They locked eyes and for a minute, Jock could’ve sworn he could hear Grant’s thoughts, but it was only a brief second. Slapping his worn leather reins against his horse’s withers, he clucked, “Let’s go girl! Giddy-up!”
Old Dolly had just broken free of her trot into a gallop when Grant yelled, “Jock! Jock! Wait just a blame second!”
“Whoa, Dolly!” Jock reined in his mount. Dust flew around his horse’s back hooves as he came to a sudden halt. “What is it?”
Grant hurried to him, swaying from one side to the other. The few paces he ran apparently wiped him out. By the time he reached Jock, he was doubled-over and breathless. “It’s…it’s the bears.”
“What about the bears?”
“They’re here to collect on that bounty.”
“What do you mean they’re here to collect on the bounty?” Jock asked, pulling the brim of his hat low on his brow in an effort to keep the sun out of his eyes.
“Marshal out in Tombstone said they always collect on bounties.” Grant stood next to Dolly with his shoulders slumped. “Ya can’t stay here now, Jock. If ya do, they’ll kill ya.”
“I thought that’s what you wanted, Grant.” As the sun lit up the Wyoming sky, Jock saw the regret in Grant’s face. “So the bears are shifters? Is that what you’re saying?”
Grant nodded rapidly. “I sent word to Tombstone and he sent word to Bear Mountain, not even a half a day’s ride from here. Marshal there is a bear-shifter, too. He and his deputies are…” He paused and stroked Dolly’s mane, apparently trying to decide what to share. Finally, he stepped back from the horse and yelled, “Damn it, Jock! They’re coming for ya. Go home and fetch Carla. Then ya need to ride as fast and as far as ya can. Don’t ever come back here, Jock. Once they start huntin’, there ain’t no stoppin’ ’em. These fellas always get their man.”
Chapter Six
Carla was aroused by the time the cabin was in sight. She’d been riding atop Heck’s back for the better part of three hours. When his muscles had flexed, she’d tightened her inner thighs and rode the hell out of him. He’d loped through the mountainous terrain, rushed over springs, and sprinted across rocks. The whole time, she’d clung to him and held on for dear life.
At various points, her tired body would sway to the left or right and she’d almost lose her balance. During those times, he would slow down long enough for her to regain her seat.
She felt as if she’d let him down during those brief moments. When he’d come to a halt, he’d turn his head and peer over his flank, apparently aware of what the short break had cost them. Once she’d regain her seat, he would take off in another direction.
Several times she’d clenched her thigh muscles so tight, she could’ve sworn she heard Heck’s guttural groan. His expression was so deep and carnal, it left goose bumps up and down Carla’s arms and legs. After the excitement of the chase had ended, she had time to reflect on those noises she’d heard.
The reason she’d been alarmed was because Heck’s vocal expression hadn’t been that of the wolf. It had been a throaty call to the wild and reckless from the man within to the woman riding his back.
Running through the open prairie, Heck had seemed so determined to stay ahead of the bears. Even though Heck often spent a lot of time lounging around on her cabin’s porch, his strength and agility had come through as he’d sprinted across pastureland, climbed between large rocks and darted through the hills.
They would escape one bear and meet up with another. It was as if the grizzlies had all decided to come out of hibernation at one time with a collective decision to harass the wolves living among them. Somewhere in the back of Carla’s mind, she had a feeling the bears weren’t just there to pester the other animals living nearby. They seemed to pursue them with determination and an incredible focus. Still, after the pack caught up to them, the bears had appeared disoriented and unfamiliar with the area. The wolves easily surrounded the beasts before they chased them away. The grizzlies probably wouldn’t have fled if they’d known the area, which made her wonder all the more.
Why were they there? Where had they come from? Why had they chosen to show themselves on that particular day, at a time when their pack was at odds with their neighbors in Laramie?
She gasped as a possibility entered her mind. Were the bears shifters or wild animals? Had the wolves disturbed them and threatened them in some way or had they been called upon for a specific reason?
Vaguely aware of Heck’s flexing muscles as he carried her to safety, Carla reflected on the past. She had lived in that prairie all her life. Wyoming was her home. She knew the land as well as she knew herself. Bear sightings were rare. Attacks were even more unusual. Someone—Grant Ford, for instance—had enlisted the bears’ help. It was the only logical explanation.
Those beasts were shifters.
Mated to Frank and Jock for less than a year, Carla still had so much to learn. She needed to know if there were others like them and if so, what kind of threat they posed.
As they topped the ridge overlooking WolfDen, Carla breathed a sigh of relief. Heck bowed his head and whimpered, too. In Carla’s front yard, the wolves from Frank’s and Jock’s packs lined up as if they were prepared for war, ready to protect their home. Each wolf crouched in a defensive position. Some of the males yowled. They wanted Heck to hurry and carry Carla to safety.
Pushing aside her anxiety and questions, Carla held her shoulders back and her head high. Frank had once told her that the pack should always view her as a symbol of strength. Questions weighted her down with uncertainty, a trait viewed as weakness.
Riding her protector, Carla scanned the pack ahead of them and a great sense of pride swept over her. They’d defeated the bears without losing one of their own. They’d protected each other and their home.
Minutes later, Heck traveled through the center of an open procession of sorts. Wolves from both packs escorted them to the cabin, remaining on either side of them as Heck carried Carla to the porch.
One of the omega males from Frank’s pack shifted long enough to open the door. Heck entered the cabin in his wolf form and lowered his body to the dirt floor. She dismounted with ease. A second later she stood in front of Heck, immediately noticing how he didn’t keep his gaze downcast as he might have in the past. Instead, he looked at her dead-on. Curiosity burned blazing bright in his eyes, and something quite distinct, too—lust.
For a split second, Carla longed to tell him how her emotions were running rampant. She wanted to explain how she’d felt when she’d been seated atop him, how she’d known he would save her, how she’d easily trusted him and left her life in his hands. Before she had the opportunity to share any of her feelings, he shifted.
Heck stood before her as a hard, proud, and very aroused man.