Darrell had started running as soon as he’d received the call. He’d been waiting in the sheriff’s office. He’d wanted to give Carrie space, but was too uneasy to stay away, in case there’d be news.

He’d made the right call. The police station was only a few blocks from the cozy little bakery, and Darrell made it there in record time.

He knew Glory’s worth as a fighter. She could hold herself easily against a werewolf—even against three. Still, even though the fragile, growing mate bond told him that Carrie was unharmed, he ran faster than he’d ever run before—and he made it just in time to see Glory growl aggressively right into the face of a man helpless beneath the body of her bear.

Immediately, all of Darrell’s protective instincts kicked in.

The man was obviously used to fighting. He had the muscular body of a soldier, and the good sense to stay motionless, with Glory’s jaw all but closed around his throat.

He wasn’t a danger right now—not even if he shifted.

Why hasn’t he shifted?

Then something tugged on his heart—a distinct, almost physical sensation that he recognized instantly, even though it was still so new to him.

Carrie.

The pull made him raise his eyes, immediately meeting her own. She was safely inside, just as Eve had promised, watching the proceedings from behind the glass door that led out into the bakery’s garden.

She was waving at him frantically, and then, clearly against Eve’s advice, hastily opened the door again to stumble out onto the patio.

An instinctive little growl escaped Darrell when the werewolf twitched.

“Don’t! Wait!” Carrie gasped.

Her eyes were wide. She was very pale, and through the bond, Darrell could now feel the full force of her emotions hit him. She was distressed—he’d thought it was because of the werewolf, but there was something more.

“Don’t hurt him! I want to hear what he has to say!”

“Are you sure?” Darrell asked, giving the man on the ground a look of warning. “We know why he’s here. He’s been hunting you in the forest. He probably tried to kill you with the accident. He’s been following you out here to—”

Carrie shook her head. “No. He said—he said that he’s my father.”

She was trembling a little. Darrell saw her shake, even as the full impact of her words hit him.

“Are you sure?” he asked again, stepping to her side to wrap his arm around her. “It might be a trick.”

“He could have killed me,” she said, shrugging helplessly. “I don’t know. I don’t know anything. But I want—I want to hear what he’s got to say.”

Again Darrell growled, then gave Glory a sharp nod.

“Let him up,” he said.

With a disappointed grumble of her own, Glory took a step back, taking her large paw from the werewolf’s chest.

“He had a picture,” Carrie murmured. “I couldn’t see it clearly, but he was trying to show it to me...”

“Well?” Darrell snapped at the stranger. “Get up. Explain yourself. And don’t try any tricks. It’s two bears against one wolf.”

“Two bears and a cat,” Carrie corrected him, already sounding a little more like herself. “And I want answers now. You’ve been following me since the accident. Why? And who are you?”

“Name’s Tom. Tom Grayfur among wolves.” With a painful cough, the man slowly got to his feet. “And I’m your father. You’re right—someone sent me after you to kill you.”

Darrell growled in open anger as the bear within him reared up with a fierce, protective rage as hot as the sun.

Unafraid, the werewolf stared at him with golden eyes.

“Easy there, mate. I didn’t do it, did I? I looked into her as I prepared for the job—now I don’t like to do that sort of work, but you make a mistake in your youth, you end up with bad folks, and a few years down the road you realize you can’t get out anymore.”

Darrell scoffed. “Spare me your sad tales,” he said.

He knew that sort of life well enough—he’d grown up in just that sort of bad company, after all. And he’d done everything he could to get himself and the rest of his clan out of it.

“Knew a woman in my youth,” the man said, coughing again. “Cat shifter. My mate. Loved her more than you can imagine. That’s why I had to leave her, you see. The folks I was running with—they’d have hurt her. Killed her. Only way to keep her safe was to leave her, make sure that no one ever knew she was my mate.”

Carrie swallowed. “A cat shifter?”

The werewolf looked at her from his golden eyes. “Pretty like you,” he said heavily. “Turned into one of those fancy cats—all soft, silky long fur. Always knew she was too good for me.”

