~

 

‘Bear!’ Jacob growled out the warning to the pack as he turned on his paws, and he put himself between any attack that was to come their way and his mate.

His wolf let out a roar in warning to let the others know that he’d scented the crazy bear in the air as his eyes searched the immediate area for a sign of the beast, and he scented the wind to try to find the direction that Zane would come at them.

“To your right…” Lily bit out at the exact same moment that Jacob caught that distinctive scent once more.

Lily raised her hands and readied her magic, but she had to bite her tongue in surprise as a strong pair of arms lifted her and turned her back into the cabin.

Tyler stepped away from the mate and out into the early morning light – blocking the open space of the doorway with his large body, and he’d given Jacob the perfect opportunity to go after Zane now that his mate was protected.

That hadn’t been Tyler’s intention.

“Damn it, wolf…” Tyler growled in annoyance.

He knew that out of him and Jacob – it was him that stood the better chance at meeting the bear head on and defeating it. He also knew that nothing really mattered a damn when you were protecting your mate, and the wolf was acting without logic and running on instinct alone.

That wasn’t always an advantage when your mind was clouded by anger and the desperate need to keep your mate safe.

 

~

~

~

 

Connor didn’t trust the bear’s witch as far as he could throw her. She may have appeared benign, but he’d lived long enough to look at things from all the angles.

If she was lulling them into a false sense of security and walking them right into a trap then he would end her in a heartbeat. He didn’t need Dexter’s agreement for that.

He might have kept her at his back, between him and Dexter, as they’d walked her back towards the cabins, but he was listening to her heart beating within her chest for any sign that it would speed up and give away an attack, and he was more than ready for her to make a move against them herself…

“Bear’s attacking the cabin…” Dexter rushed out, a moment before he shifted into his wolf and took off on fast paws.

“Stay here or I will end you…” Connor bit back over his shoulder towards the witch, a moment before he followed on his friend’s heels.

Agatha felt the rush of shame and guilt that went through her. She knew in her heart that her actions had led to that very moment in time, and she wanted to make it right – wanted to make everything bad that was happening go away – she just didn’t know how…

 

~

~

~

 

By the time that Connor got to the cabin; the battle was already underway. Jacob was circling around on one side of the bear, while Dexter was doing the same on the other.

Jacob looked a little worse for wear, and the scent of his blood filled the air, but then Connor took heart that the bear did as well.

“Do you ever feel … not needed?” Conor looked towards Tyler, as the man stood guard at the front of the cabin…

“Have you met my mate?” Tyler shot back and Connor grinned, but that grin disappeared off of his face fast as Agatha came running out into the wide open space in front of the cabin at full speed, heading right towards the thick of the fighting…

“Damn it…” Connor bit out, making a beeline for the headstrong woman, but it was already too late…

“Zane … stop this…” Agatha bit out, pleading with the man that he once was.

She needed the man to see sense, to know that his battle wasn’t with this pack and its people…

Zane’s bear saw red. At the sound of Agatha’s voice, he felt the rush of betrayal from one of his own.

She was no better than the witch that had killed his mate – if anything, she was worse.

The bear lashed out with one strong paw. It connected with the side of her face and his razor sharp claws followed through into the skin as he battered her away…

Connor was too late to stop the witch from getting the brunt of the bear’s anger.

He was too late to catch her before she hit the ground, but he was right by her side a moment later, as Dexter and Jacob took advantage of the bear’s momentary distraction that the witch had caused him to attack.

They lunged at the beast together. Their combined weight and strength brought the bear down to the ground as they attacked with everything that they had…

Zane didn’t go down without a fight – but once the wolves had him on the ground – he’d already lost the battle.

 

~

~

~

 

Agatha’s eyes took in the sight of the Zane lying dead not more ten feet away from her and she mourned that loss.

“Let me see your wounds…” Connor reached out and gently palmed her face, trying to bring her eyes around to his and away from the sight of her friend lying defeated, but she batted his hand away.

“I’ll heal…” Agatha bit out at the same time as she battled to hide the tears that stung her eyes and threatened to run freely down her cheeks. She couldn’t let that happen.

They didn’t need to see her tears. She didn’t need to show them her pain…

“He was already dead the moment that he let his bear take control…” Connor said, trying to ease the burden of guilt that came from her in waves, along with a myriad of other emotions that battered against him.

“I know.” Agatha muttered.

She didn’t want to debate the rights and wrongs of how Zane had died or even how he’d lived his final days. She just wanted to remember the man that he once was.

“Let me heal you with my blood,” Connor said.

“These scars are mine to bare.” Agatha said.

“You did nothing wrong,” Lily called from the opening to the cabin, and that did bring the witch’s eyes away from her friend…

“He died knowing that I betrayed him.”

“You live knowing that you did what you had to do,” Connor said.

“Kill my friend…” Agatha bit out.

“That wasn’t your friend,” Lily said.

“And if he hadn’t of died here – then it would only have been a matter of time before a pack or a clan would have taken him down. You probably saved countless innocent lives in the process…” Connor reasoned.

“That’s not…” Agatha gave a small shake of her head as she pushed up to her feet. “He was my alpha – my friend…” she lifted her hand and dropped it to her side once more. “Am I free to leave?”

“And go where?” Dexter asked, shaking off the wolf and returning to his human form.

“I…” she frowned hard.

That thought had ever crossed her mind. There were some in the clan who didn’t like having her around, because she was a Fae.

With Zane gone … she was back to being alone.

“She’s homeless…” Connor sighed on a wince of knowing what came next. His mate would never turn away a homeless witch – he guessed that he had a house guest, for a while at least.

“We have room…” Vicky piped up from just inside the doorway.

She had been standing just behind Lily, and she’d heard every word. He could have kicked himself…

Connor snatched a look at her, and got a very poignant one back in return…

The man was toast and at the mercy of the whim of his mate. He knew, anyone who knew him, knew them, knew it, and the very worst thing of all was that his mate knew it.

“Lots of them – you could take your pick,” he said. “Hell, sleep in one a night.” He shrugged.