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George’s wolf skirted the base rocks and turned to follow the scent in the air. His beast could practically taste his brother’s blood on his tongue, and he was gung-ho to get him this time.
He’d been played enough.
It had been months since he’d arrived at Dexter’s pack and his brother had been there every step of the way, taunting him. It was time that one of them didn’t walk away from the mountain, and he was damn sure it wasn’t going to be him.
He’d been tracking the wolf earlier, and he’d thought the new guy, Jacob, had done the job for him when he’d almost mowed his brother’s beast down with his truck – no such luck.
But he was determined not to lose the beast this time, and he’d run his wolf until the animal couldn’t run a moment longer…
George heard the sound off to his left and ignored it. He’d caught his brother’s scent up ahead and no damn rabbit was going to take his attention from that…
A heartbeat later and he was hit side on by something packing a lot more power than a rabbit.
The pain screamed through his body and his wolf let out a yelp as it was helplessly tossed through the air. George would have been easily mistaken to think that he’d been hit by a truck…
But the scent in the air signalled danger of the worst kind to his beast as he impacted the ground and rolled with more pain…
Bear.
His mind spun at that scent.
He wasn’t in bear territory. He knew his packs land and he wasn’t off of it yet.
He also knew the scent of the clan’s bears. He’d made a point of it after he’d had a few run-ins and misunderstandings with Landon’s Clan…
So, who the hell was the new bear on the mountain, and what problem did he have with Dexter’s pack?
George knew one thing as he pushed up to his paws – he needed to warn the others that there was a new bear in the area and it was none too friendly. He reached out with his mind and called to his pack brothers…
‘I’m down by the rocky outcrops – attacked by a bear…’
He didn’t get any further than that before Dexter’s voice came back inside of his head…
‘That’s a crazy bear stalking a new witch mate – get out of there – lead it back this way if you can – we’re on our way…’
Crazy bear, George thought … he’d have to agree with that as he turned and met the beast’s eyes head on…
That was one miffed off bear and he looked hungry to kill.
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“I’m coming with you…” Lily protested at being told to stay put in the cabin by her so called mate.
Well, she hadn’t mated yet, and she didn’t have to abide by pack rules or law, but one look at Jacob told her that the man wasn’t up for having a debate about it…
“It’s too dangerous…” Jacob growled as he started for the door to the cabin, along with Connor, Tyler, and Dexter.
“I’m going…” Chelsea was already up on her feet and moving towards the door.
“Would it be easier on everyone if I took the misogynistic view and said; no women allowed?” Connor offered back over his shoulder, as he turned at the door and warned Chelsea off.
Dexter and Tyler were already out of the door, and he knew he’d easily catch them up, but he had bigger fish to fry.
“Connor…” Chelsea kept moving, right up to the point where he stepped in front of her and blocked her way, making her pull up short.
“Set an example, be a leader,” Connor offered, but the look on her face told him that hadn’t worked. “If you set foot outside that door, I’m not training you anymore. Enjoy fighting you mate in hand to hand, I’m sure he’ll go easy on you.”
That did the trick. Chelsea stood down in a heartbeat.
“Blackmailer…” she ground out.
“You say the sweetest things,” Connor grinned, and then he was gone.
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It wasn’t the first time that George had stared death in the face, but it was the first time that he thought he saw death in the face of his attacker. His wolf had risen to the challenge of the bear, even with Dexter’s words to bring the beast to them still bouncing around his mind…
Leading a killing machine back towards his pack with females there wasn’t something that he would ever do – not to save his own worthless life, and not when that killer was one crazy bear that fought hard enough for two or more of them.
If he killed the beast then so much the better. If he died trying then he would have played his part, and at least he’d have held the bear up for a while as his pack rallied together.
From what he could tell as he turned and snapped his jaws at the monster – there wasn’t an inch of him that hadn’t sustained a wound. But while he was still able to fight, he would…
That thought was ended with one backhanded swipe of the bear’s large paw that blindsided him and hit him like a sledgehammer, knocking his wolf through the air, where he landed against a tree trunk with the kind of impact that would have killed a human…
The bear started a slow walk towards him and somewhere through the haze of his mind – he had to guess that his time was up.
He’d tried to push up to his paws the second after he’d impacted the tree, but he could barely raise his damn head…
No, he was done…
One moment George was staring death in the face, and the next … the beast was gone…
Connor’s face appeared in the murky haze of George’s vision and the man groaned inwardly…
“Look at you, stupid wolf…” Connor said as he yanked back his sleeve and offered his flesh to George to drink his blood…
George managed to rumble a gargled growl, but the wolf didn’t have the energy for much else…
“Sorry, not up for fussy eaters tonight…” Connor said, gripping the wolf’s head and forcing his arm into the beast’s mouth. Then he thumped him hard on the top of his head and the wolf’s jaws snapped shut… “Ouch!” Connor bit out with gusto and just a little flare.
George wanted to kill the vampire, and if he got the chance – he was definitely going to try… The man never could take no for a damn answer, and always insisted on feeding him his blood …
He had to wonder when the man would take the hint that he didn’t really give a damn if he lived or died and didn’t want or need to be saved…
“Good puppy… now let go…” Connor said, but the wolf held on out of spite. Connor sighed.
“Let go…”
George growled, it sounded stronger that time…
“Let go, because I have a bear to catch before it attacks a female…”
George let go.
With a grunt, Connor was gone.
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Connor heard the others approaching and left George to them. He was off and hunting down the scent of that bear … but that scent had died on the air like a steel shutter had come down and sucked every smell away…
The vampire had no choice but to pull up. Every which way that he turned there was a vacuum – nothingness – and a stillness in the air that didn’t feel right.
“Witchery,” he muttered. The witch couldn’t take away the sound of a wolf’s paws coming up fast behind him, and he turned to see Dexter’s wolf come through the foliage – the beast pulled up short.
Dexter’s wolf twisted it’s head on its neck and scented all around it. He felt it too.
“Don’t bother … here be magic,” Connor bit out dryly. “The beast is gone and with it, it’s scent.”
Connor wanted to kick out at something in annoyance, but he felt giving Dexter’s wolf a kick up the backside might just have been going a little too far, and the alpha might not appreciate it.
He was determined to get that bear, but first, he might just need to find that witch.