“Sounds like quite the operation,” Marilee commented. “How did you all get along?”

  “Really well, as it happens. The wolves outnumbered everybody else, but that’s common. You guys are more fertile than the rest of us, or so it seems.” He noted her slight blush but kept going. “The Alpha wolf was a great guy, and we all managed to work well together.”

  “So, why did you leave, then?”

  “Well, when a friend calls for help, we answer,” he told her. “Our buddy, Ezra, needed help in North Dakota, and even we could see, we were the perfect match. We packed up our stuff and hit the road. We’d intended to go back to Phoenix after we were done helping Ezra, but somewhere along the line, we all started feeling restless. We decided to split up—which is something we’ve done from time to time over the years—and go in different directions for a while. It worked out really well for Ace. He found his mate. Me and Jack couldn’t be happier for him.”

  “Really? But how is his mating going to affect you and Jack?” Her brow wrinkled a bit with concern, and he thought it was cute.

  “We’re not sure, yet.” He shrugged and grinned. “That’s part of the fun. And it’s the main reason I wanted to go meet Sabrina. I want to see how she’s going to fit in with our family, but I have no doubt she’ll be a great addition. Any true mate—picked out by the Mother of All—has to be great, right?”

  It was every shifter’s dream, and they both knew it. Marilee nodded her agreement, and if he wasn’t mistaken, a sheen of tears formed in her eyes. Damn. He hadn’t meant to make her sad.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “Tell me about Sabrina. You’re her best friend, right? What’s she like?” he asked, hoping to get Marilee’s mind back on happier subjects.

  They passed the next half hour talking about Sabrina. Marilee had some great observations about her friend, and King started to look forward even more, to meeting his new sister-in-law. But, all the while Marilee was talking, he noticed her fidgeting. It was getting worse and worse, and he thought he knew what it was about.

  “Do you need to shift?” he asked gently, not wanting to startle her. She seemed anxious enough, and he didn’t want to make it worse.

  She looked over at him, her eyes wide. “How did you know?”

  King chuckled and shook his head. “Takes one to know one. I always get fidgety when my bear needs out.” He glanced at her and was glad to see her fidgeting had stopped for the moment. “Let me just call Ace for our scheduled check-in, and then we’ll find a place to pull off and take a short break, okay? Ace has probably been studying the maps, and he’ll know the best place.”

  “Are you sure we can spare the time?” she asked, biting her lip in an adorable way.

  “Honey, we have to make the time. Neither of us will do well if your wolf is cooped up and anxious,” he told her with brutal honesty. He would never lie to her. Not deliberately.

  “Yeah, you’re probably right,” she said, sighing heavily.

  King went ahead and made the call, connecting to his brother, right away. Ace must have been waiting with phone in hand.

  They talked for a few minutes, and Ace did, indeed, have a place in mind for them to stop and do a quick shift. King wouldn’t go bear. No, he’d guard in human form while Marilee took care of her wolf. The last thing he wanted was to throw caution to the wind and let his bear out to play with Marilee’s wolf. The furry bastard would go off frolicking with the pretty wolf and damn the consequences to their safety.

  He had to resist the temptation. He would stand guard and do what he had to do, to keep her safe. They could play later, he promised himself. When she was safe.

  Marilee’s inner wolf was practically howling at her to shift. Shift and run. Run and shift. It wanted out in the worst possible way.

  It also wanted to tackle the hunk sitting next to her and rub herself all over him. That would never do. Not now. Maybe not ever.

  Her wolf usually wasn’t this unmanageable. In fact, the timid little thing, sometimes, had to be coaxed into existence. But this was the longest Marilee had ever gone in her adult life without shifting. It had been more than a month since she had let her furry side free to roam.

  Of course, the past weeks had been very eventful. Marilee had been trying to help Sabrina, then all hell had broken loose in town when Sabrina left. After that, Marilee had been plotting and planning her own escape. She just hadn’t had time to go wolf, but she was paying for that now, and the wolf clawed at her from the inside out.

  “I’m sorry,” she apologized to King as he pulled the vehicle off the mountain road they’d been traveling down, and off on a deserted side road. There was nothing around for miles but woodland. Perfect for what she needed, right now. “I should’ve shifted before, but it was always such a big deal, and I didn’t really have a chance to go off on my own before I left town.”

  “How long has it been, sweetheart?” King turned his full attention on her as he parked the car under some tall trees. She felt the impact of his regard. When he turned those warm brown eyes on her, she felt like he could see deep into her soul.

  “Too long,” she told him, hoping he would leave it at that. She opened the passenger side door and slipped out of the SUV. She had to shift like, right now! “Is it safe here?” she asked, peering into the gloomy woods, unable to see much beyond the first few yards.

  “Ace got the Alpha bear to clear it with the local Clan. These woods are part of a hawk Clan’s territory,” King revealed. “They’ll probably watch us from the trees, but I doubt they’ll give us any trouble. Bears and hawks are traditional allies.”

  “Are you going to shift, too?”

  “No, honey,” he said gently. “I’m going to guard you while you do what you have to do to settle your beast. Just please, don’t go too far. If at all possible, stay where I can see you.”

