The Jaguar's Romance

by Emilia Hartley

  Like a predator locking onto his prey, Lucas’s eyes snapped to Savannah. “Did you bring this trash back to me?” he growled.

  Her body wanted to quiver and shake apart, undone by the terror that Lucas invoked in her, but her bear stood its ground, even going so far as to raise up on hind legs to appear larger. Lucas was no longer her leader. He had no power over her. “No. I didn’t.” she grunted, her voice sounding more sure than she felt.

  She saw Dan rise slowly onto his injured leg, following her lead. “I wouldn’t rejoin you even if you paid me, Lucas. Your pack is a cancer that needs to be eradicated.”

  Lucas snarled. “The strong are only scary to the weak, mongrel. You’ve proven yourself useless, so you’ll be treated as trash when I burn that pathetic shop to the ground.”

  A vicious growl tore from Savannah’s throat. “Like Hell you will.”

  ***

  Tom paced impatiently in the shop, alone and letting his imagination get the best of him. There was something gnawing at him, an uncertainty that he couldn’t ignore. When Savannah and Dan spoke, a look passed between them. A look he didn’t understand. It chilled him to the bone.

  He wandered aimlessly into his living quarters, thinking maybe he was just feeling irrationally jealous after finally claiming her as his mate. Something deep and powerful within him told him he had nothing to worry about concerning their relationship, and he knew it was right. From the moment that they’d accepted each other as mates, all sense of doubt faded away. So then what was bothering him so badly?

  A white square of paper on Tom’s freshly made bed caught his eye. That wasn’t there before they left. Tom vaguely recalled Savannah dipping back here before taking off with Dan, and his heart began to speed involuntarily. He snatched up the note, eyes tearing across the page in a panic.

  “Tom, we need to talk. And yes, before you start stressing, it is about Dan, but it’s mostly about me. It’s not a terribly long story, but I can guarantee it won’t be one you like.

  I just need to get it off my chest before we go any further. Let me say in advance that I hope you forgive me.

  I love you.”

  Tom cursed loudly, tearing off through the shop. He barely cleared the office doorway before the bear tore from his skin and bolted towards the scent of the two departed bears.

  He tried to ignore the way their scents coiled around him, beckoning him slowly but surely towards where he knew the Northern Wind was stationed. He didn’t know what this meant, he didn’t know if Savannah was safe or if Dan was an enemy. He didn’t know anything. And that terrified him.

  It wasn’t long before another scent entered the mix as it tangled together lazily on the forest breeze.

  “Lucas,” Tom breathed quietly, abject terror beginning to snake its way up his throat.

  A snarl tore from his jaws as he rocketed through the trees. This all but confirmed his suspicions. Dan had taken Savannah to Lucas. He wasn’t sure how this tied into Savannah’s note, but something felt right about his accusation. The flame of anger burned brightly in his belly as he bolted passed trees in a rush to get to his mate.

  Whispers of speech whistled against Tom ear as he ran, stopping him in his tracks. He listened more intently, trying to make out some of the words.

  “You were ordered to bring Tom. You’ve failed.”

  Tom bit back the instinctive growl he felt bubble up in reaction to Lucas’s words. He didn’t know when Dan had taken time to rendezvous with Lucas, but they’d obviously had a plan. Maybe they’d had this planned since the last attack. Had Lucas predicted them helping Dan heal weeks ago and set him up as a mole for information? Tom shook his head. He didn’t know, and pondering what ifs was a waste of time. He’d deal with both bears later, regardl—

  “I failed on purpose, Lucas.”

  Tom’s heart nearly shattered as Savannah’s pure and beautiful voice passed by his ears. His anger for the two male bears ebbed away like the tide. Gone were the plans to exact revenge on Dan for exploiting their kindness. All he could thing about was Savannah. Everything they’d built, everything he’d sacrificed, his hopes, his dreams, his eradication of doubt all for the sake of love… destroyed with something as simple as words on a breeze.

  Savannah was a part of the Northern Wind pack.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “I won’t be your puppet in the Northern Wind pack anymore,” Savannah snarled at Lucas, relishing in the look of shock that overcame his face. “I’m done. I won’t help you anymore, Lucas... Not anymore.”

