Page 2 of Claiming the Shifter's Heart

Janie was born early. Seven months after his declaration, and promise to treat Della right.

Instead, he’d treated her like a punching bag for the last three months of their lives together right up until she stole away in the dead of night.

Della couldn’t take it anymore, and she had to protect her children. They were the most important things in her life.

“Fucking whore! Stole my kids! Stole my drugs. Now I want them back, Della,” Cade screamed at her.

“You will never get your filthy hands on my kids!” Della shouted back.

“Don’t want them bastards. Want my drugs, damn you,” Cade said, black eyes blazing as he hit her one more time.

He was going to kill her. She saw it plain as day. It’d been a long time coming, but she always thought Cade would be the one to do it.

No, she didn’t want to die. Had two very good reasons to go on living. But if it stopped him from chasing them, she’d gladly lay down her life.

There was nothing she wouldn’t do to save her sweet babies.

Della stood up to him, shoulders back. She’d already seen her neighbor, Samantha, rounding the back, towards Sean and Janie.

She knew the normal was a good woman, mated to a Werewolf, and together, they would protect her young. That was all Della needed to know.

She braced herself for the end, refusing to cry as he came towards her like the mean motherfucker he was.

Only at the last minute, Cade stopped. That was when she saw a pair of enormous lupine jaws closing around his forearm. His eyes went wide as the big, ferocious beast tightened his hold and shook him like a rag doll.

Gunshots sounded and the splat of Crows hitting the ground echoed in the night sky. She could hardly comprehend what was happening. Then again, she didn’t have to understand. She just needed Sean and Janie to be safe.

Della panted, pain echoing throughout her body from Cade’s abuse. She didn’t remember falling, but she was on her hands and knees, quickly moving towards the back stairs. Remembering Samantha had taken them, she switched directions and headed for her neighbor’s house.

The sounds of Wolves howling and a single Crow’s crying, the only one still alive she imagined, filled the air. Della was almost at Samantha’s steps when she stopped.

In her path was a giant Wolf with red fur and stunning bottle-green eyes. Air got caught in her lungs as he stood, head canted, just staring at her.

Oh, he was a monster, Enormous and muscled his big fangs visible from his slightly open maw. He could easily tear her limb from limb, and she would be stupid to tempt him by getting too close.

She waited, half stunned, half desperate, just frozen in place. Her babies were just behind him, safe inside Samantha’s house. She knew that and needed to get to them. But she couldn’t move a limb. At least, not until she heard her sweet son’s voice call out for her.

“Mommy!” Sean’s voice called from Samantha’s back porch and her gaze flicked to her little boy.

“Sean? Oh, Sean!” Della cried and ran for him.

Forgetting all about her misgivings, she raced right in front of the Wolf, who stood just as still as she’d been a moment ago, following her movements with keen eyes.

“Kristoff! Let’s go,” someone called, but Della was already inside, kissing her children and crying softly against their downy hair.

They’re safe. We’re all safe.

Chapter 1

Kris stalked through the forest lining the property's edge in Wolf form. He’d been doing that every single night for the past six weeks. He couldn’t help himself.

It was a biological imperative that he keep watch over the beautiful woman and her precious young.

Mine.

When in his fur, it was difficult to keep notions like that from filling his mind. Dual-natured creatures such as him were always learning to balance their beast and human sides.

He couldn’t stop thinking about her. The first night they met, she’d been attacked by her ex. A nasty motherfucker, Kris still wished he’d killed. But he’d been given an order and the soldier in him obeyed.

---