Page 81 of Mated to the Mountain Bear

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.

33

ZARA

The radio crackles in my hand. Through the static comes muffled snarling, bodies colliding and no response from Maddox.

A grunt of effort, then something heavy hits the ground. Ben’s roar cuts through, but it sounds wrong. Pained. I know it’s him. I just know.

The snarling intensifies, punctuated by laughter. More growls echo through the speaker, followed by splintering wood. A yelp that makes my stomach drop.

Then nothing but static.

“Maddox? Ben?”

Dead air.

I stare at the radio, then at the truck keys on the kitchen counter.