the center of the community. Others went the other way, clearly looking to get the hell out of here. But thankfully, not a single one stuck around to avenge their fallen leader. They just ran.
But I turned to see Sheridan in her human form, bent over the red and black body of her sister. "Zaria?" I asked.
When the tip of that crazy-colored tail wagged, I almost cried out in relief. Instead, I rushed over to help. "What happened?"
The girl's leg was bent at an angle it shouldn't be, clearly broken. Sheridan just stroked her sister's side and looked up with tears in her eyes. "One of them caught her."
"Then let's get her to the doctor," I said, ignoring my own pain as I moved around to squat behind her. "I'm sorry, Zaria, but this might hurt. If you need to bite, I promise I won't care." Then I scooped her into my arms.
Someone had to take care of her, and right now, Sheridan and I were the only ones in human form. The vixen screamed again, the sound too human for comfort, but I managed to get her cradled against my chest. Her left front leg just dangled awkwardly, so Sheridan eased her paw up to rest against my arm, preventing it from flopping when we walked. Zaria didn't whimper again, though.
Then Vic shifted to a man. "My house. My truck's there, and we can get her to Bridget's faster."
"Not with the wolves all over," I told him. "Some of them are ours, and we don't want to hit anyone."
"Shit," Vic breathed. "Ok. Elena and Bridget are at the clinic, but..." And he tilted his head. "They're still fighting, and that sounds like the community center. You take her to get fixed - since you're pretty fucked up yourself - and I'll go put a few paws into dogs."
"No," I decided. "You take her to Bridget, because I can stop this."
"Seth, you're done," Scott said.
"How?" Jax simultaneously demanded from behind me.
But I was already easing Zaria into Vic's arms. "I'm now the Alpha of the Hidden Forest pack. I killed their leader, so - "
"And you've got the blood on your face to prove it," Scott pointed out.
"Don't wipe it off," Ridley said as she also shifted to human. "Let them see it, Seth. Zaria will be fine - right, Zar?"
The vixen now in Vic's arms jiggled her nose. The poor thing wouldn't want to shift forms until that was set, because it was an excruciating sensation, but since she was lighter to carry this way, it worked out. Well, besides the weirdness of having a sixteen year old girl being carried by a naked man old enough to be her father.
"Just, take her to the clinic," I told Vic. "Scott? Can I borrow you at least?"
"Sure," he said.
"I'll go too," Jax offered. "That way, if they turn on you, then you've got at least a little muscle."
"Then let's do this," I told them as I reached for my wolf body again.
CHAPTER 57
* * *
Sampson had me sitting in one of the waiting chairs, clutching a paper cup filled with water. I'd seen what Lane had done, but I was pretty sure my mate didn't realize that - not with the way he'd reacted. I'd also never seen a murdered body before. The problem was that I hadn't yet decided what I felt about that.
Karen had intended to kill me, so Lane had killed her. That part, I was fine with. The ease with which he'd done it, and the intensity of the man as he'd watched her die was shocking, but it didn't make me love him less. More, possibly. My problem was that he'd vanished right afterwards, and now I was almost sick with worry, but Sampson assured me that he was just getting Karen's partially-shifted corpse out of sight. It would be hard to explain, otherwise.
The kids were fine, though. Evelyn had heard everything from Mia's room, and now she was checking on the others. Things were going to be ok now. We had this, but where the fuck was Lane? I was just about to demand that Sampson go find him when the clinic door swung open. The sound of crunching glass made me flinch, but the sight of Vic - naked and rather impressive - carrying a motley-colored fox in his arms had me jumping to my feet.
"What happened?" I asked.
Lane followed the group in. "Bridget's not here, guys. She went to the community center."
"Shit,"