I hear a noise and glance at the cabin. The door opens and I see a tall, somewhat muscular man come out onto the porch. He’s lean, kind of like a swimmer or runner, and I immediately feel better about our odds of taking him down. “What the fuck is going on out here?” he yells toward Wooly and Mammoth. “Why are you here?”
The two bears turn and charge toward the porch, causing him to fumble backward and into the arms of Thian. Well, paws, although he’s standing erect, not on all fours. Growls resonate through the clearing and I see Knox, Gray, and Chantal jump from their perches and race toward the cabin. Here goes nothing! I leap to the ground and quickly catch up to the others. My only goal? To kill the bastard that tried to hurt and maim me.
Somehow, Roberts manages to break away from Thian and he shifts. Standing before us now is the ugliest vulture I’ve ever seen. Granted, most of them are ugly, but Roberts’s feathers are shredded and torn, like he hasn’t completed his last molt. He looks...decrepit.
Bomber, he’s trying to escape! Do what you can not to fricassee the rest of us, y’hear? Knox’s voice rings through my head and I realize that he’s opened up our communal link.
Got it, boss man, Bomber replies. I watch as he swoops down closer to us. Roberts continues to swing out, and I see his talons catch Wooly in the chest. His bellow of pain resonates in the clearing and I see him drop to all fours, practically lifeless.
His talons must be poisoned, Knox yells. Mammoth, grab him and get him back to the clubhouse, he needs help now!
Now that we’ve realized that Roberts has the ability to bring us to our knees with poisoned talons, I see that we’ve all pulled back slightly. Knox has moved so he’s in front of me, his stance protective. Roberts swipes out at Gray, who dodges him then comes back with a paw to the back of his head. Thian darts closer and does a crazy one-two swipe thing to keep him down on the ground, then moves back so he doesn’t come into contact with the poison. I feel a shift in the air and suddenly, we’ve all shifted back to our human forms, except for Bomber, who is apparently immune to whatever Knox just did to us all. The men quickly secure Roberts, using what I now know are shifter-proof cuffs, and start dragging him toward the van we brought.
“C’mon, sweetheart, let’s get dressed and head back to the clubhouse,” Knox says, turning toward me.
“H-how did you do that?” I ask. I’m more curious than scared, because I didn’t know that was something he was capable of doing.
“Because I’m the chapter president, and your mate, I have alpha abilities.”
“Why didn’t Banger shift back?” I inquire.
“He’s not immune like you thought; he’s just far enough away for it not to impact him.”
“Get out of my head, Knox.”
“Ah but it’s a wonderful place to be. I kind of like your idea for later,” he replies, smirking at me.
Epilogue
Jayda
It’s been two weeks since we shut down the pelt stealing ring. To be honest, I feel as though everything that happened when we got back to the clubhouse was somewhat anticlimactic. I wanted blood and guts, a heartfelt confession - something that would explain why that maniac thought it would be a good idea to start a black market for shifter pelts. But nope. He’s just batshit crazy. Knox, thankfully, allowed both Chantal and I to take out our frustrations on Roberts. Let’s just say, never piss off a woman then hand her a knife. For every scar he gave me, I gave him two. Once we had our fun, Knox and Gray made us leave so that the brothers could finish taking care of business.
Right now, though, I’m sitting here wondering how to give Knox the news I just got. Knowing him, he probably already knows somehow, but I’m hedging my bets that he’s been so entrenched in keeping all the businesses going that he doesn’t have a clue. With Wooly still recovering, the rest of the guys are pulling double duty with the bounty hunting business.
He’s not going to care, my leopard says.
He might, it hasn’t been that long, I reply.
Well, you need to tell him soon, then, or he’ll figure it out. Great, now my leopard is being pragmatic!
Fine, I’ll tell him today.
“Tell me what, sweetheart?” he asks, walking into our room. I jump at the sound of his voice because I was so engrossed in the conversation with my leopard that I never heard him enter!
“Um, so, I found something out,” I start. He waves his hand at me in a ‘go on’ motion, so I take a deep breath and continue, saying, “We’re going to be parents, Knox.”
He walks over and gathers me in his arms. After kissing me thoroughly, he replies, “I know, sweetheart, and I’m thrilled to pieces.”
“You know? How? I just found out today!” I know I’m practically shrieking, but how on earth could he know already when I just peed on a stick less than thirty minutes ago?
“Because your scent changed,” he states, placing his hand over my lower abdomen.
“Are you kidding me? You mean, I have no secrets? None at all?”
He grins while shaking his head. “None, baby, and that’s okay. You’ve got this motherhood thing, I know you do.”
I slump into him, suddenly exhausted. “This is all too much for me sometimes, y’know?” My question is more rhetorical than anything, because I really don’t want an answer.
“I know but we’ll get through it together. You’re my mate, the love of my life, and there’s nothing I won’t do for you.”
“You say such sweet things to me, Knox,” I murmur, my eyes growing heavier.
“C’mon, mate of mine, let’s get you situated for a nap. When we wake
