The instant Dean strode into the Watsons’ home after speaking to the bears outside, he was assaulted by the scent of blood and unfamiliar bears. He paused for a second, curling his lip back from his teeth as he breathed in to study them.

Five males, all unfamiliar… He growled, the rumble of pure rage made into sound. These males had invaded his territory, killed a human under his protection and taken two bear females from his clan. And if that wasn’t enough to seal their fate, they’d also hurt his fated mate.

He bunched his fists, his claws aching to burst free. They might be walking and talking, breathing and all that, but they were dead. They just didn’t know it yet.

“Prime?” The girl’s mother, Elisa Watson, stood in front of him, her youngest child held tightly. Her expression was haunted, eyes red-rimmed from tears. “Thank the moon. Please… you have to get my babies back. They… Angela…”

He took her by the upper arms, expression open and determined. “We will get them back, Elisa. You have my word as Prime on that.”

“Thank you,” the woman whispered, tears welling in her eyes again. She didn’t ask anything else, didn’t need to. He was Prime and he’d given his word. Her children would be found, or he would die trying.

And that was where assholes like Anderson went wrong. They pursued power for its own sake. They wanted people at their beck and call, looking up to them, and to issue orders. They forgot that a Prime was not a free bear. Forgot that the Prime didn’t only lead the clan, he served the clan as well. His word was law, but it was also his bond. And no Prime could ever break that.

“Mrs. Watson? Hi, I’m Kacie. How about I make you a nice hot drink and we’ll let the…” she paused for a moment, flicking a glance around the room. Anderson and his deputies were already in the next room, where the scent of blood was the strongest, but other bears were already here, waiting Dean’s orders. She didn’t skip a beat though. “And we’ll let the Prime and his associates deal with the sheriff, shall we?”

A hand under the terrified mother’s arm, Kacie led her away into the kitchen, throwing a small smile over her shoulder at Dean.

“You got a keeper there,” Bennett said quietly. “Never seen any newbie accept the bear-life quite so easily.”

Dean’s chest puffed out a little with pride. “Well, she’s a Lick girl, born and bred, plus she’s my fated. What else did you expect?”

The two men walked through the main room, where what remained of Dean’s humor fled. Framed by the comfortable civility of the Watsons’ home, with its hardwearing cord and leather couches, and cozy throws, was a scene right out of a horror movie.

In silence, he studied the room, noting every splash of blood, every handprint, every claw mark and bite in soft, undefended flesh. Like all bears, Dean had been born a shifter, but he’d always been aware of real bears. There were a few in the Lick territory. Mostly, they avoided wereclan areas, but occasionally they stayed. So he knew what a natural bear kill looked like.

Kill was the operative word. Bears were animals. They killed to eat or to defend themselves. There was no malice in what they did.

This wasn’t a natural bear kill. The human girl, Angela Russell, hadn’t been killed. She’d been slaughtered in cold blood. She lay on her back on the coffee table like an offering, her face serene. That’s where the peaceful image ended. Below the neck, her clothes and her skin were shredded and covered in blood. The stark white of broken ribs was the only relief in the wash of scarlet.

Disgust and rage rose hard and fast. She hadn’t just been killed, she’d been tortured first. Played with.

He snarled, a low, rumbling sound that promised vengeance and hell when he caught up with who was responsible.

This shit did not happen. Not on his watch.

“Oh…Holy shit.” Morgan cursed as he walked in, obviously unprepared for the sight of the murdered girl spread out like an offering. “Fuck’s sake, you could’ve warned me. Human sense of smell, remember?”

“Sorry, bud,” Dean rumbled quietly. “Still taking it in myself.”

“Understandable.” Just like that Morgan locked down, his expression turning purely professional as he studied the scene. “More than one bear. And it looks like she put up a good fight. I might be able to pick up something from blood traces, but it’s going to take me a while to filter through her blood. Spells are good, but they aren’t that good.”

Dean shook his head. “We don’t have the time for that. They’ve taken two girls and we need them back, yesterday. You got anything else?”

“Girls? How old?”

