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  Tears immediately welled up in her eyes as sweet relief flooded her body.

  Bethany used a tree to pull herself to her feet. Everything hurt. She made her way toward the sound, toward the melee. They were in a clearing, allowing the moonlight to highlight the scene. She stayed low, crawling on her stomach again until she knew it was safe.

  Caleb was there. And Joe. She squinted to see in the poor lighting. Reese and Brian were there, too. Then she saw him, the rogue bear. Her stomach churned just from seeing him again. She’d come so close to being drowned. There was a woman on the ground near him. She cried out and the men tried to get the bear away from her.

  Bethany moved in closer, twigs scraping her stomach and breasts. When she’d gotten a breath away, she managed to make eye contact with the woman from the tall grasses. Her eyes glowed like Caleb’s in the dark, so she knew the woman had to be a shifter like him.

  She motioned for her to creep into the brush, and the woman listened.

  “Keep low. Follow me,” said Bethany.

  There was no way she’d sit and watch this bear brutalize another woman. He’d already gloated about hurting, raping, and killing females like a favorite pastime.

  Once they’d gotten to a relatively safe distance, she stopped and sat up to catch her breath. The underbrush was tall and dense, so they were hidden from view.

  “What’s your name?” she asked.

  “Heather.”

  “Are you hurt?”

  Heather shrugged. “I’ll live. Thank you for helping me.”

  “Are you a bear? A wolf?”

  “Wolf. That bear killed our alpha and one of my brothers.” Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. “You’re not a wolf.”

  She shook her head. “My mate’s an alpha wolf. He’s going to kill that fucking bear.”

  “I hope he manages to kill him. He’s so strong. And he talks like a crazy man.”

  “Yeah, that’s our rogue bear. He’s got all the screws loose.” Bethany touched her eye. It was swollen shut now. She felt like crap.

  “Leave it,” Heather whispered. She sat straighter, reaching into a small leather satchel strapped across her chest. There was an assortment of leaves inside and some kind of herbs. She took some in her hand and began breaking them down with her fingers. “Don’t move.” The mixture smelled nice, like some kind of fancy tea. Heather spread the paste over her eye and on a couple of bruises on her cheek and neck.

  “What is this?”

  “Our pack has lived in this forest for many generations. Our ancestors learned the medicine of the earth. Your bruises will heal fast now. The pain will be gone by tomorrow and you’ll be able to see.”

  She smiled. “Thank you. I’m sorry about your packmates.”

  “There’s only me, my sister, and uncle now. I don’t even know where they are. Once the bear started killing, we tried to fight back, but he was too powerful. Without the full moon, I’m not much help. Only the alpha and mated wolves can shift on will.”

  Footsteps pounded closer. They both crouched lower and held each other as they froze. She was hot like Caleb, and it felt good against her cold skin.

  “Where is she?” The rogue bear was screeching, a horrible high-pitched sound. “Where’s that bitch gone?”

  They held each other tighter.

  “Bethany!” Caleb’s voice was music to her ears. Should she call back or was it still dangerous? Was it a trick?

  She closed her eyes, sensing her mate, feeling the strength of his heartbeat, feeling his concern. Could he feel her too? Feel her love for him, her fear, her resolve to protect her new friend?

  As if he heard her thoughts, he shouted again. “Over here!”

  The weeds were opened up and Caleb looked down at her. She burst out crying, the huge weight off her shoulders, the relief, it was just too much. He hoisted her up then scooped her into his arms.

  “My baby girl. Thank the gods you’re alive.” He held her head to his chest, kissing her hair. “I’m so sorry. I never should have sent you away.”

  “It’s not your fault. I’m just glad you found me.”

  “I’m never letting you go again.”

  The love in his eyes melted her heart. She felt complete and utterly safe. “I just want to go home. Our home.”

  The bear roared.

  She gasped. “Don’t let him get her, Caleb. Please…”

  He looked into her eyes. She could tell the female wolf was the last thing on his mind, but he nodded. “I’ve got to handle this, Bethany. Now that I know you’re safe, I need to end that bear.”

