Always a wimp when it came to pain, the idea of being stitched up without local anesthetic turned Layla’s stomach, but not as much as the idea of Donald finding her. She’d come here because she had no choice and now she realized what a horrible decision it had been. These people had no idea the trouble she brought with her. They kept to themselves, only coming into town occasionally for supplies. They didn’t deserve to be tangled up in her mess.

“There you go.” Korbin pressed another piece of medical tape to her stomach to keep his makeshift bandage in place. “That will cut down on the bleeding until you decide whether to be stitched or allow the healer—”

A growl echoed through the air, cutting Korbin off mid-sentence. His fingers stilled over her bandage, the tension tightening every muscle within him. Glancing up at him, she found his jaw set but it was the change in his eyes that stole her breath. She could have sworn his eyes were a light hazel color before, but as their gazes met, they appeared a warm amber.

“What is that?” Her voice was low, barely above a whisper.

“Stay here.” He rose from where he knelt beside her. “Don’t leave this room. Understand?”

“I don’t understand. What’s happening?”

“I’ve trusted you, even though you haven’t told me anything. Now I ask that you return the favor.” He brushed a finger along her cheek and jaw, caressing her skin. “We’ll both explain things when I get back. Feel free to lie on the bed and rest. I’ll be back soon. You’re safe here.”

“But that—”

“Trust me, Layla. Nothing will happen to you here.”

Before she could argue, he strolled out of the bedroom, leaving her alone with her thoughts. It was strange but she did trust him. Just as she had trusted Rachel and Sparks, almost from the moment they’d walked into the store in town. Something about them comforted her, telling her everything would be okay if they were around. How weird, since she didn’t really know them. Their only connection was the two times a month she’d see them when they came in for supplies. Still, she was sure they would help her. For that reason, she’d decided to come to this place. She believed they’d help her instead of calling the police. She needed to keep faith in that and continue to have conviction in them now.

The growl weighed on her mind. It wasn’t like anything she’d heard before. The woods were home to bears and other creatures but this noise had been different. The soft rumble hidden within the menacing growl reminded her of the small orange tabby kitten she’d had as a child. Only this was much louder, as if it was on steroids.

“The zoo.” She shook her head, trying her best to shake away the outrageous thoughts running wild within her. An animal escaping the zoo was rare and while it did happen, the chances one making it this far without being caught had to be slim to none. The nearest zoo was located over two hours away.

Rising from the cedar chest, she did her best to convince herself that it was something else. The idea of Korbin out there facing an untamed, escaped beast was too much for her to handle. She couldn’t bring herself to go near the window. If they were all being torn apart by an angry beast she didn’t want to see it; her brain was doing fine on its own, producing images of their bloody demise.

Exhausted, she was overwhelmed by the temptation of crawling into bed yet still, she resisted. Sleep left her vulnerable. Needing to stay awake, she paced next to the bed, focusing on the pain. Every ounce of her hurt though it was nothing like the pain radiating through her midsection. She was lucky that the bullet had passed through, but the way she felt was enough to remind her how close she had come to Donald killing her.

Going back would be the signature on her death certificate, as would leaving him. He’d never let her go. As sheriff, he had resources others didn’t to help him locate her. Her only hope was to get as far away from him as possible. She had to leave behind every trace that Layla Cole existed. Run and hide. If he found her, there wasn’t a doubt in her mind he’d kill her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught movement through the window. The green of Korbin’s t-shirt caught her attention. Before she could stop herself, she went to stand next to the window, staring at a four-hundred-pound white tiger. If she wasn’t so terrified of what was about to happen, she would have been in awe of the beautiful creature.

“Korbin, no, get away!” she screamed at the window, begging him to hear her. “That tiger will rip you apart!” It wasn’t logical but she placed the blame on herself. If she hadn’t been there, if he hadn’t been treating her wounds, he’d have known about this escaped feline. Maybe then, the people here could have done something to protect themselves.

