Gray Back Bad Bear(38)

“No, she won’t Change now,” Creed said, stepping slowly closer to her. “Willa, we’ll get everything figured out, but it wasn’t Matt who Turned you. He was up on the landing with me all day.”

A jolt of realization made Matt turn toward Easton. “But you weren’t. You were here all day with Willa.”

“Wrong,” Easton said, angling his head. “Willa was in the woods. I was in the trailer park, waiting for Willa to return.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Matt gritted out.

“Willa was going to leave, but she can’t leave. She’s one of us now.”

“What did you do?” Creed snarled.

“I did what Matt wouldn’t. I made her one of us!” Easton’s green eyes lightened to the same eerie color Willa’s were now.

“You claimed my mate?” Matt yelled as fury blasted through him.

“I don’t want your mate, Barns. I want her to stay here, with us, where she belongs. Now she will. She has no choice.”

“You crazy sonofabitch!” Creed yelled, his voice cracking with power. “This right here is why I didn’t want women up here. You can’t fucking handle one. You don’t even think you did anything wrong, do you? Look at her, Easton. Look at her face. Look at the blood on her. You did that. You hurt her.”

Easton looked at each of his crew, then finally at Willa. His eyes darkened with uncertainty. “But now she won’t hurt anymore. She’ll heal fast. I took care of her. She’s ours.”

“You took my choice away from me,” Willa whispered shakily.

The smell of rage was pungent against Matt’s nose, and he dragged his gaze back to his mate. He’d never met a female bear who could wield as much dominance as was coming off Willa’s skin.

“I had already agreed to stay. I didn’t want to be a bear, but you put one inside me without my consent. Did you drug me last night?”

“What?” Matt asked, shocked by her question.

“I want to know if Easton drugged me,” Willa roared. “I was sick last night. Did you put me to sleep so I wouldn’t feel you drag me into the woods this morning? So I wouldn’t feel you bite me?” A long, low growl rattled her throat as she glared down Easton, who could no longer hold her gaze. “Answer me!”

“Yes,” Easton said, voice hitching. “I put sleeping pills in the drink I brought you at dinner.”

“Willa, we’ll figure this out,” Creed said softly.

Oh, Matt knew exactly what his alpha was feeling. The hairs on the back of Matt’s neck were electrified, too. Beaston had created a beast in Willa, the stupid fuck.

“I’m going to kill you,” she said in a growling, inhuman voice. She took a step toward Easton as he took a step back. “I’m going to bleed you like you bled me.” Her eyes went vacant. “I’m going to dance to the song of your breaking bones, and if you’re really, really lucky, I won’t eat you until after you’re dead.”

“Willa, you aren’t going to Change,” Creed said in a careful tone. “It’s too soon. You can’t.”

A long snarl rattled her throat, and she arched her gaze toward the alpha. With a slow blink, she allowed a dead smile to transform her face into something fearsome. “Wrong.” An enormous brown grizzly exploded from Willa’s skin. She landed on all fours, hard enough to shake the earth under Matt’s feet. Eyes on Easton, she roared her death warning loud enough to rattle the trees and shake the birds from their branches.

“Run,” Creed whispered. He dragged his wide, dark eyes to Easton. “Run now if you want to live.”

****

Everything was bathed in shades of red.

Easton turned and ran for the trailer park, but he wouldn’t make it far. Willa had longer strides and powerful new muscles that pushed her forward. Her claws dug into the dirt with each step.

“Willa, stop! You’ll regret hurting him!” Matt yelled from behind her.

She’d regret nothing. Easton deserved to die. He’d forced her to Turn. Drugged her. Abandoned her in the woods, afraid and alone.

He’d made her into this…this…monster.

How could Matt love her now? He’d looked at her with horror in his eyes. A deep ache drummed through her as she pushed her legs harder. She was gaining on Easton now.

With a yell, Easton transformed into a silver grizzly. A true gray back. He spun right as she lunged for him, taking her full force in the chest. She ripped and bit and snarled and slapped. She raked her claws down his belly, slicing through skin and muscle until the air smelled like iron. He roared in pain and fought back in the jerky desperate moves of one who wanted to live. Stupid fucker shouldn’t have killed her human then.