayden stood his ground with his pack mates forming a semicircle in front of the rogue werewolf. “If you cause problems, you’re only doing what he wants you to do.”
