Page 3

Riley sighed and gestured to the other side of the bed. “Victor, come to the other side.” Victor moved instantly, sending a threatening glare to Zack, barely registering the one Zack returned. Alex pushed his way past Raschid with a bowl of water and some cloths. Victor didn’t even ask. He just took the water from his arms, ignoring the boy, who glanced at Riley but sensibly backed away to the door. As Victor took the bowl, Zack snatched the towel draped over Alex’s shoulder. Riley nodded. “Be careful. His nose was broken, and it’s still really bruised. I’m having to concentrate on the serious injuries first.”

“What other injuries?” Zack asked before Victor got a chance to, but Victor very much wanted to know as well. He dipped the soft rag in the warm water and more gently than he thought he was capable of, started cleaning his mate’s face.

“Ribs. One had punctured his lung.” Riley continued, then frowned and reached under the young man's head. Riley’s hand cupped the back of it, and then Riley staggered but Zack reached out quickly and steadied him.

“Take some of mine,” Zack bit out and Victor stopped what he was doing a second to watch Riley let go and hold on to Zack for a moment. Then he nodded and straightened, his hand going back to his mate.

“Brain bleed,” Riley whispered, which just about stopped Victor’s heart. “It’s okay, it’s healed,” Riley added and he withdrew his hand.

“Son?” Victor looked up and saw Christopher Hunter standing next to Alex, watching Riley in concern. But Riley seemed okay. He glanced at Zack and wondered what the hell had just happened? But Zack was carefully drying around his mate’s face. Victor waited for the jealousy or anger to return, but surprisingly, his wolf wasn’t objecting.

He gazed in fascination at the man lying in front of him. He was slender, short even for a human. He was pretty sure that both of Daniel’s mates were taller than his mate. He had pale white skin, but with so much swelling and huge purple and red bruising, it was difficult to see much. His short brown hair was mattered with blood and Victor wanted to clean that as well. Fuck, what the hell was going on with him? Although he knew, of course he did. Every shifter knew instinctively when they met their mate.

There were, however, two huge problems as far as he could see—no, make that a list of them. And not simply that his mate was fully human and had been beaten nearly to death, but that his mate also appeared to be Zack’s as well. He reached up and carefully cleaned the blood from around a pair of eyes he wished were open so he could see their color. Zack immediately followed carefully with the towel, and again Victor’s wolf seemed to accept it.

“How’s he doing?”

They all looked up as Jax, Riley’s mate, appeared at the door.

“Where would you like me to begin?” Riley smiled at Jax. “We have a human that was dumped on our doorstep deliberately after being beaten to within an inch of his life, and he’s about to be fought over by Zack and Victor, who, despite recognizing the human as their mate seem to actually hate each other, so I have no idea how that would even work.”

Christopher shook his head. “Do we know who he is?”

Victor risked a glance at Zack, the weight of Riley’s words settling in him and making him feel vaguely ill. He was going to have to challenge the bear for his mate? Zack met Victor’s gaze, and Victor recognized the same desire and challenge in the bear shifter. He had no qualms about fighting for his mate. He would fight to the death to claim him, but how would that even work? They were struggling in the pack assimilating hybrids. What would happen if he tried to claim a full human mate?

Riley stepped back. “I want to let him rest for a while, then I’ll reassess the same injuries. I don’t want to start on the bruising until I make sure the other injuries have fully healed.”

“There’s a doubt?” Victor bit out.

“He’s human. Sometimes it’s not as simple as one and done,” Riley countered. “I want to give his body a rest.” Riley stepped back, and Victor heard a gasp from Alex.

Everyone turned to the boy. “What is it?” Christopher asked.

“I know him,” Alex said. “I couldn’t tell with all the blood, but Tyler will know him as well.”

“Who is he?” Zack asked before Victor got the chance to.

“Mr. Granger. I think his first name is Lachlan or something, but I’m not certain. He works with the kids who need extra help with reading.”

“He’s a teacher?” Riley confirmed, and Alex nodded.

“Started this semester.”

Victor stared back at his mate. What was going on? First, the school had problems with drugs, and it may have something to do with the pack, and now a teacher from the same school had been dumped on Hunter’s Creek doorstep.

He glanced up at Zack, who was watching his mate, then looked up and met Victor’s eyes. “You don’t think this is a coincidence, do you?”

Victor shook his head. No. No, he didn’t.

Chapter Three

Zackdidn’tevenbotherlooking up as Riley shooed everyone out of the small room. His dad put a hand on his shoulder and told him not to worry about Mattie tonight, as they would take the baby monitor into their room. He felt a stab of guilt, but his dad squeezed his shoulder lightly and reminded him his mom was having a blast with her grandson.

He knew Victor had left the room with his alpha, and for a moment it was blessedly quiet. Riley had to finish the healing, but he was resting and eating for now.

Victor had seen the energy exchange he’d done with Riley and Zack was expecting questions. It had happened as a complete accident last year. They’d gone on a job to look at a security system a charity wanted to implement to deal with the identity of their thousands of donors. Zack hadn’t flown them this time, as it had been all the way down in Miami. They’d been in a cab from the airport and barely twenty minutes later, some idiot in a stolen car had rocketed away from the cops straight into a school bus.

Riley had nearly killed himself trying to help before the ambulances arrived. Literally nearly died draining so much of himself. He’d staggered to another child and Zack had put a hand out to steady him just as Riley had touched the kid’s chest. Zack had felt the drain of his own energy immediately.