4. Gray

4

GRAY

“This is a little painful to watch,” Nitro remarked.

Approaching the two bikers, I didn't know what to expect. My initial fear gradually morphed into a surprising sense of comfort, an unexpected feeling of being at home.

It was an odd realization; I never thought I'd associate such warmth with strangers I had just met.

Nitro placed his beer bottle on the bar and nudged Spike's shoulder. Their expressions shifted and they were no longer smiling.

I followed their gazes, only to find Jack and Clive strolling into the bar as if they believed they were the most intimidating beings around.

My good mood dissipated as I noticed the smug confidence on their faces.

However, their arrogance vanished when their eyes landed on me, seated with Nitro and Spike.

It seemed my newfound companions weren't the least bit intimidated by their arrival.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered, my gaze pleading as I turned to Spike.

Shame flooded through me. How foolish was I to think that I could approach these grizzly shifters and expect them to... what? Save me?

It felt as though I was portraying myself as a helpless coward incapable of protecting himself.

The thought angered me, and a twinge of sadness accompanied it.

For five years, I had navigated the road alone without encountering such problems. But then again, it was my choice to reach out to Jack that night, wasn't it?

A moment of weakness I now completely regretted.

"You don't want that one, Spike. He's a runner," Jack's words cut through the air as he and Clive approached our little group.

My throat tightened, and it struck me that he had just referred to Spike by his name.

The atmosphere in the bar tensed up, and the customers fell into an uneasy silence.

I could practically feel the murderous auras emanating from Nitro and Spike, and Jack and Clive.

The four of them knew each other, and it was clear they weren't on friendly terms. What mess had I gotten myself into?

Taking a deep breath, I stepped between the two angry groups, my heart pounding in my chest. I directed my attention to Jack.

"Spike and Nitro aren't involved in this. Your problem is with me,” I said.

Jack shifted his piercing gaze from the seething Spike and Nitro to me, and a chill ran down my spine as his thoughtful eyes bore into mine.

It confirmed my intuition – whatever he had initially planned for me, it wasn't anything good.

Leaving the Blue Vale Valley Pack compound had felt like the right decision, but in the end, Jack and Clive had caught up to me.

Out of the blue, Spike's strong grip wrapped around my arm, pulling me close.

He slid his muscled arm over my shoulders, and surprisingly, I didn't tense up or resist.

Instead, an unexpected sense of relief washed over me, and even my wolf seemed to appreciate the possessive gesture.

It should have bothered me, but it didn't. For the first time in a long while, it felt good to have someone in my corner.

"Wrong. His problem is my problem too," Spike declared, his words making me blink in surprise.

Nitro shot him a warning look. "Spike, don’t,” Nitro said.

Spike ignored Nitro's caution and continued to give Jack a challenging stare, making it clear that he was ready to stand by my side, no matter the consequences.

My heart fluttered in my chest, a mixture of surprise and something unspoken.

Spike's arm around me felt warm, protective against the back of my jacket, and for some reason, I didn't want him to stop touching me.

It was a strange and unfamiliar sensation, especially considering we had only met today.

I wasn't in love with him or anything like that, but there was an undeniable interest in getting to know him better.

An inappropriate thought, given the situation, I knew.

"You Grizzly Reapers are savages, but I didn't think you guys would stoop so low as to poach someone's mate," Clive said with a sneer.

I could feel the muscles in Spike's arms tensing up, his grip on me becoming firmer. Spike looked to me for an explanation, and I adamantly shook my head.

"I'm not Jack's anything," I blurted, not wanting matters to escalate any further. "Heck, I just met him three nights ago."

"You came to me for help, little wolf," Jack said, his voice carrying a sense of accusation. "The moment you got what you wanted from me, you fled. Aren't you being a little ungrateful?"

I stiffened because, in a way, they were true.

"I heard all I needed to know," Spike said, extracting his arm and cracking his knuckles.

The sound made Clive grit his teeth; it was evident that he was wary of Spike.

"Spike, this is a bad judgment call," Nitro said, trying to reason with his friend.

I wasn't sure what he meant by that, but the tension in the air was palpable.

"If you bastards are going to fight, take it outside!" yelled the bartender impatiently.

"Outside it is, then," Spike declared. "I don't want to pay for damages. I'm broke at the moment."

He said this with a smirk directed at me. Despite the gravity of the situation, I couldn't help but flash him a tight smile.

Only someone crazy would crack a joke in a situation like this.

The moment Spike turned his back and started for the door, Jack bared his teeth and launched himself towards him.

Panic surged through me, and I managed to choke out a warning cry, but it was already too late.

Jack didn't waste any time. His clothes tore as he shifted into his wolf form, the transformation quick and brutal.

Clive followed suit, their large wolf forms snarling and aggressive. Coming at your enemies when their backs were turned didn't seem honorable, but these wolves were proving to be sneaky bastards.

It sort of justified why I had every reason to think Jack was shady and suspect.

In the midst of the chaos, Nitro's instincts kicked in, and he shoved Spike aside just in the nick of time to intercept Jack's charging form.

The impact was brutal, claws and fur colliding in a frenzy of violence. Nitro got shredded in the process, the metallic scent of blood filling the air.