  “I’m not complaining.”

  “Reese, take Bethany. Brian, get David’s female back to the waterfall. We’ll meet you there after we deal with this shit.”

  Caleb gently kissed her lips then passed her to Reese. She wanted to protest, but she knew he was the only one who could shift into a wolf right now. At least he had Joe. She watched as Brian scooped up Heather. She had beautiful tan skin and black hair that fell past her back. There was a quiet, kind aura to her and the last thing she wanted was for that bear to get his claws on her again.

  They began walking away. Once they were out of the immediate area, Bethany wiggled in Reese’s arms. “I can’t leave him,” she said.

  “Sorry, Alpha’s orders.”

  It felt like a lifetime before they arrived back at the waterfall. They all sat down on a downed tree and waited.

  “How’d you find me?”

  “Joe knew he wanted a rebirth. A female bear told him about it. Then we picked up your scent,” said Reese.

  “The bear said he had other women trapped somewhere.”

  “Yeah, we found them. We rescued some. Others didn’t make it. He’s left a lot of death and havoc in his wake,” said Reese.

  “I hope Caleb makes him suffer,” said Brian. “That bear’s a freak of nature.”

  The bellowing started. Growls and snarls filled the forest. Small forest animals rushed past them, seeking refuge deeper into the woods.

  Even though Bethany knew her mate was capable, she still had a lingering fear that something could go wrong. The ground trembled, the vicious sounds sending shivers up her spine.

  Reese must have seen her shaking. “Caleb is the largest, strongest wolf I’ve ever seen. He’s a capable alpha, Bethany. He’ll slaughter that bear. My only regret is I can’t help him do it.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered, trying to keep positive.

  The sounds grew louder, the trees shaking, the brush quivering.

  “We should go,” said Brian. “This doesn’t look good.”

  But it was too late. Two bears and a wolf crashed down in front of them. A ball of teeth and claws.

  Chapter Eleven

  Bethany distracted him.

  Caleb sensed his pack close by and in danger. This wasn’t good for either of them. The crazed man had hold of the woman’s hair again and was tugging at her like she was nothing more than a rag doll. He had to stay focused even with danger all around him. It was next to impossible.

  The bear was obsessed with the she-wolf, convinced he needed her for his rebirth.

  Seeing the rogue, he couldn’t help being grateful for his madness. If he hadn’t gone to find another female, it would have meant Caleb was too late to save his woman. Bethany would have drowned. He couldn’t even begin to stand it the thought of it.

  “Do you really think you can overthrow me? I’m a fucking king. I’m better than all of you. No man, no weapon, no beast, none of you can stop me. None of you are worthy of stopping me. I am stronger than all of you.”

  “Put the woman down,” Joe said.

  “You consider yourself a bear of any real standing? You should be grateful to be alive right now. You’re all going to regret getting in my way.” The bear snarled and Caleb watched as he started to turn. His claws, currently in the wolf female’s hair, extended. She tried to get away, pulling with all of her might, but the bear picked her up and threw her toward t
he lake. She landed with a splash.

  He didn’t know if the woman could swim but for now, she was going to have to wait and just figure out how to stay above the water.

  “Help!” Her desperate screams filled the air.

  Great, she couldn’t swim. He’d sensed her importance immediately, so he couldn’t let her die. Before he had a chance to even formulate a plan, the rogue bear shifted and fuck him, it was something monstrous. The bear had to be three times bigger than anything he’d ever seen.

  “You got any great ideas?” Joe asked.

  “Yeah, kill this motherfucker!” He didn’t think, charging at the bear, and he clearly took the son of a bitch by surprise as he fell back with a growl. He needed to split his skin, allow his wolf to come barreling through. Taking the bear down should have given him time, only it didn’t, the bear threw him across the land, and he hit a tree, crashing to the ground.

  Joe was next, shifting into his fur, allowing his bear to come out, but he was too slow.

  They’d spent too long procrastinating about this.

