Chapter Two
Bastian Barrett’s heart sank as he watched the black truck that had just barreled around the corner of the highway leave the road. He saw the truck slow as the driver tried to wrestle the vehicle into some semblance of control, and for a moment there it looked like the guy had succeeded because it slowed slightly, but then the tires hit the gravel verge and it was all over. Seconds later the crunch of metal crumpling beneath wood and trees snapping at the impact echoed around them as truck met forest.
Ryker pushed up onto his back legs, roaring his rage to the world at large. Bastian knew the clan would be closing in on their location anyway, but at Ryker’s call, they would be racing to join their Alpha. Bastian called to his bear and let the shift roll over him
Bastian was a patient fighter, a brawler really, who waited until the threat came to him before beating the shit out of whoever it was for even attempting to challenge a bear as dominant as he. He would have preferred to work methodically to take out his enemies. But in this instance, an innocent had been hurt in that truck, and he was incensed that these wolves would come onto their lands and pull this shit, so he charged. He and Ryker moved forward into the wolves that all leaped in their direction as the battle began.
Bastian growled in rage as pain shot through him, turning his huge head to grip the hind leg of the wolf that had managed to leap onto him in the melee and bite deeply into the muscle at the back of his neck. With a mighty heave of his head, he flung the beast into the forest. He pushed forward, swinging his claws as hard and fast as he could, swiping wolves out of the air mid-jump, ripping through fur and flesh, bleeding every single wolf that dared come near him. From the roars of satisfaction coming from beside him, he knew that his brother was wreaking just as much pain and havoc on the wolf shifters as he was, and loving every minute of it.
The forest erupted with noise as their clan answered his brother’s call, and the wolves began to panic. Fourteen against two gave the wolves a false sense of security that perhaps this fight might go their way, but with more of the Blackwater Clan coming out of the forest, they knew it would be a deadly mistake to continue. The wolves that remained alive ran or limped for the safety of the forest, and some of their clan pursued them as far as they could without entering pack lands. Bastian couldn’t fail to notice that Ash was one of the first to flee.Spineless fucker.
Despite his bear’s desire to follow and make every one of those pricks pay for this disrespect with their lives, Bastian pulled his bear back into himself. He embraced the white-hot pain that came with the shift and in moments stood on two legs in his human form. He ran in the direction of the truck and knew Ryker was right behind him.
“Hey, mister!” Ryker called as they neared the truck. “You okay? We’ll have you outta there in a second.”
A slight breeze rose just as Bastian reached the driver’s side of the truck and moved to grasp the door handle, but his hand froze mere inches from grabbing it. There was a scent on the air that almost dropped him to his knees. It was an intoxicating blend of orange blossom and honey. A continuous growl rumbled from deep within his chest, and he heard the same possessive sound coming from his brother. There was no mistaking that scent. It called to him and Ryker like no other and held within it the answer to their future.
“Mate,” Bastian growled.
He heard his brother snarl the same word as Bastian closed his hand over the top of the doorframe and ripped the entire thing off the body of the car, flinging it away from him in his haste to get to his mate.
The woman was slumped back in the bench seat of the truck, her long, curly, blonde hair matted with blood on the left side of her head. She was cradling her right hand against her waist. Bastian dropped to his knees beside her, and lifted a shaking hand to her face, sweeping her hair out of the way.
“Baby, can you hear me?” he asked urgently and was surprised when she turned to look straight at him, and he found himself locked in her gaze. He swallowed hard at how beautiful her eyes were, a dark green that seemed to have flecks of gold through them. She was a true beauty, and looking into her eyes made his heart beat faster.
“I’m not your baby,” Beauty replied curtly, her words slurred a little, which was concerning. “Did you just rip the door off my Chevy?”
Bastian looked back at his brother, not sure how to answer, but from the blank look and shrug he got in response, he knew he was on his own. “It was already off its hinges. I just pulled it the rest of the way.”
Beauty’s eyes narrowed. “First, I had already tried to move that damn door, and I know it was wedged in tight. I know you ripped the door off and threw it away like it weighed nothing because I saw you do it. Now, normally that would be weird, and I would pass it off as some kind of inhuman strength driven by adrenaline phenomenon or something like that. But not after watching you explode into a bear because having the strength to do that would be normal for a bear. Right? At least I think it would be. And that’s my next question. How did you do that whole exploding into a bear thing? How did you both do that?”
Beauty looked between him and Ryker, and her expression was one of curiosity, not fear as he might have expected, before continuing. “Perhaps someone slipped some magic mushrooms on the pizza I scarfed at lunchtime, or I had a stroke in the moments before I drove my Chevy into a tree. Who knows? But what I do know, is that I saw you explode into bears and fight a group of absurdly huge wolves that then ran off into the forest chased by even more bears.”
“Sweetness,” Ryker said as he leaned in closer. “From the looks of the blood in your hair, you smacked your head pretty damn hard. Perhaps what you think you saw is simply a result of the concussion you no doubt have.”
Beauty nodded as she looked over at Ryker as if she were seriously considering his suggestion. “You could be right, I might be concussed. I mean, I do have a headache. But that wouldn’t explain everything away, though, would it? There is still one thing I am slightly confused about.”
Ryker rested a hand on the top of the car to lean into the space where the driver’s door had been and grinned at their adorable mate. “And what might that be?”
She looked up at them, running her eyes quickly over each of them. “If you didn’t explode into bears and then somehow go back to being human again, why did you take the time to remove your clothes before coming to help me?”
Bastian grimaced. He had no answer for that one.
Beauty continued. “Seems to me that if you saw an accident, and were concerned about the driver, that you might want to get to them as fast as possible and see to their safety before pulling your clothes off. Not that I don’t appreciate it, because, well, both of you look like you’ve just stepped off the cover of some fitness magazine, and despite the blood, you have bodies a woman could get lost in for hours. Hell, a woman might even consider giving up chocolate for the chance to rub up and down on one of y’all.”
Bastian grinned. Damn, she was so fucking cute. “What about both of us?”
He eyes widened in shock. “At the same time?”
He nodded. “Yep.”
“That might be worth giving up chocolateandmargaritas.” Beauty blinked slowly and frowned before turning to look over at Ryker. “You know something? I think you might have been right.”
Ryker smiled gently. “About what, sweetness?”
“I think I do have a concussion, and if it’s okay with you guys, I think I’m just going to pass out now.”
Bastian growled in alarm as she slumped sideways and fell into his arms. What in the hell had they been thinking? Their mate had just been in an accident, and instead of calling for help, or getting her into town as fast as they could, they had stoodbesideher, being completely and utterly charmed by her.
