Closing his phone, Dan walked into the Chinese restaurant and placed his order. It was pretty quiet, so it didn’t take long to order his food. He was quite surprised at how hungry he was, but it was probably because he and his bear had a run wild in the woods before he’d come into town. Paying for his order, he picked up the bags and walked out of the shop.

A sudden voice caught his ears, and, for the first time today, he used his bear senses to their full extent. Listening hard, he sniffed once. It was her, it had to be. He couldn’t think of anyone else recently who smelled like a combination of vanilla and cinnamon.

Skulking into the shadows, he listened harder. He didn’t want to eavesdrop on their conversation, but neither did he want to leave her alone if he was in trouble. From the snatches of the heated conversation he could hear, he was pretty sure she was arguing with someone.

Taking a few steps closer, he narrowed his eyes, staring into the gloom. Finally, he could see her, outlined by the slightly orange glow of the street lights above.

“Just back off, Dominic!” she exclaimed, jabbing at the man opposite her. “I’ve said no.”

With a sinking heart, Dan recognized the man she was talking to as the ‘muscles everywhere' guy he'd bumped into - literally - outside the bar. "Now's no time to be a wimp," he muttered to himself, still watching them.

“Where are you going to go?” Dominic’s voice came roaring towards Dan’s ears. “You’ve got nothing and no-one, Lucy, except me. You’re not leaving me.”

“Yes, I am,” Lucy shouted back, not backing down an inch. “You don’t get to tell me what to do, Dominic. I’m not going to be a part of this.”

The moment Dan saw Dominic’s hand shoot out and grab Lucy’s arm, he moved forward. Trying to remain casual, he sauntered towards them, putting his bag of takeout on the sidewalk. “Everything okay?”

“Stay out of this,” Dominic growled, already squaring up to Dan. “This is between me and her.”

“I wasn’t talking to you,” Dan replied, ignoring the wave of panic that flooded him as the image of one of Dominic’s meaty fists punching him hard in the stomach floated in front of his eyes. Turning to the woman he now knew to be Lucy, he tried to smile. “Is everything okay?”

She was the picture of anxiety. Her hands were on her hips, as she shifted her weight from one foot to the next. “Fine,” she replied, flashing him a brief - and false - smile.

"You sure about that?" Dan asked, trying to ignore the way that a low muttering was coming from the big guy next to him. He clearly wasn't happy with the way Dan was interfering. "I mean, this guy seemed to be harassing you."

Dan threw a cautious glance at the big guy to his left - Dominic - seeing the way his lip was curling. Obviously, this wasn't a good place for anyone to be and he should probably just get out of here but Dan wasn’t about to leave this girl alone. Dominic looked like the kind of guy to hit out first and ask questions afterward.

"Like I said," the girl repeated, breaking into his thoughts. "Everything's fine. We know each other."

"Doesn't mean he can't be an idiot," Dan muttered, quietly. He didn't see the fist coming towards him, but he certainly felt it. It was like a tire iron being hit against the side of his head. It hit him with such force that he fell backward, hitting the back of his head off the sidewalk. Stars exploded in front of his eyes, and he groaned aloud. His bear roared in pain, but Dan couldn't let it rip from his body. Rolling to one side, he groaned again and pushed himself onto all fours. Breathing hard, he struggled not to let his bear explode from his skin and rip into Dominic. That’s what he would have done if he was still part of the Northern Wind pack, but not now. Reminding himself that he was part of the Alliance, he shook his head to clear it, trying to get to his feet and hoping desperately that Dominic would not hit him again.

***

“Dominic!” Lucy screamed, shoving him hard. “What the hell are you doing?” She couldn’t believe he’d hit out at some random stranger, who was just trying to help. The guy looked strong enough, but he was no match for Dominic. It wouldn’t be a fair fight and Lucy wasn’t about to let Dominic even think about starting one.

“Leave him,” Dominic growled, grabbing her arm. “Let’s go, Lucy.”

His grip was tight, but a wave of fury raced through her as she shook him off. “For the last time, Dom,” Lucy retorted, stepping back. “I’m not coming with you. Get lost!”

Thankfully for her, Dominic actually did what she'd been telling him to do since the start of their conversation. Shoving himself away from her, he spat hard, on the ground at her feet and began to walk away into the night, leaving her alone with the stranger on the ground who was currently groaning in pain.

 

“I’m so sorry,” Lucy cried, bending down to the man who was trying to get to his feet. “I can’t believe he did that. Are you okay?” She tried to help him up but had no idea what she was doing.

“Fine, fine,” Dan muttered, with a shake of his head. “Don’t worry. I just wish I could somehow be the kind of strong, superhero type who just jumped to his feet after a huge blow to the head.” His chuckle came out as a groan, making Lucy wince.

