Jaw clenched, Coral shook her head. At least she didn’t pull out of her grasp. They hurried away from the smoke, skirting the garden and passing the root cellar.

  The sky darkened beneath the ash cloud forming above the village. The air was still, not a wisp of wind, which was another reason they went ahead with their plans that day. If it had been blustery, they would have had to put their plans on hold. It had never been worth risking burning their settlement to the ground. That would have been a sure death sentence. One cottage was chancy enough. It had all been a grave and terrible risk. After holding her murdered friend in her lap, Autumn wasn’t sure any of this had been worth it.

  The children were safe. That was all that mattered right now. The wolves that had run in outnumbered their oppressors. She had to believe they would win and be on their way, and that Willow had not died in vain.

  “Now where might you be off to in such a rush?”

  The cold voice at their backs struck terror in Autumn’s heart.

  Gavner.

  Did that mean his group had won the fight? Autumn wanted to sob in outrage. She dared a look over her shoulder. The monster was alone, lips clenched, injured arm bleeding, his gaze gleaming with savagery. Her stomach dropped like a stone.

  “Blossom, take the kids,” she rasped. “I’m the one he wants.”

  Autumn held Coral’s and Eco’s hands out to her friend.

  “No,” Coral whimpered, her lower lip trembling. Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks.

  Blossom’s eyes cleared. Steady, unadulterated understanding and determination seemed to pull her out of her stupor as she took the kids’ hands and squeezed them in her own.

  “Godspeed, Autumn,” Blossom said in a low, fierce voice. “Godspeed.” She made it sound like an order rather than a farewell.

  Coral tried to shake free of Blossom’s grip, but the young widow held on tight.

  With one last look at them, Autumn took off sprinting into the cornfield. The dry stalks whipped over her arms, legs, and face. The sound of Coral screaming her name made her run faster. She didn’t want the kids to hear what happened to her if Gavner caught up.

  Gritting her teeth, she threw her arms out to knock cornstalks aside. Defeat was not an option. She knew these gardens better than anyone, certainly better than Gavner. So, unless he—

  Her thoughts were cut off by a low, bone-chilling growl. Terror wrapped itself around Autumn, choking her before the werewolf found her. Horrific images flashed through her head of the villagers she had seen torn apart—of Willow’s mangled body. The cornstalks rustled in a slow, methodical crackle. He was stalking her. Gavner knew there was nowhere she could run, no place she could hide from his beast.

  She wished and prayed that if she held still enough, she would blend into the cornstalks.

  When Gavner emerged in his werewolf form through the stalks, it was upright on two legs in that monstrous form, smiling with canines that dripped saliva.

  Autumn’s bones turned to mush right before she fainted.

  There was only one safe place for her, and that was oblivion—until a hard slap to her face smacked her back to reality.

  Rough hands yanked her dress up to her waist. She jerked awake and grabbed Gavner’s wrists, digging her nails into his skin. He had changed forms while she was unconscious, turning himself into his brute form. Naked. Erect.

  Autumn screamed in fury when he pulled his wrists free and tore her dress and kneed her legs apart.

  She dug her fingers into the soil, scooping up chunks of earth, which she lobbed into Gavner’s eyes before pushing him off. The snarling sound he made reminded Autumn that if she ran, he would transform and hunt her down again—probably rip her apart after this stunt. So she launched herself at him, kicking and biting and screaming. The war cry gave her a boost of energy as she kicked at his genitals and rained her fists over his head.

  “You bitch!” he seethed.

  Another kick to his groin had him curling up to protect his sensitive organs. Maybe God had been looking out for women when he created that rare advantage a woman had against a man.

  While Gavner was groaning, Autumn stumbled away, racing through the corn, heading back out. If she could reach the root cellar, she could barricade herself inside and gather up the wooden stakes. At least she would be armed to defend herself.

  A menacing snarl made her jerk around so quickly, she tripped and fell on her back.

  No! She thought he wouldn’t be able to transform until the pain in his groin subsided.

  But there Gavner was, stalking toward her on all fours through the cornstalks. His snarl was a continuous, angry vibration with no end.

