David sighed. “You’re talking sense.”
“We need to do this,” Heather said.
“You’re pissed at me?”
“Yeah, I am. Attack or not, you shouldn’t have kept pieces of the puzzle like that from anyone.” She growled. “There’s a young woman out there, probably frightened. In between turning, I bet she’s freaking out, which in turn is only enhancing the change. Bones breaking, wicked senses going off, and feelings she’s not accustomed to. It’s a vicious cycle. One she can’t break and you’d probably find it’s killing her, piece by piece.”
“There’s also the chance that with prolonged exposure to her bear and no guidance, she could go rogue. I mean, I swore she was trying to fucking eat me.”
“Nobody, man or woman, deserves to be killed due to error,” Heather said.
“You’re right.” David sighed. “Go and wait in the car. I’ll talk to Caleb.”
“You don’t want me to come in with you?” she asked.
“I’d rather my mate not see my alpha hand my ass to me.”
She couldn’t help but chuckle but walked over to the car.
Heather didn’t need to see Caleb’s anger. She heard him. His rage was clear. The sound of his voice echoed through the house, reaching her where she stood by the cars.
“You’re not going alone,” David said, coming out of the house, following behind a pissed-off-looking Caleb.
“You’re right. I’m taking your mate with me. Maybe then, you’ll learn to do something right for a change.” Caleb turned to her. “Get in the car.”
Fear raced down her spine.
He was the alpha. Her new alpha.
David nodded at her, and seeing as he was her mate, it was his will she followed, even if she didn’t want to fight the alpha.
After climbing into the car, Caleb got behind the wheel.
“Did I mention how much I hate these things?” Heather asked.
“No.”
He pulled out of the drive, heading down toward the main road that would take them into town.
She held on to the handle at the side of the door, hoping Caleb didn’t kill them before they got to Joe. He drove even more erratically than her uncle.
“He meant well,” she said.
Caleb spun the car and they came to a stop just before the main road right in front of them.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Caleb taking several deep breaths.
“Are you okay?”
“No.”
“He … he meant well.” She’d defend her mate until her last breath.
“A rogue bear is a dangerous thing, Heather. I’m sure you remember.”
She didn’t need Caleb to remind her.
“But a hormonal teenage girl who doesn’t know what the hell is going on can be far worse.” He pulled onto the main road.
“Far worse than a rogue bear intent on killing everyone and everything?”
“Yes.”
Caleb pushed his foot to the gas and Heather’s heart raced.
“She’s volatile. There’s a chance she’ll attack again and the problem with that is the further she sinks into the protection of her bear, the more of herself she gives over to the beast. It sounds fine, right? It’s not. We have to keep in constant control, including bears. This is for all shifters. It’s a delicate balance, a constant fight for control. Those not given the proper guidance can cause unspeakable damage.”
“Do you think it’s too late for her?” Heather asked.
“I don’t know. The bear I heard, it was … animalistic. A few times I had to wonder if David had got it wrong and we were dealing with an actual bear as opposed to a shifter.” Caleb shook his head. “This is why I demand to know every little detail. Lives could be ended because of this. Now I’ve got to team up with Joe, and he’s going to be pissed.” He slammed his hand on the steering wheel.
“Why did you need me?” Heather asked.
“To make sure it doesn’t turn into a full drawn-out blood bath. You’re one of the victims of the rogue sleuth. With you there, Joe might be more amenable to talking than just getting to the fighting. I can do both, but I don’t want to kill him. We could have been good friends, and I know Bethany is still friends with him.”
Bethany appeared to be friends with everyone. It seemed to be her gift.
Arriving outside of the diner, a new wave of sickness hit Heather.
“I won’t let anything happen to you, Heather. I promise. Don’t panic.”
That was easy for him to say.
****
When Caleb and Heather arrived a few hours later with Joe, David accepted the punch he got to the face.
Heather cried out, rushing toward him.
David looked up, blood spilling from his lip. “Are you done?”
“Not yet.”
Joe raised his fist, but Heather threw herself in front of him. “Hit him again and it’s the last thing you’ll remember.”
“He deserves a hell of a lot more than a punch,” Joe said.
“Yeah, well, maybe you should be knocked around too seeing as the girl was clearly in your territory and you knew nothing about it.” Heather’s accusations filled the air, and David sensed the anger and mounting tension within Joe.