  She chuckled. “That won’t be a problem.” His gaze was puzzled when she looked at him. She just shook her head. “You’ll see. Now, give a girl a bit of privacy for a minute, will you?” He frowned and looked at her quizzically. She rolled her eyes and made a twirling motion with her finger. “Turn around.”

  “Seriously?” he asked, but complied, turning slowly to give her his back. He faced the road while she stripped quickly.

  “I’m sorry, but…” she said, working quickly to remove all her clothing and pile it neatly for her return, “…I don’t know you. Not really. I don’t shift often. In a minute, you’ll see why. I’m a little…shy about it. And I’m also kind of just barely holding it together here, so cut me some slack, okay?”

  “Honey, you can have all the slack you need,” he said gently, not turning around, respectful of her request for privacy. “Just allow me the privilege of doing my job to protect you. Give me that, and I’ll give you everything you need.”

  Now, didn’t that sound provocative? Her inner wolf wanted to nibble on him, but in a playful way. Marilee suppressed a shiver at the idea. This was not the time for that kind of play.

  She finished stripping and shifted, letting the magic sweep over her. White mist blanked her gaze, and when she was able to see again, it was with the unique vision of her wolf form. She turned to study her companion, just as he turned to look at her. What she saw would have made her gasp in human form. His aura was pure. Golden. Honorable. No tarnish whatsoever. This was a man she could respect.

  “Well, look at you,” he said, his voice coming to her through more sensitive ears that heard every nuance in his tone. He was pleased with her form, she could tell. Her wolf wanted to preen, but she wanted to run even more. “You’re gorgeous, Marilee.”

  Unable to deal with the purely male appreciation she saw in his eyes and heard in his voice, she bounded away, into the trees.

  King understood at once what she’d meant when she’d said that he wouldn’t have any trouble keeping her in sight. Marilee was pure white when she shifted. Some kind of arctic wolf, or something. Dazzling white and almost sparkling as she bounded among the gloom of the forest.

  She was lovely. Truly magnificent. King’s breath caught in his chest as he watched her, and his inner bear wanted nothing more than to join her in a run beneath the trees, playing with the pretty white wolf that glowed with magic and beauty.

  King would have to ask Sabrina, when they finally met, but he believed the Canadian wolf Pack Marilee had just left was made up of regular timber wolves. Gray, brown, the occasional rusty coat or black. Just like the wolf Pack in Iowa where he’d spent time. As far as King knew, white wolves were incredibly rare. At least, in this part of the world. Maybe they were more common the farther north you went, but he didn’t know for sure.

  All he did know was that Marilee was the first pure snow-white wolf he’d ever known, and she was incredibly lovely in her fur. His bear was instantly infatuated—even more so than he had already been. And his human side was simply enchanted with the vision she presented. There was something so magical about her, loping along in the dark woods.

  A hawk cried from above, and King looked up. Sure enough, there was a giant hawk circling overhead. Had to be a shifter. One of the Clan that claimed this territory. He wasn’t really surprised that they would send somebody to check on the visitors to their realm. If anything, he was surprised there was only one.

  Of course, there was only one visible. And it had conveniently called attention to itself. Who knew how many other hawks were perched in the tall trees, watching?

  King gave the circling bird a casual salute and turned back to scan the trees. Marilee was easily visible—the only sparkle of white among the dark browns and greens of the forest floor. She was venturing farther away, but he could still see her.

  Just then, the hairs on the back of his neck began to prickle with an unwelcome awareness. He was being watched by unfriendly eyes. It wasn’t the hawks. He hadn’t felt anything from them and hadn’t even been aware of their presence until the one aloft decided to make itself known. No, this feeling was malevolent. It was coming from someone who wished to do him—or, more significantly, Marilee—harm.

  Shit.

  Somehow, their enemy had found them already. He’d expected they wouldn’t get away completely clean with so many people looking for them, but he’d figured they’d have a bit more time than this, before being found. King didn’t know if he could count on the hawks for any kind of help, so he had to assume it was up to him. Cursing, he stepped into the woods, getting under cover of the trees.

  He wasn’t going to make it easy for those bastards to pick him off and leave Marilee unprotected. He stepped behind a wide tree trunk and retrieved his weapons. He never went anywhere unarmed—especially when he was on a mission. Marilee was his mission now, and he’d defend her with his life, if need be. Silently, he sent up a prayer that she would go deep into the forest. If he should fall, he thought the hawks might help her. If nothing else, he wanted her far away from what was about to happen.

  That’s when the first bullet hit the tree he was hiding behind. He rolled out from behind the trunk, just enough to return the favor, and heard a very satisfying cry of pain in return. The gloves were off. If these guys were going to shoot at him, he was going to shoot back.

  “Give us the girl, and we’ll let you go,” a male voice called out from the other side of the road.

  That ridiculous statement didn’t deserve a reply. King figured it was just a ploy to get him to reveal his location. He hadn’t just fallen off the turnip truck. He wouldn’t be taken in by such an obvious trick.

