Caught Between Three Billionaire Tycoons - Willa Hart Page 0,38

tell her and looked back at the fight.

The three wolves sprang as one. Daire was ready for them. He let the gray wolf attach to his back as he grabbed the heads of the white and black wolf and knocked them together. Both fell, yelping. Then he turned and flung himself to the ground, landing on top of the grey wolf. It barked in fear and pain as he rolled slowly over to get to his feet.

The wolves ran, yelping and howling as they went.

Zavier and I supported Daire as best we could while still hanging on to the kids. As we came to the clearing in front of the cabin, I saw Whitney standing there, fists pressed to her cheeks. She shook her head violently.

Nothing for it. I shifted and so did Egan.

Zavier shifted, Adara following almost exactly.

Then Daire.

Whitney shook her head again, then screamed. It was a sound of pure terror. It spiraled out of her and seemed to drain her strength from her. She fell, fainting, and Daire was only just in time to catch her before she struck the cold wooden planks.

12

The wolves had been getting closer by the day. I had never thought too much about it, because they weren’t really a threat to me or Zavier. It was one of those things that happened when you lived in a country area, things piled up that you really should do, it didn’t mean they got done in a timely fashion.

The whole point of living free was doing things in the order you saw fit, not rushing around like city folk, chasing your tail for no good reason.

I felt sorry for the wolves in a lot of ways. They were hungry. Their territory was always shrinking.

Everyone was trying to take this mountain from me. I would give it up to creatures in greater need if I could. I would move myself and what was left of my clan just to avoid this conflict.

But my bear was tied to this place, by blood and by breath. My animal remembered this place when it was hundreds of years older than this. A deep rhythm beat deep in my bones that told me I was connected to this place, and even if I thought I could go, it would never release me.

I had to live and die here. I couldn’t leave. Now I had to contemplate my existence here with none of the peace I might have found, now that I knew I couldn’t have Whitney.

Even knowing I had no mate and no love, I could be comforted by the singing of the river over the rocks. I could stand on the cold hills in my bear shape and watch dawn break. I could lie by a fire and watch the turning of the milky way above.

These things had always brought me great pleasure. It resonated in both my bear and human side we belonged here. It was the closest to happiness and contentment I could come without a mate.

Now those things could not comfort me. Not knowing that Whitney existed. She was real, she was warm, sweet scent, she was all my joy wrapped up in a dainty, fragile human package and now that I knew she existed my heart would pine for her every second of my existence.

Catching fish from the icy river, digging under trees for truffles or racing through the forest, these things would be hollow without my mate. I could never know happiness again, now that I knew I could not have her.

I placed her gently on the couch. She had fallen completely unconscious on the porch, and I only just caught her before she hit her head. Holding her in my arms while imagining the rest of my life without her was absolute torture.

She was sweet, soft scent. She cuddled into me as a little line appeared on her forehead and I gently took her arms from mine. She was waking up, but slowly.

I had no fucking idea what we were going to say. I was sure none of us wanted the secret to come out like this, if they wanted it to come out at all.

Aleksy was a few steps away, cuddling his children and running his hands over their faces. He kept shaking his head and reaching out to his son in wonder.

“Ilie mou.” He whispered. “My son. You truly are the little fire.”

Egan was crying, but he was proudly looking into his father’s eyes. It was as if the man