Human sweat and urine was on the air.

I knew it was only a matter of time before they started trespassing onto our land.

Killian’s wolf snarled in agreement with his human side.

Ever since Darian wed the human girl from what used to be Aldrich town, he’d forgotten how the Rizer pack was betrayed by a human. Killian had not forgotten.

Their prior alpha, Valor, paid the price for trusting a human. Killian, knew that he was to blame as well. He was so completely fooled by Aldrich, that he would have sworn on his life the man could be trusted.

Humans aren’t like shifters. They don’t have honor, or pride.

Killian knew that Darian, the Rizer alpha, and his newly turned wife Cara were not going to enforce the no trespassing on the mountain rule. They were too busy being hopelessly in love.

Dividing from the pack, Killian followed the scent carried on the wind. For as strong as the smell was, he was surprised how far down the mountain he has to travel. In fact, he was nearing the end of the trespassing zone when he spotted them.

Two women.

The scent of old sweat and urine was emanating from the woman with red hair. It was such a powerful stench that Killian couldn’t smell the second woman. Or perhaps they both smelled of filth.

Killian could smell the filth they’d left behind on the mountain. They might not be on the mountain now, but they had been. He shifted and started toward them.

“Hey,” He said allowing his anger to manifest audibly.

Both women whirled around. The red-haired woman began crying right away.

Silly, ridiculous woman.

“You were on Rizer mountain. Don’t let it happen again.”

“It’s a shifter, Unis. Don’t be afraid.” the blue-eyed woman with the long white blond hair said in a soothing tone to the other.

Unis was clinging to the smaller woman who was practically holding the other and herself upright. “What if it’s him?”

“A shifter would have found us right away when we hid in the bushes.” The blue-eyed woman was looking Killian over with no hint of embarrassment.

Killian knew what was left of the pants he’d put on earlier was precious little.

She’s a bold one, isn’t she?

“Get a good enough look?” Killian asked her.

The blue-eyed beauty met his gaze then and she nodded. “You’re the first shifter I’ve ever seen.”

“You’re the only two stupid enough to trespass on Rizer mountain. If I catch you over here again you’ll see my other shape, it’s not too fond of people if you get what I mean.”

Unis nodded her head quickly. The blue-eyed beauty did not.

“Perhaps if you did a better job patrolling your land Unis wouldn’t have been dragged onto it and nearly murdered on Rizer soil. That would’ve made for poor relations between your group and Freebasin.”

She’s scolding me? When she was the one to trespass?

“It doesn’t surprise me that one of you is blood thirsty. It’s not my job to make sure you humans stop killing each other.”

“Your job is to what? Harass harmless women?”

Unis shook her head. “Angeline, don’t anger him. Please?”

Angeline.

The name was fitting if he considered her fair skin and the unique shade of white blond in her hair. Her large blue eyes, smooth skin and pink lips all came together in an angelic picture.

Her mouth, that sharp tongue and quick temper was not at all angelic.

Killian turned to leave before he said something that would get him in trouble with the alpha. That was when he smelled the blood.

Shit.

“Which one of you is injured?” he asked stomping toward them. Last week a he’d failed to sew up the wound of a carless woodsman and Darian had nearly taken away Killian’s right to study medicine. He’d sworn to Darian that he would use his medical skills to help the people of Freebasin and it was the only way that Darian allowed Killian to remain in medical training.

Unis was shaking so hard, Angeline was having trouble hanging onto her.

Killian reached out and took Unis by her arm. “I’m not going to hurt you, stop shaking,” he commanded. “I’m going to look at your wounds. I have medical training.”

“She’s shaking harder now than she was before. What kind of training do you have? Are you trying to scare the infection right out of her?”

Killian looked at Angeline without bothering to hide his strong distaste for her and her kind. “She is so fragile I must whisper?”

“We’ll take our chances with a real doctor,” Angeline said taking hold of Unis’ other arm.

“Your doctors are village idiots. You are too if you’re refusing my help.”

Killian spotted the matted hair and dried blood in the hair of Unis. “You’ll need to wash off the filth. I’ll take you to the waterfall and then leave you to go and get my supplies.”

Unis nodded. “Yes please.”

Angeline looked up at the sky. “It’s nearly morning. I need to get back.”

