Page 65 of Hunny and the Bear

Colter snorted before covering the noise with a booming cough. “Allergies,” he explained when she turned back around, eyeing him with concern.

“Oh, no. I hate allergies. How about you all have a seat at a table and I’ll bring you some tea while you wait for your associates?”

Zeke, Colter, and Marcus thanked her before doing just that, leaving Tank and Murphy standing at the front counter.

Nessa smiled at Tank, pointedly ignoring his older brother. “How’s Hunny?” Her gaze drifted to his mating mark and widened. “Good, apparently, if she’s biting you like that.”

“She’s good,” Tank confirmed.

Nessa’s lips twitched. “Talkative as ever, I see.”

Tank grunted, and she laughed, shaking her head at him.

“Are you always so loud?” Murphy snapped, glaring right at her as he awaited her answer.

“As opposed to what? Sullen and grumpy? You seem to have that covered for the both of us.” She glared back at him with no small amount of disdain, and despite the tension filling the air, Tank almost laughed. No one ever really went toe-to-toe with Murphy, but leave it to Yapper Number Two to take on the challenge.

“I don’t appreciate your disrespect, hum—Nessa.” The Alpha uttered her name harshly. Tank’s humor fled, and he shifted his body subtly, moving closer to the human in case … well, he wasn’t sure, but usually Murphy behaved better than this.

“And I don’t appreciate your attitude,” Nessa snapped back. She smiled again, but there was nothing comforting in it. “But I enjoy your money, so thank you for renting out my establishment, and don’t forget to tip your server.” She winked. “That’s me.”

“It’s always the same with your kind,” Murphy scoffed. “All you want is money.”

She shook her head, pinning the Alpha with another cold smile. “Well, it makes the world go around. Go take a seat, Murphy.”

Instead of listening to her, the Alpha slammed his hands down on the countertop, leaning toward her menacingly. “I don’t take orders from you.”

Nessa flinched away from him, her face draining of color. Immediately, Murphy dropped his hands, taking a step back as a panicked look crossed his face. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to frighten—”

Just then, the front door opened, and a familiar stench clogged Tank’s nose.

The fucking wolves had finally shown up.

Twenty Six

Jason strolled in through the door like he owned the place, four wolves following after him. Three males, one female. The males had greasy hair, stains on their jeans, and cocky expressions on their faces, as if they were untouchable. The female’s eyes were hard and wary, like she’d grown up quick and had been dealt blow after emotional blow until she’d fully adjusted to pack life.

Tank knew most of them through a bit of digging. The taller male of the bunch was Ben, Jason’s Beta. The shortest was Kenneth, one of the more vile, perverse fucks of the pack. The female and the last male were unknown to him.

Were they newer additions to the Moon Rose pack?

Jason glanced around the room, studying each piece of furniture while studiously ignoring Murphy and Tank, like he didn’t have a care in the world. Like he wasn’t outmatched in every way that mattered. A wolf might be faster, but bears were stronger. Sturdier. It would take several wolves to successfully take down a bear, and that was if they could get close enough.

Jason’s indifference was a clear sign of dismissal, letting Murphy and the others know they didn’t intimidate him. Unfortunately for him, bears didn’t give a damn if another shifter found them threatening or not. Jason’s lack of fear wouldn’t stop Tank from ripping the wolf’s head from his shoulders while wearing a smile on his face.

In fact, that idea sounded perfect.

“Welcome to Nessa’s Teahouse,” the human female began, startling Tank out of his rampant homicidal thoughts. He turned toward the counter, keeping tabs on every person in the room as she continued with a polite smile, “I take it you’re here for the meeting …” Nessa trailed off as Jason’s eyes shifted to her and narrowed.

Her heart skipped a beat, the sound loud in Tank’s ears. The wolf heard it as well, and a predatory smile crossed his face. “You must be the owner of this fine establishment.” Jason inhaled, taking a step toward her. “And might I say, you smell divine.”

“Thanks, I think?” Nessa responded with a grimace, absent-mindedly straightening a few business cards on the counter between them. Her hands shook, belying her nerves.

She might not know shifters surrounded her, but she could sense the dominance in the room on a subconscious level. Her instincts were probably screaming at her that something was amiss, that she was in danger.

Jason noticed her unease as well, his smile taking on a sinister edge as he took another step toward her. Right before he could reach the counter, though, Murphy blocked his path, shielding Nessa from the wolf’s view.

“This town is under my protection.” Murphy growled, his eyes changing from brown to piercing gold. He was a few inches taller than Jason, and he used that to his advantage as he moved forward, stalking into the male’s space and herding him away from the human.

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