  As soon as their eyes met, he ran, whipping through the stalks, his deafening snarl threatening to loosen her bowels.

  Autumn screamed and threw her arms up in front of her face as the werewolf hurtled through the air and stalks straight for her. Then a mass of brown fur erupted through the corn, knocking into Gavner. The werewolf gave a cry of dismay. Then he was on his feet growling at the mighty brown bear who roared in return.

  Autumn winced and shrunk back, terror pressing down in new layers.

  Gavner charged the bear in a snarling rage. The bear took one gigantic paw and smacked Gavner to the ground, then set upon him. The werewolf’s growls turned to whimpers and then terrorized cries.

  Autumn scrambled back. She turned over and crawled on her hands and knees as fast as she could through the corn field while the bear was busy tearing Gavner apart. The crunch of bones made her stomach roil. Gavner’s piercing shrieks cut through the air. That could be her next if she didn’t get away.

  Heart drumming against her ribcage and corn rustling against her body, she made her way to the outer edge of the garden. Instinct told her to stop and listen, even as her mind screamed to get up and run. She stopped, crouched in the soil, and noticed the garden had gone eerily silent.

  Was the bear already finished eating Gavner? So soon? Was he still hungry? Did he want seconds?

  Her heart beat all the way into her ears, making it difficult to listen. Chest rising and falling rapidly, Autumn focused on her breathing, concentrated on pushing the panic off and making it to safety.

  A rustling in the corn made her heart stop altogether. She held her breath.

  Something was moving toward her. Its movements sounded more like a gentle murmur than a predatory hiss.

  She turned to face whatever it was and gasped as she looked up at the most striking man she had ever seen. Hard brown muscles covered his chest, arms, and thighs. Raven-black hair streaked past wide shoulders, brushing over abs that looked as though they had been carved out of granite.

  He walked up to her, smiled, and held out his hand to help her up.

  Autumn’s eyes widened. “Be careful. There’s a bear,” she whispered urgently, pointing in the direction she had crawled from.

  The deep voice that answered had her body relaxing, as though on a sigh. She didn’t recognize a word he said, but she understood that he meant her no harm. But there was still the matter of the bear. The man didn’t even turn around when she pointed again. Instead, he took her hand, lifting her to her feet. Once steady, Autumn snatched her hand back and craned her head, searching the field for the brown bear. But there were no signs of the beast, as though she had conjured him up in her imagination or God had sent the bear in at the last second to protect her. Whichever the case, she had narrowly escaped a gruesome death, and now there was a gorgeous man looking her over.

  Creases appeared over his forehead and his lips settled into a firm line. There was nothing vulgar in his gaze. He seemed to want to make sure she wasn’t harmed.

  Autumn felt her cheeks turn the color of her hair. Her short dress was bloody, dirty, and torn. Feeling self-conscious, she pulled together the loose pieces over her left thigh where Gavner had torn a slit up to her navel. Her fumbling fingers drew the man’s attention to the exact spot she was attempting to hide.

  His tone sounded harsh when his next words came out. Autumn’s eyes widened. The man pointed in the direction she had last seen Gavner then pointed between her legs.

  Understanding loosened her tongue from its cage behind her clenched teeth. “Oh, God. No. He didn’t have his way with me. Thank God.”

  The man squinted. His frown didn’t diminish his good looks, but it did tell Autumn he was having trouble deciphering the tone of her answer, which had come out a bit frantic.

  She tried again in a calmer voice, “I’m okay. He didn’t—”

  The man crouched in front of her, parted the ripped section of the dress, and took a deep inhale in front of her privates.

  With a shriek of dismay, Autumn turned away, recovering herself with the torn sections of fabric. Holding the dress in place, she faced the man and glared at him.

  He straightened and gave a satisfied nod like it was perfectly normal for a stranger to sniff a woman’s sacred flower.

  The man said something before walking at a brisk pace through the corn. Well, she had tried to warn him. He looked like he could handle himself, and Autumn desperately needed to get her village under control.