  King was on the move, using all his stealth to get closer to where the enemy had infiltrated this territory. He could just see their vehicle parked around the bend from where he had stopped Marilee’s SUV.

  It was a four-door Jeep. He figured six passengers, maximum. He’d winged one. That left five and a half, possibly, depending on how badly the one he’d shot was hurt. King used his nose and detected their scents. His olfactory senses weren’t quite as sharp in his human form, but they were good enough to tell him that he was dealing with at least five armed humans and one rather mysterious scent that was somehow masked. Magically masked, he’d bet. So, there was a very real possibility that a mage was out there in the woods, hunting Marilee.

  King thought fast and came to some decisions, even while he moved to intercept the human scents. He took fifteen seconds to send an SOS text message to his brother. He’d pre-programmed a few things into his phone, and it didn’t take much doing to send the call for help. Ace would know something serious was going down. Hopefully, he could get the raptors to help.

  Just as he thought it, King felt a presence at his side. Shifter. Not human. Not evil.

  King turned to the man, and they nodded at each other. The newcomer flashed a few Special Forces hand signals, and King smiled. The guy was an Operator. The Mother of All might just be smiling down on him, this time.

  Following the hawk shifter’s gestures, King noted the locations of half a dozen similarly armed and camouflaged men in the woods. The enemy wouldn’t know what hit them. Hawks were reputed to be among the most territorial of shifters. They wouldn’t suffer this invasion lightly.

  King and the newcomer moved together through the woods, following the trail King could scent. He wasn’t sure how the hawks trailed prey. Probably by sight, somehow. Regardless, they didn’t talk, but they were definitely in agreement on what path to follow.

  The moment they found their prey, the newcomer gave off a screech that echoed around the forest, answered by several other hawkish screeches. And then, all hell broke loose. Shots were fired in every direction, but nothing hit anybody that King saw. At least, nothing hit any of the hawks walking in human form, or King.

  The interlopers, though… They didn’t fare so well.

  Marilee heard the sound of gunshots, and she jumped pretty much straight up in the air. Damn. What was going on out there? World War Three?

  Her wolf wanted to flee, but then, she thought about King. He was taking fire while she was running around in the woods. Useless. As always.

  She growled low in her throat. Not this time. No. This time, there was no Tobias to hold her down and keep her back. No Tobias to prevent her from reaching—or even trying to reach—her full potential.

  She didn’t know what she was capable of. Maybe nothing. Or, maybe, she could actually contribute. Whatever happened, she couldn’t leave King to face what sounded like an army all on his own. Forget the fact that she’d be the biggest coward in the shifter world if she ran. There was something even more important at stake here. King was special. He called to her as no man had ever done before. Even if he never felt the same, she would damn herself if she let him face her troubles all on his own. She had to help.

  That thought firmly in mind, she began to run through the woods, back toward where she had left him. She hadn’t realized how far she had traveled. Luckily, she’d always had an impeccable sense of direction—like most shifters. She knew exactly where she needed to go. She could almost feel King’s presence pulling her closer to him.

  She was leaping through the forest when something hit her from the side, throwing her off her stride. It didn’t hurt, exactly, but it disrupted her motion enough that she landed awkwardly and had to stop. She looked around for the source of the strange phenomenon and found a man looking at her—his face a mask of triumph as he raised his hands.

  “Now, I’ve got you!” he cried as he gathered a sickening dark red ball of energy between his hands. He threw it at her before she could even think about ducking, and it hit her full-on.

  When the red smoke cleared, Marilee was still standing, though an uncomfortable scent in her nostrils made her sneeze. She faced the mage—for that’s what he must be—and rather deliberately yawned, exposing her teeth.

  She didn’t know what had gotten into her, but if he’d just thrown his best magic ball at her and it did nothing, she figured she didn’t really have much to fear from this guy. In fact, she was feeling feisty enough that she was considering taking a bite out of him. He seemed to realize that his magic wasn’t having the desired effect, and he began to backpedal a bit, muttering incantations as he gathered more energy between his palms.

  This time, when he threw the dirty red ball at her, she stood stock still and waited, holding her breath. She hadn’t enjoyed the sickly scent of it the last time, so at least she could spare herself that experience this time. When the ball hit, she felt a little tingle—like somebody was showering her fur with sand—but it wasn’t unpleasant, or the least bit painful. It was really just annoying.

  She gave the mage a wolfish grin, making sure he saw every last one of her sharp teeth. She was considering the best way to employ her chompers on him when a hand reached around his neck from behind and twisted. The mage fell to the ground, and she knew without looking too closely that he was dead.

  King had come.

  She looked him over from head to toe. She would be really mad if he’d been shot. And she’d feel really guilty, too. She didn’t see any obvious holes in him, so she walked over to him and rubbed her side against his leg in welcome. He crouched down and took her face in his hands.

  “Are you all right?” He seemed frantic with worry, so she followed her wolfish instincts and licked his cheek to try to comfort him.

  It seemed to be the right thing to do as he laughed and cuddled his cheek along hers. She wished she was in human form, right then, but knew she probably wouldn’t have had the courage to get this close to him if she were.