Korbin turned toward the building, the same amber eyes she’d seen moments before focused on her. His lips moved but she couldn’t make out what he was saying. She fixed her attention on his gaze. There was something in his eyes—it wasn’t fear but before she could make it out, he turned back to the tiger before him.

“Shoo, tiger.”

“He’ll be fine.” A deep male voice came from behind her, forcing her attention away from Korbin.

“Help him. Don’t let him die because of me!” she pleaded with the stranger.

“Because of you?” Sparks stepped into the bedroom behind the other man.

“If I hadn’t come here you’d have known a tiger escaped the zoo, circus, or whatever.” She stepped away from the window, toward Sparks. “How can you stay in here safely when he’s out there, facing that thing? Fuck it. I’ll do it.”

“You’re not going out there.” The other man stepped in between her and the door.

“Get out of my way. I can’t just sit by and do nothing.” She debated if she could take him on. Where Korbin’s muscles were tight and toned, this man was buff. His shoulders were wide, nearly filling the doorway, making it impossible for her to slip past him. The darkness in his eyes made him seem dangerous but his stance was relaxed. He didn’t even appear bothered by the fact a tiger was about to tear Korbin apart.

“We have our orders.” Sparks dropped into the accent chair next to the dresser. “Doll, it’s best if you get comfortable and wait for Korbin to come back.”

“The Alpha gave you orders and they were not to sit there and flirt with his…” His gaze darted toward her. “Go, Sparks.”

“I wasn’t flirting.” Sparks huffed as he rose. He glanced at her before moving toward the door. “Everything’s going to be fine. Korbin will be back in a few. Watch from the window if you don’t believe me.”

“Back? Are you insane? There’s a flipping tiger out there!” she screamed at him, unable to understand why no one else was freaking out. They were going to die and these idiots were treating the whole situation like an everyday event.

She’d lived through hell with Donald, fearful of anything that might have had him raising his fists at her. Now, this was how her life was going to end. Not at Donald’s hands but between the tiger’s teeth. Fuck my luck!

* * *

Just when Korbin had come close to having Layla tell him what she was running from, everything went off the deep end. Rather than learning about what his mate feared, he’d ended up standing in front of another terrified female—Merrie. Only, she was a tigress instead of human.

The clan had come a long way since he had taken over but she was the one he was most concerned about. Her feelings of pain and betrayal permeated the air, bringing his tiger forward. He didn’t know how but she had found out his plans.

“Shift and we can talk about this.” Keeping his pace slow, he approached Merrie. He didn’t want to spook her. The last thing he wanted was to have to hurt her because her beast was too much in control. Rather than listen to his command, she tipped her head back and roared.

“Korbin, no, get away!” Even through the closed window, he could hear Layla’s voice. The fear coating her words made his tiger want to lash out at the person causing her such terror. He had to find a way to tell her about shifters but this wasn’t how he wanted her to find out.

Sensing that Zaz and Sparks had reached Layla, he was free to take care of Merrie. He could face Layla’s reaction to the tiger later. Another rage-filled roar from the tiger in front of him snapped his focus back to the issue at hand.

“Shift. Now.” The order from her Alpha left no room for negotiation, forcing her transition.

One minute a snarling white tigress stood before him, the next a naked female crouched on the ground. Her energy snapped from the sudden forced transition, and she bowed her head in submission. Her long white blonde hair hid her face from view, while her emotions were streaming through their connection. Through the rage there was a trace of remorse for her display.

“Rachel.”

At the sound of her name, Rachel went to the woman and wrapped a blanket around her shoulders.

“Come with me.” Rachel coaxed.

“I must speak with our Alpha,” Merrie pleaded.

“I gave you that option and you snarled at me. Now go with Rachel and I’ll be there to speak with you shortly.” He kept his voice flat, allowing no emotion to seep through. He wasn’t an uncaring Alpha, but her display could have been disastrous. Not only because there was a human on the grounds but also because her tiger had been so close to the surface.

“You’re sending me—”

“Enough,” he hollered, cutting her off before she could spark fear in the others who had gathered. “Now go.”