“Please don’t leave me,” Unis begged Angeline.

Killian didn’t have time to listen to the two human women squabbling. He put Unis under one arm and Angeline under the other before jetting through the forest to the waterfall.

“Put me down,” Angeline commanded as soon as Killian stopped. Raising his arm, he dropped Angeline on her stomach and set Unis carefully on her feet

Angeline pushed up off the ground and righted herself. She dusted off the dirt mumbling threats Killian knew she had no intention of following through with.

“You asked for it,” Killian smiled.

“Are all shifters like you? Angry for no reason and lacking in basic social skills?”

Killian scowled down at the petite beauty. “You’d better watch that pretty mouth of yours, glass doll. You’re easily broken.”

“Looks are deceiving,” she responded without hesitation.

“Who is this?” Darian asked as he approached on the other side of the waterfall. “I like her.”

Killian frowned. “Don’t you already have a human?”

“I do, many of the do not. Who are you?” Darian asked Angeline.

They waited but the stubborn little beauty didn’t answer.

“She is called, Angeline,” Killian told the alpha of the pack. “She trespassed.”

Darian nodded. “And the other one is hurt. You are keeping your promise?”

“Yes, alpha.”

“Good. I expect you to keep them both safe until the next moon full moon.”

Ridiculous. He’s still punishing me for that damned woodsman.

“Yes, Alpha.”

“I will watch over them so that you can go and get your supplies.”

Killian left without another word.

Two weeks watching over two meddlesome, clumsy human women was going to be pure hell. How was he supposed to finish his experiments and studies if he was stuck watching little miss sharp-tongue pick dandelions all the live long day?

Ian and Errol the twins raced up to join me as I sprinted back. I didn’t bother to shift back into my wolf. He’d only want to roam and right now I had to see to the woman’s injuries.

“What are we doing?” Ian asked shifting mid run into his human form. His blond hair fell loose around his shoulders as he matched my pace. I could see him pushing himself to keep up. Ian wasn’t by any measure considered overweight. The man was, like his brother, solid, dense muscle.

“Darian wants me to keep watch over a pair of humans.”

Ian slowed a few steps as he threw his head back and laughed. Errol’s wolf was smiling too, showing Killian all of his teeth, his long pink tongue hanging out.

“Maybe he’s sick of you always keeping such a careful eye on Cara.”

“I haven’t been suspicious of her since she turned,” Killian snapped.

Ian cackled again as they slowed outside the Rizer fortress. “I forgot about that. You think that when a man is changed into a shifter he grows valuable traits, loyalty and what honor?”

Killian scowled at his wolf pack brother. “Anything you say in that tone sounds stupid. Of course. It’s necessary. They have to remain loyal to a pack or they’ll risk being hunted down by the extremists.”

“Your views on humans and shifters has grown pessimistic, Killian. I miss the trusting, happy, lump of fur you used to be.”

That lump of fur got Valor killed with his misplaced trust.

“I’ve grown up. I suggest you and Errol do the same. Stop spying on the skinny dippers at the lake while you’re at it. They’re humans, have some self-respect.”

“We’re meant to spy on werewolves only then?” Errol asked shifting. His hair was tied back in a neat cue at the back of his neck. “Where’s the fun in that? Our females are all mated. You’ll have the males of the pack ripping our throats out.”

Killian shook his head. “Do whatever you like, you always do.”

Ian and Errol laughed leaving Killian to return to the fortress alone. His medical bag was where he’d left it next to the door in his bedroom. He picked up the human medical books he had too and dropped them in the bag along with a few pairs of human pants.

He wished he could stay and finish the study he was working on the life span of the mouse he’d infected with wolf’s blood. Aldrich had taken wolf’s blood and he’d not aged a day. He wasn’t the only one to steal wolf’s blood. It would be best to determine how long the blood would prolong a regular human life.

No. Killian didn’t get to find answers to better protect the pack. Instead the alpha wanted to be amused by watching him protect the humans.

Killian started back down the mountainside as the wind shifted.

Another human on the mountain?

This one smelled worse than the first.

What are they doing up here? Rolling in dead animal carcasses? They’re vile and riddled with filth. Enough has to be enough.

Killian changed directions. He meant to track down the humans and scare the hell out of them so much so that they would never set a foot upon Rizer soil again.