“And then?” Darrell demanded.

“As soon as I saw your picture, I knew. You look just like her. I’ve got some connections. Took some bribes, but I eventually found someone who got access to what files they had on you. You’re her kid. Hers—and mine. I never knew she was pregnant, you see.” The man raised a hand to his face, his voice rough as he continued. “Never would have left if I’d known... I only wanted to protect her, but she died anyway, and you—you were all alone.”

“What happened to my mom?” Carrie asked shakily. “What—did someone kill her?”

Tom shook his head. “An accident. She was crossing the street. A car was going too fast. She didn’t have any family—and no shifter friends. So word never got back to me.”

“And I was fostered with human families,” Carrie completed softly.

Darrell gave Glory a small nod. The bear backed away a little further, and Darrell took hold of Carrie’s hand. Her skin was cold—but after a moment, her fingers tightened gratefully around his.

“I’m sorry,” Tom said heavily. “There’s nothing I can do to undo it. If I hadn’t messed up back then—if I’d never fallen in with that wolf pack when I was young and stupid—maybe I would’ve been with her that day, and she’d never have crossed that road. And you’d have grown up with us, always aware of who you are. I’m really sorry, Carrie.”

Carrie looked at him, still silent and clearly shocked. Darrell was watching Tom as well, but he couldn’t find any sign of a lie in the eyes of the wolf shifter.

Darrell had never trusted werewolves—but this one seemed to speak the truth. Furthermore, even though their animals were so different, now that Darrell knew what to look for, he thought he could make out the resemblance. Something about the shape of her eyes and cheekbones recalled the wolf shifter’s face—just that Carrie was all softness where the man had the hard, worn face of a soldier.

Or a criminal, Darrell thought, suddenly recalling the other news the man had offered.

“Who wants to kill Carrie?” Darrell demanded, his voice hard as his bear roared inside him once more. “I want to know all the details. Are there more of you out there?”

“I’m alone,” Tom said. “Always worked best on my own. At least that’s what I thought. As soon as I found out it was her, I knew I had to warn her instead. I played along, pretending I was on the job—but someone else must have suspected. Or maybe they just wanted to make sure she ends up dead, as quickly as possible. I’ve no idea who rammed her car, but I bet they were paid by the same guy who hired me.”

“But—but who? Why?” Carrie demanded helplessly. “It makes no sense! I’ve got no enemies—no debts with the mob or whatever gets people killed these days.”

“The Costa case,” Tom said, baring his teeth. “He’s the one who’s behind it.”

“No.” Carrie shook her head. “Impossible. It wasn’t even a big case. It’s a small town, and anyway, that’s long over—”

“It’s a small town, but Costa’s in with the mob,” the werewolf said. “And your boss was in with Costa. Sleepy small town accountant, small town business—the perfect way to hide your sketchy money laundering practices. Or at least one of the ways, I suppose. Never had enough money to look into that myself.”

Darrell pulled Carrie against him. The bear inside him was suspiciously scenting the air—but he couldn’t make out any threat, apart from the werewolf.

Carrie would be safe in Linden Creek, now that they knew that she was indeed in danger, and who was responsible. And surely Chris would be able to deal with the human side of this problem...

“But I’ve got nothing to do with the actual cases.” Carrie sounded utterly confused. “I’m the boss’s assistant, but I’ve never done more than serve Costa a cup of coffee and call his PA to set up appointments for my boss.”

“Where do you think your boss is now?” Tom asked, his eyes strangely intense.

“Celebrating his daughter’s wedding,” Carrie answered promptly. “I think they’re having a party on a boat.”

“Mmhmm,” Tom said. “A cruise that went out to sea yesterday. Stopped in a small harbor across the border late in the evening. When the cruise continued, Costa and his family were no longer on board. They’re probably on a plane right now, headed for somewhere far away—one of those small countries where it’s easy to get new ID with the right contacts and enough money.”