  There were still three werewolves unaccounted for, a new group of wolves, and a bear loose in their settlement—not to mention the attractive mystery man who disappeared into the cornstalks.

  chapter thirty-one

  HAILEY’S GROWL WOULD have frightened thunder from the sky. She felt lightning in her veins the moment she saw Rafael injured on the ground.

  Four werewolves surrounded him, blood glistening on their canines.

  Rafael’s blood.

  Hailey’s human half was screaming inside her subconscious. The forlorn echo faded as she let go and gave herself over entirely to her wolf. Everything blurred around her in her vicious attack on the werewolves. Between snarls, snaps, and growls, they cried out every time Hailey got her fangs on them.

  Her friends joined the fight and Hailey had to watch that she didn’t hurt them as she went rabid with rage. Werewolf blood coated her tongue and stained her white fur. Her nails clawed through flesh and bloodied her paws. One of the werewolves began wailing in panic, and it only encouraged Hailey to finish the job. While biting the flailing creature over and over, another one managed to attack Layla and get hold of her neck. She snarled frantically. Byron, Skeet, and Hudson pounced on the werewolf who had her in its grip. Another werewolf took off running, fleeing from the brawl. Hailey hungered to chase him down and rip him apart, but she would not leave Rafael’s side.

  The werewolf she currently fought managed to bite her leg. She didn’t even feel it. With a savage snarl, she sank her fangs into its throat and jerked, tearing flesh, ripping it wide open. Hot blood gushed out as it fell dead on the ground. Hailey lunged at the werewolf fighting Violet. The beast was already wounded, and Violet appeared to have it under control, but Hailey was blind with bloodlust. While the werewolf swiped frantically at Violet, Hailey lunged and ripped into its side with tooth and claw. The animal’s cries didn’t stop until it was dead, and still Hailey dug into its chest cavity, pulling out its entrails and tearing open organs.

  Another cry had her whipping around. The third werewolf issued its last whimpers before her friends finished it off.

  The world went silent. Quiet. Too quiet. Deathly quiet.

  Rafael’s eyes were closed, his body still.

  With a strangled cry, Hailey transformed abruptly from beast to human. She rolled head over ass across the bloodied earth, then scrambled over to the injured wolf.

  “Rafael!” Hailey took care not to shake him as her fingers brushed over his fur. “Shift, my love. Shift.” She put her hand in front of his muzzle, feeling for breath. None came. “Shift,” she begged. Tears tracked her cheeks, spilling faster than blood.

  Then she saw it, the faintest rise and fall of his fur. Gulping down her tears, she squared her shoulders and issued an alpha’s command.

  “Shift.”

  chapter thirty-two

  THE SECOND RAFAEL completed his shift, Hailey was on top of him, grasping his face and kissing him between sobs. He barely recognized the usually composed pureblood who currently straddled him wild-eyed and frenzied. It was a bit scary and oddly enticing.

  When he smiled, Hailey broke off her next kiss and dug her fingers into his shoulders. “You’re not allowed to die on me. Do you hear me, Rafael?”

  “Everyone dies.” His smile faded and voice turned solemn.

  The blonde beauty on top of him growled. “Before that final hour comes, I want to truly live. Don’t you?”

  Their eyes locked. Hailey’s gaze was fierce, frightening . . . full of strength.

  Rafael reached a hand up and brushed her hair behind one ear. “You came back for me,” he said in wonder.

  Hailey’s nostrils flared. “And this time, I’m not letting you get away.”

  “So stubborn.” Rafael chuckled.

  “Have I told you lately what a wretch you are?”

  “Only a thousand times, but why don’t you tell me once more.”

  He sat up, arms circling her back, pulling her against him. Their mouths crushed together, tongues invading between lips that devoured. Hailey gripped his hair tightly and kissed him roughly.

  “Um, guys?” Layla said.

  Skeet made a coughing sound.

  Hailey groaned as though it physically pained her to pull away from Rafael. She looked warily around as though seeing their surroundings for the first time. Hailey’s packmates were all standing grim-faced. Alarm had Rafael on his feet, pulling Hailey up with him.

