Page 1 of Claiming the Shifter’s Heart (The Macconwood Pack Tales #16)

L ate October.

“What the fuck do you mean, bitch? Where is it? I know you took it!”

Pain erupted like an angry tea kettle spouting boiling water across her face. The feeling was shocking and sharp. Enough to force tears to spring to her eyes.

That was how it always felt when her soon to be ex-husband and former mate hit her. And he’d done that a lot in their five years together.

Della winced, but she didn’t cry out. She refused to give him the satisfaction. He grabbed her face, looking for it, wanting to see her fear. His black eyes narrowed, anger rising as she hid her emotions.

God, he was so messed up. A Shifter junky who liked to beat on women.

But what did that make her? After all, she’d stayed with him for years.

Not anymore. I found courage. I left , she told herself.

She’d heard them right before they landed, cutting through the night sky like the angry nightmare they were.

The first thing she did was grab Janie and Sean from where they’d been relaxing in the wide space of their new living room. Della didn’t recall a whole helluva lot about the uncle who’d left her his house, but she was so thankful to him for helping her out of the mess she’d made of her life.

After safely tucking her children under the back stairs, Della went to face her worst fears head on. She only prayed her precious babies would be safe.

There just wasn’t enough time to see them safely across the yard to her neighbor’s house, and she would never risk their father getting his hands on them.

Cade had a few of his buddies with him.

Of course he did.

The coward always needed an audience when he was wreaking havoc on Della with his brutal treatment.

Oh, he liked to hit.

Not slaps or shoves, either.

Cade was a fan of closed fists and hard kicks. He enjoyed seeing the bruises he’d caused across her flesh, and breaking skin was just as likely to make him hard as when he visited the titty bar with his pals.

Real fucking ladies’ men these guys were. Not.

Della knew deep down she was not to blame, but that did not stop her from feeling responsible. She’d been young and na?ve when she’d met Cade, eating up everything he said about them being mates and her needing to accept her place in the Murder where he was ranked at the bottom of the barrel.

Those Shifters were real pieces of shit. But by the time Della realized that she was already pregnant with Sean. Stupidly, she thought that would change Cade.

It did. But not in the way she’d hoped.

He’d only gotten meaner with the birth of her son. Calling her all sorts of names, his favorite of which was ‘fat slob’.

Della was never skinny, but women gained weight during pregnancy. It was natural.

Hoping he would leave her alone if she kept the weight on, Della didn’t even try to lose it after Sean was born. But it wasn’t enough to keep him away.

She went to the Crow King and begged for him to dissolve their mating, but Cade protested.

Oh, he was a good liar.

He’d pretended to be broken up over how he’d treated her. In front of the entire Murder, Cade had come, sobbing, and begging for her forgiveness.

He was good at that. At the con. The King believed him, and the others, too. Cade swore to her he’d changed, making promises her poor broken heart was desperate to believe.

Janie was born early. Seven months after his declaration, and promise to treat Della right.

Instead, he’d treated her like a punching bag for the last three months of their lives together right up until she stole away in the dead of night.

Della couldn’t take it anymore, and she had to protect her children. They were the most important things in her life.

“Fucking whore! Stole my kids! Stole my drugs. Now I want them back, Della,” Cade screamed at her.

“You will never get your filthy hands on my kids!” Della shouted back.

“Don’t want them bastards. Want my drugs, damn you,” Cade said, black eyes blazing as he hit her one more time.

He was going to kill her. She saw it plain as day. It’d been a long time coming, but she always thought Cade would be the one to do it.

No, she didn’t want to die. Had two very good reasons to go on living. But if it stopped him from chasing them, she’d gladly lay down her life.

There was nothing she wouldn’t do to save her sweet babies.

Della stood up to him, shoulders back. She’d already seen her neighbor, Samantha, rounding the back, towards Sean and Janie.

She knew the normal was a good woman, mated to a Werewolf, and together, they would protect her young. That was all Della needed to know.

She braced herself for the end, refusing to cry as he came towards her like the mean motherfucker he was.

Only at the last minute, Cade stopped. That was when she saw a pair of enormous lupine jaws closing around his forearm. His eyes went wide as the big, ferocious beast tightened his hold and shook him like a rag doll.

Gunshots sounded and the splat of Crows hitting the ground echoed in the night sky. She could hardly comprehend what was happening. Then again, she didn’t have to understand. She just needed Sean and Janie to be safe.

Della panted, pain echoing throughout her body from Cade’s abuse. She didn’t remember falling, but she was on her hands and knees, quickly moving towards the back stairs. Remembering Samantha had taken them, she switched directions and headed for her neighbor’s house.

The sounds of Wolves howling and a single Crow’s crying, the only one still alive she imagined, filled the air. Della was almost at Samantha’s steps when she stopped.

In her path was a giant Wolf with red fur and stunning bottle-green eyes. Air got caught in her lungs as he stood, head canted, just staring at her.

Oh, he was a monster, Enormous and muscled his big fangs visible from his slightly open maw. He could easily tear her limb from limb, and she would be stupid to tempt him by getting too close.

She waited, half stunned, half desperate, just frozen in place. Her babies were just behind him, safe inside Samantha’s house. She knew that and needed to get to them. But she couldn’t move a limb. At least, not until she heard her sweet son’s voice call out for her.

“Mommy!” Sean’s voice called from Samantha’s back porch and her gaze flicked to her little boy.

“Sean? Oh, Sean!” Della cried and ran for him.

Forgetting all about her misgivings, she raced right in front of the Wolf, who stood just as still as she’d been a moment ago, following her movements with keen eyes.

“Kristoff! Let’s go,” someone called, but Della was already inside, kissing her children and crying softly against their downy hair.

They’re safe. We’re all safe.