Page 90 of Hunny and the Bear

Another sharp bite pierced his back and he grunted. Shaking himself, he attempted to dislodge the two wolves tearing into him. It wasn’t enough, though.

More wolves attacked Tank in unison, claws and fangs ripping into him. He roared in pain, completely overwhelmed. Desperate to escape the onslaught, he bit one wolf, blood filling his mouth. He yanked his head to the side, flinging the fucker off him. Another one replaced it instantly, and resignation filled him.

He couldn’t fight them all off. Not alone.

He could only pray that he killed enough before he was taken out. That he could make it easier for Murphy and the others to kill Jason and save Hunny. His family would look out for her after his death. Would keep her and their children safe and help her raise all three of them.

God-fucking-dammit. That should have been Tank’s job. His honor and his privilege to watch their kits grow, to become the family Hunny had always deserved. That he’d always wanted. But now, he was going to die because of some delusional fucknut.

Tank’s throat thickened with emotion as he struggled to swallow down his anguish. Hunny would survive his death. She was strong and resilient. They’d only been mated for a shortwhile; if anyone could survive the mating bond snapping, it was her. But the pain … The loss …

Fuck. He wished he’d had more time with her. More time to love her in all the ways she deserved. He’d give anything for another day. Another hour. Another second.

The ground rumbled as Dante entered the fray, charging right at Tank. He didn’t have time to react, instead bracing himself for the inevitable assault, for his untimely end. Dante swiped at Tank with a mighty paw.

But the blow never struck him.

One wolf latching onto Tank whimpered in surprise, its heavy body disappearing off his back as it hit the ground with a hard thud. Dante struck again, and another wolf clinging to Tank’s back let go, leaping away from the bears and out of danger. The others followed suit, the lack of their oppressive weight pinning him down filling him with a bittersweet sense of hope.

Baffled, Tank looked at Dante in confusion. Why had that asshat helped him? Did he think this meant they were allies? It didn’t. He’d gut the male if given the chance. But if the traitor wanted to help him out of guilt, Tank wouldn’t turn him away.

Despite how much fury burned in his chest for this traitor, the male had saved his life. Regardless, Tank released a low growl, just to let the piece of shit know they weren’t on good terms. Once this was over, he planned on settling the score between them.

Dante huffed, turning toward a wolf separated slightly from the others. It was smaller than the rest, one of the few that hadn’t attacked yet. A cursory sniff in that direction told Tank it was Angela.

Dante growled in her direction. Stiffening, Angela whined once in protest, staring at the bear with a startling intensity. After a moment, she turned and fled, disappearing from sight.Before Tank could make any sense of it, Dante hurled himself at one of the injured wolves.

Bleeding profusely from several wounds, Tank turned back toward his cabin, coming face to face with an uninjured wolf. Ben’s scent filled Tank’s nostrils, and he growled deeply. More growls came from behind him, all familiar, and all as equally furious as Tank. He felt a jolt course through his veins.

Reinforcements had arrived. And not a moment too soon. Relief, so sweet it was nearly nauseating, filled him as he caught Murphy’s scent. And then Jasper’s. Marcus and Colter were there, too. He was sure there were more, but nothing else registered.

Gunshots echoed through the air, and Tank’s attention snapped to the cabin. Who brought a goddamn gun? Nessa?

As if he’d reached the same conclusion, Murphy charged past Tank, slamming into Ben. Head down, he got under the wolf before throwing his head and shoulders back, launching their enemy into the air. As Ben hit the ground, Jasper and Colter ripped into him, tearing him to shreds in a matter of seconds.

Good.

Tank raced after Murphy as the Alpha bulldozed his way onto the porch. He rammed into the front door, but the solid wood held, even against his impressive size. Jasper and Colter followed them, and the porch groaned underneath their combined weight.

This close, it was impossible to not smell blood coming from within the house.

Fresh human blood. Hunny screamed, her voice slightly muffled. “You want me, you piece of shit? Then come get me!”

Murphy and Tank roared in unison, launching their full weight at the door again. This time, it and a large portion of the wall exploded inward, debris flying in every direction.

The living room came into view.

Tank spotted Hunny across the room, eyes shining with angry tears, but unharmed. The fear, the panic that had held a death grip on his heart, his very soul—it all melted away. They were okay. They were going to make it out of this.

Maybe Tank’s first instinct should have been to look for the threat to his mate, but he didn’t. He thundered into the room instead, the tips of his claws sinking into the hardwood floor for purchase as he raced toward the only person who mattered in that moment.

He stopped right in front of Hunny, looking her over as he took a ragged breath; the first real one since the Moon Rose pack had attacked.

She’s really okay,he thought, ignoring the shudder that swept through him.

Murphy snarled, and Tank turned on a dime, placing himself protectively in front of his mate. Hunny gasped, but he didn’t look to see what had caused her reaction; his focus was entirely on his brother.

Murphy lumbered into the living room and crashed into the wolf—Jason—standing right over Nessa. She lay unconscious on the ground, blood covering her upper body. Rivulets of red dripped from her torso and onto the floor, her skin pale and damp with sweat.

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