Bear Necessities (18 page)

“Except
now we’ve got a wannabe Wolf Alpha roaming the streets, a Fox in the hospital,
a group of Bears on the warpath, and God knows what else on the way.” Emma
sounded more thoughtful than upset. She rested her elbow against her knee and
propped her chin in her hand. “Who the hell stood over my cradle and talked
about living in interesting times?”

Max
turned to his spouse, amused. The mist retreated, his eyes turning back from
gold to sky blue. “At least we don’t have any more Senators running through
town and co-opting our people.”

“Do
you think it was Gary who attacked Chloe?”

Bunny
turned to find Sarah, Gabe’s mate, staring up at him. “I have no idea, but I’m
not sure why he would. Does he even know she exists?”

They
all stared at Tabby, who shrank in on herself. “How the hell would I know? I
stay as far away from him as I can.”

Max
pointed to Adrian. “Thoughts?”

The
man frowned. “We need to set Puma guards on Chloe, make sure no one can get
into her room without authorization.”

Bunny
bristled. “My family is there. Trust me,
no one
will get to Chloe.”

Adrian
nodded. “I’ll need to discuss with them a rotation, so that they can get some
rest. I have some people I trust to put with her, and I’m sure Gabe can come up
with a few names as well.” Gabe nodded. “I’m going to assume you’re researching
any possible human involvement, like a work rival or a romantic one?” Gabe
nodded again, his eyes rolling. “Okay.” Adrian turned back to Max.
“Everything’s being done on the Chloe side that we can do for now. Without
Chloe being Puma, there isn’t any way for me to monitor her physically other
than keeping in touch with Jamie Howard.”

“Do
that.” Max pointed at both men. “I want regular updates on her condition. Once
she’s awake, we can find out from her what she saw of her attackers. Maybe
she’ll be able to identify whether or not it was shifters who did this.”

“And
if it was?”

Max
eyed Gabe. “We find out if it was Pumas, specifically
my
Pumas, who did
this. If it wasn’t, whoever it was is all yours. Hell, if it was my Pumas,
they’re all yours after I Outcast them.”

Gabe’s
answering grin was feral.

Whoever
hurt Bunny’s baby cousin was going to pay in a big, big way.

“We
still need to deal with the Gary issue,” Emma pointed out. “Whether or not he’s
involved in Chloe’s attack we
know
he did something to Tabby.”

Speaking
of which…
“Gabe, could I talk to you alone for a moment?” Tabby tried to ignore the
questioning look on Alex’s face. If he found out about Gary’s little stunt in
the woods last week, he’d blow his top. There was no way she’d risk letting him
go off in a rage. He’d get himself killed.

“Sure.”
Gabe helped Sarah to her feet and stood, settling his mate back down in the
chair they’d been occupying. He kissed her forehead and released her wrists.
“Be right back.”

Tabby
pointed at Alex, who was about to rise and join them. “Sit. Stay. Good Bear.”
She followed Gabe out onto Max’s back deck, ignoring the giggles coming from
Emma.

Gabe
stood in front of her and crossed his arms, his expression concerned. “Okay,
Tabby. What did you want to tell me that you didn’t want Bunny hearing?”

She
described what had happened in the woods. Gary and his proto-Pack surrounding
her, the look of lust on their faces. The way Gary had tried to punch out her
windshield to get to her.

By the
time she was done, Gabe’s eyes had gone gold and he was cursing up a blue
streak. “Why didn’t you call me immediately?”

“I
meant to, I really did. But I kept getting distracted.”

He
glared at her.

She
winced. Damn it, he knew her so well, and they’d been friends for only six
months. “Fine. I was worried that some people would blame me.” She
was
Outcast,
despite Bunny’s unwavering support. There were those who would hear what Gary
had done and shrug, thinking it nothing more than she deserved. Some would
actively encourage Gary, hoping to drive her away. It was one of the many
reasons she’d stayed Wolf for years rather than try to find a home in the
shifter world. Real wolves didn’t care that she’d been Outcast.

