The Snow Leopard's Christmas Surprise

by Emilia Hartley

  “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 o
n,” 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.”

  Slowly, so as not to startle her, Tom raised his hand to her chin, tipping her head back to face him. “Please Savannah. Tell me everything.”

  And she did. Everything from the day Lucas scouted her to the moment Tom found her in the woods denouncing him, voice hitching uncontrollably when she told him of the night at the lake that had caused her to run away from him that night. Anything he didn’t know and everything he’d want to know was now his. She barely breathed, stumbling over her words as they tumbled out of her mouth; Tom could tell she’d wanted to get this off her chest for a good long while.

  “I’m so sorry, Tom,” she finished, voice cracking in renewed anguish. “I should have told you the truth sooner.”

  He only nodded, mostly numb as he processed all the new information. “Yes, you should have,” he replied, heavily. He saw her face fall, a picture of true misery. “But I understand why you couldn’t,” he murmured.

  For a brief moment, Savannah’s eyes lit up with hope, searching his face for a catch in his behavior before they dimmed in remorse. “I don’t deserve your kindness.”

  Slowly, a half smile finally tilted Tom’s lips. “You’re my mate Savannah. I know in my heart why you did what you did and how hard it was to stop. You risked everything to sever ties with Lucas when you had every reason to bend to his demands. If there’s anyone on this planet who deserves a second chance… it’s you.” Tom was shocked to find that the distrust he was so accustomed to have all but vanished. His bear lazed happily, content with knowing that Savannah was out of harm’s way and on the fast track to healing. He gazed deeply into her eyes and only found regret and self-inflicted torture. He never wanted her to feel like this again.

  She swallowed hard, blinking back tears. “But I betrayed you.”

  Tom shook his head. “Betrayal would have been rejoining Lucas after the night we’d shared together, and even then, with the type of man and bear I know he can truly be, I wouldn’t fault you for it.” He shrugged. “And yeah, I won’t lie and say that it didn’t hurt. It hurt like hell that you lied to me and even deceived me, but you aren’t to blame. You were only trying to keep yourself safe.”

  He smiled, running a gentle hand down Savannah’s face. “Plus, you stood shaking in terror before Lucas all in an effort to protect me while I was down. You could have died. Hell, with the amount of blood you’ve lost, I’m pretty sure you nearly did. It kind of put everything into perspective for me.”

  He gazed lovingly at Savannah, her eyes already filling with more unshed tears. “I love you Savannah Danvers, and I don’t want something terrible to happen to you, or to me, and all you could think about before we’re separated forever is that I didn’t trust you. That I didn’t love you. Because I do, Savannah. I love you so much, and my bear loves you so much, and I know you love me, too. So I told myself, I at least owe you the opportunity to tell your story.”

  “Was it everything you wanted to hear?” Savannah asked quietly.

  “It was everything I needed to hear,” Tom answered, a smile in his eyes. “Now I understand.”

  Savannah nodded a few times, seemingly satisfied enough with his answer. “I still should have told you sooner, or before leaving. The note was—”

  “A good idea given the circumstances,” Tom finished. “It didn’t give my mind enough time to run crazy with theories and paranoia. So thank you for that.”

  “Thank you for following me into the woods,” Savannah said. “I don’t think Dan or I would have survived without you.” Her gaze finally began to sparkle with that hope she almost always seemed to have. “You and Nick… are good people. I wish I’d have known that before agreeing to drag you into this mess I made.”

  Tom kissed her lightly on the forehead. “If it wasn’t for this mess you made, we’d likely have never met.” He ran a hand through her hair. “And I don’t even want to think of that, because imagining my life without you in it is physically painful.”

  There was fear in Savannah’s eyes as she met his gaze. “So does this mean you want me to stay?” she asked quietly, as if the risk of asking was almost too great.

  A soft chuckle rumbled in Tom’s chest. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against Savannah’s, basking in the scent of her. “One of these days you’ll trust me enough to realize you’ve never have to ask that question. We’re bound for life, Savannah. The world itself could try to swallow you whole and I’d dig to its core to save you. Don’t let anyone or anything else make you believe otherwise.”

  EPILOGUE

  When Jo and Nick arrived with Dan, Tom and Savannah were sitting in
the back room, nursing cups of coffee.

  Anxiety written on her face, Jo rushed over to Savannah, looking her over intently. “Are you okay?”

  Savannah nodded, a darkness of guilt washing over her yet again. She hadn’t just hurt Tom; she put everyone here in unnecessary danger. Even if they had forgiven her action, she wasn’t quite there yet. “I’ll be fine, thank you.” She averted her gaze, staring deeply into the dark mug of coffee. “I need to explain this to you guys. All of it. It’s a long story, and it might get tough at times, but you all deserve to know.”

  Jo smiled. “All I care about now is that you’re safe, you’re happy, and the mate bond you and Tom share hasn’t been broken because of this.”

  Savannah looked up with a start. “You know about the mate bond?”

  Jo’s smile grew to a grin. “Well I am mated to Nick, after all. Even as a human there are things about you guys that I need to know now.”

  Savannah’s gaze slid slowly to Tom. “She knows I’m…?”

  Tom shrugged apologetically. “She’s known since the day you got here. I didn’t tell her though.” He pointed accusatorily. “Nick did.”

  Nick started at Tom’s reveal. “I didn’t know she wanted to keep it a secret until after I said it.” He turned to Savannah. “I meant no harm.”

  A chuckle tumbled surprisingly from Savannah’s lips. This pack was so different from the Northern Wind. She hoped that, now that she was a part of the pack with no secrets between them, she’d finally find a place in the fun rapport they shared.

  “It’s okay,” Savannah sighed. “I was about to tell her anyway. No more secrets. Ever.”

  “I second that motion,” Dan muttered, his smile turning into a tight grimace as he sat. He’d dressed some of his wounds since the last time Savannah had seen him, and maybe had a shower. “It’s way too exhausting.”

  “Dan told us what he could,” Nick said, moving to help Dan get situated without jostling his hurt leg. “But we’d really appreciate another rundown of events from today.”