Connor nodded. “It’s a date.”
The words made her warm and she smiled shyly, “Sure is.” She closed the gap between them and reached up to kiss him. “Race you,” she whispered playfully and pulled away, turning to sprint into the trees, shifting as she ran. She heard a muffled curse and a black bear gave chase.
14
Vince
Vince cursed as he ran, making his way back down the mountain. He was pretty sure the bears weren’t following, but that wasn’t why he was running. He needed to get back to the rest of the pack before Brooke. Damn her turning up at the last moment. And the look on Connor Strauss’ face when he’d seen her…
The pack members he had convinced to pick a fight followed behind him, most of them injured, but he didn’t stop to let them catch up. In order for his plan to work, he had to get to the rest of the pack before Brooke could tell them what really happened.
Why would she shift? It didn’t make sense, did she think the bears would care if they saw who she was? She was a shop girl, an employee, a stuck up rich boy like Strauss wouldn’t give a shit about that. Not unless they were hooking up - Vince skidded to a halt, a grin stretching across his face, because oh, what an interesting thought that was…
Brooke’s car was still missing when Vince finally stumbled into the parking lot. She could have come back on foot but, no, there’s no way she would have beaten him back.
There were a few cubs playing on the grass and they looked up when he arrived.
“Is Brooke back?” he asked innocently.
“Not yet,” one of the cubs responded, looking up at him with wide eyes. “What happened?”
Vince ignored him, looking around for Carlo. He noticed the other wolf was coming down the stone steps of the apartment block, Angela close behind him. Vince quickly shifted all of his weight onto his left leg, whimpering in pain. One by one, the rest of the pack emerged from behind their doors, crowding around him like vultures to a corpse. Too easy.
Noise behind them made them all turn. Lucas led the injured wolves into the parking lot, a trail of blood following in their wake.
“What happened?” Carlo’s voice was tight with worry. He walked right past Vince to sling an arm around Lucas. Rude.
Angela cast him a suspicious look and scooped up one of the younger injured wolves, carrying her into the nearest apartment without so much as a second glance.
“There was a fight,” Lucas whimpered, looking to Vince who nodded slightly. Little coward.
“There was an ambush,” Vince corrected, fixing each of the wolves with a glare, daring them to say otherwise. “We were out in the forest hunting and, out of nowhere, four bears attacked us.”
One of the crowd asked, “Four? Was it the Strauss brothers?”
“It must have been; they showed us no mercy,” he whined, limping forward, keeping up the little huffs of pain with each step. Every eye was glued to him; this might be the greatest performance of his life. Now for the kicker. He sighed sadly, groping at his ‘injured’ leg. “If only Brooke hadn’t left us, we might have stood a chance.”
A ripple of confusion passed through the pack. Carlo bristled. Oh yes, pretty boy, Vince thought, your precious alpha left her pack to suffer, what do you think of that?
“What do you mean, if Brooke hadn’t left?” Angela asked, reappearing with blood streaked on her clothes.
Vince turned to her, his smile a touch too wide to be completely believable, but he couldn’t help it. “She was there - came in half way through - but she took one look at the bears and ran.” Behind him the injured were being led away to be treated. No one asked him if his leg was okay. The rest of his supporters had the good sense to keep their mouths shut and play along. “We thought she’d run back here for back up but…” he turned back to Carlo, who didn’t look convinced in the slightest. Oh well, can’t win them all. “Obviously not.”
Angela tugged at Carlo’s sleeve before he could retort.
“I need help with Lola. She and the others need patching up ASAP.” She glanced at Vince with a scowl twisting her pretty features. He responded with a loud gasp of pain, propping himself up on the nearest car. She sneered and turned back to Carlo, voice softening with concern. “We should wait for Brooke to get back before we decide what to do.”
Carlo stared Vince down for a few more seconds, but his concern for the injured outweighed his anger and he turned to follow her.
“Okay, I’m coming now.” He hesitated, glancing back over his shoulder. “Vince, are you alright to fill the others in?”
“I’ll manage,” Vince assured him with a hollow smile. “Go on, they need you more than I do.”
Carlo and Angela disappeared into the apartment building to help the injured, a few other pack members joining them with worried mutters and glances at Vince over their shoulders. Good, that’s Brooke’s top supporters distracted.
Vince pushed off the car and rounded on those left in the parking lot. A few eyes went to his leg, supporting him just fine, but everyone stayed silent.
“If you’re still standing here, that means you don’t want to wait for our alpha to make a surprise appearance?” Still no one said anything. Vince beamed, clapping his hands together. “Excellent, then you agree that we’ll never be able to settle this until we can prove to these bastards that we are a force to be reckoned with! Do we really want more attacks like this to dwindle our numbers?” He started pacing, feeling like a general preparing for war. “We were once a proud pack nearly a hundred strong, and then Brooke took charge and look at us now - barely two steps from poverty and still she assures us everything is fine.” He could see doubt creeping into the faces as they listened to his words.
“Brooke is weak. We’ve seen it. We have as much right to this land as anyone else and she rolls over for those bears like a little bitch.”
