Page 25 of Grumpy Special Ops Bear: Ep. 1
I shuddered.Are they going to eat it like that?
“So what does that mean?” I needed to keep him talking. Just standing there, listening to the wolves tear into the elk, made me sick. Talking would help keep me focused on something else.
“It means you have the honor of being in our presence. I’m over three hundred years old. Boyle here is my second-in-command and just a few years younger. He’s repeatedly proven his merit, fighting by my side. The others with me are very important members of my pack. This isn’t just a vacation for us. It is something so much greater than that.”
Boyle grinned darkly as he stepped closer and licked his lips. I watched him shift back into the giant black wolf I’d seen earlier. The scar he had as a human was even more terrifying on his wolf’s face. I fought against the ropes as he stalked forward, snarling and biting into the air. I tried not to scream, but I couldn’t stop the noise from bubbling up my throat and spewing loudly out of my mouth.
“Down, Boyle.” Josh leered. “There will be time for that on the full moon if you win. Now, let’s eat.”
Boyle turned and joined the rest of the wolves at the elk carcass.
Josh winked at me as I stared in horror. He shifted again, and with a loud howl, he dug into the elk flesh, ripping and tearing it apart into a bloody mess. I attempted to tune out the cracking bones and their guttural growls as they ate as one. It was revolting.
When I did glance over, I froze. There, beneath their jaws, was a vision of my lifeless body. I shuddered, and the elk reappeared under their chomping mouths, but the image stuck with me.
Are they going to eat me next?
Chapter 18
Fergus
I mademy way back to Grant and Cutter, ordering them to shift back to their human forms. The two men stood before me, snowflakes falling on their naked shoulders as they bowed their heads in respect to me, their alpha.
“So what did you find out?” Cutter asked.
“Not good news,” I reported. “How’s the woman? Still alive?” I’d tried to fight it, but the words had come out before I could stop them. My inner bear was the one who had demanded I ask the question.
Grant glanced sideways at Cutter before answering, “She’s alive, bound to a tree, and breathing.”
“Good. We need to move fast. She might not be alive for long.”
“What do you mean?” Cutter demanded.
I stared at him. “The wolves, it seems, are still honoring the yearly Hunt, and the woman is their next victim.”
“You’ve got to be shitting me.” Cutter laughed. “If the Protectors get wind that they’re trying to revive that antiquated, barbaric tradition, they’ll kill every one of them. There’s no way they’re that stupid!”
“They’re wolves,” Grant added with disgust written all over his face.
Cutter shook his head. “Yeah, but to come to another clan’s territory and then try to perform a Hunt? Is he trying to start a war?”
“I don’t know, but the second it starts or when they kill her, I’ll have no choice but to step in and take care of things our way.”
“What will you tell Taggert?” Grant asked.
I sighed at his question. “I’ll figure it out when the time comes. For now, we move in. If they’re feeding, we might catch them off guard. Let’s go.”
I yawned, which turned into a roar as I released my beast. Snow fell onto my fur and melted, cooling me in little bursts of chill. I peeked over my big shoulder as Cutter and Grant shifted.
Together, we made our way back through the woods to stop a bloody shifter war before it could start.
Chapter 19
Trinity
Their feeding was gettingto me. I couldn’t drown it out any longer, and I knew the second I opened my eyes, I’d puke. I didn’t have a weak stomach, but listening to them munching away on a corpse just feet from me was nauseating. Bile rose in my throat, and I tried to swallow it back down.
After a few deep breaths, I was all right until Boyle turned his wolf’s head toward me. His snout was covered with blood, and something was dangling from his teeth. It seemed to be a part of an intestine.
