Page 91 of Diners, Damsels & Wolves

The bear Alpha phased to human beneath him. They were all dead, but Tom couldn’t make himself stop. Ripping and tearing at the men laying on the ground. Flinging their flesh, he painted the woods crimson in his fit of fury.

He couldn’t stop.

He didn’t want to stop.

He wanted to hurt them, he wanted to decimate them. Erase every trace of their existence from this life. Bloodlust had taken over. His wolf fully ruled his senses, after so long of forcing it down, trying too hard to keep his head knowing they’d taken what was most precious to him; taken her and tortured her to manipulate him.

After a year of Alpha responsibilities crushing him with no support. He’d taken it all on alone, trying to be stronger than he was. Snapping in that moment, his human half had gone dormant. Tearing and ripping the bears to shreds, his wolf relished in the release of it all; not having to think, not having to be responsible, not having to be in control every second.

His wolf had taken over, and he liked it. He wanted to cause them as much torment as they’d caused Clarissa.

Clarissa …

Standing upright, his chest heaved. The packs were staring at him. Their disgust was palpable, the stench of their fear thick in the air. Turning away from their scrutiny, he went to the cabin. He heard her heartbeat. It was slow and strained. Her one eye was open. Kneeling in front of her, he phased to his human form.

With his fur gone, he could see the gore. He was coated with it. Red splotches stuck to his pale skin, thick chunks of flesh under his nails, and falling from his forearms. He was atrocious: a gory, bloody mess.

He wanted to reach out to her, to comfort her, to comfort himself. But how could he touch something so precious when his hands were soiled so?

“Clarissa.” His voice was gruff and raspy. “Clarissa.”

Hands trembling, he reached to untie her. Breath coming in sharp gasps, his chest felt tight as he took in the extent of her injuries. White bone protruded from her right arm; it twisted and bent unnaturally. Bile rose in the back of his throat. This was all his fault.

She tried to open her mouth to speak. He heard only gurgles; a thick string of bloodied saliva fell from her lips.

“I’ll get you out of here,” he said.

“Boss!” Sam yelled. “Boss, you need to leave her.”

In a flash, he whipped around, snapping his teeth at Sam, a growl vibrating in his chest. Crouched in a defensive position, Tom was ready to phase. Sam stayed still, his hands up in surrender.

“Boss, the cops are coming,” he said. “You hear that? They’ll be here soon. Sara called Nathon; Sheriff Greg got a warrant to track Clarissa’s phone. The whole damn county police squad is on their way here now. If she’s not here, and you show up at the hospital with her, it’ll be too suspicious.

“I’m sorry, boss, but you gotta leave her. Right now, it looks like a wild animal attacked them. We need it to stay that way. Thomas, please, this is what needs to be done.”

“Go,” Tom said. “Go! All of you, now! Get out of sight, meet back at the mansion.”

He turned back to Clarissa. Placing a hand on the least swollen side of her face, he held her head up. Her good eye locked on him; bright red blood splotched and webbed across her white orbs.

“I’m sorry, Clarissa,” he said. “I’m so sorry. I have to leave. Sheriff Greg is on his way. My love, stay with me, look at me. I’ll meet you at the hospital.”

The sirens were close now. He saw blue and red flashing through the trees onto the wreckage of the cabin.

“I’m sorry. I promise I will be there when you wake up. Clarissa, I’ll be there for you. I’ll always be there for you, my love,” he said.

Her eye rolled and closed.

Gritting his teeth, he ran into the shadows. It took every ounce of self-control he had to leave her. To turn away from the pain and suffering in one so delicate: his fragile human mate. It was what needed to be done, but it felt like he’d ripped his heart from his chest and left it behind in the rickety cabin.

When he left her at the diner, after she’d rejected him, he thought that was going to kill him. Then when he learned the bears had taken her, to torture, to manipulate, he thought that was the worst pain imaginable. He’d been wrong both times.

Walking away from her in that moment was the hardest thing he’d ever had to do, the worst type of pain he’d ever endured. Nothing he’d experienced could compare. Not when he thought his father had died in the accident, not when the weight of the pack was thrust upon him, not the pain of the first phase or the injuries from fighting in pack challenges. This was a clawed and bloody hand ripping a piece of his soul from him, shredding his beating heart while she screamed in agony. But it’s what he needed to do to protect her and his pack.

Phasing into his wolf, he hid from the police. He dug his claws into the earth, forcing himself to stay rooted to the spot. He watched as Sheriff Greg, Sara, and the other officers left their cars. The terror flooded their faces as they took in the carnage.

“Sheriff!” Sara screamed. “She’s here. She’s alive. Call an ambulance.”

Through the ensuing chaos, Sara’s eyes found his in the trees. She nodded at him. He knew Clarissa was in good hands. He started the run back to the mansion.