“Four and seven,” a hoarse voice answered from the doorway. Jeb Watson stood framed there, the big man’s face haunted. Dean noted how he avoided looking at the scene beyond the two men, and he moved subtly so the man wouldn’t see. Angela wasn’t his daughter, but these bastards had his two children. Dean knew without a shadow of a doubt that if Jeb saw the body, all he’d see was his daughters lying there instead. Just as all he could see was Kacie…

“Good.” Morgan nodded. “Then chances are they still sleep with teddy bears? Yes?”

Jeb nodded dully, forcing his attention from Dean to the big warlock. “Yeah, they do. Why?”

“Bring them to me. I might just have a way to track your daughters down before any harm comes to them.”

Mrs. Watson was in shock, but she was still mistress of her own kitchen. She wouldn’t let Kacie do anything, firmly sitting her down in the corner while she bustled around, making coffee for the men in the house. Her expression was strained but she kept up a light stream of chatter, mostly about town business rather than what was going on in the next room, or, interestingly, anything to do with bears.

Thankfully, no one would let her leave the kitchen to deliver drinks. Instead, as soon as a load of drinks were ready, there somehow seemed to be someone in the doorway waiting. Kacie had no doubt they knew, that somehow they could hear the kettle coming to the boil each time. Except the last time, when Mrs. Watson…Elisa…had gotten a feed ready for the baby, Poppy. As she settled down to feed her, the baby held snugly and firmly in her arms, the door opened again.

Kacie breathed a sigh of relief to see Dean waiting there. Excusing herself from the kitchen for a moment, she slid through the door into the corridor to join him.

“Hey,” she said softly, studying his expression. He looked weary, like bone-deep tired, and worried. “How’s it going out there?”

He didn’t answer straight away, moving them both closer to the wall as the sheriff’s men wheeled a gurney out of the front room, a zipped up black body bag strapped to it. Sadness welled deep in her chest. Angela had been so young. A student home for the holidays, Kacie remembered her being a vivacious girl with her whole life ahead of her.

Dean sighed. “As well as can be expected.”

Need tightened his features and he reached out to pull her into his arms. She didn’t argue. Simply stepped into his embrace and let him wrap her up. Nestled against his hard, strong body like this, she felt safe. Protected. Tears prickled in the backs of her eyes. It could so easily have been her in the body bag and she felt awful that she was glad it wasn’t. Not that Angela deserved to be, but if it had been, she’d never have found out that Dean felt the same way about her as she did about him. Had for years.

Pulling back, he looked down into her face. He didn’t speak. Instead, he reached up and brushed his thumb over her lower lip. She murmured in pleasure as his lips covered hers. The kiss was soft and gentle, more about giving and receiving comfort than raw passion, but she didn’t care. She clung to him, eager for anything he had to give. For any touch he gifted her with.

This, them, was the one thing she could hold onto in this whole situation that she actually understood. She’d always had a thing for him, as long back as she could remember. Had always felt they had some kind of connection, even if he didn’t seem to notice her.

His response earlier and the way he held her now, as though she was precious and delicate…no way had he not noticed her. He had to have been ignoring her. That stung, more than she cared to admit, but she was quick to excuse his behavior in her mind. Perhaps there were rules about humans and bears.

The thoughts were swept away, though, as the kiss deepened, and she was lost to sensual bliss. She’d been kissed before, but never like this. Never with the same intensity of passion Dean managed to pack into each and every little touch. As though he had to hold himself back whenever he was around her.

It was exhilarating, addictive and kind of a little scary all at the same time. Especially now that she knew what lay hidden inside him. She caught her breath as he broke the kiss, a little sound of disappointment in the back of her throat.

He leaned his forehead against hers, his eyes closed but his voice low and full of regret.

“We can’t do this here.”

“Why not?” she whispered back, smoothing her hands over his broad shoulders. She would never get tired of touching him. She just wanted to touch him with much less on, and preferably somewhere more private. “We’re only kissing. Not even making out properly.”

He lifted his head, eyes dark with a heat that made her shiver. “Sweetheart, we won’t stay just kissing for long. I promise you.”

