Page 86 of Hunny and the Bear

Tank huffed as he opened the door, brows rising when he spotted Dante on his porch, a scowl on the tracker’s face. It was early in the afternoon, but the sun had hidden behind clouds all damned day, casting the world in grayish hue.

“What are you doing here?” Tank looked around. Was Jasper not with him? That was odd; no one but family ever visited him. “Everything alright?”

Dante rolled his eyes, his shoulders stiff with a tension that Tank couldn’t help but notice. “No, man.” Dante shook his head, a sorrowful light flashing in his eyes before it disappeared altogether. “I was hoping we could talk about the Moon Rosepack. There’s something I think you should know. Can I come in?”

Instantly, Tank was on high alert. He stepped out onto the porch, forcing Dante to back up a few steps as he closed the door behind him, creating a barricade between the females inside and the male.

Murphy, Tank called out to his brother.Dante’s here. Something doesn’t feel right.

“Hunny’s wanting some girl time with her human friend,” Tank commented dryly to the male in front of him, not wanting it obvious that he’d reached out to his brother. “Probably best we stay out here.”

There was a stirring in his mind, a brief fluttering of the Alpha’s consciousness before Murphy spoke.What do you mean? You want me to reach out to him?

No.

Murphy’s sigh echoed in Tank’s head.Okay.Did he say why he’s visiting?heasked, an agitated note in his voice.The Alpha knew his mate was with Tank and likely didn’t want an unmated male near her, despite his best efforts to not care.

Dante nodded quickly, his eyes not quite meeting Tank’s. “Yeah, this is fine.”

He wants to talk about the Moon Rose pack, but why come to me and not you? I don’t like it. Tank discreetly looked around the clearing surrounding his house, inhaling to catch any stray scents. There was nothing other than Nessa’s on the breeze. He grimaced, his unease growing. That was wrong too, wasn’t it?Just get here, Murph.Don’t come alone.

Tank inhaled again, hit with another stirring of wrongness. What the hell was it?

Dante ran a shaky hand through his hair. “Everything that’s happening, I just want you to know; nothing was personal, man. You haven’t deserved any of this.”

Tank stiffened, his bear pushing to the forefront, urging him to shift. “What are you saying?” His eyes widened as realization struck.

Dante’s scent was missing.

Almost like the male could sense the direction Tank’s mind had wandered to, Dante lifted his head, sending him a pleading look. “I’m so sorry, Tank. There isn’t another way. They’re going to kill her if I don’t cooperate.”

“Kill who?”

Dante lunged at Tank, shifting into his grizzly counterpart as their bodies connected, launching Tank backward. His back slammed into the porch as his own shift began, the wood creaking as his increasing weight caused a strain on the boards. His skin rippled and fell away, replaced by thick brown fur. His body elongated simultaneously, growing wider and taller as his own grizzly rose.

Before Dante could sink his claws into Tank’s gut, Tank roared, slapping him in the head with a mighty paw. His claws scored a hit on Dante’s snout, and the male reared back onto his hind legs with a dull groan of pain. Tank sent a brief, hurried warning to Murphy as he threw himself at the other male, sending them both careening off the porch.

He needed to get Dante away from Hunny and Nessa, needed to protect his mate and their kits from danger. Blood scented on the air as he opened his maw wide and bit down on Dante’s shoulder, thrashing his head in an attempt to sever the muscles connecting his opponent’s arm. Hot, metallic liquid exploded on his tongue.

He expected the other bear to fight back, to swipe at him in retaliation. But Dante did neither, taking the brunt of Tank’s attack in stride. Why wasn’t he defending himself? He’d attacked Tank, but now he refused to fight back when his life was in danger? It didn’t make sense. What was his end game?

A howl sounded off in the distance from somewhere behind Tank, but it was the other, much closer canine growl that had him twisting around, giving Dante his back instead of this new threat. His eyes locked onto four massive wolves now standing between him and the cabin, blocking him from his mate.

Just beyond the wolves, Jason stood proudly, a smug, sinister grin on his face. “For Hunny’s sake, my wolves will make your death quick.”

Fear twisted his gut into a tangle of knots, and his heart jumped into his throat. He was outnumbered, and his mate was all but defenseless.

Tank roared in fury right as the first wolf launched itself at him.

Thirty Five

Hunny froze at the base of the stairs, startled by the animalistic roar of rage outside. It shook the walls, and the familiarity of it made her heart clench. Was that Tank? What had happened?

She dropped her death grip on the railing, taking a worried step toward the front door. The sound of wolves howling split the air, slightly muffled by the walls of the cabin. Her heart leapt to her throat.

Wolves?

Her mouth dried, panic clawing at her throat as icy tendrils of fear slid down her spine. Her hand flew to her mouth, covering a strangled whimper.Oh, God!They were being attacked, and Tank had stepped outside into the thick of it, completely unaware of the danger lurking just beyond the walls of their cabin.

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