Same, buddy. Same.
They needed to get inside. Needed to check the dogs’ injuries. Needed to figure out what came next now that the hyenas had made their intentions clear. But Sonny just sat there, hands clenched tight, trying to remember how to breathe.
Reese’s hand found his, gently prying his fingers open. The touch helped to ground Sonny, pulling him back from the edge of a colossal meltdown.
They’d nearly died, but made it home. Alive. Scared shitless but alive.
Everything else could wait until his entire body stopped vibrating with terror, until his hands and arms and legs stopped trembling like he’d been plugged into a wall socket.
The inside of the truck was a vacuum—soundless, breathless, every molecule sucked up by adrenaline and the need to kiss the ground.
Sonny existed inside the emptiness for several heartbeats, staring at the glove compartment but not seeing it, feeling only the aftershocks of what could’ve happened.
He felt Reese’s gaze on him, but his mate didn’t move to open his door, didn’t rush to get out. Just settled deeper into his seat, like he was as traumatized by what almost happened.
In the backseat, Delilah continued to whine, her voice pitched high, more anxious than in pain. Hercules pressed his nose wetly to the thick glass, his breath fogging the window, as if making sure the danger was really gone.
Then he turned his head.
“Hell if I know,” Sonny murmured. “We can hide under the bed together, buddy.”
Needing reassurance he hadn’t died, Sonny squeezed Reese’s fingers. His mate’s adrenaline had to be wearing off if the deep growl was anything to go by.
The interior felt stifling. Sonny swung open his door and stumbled out, drawing in a deep breath, then screamed. The dogs howled in response.
He turned to Reese, his voice wobbly. “I’m good,” he lied. “We need to get them inside. Check Delilah’s leg. Make sure our bumper-car ride didn’t cause further damage.”
Reese’s gaze lingering on Sonny for one more beat before he got out and opened the back door. Hercules leapt down first, stiff and wary, but already looking for threats. Delilah hesitated on the seat, so Reese scooped her up like she was made of glass, and carried her to the porch. Sonny followed on unsteady legs that threatened to give out any second.
Inside, he went straight for the first aid kit while Reese made a nest of blankets for the dogs in the cool shadow under the living room window. Delilah sprawled on her side, letting Sonny check her. No blood, no fresh swelling. Hercules hovered, panting hard, tail slapping the floor with nervous energy.
Only after both dogs were settled did Sonny let himself lower to the rug, knees pulled up to his chest. Reese sat beside him. The house was quiet, which only magnified what they’d just survived.
Sonny tipped back his head, resting it against the wall, then closed his eyes, only to see the guardrail racing toward him.
If he ever saw that hyena again, he was gonna punch the bastard in the nuts.
Chapter Nine
Reese hadn’t been this livid in years, if ever. The kind of rage that made his bear claw at his insides, demanding blood. The hyena had followed them. Had nearly forced them off the road. Had put Sonny and the dogs in danger just to prove a point.
Next time they might not survive an attack.
Pushing to his feet, Reese moved with purpose. Sonny’s eyes tracked him immediately as the dogs lifted their heads from their nest of blankets, watching him as well.
“Where’re you going?” Sonny’s voice was quiet, still strained from the panic that had gripped him during the chase.
“To handle this.” Reese pulled his phone from his pocket, already typing out a message to Grayson. The words were simple, direct. Tonight. We end it.
The response came within seconds. Agreed.
Sonny scrambled to his feet. “Handle what? Reese, what’re you planning?”
“The hyenas made their move. Now we make ours.” He kept his voice level despite the fury burning through his veins. His bear wanted to shift, wanted to hunt, wanted blood. But they needed the cover of darkness.
“You’re going after them.” It wasn’t a question. Sonny’s hazel eyes had gone wide, his body positioned between Reese and the door like he could physically stop what was coming. “You’re going to their territory to fight them.”
“Yes.”
