Hers(49)

“Move back. I need it out of hearing distance.” Slater snarled at him.

Brock picked himself up and jogged backward until he was a good distance from the house. “What’s all this about, Slater?”

Slater huffed, and Brock could see he was fighting to stay human. “Don’t tell me you’re so stupid you don’t know what the fuck you did to Sammy,” Slater yelled at him.

“I just eliminated a threat to her.”

A fist came at him hitting his nose.

“You’re fucking kidding me, aren’t you? You terrified my mate. Brock, she ran from the bloody barbecue feeling betrayed that you did that to her, you fuckwit. You put Sammy in front of people that mistreated and terrified her, and from what I heard want her dead for information she has on them.”

Brock noticed how Slater said his mate and not theirs. He knew Sammy had been upset, but Slater had seemed angrier than Sammy. “She will forgive me when I tell her that I have put Breakaway precinct to rights.”

“How the hell are we related? How can you not see what you did was unforgivable? It’s taken us months and months to gain Sammy’s trust, and in one night you fuck it up. I had to call her back from her hiding safe place. I never want to do that again. It broke my heart to see her curl in a ball shaking and rocking in a trance. I will never get that image out of my head.” With that Slater let his bear take over, and he attacked him.

Not caring about his clothes Brock changed into his bear. He knew Slater was going for the kill.

A big fat bear claw batted him to the ground with strength Brock didn’t know Slater had. He got up and they wrestled, but Slater was stronger than he’d ever been. Slater’s teeth ripped into his neck, and Brock grunted, fighting to get away

Slater had him on the ground, and he struggled. He knew in that moment he wouldn’t win. Brock was going to die.

“Slater, let him go now.” Sammy screamed at them.

Brock struggled to see Sammy in his last moments. She wore a robe, no shoes, and she ran towards them.

“Don’t, Slater. Don’t kill him. I get to be angry at him, but don’t kill him.”

Slater’s hold eased on him. Sammy came to them both. She held the robe together and glared at the both of them.

“Change back now.”

Neither he nor Slater changed. Sammy placed her hands on her hips and stomped her foot.

“Change back now, both of you, or so help me God I will do something neither of you will like.”

Slater’s bear mouth came off him, and they both changed back, the change healing him. Slater was on top of him, his arm across his neck cutting off air flow.

“Let Brock go and move away now, Slater.” Sammy spoke slowly to Slater, but she stared daggers at Brock. “What the hell is going on?”

Slater shrugged. “I was killing him.”

Sammy shook her head. “And you.” She stepped forward and pointed at his chest. “What were you thinking?”

“I didn’t start it.” Brock knew he sounded like a little kid, but he was tired. “I came home and come in the door, and he attacks.”

“Arrrgghhh,” Sammy yelled at the sky, before taking a deep breath and looking back at him. “That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about yesterday. Why on earth did you put me through that hell? I can’t believe you did that to me. How could you do that to me? Brock, you knew how I felt about that precinct. What you did was cruel. They want me dead. I haven’t told their secrets for fear they would do what they threatened.”

Brock felt his heart crack as she wiped tears from her eyes. He could smell the pain and hurt coming off of Sammy in waves. He had no idea what to say. He stood there naked and stared at her, unsure of what to do.

When the minutes ticked by Sammy sobbed, “Answer me please.”

Brock was too scared to answer, so he shrugged.

Sammy slumped and moved further from him. She wrapped her arms around herself and in a guttural voice mumbled, “Why? Why? I hate you. Why did you do this to me? Please answer me why.” She repeated herself until she was hoarse.

Brock looked to Slater, and he could see his eyes shining with his own tears as he watched their little mate almost collapse with her pain.

He gathered Sammy to him, and she cried out. “Don’t you touch me. Don’t you ever touch me until you tell me why you did what you did?”

Clearing his dry throat Brock debated if he should tell her the real reason or the reason he told himself. He glanced at Slater and knew he wouldn’t be any help. “I’m not good enough for you. I’ve never been number one at anything, or two or three for that matter. Mother always told me that another shifter would and could always do it better than me. I’ve never been good enough for anything. I remember when I first mentioned you to Mother eight or so months ago she told me to leave you be. A human would do better than me. So I thought if I could keep you safe better than anyone else I wouldn’t feel so inadequate. I would know that if I found out all those that hurt you and taught you how to defend yourself no other man or shifter would be better for you than me. I’ve done the opposite. I’ve proven I’m not good enough no matter what I do. I’m not better. I haven’t protected you from pain and hurt.”