19. Silas

Something wasn't right. There were plenty of other predators in the forest, but they always steered well clear of us. This was a mountain lion, an aggressive one. The cat slunk out from the trees, snarling, mouth foaming, eyes wild.

"It's rabid," Cole said in a low voice, confirming what I suspected. Fuck. When rabies took hold, affected animals didn't react the way an animal normally would. Their brain chemistry changed, which made them unpredictable and dangerous as fuck. The cat needed putting down, and fast.

My gun was over by the fallen tree; too far away. Cole was behind me, with Eva tucked behind him. He was also too far away from the gun, which was a problem.

The only solution was to shift, but Eva knew nothing about our true nature and this was not exactly the best way to clue her in. Then the cat screamed and launched itself into the air.

I shifted on instinct, my clothes falling away, and met it half-way. Thick, viscous blood exploded in my mouth as my powerful jaws locked on the cat's throat and tore through skin and sinew.

It struggled, sharp claws swiping across my side, but my wolf was far more powerful than this half-starved cat. The fight was over in seconds.

The sun came out high above. Scarlet blood stood out in stark contrast to the pristine snow. I dropped the cat and watched as its eyes glazed over. At least the poor thing would no longer suffer a miserable, protracted death.

Fuck know's where it had picked up rabies. Most likely from an infected skunk. I prayed there were no more rabid cats out there. We'd all need to be on our guard from now on.

When I shifted back, Eva remained pressed against Cole, well back from the blood spattered snow where the cat's corpse lay steaming in the sun. Nudity didn't bother me, but fuck, it was cold.

Cole smirked at me and then released Eva long enough to tug his jacket off and throw it in my direction. I looked at Eva. From how pale and still she was, she was clearly in shock.

It was always difficult for humans when they found out we existed. Some embraced us with open arms; others never quite got over it and remained permanently terrified.

It was why most shifters preferred not to interact with the human population. Although integration was better now than it had been in the past, with a few mixed schools and more shifter-human relationships.

Eva looked at me. Her gaze slid down my chest and then skittered away, her cheeks flushed. Cole's jacket barely covered my ass, but it was better than nothing. It was a pain that we still had the fucking tree to take back to the cabin; I wasn't looking forward to dragging a heavy-as-fuck pine tree while naked.

Maybe Tanner could help. I walked over to the backpack to retrieve my phone.

Me: Got attacked by a rabid mountain lion. It's dead. Bring me some pants.

Tanner: Is Eva OK?

Me: Yes. Me too, thanks for asking *roll eyes emoji*

Tanner: Be there soon.

I concentrated on collecting the shredded remains of my clothes and stuffing them in the backpack. Eva didn't say a word. She barely looked at me while staying close to Cole with a fearful expression on her face.

My wolf howled mournfully, unhappy she was now afraid of us. She'll come around. He didn't seem convinced, but logic and reason were not his strong points. He was all instinct and emotions, like any animal.

Tanner showed up twenty minutes later, jogging easily into the clearing with a pair of pants slung over his shoulder. He grinned at the sight of me wearing Cole's jacket with my dick hanging free.

"Good look for you, bro." I ignored his sniggers and pulled the pants on he'd tossed me.

He glanced at Eva, frowned, and then turned back to me.

"Need a hand with the tree?"

"Yeah. You can be the one that gets covered in pine sap. I'll carry the bag and the ax."

"Sure, Cole seems busy playing babysitter." I ignored the edge in his voice. It was hardly Eva's fault she was traumatized. Seeing me turn into a wolf and kill a mountain lion was enough to freak out any human.

"We leaving the cat here?"

"No, best not. I better burn it to stop the virus from spreading."

Thank fuck we were immune to that kind of disease. Most diseases, actually. Otherwise, I'd be in a world of pain right now. The cat had scratched me with its claws, but the wounds were already healing.

"OK, I'll get the tree and you drag the cat."

Cole walked ahead with Eva, and we followed him.

"Did she freak out?" Tanner asked in a low voice.

"I wasn't watching, but she looked like she was in shock when I shifted back."

I waited for some snarky comment about pathetic humans, but it didn't come, which was a surprise. Instead, he seemed concerned.

Maybe he did care about her, contrary to the way he'd been behaving since he got back. Who knew? Tanner was a law unto himself. He never discussed his feelings with us. The man was an emotional vault.