Page 13 of Grumpy Special Ops Bear: Ep. 2
“That’s precisely what I’m attempting to tell you. They’re going to come after her with everything they have tonight, but not to kill her.”
I swallowed hard, still angry and not sure about what was going on.
Grant continued. “They’re going to take her back to their territory.”
“That doesn’t make any fucking sense.”
“It sounded like someone was waiting for her there. Price never revealed a name.”
I pulled Trinity closer to my bare chest, wanting to protect her. We could bandage her up, but if we left her alone again in the wild, Price and the others would find her.
“So this isn’t about the Hunt. It’s a kidnapping.”
Grant nodded silently. “But I’m not sure why they chose her.”
No way was I going to let her out of my sight now. Trinity was going to have to stay with us, whether she wished to or not. Maybe she wouldn’t have to know she was being watched so closely. I had a feeling she wasn’t the type to take help lightly. And being in the presence of more supernatural beings was likely going to have the opposite effect of what I wanted when we officially met.
“We’ll get her patched up the best we can, and then maybe we can try to use their attack tonight to trap them. But we cannot kill them,” I added. “Make sure Cutter understands that when you get to him.” As I moved around, Trinity still tucked safely in my arms, I mumbled, “Cutter’s reckless mind gets in front of him.”
“Just like your heart’s getting ahead of you?”
I stopped and turned with a glower. “What did you say?”
“It’s obvious you want her, Fergus. If you have no feelings for the woman, use her as bait to draw out Price and then bargain with him.”
“Have you grown that fucking cold over the years? To use an innocent human like that?”
“No, but the alpha I know would have never thought twice about using a human as bait.”
“She could die.”
“Or she could lead us right to Price and whatever else is going on. Then we can end this before it starts.”
I wanted to argue, but Grant was right. Normally, using a human to get what we needed wouldn’t have been a question. I didn’t hate nonshifters, but I didn’t feel a connection to them either.
So why not use Trinity?
She’s just a human, just a normal, everyday human who should mean nothing at all to me.
There was absolutely no reason I shouldn’t use her. The chances of her actually getting hurt were slim. If everything went well enough, she’d just be used to flush Price and his plans out into the open.
The second I considered that option, my bear revolted, snarling and growling loud enough to make my head hurt. I staggered, trying to remain upright, as the bear went on and on. He forced me to stand completely still so I wouldn’t fall with Trinity in my arms.
“No,” I finally snapped. “I will not use her as bait.”
“We could stop a war, Fergus. That’s a bit more important than just one human life, isn’t it?”
I wanted to say yes, but my bear wouldn’t let me. No other life was more important than Trinity’s. “We’ll take her back to camp and figure out what to do from there. Get Cutter.”
“If you say so, Alpha,” Grant returned.
I snarled under my breath. But Grant was already heading back into the trees to find Cutter. I wasn’t sure what had gotten into the shifter, but I wasn’t about to use Trinity as any sort of lure. I’d been content to let Price and his pack try to hunt her down, but to set a trap and use her… That shit was out of the question.
I would not do that. Never.
I had a fucking suspicion this insane woman, who had smacked a grizzly bear, would never leave my sight again.
Chapter 12