It had
been lonelier than anything she’d ever been forced to endure. She prayed every
night that she’d never have to face living like that again.

“Admit
it. You were worried Max would kick you out of Halle.”

She
bit her lip. “Yeah. I was.”

“
Tabby.
”
Gabe ran his hands through his hair, obviously frustrated. “How many times do I
have to tell you? You’re
home
, okay? No one is going to take that away
from you, especially not Max.”

Max
could take it away by simply turning his back on her. “You don’t have the
authority to say that, and you know it. You aren’t the Alpha.”

“No,
but the Alpha listens to me, especially when it comes to Outcasts and rogues.
I’m a Hunter, for crying out loud. Hell, his Marshall has vouched for you, his
Omega thinks you’re wonderful and wants a fucking tattoo now, thank you very
much, and even his Curana is in there fighting for you! And Emma barely knows
you! So let it go, Tabby.” He pulled her into a hug. “Whether you believe it or
not, you’re home.”

She
shuddered, collapsing into the embrace. Gabe was solid warmth, his feline scent
tickling her nostrils in a—

“Excuse
me. Is this a private party or can anyone join?”

She
lifted her head to find the back door open. Alex stood there, leaning against
the doorjamb, his hands jammed into his pockets. His fangs had descended. He
was eyeing Gabe’s hands at Tabby’s waist.

Gabe’s
hands lifted up and stepped away from her. “Mind out of the gutter, Bunny.
Tabby’s like a sister to me.”

“Just
like Chloe, huh?”

Gabe
groaned. “When will people get over that? We never dated! God, as soon as she
wakes up, I’m kicking her ass all over again.”

Alex
relaxed and chuckled, his fangs receding. “No kicking girl ass. That’s just
wrong.”

“Please.
Like Chloe wouldn’t willingly kick my ass up and down the block if she thought
I deserved it.” Gabe shook his head. “It’s hard to see her in that hospital
bed.”

“Tell
me about it.” He studied Gabe’s face for a moment. “Are you going to fill me in
on what my mate’s hiding from me?”

Gabe
shook his head. “Wish I could, but she has to be the one to tell you.”

“Thanks
a lot. Traitor.” Tabby glared up at Gabe, ignoring the way Alex was watching
her. All of his attention was suddenly focused on her, and not in a good way.

Gabe
hesitated only for a moment, then shrugged and headed back inside. “Do me a favor,
Tabby. Tell him. Trust him. He’s your mate.”

She
nodded. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Alex. She just didn’t want Gary to get
his hands on him. Gary would fuck him up without thinking twice about it.

Alex
stepped out. Gabe shut the door behind him, giving the two of them their
privacy. “Tabby?”

Better
rip the Band-Aid off.
“Gary
attacked me one morning after a run. He and his goons cornered me out in the
woods, up against my car. I’m pretty sure they were going to rape me.”

Alex’s
whole body rippled. His fangs descended. His nails blackened, lengthening two
inches. He freaking
grew
about six inches, the seams of his shirt
popping, his jeans creaking against the strain. Considering he was pretty
massive to begin with, it was impressive. “Where does Gary live?”

Tabby
gulped. This was an Alex she didn’t know. His voice had turned gravelly,
deepened until he sounded like something out of a horror film. “I don’t know.”

“
Tell
me.
”

“I
don’t know!” She did her best to stare him down, but her heart was racing a mile
a minute. “And if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.”

“Tabby.”
His fingers twitched. She wondered if he was picturing Gary’s neck between
them.

“No.”
She tried to soothe him, resting one hand against his arm. “One Bear against a
Wolf wins. One Bear against a Pack loses. I’m not worth your life, Alex.”

He
blinked, his hazel eyes turning dark brown. “
What?
” He roared, startling
the birds from the trees. Tabby clapped her hands over her ears and wondered if
they would start bleeding. “Would you care to repeat that?”

“I’m
not worth dying over?” She gulped again, watching fury etch itself into Alex’s
features.

