“What the fuck are you doing here? Who sent you?” Calder’s voice was thick with anger. His fangs elongated as he lifted the scrawny rogue by his neck.

“Fuck you!” The man spat in Calder’s face.

“For someone who begged for his life moments ago, you’re not very cooperative. Not to worry, though. I have a solution for that.” Calder tossed him to the ground. Several of the wolves from Twisted Tail snarled as they surrounded the rogue, waiting for the order to kill.

“Okay! Okay! I’ll answer your questions.” The man stood. His limbs trembling with fear. “We were sent as a distraction.”

“Who sent you?” Gavin was in the man’s face quicker than the guy could blink.

“I don’t know his name.”

Gavin’s claws elongated, readying to strike the killing blow.

“I’m telling the truth! I don’t know his name. This bear shifter approached a bunch of us and offered us a hundred dollars each to come here tonight and cause chaos. He said he had a score to settle with someone.”

The hair on the back of Gavin’s neck stood on end. The feeling of dread settled in the pit of his stomach. He doubled over in pain as Bailey’s fear punched him in the gut. “Our mate is in trouble!” Gavin’s bear shouted in his mind.

Gavin’s head snapped toward the forest as Bailey’s roar tore straight through the tension in the air.

“Gavin, go! I’m right behind you!” Calder called out to Gavin.

Gavin shifted to his bear form, and took off as fast as his legs could carry him, dodging trees and downed branches. His heart pounded in his chest, so hard it felt like his ribs would crack at any moment. The only thought racing through both his and his bear’s mind was making sure his mate was safe.

He tried to reach her via their mating connection, but her thoughts were nothing more than a swirl of fear and pain.

He couldn’t break through.

Gavin pushed himself to run harder, faster than he ever had. His mate’s life was in danger. The faster he moved, the more he sensed her fear.

Gavin quickly scanned the area as the sound of branches crunched behind him and to both of his sides. One quick glance confirmed that Calder had indeed caught up with him and brought reinforcements.

Calder and his wolves reached Bailey first, pulling the bears off of her one by one. They didn’t waste so much as a second in dealing quick deaths to the bears he’d warned away earlier in the day.

The smell of his mate’s blood permeated the air around him, nearly gagging him. Gavin raced to Bailey’s side, quickly shifting to human form.

“Bailey! Are you okay?” Tears streamed from Gavin’s eyes at the sight of his mate mangled and mauled. Blood coated nearly every inch of her beautiful fur. “I need some help over here,” Gavin shouted, kneeling down beside Bailey.

Calder was the first to reach his side. “We need to get her back to the house as fast as we can. Daisy is a doctor. She’ll be able to help her.”

“I don’t know how we can carry her like this. Why hasn’t she shifted back to her human form?” someone asked from the small crowd that had gathered around Gavin and Bailey.

“Jesse’s right. With those injuries, I don’t know how she is holding on to her bear form,” another person said.

“They’ve got good points.” Calder motioned to Gavin. “Have you checked her for silver? It’s the only thing I can think of that would keep her from shifting back to her human form.”

Gavin ran his hands slowly over his mate, desperately searching for any silver that may have been placed on her body.

“This will go faster if I help,” One of the men knelt down to help Gavin in the search.

A roar tore from Gavin’s mouth, “Don’t touch her! She is my mate.”

The man jumped back. “Sorry, dude, I was just trying to help.”

Gavin worked overtime, carefully running his fingers over every inch of Bailey. “Found it! They stuck a fucking silver earring into her side!”

Thankfully, Bailey shifted back to human form the instant Gavin plucked the tiny silver earring from her skin. He pulled his shirt over his head, and slid it over her, wanting to cover her up.

Gavin lifted her from the ground, carefully cradling her body next to his. He looked to Calder, trying to keep the worry from his voice. “Can you call Daisy and let her know that we’re on our way?”

“Sure thing.” Calder pulled his cell phone from his pocket and called his mate.

“Change of plans. We’re going to meet Daisy at the clinic,” Calder announced to the small group and quickly changed directions.

After the call, he sent a few of his wolves to run ahead of them, wanting to make sure the evening of ambushes was at an end.