He wasn’t ashamed of his decision and would gladly announce it to the rest of their small clan, but he wanted to speak with Merrie before it became public knowledge. Only one person besides Zaz knew of the plans. Kasar. It was time he had a conversation with the guard. The man was good at his job but he wasn’t always cautious of who might be lurking, overhearing him giving out orders to the guards under his watch. This was the second time such a thing happened. So far, they had been minor incidents but the next time, it could lead to a major security breach.

First, though, he had to check on Layla. The terror she felt at seeing the tiger reached out to him and tightened his chest. It was time to relieve her fears. If she’d witnessed Merrie’s transformation back to human he’d have some explaining to do as well.

Mating—it’s never easy, but always worth it. His father had repeated those words many times when he was a kid. Until now, he hadn’t realized how true they were. Mating with a human would make things harder, though if he could turn the clan around, he could make her understand his tiger wasn’t something to be feared. Whatever she was running from, his tiger would provide protection for her. She was his mate.

“Korbin.” Larry jogged across the lawn toward him. “I just heard Merrie had a meltdown. Need help?”

“She’s on ice for now. I gave her the opportunity to shift and talk but she refused. Now she’ll wait and I’ll deal with her in a bit. Until then, Rachel is with her. She knows my plan to send her to Alaska.” He continued toward his quarters, Larry falling into step beside him. “I could use your help with something else.”

He paused outside the door that would lead him back to his mate and turned toward the other man. Larry was one of the members from the West Virginia Tigers that Jinx had loaned him. While the others were helping with security and training the guards he acquired, Larry was there as an electrician. He was the reason why they were so close to getting the new building complete. He had his work cut out for him, but Larry had the connections to obtain the information he needed.

“I need to know when to expect Raja and the others. More importantly, when Galen arrives, I need him in my quarters immediately.” He rested his hand on the door handle but didn’t twist it to open the door yet.

“This is concerning the human who arrived earlier, isn’t it? Rumors are circulating she’s injured.” When Korbin nodded, Larry continued, “Did Rachel tell you the whole story? Did she tell you who the man involved in the incident is?”

“No, but it wouldn’t change anything. She’s my mate.”

“Might not change anything but it matters.” Larry tipped his head toward the door. “Step inside. Trust me, it’s not something you want overheard.”

Knowing the man well enough, he did as he suggested. Opening the door, he stepped into the long hallway leading toward his quarters. At the other end of the hall stood the dining area. No one would be in there; they’d be completely alone. “So, who do I get to kill for terrorizing my mate?”

“It’s not that simple.” Larry adjusted his toolbelt and leaned back against the wall. “Your mate is tangled up with the sheriff.”

“Fuck!” He ran his hand over his face and up into his hair.

“My sentiments as well. It won’t be long until he comes looking for her and trust me when I say he’s a real asshole. You need to keep everyone on alert and keep those shifting away from the gate.”

“Why didn’t Rachel or Sparks tell me?” It wouldn’t have changed anything but this was information he needed to know and they’d withheld it from him. Mentally, he added another thing to his list. He’d have to speak with them after he put extra guards on duty and spoke to his mate.

“I don’t believe Sparks knows. Rachel let it slip when we were talking. That’s how I learned the man’s identity.”

“Well, she’s not going anywhere, so when you contact Raja, fill him in. The team might not want to stay, but I need Galen to heal her.” He shook his head as the pieces started to fall into place. “No wonder she didn’t want to go to the hospital, and I can understand the stench of fear that came off her when I mentioned they’d report a gunshot wound to the authorities. Shit.”

“Go explain things to your mate and get the full story. I’ll contact Raja and check with Rachel to make sure she has Merrie under control.” Larry pushed off the wall and rose to his full height. “We’ll protect her.”

After Larry left, Korbin stood there for a moment, allowing the new development to sink in. Without Larry and the others from the West Virginia Tigers there, he might have been more concerned for Layla’s safety. He needed to find a way to protect all of those around him, especially his mate. This threat was human but the next one might not be. He was prepared for what would come. Layla on the other hand had no idea that she stood in the middle of the tigers’ lair with danger around every corner.