The
door slammed open. “Okay, break it up.” Sarah, the Pride Omega, stepped onto
the deck. “Whatever’s causing Mt. Vesuvius here to erupt has to stop now. You’re
going to scare the straights.” Alex growled down at her. Sarah growled back.
“Calm down, big guy. No one’s going to touch your mate, okay? She’s safe here.”
She patted Alex’s arm. “Why don’t you both go back inside? We have a few more
things to discuss, and Max was thinking we might have you and Gabe run out to
Frank’s for some burgers. Doesn’t that sound good? We could order some fruit
for you, maybe a salad.” Sarah tugged on Alex’s arm, dragging him inside the
house. The chatter continued all the way back into the great room. “We could
get some pie. How about blueberry? Frank’s pies are some of the best in town.”

Alex’s
body began to retract, shrinking back down to his normal size. His muscles
relaxed, his fangs receding. Whatever mojo the Puma Omega wielded was working,
calming her big Bear down. She decided to help, adding her own hands to Alex’s
back, stroking him through his T-shirt. “Pie’s good. Maybe we should get Ryan
and Julian here too. Their mates are being harassed by Gary too.” The grumbling
under her palm was more irritated than pissed now, thank God.

“Good
idea. Tabby, why don’t you call them, get them over here? Ryan can let his
family know that we plan on helping guard his sister while we’re at it.”
Sarah’s gaze never left Alex. Her hand continued to pet him until he’d
completely calmed down. A fine sheen of sweat was covering the Omega by the
time she had Alex down on the sofa, a confused look on his face. “Gabe? Could
you get everyone’s orders please?”

Tabby
looked at Gabe. His jaw was clenched as he watched his mate tame another
shifter into the palm of her hand. Tabby didn’t know if he was jealous or
concerned for her safety. “Sure. I can do that.”

Sarah
smiled at her mate. “Everything’s fine, Gabe. Just take the orders and call it
in. Bunny would never hurt me.”

Alex
shook his head. He looked like he was waking up from a trance. “No, of course I
wouldn’t.” He looked over at Tabby. “Baby?”

Tabby
rushed forward and threw herself onto Alex’s lap. She curled into him, burying
her face against his neck. His scent wrapped around her, warming her,
comforting her as nothing else could. “It’s okay, sugar. Everything will be
okay.”

He
buried his face in her hair and breathed deep. “If he lays a hand on you, I
will
kill him. You need to understand that.” He tipped her chin up. “You may not
think you’re worth dying over, but I know you’re worth killing over.”

Crap.
His eyes hadn’t returned to
normal. They were full of savage anger, the eyes of a predator. That scary fury
she’d seen on the deck was still there under the surface, barely contained by
his force of will. “Alex, let it go. For me. Please?”

He
took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and rotated his head. When he opened his
eyes again, they were back to warm hazel. “For you.”

She
nodded. It wasn’t over yet. Not by a long shot. She cuddled up against him and
let him press his face to her neck. She knew what he was doing. He was
breathing her in, filling his senses with her. If that was what it took to calm
him down, she’d stay in his lap for the rest of his life.

“I
need to know if you’re a danger to my Pumas.”

Bunny
settled into Anderson’s car with a wince. He’d really lost it out there on
Max’s deck. Just the thought of someone trying to
rape
his mate was
enough to send him right back to that blistering rage. “Are any of them
planning on assaulting Tabby?”

Gabe’s
brows rose. “Not that I’m aware of.”

“Then
no.” He smiled sweetly, knowing that Tabby’s chosen lifestyle was in jeopardy
and he was the cause. If the Hunter believed he was a danger to his Pride, the
two of them would be run out of town that same night.

Gabe
studied him for a moment, his lips twitching. “Hands off the Wolf. Got it.” He
pulled out of the driveway and headed off to Frank’s. “Where are you thinking
of house hunting?”

Bunny
shrugged. “Near here, I think. The houses are nice.”

Gabe
shot him a startled glance. “No offense, but can you afford it? Even with the
housing market on a downturn, places near Max go for a pretty penny.”

“I can
afford it, especially if some of my family is here. We’ll probably start up a
branch of the family business here.”