When Julian was done shifting, she got her first good look at a Kermode Bear. He was almost pure white, with a smattering of light gold fur at his shoulders and along his back. He had a thick, stubby tail and a long snout with a black nose.

He had the general shape of a black bear with his rounded ears and sleek body, unlike Alex’s more blunted face, heavy ruff and humped, muscled back. He was easily a few feet shorter than Alex’s Bear. Make his fur black instead of white and he’d look right at home in these woods.

Julian grumbled at her. He wanted her to call her Wolf. With a smile, she allowed the change, pulling her Wolf to the front, more than ready to run on four paws.

She lifted her nose to the breeze, catching the faint scent of rabbit, mouse, and the occasional deer.

No sign of Gary or his friends. Not yet, anyway.

The big white Bear sat back and began rolling on the ground, a strange sound coming from him. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear he was laughing at her.

She yipped at him, dancing around him, eager to get him moving.

Julian got up and shook his head, swiping his tongue along her ear. He made that strange sound one more time before settling his weight on all fours, waiting for her to lead the way.

With a flick of her muzzle she pointed toward the north. Julian nodded his great white head and followed her. She kept the pace easy for him, unsure how much energy he would need in the coming battle.

And, from the prickling of her ears, the battle was almost upon them, with or without Gary’s scent.


He saw her Jeep, but not her. Damn it. She should have waited for him before heading off on her own. God knew what kind of trouble she’d get into before he found her. Fuck the fact that Julian was with her, he needed to be the one protecting her.

Bunny tried his best to still his growing anxiety. He didn’t know if she’d run into Gary yet or not, but from here on out they were moving silently, leaving the bikes behind. The sound of their Harleys would alert Gary to their presence, and they definitely didn’t want to do that. If they were lucky, they’d catch up to Gary before he did any damage. If they could get him to the Alpha and prove he’d disobeyed a direct command from the local authorities, he’d be banished from Halle, possibly even disciplined by his own Pack Alpha. Bunny could only hope so.

He parked the bike next to Tabby’s SUV and stopped the engine. “Ready?”

Ryan pulled off his helmet and dismounted. “Just a minute.” He held out his hand for Glory’s helmet. Her pale blue hair tumbled down to her waist. From the dazed expression on her face he’d say she’d never ridden a motorcycle before.

Either that or she’d always remained on tarmac. The drive through the woods had been rough. “You okay?”

“I think my tailbone is broken.” She got off with a wince, shaking out her filmy skirts. “Well, damn. You broke my ass.”

Ryan stopped her. “You stay where I put you, right?”

She glared at Ryan and slammed the helmet into his stomach. He coughed out a surprised breath. “Let’s go, Teddy.”

Before they could start off, another motorcycle pulled up next to them. Bunny grinned. He recognized the bike. “Hey, Dad.”

Ryan waved. “Hey, Uncle Will.”

“Boys.” His father got off the bike, his hazel eyes somber, his dark hair ruffled by the breeze. “I understand you might need some…help?” He frowned at Glory for a moment before a big grin crossed his face. Bunny bet it was the powder blue curls.

“Julian called you?”

William shrugged, his attention diverted from Ryan’s mate. “Not sure you could call it that, exactly. Let’s just say I was sleeping and I had a dream that I should head over this way. So here I am.”

“Bear is looking out for us,” Ryan said solemnly. Bunny nodded, agreeing. Only Bear himself could have sent his father that vision.

“Anyone want to fill me in?”

“Gary is somewhere in these woods. So are Tabby and Julian.”

William growled, the sound low and fierce. “He’s going after my daughter-in-law?”

“They’re not married.”

All three Bears turned and stared at Glory.

She crossed her arms defiantly over her chest. “They’re not.”

“She’s right. We’re mated. That’s much more permanent than marriage.” Though, if Tabby wanted to go through a ceremony, he’d be proud to stand up in church and recite his vows. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he considered insisting on it. It would be one more way to make it known she belonged to him.

Ryan rolled his eyes. “C’mon, Glory. Let’s go.” He took hold of her arm, ignoring her attempt to pull away from him. Bunny was pretty sure the attempt was automatic at this point. “They went that way.”

“Mm-hmm.” He looked into the Jeep and saw two piles of clothes. “And they shifted.” His eyes darkened. He did not like the thought of his Tabby seeing any male but him naked. He didn’t care that in the Packs and Prides nudity meant nothing during a shift. It meant something to him, dammit. His father never allowed his mother to run around naked, that was for sure.

Of course, she laughed at his growls and did what she damn well pleased, but his father didn’t exactly allow it.

“Follow me.” Ryan led the way, Glory stomping in her delicate looking boots right by his side.

Bunny hid a smile. Something told him she’d give his cousin hell, but in the end she’d be just what he needed.


Tabby growled. The son of a bitch had stayed downwind. He was still in human form, but he was naked and ready to shift at any moment.

“Wow, what a coincidence. Here I am, out for a leisurely run, and who do I run into but the fucking Outcast and her baby polar Bear.”

Tabby rolled her eyes. Julian was going to kick his ass just for the polar Bear comment.

She couldn’t attack, not yet. Not until he made a threatening move. She wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize her new place in the Pride, and kicking Gary’s ass without cause would definitely make problems for her.

The two idiots Gary took everywhere laughed. Hell, after six months in Halle, she still didn’t know their names. They’d moved to flank Gary, protecting their precious wannabe Alpha. Tabby snorted. Right. He’s an Alpha. And I’m a Teletubby.

