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“Great.” Clarissa held her head in her hands.

“Do you want to go in and see her? The doctors and nurses are all gone for now.” The cop that came with Greg stood next to her.

She had brilliant green eyes and blonde hair that was cropped short. She towered over Clarissa.

“I … thank you,” she said.

“Officer Sara Richardson.” The cop smiled at her. “And there’s no need to thank me.”

Nodding, Clarissa went into Rachel’s room. Her eyes were closed, a tube taped to her mouth. Wires were stuck to her while a litany of machines beeped in the background. Collapsing into a chair, she took Rachel’s hand.

She felt numb. Too much had happened that day; her emotions were chaotic and her mind frayed. It was easier to stare at Rachel’s face and allow herself to disassociate. She saw it all as if she were looking down on the scene rather than experiencing it firsthand.

Losing all track of time, she was vaguely aware of people coming and going. Moving like ghosts through their space. She paid them no heed.

“Clarissa, sweetie.” Jeff placed a hand on her shoulder. She blinked up at him. When had the window gotten so dark? “Come on. Eugene and I have a guest room, you can stay with us.”

“I can’t leave,” she said.

“You need to eat; you need to sleep,” Jeff said. “Eugene went to take Elizabeth home; he’s also picking up some clothes for you. He’ll be back soon. Rachel’s in good hands, you need to take care of yourself now.”

She kissed Rachel’s forehead. “Chin up, girl, and you’ll go far,” she whispered, before letting Jeff guide her from the building.

Twenty One

Thomas

An oversized hand swiped across his desk. Papers and his tablet flew across the library. Tom yanked books from the shelves, tossing them at random. Seizing the edge of the desk, he upturned it, his chair nowhere to be found.

He was furious. No, fury wasn’t strong enough. He wanted to murder. He wanted to tear them limb from limb with his teeth. He wanted to paint the forest with their blood.

When Emmanuel told him what happened to Clarissa’s home, he’d lost his shit, shifting right there in his office. Destroying his shoes and shredding his clothes, howling and spitting. He was fairly certain most of his furniture was now broken.

Emmanuel leaned against the far wall, arms crossed over his chest, waiting. He was tall as the other shifters but leaner. His hair was a mop of messy brown curls falling past his shoulders, leaves stuck in them from his run.

When Tom stopped tossing things about, Emmanuel resumed the story.

“The home nurse and aunt got out alive, but the aunt is in the hospital. Sara’s there with them in her uniform. She said Clarissa didn’t recognize her so she can keep a watch on her without raising any concern. I went to the trailer. It’s gone. That was no normal house fire, boss, they wanted them dead.”

He growled.

“I found the scent,” Emmanuel continued. “It matched the scent that was on you after the bear attacked her in the parking lot. I tracked it almost fifty miles north before it disappeared into a lake. I didn’t smell any of the other bears. Either they sent him on a lone mission, or he went rogue.”

Forcing the rage down, the wolf let go of Tom’s body. Phasing back, he pulled a new set of clothes from his stash in the office. He hadn’t lost control of his wolf like that since he was a pup.

“Where is Clarissa now?” he growled.

“Still at the hospital, Sara’s staying with her for now,” Emmanuel said. “Boss, wait. You don’t want to hear this right now but I gotta say it. It’s been weeks since she was attacked in the parking lot. That’s a long time for a shifter as unstable as a bear to wait.

“What if they only attacked her because you were with her? Taking her to the picnic, introducing her to all the other Alphas, you marked her as your mate. She’s a human who can’t shift. If they wanted to get at you, she’s the easiest target.”

Tom froze. He hadn’t told anyone she’d broken it off with him. It had taken every ounce of his strength to walk away from her in front of the diner, to not let his wolf instincts take over and toss her over his shoulder and lock her in the mansion to keep her safe until this was all over. But he’d done it, and it broke him.

He prayed his absence would keep her safe. If the bears were tracking him and the pack, they would have caught on she wasn’t in his favor anymore. If they stopped being seen together, she would be safe. At least, that’s what he’d told himself when he walked away.

Clearly it hadn’t worked.

The front door slammed shut. Seconds later, Maria pushed her way into the office.