Chapter Five – Joshua
"Naomi?" Joshua waited by the truck, watching the Wolf that would soon be his mate–if he survived her father's attack.
Her shoulders hunched, cradling Sapphira gently. Joshua liked the image, his mate holding his child. Even though his mind told him it was too early to bring a child into their lives, he couldn't help but wonder if they could make it work. He wasn't against adoption, and Naomi had become very attached to the baby. He always wanted to be a father. Why wait?
Well, the answer to that was obvious. They didn’t even know if they liked each other. They certainly didn't trust each other, not yet at least. Would adopting the little abandoned child bring them close together, or would she just end up growing up with parents who lived separate lives?
"There are Bear tracks." Naomi's voice was flat as she turned to him. "Did you burn down the cabin?"
"Bear tracks?" Joshua's brow furrowed. He jogged over to her. "I told nobody to come out here. It wasn't me."
He peered at the deep track and cursed. There was only one Bear he knew of that had a foot pad with that distinctive heart shape. Susan. He looked around, eyes narrowed. Great. Not only were the Wolves preparing for an attack, but he had a rogue Bear on the loose. The woman who thought that he owed it to her to mate her.
If he had known about Tucker's plans, he wouldn't have banished her. The last thing he wanted was to have her take matters into her own hands like she had done here.
Joshua fished his phone from his pocket. No bars.
"There isn't any cell service out here. It's one of the reasons my father liked it so much."
"Get back to the truck," he said, putting his arm around Naomi protectively. "I want you to get back to the town and tell Matt that Susan's gone rogue and I'm hunting her down. I'll need some backup."
They headed towards the truck, Joshua walking behind Naomi as a shield. They hadn't gone more than a few feet when a thunderous roar shook the trees around them. Joshua whirled. Susan, in full Grizzly mode, burst from the trees and made a beeline straight for Naomi.
The Alpha shifted. He barreled into Susan, knocking her off course. She slapped a paw at him and he bit down on her shoulder. He saw Naomi disappear into the woods, heard Sapphira's crying, and mentally cursed again. A deep growl rumbled through his body as Susan pawed at him, still trying to go after Naomi.
The Alpha dug his teeth into the back of her neck, curling his claws into her massive shoulders, and used his body to flip her over onto her back. The other Bear kicked out with her feet, tearing at his belly. There was no reason in her eyes, only jealous madness. He avoided her heavy paws, slapping them apart. When she rolled onto her stomach, he pounced on her again, using the sheer extra bulk he had over her to pin her in place. His teeth clenched on the scruff of her neck again, his teeth piercing skin this time.
Susan let out a long, low sound of pain and stilled. When he felt her start to shift beneath him, he loosened his grip just enough so he could drag her to the truck without breaking her neck. Her fists still pounded him, but he knew he had won. He was the Alpha, and it was in her DNA to subdue herself to his will, no matter how much she railed against it.
"A Wolf can never be good enough to be your mate," Susan growled when he released her, keeping a paw on her stomach to make sure she didn't run after Naomi again. "She won't stand by your side and give you Bear babies. You'll see. You'll see, and you'll come crying back, begging for me to let you into my bed."
Joshua rolled his eyes as he retrieved a length of rope from the bed of the truck. He rolled Susan onto her stomach and shifted as he pulled her hands behind her back.
"One day—"
"One day, you'll see that you are not as fabulous as you think you are," Joshua said bluntly. He tied her hands and feet before roping her so her limbs were all pulled behind her back. "And if you ever attack my mate again, I'll kill you, Susan. You're lucky I didn't kill you now. Naomi is mine, and I will have no other."
Susan growled, but Joshua ignored it. He checked the strength of the ropes, then nodded. Even if she were to attempt to shift, she wouldn't be freeing herself from that.
Now the only thing he had to do was find Naomi and bring her back. He jogged across the clearing to where she had disappeared into the forest. "Naomi!"
Silence answered him. He listened closely to the sound of the forest, but if Sapphira was still crying, the trees and the snow was muffling the noise. Well, at least there was a deep path cut through the heavy drifts of snow, showing exactly where Naomi had run. Joshua shifted again, heading out.
