Chapter 13

Before I could fully comprehend what had just happened, I slapped Dumont in the face for throwing his drink on me. And then he struck me back.

The sharp sting shocked me so much that I stumbled. People rushed at him from all directions, and out of nowhere, he shifted into a giant grizzly. Grown men backed up when the bear unleashed a monstrous roar that made my hair stand on end.

The sight of him turned my legs to jelly, and I collapsed onto my back. Rarely could a single wolf take down a bear of his size. Several men scattered for the door, but not Wheeler. He shifted into a brown wolf and flanked the bear on the right.

"Take that outside!" the bartender bellowed.

Dutch appeared in my line of vision, holding a chair with the legs pointing out. He reminded me of a circus ringmaster taming the lions.

The bear swiped his enormous claws at me, and Wheeler lunged, biting his leg before scuttling backward.

One minute I was staring at the jaws of death, and the next, Tak's wolf appeared, interposing himself between the bear and me as he dug in his heels and stood over my legs. Pinned to the ground, all I could see of him were his hind legs and low tail. My blood ran cold. Even though Tak was an alpha, there was a chance his wolf could turn on Wheeler in the melee since the two wolves didn't know each other.

"Stay down," Dutch ordered, distracting the animal with the chair.

The bear swung his massive head left and right, looking between the two wolves and a bar full of curious spectators who didn't appear eager to lose their lives over a spilled drink. My feet were within his reach, and I wanted to pull them up but was afraid he'd shred them to pieces with one swipe of his paw.

I can't breathe.

Cold terror washed over me as flashbacks of a childhood attack raced through my head. The wolf lunging and biting my face, my head in his jaws, Melody screaming, the sense of helplessness, the agony, the fear of dying. Even now that I could shift, I was catatonic. My mind flipped between past and present, and I clutched a barstool behind my head and quelled the urge to scream.

The bear's paw batted my foot, but I couldn't see him. Tak was the only thing separating me from certain death, and if he abandoned me, I would undoubtedly meet a gruesome end. He confronted the deadly beast with a savage growl that made my breath hitch. Tak wasn't just guarding me; he was ready to die for me. My wolf could never fight off such a powerful animal, but could Tak's?

Wheeler moved swiftly, commanding the bear's attention. When the grizzly lumbered after Wheeler, Tak snarled and locked his jaws on the animal's neck. The bear swung his head, shaking him off, and swiped his paw—a blow powerful enough to knock a grown man down. But not Tak. His paws barely left the sticky floor.

My wolf fought to break free, and I had to shut my eyes to push her spirit back down. Without a pack—without my family—it would be suicide.

I gripped the barstool, which was bolted to the ground, and dragged my body away.

A shotgun blasted from behind the bar. "Get out, or I'll call the Council and start blacklisting your asses!" the bartender roared. "And if you break that chair, you're paying for it."

I risked a glance.

Rivulets of blood raced down Dutch's arm, dripping from his fingertips. When he steered his gaze to the door behind him, I sensed he wanted to flee. Wheeler's brown wolf had bloodstains on his mouth and neck. Tak faced away from me, and the grizzly appeared more alarmed about him than Wheeler's wolf. Alphas were relentless and less apt to back down than most. They could galvanize a group into action and would fight to the death.

A husky man leapt over the wall and laid his hands on the bear's back, blue light emanating from his palms. The animal jolted, his eyes rolling back, and a broken roar quaked through the room. Did the Mage have enough energy to bring down an animal that size? He did it three more times until the bear finally surrendered.

"All right. Show's over," the bartender announced. "Everyone better start shifting back."

Dutch's injuries looked severe but not grave. Blood saturated his torn shirt, and he needed to shift to heal. When he rushed for the door, I sighed with relief. Shifting in front of wolves with blood in their mouths was suicide.

Wheeler kept his eyes trained on the bear and stood guard while everyone dusted themselves off and headed out.

Tak's wolf turned and gazed down at me. I froze when he craned his neck forward and sniffed my face. After licking my chin, he shifted to human form. His long hair cascaded around me, his fists on either side. But all I could think about was the bear, who let out another pained roar.

"Are you hurt?" Tak brushed my hair away from my eyes.

I wanted to tell him I was okay, but I wasn't.

I was far from okay.

Strong women weren't supposed to cower, and yet I couldn't stop shaking.

After he yanked on his pants and stuffed his feet in his boots, Tak knelt and centered his eyes on mine. "You're coming with me."

He gently lifted me, and I buried my face in his chest. All I could think about were the people in that bar who knew me. Word was going to spread about how Lorenzo Church's only daughter had behaved like a coward in the face of danger. I couldn't stop the flood of tears.

Tak nodded at the bartender. "When that wolf shifts back, tell him Hope is in good hands. He knows where to find me."

Suddenly a wave of dizziness had me trembling. My heart pounded at a frenetic pace, making it difficult to breathe. An impending feeling of doom descended upon me—the feeling of death. My throat closed up, and my chest constricted as if someone had wrapped a belt around it and was tightening one notch at a time.

