Tabby nodded and opened her door. “Yeah. Nice.”

He studied her face. She was pale and shaking. “It’s okay, baby.”

She took a deep breath and huffed it out. “The last time I got summoned by an Alpha, I was Outcast.”

“Max has no cause to ask you to leave Halle. Besides, he’s not your Alpha.

Technically, he can’t outcast you.”

She shook her head. “Bears don’t have Outcasting, do they?”

“Not really, no. We don’t have the same kind of Pack or Pride structure.” Not all shifters had traditional Alphas and Omegas and all that political crap. Most were simple family groups, like the Bears, Foxes and even the otherwise solitary Tigers.

The loose-knit family groups would keep in touch via couriers in the old days and, in modern times, snail mail and e-mail. They held the vote for their proxies on the Senate that way, never having to meet unless they wanted to. Outcasting was something reserved for those who abided by the more stringent rules of the Packs and Prides, like the Wolves, Coyotes, Pumas and Lions, where one shifter’s actions could endanger the lives of all.

“Then trust me, it’s a really big deal.” She shrugged her shoulders like she was shifting a heavy weight. “Let’s go, I guess.”

Bunny held out his hand, offering his mate his full support. No matter what happened in that house, Tabby was his mate. That meant she could fall under either Pack law or Bear law. And since Bears had no Outcasting system, as far as he was concerned his mate had no problem.

One of the front doors opened. Emma Cannon stood there, a grin on her face and her hand on her hip. “I was wondering how long you two would stand out there.

C’mon in. We won’t bite, I promise.”

Bunny moved forward, enjoying the warmth of Emma’s greeting. He could already tell there would be few problems on that front. Emma was greeting them like old friends. “Thank you, Mrs. Cannon. I’m Alexander Bunsun.”

Emma’s lips curved up in a wicked smile. “I know who you are. You’re the wereBunny who rode into town on a hog.”

Bunny didn’t know whether to laugh or not. “Um… Yeah. Maybe?”

A woman with wild curly hair down to her waist pulled Emma out of the doorway.

“Don’t worry, she has that effect on a lot of people.” She ignored Emma’s rolled eyes and pulled Bunny inside.

Bunny took a second to look around the great room of the Halle Alpha’s house.

The sage green walls, cherry floors and white trim created a warm feeling of comfort and home. The skylights in the vaulted ceiling let in a great deal of natural light. A large, reddish-brown leather sofa dominated the room. It rested on a bold area rug done in a geometric pattern of reds, blacks and greens. It faced a set of built-in cherry cabinets along one wall that doubled as the entertainment center with bookshelves on either side. The fireplace, on the opposite wall, matched the fieldstone on the outside of the home. He really liked the feel of the place. He’d have to see if he could find something similar in the area. From the way Tabby was staring, wide-eyed, he had the feeling she liked it too.

The curly haired woman held out her hand. “I’m Becky Holt.”

Bunny returned her greeting. “Alexander Bunsun. Nice to meet you. This is my mate, Tabitha Garwood.”

Tabby smiled weakly and clung to his hand with a grip he just knew was leaving bruises.

Becky Holt pointed to a tall, dark-haired man with muscular arms and an easy grin. “That’s Simon, my mate. He’s the Beta of our Pride.”

“Pleased to meet you.” He exchanged nods with the Beta, keeping hold of Tabby’s hand. He could feel his mate trembling next to him.

Emma nodded toward a striking couple seated on her sofa. The man was dark-haired, with the same golden skintone Tabby had. The woman seated next to him was the palest woman Bunny had ever seen, with snow-white hair, pale blue eyes and pearly skin. Lying at their feet was a golden retriever in a guide dog harness.

“That’s our Marshall, Adrian Giordano, and his mate, Sheri.” The couple nodded at them, but quickly returned to their conversation. Bunny wasn’t fooled.

