Doc Pritchett showed up next, his medical bag clutched in one hand, Marcus and Tom flanking him like sentries. The doc went straight to Ruby, his movements efficient but gentle, his fingers careful as he examined her throat. My tail tightenedprotectively around her waist as he worked, and I had to consciously force myself to relax and let him do his job.
"Can you speak?" he asked.
Ruby nodded, then winced. "Hurts," she rasped, the word barely more than a whisper. "But I'm okay."
"You will be," Doc Pritchett confirmed, though his expression was grim, his mouth pressed into a thin line. "Bruising's bad, but there's no serious damage to the windpipe. You're lucky."
Lucky. Right. If Teddy hadn't roared when he did, if I'd been even thirty seconds later...
I pushed that thought away before it could take root.
Doc Pritchett gave Ruby a couple of sips of pain reliever. Once she could talk without too much pain, she told us everything. About Peanut not being nearly as handicapped as everyone thought, how he'd been playing a role for years. About the things he'd confessed, burning down the bakery and trying to murder Ruby and Teddy with the flames. How he'd killed Craig because Clemon told the peacekeeper he saw Peanut trying to steal moonshine. And that he'd killed Clemon because he'd talked, because loose ends needed tying up.
"Do you think Charlene knows anything about this?" Mei whispered, her hand flying to her throat as if imagining the same bruises that marked Ruby's skin.
My blood went cold. Charlene.
I looked at Marcus and Tom, my voice dropping into command mode. "Bring her in. Take her to the Peacekeepers' office and keep her there until we can sort this out."
"On it," Marcus said, already moving, Tom falling into step beside him.
"Be careful," I added before they disappeared into the night.
I turned back to Ruby and Teddy, pulling them closer, feeling the warmth of their bodies against mine. I'd need to interrogate Charlene eventually. Find out exactly what she knew, what she'd done, whether she'd been complicit or just willfully blind. But not tonight. Tonight, I wasn't letting my mate or cub out of my sight.
Tonight, they were safe. That was all that mattered.
Mei touched my arm, her fingers trembling slightly, her eyes shining with unshed tears that caught the moonlight. "Thank the stars you found them in time, Cristox. If you hadn't—" Her voice broke.
"I was searching Market Square," I said, my throat tight. "Checking every alley, every shadow, every place they might have been. And then I heard my cub."
A fierce pride swelled in my chest, so strong it nearly stole my breath. I glanced at Teddy, still tucked against my side, his small body trembling but alive. Safe.
"I heard him roar," I continued, my voice rough with emotion. "Roaring like a Stranac warrior."
I had to pause, had to swallow past the lump in my throat. I'd never been so proud in my entire life. "His roar led me straight to them."
Mei smiled through her tears, her expression soft and warm. "He's got your strength."
I pressed a kiss to the top of Teddy's head, breathing in the scent of him—dirt and fear and something that spoke of his parentage, my scent mixed with his mother's. "He's got more than that. He's got courage."
Several villagers showed up, drawn by the commotion, each of them reacting with the same shock and relief.
"Stars above," Mrs. Chen breathed, her eyes going wide as she took in the scene. "Is it really over?"
"It's over," I confirmed, my voice steady despite the adrenaline still coursing through my veins.
Doc Pritchett wrangled help from a couple of bystanders to transport Peanut's body back to the makeshift morgue at his office. As the two men moved away, carrying the blanket-wrapped body between them, Doc Pritchett stopped to give Ruby one last check, his fingers gentle on her pulse point.
"I've had more dead bodies in the last couple of weeks than I've had in the last several years," he muttered with a heavy sigh, shaking his head, exhaustion etched into every line of his face. "This town used to be peaceful."
I met his eyes, understanding the weight of what he was saying. "It will be again. I promise you that, Doc."
He studied me for a long moment, searching my face, then nodded slowly. "I believe it will be, Cristox."
As the small group disappeared with Peanut's body, their footsteps fading into the night, I adjusted my hold on Ruby and Teddy, shifting their weight more securely against me. Ruby's eyes were closed, her breathing shallow but steady, each exhale a small victory. Teddy's small hand clutched at my shirt, his knuckles white, his face buried against my chest.
"Let's go home," I said softly, the words feeling right. Home. I stood carefully, lifting both of them. The weight of them in my arms felt perfect. Natural. Like this was exactly where I was meant to be—carrying my family home, keeping them safe, protecting what was mine.