  Fuck. Double-fuck. Pouncing from his position, he attacked the bear, landing on his back, and he sank his teeth deep into his flesh. Even the bear’s blood tasted bitter and acrid, as if he’d been burned from the inside out. There was nothing worth salvaging. He was pure evil. His entire body and twisted soul were disgusting, cruel, and just as he was about to slice across his neck, he was thrown again.

  Caleb didn’t like being thrown. He certainly didn’t like feeling weak and against this rogue bastard, he was. He landed in the water and had to break the surface. The female was still struggling. Rather than rush back out, seeing as Joe was quite happy to be thrown and punched, he wrapped his arms around the woman and started to tread toward land. She didn’t flail in his arms, and for that, he was thankful.

  “I’ve got you,” he said.

  She collapsed on the edge of the lake, panting. “Please, kill him.”

  “I will.”

  Getting to his feet, he saw that Joe was out cold, and he gritted his teeth as the rogue threw him into the lake. Fuck.

  The rogue laughed. “It’s time for him to be reborn. What do you think? You think he’s got it in him to do that?”

  He hoped Joe woke up.

  There weren’t a lot of choices for him. If he jumped in to save Joe, this woman’s life was pretty much over, or if he waited it out, Joe could drown. He didn’t like either option.

  He didn’t go rushing to his friend.

  As he stepped closer to the rogue, his enemy smiled.

  “I like you. We should be friends.”

  “You took my woman.”

  The rogue rolled his eyes. It was odd as he’d changed only his head into a human while the rest of his body was that of a bear. It was eerie.

  “What made you this way?” he asked.

  “You don’t like me?” The rogue laughed. “Of course, you don’t. No one likes power when it knocks them on their ass, and this, this is power. Not bad for someone who was once the lamest person in their pack.”

  “You were weak?”

  “I was the runt. I was the one they made do everything. I was nothing more than a punching bag for them to beat the shit out of.” He growled, the sound rumbling through his body. “I showed them. They all didn’t laugh when I showed them I’d poisoned them. I watched their bodies. The way they reacted. Their stomachs all exploding, and I was the cause. They couldn’t make me do anything they wanted. The power.” He breathed in, closed his eyes. “That is heady. I got stronger.”

  No, he didn’t get stronger. What happened was the bear went crazy. The man had killed his sleuth, and the bear had gone insane. He was a freak of nature.

  “You’re going to die.”

  He snorted. “You think I haven’t heard that before? I have. No one has been able to stop me. They try and it’s all cute, but no one can stop me. When we’re done here, I’m going to fuck your mate and as I do, I’m going to rip her throat out. I’m going to make her beg for you. I could let you live, tear you limb from limb, keep you alive, and fuck you up. I can do that, you know. Keep you alive. Make you beg for death.” He giggled.

  This man had gone past mad.

  Joe still hadn’t broken the surface.

  “You’re weak,” the rogue said. “You think I don’t see what’s going on in that head of yours? I can. I know what you want to do.”

  Gritting his teeth, he ran with speed and as he was midway through the air, he changed into his wolf. Landing on the bear, he sliced his hands down, but the bear had his arms in front of him.

  He was like fucking metal.

  Caleb took the impact as he was thrown once again, but he didn’t change back into his human form. He kept on going, attacking the bear, taking him by surprise with a slash here and there.

  Each time, the bear came out of his trance and he was thrown around once again.

  His wolf, each time he was thrown, got angrier. He’d never come against a rogue wolf, let alone a rogue shifter. Caleb had always been the strongest.

  We can’t stop.

  We’ve got to kill him.

  He understood now why Joe and the men had no choice but to leave. There was no way to survive against this monstrosity. He could only keep on attacking, hoping to tire the bear. What he needed to do was tear his heart out, but he’d seen the bear was very protective of his chest. If he could get around to the back, maybe he could plunge his hand inside, and pull the heart out. Without a heart, he couldn’t change, he couldn’t do anything.

  Their wolf or bear, their animal was part of them, and the only way to kill them for real was to take that one function.

