“She’s a shifter you idiot! Of course she can tell you’re lying. It’s part of all of us,” the same voice said with an angry tone. “There are no more chances.”
“What are you talking about?” Kass asked, voice trembling. For once the woman sounded scared.
“Listen, I can still get them for you,” Charlie promised. “I work with them.”
Aric grumbled low. Nate glanced sharply to his right. His brother’s features had turned feral. The anger came off in waves from him. Nate didn’t blame him. He recognized the name Charlie from the night he scented a male on Karla. He’d love to get his hands on the bastard.
“I’m done with both of you. I’ll get her myself.”
“What the fuck are you doing…Let go of me, you asshole!” Kass yelled.
“Ronnie, Vic, Rob, get rid of them,” the same guy said.
“Listen, guys, I can still help—” Charlie’s voice was cut off.
Kass screamed.
Aric chose that moment to make their presence known. He kicked the back door in, both of them rushing inside to confront the other shifters.
Mason and Jake moved in from the front.
“Lewis,” Aric snarled. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
Nate glanced inside the empty restaurant. Lewis Cane. Future Alpha to the central pack. The same pack the white wolf female Jordan killed belonged to.
“Wolfe.” Lewis turned to Aric, his blonde hair and ice-blue eyes adding to the paleness of his skin. “I heard you were out of town.”
“I’m here now.”
Kass struggled to be let loose. The man holding her arm slapped her unconscious, the blow so loud it rang out in the open space. She dropped on the ground with a thud next to Charlie’s body. Karla’s co-worker had his throat torn open. He lay there, in a pool of blood, eyes wide open in shock.
Lewis’ features started to shift. His massive frame rivaled that of Aric or his brothers. “Your family killed one of mine. My sister.”
“She went after my mate.” Aric’s growl was barely human now.
“Someone has to pay.” Lewis’ bones popped. A sure sign of the coming change. “I’m not leaving without retribution.”
“You’ll have to go through me to touch her.” Those were Aric’s last words before the shift.
A whirlwind of bones popped. Growls and snarls and all shifted into their wolves. The pure whites rushed to the attack. Mason, Jake, and Nate handled Lewis’ backup, swiping claws and biting back to keep the men from interfering between Aric and Lewis.
“I’m going to kill you. And her,” Lewis threatened through the wolf link all their animals shared.
One of the whites rushed around toward the center of the room where the two alphas were locked in battle. Nate growled, jumped, and landed on the white wolf, knocking him off his feet. The other wolf hit the ground hard, an angry snarl sounded from him.
“Let them fight,” Nate ordered.
The wolf got up on his feet again and attacked. He swiped at Nate’s muzzle with his claws, but Nate was faster. Bigger. Meaner. He bit down on the front leg of the white. Bones gave under his at the same time he heard them break. Nate’s beast took control then. The white kicked Nate on the side, attempting to push him off before he delivered a death blow. The other animal bared his canines in threat, but couldn’t get on all four due to the broken front paw.
Nate rocked back on his hind legs and growled, pawing at the ground and keeping the other animal from getting away. “I’m telling you, man. Let them resolve their own shit.”
“Fuck you! Lewis is going to kill your alpha, and then we’re gonna get rid of your whole family.”
There was no fucking way that guy was going to threaten his people and get away with it. Nate attacked. He launched on to the other wolf. Ignoring the teeth trying to bite him, he shoved the animal off his attempt at standing. They landed hard, with Nate pinning the white down. The white whined at the amount of weight on his broken limb.
A quick look and he saw Aric had the upper hand on Lewis. Not that it surprised him. Aric was future alpha. He could take on anyone. Both animals were bloody and Nate got a quick view of gashes and bite wounds. Lewis tried to bite down on one of Aric’s hind legs, but it was no use. Aric’s wolf growled loudly. Then, in a blur of movement he bit down on the white, holding him hostage by the neck. He crunched down until the life leeched away from the animal from a broken neck.
The white under Nate tried to shove him off, but he knew what was coming. With a massive bite, he locked jaws on the wolf under him. And bit down hard. The wolf struggled below to get away. It was no use. Nate’s canines squeezed shut until they broke through bone, muscle and the wolf lay there, dead. Practically decapitated. Like Lewis and those who’d tried to hurt his family.