Page 88 of So I Won a Werelion

Derek swallowed hard. “Once we procure the safe transfer of the artifact, all of the charges against the packs and the prides will be dropped.”

“She’s not giving you anything, and you’re not gonna live to drop anything,”I growled, getting close enough to him to smell the sweat beading under that cowboy hat.

He chuckled nervously. Definitely a shifter, because he could understand me. “Looking for a repeat of your exit from snowboarding?”

He was daring me to attack him in his human form. Not shifting on purpose.

“The reporters said The Interspecies Snowboarding Association paid good money to keep your story under wraps. But I’ll pay them more to blow it wide open,” he added.

“Not if you’re out of business you won’t.”

“Or dead,”Leo added.

He came.

Dylan was beside him. And Lucy and the rest of the lionesses stood behind them, snarling, daring a wolf to fuck around and find out.

The room was full of lions and wolves, and Derek Jared must have been ready to shit his pants. I wouldn’t have to lay a paw on him.

“Or we could run you so far out into the mountains you’ll never find your way back,” I offered. “I like that option the best. See how much of a wolf you are out in the wild by yourself.”

“You’ll never touch me.”

I dove for his leg, sinking my teeth into the skin and shaking as hard as I could. He was on his ass immediately, and a fury of fur and fangs sank into him.

The humans in the room made a run for it—which was fine with me. The cops could deal with them. They weren’t the ones I was interested in. We’d handle the shifter justice.

“Stop. Please,” Derek begged. “You can have your stupid artifact.”

Some fur had emerged along the lines of his broken skin, but he wasn’t strong enough for a full shift. That had to hurt like hell.

“We never want to see your face again,”I said.“We’ll let you leave town alive if you sign the deed to that land over to the shifter council.”

I had no idea if we even wanted that land, butIdidn’t want him to have it.

“Deal.” He scrambled away from us—half wolf, half man, and totally defeated.

“Someone bring him outside and let him explain his predicament to the police,”Bibi said. She was still in wolf form, standing with Wendy, whose body was now covered with a blanket.

Wanda was behind her sister, untying her hands.

Wendy shook out her hands and let out a cry of relief. I went to her, nudging my snout against her and purring. There was no way I could shift back to human right now. But as soon as I could, I was never letting her go.

“I thought I’d never see you again.” She buried her face in my fur, hugging me tight. “I was so upset when they took me, Gabe. I was gonna tell you so many things tonight. I wanted you to know how I felt about you and…”

I pushed my body against hers. It was torture not to be able to talk to her right now, tell her she was safe, and that these bastards would never mess with her again.

“Are you okay?” Wanda asked.

“Yeah. No thanks to you.”

She drew back. “To me?”

“You set us up,” Wendy said, letting go of me and rising. She hugged the blanket to her. “You were so smitten with Derek Jared you were ready to sell me out to get your stupid housing development and your sales commissions. What did he offer you that was more important than your own sister?”

“Wendy, I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you. You know I don’t agree with your choices, but I want the best for you. And if you’re happy with this…lion, then I’m happy for you too.”

“Ranchero Hills is no more.”

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