"Spike!" I yelled, my heart pounding as anger surged through me.

Spike, fueled by fury, shifted into his massive grizzly form, roaring with a power that shook the remaining patrons.

The bar quickly cleared out, leaving only the combatants behind. Growling, Spike lunged at Jack, the two shifters colliding in a clash of strength.

Meanwhile, Nitro struggled to hold his ground against Clive, both of them locked in a fierce and brutal struggle.

My instincts urged me to join the fight, but I hesitated, because I knew I’d only get in the way.

It soon became clear the grizzly shifters didn’t need my assistance. Nitro, still in his human form, displayed surprising agility.

He swiftly incapacitated Clive with a powerful blow that left him unconscious on the floor.

Spike was also a force to be reckoned with. He had tackled Jack to the ground, his massive grizzly form dominating the wolf.

With teeth bared, Spike pressed them against Jack's throat, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

As the intensity of the brawl reached its peak, the distant sound of approaching cars caught my attention.

Were reinforcements arriving and whose side were they on? I couldn't help but feel a mixture of relief and anxiety. What was going to happen next?

Nitro, catching his breath, said, "Spike, if you kill him, Venom would have our heads."

Spike, still poised over Jack, hesitated at the mention of Venom. Spike wavered, but the murderous expression in his eyes hadn’t disappeared completely.

Outside, footsteps signaled the arrival of more visitors. Bear shifters! My hope that they were allies quickly dwindled as the unmistakable aggression radiated from their auras.

"Who the hell are you folks?" Nitro demanded, a hint of defiance in his voice.

The newcomers didn't seem to be on friendly terms with Spike or Nitro. The fear I had been trying to suppress gripped me tighter.

A man in his fifties, with hawk-like features and a shotgun in hand, stepped forward.

His expression was stern, and the armed bears surrounding him didn't offer any reassurance. The sight of the guns heightened my anxiety.

As the newcomers with their loaded weapons drew closer, a chilling thought crept into my mind — were those weapons loaded with deadly silver bullets?

Dread clawed at my belly. I couldn't shake off the oppressive feeling that everything had spiraled out of control too quickly.

My heart pounded, matching the rhythm of fear coursing through my veins.

If my rash actions led to the deaths of my newfound allies, I would never forgive myself.

A morose realization struck me — if I were dead, at least I wouldn't have to bear the guilt of my actions. But that was a useless thought.

I wanted everyone to live, to come out of this alive—well, everyone save Jack and Clive. I still didn’t understand Jack’s reason for chasing me down.

"Hold on a damn second. Don't shoot; I don't even know what's going on," Nitro interrupted.

At that moment, I was glad at least someone here was cool under pressure.

"Why don't you ask your friend Sean?" asked the hawk-faced man, who I assumed to be the new group's leader.

"Who's Sean?" I asked out loud.

The sound of popping bones and shifting flesh reached my ears. Spike returned to his human form. In the process, he released Jack, who limped over to Clive's unconscious figure.

Spike froze when one of the gun-toting grizzly shifters moved his shotgun to him.

"Juan," Spike gritted out, clearly still in pain from his recent shift. "Things just got out of hand, that's all."

"That's all?" Juan scoffed.

"I don't think you've realized that before you came back to Haven Brook, we had no violent incidents. We're a peaceful group and have no fights with anyone," Juan said, his gaze boring into Spike's.

Spike stiffened. He and Juan seemed to know each other as well. Did Spike have a tendency to pick fights with everyone he met?

Then again, it wasn't like I knew the whole story. Besides, I technically owed Spike my life.

If he hadn't intervened when Jack came for me, who knew what could've happened to me? Certainly nothing good.

"Look," Spike finally spoke. "No one died yet."

"There would be two dead wolves on our hands if we hadn't arrived," Juan said. "I recognize these two. They're Olaf's wolves, aren't they? We would have to answer for their deaths if that happened. You've always thought of yourself, Sean. You don't care who else you drag into your mess."

Spike glowered at Juan. His eyes changed to beastly yellow, a hint his beast was close to coming out.

The bear shifters with Juan tensed. Unthinkingly, I made a grab for Spike's arm, and some of the intensity in his eyes faded as he gazed at me.

It seemed, for a moment, he forgot about Juan and Jack.

"Spike's right," Nitro interrupted."Let's all take a breath and consider the situation more carefully. If you guys kill Spike and me, then our MC won't take that too kindly either."

"Nitro, I doubt threatening them would help us," Spike grumbled under his breath.

"We want no trouble with the Grizzly Reapers," Juan evenly said.

"So let's leave it at that. You let us and the wolves leave this bar. Send us the bill; we'll pay for any damages we've caused," Nitro said.

"I have one condition of my own before I agree to this," Juan said.

"Let's hear it," Spike said.

"I don't want to see any of your faces back in my town. We see any of you, we kill you," Juan said.

He gave each of us a hard look, including me. I gulped.

"Fine," Spike said.

"Then go, you wolves first," Juan said.

Jack and Clive didn't waste any time leaving. Jack had to drag his pal out the door. As soon as I heard their car leaving, Juan gave us a jerky nod.

"Then you three," Juan said.

Neither Nitro, Spike, nor I had any complaints. We swiftly left the bar.