“Yes,” he replied, feeling his beast beginto stir. The overwhelming need to shift caused him to reach for hisshirt, but he wasn’t wearing one. Anna Claire pulled his hand awayfrom his chest, but not before feeling something like tape andgauze over his midsection.
“You were shot,” she sniffled. “The bulletwas in there, and the pride’s healer had to go in and get itout.”
“Fuck,” he groaned. “My mate…are you…mycub…are you okay?”
“We are fine,” she replied and pulled hishand over to press to her stomach. She was just starting to showwith their cub, and he wanted nothing more than to press his lipsto her skin.
“Gunnar,” the healer said as he entered theroom. By now, Gunnar’s eyes had cleared, and he was in one of therooms at the pride. “It’s imperative you shift now that you’reawake. The healing needs to begin.”
“Yeah, okay,” he said in a gravelly voice.Clearing his throat, he rolled to his side, dropping his feet tothe floor. The healer and his mate tried to help him up, but hewaved off their help. “Can I borrow your yard?”
“Of course,” the healer said, smiling as hemoved out of the way.
Anna Claire walked behind him as he shuffledthrough the door. Drake, Rex, and Luca stood from their postsoutside the door. He waved them off as well and continued down thehallway leading to the back door of the healer’s home.
He glanced back at the living room and sawwhere the four panthers who’d helped them stood alongside hisbrothers. He’d secretly hoped they would come to an agreement tobecome allies, and by the relaxed state of his oldest brother, hewas certain there’d been friendships and bonds made over thatfight.
“If I fall, you won’t be able to catch me,”he grunted to his mate.
“Well, I will try,” she replied. Gunnarheard the little catch in her voice, and he stopped at the door toturn around so he could take her into his arms. “I love you, honey.Stay close while I shift. I need you there.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Gunnar,” shereplied and kissed him with a feverish need.
After an hour of shifting, he was able tobreathe easier. The wound had all but healed. A tiny, pink line wasthe only reminder of the hell they’d been through over the last fewweeks. As he stood, Anna Claire was there with his clothes, and herarms wrapped around his body the moment he was covered.
He couldn’t ask for anything else. He’d beengranted his mate, and she would give him a cub over the winter. Ashe took her chin with his thumb and forefinger, he closed his eyesand inhaled the scent of his pregnant mate. “Let’s go home.”
That night, Anna Claire prepared for theancient ritual to send her cousin to the afterlife. It should’vebeen done the night he passed, but the panther’s healer had kepthis body preserved until the fight with the humans was over.
Luca and Anna Claire held each other tightbefore walking into the barn to prepare Ransom’s body for thefuneral pyre. It was tradition that the family wrapped the male inthe gauzy, white cloth.
The males had built the pyre earlier in theday. It should’ve been Anna Claire out there helping, but with herpregnancy, she agreed not to lift the heavy pieces of wood.Instead, with the help of the other females, they found enoughwildflowers to decorate the wooden structure for her cousin.
“Are you going to be able to do this?” Lucaasked as they stopped in front of Ransom’s body. He was layingthere in such a peaceful state, she was afraid to speak. The healerhad cleaned him up and someone had dressed him in his usualclothes. Other than the paleness to his features, you wouldn’t haveknown he’d died.
“It’s my honor as his cousin to see him intothe next life,” she said, proud of herself for not breaking down.The tears pricked at her eyes, but she didn’t let them fall.
Luca picked up two rolls of gauze and handedher one. Together, they started at his face and began the ritual.Anna Claire leaned over and placed a kiss to his forehead andwhispered, “I owe you my life more than I should.”
Luca rested his hand on one side of themale’s face and leaned down to whisper his final words to his bloodbrother. “Without you, I am nothing. You were my hero, and I hope Iwas yours.”
They were silent as they worked, and no onebothered them until they were done. It was the blood family’s rightto prepare him, and even though Gunnar was her mate, he wasn’tallowed inside. She wished he’d been there, but the Morgans stuckto traditions, and she loved her new clan because of it.
The last time she’d done this was for hermother. A lone tear leaked out of her eye as she thought of Ransomreuniting with her. She prayed he passed on the message of herhappiness when he got to the afterlife.
With Ransom’s body covered, Luca and AnnaClaire bowed to the body and backed out of the barn. They wouldlight the pyre at dusk and send Ransom home.
When the barn door opened, Gunnar was thereto take her hand. When she touched him, the mating connection wasstrong enough to calm her shaking hands. He took her over to thewooden pile they’d built and waited for the sun to drop.
Anna Claire would not be a part of the deathmarch to bring Ransom’s body to the pyre. The males would bring himand place him upon the structure that looked more like a very tallbed. Once in place, Luca would bring her to the pyre and they wouldboth light the fuel-soaked logs at the base.
“Are you ready to do this?” Gunnar whisperedto her as he held her tight. The sun was dropping below the horizonfaster than she wanted it to.
“No, but it must be done,” she replied.
The males broke away. Tessa and Ada came toher side to place their hand on her forearms for strength. Shedidn’t speak to them as she watched the last rays of lightdisappear from the sky.
Tessa broke away to light the two torchesbeside the pyre. Anna Claire felt a heaviness in her