They couldn’t take their eyes off him, Vince watched as their confusion morphed into anger. And now for the big finish… “We need to strike now, while they think they’ve got us cornered! And we need to be ruthless!”
One of the boys stepped forward, glancing around shiftily. “What do you mean, ruthless?” he asked quietly.
Vince bared his teeth, his grin stretching and contorting into something far more feral. “I want you to kill any bear that crosses your path.”
15
Brooke
When she arrived back at her apartment, Carlo and Angela were waiting for her. Brooke took one look at them, faces drawn and blood all over their clothes and felt her own blood run cold.
“What’s happened? Is everyone okay?” she asked frantically, voice high pitched.
Angela nodded. “Everyone that was injured has been patched up, they’re resting.”
Brooke sagged with relief. Stupid, she thought to herself. I should have been here sooner. She followed them into her apartment.
“Vince said you were there but you ran off.” Carlo said carefully. The pair watched her, eyes wary, and Brooke felt a surge of guilt.
“I was there,” she started, pouring herself a glass of whiskey at the kitchen counter. This whole situation threatened to turn her into an alcoholic. “I’ve been talking to Connor Strauss - thought I could convince him to stop the fighting. I told Vince to take everyone home since he wasn’t injured.”
Angela’s eyes narrowed. “I knew he was faking it. He came back limping and told everyone that you left them to fight alone.”
“I would never do that!”
“And we believe you - so did everyone else, but you need to tell everyone your side of the story.” Angela’s eyes said the apologies her mouth didn’t.
Brooke gulped down half her drink. She was tired and hungry and in desperate need of a shower. “Where are they now?”
“Most of them are out hunting,” Carlo shrugged.
Brooke nodded to herself. Vince was unstable, she knew that now. This needed to be taken care of as soon as possible. “Call me when everyone's back. I need to he
ad back up to the lodge in an hour or so.”
“Do you really think you can trust them?” Angela asked, not unkindly.
A few weeks ago Brooke would have said no, not in a million years, but after everything she’d been through with Connor… she knew he would help them. “I trust Connor Strauss. Give me a chance to talk to him.”
Angela nodded and left. Carlo stepped up to the counter next to Brooke, taking another glass down from the cabinet above and filling both their glasses. Brooke watched him, anxious. Carlo was her cousin, her second in command. He had always trusted her judgement, but she knew this was a big ask.
“If you trust him, that’s good enough for me,” he said simply, lifting his glass.
Brooke smiled, relieved. “Thank you, Carlo.”
“Anytime, cuz,” he said, taking a sip. “Now go shower, you have leaves in your hair.”
She met Connor outside the lodge a few hours later. He wore a pair of scuffed jeans and a loose fitting t-shirt.
“It’s not fair,” she said in lieu of a greeting. “How do you look so good in everything?” Connor grinned in response, shrugging his shoulders.
“It’s a gift,” he said simply. “Ready for a run?”
Her wolf flexed her muscles, itching to let off steam. Brooke rolled her shoulders and smiled a wolfish grin.
“Oh I’m ready,” she said. “Question is, are you?”
“I’m always ready.”
“Oh, really?” Without giving him any more warning, she ran shifting mid-stride and landing on all fours. Scents assaulted her from all sides as she darted between the trees. She could hear Connor lumbering after her, a playful growl echoing around them.
Eventually he caught up with her, and they thundered through the woods side by side. He was magnificent, his size easily dwarfing her lean form. But, unlike when they fought, now she just saw the sheer restrained power thrumming through his body. His coat was black, and his claws glinted in the weak moonlight, tearing up the ground as he raced by her side. Bears had always appeared slow and sluggish to her, but Connor moved with a sort of grace she’d never truly appreciated before. He was captivating.
They reached a stream side and they ended up in the water, the cold water splashing over her fur. Connor watched her as she dunked her head underwater before rearing back and diving at her, knocking her flat on her back in the river bed. Brooke spluttered, snarling playfully and tackling him onto his back.
She hadn’t played like this since she was a cub, racing her friends through the woods. He could imagine Connor and his brothers playing together like this when they were young. She looked down, huffing a laugh as Connor shook water out of his eyes. She was almost comically small where she lay on his chest. She shifted. Connor cocked his head at her but shifted too, not bothering to toss her off.
“What do you think your brothers would think if me?” She asked, moving his wet hair off of his face. Connor blinked then thought for a moment, and Brooke appreciated his wanting to give her an honest answer.
“I think it would take them some time to get used to the idea,” he said finally. “We were brought up to be wary of other predators…” Brooke nodded sadly. If they could get over their prejudices for other species, maybe they could have had whatever this was much sooner. “But,” he continued, fingers sneaking under the damp fabric of her shirt. “I’m certain you could beat most of them in a fight.”
Brooke preened, leaning in to kiss him. “You’re damn right I could.”
They climbed out of the river, settling down onto the bank to dry off. Connor took her hand in his, playing with her fingers as they looked up at the moon where it peeked through the treetops.
“What are your parents like?” he asked. “You know about my family.”
“They both died when I was quite young,” she shrugged. She could remember bits and pieces: the way her mother called her name when it was time for dinner, the way her father’s arms felt when they wrapped around her. “We were already part of the pack when they died. Our pack helped me get by when they passed.”