A twinge in his shoulder reminded him he still had a bullet he needed to have removed. As soon as they got back to town he'd do it. Matt and Luke could give him updates about how preparing the pack for the Wolves' attack was going while it was being done.
He only hoped that Tucker didn't decide to attack the Bears while he was gone. Coming out to the cabin had already proven to take up more time than he wanted. What sort of Alpha abandoned his pack in a time like this?
Tucker isn't going to attack today. He'd need more time than that to organize the attack. Unless he had this planned for months. Maybe even years.
Joshua tensed. They had to get back immediately.
He followed Naomi's trail quickly, clicking his tongue to call for her as he did so. Getting her back to town and safety was his first priority at the moment. His body felt cold as he considered what Susan could have done if he hadn't been fast enough. Naomi could have been hurt or even—
A sharp pain in his back leg made him howl with pain. He whirled to see a wolf with its teeth sinking into him. He whirled, slapping at it, and it jumped out, yelping and barking. Joshua growled and charged, and the Wolf dashed away–until Joshua stopped. Then it jumped at his face, teeth snapping.
Sapphira's cries filled the forest. The Wolf–Naomi–lunged for his throat when he turned to the sound. Joshua grunted in surprise. She didn't recognize him. More than that, she was willing to take on a Bear to protect Sapphira. Even as he fended off his mate, trying not to hurt her, his heart melted.
She loved the baby that deeply already. He didn't care how many legal hoops they had to jump through. Sapphira was their baby.
Joshua shifted. Naomi howled and jumped at his throat again–only to yelp in surprise when she saw who it was. She colliding with him hard, knocking him backward into the snow. She shifted while she was still on top of him. Her warm, naked body pressed against his, her knees on either side of his hips. Joshua felt himself respond, a heat spreading through his body despite the cold air. Naomi panted, staring at him, her eyes wide.
"I didn't realize that it was you," she whispered.
Joshua gripped her hips, moaning as she moved against him. He couldn’t help it, grinding himself against her. He was rewarded by a startled gasp. Naomi shivered. Her pupils widened in desire.
"Sapphira's crying," she whispered.
Joshua nodded and released her. "Yeah. Yeah. We have to wait."
Naomi crawled off him and hurried to a small thicket of bushes. She retrieved Sapphira from inside and turned back to Joshua. Desire was still shining in her eyes, and Joshua knew that it was coming from his eyes as well. But they couldn't spend time on sex. Not yet, at least.
But oh how he wanted to…
"We need to move quickly," he said standing.
Without Naomi's warmth, the air seemed far chillier than it had moments ago. A quick look at the sky gave him the reason why. The sky was growing dark. They had maybe a couple of house before nightfall. Not to mention that both their clothes had shredded when they shifted.
Joshua picked Naomi up, cradling her in his arms. She yelped in surprise but didn't protest, in turn cradling Sapphira. The Alpha jogged back the way they had come, able to move quickly since the path had already been carved by their bodies.
When they emerged onto the old burial grounds, he stopped dead.
Susan was propped up against the truck, eyes wide, a single round hole in her forehead. Joshua didn't need to check her pulse to know she was dead. His heart pounded as he stared at the sight. Wolf tracks were everywhere in the snow. The tires on the truck were slashed.
"We need a safe place to spend the night," he said automatically. The Wolves were moving quicker than he thought. But Naomi remained the priority. He had to make sure she was safe above all else. "Bears are more diurnal and Wolves are more nocturnal. They'll have the upper hand over me once night falls."
"The Mating Caves." Naomi gripped his shoulder. "There is a system of caves just inside Wolf Territory where couples will go to mate for the first time. It's a sacred place. They won't dare attack us there, only couples who have not yet joined are allowed inside."
Joshua hesitated. If they went to these caves, then the Wolves could easily accuse him of trespassing on their sacred area. But on the other hand, it was getting colder. A cave would at least be sheltered from the wind, protecting Sapphira. And if they were attacked, it was a position he could defend.
He nodded. "Lead the way."