Page 85 of Diners, Damsels & Wolves

“That makes sense,” Sara said. “When I was at the hospital, the doctors said her brain scan came out normal. The spell did work, just not correctly.”

“Who was the witch?” Sam asked. “We can call her and get her to undo it.”

“Grandad killed her to keep her quiet,” Maria said.

“Well shit,” Nathon whispered.

“The bears take out bloodlines,” Sara said. “They might have known who she was at The Barrel that night.”

“I don’t think so,” Maria said. “If they knew, they wouldn’t have waited weeks to come back for her. I think once they realized she was Tom’s mate, they looked into her more closely.”

“I made her the best kill, the most thrilling hunt they’ve been on,” Tom whispered, his head spinning. “She’s a missing link to an old bloodline from a war they’d lost and she’s an Alpha’s mate. An Alpha who beat and humiliated one of their members.”

“You couldn’t have known,” Maria said.

“I should have,” he growled, disgusted with himself. He’d been too busy thinking with his prick and now … now the woman who was the center of his universe was in the hands of the bears.

A heavy silence fell over them. He was thinking it, he knew the others were too, all the different ways bears loved to torture humans.

“There’s a possibility,” Maria whispered, “they are keeping her alive to torment you. They love mind games.”

“Sam, Sara, Nathon, get a group together, we’re leaving in ten minutes,” Tom said.

“I can’t,” Sara said. “Sheriff Greg is organizing a search; I have to be there or my cover is blown.”

“Go.” Tom nodded. “Report back if they find anything useful.”

“Will do.” Sara ran off. Nathon and Sam followed her.

“Maria.” He grabbed her, pulling her further into the room and shutting the door. He led her to his closet and closed them in. It was larger than any closet had the right to be, so he’d soundproofed it and put a sofa in there for private conversations.

“Maria, I can’t do this,” he said.

“We’ll find her,” she soothed.

“No, I mean I can’t be Alpha.”

“What?” she asked.

“You know I never wanted this; I’ve been trying so hard for the last year. I’m a disaster. I’ll lead the pack for now, but as soon as you give birth, I need you to take over.”

“Tom, no.”

“Maria, please. You and I both know what the bears do to humans. If Clarissa is still alive, she won’t be for much longer. I can’t—I won’t be able to survive that.” His voice broke. “I need to know you’ll lead them if anything happens to me.”

She pulled him into a hug. “Don’t let anything happen to yourself, you hear me? Alpha or not, you’re my brother. You need to come back to me.”

Pulling back, he kissed the top of her head. “Goodbye, Maria.”

Going outside, he met up with the others. A group of ten wolves were waiting for him. He was surprised to see Atticus and some of his bobcats accompanying them.

“While I do not understand your ways, wolf, I respect you,” he said. “And I cannot deny my family the chance to rid the world of these bears. They are a plague to our community and a mockery of shifters.”

“Thank you,” Tom said, before turning to the group at large. “The bear’s scent is on a white Taurus parked at The Barrel. It’s fresh, we might be able to get a trail from there. If we find a lone bear, we need it alive. Understood?”

They all nodded.

“Let’s go.” Tom put his phone in his plastic bag belt and phased. Running into the woods, he led them south toward town.