Page 40 of Mated to the Mountain Bear (Bear Protector #1)
BEN
W atching Zara drive away with three wolves on her tail is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
The truck’s taillights disappear around the bend. My bear claws at my insides, demanding I chase after her, protect what’s ours. But I can’t. Not with a dozen wolves still circling, their eyes glowing in the darkness.
My mission here is simple. Buy Zara time to reach Maddox.
The alpha steps forward from the shadows. Even in human form, something’s wrong with him. His skin has a greyish cast, patches of hair, missing from his scalp. His yellowed eyes track where Zara disappeared.
“She won’t get far.” His voice rasps like sandpaper. “My wolves will bring her back to me, even if she doesn’t understand what we are yet.”
I let the rage fuel my shift. Bones crack and reform. Muscle and sinew stretch. The familiar pain grounds me, keeping me from losing control completely. When I open my eyes again, the world is sharper. Clearer.
The alpha’s sick scent fills my nostrils.
The first wolf hits me from the side, teeth sinking into my shoulder. I grab him by the scruff and hurl him into the nearest tree. The crack of impact echoes. Two more take his place. Then three. They know what they’re doing, working together like a practiced unit.
Fine. Let them come.
I tear through the next wave, claws finding purchase. One yelps as I catch its flank. Another crashes into the cabin wall hard enough to splinter wood. But they keep coming. For every wolf I throw off, two more pile on.
The alpha watches from a safe distance, arms crossed. “Don’t kill him yet. I want him conscious for what comes next.”
Those words make my bear see red. I surge upward, throwing wolves off my back. My roar shakes the trees. Three more leap at once. I catch one mid-air and slam it down. The other two latch onto my hindquarters.
Blood drips steadily now. Dozens of wounds, none fatal, yet. They’re wearing me down by degrees.
I plant my feet wide, becoming an immovable wall. If they want to get past me to follow Zara, they’ll have to go through me. And I’ll make them pay for every inch.
“Stupid bear. Did you really think you could take on an entire pack?”
The alpha stands just out of reach. His yellowed eyes are manic, his sallow skin visibly clammy. Whatever’s wrong with him runs deeper than missing his mate.
A true mate would die for their freedom, not steal it.
Two wolves charge from opposite sides. I pivot, catching one with my claws while my shoulder checks the other. Both go flying. My movements are slowing, but I’m still on my feet. Still fighting.
Through the trees comes the rumble of a motorcycle engine. Maddox. The alpha’s head snaps toward the sound. The bike crashes somewhere close, engine cutting out. Then silence.
Uncertainty flickers across the alpha’s face for the first time.
My brother explodes through the treeline. He doesn’t slow down, just plows straight into the nearest wolf, sending it flying. Blood already marks his claws.
He scans the clearing, taking in my condition and the number of wolves. I see the moment he processes the odds. But Maddox just grins, all teeth.
“Where is she?” I demand, shifting back to speak with him.
“Safe.” He positions himself at my flank. “Locked in tight. Nothing’s getting through those doors.”
The alpha’s face twists with rage. “You think walls will keep me from my mate?”
“His mate?” Maddox asks as more wolves circle us.
“Not his mate. He’s confused.”
We transform in our huge animals and move in sync, years of being brothers overriding our differences. A wolf goes for Maddox’s throat. I intercept. Another tries to hamstring me. My brother blocks it.
“She’s mine,” the alpha snarls. “And you’re running out of time.”
He finally shifts, his wolf form as sickly as his human one. Patches of fur missing, and bones that don’t quite fit right. Maddox’s eyes widen at the sight.
More howls echo through the forest. Reinforcements.
The alpha’s diseased wolf shows its teeth in what might be a smile. New pack members fall in line behind him.
Maddox nods at me. We both know what we have to do.
The wolves attack as one. I brace for impact, claws ready. We may be outnumbered, but we’re not done yet.