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Noah had practically abandoned the house on the small piece of land he had grown up on. He knew, however, that his mother, Mitch, or Lev would take care of any upkeep. He had always made sure that there was enough money available for them to take care of the place as necessary.
When they broke through the thicket of trees that surrounded the property, the first thing Noah noticed was that someone had recently painted his house.
Well, you did tell them you were coming back. Maybe they wanted to surprise you,he thought to himself, and he couldn’t help but feel gratitude toward the people who cared for him the way they did.
The second thing that Noah noticed was a strange scent in the air … the scent of a bear. A shifter. Someone who wasn’t part of the clan. His clan. Someone who was very clearly invading his territory.
He looked at Mitch, and the bright, sharp light in his brother’s eyes told him that Mitch had picked the scent up too. They remained silent and turned this way and that, trying to identify exactly where the scent was coming from. Eventually, they narrowed down the unfamiliar trespassing bear to the woods off to the right of the house.
Noah and Mitch gave each other one silent look and then nodded at one another. And without saying a word, they headed toward the shifter.
Noah’s skin tingled with anticipation at the thought of someone trespassing on his property. A knot had formed in his stomach at the thought that they would have to fight this person. Noah wasn’t afraid of a fight, but not an hour or two before he had to see Becca.
The woods were dark, and Noah summoned his bear's eyesight to help him see. As a shifter, his human senses were all naturally enhanced, but it still helped to have an added advantage. He was also pretty sure that Mitch was doing the same thing.
The shifter was a few feet away, and Noah slowed when he saw the man was just standing there. A man with long red hair and wild eyes. And he just lingered there watching them. He must have gotten hurriedly dressed because his shirt was untucked, and his pants weren’t buttoned.
Noah stepped in front of Mitch. If either one of them were to get hurt, it had to be him. He couldn’t allow Mitch to be injured … not with a new baby and a loving mate.
The thought of Becca flashed across his mind.You can’t lose any more time with her. Be careful.The voice belonged to the bear, and the warning in it was clear.
Noah quickly shifted into his human form. “What are you doing on my property?” Noah’s voice boomed in the narrowing darkness. Theywereon his property, after all.
“You shouldn’t have returned, Noah Pierce.”
The truth dawned on Noah then. The shifter belonged to Dustin’s clan. The bear shifter who had driven him out of town ten years earlier. The shifter who had ruined his life.
“What are you going to do about it?” he challenged.
“We’re going to stick to our promise. The promise we made ten years ago. You’ll regret ever coming back here.”
And with that, the shifter lunged. He shifted in midair, and Noah had seconds to react.
Mitch growled, also shifting, as dark fur sprouted from Noah’s skin. His human face shrank away, and a muzzle appeared. Razor-sharp yellowed teeth sprouted from his muzzle, and his eyes became yellow.
The shifter, whoever he was, was powerful. Not many shifters, bear or otherwise, had mastered the art of the spontaneous shift.
Not even Noah could do it as quickly, as fluidly, as that bear shifter had done it. But he was in his shifted form, with all the strength of his bear, when the shifter’s claws scraped against his chest. Noah bellowed with pain as the shifter’s claws pierced his skin, and he stumbled backward.
Mitch roared and lunged toward the bear, but Noah was rolling to his feet and leaping in front of his brother before he could make contact with the other shifter. Noah snapped at the shifter, and again, the thought of Becca emblazoned across his mind.
He couldn’t lose more time with her. He could not. And it seemed that Dustin was determined to run him out of town again. But that was not happening. Not now, and not ever.
Twin emotions of fury and grief pushed him forward, and Noah swiped at the shifter. The shifter yelped with pain as Noah’s claws sank into his pelt.I am not losing her. I refuse to lose her again.
He kept advancing, kept attacking, always avoiding the other bear’s blows. He danced backward when the bear found his strength and tried to attack again.
Mitch jumped in and attacked the bear from a different angle, allowing Noah to sink his teeth into the shifter’s neck. Blood instantly spurted from the wound, and the bear yelped in pain before going limp.
The shifter wasn’t dead. Noah felt the creature’s pulse in his mouth. He heard the creature’s erratic, shallow breaths as he held on.
His teeth must have sunk at least four inches into the bear shifter’s neck before he let go. The creature slumped to the ground, and Noah stepped back. He didn’t shift back right away … there was always the chance that the shifter was stronger than he looked.
The battle was won when the bear was forced to shift back into his human form. Noah remained in his shifted form and stood, towering over the man who was covered in his own blood.
The man scrambled backward as Noah advanced. “This isn’t over.” There was a warning in the shifter’s voice, and Noah growled as the man fled.
Noah and Mitch waited for the sounds of the man to disappear completely before they shifted. Then they both turned quickly and jogged back to the house. When they reached the entrance, the door was partially open.Did that damn shifter go through my things?
