Cassidy didn’t want Doug to die. She just wanted him gone. Doug yelped and collapsed. Then Chris howled, and his men backed off.
Was coming to Wildwood just a ploy to take down Doug? Suddenly, Chris shifted into his human form. Admittedly, he wasn’t looking his best, but at least he was standing. The wolf she’d shot didn’t shift. The others slowly followed, including the Grangers.
Trevor came out of the cabin and headed to the wolf Charley had shot, not the one Cassidy had hit.
“Let’s go down,” Cassidy said.
“You go. This might be a trap.”
Charley was right. Cassidy would have stayed, but she had a few things to say to Doug Kitchener. Knowing Charley had her back, Cassidy grabbed her gear and climbed down the ladder to the loft and then went down the stairs.
She peeked out the door. Chris was speaking with both Mike and Zach, while Seth was walking around removing the ear tags. Cassidy winced every time he took one out.
Those fighting on the Granger side moved behind Mike and Zach. Out of nowhere, Mason came jogging down the path. He looked rather stunned when he reached them. It was as if he had wanted to fight, but the battle hadn't lasted as long as he’d expected.
Cassidy placed her bow and arrow on the cabin floor and went outside. She walked straight up to Chris. He nodded.
“Cassidy. You look well.”
Seriously? He was being friendly. “You don’t, but thank you for stepping in.”
He nodded. “Your men put up a damn good fight, which is why I couldn’t let Doug ruin your life and mine.”
Doug moaned, rose to all fours and then shifted. His face was bleeding, a chunk of his side was ripped open, and his leg was mangled.Go, Zach—and Chris.
Doug spit on the ground. “You’re not worth it.”
“Is that so? Is that why you gathered the troops and drove most of the day? Was your pride driving you then?”
“Fuck you, Cassidy.”
She smiled as sweetly as possible. “Just so you know, I’ve already mated with Zach and Mike. Even if I had wanted to be with you—which I sure as hell never did—it would have been too late.”
Chris stepped forward. “You and your friends won’t be bothered again. I give you my word.”
She wasn’t sure how much his word was worth, but she liked the sentiment. “Thank you.”
A yell sounded off to the side. When she glanced over, Trevor was leaning over the wolf Charley had shot with an arrow in his hand. Pulling it out must have hurt. The man shifted, tried to stand, and then dropped to the ground. She figured Chris would like an explanation. “The arrow was laced with a sedative.”
“Well played. Too bad you and Doug couldn’t have mated. Our clan would have benefitted from having you in it.”
She supposed that was a compliment, but her clan would have suffered domination by his. “Have a good day, Chris.”
That was the best answer she could muster.
Without another word, some of the Kitchener Clansmen helped up the man Cassidy had shot as well as the one Charley had taken down. Then one by one, they walked away. No one had died today, but it would be a long time before they forgot what happened here.
She rushed up to Mike and Zach. “Are you guys okay?”
“I’ve felt better,” Zach said as he winced.
“Why don’t you come inside the cabin. You can shift and rest for a bit. I’d feel better if you did.”
Charley came out of the cabin with her crossbow in hand. “We good here?”
Everyone chuckled. Clearly, the relief was strong. Most of the men suffered some wounds, but she bet by the time they made it back to the parking lot though, most would have healed completely.
Cassidy went over to Ian and Mick. “I can’t thank the three of you enough. You dropped everything to help out. If you ever need anything, let us know.”