Something about Giordano’s body language told him that he and Tabby had the lion’s share of the Marshall’s attention. “Gabe and Sarah, our Omega, aren’t here yet, but they should be shortly. There were grumbles about coffee and doughnuts.”

“Doughnuts?” Becky shared a wicked, intimate grin with her mate. “I love doughnuts.”

Simon chuckled. “Bet I know something that tastes sweeter.”

“Oh, for the love of God, people.” Emma flopped down on the couch. “Get a room.”

“Works for me.” Simon grabbed a hold of Becky’s hand and began to drag her toward the stairs, ignoring her indignant squawking.

“Simon, knock it off. Emma, stop encouraging them.” Max stepped out of his kitchen and shook his head at his Pride leaders, ignoring Emma’s snickers and Becky’s slap to Simon’s arm. “You’re making us look like idiots.” He walked over to Bunny and Tabby and shook their hands. “Alex, Tabby, welcome to my home.

Please feel free to join the insanity.”

“Thanks, but everyone calls me Bunny.”

The room stopped dead. He’d never seen anything like it. It was like he’d picked up life’s remote and hit Pause.

“I’m sorry. Did you say people call you Bunny?” Simon, his dark eyes twinkling, leaned back against the fireplace mantel.

Bunny nodded. He loved some of the reactions he got when he told people his nickname, especially other shifters. They tended to range from horrified disbelief to unstoppable giggles.

“And you let them? Why not strap a cracker to your ass and call yourself lunch?

Ow! Damn it, Becky.” He rubbed the spot on his arm his curly-haired mate had just smacked.

“Ignore Garfield, he hasn’t had his Cat Chow yet.” Simon’s eyes flashed down at his mate, gold sparks dancing in the dark brown.

Bunny bit back his laugh. “And you’re making fun of my nickname?”

Max rubbed the side of his nose. “Why don’t you two have a seat while we wait for Gabe and Sarah.” He walked away, pointing languidly at Emma. “Not a word.”

“Damn. And I had so many of them, too.”

Max stopped and stared at Emma, one eyebrow rising.

Emma gave as good as she got, staring right back at her mate. From the way their mouths were curving, Bunny didn’t think there would be a fight, but the tension in the room seemed to ratchet up a notch. He wondered if the blond Alpha was about to drag his small mate up the stairs, Pride meeting be damned.

The doorbell rang, breaking the staring match between the two Alphas.

“I’ll get it.” The Marshall stood, moving with easy grace to the front door. “It’s Gabe and Sarah. One of you get a cold towel, she spilled some coffee on her hands again.”

Bunny frowned. “How did he know that?”

Emma waved Becky toward the kitchen and followed her through. “He’s the Marshall.”

And?

Sheri, Adrian’s mate, must have seen his confusion. “The Marshall can sense the physical well-being of every member of the Pride.” She frowned. “Your scent. It’s so…wild. Not like the other Bear in town.” She stared up at him, her pale blue gaze unfocused. Suddenly her eyes widened. “You’re a—”

“Hey, Bunny.” Gabe slapped him on the back, interrupting whatever it was Sheri had been about to say.

“Anderson. Learn anything about Chloe’s attacker yet?”

Gabe shook his head. “I wish I had some news already, but there were no witnesses. Nobody on the street heard or saw a thing. The evidence we’ve collected is still at the labs in Pittsburgh, so we have to wait.” He shrugged. “I wish I had more, but that’s all I’ve got so far. How is Chloe, by the way?”

Bunny could see the way the small brunette watched Gabe. Her short hair was windblown, her hands reddened. His fingers twitched, the urge to heal the small hurt nearly derailing his train of thought. This must be Gabe’s mate, the one who’d given Gabe fits over Chloe. “Still unconscious. Any idea when her mate is supposed to arrive?”

“Jimmy’s coming back?” Emma swept back into the room, a wet towel in her hands. “Here, Sarah. Wrap this around that burn.” She clucked her tongue. “That looks nasty.”

