Page 1 of The Wolf’s Wounded Omega (The Grizzly Ridge #2)

D ANNY

I closed the front door as quietly as possible, wincing when the latch clicked into place. The sound might be almost imperceptible to a human, but if Rex was awake, he’d hear it clear as day, and that was the last thing I wanted.

“Where have you been?”

I froze, my heart hammering like crazy. “W-work.”

“I don’t believe you.” The words were practically a growl.

I turned slowly, searching the dimly lit open-plan living area for my boyfriend. If I were calmer, I’d be able to hear the thud of his heartbeat and the rasp of his breath, but as it was, everything was drowned out by the pounding of my own pulse.

There he was. Leaning against the kitchen counter, his arms crossed over his burly chest, his eyes narrowed. He pushed off the counter and stalked toward me, and I fought the urge to back away. When Rex was in a mood like this, it never ended well, but making it obvious I was afraid of him only aggravated him more .

“Tell me where you were,” he demanded, towering over me.

“I f-finished at the bakery and then c-came home,” I stammered.

He leaned close, sniffed, and shook his head. “I can smell other alphas on you. Have you been sleeping around on me again?”

“N-no.” My voice wavered. “I’ve never cheated on you. I promise. I stopped at the police station on the way and talked to Zander.”

He stiffened. “Why did you need to talk to Zander?”

“He’s my brother.” And he was also in charge of the local police force, so I could understand Rex’s concern. If Zander—or any of my brothers—discovered the truth of our relationship, Rex would be in deep trouble.

He shoved me against the wall, moving so quickly I didn’t have time to react. The breath rushed from my lungs and I gasped, desperate for air.

“Zander isn’t the only alpha I smell on you,” he snarled.

I cowered, unsure how to convince him of my fidelity. He kept me pinned there with one hand. Then, all of a sudden, his other hand cracked across my face.

I stared at him, stunned, as my cheek burned. Tears sprang to my eyes.

He’d hit me.

Sure, it wasn’t the first time, but usually he released me immediately after, the guilt clear in his expression.

Not now.

His eyes glittered gold, his bear coming to the surface. They gleamed with fury as he grabbed me beneath my armpits and lifted me off the ground.

I considered lashing out with my legs. Even though omegas were weaker than alphas, I was larger than average and could probably land a solid kick to distract him. But perhaps he just wanted to frighten me, and once he realized he’d achieved that, he’d put me down again.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t how it went.

Instead, he slammed me back against the wall. A sharp pain flared in my side and I cried out.

“Shut up!” He dropped me, and I slid to the ground, clutching my ribs. “Who is it? One of the policemen? Tell me his name.”

“There’s no one,” I croaked.

He manhandled me until I fell onto my side and then he drove his foot into my solar plexus. I curled up, shielding myself with my legs and arms.

He kicked me again and again. Despite my enhanced healing capacity, the blows ached, and I was afraid he might rupture something vital.

When he struck my temple, stars exploded on the insides of my eyelids.

Fuck.

He wasn’t going to stop.

I grabbed for his leg, holding onto the ankle so he couldn’t kick me again. He swung something at me and knocked me off. Gritting my teeth, I allowed a partial shift to ripple through me and slashed at him with my claws. The coppery tang of blood filled my nostrils and he swore.

“You fucking—”

I swiped at him again, and he moved backward, giving me enough room to scurry away. I considered shifting fully, but it would be easier to get out the door in this form. I lunged toward it, reaching for the handle, pain lancing through me everywhere Rex had struck me.

Claws circled my ankles and he pulled me back. I smacked face-first onto the ground and my ears rang. I tried to focus, to fight, but my mind was fuzzy.

A noise outside caught my attention… or had I imagined it?

I called out, cutting off abruptly when Rex clapped his hand—now clawless—over my mouth and straddled me. He held me still, and I no longer had the energy to struggle.

He was older. An alpha. If he wanted to hurt me—even kill me—there was only so much I could do to protect myself. I hadn’t been trained to fight like my brothers had. I was a pastry chef. A baker. I liked to create sweet cakes that made people happy. I didn’t know how to fend off an angry alpha bear.

But just as I internally admitted defeat, a roar sounded on the other side of the door, and with an almighty crash, it splintered inward.

A massive grizzly charged through the ruined doorway and tore Rex off me. The bear tossed him across the room and, when Rex dared to rise, smacked him back down. The bear leaped on Rex, pinning him to the ground. I wondered briefly if Rex might shift, but as I dragged myself around to see what was happening, he remained in human form.

Perhaps he realized that he stood no chance against Everett, whether he was a bear or a man.

The grizzly shrank, his fur receding and bones readjusting themselves until my naked brother appeared atop Rex.

He looked over at me. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” It was all I could bring myself to say. I wanted to squeeze my eyes shut, curl into the fetal position, and pretend none of this was happening.

I couldn’t believe he was here. As much as I was grateful to him for saving me, it was beginning to sink in that he knew the truth now. He knew how weak I was, and what I’d allowed to happen.

Everett stood and ground his foot onto the center of Rex’s back. “Pack your shit and get out. You have two minutes.”

He backed away but kept his eyes on Rex as he scrambled up and bolted for the hall. Neither of us moved or spoke as we listened to him stuff things into a backpack in the bedroom. Less than a minute later, the back door slammed, and he was gone.

“Stay away from Grizzly Ridge,” Everett shouted after him.

We both knew he’d hear and that he’d see it as the order it was. Everett might not be the Clan Alpha or even the second-in-command, but he was an enforcer, and Rex would be a fool to disobey a direct order from him. While Rex might be paranoid and cruel, he wasn’t stupid.

Everett padded over and dropped to his haunches beside me. “Fuck, Danny. What did he do to you?”

I pressed my lips together to stop myself from crying.

“Hey, now.” He touched my shoulder gently. “Come on. Let me take you to Momma.”

Panic tore through me. “No!”

If Momma saw me like this, then Dad would too, and before long, the entire family would know what a failure I was. Shame churned in my gut and burned up the back of my throat.

No one would look at me the same after this.