Connor rubbed a hand over her arm. “I’m sorry.”
She shrugged. “Don’t be. It was a long time ago and I have an amazing family to look after me.”
They lay together and Brooke could feel herself drifting off, safe in the circle of his arms, when she felt Connor stiffen under her.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered, unwilling to break the peaceful silence.
“I thought I saw something…” he trailed off, sitting up and tipping her gently off of him. Brooke groaned in protest but sat up as well. She followed his line of sight and saw something shining among the trees a little way away from the stream's edge.
It was a bear, lying in a pool of blood. Brooke could smell it as they neared, the metallic stench making her gag. It’s belly had been ripped out. She didn’t know if it was a shifter or not but, one glance at the look on Connor’s face told her it was. She bent to get a closer look at the wound, gaping and horrid as it was, and recoiled. They were wolf bites. She could tell by the shape of the wounds. Ice shot through her veins. Someone from her pack was responsible for this.
Connor turned away, face ashen, and Brooke hurried to his side, supporting him as he leaned heavily on a tree trunk.
“Connor, I’m-”
“I knew him,” he whispered. “He works security at the lodge.” He looked like he was going to throw up. Brooke didn’t blame him but when he looked up at her she couldn’t hide her guilt. His face hardened and he stood up straighter, hiding his grimace. “It’s okay, I know it wasn’t your fault.” He was trying to be strong for her. Brooke’s heart ached. This man.
Brooke saw red. She was livid; this isn't something she thought her pack was capable of doing… killing an innocent shifter broke every rule they had. There would be hell to pay for this. She vowed it.
She walked with Connor back to the lodge, unsure what else she could do to help him. Connor kept insisting he was fine, but she could see the way his knuckles tensed as they moved. He was definitely not fine. Her thoughts were racing a mile a minute. She checked her phone: no new messages. Hunting, Carlo had said. Yeah, hunting bears, she thought bitterly. Stupid, stupid- how could she not have seen this coming?
As they walked through the lodge’s foyer, Brooke caught sight of the youngest Strauss brother, Eric, standing behind the concierge desk. He looked up as they walked in, customer service smile fading quickly to alarm when he saw his brother. His left arm was held up by a sling and guilt was a sick weight in the pit of her stomach - another casualty of my pack.
Eric rounded the edge of the desk and started to make his way towards them. Brooke stared him down, letting her desperation show on her face, trying to convey how much she needed to fix this herself. Eric stopped short, looking between Brooke and Connor, assessing the situation. Then, he nodded and let them pass. Brooke let out a sigh of relief and walked Connor to the staircase towards his suite.
Connor moved as if on autopilot and Brooke could do nothing but follow behind him, her anxiety growing the longer they went in tense silence. Once he opened the door, he moved directly to the bed, sitting down heavily and burying his face in his hands. Brooke closed the door behind her softly and stood next to him, hands reaching out to lay on his shoulder but stopping just short when he let out a soft noise.
He was crying.
16
Connor
Connor’s head was reeling; he felt sick to his stomach - a cocktail of despair and rage curdling inside him. The repetitive thought kept running through his head: one of his sleuth was dead. Someone he was responsible for had been attacked and gutted less than four miles from his lodge.
He could faintly feel Brooke’s warmth next to him as he walked, trance-like, back towards the lodge, through the foyer and up the stairs. Connor let her guide him while he tried to get his feelings under control. He knew it wasn’t her fault.She’d said herself that the pack was angry and had been lashing out, but
to murder one of his sleuth.
He was more than partially to blame for what had happened. He’d heard the guests complaining that they’d had to run wolves off of unclaimed land because they were getting ‘too close for comfort’, leaving the wolves with precious little in the way of hunting grounds. He should have done something, spoken to the alpha of the pack, Brooke or not, the second he knew something wasn’t right. But he hadn’t. And now one of his own was dead.
He didn’t remember arriving at his suite, but when he saw his bed he walked straight to it, sitting down heavily and burying his face in his hands. The door closed softly and Connor’s stomach lurched. He didn’t want to be alone. He’d never felt this fragile, this vulnerable. A pained whimper left his throat, muffled against his palms. They felt wet, and he realized with a start that he was crying. He couldn’t really remember the last time he’d cried.
A hand touched his shoulder.
“Connor?” He jerked his head up at the soft voice, startled to find Brooke kneeling on the floor in front of him, long red hair gathered over one shoulder and lip caught between her teeth as she stared worriedly up at him.
“You didn’t leave,” he whispered. Brooke looked broken hearted for a second, and then rose up onto her knees, hands cupping his face. Connor leaned into the touch.
“Oh, sweetheart, of course I didn’t.” She pulled him towards her, his cheek moving to rest over her heart. “How can I help? How can I make you feel better?”
“Just- just be here, with me. Don’t leave.”
“Never,” Brooke promised, arms tightening around him and fingers running through the hair at the back of Connor’s neck. “We’re in this together.”
Connor (Strauss Bear Shifter Brothers 0f Colorado Book 4) Page 8
