Page 89 of Hunny and the Bear

Hunny slapped him hard across the face, the action so sudden, so surprising, she hadn’t even realized what she’d done until she felt the stinging burn of her palm. Jason dropped his holdon her, taking a startled step back. “Did you just hit me, you ungrateful slut?” he snapped, his eyes wild.

A loud bang exploded through the room, and Jason suddenly bellowed in pain, bending at the waist and clutching his thigh. Not wasting the opportunity, she rushed away from him and toward the exit, desperate to escape.

There, standing frighteningly still just inside the kitchen, a pistol raised in her hand and pointed right at Jason, was Nessa. Her forehead was bleeding, but if she was in pain, she didn’t show it, keeping her eyes trained on Jason. “I believe I told you to fuck off.” She jerked her chin to the side. “Hunny, get behind me.”

“Absolutely.” Relief coursing through her, Hunny did just that, ignoring the acrid scent of gunpowder burning her nose. “When did you learn to shoot a gun?” she murmured, her voice shaking.

“When I was twelve. I’ll tell you about it later.”

“You won’t get a later,” Jason snarled, his eyes glowing blue once more. “I’m going to gut you like a fucking fish—”

Nessa shot him again, the bullet sinking into his shoulder. “I wouldn’t really threaten the person holding the gun, you arrogant prick.”

Jason hunched over and groaned, and for the briefest second, Hunny thought it was in pain. But then she heard it; the sickening sound of bones popping; breaking and snapping as they reformed.

“Shoot him again!” Hunny exclaimed, terror unmistakable in her voice. “He’s a fucking werewolf! Shoot him before he shifts!”

Nessa gasped, her bravado fleeing in an instant. “Are you out of your fucking mind, Hunny? Werewolves don’t … don’t exist.” She trailed off, backing up quickly as Jason’s clothing exploded into tiny chunks of fabric, fur covering his skin entirely as he completed his change. “Oh, holy shit—”

Jason growled.

Nessa took aim again, though she was shaking like a leaf as she fired, missing him as he dodged with an inhuman speed. He rushed her as she fired again, tackling into her with his full weight. The gun left her hand, sliding across the floor. Hunny tried to catch the woman, but Jason rolled his prey away from her, swiping his claws at Nessa with one fierce motion.

Nessa cried out in pain, the scent of her blood filling the air as her skin tore from her shoulder all the way down to her chest. The human went limp, her eyes fluttering closed. Enraged, Hunny screamed, drawing Jason’s attention before he could attack her friend again.

“You want me, you piece of shit?” Hunny yelled, her voice hoarse with terror and a blaze of fierce anger. She looked frantically around at the ground. Where the hell was the gun?! “Then come get me!”

Jason huffed at her antics before looking down at Nessa in contemplation. Hunny could tell the instant he decided to kill her friend; it was in the way his muscles bunched beneath his fur, his maw opening wide to reveal sharp, lethal teeth.

The cabin floor rumbled beneath her feet a second before a bear—Tank—roared. And then the entire front of the cabin split apart, taking the front door with it. Chunks of wood flew in every direction as her big bear, and several more of equal size, filled what remained of the front entrance.

Thirty Six

A few minutes earlier…

Standing on his hind legs, Tank swatted at the massive wolf that lunged at him, hitting it on the side of the neck. Claws sliced through fur and flesh, the scent of blood permeating the air. The wolf yelped, flying to the right before it hit the ground, paws scrambling for purchase.

As the wolf pushed slowly to its feet, another five crept out of the woods, their heavy breathing alerting him to their presence instantly. Nine wolves and a traitor surrounded him. Fuck! This wasn’t good. Not good at all. Several howls rent the air mockingly. They had him dead to rights, and they knew it.

Tank cast a furious look around, eyes snapping onto the newly injured wolf. The strike he’d made, although painful, wouldn’tput a shifted wolf down for long. He’d need to rip out its throat, at the bare minimum, to kill it. With the other wolves closing in on him, and Dante standing too close for comfort, Tank didn’t have the luxury of completing the kill.

Time was of the essence. Hunny, their kits, and Murphy’s mate were relying on him for protection, and he was failing them. Anxiety and fear tore through him, the force of it so severe, so powerful, it was almost impossible to beat back. But he had to focus.

Murphy and the others were on their way. He knew that. He had to buy time. But Tank already felt doomed to fail. He wasn’t sure if he could take on so many adversaries alone and survive. But he had to try.

For Hunny, he would. He’d do anything.

Jason walked casually up the stairs to the porch, reaching for the front door. Fury overrode everything else, and Tank unleashed a primal roar, warning him away. Warning Hunny of the danger. Although, where could she go? How could she defend herself against an onslaught like this with only a human at her side?

Ignoring him, Jason turned the knob, shoving the door open. The wolf looked toward the kitchen and smiled. “Ah, my darling mate.”

Jason stepped into the house, closing the door behind him.

Whatever tether of control Tank had been clinging to snapped. Dropping onto all fours, he rushed the wolves blocking him from Hunny, slamming into one with a roar so loud it made his throat burn. He ignored the pain, relishing in the wolf’s yelp of surprise as he trampled it.

A wolf sprang at him, launching onto his back. It bit down, catching mostly fur in its hasty attack. The wolf slid off, landing on the ground as another one jumped in, replacing the first. This time, its fangs sank into the fat on Tank’s back as the wolfmounted him, another quickly joining in. Fire blazed through him as his skin split, warm blood drenching his thick fur.

Tank didn’t acknowledge the pain, instead lunging at another adversary that had come too close. Maw opened wide, he bit into a front leg, yanking his head back and forth until he heard a pop. The wolf yelped in pain, struggling frantically to break free. Tank didn’t let it go, instead swiping at the underside of its neck with his claw. He hit at it repeatedly until his claws tore through muscle, severing the wolf’s spine. The creature went limp, and he dropped the dead shifter to the ground.

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