Gray Back Broken Bear(35)

“She doesn’t smell like a bear,” Georgia whispered from near the table where she looked like she was struggling to stay upright, too.

“It took you all of what…a day? A day to disobey a direct order?” Creed said, hands on his hips. “What the fuck, man?”

“She’s mine.”

“You just met her!”

“Let her up!” Easton yelled, voice gone snarly.

“Oh, for shit’s sake,” Willa said, “Aviana, move your tail feathers, girl. Fuck Noggin’s about to Change.”

Creed hunched into himself just as Willa rushed Aviana. Easton’s silver bear exploded from him in the exact moment a huge black bruin grizzly ripped out of Creed.

“No! Don’t hurt him!” she cried as Willa dragged her by the waist over the gravel.

“Stay there,” Willa ordered, eyes hard. Two seconds later, a brown bear burst from her skin, and when Aviana looked up, Creed and Easton clashed so hard the earth under her feet shook. Jason was scrambling out of the way, and a light-colored grizzly was already hovering protectively between him and the battling bears. Georgia?

The sheer violence of the bear fight held Aviana stunned in place. Creed and Easton slashed each other with resounding, clawed slaps. Roaring, growling, biting. Bleeding. The white gravel was being painted with red.

Even with Willa trying to maneuver between them and Matt Changing into a red, scarred-up grizzly to help, Easton and Creed only had eyes for maiming each other.

She had to do something.

With a pop and flapping wings, Aviana Changed and dive-bombed Creed. She pecked his ear and few out of slapping range, then circled around.

“Creed, she isn’t a bear!” Gia screamed. “Creed, stop!”

Aviana tucked her wings and dove for the black grizzly again, but this time, she didn’t get to touch him. This time he turned at the last moment and swatted her out of the air. With a terrified caw in her throat, she hit the grass hard.

Gia was running for her now, round belly leading her. She fell to her knees beside Aviana and picked her up gently. “Oh no,” she whispered, pulling her carefully to her soft bosom. With a look of pure human fury, she stood and turned to the bears battling. “Creed Joseph Barnett! You’re hurting me!” she screamed.

Creed’s onyx colored bear immediately shrank into the dark-haired, silver-eyed man. With a pained grunt, he fell forward onto his hands and knees on the gravel road. Willa and Matt rushed Easton, trying to keep him from murdering the alpha in human form.

“What?” Creed asked as he struggled up and stared in confusion at his mate. “How am I hurting you?”

“Because look what you’re fighting over!” Gia shoved Aviana forward.

“Caw!” Aviana said helpfully. Translation: I’m a fucking crow! Not a Turned bear shifter.

Creed stared at her like he’d never seen a bird in his life. “I…I don’t understand.”

When Easton took a swipe too close to him, Creed ducked neatly out of the way and yelled, “Easton, Change back!”

Easton’s roar died in his throat as he fell to his knees and shrank into his human skin. A pained grimace was on his face, but it didn’t stop the death glare for Creed. “I didn’t Turn her. She wasn’t ever human. And if you would’ve fucking listened, I would’ve had time to explain that I’ve known her all my life. And I swear on my den, if you hurt her, I’m going to fucking bleed you, Gray Back.”

Jason stood to the side, arms crossed over his chest, looking grumpy. “That insult still doesn’t make any sense, Beaston. We’re all Gray Backs!”

Willa shrank back into her naked human skin and kicked the gravel. “God dammit, Creed!”

Matt was now a giant, naked human with scars all over his torso. “Did he hurt you?” he asked, worry in his deep voice.

“No! He spilled all my M&M’s!”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Creed said. “Someone explain to me what is going on.”

Willa stomped her foot. “Creed, meet Easton’s childhood friend who is a raven shifter, but only Easton didn’t know she was a raven shifter until yesterday when he gave her a claiming mark while they were boinking and she didn’t Turn. He got mad, he ran off, that’s why he wasn’t at work yesterday, and now you just B-slapped the bird he’s in love with. You deserve that scar,” she said, jamming a finger at the long claw mark across Creed’s chest that was dripping red.

“You,” the alpha said, pointing at Aviana. “Change back.”

“You can’t tell her what to do,” Easton snarled.