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Brendan followed the stretcher as far as he could into the hospital. As it rolled into the “staff only” area, he put his head in his hands and did something he hadn’t done since his mother’s funeral–he wept.

* * *

Jason didn’t feel the coldness of the ground under his paws, or the branches whipping his face. All his focus remained on the figure in front of him. They were gaining ground on their prey, sheer determination driving the pack forward.

The man who’d kidnapped his baby sister tripped, giving him the opening he needed. With a burst of speed, Jason closed the distance between them and tackled the man to the ground. His fangs sank into the beast’s hip as they rolled across the forest floor.

The creature was larger than Jason’s wolf, but Jason had something the thug didn’t. A pack to fight beside him. The large cat didn’t stand a chance. As the beast turned to confront Jason, three more wolves joined in the fray, but the villain only fought harder.

One of his wolves went down with a yelp as the cat’s massive claws swung out, two wolves jumping forward to take the empty place. The claws caught Jason on the side of the face, but he ignored the pain.

By kidnapping Julie, the man had not only attacked Jason’s family, but also his pack. As Premier, he needed to be the one to finish this.

More wolves joined the fight until her abductor lay immobile and panting on the ground, overcome by sheer numbers. Jason unhooked his fangs from the cat’s side and moved forward until he stood next to the bastard’s head.

Rage hammered through his blood. As a rule, he didn’t enjoy killing, taking down prey only when he needed to eat. But this man was a threat to his pack, to his family. He had drugged and stolen his baby sister from her driveway. A snarl erupted at the thought. It would be Jason’s pleasure to bring this man to justice.

Positioning his mouth just right, Jason hardened his heart. One twist would crack the man’s neck and end this nightmare.

“Jason, no!” His body froze even as his gaze rose at the shout. Cody, Premier to the neighboring fox pack–skulk, he reminded himself–stood naked in front of him, surrounded by dozens of red foxes.

“Stay out of this, Cody. It doesn’t concern you,” Ethan spoke as he stepped forward, having shifted to human. Jason remained exactly where he was, mouth wrapped around the cat’s neck, gaze glued to the fox in front of him. They’d chased the beast closer to fox territory than he’d realized.

“We need him to find Julie,” Cody reasoned. How the hell did he know about Julie?

“How do you know about Julie?” Danny voiced the question Jason wasn’t able to ask as he strode forward to stand beside Ethan.

“Samantha called.”

The statement caused a growl to burst from Jason’s throat. Months ago, his mate had gotten turned around in the woods and ended up in the fox town. When Jason and Laurie had gone to pick her up, Samantha had on the fox Premier’s clothes, having none to wear after shifting back to her human form. Even though he knew nothing inappropriate had happened, he still resented the reminder that the two had remained friends.

If his hands weren’t currently full, he’d wipe the smirk right off Cody’s face.

“We’ve got Julie. This is tying up loose ends.” Ethan’s voice was rife with a companionable fury to his own.

His mouth tightened on the neck below him, preparing for the final blow, but Cody’s voice halted him once again.

“Stop. If Julie’s safe, killing the cat is vengeance.” Cody came forward and stooped, meeting Jason’s wolf eyes. “You know the repercussions this kind of thing can bring.”

When the shifter council had formed, they’d created a set of rules for all shifters to abide by. Although they respected each pack’s need to protect its territory, killing another human or shifter was forbidden unless a pack member was in danger. And the council had members– assassins–to enforce the rules. There’d be a trial, and although it was doubtful Jason would be punished too severely, there was a risk. He thought of Samantha, waiting in her wedding dress for him at the church. Of the child they were expecting and knew the risk was too great.

“We can’t just let him go,” Ethan raged. But Cody was right. As much as Jason wanted to side with his brother, he needed to keep a cool head.

It wasn’t his job to enforce the rules. The council did that, and Jay had broken a cardinal rule. No matter what the dispute, humans were off limits. Harming one in any way was punishable by death. It didn’t matter if they were mated to a wolf, and it wouldn’t matter that Julie was born of wolves. She was human, and by kidnapping her, Jay had sealed his fate.

“Your rage makes sense after what he did to your family. But don’t let it rule you. Go. Take care of your sister. If your pack will help bring him to our jail, I’ll make sure he’s delivered to the council for judgment.” The fox Premier’s gaze never wavered from his.

It was the right thing. But releasing the man beneath him was one of the hardest things Jason ever had to do.

The fox Premier nodded and gestured to the other wolves to bring the hybrid back to their town. The fox turned to follow but swung back. “Oh, and call Samantha as soon as you can to let her know you’re okay. She’s freaking out. Made me promise to come out here and save your ass.”

Chapter 12

Julie opened her eyes, squinting against the harsh sunlight pouring in from the window. She was in a hospital. That had to be a good sign. She’d dreamed of Brendan, of him finding her, saving her from Jay. She looked down at the figure sleeping with his hands resting on her hospital bed. Not a dream.

Lifting her hand, Julie ran her fingers through his hair. He didn’t stir, but a whimper escaped. He couldn’t be comfortable, sleeping in a chair with his head and arms on the bed. She wanted him with her, surrounding her with his embrace.

But another need screamed for attention. She glanced around and spotted the bathroom across the room. She felt weak, her arms and legs slow to respond to her desire to leave the bed. Closing her eyes, she gathered her strength and rose, holding onto the sides of the bed for support. Her left leg gave out from under her as she tried to put weight on it.

She felt so drained. The accident replayed in her mind, but she didn’t remember anything that would cause this much injury. She looked toward the bathroom again. From the bed, it had seemed doable, but now the small room looked impossibly far away. She would never make it. And the thought of crawling back into bed left her tired enough to cry.

“Brendan?” When he didn’t stir, she tried a little louder. “Brendan.”

His head flew up, and his gaze shot toward the bed. When he saw her standing beside it, he rushed to her, his arms surrounding her, supporting her.

“What are you doing out of bed, beautiful? You need to rest.”

“I have to pee.” He looked toward the bathroom as if not understanding and then back to her.

“You should have woken me.”

“I did,” she pointed out.

His lips brushed against her temple, so gently it almost brought tears to her eyes.

“Okay, come on.” He leaned down and scooped her into his arms.

“I can walk. I just need a little support.”

“Let me take you. I know you can walk, but I need this.”

She nodded, resting her head on his shoulder. The waver in his voice was more telling than the words. She didn’t want him worrying about her. If carrying her made him feel better, she’d let him carry her everywhere.

Once she finished in the bathroom, Brendan brought her back to bed and started to sit back in his chair.

“Please, lie with me.”

When his gaze met hers, she was shocked by the pain and despair reflected in the depths of his eyes. Were things worse than she thought? A new, horrifying fear came to her. Her brothers would have gone after the rogue shifter. Yet none of her family was by her side. Please, please let them be all right.