Jada was still getting her shoes on when Cooper had everything packed up and ready to go. He wasn’t joking about leaving as soon as possible. His plan to help Francine warmed her heart, almost as much as that kiss warmed her blood. She still didn’t want to step outside and face all those awful bears and leopards who knew she lost her virginity, and might have even heard what happened, if they stayed near the bonfire. Her cheeks burned when they finally stepped into the chilly dawn, and she hugged her borrowed sweatshirt close. It smelled like Cooper, reassuring even as they made the long walk to where his truck waited.

His father, Elton, stood on the porch with a cup of coffee and an ugly expression. “I’m not surprised you’re up early.”

“We’re leaving as soon as Jada gets the rest of her things.”

“The leopards said she didn’t—”

“I don’t give a shit.” Any hint of the kind, gentle man she’d spent the night with faded as he snarled at his father. “Call them up and let them know we’re coming. We’re packing up her studio and the rest of her clothes. That cousin they sent over can help get everything ready.”

Elton scowled. “I don’t take orders from you, boy.”

“I have no interest in being alpha of this broke-down family, but I could kick your ass up and down this mountain, old man.” His knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists. “You don’t know where I’ve been. So call the leopards so I can get the fuck out of here with my wife.”

The alpha bear didn’t budge except to take another sip of his coffee. “Tell them yourself, boy.”

Cooper snarled, bristling, and Jada hid behind him. Her leopard wanted to stand next to him to fight, but she didn’t think she could move fast enough to do anything but hinder him. Her insides ached with every movement and deep breath. She didn’t want to say anything to Cooper, since the pain medication hadn’t kicked in yet.

He stared down his father, then abruptly turned on his heel and strode to the path that would take them to the leopard compound. Jada hurried to keep up, wincing, and managed to catch his hand. “Slow down a bit.”

Cooper immediately halved his pace and put an arm around her shoulders, though he still snarled and growled and muttered about ungrateful old fucks and their bullshit rules. She was a little out of breath by the time they passed through the first ring of sentries and the leopards stirred to meet them. They wouldn’t like a bear in the compound, but Jada knew they wouldn’t try to force him out. To do so would break the alliance, right after they made her save it.

At least her parents weren’t awake yet, so her brother was the one to step out of the main house and face them both. “Something wrong? You can’t give her back now, she’s... used.”

Cooper’s growl nearly deafened Jada as he advanced a threatening step toward her brother. “I will tear out your fucking throat if you say anything like that again. Get me?”

“What do you want?” her brother repeated, though his gaze darted to the trees where the sentries no doubt waited to shoot Cooper if he got too aggressive.

“Her clothes and her studio. We’re taking it with us. Now.”

Her brother, Joe, folded his arms over his chest. “The clothes belong to the family. They’ve been turned over to someone else.”

Jada didn’t believe it. They just didn’t want her to have anything.

Cooper’s teeth flashed white and a little too long for a human. “The studio.”

Joe gestured in the direction of her studio, his expression ugly and indifferent. “There are other occupants now. They threw out most of what was in there, but you can dig through the trash.”

Her heart sank and Jada sucked in a breath when she saw all of her paintings and sketches and supplies in a heap in the mud next to the garbage heap. Tears started before she could collect herself, not wanting to give Joe the satisfaction of seeing her upset, and when her breathing hiccupped and she started to sniffle, Cooper went rigid. He grew bigger, somehow, as all of his muscles bulged. He didn’t roar, though, and his voice came out dangerously quiet. “You destroyed her property.”

Joe shrugged. “Someone else needed the space, and she monopolized it for too long. She didn’t take any of it with her yesterday, so we assumed she didn’t want it.”

“You lying piece of shit,” Jada said, lurching forward. She wanted to strangle him, or at least punch him or kick him in the balls. “You wouldn’t let me pack anything. They said I could come back to get it. They said—”

Cooper caught her around the waist to keep her from mauling her brother, and his meaty paw pointed at Joe with enough force the leopard actually flinched. “My wife and I will address the paints. Get the girl who brought the bag yesterday to pack all of Jada’s clothes. All of them.”

“We won’t—”

“I will kill you,” Cooper said, matter-of-fact. “With my bare hands. Get the clothes, or I will tear apart your fucking house and everything else on this property, and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it. I don’t give a fuck how many of your little kitty cats are in the trees. They’re no match for a grizzly. And before you think you can hurt me, based on those mealymouth losers in my former clan, just know that I’ve been gone a long time and done a lot of shit. You don’t stand a chance. Now get the fucking clothes.”