“Oh…ohhh.”

He smiled at her little gasp and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “We’ll pick this up later. I just came to tell you I have to go. We found a way to track the girls.”

Relief flooded her. “Awesome. What are we waiting for?”

Dean shook his head. “Not we. Me. You can’t come, sweetheart. It’s too dangerous.”

“What the fuck? You’re kidding me?” She gave him a sharp look, hardly believing what she was hearing. “These assholes attacked Lilly, Kait and me in the alley, right?”

“Yes. We believe so.”

“Then screw that.” Determination filled her, and she stood up to her full height. Which, if she was honest, was itty bitty compared to Dean’s well-over six-foot frame. She could kick them in the ankles. She didn’t care. “Get me a baseball bat or something because I want some payback. I’ll teach them not to pick on women or little girls… assholes!”

“My little mate. So brave and fierce.” He shook his head, bending to steal another kiss that stole her breath. His expression dropped serious when he pulled away. “But I can’t let you go, Kacie. You’re my fated.”

“Bullshit,” she tried to snap back, but her voice emerged way too soft and breathy. “Fated, what does that even mean anyway?”

He slid his hand into her hair, palm cradling the side of her neck gently. The look on his face was so achingly tender and fiercely protective it brought tears to her eyes, stopping her planned argument right in its tracks.

“It means that you’re it for me, sweetheart. Without you, that’s it, I can’t go on… You’re my reason to live.”

Holy shit. She blinked and nodded, speechless.

And to think she’d just been hoping for an “I like you.”

She could really get used to this bear thing…

“Turn left just up here.”

Dean hit the brakes at the command, swinging the SUV into the turn and hitting the gas again. “Where now? Carry on?”

The tension in the car was high, what with three shifters and Morgan crammed into a space not really suited for such big men, humans or otherwise. Magic warred with shift potential, turning the air almost too thick to breathe. Gunning the vehicle down the road ahead, he cast a glance over his shoulder.

Watson and Morgan sat in the back, a map spread over their laps. The big warlock clutched a teddy bear, his free hand held tightly clenched over the map as it steadily dripped blood. Jeb leaned in, relaying where the drops fell. “Right. Right here. Now!” he barked.

“Fuck it,” Dean growled as they passed the turn. “Bit more warning would help, guys!”

Slamming the brakes on, he swung around in a squeal of tires and swerved to avoid the cars following. Now they had a lead on where the Watson girls were, the clan was out in force to get them back.

“Doing the best I can,” Morgan replied, his voice tight with strain. “It’s not like fucking GPS, you know.”

“I know, bud.” Instantly Dean apologized. They were lucky to have Morgan around, and he knew that. It gave them an edge other clans just didn’t have. “You’re doing great.”

Morgan snorted in amusement. “I know. I’m the fucking bomb, and don’t you forget it.”

“Not likely, you never freaking let up about it.”

“Keep going,” Jeb ordered as they passed a few more roads. Dean frowned as they left town. He’d been sure they’d be headed to one of the outlying properties, but this road didn’t lead anywhere but up to…

“It’s the old Black property,” Bennett breathed as realization hit him as well. “It’s the only thing up here for miles.”

“Yeah, it’s gotta be.” Putting his foot down, Dean gunned the engine, hoping they weren’t too late.

It took them less than five minutes to reach the small farmhouse they were headed for. Abandoned for years, it had belonged to one of the clan’s older bears, but he’d passed on a few years ago. As far as Dean knew, no one had lived there since. It certainly looked abandoned as they hurtled up the driveway to screech to a halt outside the small group of buildings. There was a house, a few feed sheds and a small barn. Boards nailed over the smashed windows and rubbish piled up against the walls of the house told a tale of neglect. Not surprising. Properties out here in the back end of beyond weren’t exactly sought after. But, not his problem. Getting Jeb’s girls back was and they could be in any one of the buildings.

“Main house,” he ordered, catching the hint of movement behind a boarded window as he shoved his door open.

