Red-haired Nia lay on the ground. The red splatters around her were blood. A cub lay beside her.
By the Gods, what had happened?
Farther in, screaming in fear and anger, Lacey swung a dead branch at a black bear. Blood covered her arm.
What the fuck? Black bears didn’t attack groups of people.
When Tynan caught its sick sour scent, his gut went tight. That was a shifter who’d gone feral—deep into insanity, driven to kill and kill.
A snarl came from a wolf. Clothing strewn behind her, Bonnie darted in to tear at the bear from behind.
Yes, wolf form would be better to defend the cubs. Yanking off his clothes, Tynan trawsfurred and sprang across the park.
Roaring, the bear rose on hind legs, swinging its claw-tipped arms at Bonnie.
Tynan attacked from the rear. He sank his fangs into the bear’s right hind leg and darted away before those massive claws could reach him and rip his flesh right off the bone.
Dropping down, the bear charged after him, then broke off to return to the helpless children and unconscious female.
Tynan yipped to get Bonnie’s attention and flicked his ears toward the bear’s rear legs. Killing it was unlikely. But they could divert it from the children.
She charged in and bit the bear. When it tore after her, she leaped away, and Tynan dove in. He bit down hard, cursing its thick fur that prevented serious damage.
The constant turns and charges began to erode the bear’s energy.
Then the feral caught Bonnie with a swipe and knocked her into a tree. Her fur turned red, and she didn’t rise.
With a triumphant growl, the bear charged Lacey, who was guarding the injured child, and Nia.
Not happening.
With a howl of fury, Tynan attacked from the side, springing up to savage its neck. There was too much fur and loose skin to kill it.
Roaring, the bear turned. Claws slashed Tynan’s side and knocked him loose.
He landed hard, rolling, and felt something crack. As he scrambled to stand, one leg gave out. Fuck.
Shaking his head to clear it, he saw the bear coming for him.
Okay, okay then. He’d lure it from the children. From the park. Tynan turned—tried to turn—one leg dragged.
This wasn’t going to end well.
With a scream of outrage, a panther sprang in front of the bear and slashed it across the eyes and muzzle. Alec.
As the bear roared and turned—a grizzly—the cahir, Ben, landed on it, driving it into the ground. One bite crushed the feral’s throat.
Back legs crumbling, Tynan fell into blackness.
In the bookstore, Margery had been chatting with Alec and Joe Thorson when the sheriff received a call. She’d heard Tynan’s voice—and more distantly, high-pitched screaming.
Even as Alec dashed out the front, she turned to Joe. “Do you have an emergency pack?”
“Yeah. But you stay here, female.” Thorson grabbed a pack from under the counter and disappeared through the stockroom door that led to the back.
It sounded bad. Screaming. Margery’s heart was already hammering, her mind shouting, “Stay back.”
Her heart overruled everything. That was Tynan. And cubs. Go.
She followed Joe out the back.
The park ran in a long line behind the stores, and she saw frantic activity near the playground. Oh, Mother of All.
Ignoring the stabbing pains in her ankle, she sprinted, caught up to Joe, and ran past.
She saw the sheriff trawsfurring from panther. He picked up his pants.
A huge grizzly stood over a dead bear.
Terrified, crying cubs clung to the climbing dome.
Pushing away her own fears, Margery concentrated on the job. Who is hurt?
A pup and female lay side-by-side, bleeding heavily, both awake and breathing and moving.
Another female had a ripped-up arm but was standing.
A wolf—Tynan. He had an obviously broken leg. His side was laid bare, exposing ribs. Unconscious. His chest rose and fell—breathing intact.
Another female in wolf form had blood spurting from a leg wound. And she was moving, which was bad. She might rip the artery open further.
Tynan first.
Can’t.
Margery’s heart felt torn in two as she snatched the medical pack from Joe, turned away from Tynan, and dropped down beside the wolf female.
“Don’t move. Let me get the bleeding stopped first,” she said, pushing her own fear away, breathing in calm. Gauze. Pressure. Bear down.
The wolf snapped at the sudden pain, but…thank you, Goddess…the teeth met air. She didn’t rip Margery’s arm off.
“Tynan!” Donal yelled. He headed straight for his brother.
“Healer. Here first, I have an arterial bleed,” Margery shouted.
Donal glared but ran to her. He frowned at the wolf.