Chapter 4

The rain didn’t help the drive. The poorly maintained roads formed large pools of water in the street that the truck skidded over constantly, but Tess wouldn’t slow down.

Tess briefly took her eyes off the road to look at her unconscious brother. Why the hell did he have to hide in the truck! She pushed aside her emotions and filled herself with resolve to get him to the only doctor that would know how to handle a shifter.

It took nearly half an hour before the road became more familiar. She needed to take him home to their family doctor. What were the bears doing in wolf territory? Her mind running with questions.

What got them so riled up that they would attack a single shifter in a truck? What would she do with the truck? Would she abandon it and walk the rest of the way?

No, it didn’t matter. She didn’t care if her father saw her driving a Moon Runner truck; she had to get Alex home as fast as possible. She could deal with the consequences.

As she approached the dirt driveway that would lead her home, two of the boys at the gate tried to flag her down to stop. If she had the time she may have obliged them but not now.

One gave her chase, barking as loud as possible and stirring up the alarm. Up ahead, Tess could see the small arrangement of houses that formed the den in which she grew up. Seated prominently in the back of the compound were the farmhouse, her father, and her destination.

The barking had done its job and, as she came to a halt in front of her house she was greeted by a pack of wolves ready for a fight.

“Stand down,” shouted her father from the porch, leaning on the railing.

“Dad, it’s-”

“Dad, nothing,” he replied, “what’s the meaning of you stirring up all this racket-?”

“It’s Alex!” Tess interjected, “he’s in bad shape.”

Her father paused, a look of surprise betraying his normally stoic face.

“He was off with you?” he asked.

“More like he snuck off with me,” she replied, “he needs a doctor, quick.”

The old dog bullied his way over through the wolves and saw his son lying in the passenger seat, bruised, battered, and lifeless. Tess knew he might be a little upset about it, but was shocked at the emotion she saw coming from her father when he found Alex in such a state.

“Get the medic, now,” he shouted.

The pack scrambled about the area, searching for the old doctor. The Alpha turned and gestured at two of the boys close by.

“You two, get him inside and lay him down on my bed.”

Within seconds, Alex was being carried inside. His father’s eyes didn’t leave him as he disappeared from view. He gritted his teeth and scrunched up his face in frustration only to breathe a huff of smoke from his nose.

Dad had seen Alex get injured before, when he fought with other shifters in the pack, or when he did something stupid like fall from a tall tree, but his reaction was different this time. He’d normally just lecture Alex about standing up for himself or caution him against stupidity; this time he just looked upset.

“How the hell did this happen,” he asked, letting out a sigh and brushing his hand through his hair.

“The bears, pop,” Tess said, “I woke up and bears were attacking him.”

He cocked an eyebrow as she spoke.

“If it’s just bears then he should be fine by supper,” her father said.

“Not just bears, dad. Shifter bears. That’s the only thing that could leave wounds like that,” she returned.

His eyes narrowed as his mind began to race. “I thought we had a deal with the bears, why the hell would they be attacking?”

“I dunno, I only found him after they were attacking,” she replied, “but Alex is a real hero. He fought two of them off me. I thought I was dead.”

Tess flashed the large wound on her side by pulling up her shirt. It looked worse than it felt, but she knew that would change shortly.

“You better get yourself looked at, too. Where were you when this happened?

Tess wanted to lie, but she knew he was wise enough to see through it.

“We were near Moon Runner territory,” she replied.

“I thought I told you to stay away from there,” he chided, “You’re important and they know that. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you got hurt by those pea-brained sacks of mange.”

He reached out for a hug, a rare occurrence, and Tess fell into his arms. It was then that she felt the shake in all her joints and the spin in her head. She nearly gave in to the darkness that prodded the edge of her vision but held on, pushing the feeling away for a moment longer.

“I suppose that’s where you got this truck?” he asked, clanking his walking stick against the twisted metal and pointing at a small spray-painted emblem on the side he added, “You steal this thing?”

“No, but it helped me save Alex,” she said, “I’ll tell you everything when I know he’s okay.”

Her dad nodded but she could see the wheels turning in his head as she had seen before. She knew that he would get to the heart of the truth soon enough.

“There’s the doctor,” he said.

He pointed to the old man with his medical bag in tow, now running up to the farm house.

“This isn’t over,” he said, “when the doctor patches him up, you and I have a lot to talk about.”

Tess could feel the pit in her stomach. She knew the truth would need to come out soon; he needed to know about Connor. Thinking about the man she loved, she started to wonder if he was alright. No matter how fearsome Connor was, she knew bears were dangerous, especially when outnumbered. Worry began to creep into her mind.

The rain continued to patter and Tess finally allowed herself to cry. Her father’s arm rested around her shoulders as he led her toward the house. Everything was in chaos, the forest covered in a blanket of rain, and Tess didn’t have any idea what tomorrow might bring.