At his movement, the amassed clan poured out of the cars behind Dean’s, some before the wheels had even stopped. Feet and massive paws hit the hard-packed dirt as roars filled the air. They were met by answering snarls and roars from within the buildings as the rogues answered. The first of them appeared in the doorway of the house. Fully shifted, his massive form filled the frame as he snarled at the newcomers.

Dean grinned, feeling the familiar surge of adrenaline as he let go of his human form. His bear ripped free, and less than a second later he charged down the bear in the doorway, leaving the man left in him to chuckle mentally at the rogue’s look of stunned surprise. He was alpha, he was Prime… there wasn’t a bear in the clan that could shift quicker than he could. He barreled into the other bear, using his momentum as an extra weapon. He might have been a little smaller in frame than his opponent, but he was a mean-ass son of a bitch when it came to a fight—furry or not. He moved faster than a bear of his size should be able to, slashing fur with his claws and trying to get a hold.

The rogue defended, moving to back up into the corridor behind the door but Dean wasn’t having any of that. Rising on his back feet, he left his belly undefended for a second to slam his weight down on the rogue’s muzzle. The unexpected slap-down took the other bear by surprise and he stumbled. Dean was on him in a heartbeat, his teeth buried in the thick muscle and fur at the back of his opponent’s neck. In a move not unlike a mother-cat with her kittens, he dragged the rogue out of the doorway and flung him in the dirt in front of the house.

The bear rolled, on his feet in an instant to roar defiance at Dean, but the Prime just growled in amusement. The male could roar and bluster all he liked. He was going nowhere. The door now cleared, two clan bears surged through the gap to get the girls. Lilly and Jeb, both fully shifted, were more than capable of dealing with any bears still in the house. He actually felt sorry for them. Braun was mean as fuck when she was mad, and there was nothing that got her more pissed off than people hurting kids. And Jeb… he didn’t actually want to think what Jeb would do to them. One thing was for certain, it was no less than they deserved for taking the man’s kids.

He circled the big bear, ignoring all the other fights that were going on around them. There weren’t that many, certainly not as many as he’d thought there would be for a pack like this. Rogues weren’t usually a problem. Normally male, they tended to flit from pack to pack until they found one that would take them in. But if they banded together like this, then they became a problem, if not a right royal pain in the ass. The rest must be inside with the girls, he decided, and launched his attack.

This time he didn’t mess about. He didn’t have to worry about the male creating a bottleneck, or worse, crushing a child. Instead, he had all the space in the world and a roaring need to taste this guy’s blood in the back of his throat. One moment he was pacing, circling, and the next he launched himself forward. His huge paws hit the dirt twice, a gallop before he threw himself on the male’s back, grappling around his ribs with razor-sharp claws.

The rogue started in surprise. He roared as he bucked and shook himself, trying to throw Dean off. But Dean had a good grip, biting down on his opponent’s neck as he threw himself to the side. The bear staggered but stayed upright. Bear tipping, Morgan had called the move once when he’d seen Dean fight, and the name had stuck. Curling his lips back, he roared around his teeth buried in the male’s neck and heaved himself to the other side. This time it worked. The rogue lost his footing and slid. Dean moved like lightning, man and bear in total accord. In less than half a second, he had his jaws locked around the rogue’s throat and bit down.

The rogue managed an aborted whine, but then blood gushed and flesh parted. Dean shook his head, feeling the blood flow over his snout. Fucking rogues, they’d learn not to mess with clan territory.

“We got them,” Braun’s voice rang out from the house.

Dropping his opponent to bleed his last in the dust, Dean stepped back. Braun stood in the doorway, ushering Jeb out of the house. The big man held a girl in each arm, tears flowing down his face. Dean breathed a sigh of relief. They were safe, and unharmed by the look of it. Between one step and the next he went from bear to man, looking at Lilly as she walked toward him. The fact that they were both as naked as the day they were born didn’t register with either of them. Bears soon lost any modesty about their bodies when they learned to shift.

“How many of them were there?” he asked, noticing Braun’s frown.

“That’s just it. There weren’t any in there, just the girls. It seems way too easy…” Her eyes widened as Dean growled.

“It’s a fucking distraction.”