  Lucas bared his teeth, snarling viciously in response. She saw Dan move closer to her, preparing to protect against sudden attack. Her pulse tried to fight its way out of her throat. Tough words aside, she knew she couldn’t take Lucas on in a fight, fair or otherwise. He pushed himself onto his hind legs, roaring to the skies, and the sound rattled her bones to their core. She positively quaked under his sheer power, but she didn’t back down. Not now. She had so much to fight for, to show deference now would render all previous efforts useless.

  Lucas’s roar was abruptly cut short, his nose lifting high into the sky and sampling the air. Confusion marred his bestial face as he looked to the dense trees behind them, then back at Savannah and Dan. Slowly, Savannah mimicked his motion, sucking in a deep breath of air. Almost immediately, her heart flooded with equal parts elation… and dread.

  Tom was here.

  Lucas finally dropped to four paws, tilting his head slightly to the left. A ways off into the darkness of the tree line, Savannah could see three figures shifting anticipatorily.

  “Kill him.”

  ***

  Tom heard the terrified roar of Savannah’s bear before a pounding on the forest floor rushed directly towards him. He only had a few short moments to prepare before three Northern Wind bears descended upon him

  He rose up onto his hind paws, swiping viciously at the first attacker, knocking him to the ground. Sharp teeth dug into his shoulder, and with a snap of his jaws, he whirled and shook that bear off. Before the third bear could attack, Lucas lunged right for Tom’s throat. He noticed the blur of the leader’s fur too late. He wouldn’t be able to dodge.

  Lucas collided with Tom in an impressive tackle, teeth latching on like a vice to Tom’s neck. Tom had just managed to hook one of his huge paws into Lucas’s underbelly, his claws digging in angrily when Lucas’s body fell on top of him with the force of the fall. Lucas threw his head back, roaring in pain as he rolled off Tom’s bleeding frame.

  As both bears recovered from the fall, the third bear that Tom had forgotten about took his chance to make an eager attack. He sprang up on powerful hind paws, closing the distance between himself and a felled and dazed Tom with alarming speed. Just as Tom was sure the bear would tear his throat out, a brown blur tacked the beats from the air.

  “Dan!” Tom heard Savannah cry as the massive bear tore at the one that’d nearly finished off Tom.

  The first two strange bears had recovered, poised to fight once more. Tom’s gaze slid over the three beasts before him, considering his odds. He was an alpha, strong like his brother, but he wasn’t ashamed to admit that he was ill equipped to fight three-on-one like Nick had done only a few short weeks ago. He likely wouldn’t survive if they all attacked him at once.

  Savannah rocketed herself in front of Tom, cutting off the direct path between him and the Northern Wind bears.

  “No!” she roared, staring Lucas down. “I won’t let you touch him.”

  Savannah was terrified; Tom could see it in the way her hind legs quivered, a low whine rattling her chest quiet enough that only he could hear. But still, she stood her ground, glaring hate and anger and protection for Tom at her cruel leader.

  In that moment, despite all that he heard, Tom loved her more than she’d ever know.

  “You bitch!” Lucas shouted, his paws stamping the ground in anger. “The weak have no place in my pack,” he snarled, his lip curled in revulsion at the display before him
. “I’ll deal with you like the trash you are after I tear your precious boyfriend apart.” He made a slight motion before the two bears on either side of him descended upon her.

  It all happened too fast for Tom to react, they bit and tore into Savannah as she leaped backwards out of their reach, already bleeding. Before he could jump in to aid her, Lucas pounced.

  “You’re mine, alpha!” he roared, narrowly missing Tom as the alpha bear rolled out of the way.

  Savannah roared in pain, pinned by one of the bears as it ripped claws down her back. Tom batted away Lucas’s claw as it swung towards him, watching with relief as Dan jumped into the fray and tackled the bear from Savannah’s back. For the moment, she was safe.

  Lucas lunged for another attack, jaws snapping. Tom managed to get under him, closing the distance with a tackle. Lucas fell to the ground with a grunt as the third bear Dan had been fighting latched down hard on his shoulder. Tom roared in pain as the bear’s teeth sank into a wound, eliciting bursts of agony washing across his vision.