“And what about me?” Carrie asked, looking confused. “Why would he have me killed? I don’t know anything about those things, so why—”

“As a scapegoat.” Tom showed his teeth again. “He’s planted lots of incriminating documents in the car. And when he left for his daughter’s wedding, he told the mob that you’d run off with important papers. Which meant the mob’s killers went after you, and no one even realized that he’d suddenly transferred large sums of money to offshore accounts. Honestly, I’m just the hired killer and no accountant, but it wouldn’t surprise me to hear that he didn’t just take bribes from the mob, but somehow got his hands on more of their funds through whatever tax evasion thing he was running for them.”

“My boss...” Carrie said faintly. “And... the mob?”

“Most importantly, a hired killer who’s still after you,” Darrell said grimly and pulled out his phone. “I’m telling Chris we need him back here, right now.”

Carrie was still staring at her father in utter astonishment. Darrell kept a protective hand on her back as he scrolled through his contacts.

“Darrel?” Chris’s voice said when he finally answered the call. “Was just about to give you a call myself. You won’t believe this—I’m in the car and there isn’t a single hint of werewolf in here. Which means—”

“We’ve got the werewolf right here with us,” Darrell interrupted. “He’s not the problem. Shit, this is complicated, you’ve got to come straight back. The wolf is Carrie’s father, or so he claims. He was hired to kill her—but when he found out who she was, he came to warn her instead. But there’s still a killer out there. The one who was driving that car. A guy sent by the mob.”

“The mob,” Chris echoed, then blew out air through his teeth. “Life in Linden Creek just got a lot more exciting. You sure?”

“I know it sounds crazy, but his story fits with what we know,” Darrell muttered as he gave the werewolf another thoughtful look. “The car wasn’t driven by a shifter, so—”

“You’re right. Mob or not, someone’s clearly out to get her. Don’t let her out of your sight,” Chris said. “Have Glory gather the clan. I’m going to call my brothers. We’ll have patrols in the forest, and we’ll keep shifters in the town. And make sure Carrie isn’t on her own. Take her out of the bed and breakfast, actually—we don’t want any more humans involved.”

“Sure thing, boss,” Darrell said. “I was thinking about asking your brother to let us hide on his farm—”

“Great idea,” Chris agreed. “Have people stationed around the house as well.”

“Will do,” Darrell said. “Give me a call as soon as you’re back.”

“See you in a few hours. And stay safe.”

When the call was ended, Darrell gave Glory another nod. “His story pans out. The sheriff found the car that hit Carrie’s, and there’s no trace of shifter on it. Whoever was driving is human—and mob, I guess. Not that it matters. What matters is that someone out there is after Carrie.”

The bear’s head swung around, gazing meaningfully at Tom.

After a moment of observing the werewolf, Darrell nodded. “I guess he’s with us now. But I’ll still have you watched, Tom. So in case you’re thinking of trying something—don’t.”

“No worries,” the werewolf said hoarsely. He was still looking at Carrie. “I’ve never been a dad before. Probably couldn’t be one even if I tried. I’m only gonna disappoint you, so don’t expect too much from me. But I know what I’m good at, and I’m going to keep doing just that. Count me in with your patrols, bear. I’m gonna keep watch over Carrie myself, from the forest.”

“I don’t expect anything from you,” Carrie said slowly. “I’ve done just fine on my own. But I still—I’ll still want to talk to you when all of this is over.”

Tom inclined his head after a moment. “Guess I owe you that,” he said gruffly. “Just warning you that I’m not good at feelings and stuff. Anyway, what now?”

“Now you keep watch,” Darrell told Glory. “And try to shift back where people won’t see you.”

Next to him, Carrie stirred. “I’ll get Glory some clothes,” she said. “It’s the least I can do—you saved me. Or, well—you would have if it had been a killer instead of—instead of my werewolf father.”

Despite the quip, Carrie still sounded a little shaken. Darrell didn’t leave her side even once while he made a few quick calls.

Everything was sorted out quickly. As soon as Logan, Chris’s brother, heard what had happened, he agreed immediately to Darrell’s plan.