“Let me.” He took hold of the poor burned hands and breathed deep, the relief at being able to heal the small hurt releasing some of his tension. He opened himself up to his Bear and the spiral of the healing path. He mended the burned flesh, encouraged the new growth of tissue and forced the skin to reabsorb the swelling.

When he was done, no trace of the burn could be seen, and his legs were trembling with fatigue.

“Holy shit.” Adrian stared down at the woman’s hands, his eyes wide. “I felt that.”

He lifted his face, his gaze narrowed on Bunny. “I’d forgotten Bears could do that.”

The woman smiled up at him sweetly. “Thank you.” She patted his arm. “That really stung.”

Gabe took one of her hands in his own, stroking the healed skin. “I owe you one, Bear.”

Bunny shrugged, feeling uncomfortable with the awed reactions of the Pumas.

This sort of healing was as commonplace as hello among Bears. “It was nothing.”

Gabe’s jaw clenched. “You healed my mate. That means I owe you one.” His jaw relaxed and his brows shot up. “Unless you’d rather not have the man investigating the attack against your mate owe you?”

“Attack?” Emma frowned, taking a seat on the huge leather couch. “All I heard at the restaurant was talk of harassment.”

“Tabby was attacked outside her place of business a couple of days ago. A stink bomb was thrown through the window, and when she and the other girls ran out, she was hit on the back of the head hard enough for her to black out.”

Bunny glared at Tabby. He hadn’t known she’d lost consciousness. He might not have been quite so calm if he had.

“Look, before we get too far, why don’t we fill the others in on everything that’s been going on? We tend to get a little blind to what’s going on outside the Pride, so they might not know what all’s been happening.” Gabe took a seat in one of the side chairs and pulled his mate into his lap.

She settled in with a sigh, resting her head against his shoulder. “Good idea.”

Bunny took a seat on the couch again, Tabby next to him. Adrian and Sheri took up the remaining seats, leaving Emma in the other wing chair, Max standing by her side. Simon and Becky settled on the floor across from the couch, their backs to the entertainment center. “Okay, here’s what I know so far. Tabby was Outcast

—” he ignored the gasp of his mate “—for something she didn’t do. She roamed as a Wolf for about eight years before landing in Halle.” He stared at Gabe, willing him to understand what he was about to say. “And if anyone owes anyone else, it’s me who owes you and your grandmother for taking care of Tabby.”

Gabe nodded, acknowledging what he’d said. Bunny got the feeling he didn’t quite agree with him, but that was all right.

“Because of her status, this guy Gary feels he can do anything he wants to Tabby without repercussions.”

Max winced. “Unfortunately, he’s right. She’s without the protection of her Pack, set apart from them for a crime, whether she committed it or not. Unless she proves she’s worthy of joining another Pack or manages to get her old Alpha to take her back, she’s considered a criminal and fair game.”

Emma’s lips curled up in a wicked grin. He’d seen that grin before, on a cartoon when he’d been a kid. It was the same grin the Grinch had when he came up with his idea to dress as Santa and steal Christmas. The look sent shivers down Bunny’s spine. And from the looks her mate was giving her, he guessed the Alpha had no clue what his little mate was thinking.

“Great.” Bunny sighed and ran his hand over his bald head. The stubble there rasped against his palm. Time to shave again. “Anyway, he’s egged the store, bothered all of the girls who, by the way, are all human other than Tabby, and called her multiple times. I got to see him last night and, frankly, if I hadn’t been there, I’m not certain he would have stopped at harassing her. As it was, he tried to warn me off, telling me he had every right to bother my mate. In other words, he’s stalking her.”

“He’s given humans a hard time?” Max whistled. “Who’s his Alpha?”

Bunny blinked. “I have no clue.”

Gabe shrugged. “I’ve asked him, but he refuses to answer. The only thing I’ve been able to learn is he comes from New Mexico. I’m still running down his birth records. The college has been less than enthusiastic about turning over records and, without a warrant, they’re right. I can’t get one without probable cause.”