  They were surrounded by villagers holding flaming torches. The humans had formed a circle around them. Fools. All Rafael, Hailey, and the rest of her pack had to do was get down and shift . . . except Rafael couldn’t shift, not until his wolf had a chance to heal. He clenched his jaw. People never changed.

  Hailey glared around the circle. “Don’t worry,” she said to Rafael. “We’ll take care of them.”

  Rafael’s heart gave a lurch. He should be the one protecting her, and yet here she was about to save him a second time in a row. It struck him as comical that he had spent so much time worrying about losing her. Hailey had proven over and over that she was more than capable of surviving in the wild.

  As Hailey lowered herself to the ground, a scrawny young man thrust his torch in her direction.

  “Stay where you are,” he yelled. “If you try to transform, we will burn you.”

  Rafael growled.

  The humans moved in closer, their torches sending waves of heat over the pack’s naked flesh.

  “Wait!” came a familiar cry as Coral raced over with her brother, the woman she had called her aunt running close behind. “Stop it,” Coral shouted. “The wolves are our friends! Rafael saved me and Eco after mama and papa were killed by werecats.”

  The scrawny guy gaped at Coral. “But they’re werewolves.”

  “No, they’re not. They’re wolf shifters—big difference.” Coral’s haughty tone made Rafael’s lips twitch. Tiny humans were so much wiser and likable than adults.

  Rafael didn’t need to be in wolf form to detect the fear in the pinched faces surrounding them. The villagers kept the circle tight and their torches grasped in their fists.

  “Back off,” Coral’s aunt commanded. She pointed at Rafael. “This one saved the children and he came here, risked his life, to save us. Any friends of his are friends of ours. We owe them a debt of gratitude. It’s over. We’re free.”

  “Is it? Or are these wolves planning to take over where the werewolves left off?” demanded a young woman in a long frumpy brown dress, her hair tied in a scarf.

  Hailey, being Hailey, took a step forward and announced, “I am Hailey from Glenn Meadows, which is a long way from here. Allow me to assure you that we have no intention, nor desire, of living within your walls. Our home is the open fields, mountains, streams, and woods. But we do need to stay here for a few days while Rafael’s wolf heals. He was badly injured while fighting to liberate this village.”

  It was that voice, those self-assured words, that finally got through to Rafael and made him realize there was no fighting this attraction, this bond, this love for Hailey that burned eternal inside his soul. He had been a brute to deny their connection, and an even bigger fool to try and run away from his destiny.

  “You are welcome to stay as long as Rafael needs to recover,” the redhead said. The villagers parted for her.

  Coral ran past her aunt and threw her arms around Rafael’s legs, squeezing tight. Eco hurried over and hugged him from behind.

  “Told you wolf shifters kicked werewolf ass,” Rafael boasted.

  Behind him, Eco giggled.

  Hailey stared at him like he was a stranger for several heartbeats before quirking a brow. Rafael grinned.

  “Crazy story.”

  “So it would seem,” she answered.

  The redhead searched the gathering and frowned. “Your other wolf friend must still be in the garden.”

  Wolf friend? Rafael’s forehead wrinkled in confusion.

  “Chester or Kohana?” Hailey asked. Rafael whipped his head around to gape at her. “They’re bear shifters.”

  Sounded like Hailey had her own crazy story to share.

  It was the redhead’s turn to gape. Her face turned ashen and her throat bobbed as she swallowed. “Shapeshifting bears?” Her voice was barely audible.

  Hailey batted her hand through the air. “Don’t worry. They’re friendly. The helped us kill a horde of vulhena.”

  “Vulhena?” the redhead asked.

  “I think she means werecats, Aunt Autumn,” Coral supplied. The little girl eased her fingers off Rafael to put her hands on her hips and glare at the villagers.

  They looked at one another, still clutching their torches. When a naked man appeared behind them with skin as black as night, the villagers gasped in dismay and swung their torches in his direction.

  With a wide, bright smile, the man stopped and lifted a hand in greeting. “Hello. My name is Chester.”

 

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