I writhed in his arms. "I can't breathe. I can't breathe."

Tak changed from a walk to a jog, and I clung to his chest. When my feet abruptly touched the ground, I wobbled for a moment before Tak caught me by the waist.

With his free hand, he opened his truck door and then lifted me into the passenger seat. I pressed two fingers against my neck, my accelerating heartbeat making me feel my own mortality.

After buckling my seat belt, he cradled my head in his hands. "I swear on my life that I'll protect you. You're going to be okay, do you understand?"

His alpha power sedated me like a warm fire on a winter's night. But it was too late. I'd already hyperventilated myself into blacking `.

* * *

Tak spedtoward his motel without delay. With Hope passed out, it would give her inner wolf a chance to sleep. Fighting against your animal took its toll, but she'd played it smart back at the bar. That grizzly wouldn't have hesitated to go after an aggressive female wolf.

Some Shifters had no sense of morality.

When Tak had arrived at the bar, he'd bumped into a man who challenged him to a game of pool. They instantly connected because of their tattoos, and after a while, they sat down and talked. The wolf named Wheeler bragged about his mate and was dead set on giving Tak relationship advice. Tak never mentioned Hope by name, but he told Wheeler about the woman who wouldn't give him the time of day. Wheeler informed him that a good woman doesn't give a damn about rank or even a checkered past. He said they were attracted to men willing to show them their Achilles' heel.

Tak couldn't have disagreed more. Tak believed women wanted a strong man who didn't expose his weaknesses or have a dark past.

The two carried on their debate until Tak spotted Hope seated at a table with another man. Tak studied the man's confident demeanor, his expensive watch, and the way he leaned in to give her his undivided attention. It wasn't until the young bartender approached their table that the man turned his head and Tak recognized him.

From that point on, Tak no longer focused on Wheeler. All he could wonder was what that man had said to make her laugh so spiritedly. What sweet words had he uttered that she'd welcome his lips on her hand?

It made his blood boil. Sweet-talkers led wolves astray. They were the scoundrels in the pack you had to keep a close eye on. The guy didn't come across as a wolf, so Tak wondered about his motives.

Tak glanced over to the sleeping princess beside him. He should have left town and gone back to his tribe where he belonged, but an invisible force had tethered him to this woman. Now he couldn't leave—not with all the dangers lurking around every corner. Evil spirits were at work, and Hope was their object of attention.

He pulled into the parking spot outside the motel and got out. Sweat touched his brow as the sun burned like a torch. In a few hours, it would be dark. But in the city, nighttime didn't bring reprieve from the sweltering summer days. The heat that baked into the concrete made the evening breeze barely noticeable.

Nearing the passenger door, he placed his hands on the roof of the truck.

Damn.He needed to control his anger. The scene at the bar flashed through his mind—that motherfucker splashing his drink in Hope's face. Tak had reached for his dagger, but a split second later, she struck the man. When the Shifter hit her back, Tak lost it. Consequences be damned, he had no choice but to intervene.

A lone female stood no chance against a grizzly that size. Tak's knife would have done some serious damage, but at the risk of Hope getting injured in the skirmish. To pin that bear in place and get his sights off Hope, he had to threaten him with a wolf attack. The protective instinct overpowered him, and though Tak's wolf should have gone straight for the jugular, his only thought was to guard Hope with his life. Eye contact from an alpha was intimidating to a weak-minded Shifter, and he counted on the bear backing down.

When he opened the truck door, Hope spilled into his arms.

"Easy now," he murmured, unbuckling her seat belt. "We're almost there."

As soon as he lifted her in his arms, an inexplicable calm came over him, and he kicked the door shut. Hope's eyes opened and closed, but she remained silent.

It wasn't easy for him to unlock the motel door, but once inside, he placed her on the bed and switched on a dim wall lamp. Her beer-stained clothes needed to go, but he didn't dare remove them while she was in this fragile condition. Tak wanted nothing more than to give this woman a hot bath and allay her fears.

She rolled over and faced the bathroom, her arms tucked against her chest. When he circled the bed and knelt beside her, she averted her eyes. Her submissive body language broke his heart. He couldn't imagine the loneliness and hardships these young Shifters experienced without a pack. Living independently wasn't a tradition his tribe practiced, so they never had to worry about fighting battles alone. This custom of moving away from the pack didn't seem natural, but he could see how it would remind them not to take family for granted.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked softly.

The frown line between her eyebrows slowly diminished as he brushed the pad of his thumb over it. Her eyelids dropped like anchors, and Hope fell asleep within seconds. This wolf needed rest.

He crossed the room to the table where he'd set down her purse. Maybe he could find Lakota's private number on her phone. Tak was certain he'd come back if he knew about the dangers unfolding in his absence. Hope needed guidance from someone she trusted.

When he opened her purse, a folded envelope caught his attention. He should have left it alone and minded his own business, but suddenly her business had plopped all over his life.

Tak removed the letter and unfolded the paper. The moment he read the sinister words, his wolf tore through his skin and emerged.