It didn’t matter. She was safe now, and shehad a new family. Her cousins were there, and she would forever begrateful for that. Ransom and Luca had been treated harshly bytheir uncle, and she hated how they had been threatened with theirlives whenever they came back from searching for Ada with no news.They’d been throwing Robert off her trail, giving Ada the chance toescape Anna Claire’s father, who’d sold her to a werebear inMontana.
“Can I get you anything else?” Gunnar asked,breaking Anna Claire from her thoughts. When she glanced at Gunnar,she saw worry and a bit of anger in his eyes. She wanted to consolehim and let him know not to worry about her. She had to get overthe past on her own.
“Can I have more chicken?” she asked,resorting back to her old habits of flinching when she asked foranything. “Sorry.”
“Anna Claire,” Gunnar sighed, sinking downinto his seat. “Look at me, honey.”
He’d called her “honey” ever since the dayshe’d asked for it to dip her meat into. A soft blush painted hercheeks at the memory. “I’m really sorry, Gunnar. Old habits arehard to break.”
“I don’t ever want you to ask me foranything,” he stated. “You have your own free will, and if you arehungry, I will provide food for you until you are no longerstarved.”
He didn’t wait on a reply, taking her plateto the kitchenette and plating another piece of chicken. The malescooped up the jar of honey on his way, placing it next to her bowlon the table.
“Thank you,” she replied and resumedeating.
After they were done, Gunnar wanted to stepoutside to check their immediate land. The Morgans lived on about ahundred acres, and they owned three thousand more for their crops.They’d bought the neighboring property last summer when the eldersand O’Kellys joined the clan. That gave them enough room to roam intheir shifted forms.
“I’ll go with you if you’ll give me a momentto put on my shoes.”
“Go on,” he said. “I’ll clean up our disheswhile you’re getting ready.”
The idea of going outside excited her. It’dbeen a long winter of sleep. She hadn’t left the quarters but onetime since mid-December, and that was only to see Ada and her newcub, Thane.
She met Gunnar at the front door of the mainhouse as he removed the bar that barricaded them inside. It was asafety measure, and she was glad it was there. It kept curioushumans from trying to enter the home because it looked abandonedduring the winter months.
“It’s warm,” she announced as he pulled thedoor open wide. Off in the distance, Anna Claire saw the darkeningsky. “Storms are coming, too.”
“We won’t be out here long,” Gunnarpromised. “I just want to check the equipment and ourvehicles.”
She followed him off the porch and tried notto step on any muddy areas in the yard. It must’ve rained alreadythat morning, because there was standing water making puddlesscattered across the front part of the Morgans’ land. Well, sheguessed it was her land now, too.
As they rounded the house, Gunnar glancedback at her as she hopped over a puddle. “You need some rubberboots.”
“I do,” she replied.
They checked the locks on the barn, and AnnaClaire leaned against the side of the building while Gunnar wentover a few of their plows. She didn’t know much about the equipmentother than what she’d overheard them talking about at the end ofthe season last fall.
“Let’s check the cabins while we are out.”Gunnar paused when the thunder rumbled louder. That storm wascoming, and it was coming quick. “Come on. We need to hurry or wewill get caught in the rain.”
They hurried to the road leading to the newcabins. There wasn’t a sound coming from any of them, and theyfigured the elders and O’Kelly brothers were still in theirhibernation. “We can check on them next…”
A loud boom sounded, cutting off what Gunnarwas going to say. He grabbed his leg and bent over at the waist.She was about to ask him what was wrong when she looked down andsaw blood staining his denim jeans.
“Run, Anna Claire! Get to the house, now!”he snarled, his eyes changing over to the golden hue of hisbeast.
She gasped and started to reach for him whenanother boom sounded. The roar from Gunnar was enough to drown outher scream as a pain unlike anything else she’d ever experiencedbloomed in her shoulder.
Gunnar’s beast ripped from his human skin,shredding his clothes in the process. The huge beast stood over hertiny form as she fell to the ground. The bear didn’t touch her, buthe did use his body as a shield. Voices sounded from the cabins asanother gunshot woke her cousins from their winter sleep.
“Anna Claire!” Ransom yelled as he rantoward them with super speed.
“Someone is shooting at us,” she screamed,hoping they’d take cover.
Luca and Ransom ducked low as the next shotsounded, missing all of them. Another round hit Gunnar’s bear, butthe beast just roared and jerked from the impact.
“Move, Gunnar!” Luca shouted, getting thebear’s attention.
When it turned around, Anna Claire cried outfrom the amount of blood coating the animal’s left back leg andside. Luca scooped her up and made a run for the backdoor of themain house just as Rex and Drake’s bears leapt from the back porch.They gave him cover to get her inside.
The moment they were safely tucked away, shetried to get out of his hold to look for Gunnar and the others, butshe was pulled back by her cousin. “You can’t go out there. Letthem find whoever is shooting at the house.”
“What is going on?” Ada asked as she enteredthe living room from her quarters. She gasped when she saw theblood coming from Anna Claire’s shoulder. “Oh, my gods, you’ve beenshot.”
“I’m fine,” she promised and took the ragLuca handed her. “It went through. I can shift and repair it, butthe males are outside hunting the people who did this. Gunnar’sbeen shot, but I think he’s okay.”
Gods, please let him be okay.
“He was still standing when we got you outof there,” Luca reminded her. “Ransom is helping them look. I’mstaying here with