Joe scowled at them, debating as he glanced up at the trees, then he spun on his heel and shouted for Francine to get her ass out of bed.

Jada wiped her cheeks as she wobbled over to the trash heap, though the tears started anew as she started pulling things out of the mud. Her brushes were ruined, covered in oil and mud and God only knew what else. The brand-new paints had been stepped on, some of them rupturing and the pigment leaking in bright swirls into the dirt. She sat back on her heels and just cried. All that hard work, all the money she scrimped and saved to order the supplies. All of it gone and covered in trash.

Cooper crouched next to her and put his arm around her shoulders, leaning his head close so he could whisper, “I’m sorry, Jada. I’ll make it up to you. I’ll get you new paints and fancy brushes and whatever you want.”

She cleared her throat, trying to act more like an adult instead of a hurt child. They were just paints. Just a stupid hobby. There wasn’t any reason to get so upset. Jada pushed to her feet, grappling for self-control when yet another kindness from Cooper threatened to push her over the edge into helpless sobs. Some of her paintings were just a little crushed, not entirely lost, and she focused on picking through them as Cooper stood back and snarled whenever one of the leopards looked like they might get closer.

“Take all of them,” Cooper said. He pulled most of them out of the mud, frowning as he held them in a stack against his side. “We can clean them or find a way to save them. It’ll be okay. I’ll make it okay.”

He didn’t know much about watercolor. But his desperate need to make everything okay made her smile a little, though tearfully, and she fished the last few sketches out of the trash. She debated trying to save some of the brushes when a breathless voice behind her drew her attention. “Oh man, I didn’t know they did this to your art.”

Francine looked completely bereft, and dropped the two large duffel bags so she could throw her arms around Jada’s waist. “I’m so sorry. They were so pretty.”

“Thanks.” Jada rested her chin on Francine’s head, closing her eyes to mourn a little, and hugged her back.

Cooper grumbled in concern, juggling the paintings as he squeezed her shoulder. “Let’s go. There’s nothing else here you want.”

Francine’s eyes widened, and Jada held her tight to her side. “Help me carry the bags, Franny.”

The younger girl nodded, gulping as her eyes grew bright with tears, and Jada could tell by the look on Cooper’s face that neither he nor the bear could handle two girls crying. He hefted one of the bags of clothes, and Jada and Francine lugged the other one across the clearing and back up the path. Jada held her breath, but Joe didn’t say another word and no one offered to take Francine’s place. She didn’t dare hope that Francine could just get in the truck with them and drive away.

Cooper snarled and growled the entire walk, his arms periodically jumping as if he imagined punching someone, and Francine started to look a little worried when she glanced over at Jada. She couldn’t whisper any reassurances without risking another leopard or bear overhearing, so she just smiled and squeezed Franny’s shoulder. She could explain everything in the car as they drove the hell away from there.

The bear compound looked completely deserted by the time they hiked into the clearing next to Cooper’s truck. He still muttered as he threw stuff into the back, though he was far more careful with her ruined paintings, tucking them inside the cab. He looked around and shook his head, then frowned as he looked at Francine. “What do you think? Meet us at the crossroads or just hop in here?”

She hesitated, squeezing Jada’s hand. “How fast can you drive away in this thing if they chase us?”

“As fast as I need to,” he said. “Get in.”

Francine climbed in the driver’s seat and hopped over it to the tiny bench seat behind it, and Jada hurried to get in on the passenger side. Her stomach knotted with nerves as Cooper started up the engine and a few bears looked out the windows of the house at them, but Cooper didn’t even blink. He threw the truck into gear and peeled out of the lot without looking back.

Someone shouted, far behind them, and Jada gripped the dashboard in front of her. “Go faster. Please.”

He caught her shoulder, saying, “Put your seatbelt on. This is going to get bumpy,” and the truck bounced through the rutted roads until Francine giggled and almost hit the ceiling.

Jada looked back and wished she hadn’t as she caught sight of the leopards racing through the trees. There was no telling what they’d do to Francine for trying to escape—and Jada for helping her—if Cooper wasn’t able to get them away fast enough. She held on tight and prayed they reached the crossroads before the leopards could get any of their trucks the long way around from the compound. They just needed a few minutes’ head start, that was it.