Page 24 of Untamed Instincts

His dad wasn’t invincible.

Despite standing at six-foot-six and weighing 350 pounds, filled with pure muscle and a fierce attitude, Quinton hadn’t been able to stop the lion shifter from sinking its claws into him or prevent himself from collapsing due to blood loss.

“Killian?” Ryker gripped his shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“Yeah?” Killian cleared his throat and answered the questions from the sheriff and deputy.

“What about Noah?” Sheriff Harper inquired after he was finished questioning Killian. “Since he was the intended target, I’d like to speak with him.”

Ever since Noah had thrown up, he’d secluded himself in his bedroom. Killian wasn’t sure if the guy was even aware of what had happened to Quinton.

“Can he come to the station later?” Killian moved aside, as much as the cramped space allowed so the coroner could attend to the dead lion shifter in the living room.

“Yes.” Sheriff Harper nodded. “When your father is back in human form, have him bring Noah in. That way I can speak with both of them.”

Ryker ended up lending the coroner a hand since one of their father’s furry front legs was draped over the lifeless body.

This was by far the smallest living room Killian had ever seen. Even his bathroom at home was bigger than this.

As Ryker and the coroner worked together, Killian turned his attention toward Noah’s bedroom door. Since he was stuck in this tiny space on the opposite side of the living room, he may as well check on the guy.

Knocking lightly, he watched as Ryker struggled to move their dad’s leg. It might’ve sounded simple enough, but Ryker had to maneuver around the massive grizzly in order to help.

With a smirk, Killian watched his brother’s clumsy attempts, nearly falling onto their dad at least four or five times.

When Noah didn’t come to the door, Killian knocked again. Still no answer. Now he stood there debating on what to do. His dad would skin him alive if Killian walked in on Noah changing clothes. The human had gotten sick, so it was possible he needed to change.

With a silent prayer that he wasn’t about to become a bear-skin rug, Killian cautiously opened the door just a crack. “Hey, Noah, just checking on you. If you’re changing clothes, throw a shoe at the door and yell for me to go away,” he called out, hoping to get some kind of response.

But instead of hearing anything from inside, Killian felt a slight breeze coming from under the door. Confused, he pushed it open farther and peeked inside.

Damn. The room was the size of Killian’s walk-in closet. It was so small he should have been able to see Noah wherever he was standing.

The only thing Killian saw was the window standing wide open.

With a curse, he quickly made his way into the room—bumping his arm on a tall dresser in the process—and rushed to look out the window. The room faced the back of the building, and just below it was the rear-entrance roof that would have been easy to climb onto.

Noah had taken off.

“Shit!” Quinton just might get that rug if Killian and Ryker couldn’t find their father’s mate. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the only person who could probably save his ass.

“Hello?”

“Heey, Jaytee. It’s Killian. I was wondering if you could do me a huge favor?”

Jaytee Frost snorted. “What exactly did you screw up?”

* * * *

As Noah drove, every minute felt like an eternity, as if he was on an endless highway with no exits in sight. His mind was a chaotic mess of confusion and terror, struggling to process the events of the past few hours.

Was any of this even real?

For seven years he had dealt with Jack and his toxic friends, even knowing they were wolf shifters. But that was different because the preternatural world had never directly affected Noah.

Now it had, because of a fucked-up decision he’d made. Suddenly, the danger was right in front of him, crashing down on him like a violent storm.

This morning had been like something out of a wild nightmare. Noah’s heart continued to race from everything that had happened.

---