“Anyone want to fill me in?”
“Gary is somewhere in these woods. So are Tabby and Julian.”
William growled, the sound low and fierce. “He’s going after my daughter-in-law?”
“They’re not married.”
All three Bears turned and stared at Glory.
She crossed her arms defiantly over her chest. “They’re not.”
“She’s right. We’re mated. That’s much more permanent than marriage.” Though, if Tabby wanted to go through a ceremony, he’d be proud to stand up in church and recite his vows. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he considered insisting on it. It would be one more way to make it known she belonged to him.
Ryan rolled his eyes. “C’mon, Glory. Let’s go.” He took hold of her arm, ignoring her attempt to pull away from him. Bunny was pretty sure the attempt was automatic at this point. “They went that way.”
“Mm-hmm.” He looked into the Jeep and saw two piles of clothes. “And they shifted.” His eyes darkened. He did not like the thought of his Tabby seeing any male but him naked. He didn’t care that in the Packs and Prides nudity meant nothing during a shift. It meant something to him, dammit. His father never allowed his mother to run around naked, that was for sure.
Of course, she laughed at his growls and did what she damn well pleased, but his father didn’t exactly allow it.
“Follow me.” Ryan led the way, Glory stomping in her delicate looking boots right by his side.
Bunny hid a smile. Something told him she’d give his cousin hell, but in the end she’d be just what he needed.
Tabby growled. The son of a bitch had stayed downwind. He was still in human form, but he was naked and ready to shift at any moment.
“Wow, what a coincidence. Here I am, out for a leisurely run, and who do I run into but the fucking Outcast and her baby polar Bear.”
Tabby rolled her eyes. Julian was going to kick his ass just for the polar Bear comment.
She couldn’t attack, not yet. Not until he made a threatening move. She wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize her new place in the Pride, and kicking Gary’s ass without cause would definitely make problems for her.
The two idiots Gary took everywhere laughed. Hell, after six months in Halle, she still didn’t know their names. They’d moved to flank Gary, protecting their precious wannabe Alpha. Tabby snorted. Right. He’s an Alpha. And I’m a Teletubby.
Gary looked over her shoulder at Julian. “I have no quarrel with you, Bear. Back away and you won’t get hurt.”
Julian’s answer was the deep, throbbing roar of a black bear, echoing through the woods to be heard miles away.
Gary smiled. “So be it. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to fight a Bear.”
Gary and his buddies began to shift.
Bunny’s head lifted at the sound of the other Bear’s roar. “They’re farther than I thought.”
“They must have shifted.” William began tugging off his clothes. “You two go on ahead; I’ll guard my soon-to-be niece.”
“Not in this lifetime.” Glory stomped past William, stopping just short of Ryan.
Ryan just sighed and began to pull off his clothing. Bunny was already tugging off his own clothes, terrified that Gary had managed to catch Tabby before he could get to her. It didn’t matter that Julian was with her. Black Bears rarely won a fight with a Wolf Pack. They would run, knowing the Pack could take them down.
Maybe he thought because the Pack was so small that he’d be able to defend Tabby?
“Why are you getting naked?” Glory’s wide eyes brought him back to what they were doing.
“We can’t shift in clothes. If we do, we’ll get tangled, which makes us vulnerable to attack.” Ryan was completely naked. He stretched, muscles flexing, joints popping. Bunny rolled his eyes. Ryan was showing off for his mate.
From the poleaxed look on her face, he’d succeeded. Her gaze couldn’t decide which part of his body to settle on. Ryan tipped her chin up and planted a kiss on her open mouth. “Stay with Uncle Will. He’ll keep you safe.”
Her jaw snapped shut. “I can take care of myself.”
Ryan pointed behind him. “He can take care of you better.”
Once again her jaw dropped. Where Bunny’s father had been now sat a grizzly Bear calmly scratching its ear. “Oh.” She nodded at the huge Bear. Bunny’s father was the only one in the family who rivaled him in size. “Okay. I’ll, um.” She sat down hard, bouncing a little. “Sit. Stay. Got it.” She reached under her without moving her eyes off Will Bunsun and removed a rock, tossing it aside absently.
That’s going to leave a mark. From the look on Ryan’s face he’d enjoy healing it, too.
Bunny rubbed his chest and sighed. He was forced to heal the tattoo the rest of the way and hope for the best, otherwise it would heal when he shifted. God knew what would happen to the glorious picture if he did that.
He did not want to meet his mate if her Wolf looked like a Shar-Pei.
Bunny nodded at Ryan and began to shift. He could see the shock still on Glory’s face as the two men both turned into grizzlies.
The shock turned to disgust when a long Bear tongue swiped up her cheek just before the two Bears charged into the woods.
“Ew! Bear spit!”
Tabby was shocked when she hit the ground. Julian had batted her aside with one swipe of his paw before looming over her prone body. He snarled at the Wolves facing them, daring them to go after him.
They did, nipping at his flanks, trying to draw him away from her. He refused to go more than a few yards away, darting back to her when it looked like one of them might be ready to pounce. And every time she tried to stand, he pushed her back down with one paw, easily holding her in place. He was acting like a mama protecting her cubs. She growled up at him, demanding he let her go so she could fight. He couldn’t take on even this small a Pack by himself.
Julian looked down at her and shook his head. He wasn’t going to let her go.
Tabby bided her time, watching the Wolves harass Julian. Julian moved, going after one of the Wolves.
Now.
She shot to her feet and raced after Gary. She had one shot to save Julian and she wasn’t going to waste it.
She heard Julian’s pained cry behind her. She paused in her charge, glancing back. Julian was on the ground, his neck bloodied, two wolves dodging in and out, trying to get another bite in and finish the kill. But Julian continued to snap at them, his wounds healing before their eyes.
Too slowly. Tabby knew they were healing too slowly. He was still drained from saving Chloe. If he took a wound that was too deep, his visions would come true.
She tried to jump toward him, determined to protect him, when strong jaws clamped on her hind leg and dragged her back. She threw back her head and howled in pain, desperately hoping Alex would hear. If he didn’t come soon, she was going to lose Julian.
The pained howl of a Wolf had him sprinting through the trees. The top speed for a natural grizzly had once been clocked at thirty miles an hour. Bunny did his damndest to top that.
Bunny was furious. It wasn’t long before he could hear the yips and cries of the fight. He put on an extra burst of speed, knowing seconds could mean the difference between life and death.
Ten more steps would see him where he needed to be. Nine…eight…seven…
Tabby yelped, the sound full of anguish. And Bunny, terrified, ran faster.
Julian was barely breathing, his fur matted with blood, the color a dark golden green to her Wolf’s eyes, almost blending with the soft gold of his shoulders. She could smell the coppery scent of his blood, her own and the Wolves around them.