Gary looked over her shoulder at Julian. “I have no quarrel with you, Bear. Back away and you won’t get hurt.”

Julian’s answer was the deep, throbbing roar of a black bear, echoing through the woods to be heard miles away.

Gary smiled. “So be it. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to fight a Bear.”

Gary and his buddies began to shift.


Bunny’s head lifted at the sound of the other Bear’s roar. “They’re farther than I thought.”

“They must have shifted.” William began tugging off his clothes. “You two go on ahead; I’ll guard my soon-to-be niece.”

“Not in this lifetime.” Glory stomped past William, stopping just short of Ryan.

Ryan just sighed and began to pull off his clothing. Bunny was already tugging off his own clothes, terrified that Gary had managed to catch Tabby before he could get to her. It didn’t matter that Julian was with her. Black Bears rarely won a fight with a Wolf Pack. They would run, knowing the Pack could take them down.

Maybe he thought because the Pack was so small that he’d be able to defend Tabby?

“Why are you getting naked?” Glory’s wide eyes brought him back to what they were doing.

“We can’t shift in clothes. If we do, we’ll get tangled, which makes us vulnerable to attack.” Ryan was completely naked. He stretched, muscles flexing, joints popping. Bunny rolled his eyes. Ryan was showing off for his mate.

From the poleaxed look on her face, he’d succeeded. Her gaze couldn’t decide which part of his body to settle on. Ryan tipped her chin up and planted a kiss on her open mouth. “Stay with Uncle Will. He’ll keep you safe.”

Her jaw snapped shut. “I can take care of myself.”

Ryan pointed behind him. “He can take care of you better.”

Once again her jaw dropped. Where Bunny’s father had been now sat a grizzly Bear calmly scratching its ear. “Oh.” She nodded at the huge Bear. Bunny’s father was the only one in the family who rivaled him in size. “Okay. I’ll, um.” She sat down hard, bouncing a little. “Sit. Stay. Got it.” She reached under her without moving her eyes off Will Bunsun and removed a rock, tossing it aside absently.

That’s going to leave a mark. From the look on Ryan’s face he’d enjoy healing it, too.

Bunny rubbed his chest and sighed. He was forced to heal the tattoo the rest of the way and hope for the best, otherwise it would heal when he shifted. God knew what would happen to the glorious picture if he did that.

He did not want to meet his mate if her Wolf looked like a Shar-Pei.

Bunny nodded at Ryan and began to shift. He could see the shock still on Glory’s face as the two men both turned into grizzlies.

The shock turned to disgust when a long Bear tongue swiped up her cheek just before the two Bears charged into the woods.

“Ew! Bear spit!”


Tabby was shocked when she hit the ground. Julian had batted her aside with one swipe of his paw before looming over her prone body. He snarled at the Wolves facing them, daring them to go after him.

They did, nipping at his flanks, trying to draw him away from her. He refused to go more than a few yards away, darting back to her when it looked like one of them might be ready to pounce. And every time she tried to stand, he pushed her back down with one paw, easily holding her in place. He was acting like a mama protecting her cubs. She growled up at him, demanding he let her go so she could fight. He couldn’t take on even this small a Pack by himself.

Julian looked down at her and shook his head. He wasn’t going to let her go.

Tabby bided her time, watching the Wolves harass Julian. Julian moved, going after one of the Wolves.

Now.

She shot to her feet and raced after Gary. She had one shot to save Julian and she wasn’t going to waste it.

She heard Julian’s pained cry behind her. She paused in her charge, glancing back. Julian was on the ground, his neck bloodied, two wolves dodging in and out, trying to get another bite in and finish the kill. But Julian continued to snap at them, his wounds healing before their eyes.

Too slowly. Tabby knew they were healing too slowly. He was still drained from saving Chloe. If he took a wound that was too deep, his visions would come true.

She tried to jump toward him, determined to protect him, when strong jaws clamped on her hind leg and dragged her back. She threw back her head and howled in pain, desperately hoping Alex would hear. If he didn’t come soon, she was going to lose Julian.


The pained howl of a Wolf had him sprinting through the trees. The top speed for a natural grizzly had once been clocked at thirty miles an hour. Bunny did his damndest to top that.

Bunny was furious. It wasn’t long before he could hear the yips and cries of the fight. He put on an extra burst of speed, knowing seconds could mean the difference between life and death.

Ten more steps would see him where he needed to be. Nine…eight…seven…

Tabby yelped, the sound full of anguish. And Bunny, terrified, ran faster.


Julian was barely breathing, his fur matted with blood, the color a dark golden green to her Wolf’s eyes, almost blending with the soft gold of his shoulders. She could smell the coppery scent of his blood, her own and the Wolves around them.

At least they’d managed to get off a few shots of their own before going down.

She snapped at Gary, trying to get him off of her. She struggled, but couldn’t break free, not without snapping her leg. She gave up and let him drag her back, knowing what he would attempt to do next.

He would try to mount her. And when he did, she would try to kill him.


Bunny skidded to a stop, taking in the scene through furious eyes. Bright red blood matted Julian’s fur, his throat almost shredded. He could already tell the Bear was unconscious, unable to assist Tabby in her fight.

Tabby was under Gary, the would-be Alpha Wolf attempting to mount her. Her dark brown and tan fur was matted with blood and dirt, the small tuft of green at the very top barely visible. She whimpered in pain when she tried to put weight on her back paw. The leg gave way beneath her, the shock nearly giving Gary the chance to enter her. She snapped and snarled, trying to toss Gary off, but he had a hold of her neck now and was hunching his hips forward, trying to fuck the smaller Wolf.