  “Are you done?” the rogue asked. “I can keep on going. Come on. I’m ready. I’m more than ready.”

  Caleb got to his feet again. “And so am I!”

  He changed again, and this time, just as he was about to pounce, his packmates charged through the woods, and he was shocked to see his woman coming toward the edge of the trees.

  What the fuck was she doing in the open? She was supposed to be kept safe. Not helping here.

  “Sorry, Alpha.” Reese’s voice entered his head.

  “Why is she here?”

  “She won’t leave you. She’s your mate,” Brian said. “She won’t see you hurt.”

  “We have a plan,” said Reese.

  “What?”

  “This rogue has only ever dealt with people who are afraid of him. We’re going to distract him. All of us together. Whoever can, they must take his heart. It is the only way,” Brian said.

  “Seriously, attack until one of us is successful?” he asked.

  “It’s all we have, Alpha,” Reese said.

  “Then let’s get it done.”

  His men were stuck in their skin, but they were no ordinary men. They were strong with many abilities and heightened senses. Caleb took his place and the rogue was surrounded. Even with the additional muscle, the rogue took them all on. Little by little, he sensed the fight leaving the rogue. Still, he protected his chest. This time, as Caleb rushed him, he took one hand, holding him, claws extended, and the rogue growled, trying to pull away. Brian took the other arm. Two more attacked the legs and Caleb didn’t know when Joe had burst through the lake, but in the next second, his hand was through the rogue’s chest.

  Silence.

  Pain.

  The final countdown was coming.

  Joe looked at the rogue. “For my sleuth, for those women, for everyone you have ever hurt, this is what is owed to you.” He twisted his hand and pulled.

  The rogue stumbled and Caleb let him go. There was a single hole in his chest, blood oozing down.

  Joe panted. He held the heart in his hand. It was bigger than Caleb imagined it would be.

  “I’ve got to bury this.”

  Once the body dropped, Caleb frowned, following Joe. “What are you doing?”

  “I can’t put this in the lake. There’s no way we can allow thi
s heart to be reborn.”

  “You believe in all of that?”

  “I believe in everything, Caleb. You should as well. How do you think we find our mates, the loves of our lives? What about the power we hold? How can you not believe?” Joe asked.

  He hadn’t really thought of it like that, but seeing it now, he understood.

  Joe put the heart on top of the soil and began to pull the earth back. Getting on his hands and knees, he helped, digging a big enough hole. The heart was placed inside, and he covered it up. “Now, he will forever be lost and there will be no way back for him. This is how it is supposed to be.” Joe stood.

  “What do we do with the body for you?” Caleb asked.

  “We burn it. It can guarantee he doesn’t come back.”

  ****

  Two weeks later

  Bethany tucked some hair behind her ear as she looked around Joe’s diner. The door and windows had been repaired, and the customers were all in a happier mood. Of course, there was talk of a giant bear sighting. She didn’t tell them anything that she knew.

  Slipping her notepad into her apron, she made her way back to Joe’s office. The man himself was sitting at his desk, staring into space.

  The rogue had been killed. Caleb told her everything about what had gone down.

  She missed her mate.

  Since their return home, they hadn’t been together. Caleb had been busy helping Heather with her pack. They wanted to join Caleb’s, which meant his family was growing. She didn’t mind. Heather was so sweet, and she was a down-to-earth, kind soul who loved to garden. She didn’t like to hunt, and in fact, loved animals—and she was even a vegan. It was unheard of for a wolf shifter.

  She liked having a friend, at least a girlfriend to chat with. What made it even more awesome, they shared ice cream—of the vegan variety—but Bethany didn’t mind.

  “You okay?” she asked.

  Joe looked up.

  He hadn’t been doing any work but looked very focused. “Yes.”

  She stepped into his office and closed the door behind her. “Are you sure?”

  “Actually, I want to apologize to you,” he said. He got up and nodded at the chair, taking a step back and leaning against the wall. “I shouldn’t have touched you. I knew you were Caleb’s and I was a prick. I shouldn’t have done what I did.”