That worked out well, but I got more trouble coming. Several wolves break off from the pack and head my way. I swing the bat in warning as I try to back toward the house, but they cut me off, circling around me.
One large one with blood leaking out of his missing eye snaps at me with a snarl. I swing my bat at him and the one behind me lunges forward and nearly takes a bite out of my thigh. I turn and swing the bat, barely grazing his hind leg as he retreats.
Jacob has his paws full with the polar bear and I’m about to be swarmed when the blaring of a siren catches the wolves’ attention. They perk up and regroup as my old firefighting crew barrels onto the ranch in the firetruck I used to ride in.
I watch in awe as Brees heads straight for them. The wolves leap out of the way in terror, scattering around the ranch.
Enzo, Quinton, Brees, and Grey leap out of the truck to help. They all phase into their grizzly bears, except for Grey who looks very happy to be fighting in his human form. He grabs an axe off the side of the truck and struts onto the battlefield like he owns the place.
Jacob and Burton’s bears back away from each other and the two sides regroup. I rush over to them.
“Look who it is,” Grey says with a growl as he glares at me. “Stay away from me, Frye.”
Jacob’s bear comes right up to me and licks my cheek. He looks all bloodied up and exhausted. His body begins to shake and I step back as he phases. Jacob explodes out of him, looking terrified. “What are you doing out here?” he asks with a horrified look on his face.
“I had to help,” I tell him. “I had to.”
I’m expecting a lecture, but he grabs the back of my neck and kisses me hard instead.
“Stay behind me,” he says. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Burton phases back into his human form as well and he’s yelling instructions at the wolves.
“Thanks for coming,” Jacob says to Grey and the boys with a nod.
Grey grunts back.
“Are we going to get to smash some heads in or what?” Grey asks impatiently while the two sides stare each other down. “Fuck this. I don’t have all day.”
His huge hands squeeze the axe and he stomps over to take them all on singlehandedly.
The tension in the air snaps and the two sides charge each other, colliding into battle like something out of a movie. I stick behind Jacob as he grabs a wolf and launches him into space. A wolf runs by me and I crack his legs with the bat. He tumbles over and then one of the large bears falls on top of him.
It’s chaos all around me. I don’t know where to look.
Some of the wolves phase back into their human forms and I recognize the sleazy guy from the bar, Tats. He’s got a long knife and he’s creeping up to Grey from behind, about to stab him in the kidney.
I suck in a breath and rush over, clinging onto the bat. A wolf flies through the air at me, bouncing on the ground as he’s about to take out my legs. I leap over him and keep running.
Grey is focused on two wolves and doesn’t see Tats approaching from behind. I run over and get there just as he’s about to sink the knife in. I swing the bat as hard as I can, slamming it into his shoulder which throws him off balance. Grey turns and grabs him by the tattooed neck. He snaps it easily and tosses his dead body to the ground.
Grey’s scary eyes land on me and he nods with an appreciative grunt.
The wolves don’t stand a chance with the extra grizzly bears and with our Kodiak bears fighting for their mates. Eventually, as enough of them die, they start to retreat and back away. Several phase into their human forms and flee to their bikes. The bears chase them down, killing a few more as they try to leave.
It’s brutal, but a bear shifter won’t tolerate any threat to their mates. They’re more than willing to kill a fleeing shifter if there’s even the slightest chance that they’ll return to harm their mate.
Jacob finds me in the bloodied field and grabs my hand. There are several deep gashes and shallow cuts all over his body. I see a tooth sticking out of his bloody forearm.
“You’re hurt,” I say, feeling my stomach drop.
He shakes his head. “I’m pissed.”
Soon, the few Lone Wolf Mercenaries who manage to make it out of here leave and Burton is the only one left.
The boys circle him as he glares at them. “I guess I should have brought more wolves,” he says with a shake of his head.