“He's such a goon," she replied, grasping his arm and helping him stand up. "I swear, I don't know what came over him. You were just trying to help. “It was definitely stupid, but she appreciated what he’d done. It had been a long time since anyone had cared about her, mostly because of what Dominic would do to them if they did step in. This guy had a good look at Dominic and decided to come to help her anyway. A wave of appreciation flooded her, as she looked up into his face.

“Yeah, I was,” Dan groaned, managing to stand up without swaying.

Lucy grimaced as she looked at the damage. “How are you feeling?”

“The side of my head is throbbing pretty bad and I’m having trouble opening one of my eyes,” Dan replied.

Lucy shook her head, even more frustrated with Dominic. He’d always been brash like that, but there was no reason to punch another man to the ground! Most likely, he was just angry that she wasn't going to with him like he'd expected. That was the problem with Dominic. He just expected everyone around him to do what he asked when he asked. For years, she'd gone along with it, but not anymore. She was tired of being dragged along behind him, making excuses for him and cleaning up afterward. It was time to let their lives go in separate directions.

“What did you say your name was again?” she asked, her hand still on his arm.

“Dan,” he replied, lifting one tentative hand to press gently against the side of his head. “I work in the mechanics up the road.”

“Lucy,” she smiled, relieved that he looked to be okay. She didn’t think there was a concussion or anything. “That guy was Dominic, not that you’ll need to remember his name.”

Dan winced as his fingers gently probed the area around his eye. “No, I don’t. Why are you with him anyway? He’s an idiot.”

Heat rushed into her cheeks and Lucy became quite grateful for the gloom hiding her red face. "He's not my boyfriend if that's what you're asking," she murmured, her eyes still on the mark on the side of his head. "That looks like you're going to have a pretty bad black eye."

"He's not your boyfriend?" Dan repeated, looking at her with his one good eye. "Who is he then?"

“Unfortunately,” Lucy replied, with a heavy sigh. “He’s my brother.”

“Oh.”

Lucy ignored the spark of hope that had shot into his face, knowing that now wasn’t exactly a good time to start falling for someone. Not that he wasn’t handsome, of course, and certainly was strong and well built, even if he was a lot smaller than Dominic. Giving herself a quick talking to, Lucy stepped back, letting her fingers drop from Dan’s face.

“I suppose I’d better head home,” Dan said, as she stepped away. “Maybe get a compress on this or something.” He tried to laugh but Lucy didn’t smile.

Anxiety was building in her chest, as she thought about being left here alone in the dark, with absolutely no idea what to do. Spotting the bag of takeout Dan had left to the side, she walked over to pick it up, before handing it to Dan. Her heart was slowly sinking in her chest as she realized her predicament. Without Dominic, she had nothing. No house, no food and only a little bit of cash. He'd taken everything else like he always did. Wanted to control her, all the way down to her finances. "I hope that gets better," she said, stepping back from him. "And again, I'm sorry Dominic did that to you. I - I really appreciate what you tried to do."

“Don’t be sorry,” Dan grinned. “It was worth it to get to talk to you again.”

Lucy couldn’t help her smile at the compliment. The guy sure knew how to flatter a girl.

“Where’s home for you?” Dan asked.

“I - ” Lucy didn’t quite know what to say. They’d left the only home she’d known, and come here. “I’m not sure. To be honest, I don’t actually know what to do.” The words left her mouth before she’d even had a chance to think. She didn’t know what had made her say that, especially to someone she’d just met, but, for whatever reason, she trusted him. Maybe it was because he was another shifter, or because he’d stood up for her. Whatever the reason, it was too late to take back now.

“You don’t have anywhere to go?”

Seeing the concern on his face, she shook her head. "Dominic wanted me to go with him - to meet a cousin of ours, but I've decided not to go. I'm not having anything to do with that life any longer."

She watched his face, seeing the way he fought against asking her any more questions. Apparently, he decided that now wasn't the time.

“Listen,” Dan replied. “The takeout is getting cold and my friends are waiting for me. Why don’t you just come with me?”

“Where?” she asked, biting her lip.

“I’m heading up to the cabin to deliver this to my friends. In fact, we can get you some food too if you like. Means we can all eat together and get to know each other a bit better.”

Lucy didn’t know how to respond. Was it crazy to go off with some guy into the forest, under the guise of going to meet his friends? She sighed inwardly. There was a warning in her mind that wasn’t quite making its way to her heart. Honesty was practically shining from Dan’s grinning face as he held out his hand to her. “Do you think they’ll mind?” she asked, reaching for his hand. Her heart began to slam into her chest as their fingers touched, heat sizzling up her arm.

“No, of course they won’t,” Dan promised. “So, how about takeout?” He grinned again. “Up this way, we practically live on the stuff and I can guarantee it’s good!”

“Sure,” Lucy agreed, glad she’d taken his hand. It was both reassuring and comforting, with a quiet strength in his grip that didn’t overwhelm her. “And thanks, Dan.”