  He shook the bear free as Lucas recovered, turning to swipe viciously at the bear as he backed off. Lucas snarled, his claws sweeping out and catching Tom on his hind legs. Dan was suddenly back, tearing at the nameless bear so that Tom could focus on Lucas. He allowed himself a glance at Savannah as she lashed out at one of the remaining bears. The other one was a way off and nursing a wound that was spilling a good amount of blood onto the forest floor.

  Lucas growled in hatred, his hind legs coiling for another leap. Anticipating his attack, Tom did the same. With a loud roar from both sides, they both sprang into the air, colliding in a flash of tooth and claw. Lucas went for the throat. Tom dipped low, digging both of his front paws deep into Lucas’s torso. He tore angrily at Lucas’s underbelly with his jaws, using the force of the collision to head-butt the leader backward while swiping a deep rent in his flesh.

  Lucas cried out in both anger and agony, landing hard on his shoulder as he hit the ground. The Northern Wind bears looked to their leader, stopping their battles at once as they heard the change in Lucas’s voice.

  Tom had one cold moment to contemplate ending Lucas’s life right there with his subordinates looking onward. He could finally be free of the Northern Wind.

  Or would he?

  Would someone worse not come along to avenge their fallen leader? That’s how Lucas had taught that pack to operate. Should he risk it all anyway?

  He clenched his jaw, cursing inwardly. As much as he hated to admit it, this wasn’t a decision he could make on his own.

  Tom stood tall on his hind legs, staring outward to the Northern Wind bears as Lucas bled. “Your leader is injured!” he roared. “Either continue fighting in his name and I finish him now, or cease your fighting, take him, and leave.” Almost immediately, the bears chose the latter. They gently nudged and shoved a growling and vicious Lucas, stealing fearful glances at Tom as he stood nearby, glaring fiercely at their departure.

  It wasn’t until the sounds of their heavy and frantic footfalls of the retreating bears faded that Tom finally sank back down to the forest floor. He took the time to assess everyone.

  Tom seemed the least injured. His wounds would heal in a day or two, though his shoulder was still dripping a steady stream of blood from being latched onto twice.

  Dan was limping hard on his already hurting hind leg, setting his healing back days—maybe a full week, Tom couldn’t tell yet. He likely reinjured it in the fight, in addition to the gash on his neck that appeared to be the result of a wayward slash of claws. He’d need medical attention back at the shop, but Tom didn’t think it wasn’t anything Dan couldn’t dress on his own.

  Finally, he turned to Savannah. She was cut and bleeding in too many places to count, her paw raised off the ground as she limped weakly over to the two other bears. He didn’t know how bad she was hurt, but she was up and walking, and for now that was enough. He needed to get her back to the shop as quickly as possible before the blood loss and mangled paw made travel difficult for her. Making sure she was close behind, Tom turned with purpose and took the first step towards the mechanic’s shop.

  Savannah’s breathing grew more labored as they walked, and though Tom knew there was nothing more he could do at the time, her pain stressed him out beyond belief. As the garage slowly came into view, Savannah looked as if she could barely walk another step.

  “Go get Nick,” Tom ordered tersely at Dan.

  Dan gave one obliging nod, turning in the direction of the cabin. “Don’t be too hard on her,” he said softly. “You don’t know how cruel a leader Lucas was.” With that, the large bear loped off.

  Tom watched Dan as he left, then finally he stole a glance at Savannah once more. She had her gaze averted, still panting and favoring her uninjured paw. Medical attention was still a priority. Everything else could wait until after. With a shudder, the first bone snapped, instigating the shift back to human.

  When he finally stood as a man, he could see the defined bruises along his skin, even in the dimness of the forest. But he’d live. “Can you shift? He asked, glancing down at her bloodied paw. “That will be easier to clean if you’re human.”

  Savannah snuffed her reply, and he watched a violent quake rock her frame before the muscles began to tear. Her bear began groaning in agony, the growls of pain turning slowly and torturously to whimpers from human vocal chords. The shift was slow, and Tom’s heart broke at the way her increasingly humanoid face contorted as she suffered. When it was finally over, she lay curled with her knees to her chest, clutching her injured hand as she cried.