Darrell himself had helped with some of the work on the little annex to Logan’s farmhouse. As their family grew, the mated couple had continued to make friends in Linden Creek—and with the recent increase in shifter families when Darrell’s clan settled in the area, the family had wanted a space where they could host friends or family for the night.

The annex held a small bedroom paired with a generous living room and a bathroom with a shower large enough for two people. Furthermore, it had the sort of huge rain shower system that was perfect for washing mud off a bear shifter’s body after a long run in the forest.

It wasn’t the solitary cabin by the lake Carrie had been looking forward to—but it would give them a little more space than the room in the bed and breakfast. Most importantly, it was a two-hour drive from the town, which meant that it would be harder for the hired assassin to find out where they were hiding—and much easier for his clan to keep up a patrol without having any human observe them shifting by mistake.

***

“God, I’m tired,” Carrie sighed when she sat down on the bed. “I feel like I should be out there and doing something. Right now I’m just—I’m just hiding.”

“It’s only until we catch that guy,” Darrell said in reassurance. “But I know how you feel. The thought that someone intentionally pushed your car off that road—”

His inner bear roared once more, itching with the need to turn the forest upside down until they’d found the man who’d dared to do that to their mate.

We’re needed here, Darrell said silently. We need to protect our mate.

“You could go out, you know,” Carrie said, as though she’d read his thoughts. “I’ll be safe here. You’ve got all these people around...”

“Shifters.” Darrell looked instinctively towards the window. “My clan. All on your side. You might not see them, but they’re out here in the forest and the fields, all around the farm. We’ll hear the alarm if anyone gets close.”

He hesitated a moment as he remembered the conversation they’d had yesterday. So much had happened that they hadn’t even had time to talk since then. And if Carrie had felt overwhelmed yesterday, how much worse would it be today, now that she’d both gained a werewolf father and a hired assassin who was after her?

“You know... I’d like it if you stayed,” she said softly.

From her position on the bed, she looked up at him, then held out a hand.

Drawn towards her once more by the bond that stretched between them, Darrell took hold of her hand. Warmth washed over him, and he instinctively released a sigh. The feel of her skin against his own was reassuring—especially now that he knew that someone was still after her.

“I know I overwhelmed you with all the shifter talk,” he said quietly as he sat down next to her on the bed. “And I promise that you can have all the time you want. But I need to make sure that you’re all right. If I can just be your bodyguard until you’ve got this all figured out, that’ll be enough for me. But I need to know you’re safe.”

“My bodyguard,” she repeated, then smiled up at him, cheeks dimpling. “No—my bear guard. I like that. My own, sexy bear guard. My... my mate.”

Heat rushed through him at the sound of her words. He hadn’t dared to hope that she’d accept the bond between them so quickly, not when so many things had happened to her, turning her entire life upside down.

“You’re okay with it?” he asked hopefully, his heart pounding in his chest.

He would have waited for as long as it took—but right now, with the knowledge that someone out there wanted her dead, all he wanted was to take his mate into his arms and swear his eternal love and devotion.

It was what a bear was made for, after all. What good were his powerful body and his teeth and claws if he couldn’t protect the woman who was his heart’s soulmate?

“I was talking to Glory.” Carrie’s eyes were warm as she looked at him. “I’m no longer afraid of loving you. There are a lot of things I’m afraid of—the fact that there’s a killer after me, for one thing. But this bond between us—it feels right. And loving you is my choice. Nature doesn’t force me to want you. I want you—because you’re very charming when you want to be. And I like that you’re so honest. When you aren’t trying to protect me, that is.”

“I’m past that,” Darrell promised hoarsely. “No more shifter secrets to protect you from. From now I’ll only protect you from killers and the mob. I swear it.”

Carrie giggled. “I never thought I’d ever hear a man say that to me. So much for my old, peaceful small town life.”

Then she sighed and drew him closer. A shiver ran through Darrell when her arms wrapped around his neck. Her eyes gleamed at him.

“But I think... I think I might come to like this new life much better.”