Bear Necessities

of his nose. She had no idea why that seemed to amuse him, but it did. “Yes, Alpha?”

“What punishment should Gary suffer for his attack on you?”

“And attempted rape,” Alex growled behind her.

The amusement fled Max’s face. “Attempted rape?” He glared down at Gary. “You tried to rape another man’s mate?”

“Stop.” Gabe Anderson stepped forward, the Pride Marshall behind him. Both men looked grim. “This man is hereby declared rogue. Therefore, he’s mine.” He grinned, the look vicious. “I wondered how it would feel to go on a Hunt. Now I know.”

Gary cringed for the first time. “What?”

“You not only disobeyed the local Alpha, you attempted something that is considered anathema to all shifters. You tried to rape another man’s mate. That makes you rogue.” Gabriel Anderson suddenly seemed ten times more dangerous than he’d ever been. He lifted Gary by his neck, ignoring the choking sounds the Wolf made and the astonished gasps of his Pridemates. “Had you succeeded and run, I would have Hunted you down. Maybe I would have turned you over to the Senate for justice.” He dragged Gary’s face closer, his fangs displayed, his eyes flashing gold. “Maybe.” He dropped Gary to the ground. “Now you’ll be taken in.

You’ll be taken before a Tribunal. And I’ll see to it that you pay for what you’ve tried to do today.” He leaned down. Gary shuddered, his face pinched and gray.

“And if you try to escape me, I’ll let Bunny have you.” He whispered in Gary’s ear for a long time. Tabby couldn’t quite make out what was said, but she got the impression that Gabe was filling Gary in on Alex’s reputation and how he’d gotten it. “Do we understand one another?”

Gary looked ready to piss himself as he darted a horrified glance toward Alex.

“Yes sir.” He no longer looked like a wannabe Alpha. He looked like the young punk he really was, and he was terrified.

“Good.” Gabe clapped his hands together loudly, startling not only Tabby, but everyone else as well. “You two morons, get up. You’ll be spending a few days in jail while I arrange for your Tribunal.”

The Wolves got to their feet, shuffling pathetically. Tabby had no sympathy.

They’d nearly killed Julian and her, and for what? Sport? Because they could?

“Why?”

The Wolves stopped. Gary turned to her. There was fear in his eyes. “Why what?”

“Why did you do this? Why have you harassed me? What did I ever do to you?”

He blinked. One of the wolves behind him opened his mouth, but shut it at a sharp gesture from Gary. The Wolf’s eyes darted to Gabe, and if she didn’t know better she’d swear there was something he was dying to tell the Hunter. “We’re Wolves. You’re weak, alone. Abandoned by your Pack for being unworthy. What were we supposed to do, ignore you?”

Max shook his head, looking disgusted. “We aren’t animals that turn into humans. We’re just the opposite, humans blessed with the ability to share our lives with our animals. And Tabby’s Pack might have been stupid enough to let her go, but she’s part of my Pride now. That means she’s no longer fair game for idiots like you who think they’re in a bad werewolf movie.” He waved his hand.

“Get them out of here before I change my mind and let Bunny eat them.”

The two morons did wet themselves in fear. Tabby felt better already.

Max was staring at Julian, his expression concerned. “Get Julian to Jamie. He’ll make sure the Bear is taken care of.”

“He’ll live.” Ryan sat back on his ass, his face full of weary triumph. “I got most of the bleeding stopped, but if he doesn’t wake up soon, he’s going to have scarring.”

“Jamie can help with that. Can he be moved?”

Ryan eyed the Puma Alpha. “Care to lend a paw? Because I’m not hauling a three-hundred-pound Bear through the woods all by myself.”

“We’ll all carry him.” Bunny gestured to Adrian and Simon. “Grab his ass, I’ll get his head.”

The two men exchanged a glance. Adrian shrugged. “I don’t know about you, but I really don’t swing that way.”

Simon snickered.

“Oh, move, you big dorks.” Emma Cannon, now human again, bounced around her mate. She wrapped both hands around Julian’s ass and heaved. And heaved.

Julian didn’t even jiggle.

Emma glared at the Pumas, her hand under the Bear’s ass, her own stuck up in the air. Every single pair of male eyes went immediately to the treetops overhead, save one. Those sky blue eyes admired his mate’s naked ass as she strained to lift a five-hundred-pound Bear by the butt. Yet she still managed to sound like a queen when she demanded, “A little help here, please!”

The Pumas moved en masse to obey their Little General. “It’s like watching Super Grover,” Ryan muttered.

And despite everything that had happened, Tabby found herself laughing as she hauled an unconscious Bear back to her car. “Guys? What do we do with him once we’ve got him there? Tie him to the hood?” Ow. Stupid stick. She hopped on one foot and almost dropped the butt cheek she was currently hoisting.

The white Bear opened one eye and winked at her. He was going to be all right.

She chose not to say anything, but let her Pride carry him. After what he’d done both for her and for Chloe, Julian deserved a little pampering.

“Hey! He winked at me!”

Simon laughed. “You may not swing that way, Adrian, but apparently he does.”

“Did you know you have a green Mohawk when you’re Wolf?”

His Tabby blinked up at him. “Huh?”

Bunny laughed, wiping wet green hair from her eyes. “Yup.” He ruffled the top of her head, rinsing out the shampoo. “Right about here. Lime green, just like your hair.”

She snorted. “I do not.”

“Do too.”

She tickled his side, earning an undignified giggle. “Do not.”

He slapped her hands away carefully. “Do too.”

“I’ve seen myself in ponds, Baloo. Trust me, there’s no green there.”

“Oh, yes there is, baby.” He reached for the washcloth and soaped it up, being careful to be very gentle with her bruised flesh. Inside, he was still snarling and snapping. There was blood on her skin, her blood. If he knew where Gabe had taken Gary, the Wolf might not live to see the Tribunal. But he didn’t know where Halle’s jail was. Tabby had refused to say, and then the little cheater had gotten naked. One look at the bruises and marks on her body and he’d whisked her into the shower, eager to ease her hurts. The only way to soothe his Bear was to wash away the evidence of her ordeal from her sweet skin, using his powers to heal as much of the damage as he could without falling over. “I’ll make a deal with you.”

“Hmm.” She leaned into the strokes of the washcloth, her eyes closed, her throat exposed. It was fucking incredible the way she trusted him to take care of her. To never, ever hurt her. “Okay. What deal?”

“You shift and I’ll take a picture. If I’m right, I get the sexual favor of my choice.”

He stroked the washcloth between her legs, grinning when she gasped. “If I’m wrong, you get a sexual favor, anything you want.” He blinked and added, “That doesn’t include a third party.”

She chuckled. “Fine.” She stroked his hardening cock, slanting him a sultry look from under those long lashes of hers. “I already know what I want. Do you?”

Bunny shuddered. Oh yeah. He knew what he wanted.

“I’ll dry you off before you change.” She tilted her head, looking confused. “I don’t want the room smelling like wet dog.”