“Why did you need me?” Heather asked.
“To make sure it doesn’t turn into a full drawn-out blood bath. You’re one of the victims of the rogue sleuth. With you there, Joe might be more amenable to talking than just getting to the fighting. I can do both, but I don’t want to kill him. We could have been good friends, and I know Bethany is still friends with him.”
Bethany appeared to be friends with everyone. It seemed to be her gift.
Arriving outside of the diner, a new wave of sickness hit Heather.
“I won’t let anything happen to you, Heather. I promise. Don’t panic.”
That was easy for him to say.
****
When Caleb and Heather arrived a few hours later with Joe, David accepted the punch he got to the face.
Heather cried out, rushing toward him.
David looked up, blood spilling from his lip. “Are you done?”
“Not yet.”
Joe raised his fist, but Heather threw herself in front of him. “Hit him again and it’s the last thing you’ll remember.”
“He deserves a hell of a lot more than a punch,” Joe said.
“Yeah, well, maybe you should be knocked around too seeing as the girl was clearly in your territory and you knew nothing about it.” Heather’s accusations filled the air, and David sensed the anger and mounting tension within Joe.
He pulled her behind him and stared Joe in the face. “I didn’t know what the fuck I was dealing with,” he said.
“Enough of this,” Caleb said. “I didn’t bring you back here to pound on my wolves. David already knows what he did wrong. None of us know what we would have done in that situation. We’re going out hunting tonight. If she’s out there, we’ll find her.”
“What?” Bethany asked. “You can’t go out tonight. You need to rest. You just got back.”
“There’s no choice,” Joe said. “If she is a bear shifter and she’s gone through the transition alone, there’s no telling what we’ll find. If she’s too far gone, I’ll have to kill her.”
Bethany gasped.
David pulled Heather to him. “We don’t know that,” David said.
“We’re wasting time,” Joe said. “I will not harm any of your wolves, but I do want you to acknowledge what we’re about to do is highly dangerous. Any of your pack get harmed during this hunt, it’s on them, not on me.”
Caleb nodded. “Agreed. Same for you.”
David kissed Heather’s head. He was going to find this woman and he was going to save her. There was no way he was going to be able to look in his mate’s eyes if his error got this woman killed.
“Wait,” Heather said. She held his arm, stopping him from leaving. “I should come with you.”
“No,” Joe said. “The less people there are, the better.”
“Yes, but you’re all men,” Heather said. “David said this was a woman, possibly a teenager. We don’t know how long it’s been since she turned. With five men, do you think she’s going to be open to you? That she’ll come to you with open arms? I know I wouldn’t.”
David didn’t want his woman anywhere near that crazed female. She’d attacked him. If he’d been human, he wouldn’t be alive to talk about it. “I’m not risking you.”
“I’m not asking for your permission, David. This girl may need a woman. She may be more willing if a woman is there. I’m coming with you.”
“The risks!”
“I don’t give a fuck about the risks,” Heather said. “She could be terrified. I’m not going to let her be afraid, not if I can help it.”
His woman looked fierce. There was no stopping his she-wolf.
He wasn’t going to be the kind of man who stopped his woman from doing anything. And he knew she was more than capable in her fur.
“I’m coming too. Anyone want to argue about that?” asked Mika.
Nobody said a word.
“Let’s go,” he said.
Joe shook his head, muttering. “Too many people.”
Caleb put his hand up. “No, if she’s rogue, there’s not enough people here. You and I both know we could all be walking into a death trap. It takes all of us, or you’re not hunting in my forest, and we know she’s here somewhere.”
Joe had his hands on his hips. The heavy scent of anger permeated the air. “Fine. But stay out of my fucking way.”
David released a breath. “Come on.”
They got to the edge of the forest. Caleb, Reese, Brian, and Mika all turned into wolves. Joe shifted into his bear.
David looked at Heather, who shook her head. “I’m not turning.”
“Heather, come on.”
“I can keep up. You don’t have to worry about me like that, but I’m not going to scare her. The human scent is probably more comforting.”
He wanted to argue, but Caleb and the others had already taken off.
“Fine. But I will turn. I’ll protect you.”
Heather nodded.
Stripping out of his clothes, he turned into his wolf, feeling the beast within him. In his fur, he felt more capable. He’d ensure Heather was safe.
Lifting his muzzle to the air, he took a deep breath and knew the bear was close. The scent was the same as from the attack and similar to what he smelled the last few days of hunting.
David took off, expecting Heather to follow him, but as he turned around, he caught sight of his mate going in the opposite direction.
What the fuck?
What was she doing now?
He needed to follow the bear, not chase after Heather, but he found himself turning toward her, running with all his might. He sensed the pack and Joe were close.
Heather didn’t slow down. She came to a stop and he paused, looking where she was.
Holy shit.
His mate had found her.
There was a young woman, completely naked, covered in dirt, curled up and rocking back and forth.
David saw the cuts and bruises on her flesh. Her hair was filthy and long, partially covering her body.
“Don’t be afraid,” Heather said.
The girl looked up. She had the most intense blue eyes, he’d ever seen. The moment she caught sight of Heather, they bled to black. This wasn’t good. Her bear was taking over.
Heather shocked him further as she sat down on the ground, legs folded, hands placed on her knees. “My name’s Heather. Do you have a name?”
David watched the girl’s eyes slowly turn blue again, the bear not coming forward. Her body seemed to ripple though. Fur appeared and disappeared.
“I … I don’t remember.”
Her voice came out in a growl, sounding more feral than human.
David stayed perfectly still, but her gaze went straight to him, and she instantly went into an attack posture, springing to all fours.
Heather moved in front of him, sitting back down, hiding him from the girl. Was she a girl? A woman?
“That’s okay. You don’t remember your name. That’s fine. You’ve had an awful experience.”
“He needs to leave.”
“David’s my mate,” Heather said. “He won’t harm you. He’s here with me.”
“Mate?”