  Tom stood just out of the way, watching as she wept. Her body shook with every gasp, her wail full-bodied and filled with anguish. It was obvious that the pain she was letting out wasn’t caused by the injuries she’d sustained; as much as Tom’s bear urged and growled at him to go to her, he thought it best to let her handle this part on her own.

  Only when she finally settled to soft sniffling did Tom take one tentative step forward. “Hey, that looks pretty bad,” he murmured, indicating lightly to her hand. “Let’s get back to the mechanics.”

  They walked slowly enough that Tom noticed the limp in Savannah’s stride. She’d sustained more injuries than he’d originally estimated. Despite his better judgment, he slowly moved to her, wrapping one protective arm gently around her shoulders.

  She flinched hard, fearful eyes glancing frantically up at him. He wondered briefly what she was thinking about; how she thought he must feel about it all. How did he feel? There was anger, yes, and his familiar distrust had flared brightly for a moment, but mostly he was just hurt. He shook his head, freeing his mind of the thought. Medical now, feelings later.

  They made it into the shop shortly after, Tom walking her gingerly to his back bedroom. “Let me get some clothes on,” Tom breathed softly, trying and failing to ignore the scent of their lovemaking still on the sheets. “I’ll grab something for you, too.”

  “Why are you doing this,” Savannah whispered. Her voice was small and weak like the day he’d met her. It broke his heart all over again. “I betrayed you and—”

  “Shhh,” Tom replied, cutting off her words. “There will be plenty of time for talking after we get that arm tended to.”

  Savannah fell silent, tears beginning to well up in her eyes once more. “Thank you,” she whimpered, the first tear sliding down her dirty cheek. “I don’t deserve any of this.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Tom caressed Savannah’s shoulder, a little surprised at how he was reacting to her. He’d just caught her red handed with the bear that sought to destroy him and his brother. She’d been working for him, sent to the mechanics by him. So why wasn’t Tom furious with the very thought of her?

  Was it because she’d protected him when he fell, shaking with a terror of her own? Was it because she truly felt remorse for her actions, recalling how she shivered and cried on the forest floor? Or was it simply because they were mated, destined
to be paired together so simply having her near kept him at peace?

  Tom didn’t know.

  Helping Savannah into some loose-fitting clothes, Tom let Dan’s parting words waft back to the forefront of his mind. He thought of the way she’d tried to protect him despite the cruelty Dan had hinted at. When was it that she’d chosen him over her own leader?

  As Tom helped her into the back room where Dan usually slept, he couldn’t help but think that maybe it was his bear that kept him from being angry with her. He hated to admit it; it was illogical to still trust her, but at the same time, since the short battle had ended and Savannah was confirmed safe, Tom had never been more at peace. When he tried to think of the possibilities of her doing something like this again, he found it absurd. Was it because of his human brain seeing the regret in her eyes as she walked with him to the mechanics, or his bear accepting with everything he was that his mate would never betray him?

  He still didn’t know.

  Savannah winced, jerking hard as Tom bandaged her up. Her hand was a complete mess and would take time to heal. She was awash with slashes and dark-swollen bruises, muddied with dirt and blood. He was too afraid of the running water making her blood-loss worse to advise a shower. He ended up cleaning every wound by hand before dressing them in gauze. He flinched with her as every pass of the warm cloth over her body made her hiss in pain.

  “Sorry,” he murmured remorsefully, tugging on a bind of bandage over her forearm. A gash up the side of her back needed skin adhesive before dressing, his fingers working angrily into the cut as he got it to stick together. He feared she might cry yet again as the room filled with the scent of her tears, but she steeled her features, focusing on something on the far wall. Despite her tough façade, she was shivering by the time he finished binding the last wound.

  Tom released his held breath in a relieved sigh, happy to be done causing her more pain. “How does it feel?”

  Savannah sampled her joints, wincing as she flexed her wrists, grimacing as her back twisted ad agitated several wounds on her torso. “Everything hurts, but I’ll heal.” She gave him a weary look before quickly averting her eyes once more, looking more exhausted by now than sad or scared. “Thank you.”