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Maisie wasn’t one to sit and wait for an outcome. She cut the engine and used the short towline to tie the boat to Jack’s vessel. Then she climbed onto the boat with the flare gun in hand, just in case she had to use it on Jack to save Robert’s life.

Jack had a large knife in his hand and was trying to stab at Robert, who dodged him as a wolf. God, Jack was wearing the clothes he’d worn on the night he was on the inn’s security video: the black boots, the charcoal-gray hoodie, the black pants with the torn pocket. Some people never learned. All that was missing was the wrist splint. He had more of a beard now than when she’d dated him.

“Throw down the knife or I’ll use this on you,” Maisie shouted. She was afraid Robert would look back at her, but he kept his focus trained on Jack. She hoped this would go down the way they needed it to and that both of them hadn’t made a mistake.

“Hell, what are you doing here?” Jack asked her.

“Taking down a murderer.”

Jack set the knife carefully down, but she didn’t trust that he was truly giving up. He had to know murdering Gus and trying to do the same with Chelsea and William gave him animmediate wolf’s death sentence, so there was no way out for him.

What she didn’t expect was for Jack to begin to yank off his clothes and shift. Nay! She was afraid that Robert would do the more honorable thing and allow Jack time to shift and then the two of them would fight. Damn it!

As soon as Jack had stripped off his clothes, he shifted, but Robert had already gone in for the kill. He wasn’t going to give Jack more time to prepare himself or go on the offensive.

Good. But Maisie couldn’t use the flare gun without chancing hitting Robert, so she stripped off her clothes and shifted into her wolf. Two wolves on one should decide Jack’s fate. She heard William’s boat’s engine returning and then two others. But they wouldn’t get here in time to decide the way this was going to go down.

Robert had bitten Jack’s face, and his cheek was bleeding. Robert had blood on his wolf coat too, but she didn’t know if it was from being bitten or if it was Jack’s blood. She raced across the boat deck and bit into Jack’s flank.

He immediately turned to tear into her, but Robert grabbed at his neck, getting Jack’s attention. A wolf’s bite could crush the spine. Jack quickly shook loose of Robert’s tentative grip. Both wolves’ canines were painted in blood. That meant Jack had wounded her mate too.

All three wolves were panting, chests heaving, Jack’s and Robert’s steely gazes on each other while she kept her attention on Jack. One false move and that could be a wolf’s demise. If Jack got ahold of Robert’s neck and could kill him,she wouldn’t stand a chance against the bigger male wolf.

She had to go for Jack’s tail so the distraction would give Robert a chance to take Jack down once and for all.

The boats coming for them were still too far off to be of any assistance. She leapt for Jack’s rump. Robert seemed to have anticipated her action and dove for Jack before Jack could attack her. She bit Jack’s tail hard, missing his rump because he skittered out of her way, but then Robert grabbed hold of Jack’s throat with the killing blow and wouldn’t let go until Jack was limp on the boat deck, his heart no longer beating.

She went over and licked Robert’s ear, but he wasn’t letting go of the wolf, as if he was afraid Jack might still get up to try and hurt her. She listened to the wolf’s heart again and then shifted. “He’s dead, Robert. There’s no heartbeat. He’s dead, and he can’t hurt anyone ever again.”

Finally, Robert released Jack and shifted, then took her into his arms and squeezed her to his chest tightly. She hugged him just as hard. “I’m okay. We’re okay. The other boats are coming. Let’s get dressed.”

They started to dress, but she was so shaky, he needed to help her. That was because of the adrenaline flooding their bloodstream after the fight. Once they were dressed, they watched as the boats arrived, filled with Highland wolf warriors ready to take down the murderer. But they were too late.

Robert climbed into their boat first, then helped Maisie into it next. He untied the rope.

“I can’t believe our extra towline stopped his boat.” Shesettled down on the seat while they motored away from the boat and Grant waved to them from another boat, William also. There was no sign of Chelsea. Maisie was so relieved that they would have no more trouble with Jack.

“Chelsea’s at the castle,” William called out.

They gave him a thumbs-up.

“He’s dead,” Robert said to Grant, sounding just as relieved.

“Good. We’ll take care of the boat, him, all of it.”

Maisie was glad they had a wolf pack to deal with matters like this. “Do you even feel like having a fish feast after all this?”

“In celebration of catching the bad guy and taking him down? You bet. We’ll just need to get cleaned up a bit, and we’ll have everyone come to the house. How do you feel?” Robert asked.

“I’m ready for it. Are you okay? Are you injured badly?”

“I’m okay. I have a few bite marks that will need some antiseptic and bandaging, but that’s all.”

“I’ll take care of you when we get home.” Maisie thought Robert might say something about objecting to her coming to his rescue.

He finally smiled at her. “You’re a great wolf fighter.”

“So are you. I didn’t want you to be so honorable—though that’s your nature and I love you for it—but under the circumstances, I didn’t want you to let him shift first.”