Bear Outlaw

by Candace Ayers

  Donovan's stomach lurched at the sight. He knew what this was all too well: this was the handiwork of a werewolf out of control. Was it possible that after all of their time spent together—after all of his advice and teachings—Kira's wolf side had still got the better of her? He could see now how lucky it had been that Shannon had been out for the evening.

  "Your side of the room is basically untouched?" he inquired. He moved through the wreckage, but couldn't bring himself to touch anything that had been overturned or destroyed. It was probably for the better—they would need to notify campus police if Kira couldn't be located, and having his fingerprints at the scene of the crime would open an entirely new can of worms.

  In response to his question, Shannon shook her head. "No. I… I think whoever broke into our dorm room was after Kira and Kira only. Everything she owned was trashed," she said.

  "I can see that." Now that he was deeper in the room, Donovan caught a whiff of something he didn't understand. While the damage had clearly been done by a wolf, Shannon's theory that someone had broken in and attacked Kira seemed suddenly and starkly more likely than Kira being the sole party responsible for the damage.

  His nostrils curled as they were assaulted by a third scent. The left side of the room, Shannon's side, smelled like it had been drenched in hairspray and perfume; the right side, Kira's side, smelled like the generic brand of soap she used combined with the more recent aroma of pine trees. Beneath it all, he could smell her wolf's pheromones, indistinguishable to any non-shifter, but his own awareness of them packed a wallop. It was enough to make his pulse quicken and his blood race, even with the girl herself absent.

  But that third scent. So alien, and yet… so like his own. Donovan put out a hand to grab the back of Shannon's desk chair, breaking his promise to himself not to touch anything, and sat down hard. He had never smelled it before in his life, but there seemed to be no mistaking it.

  It was the smell of another male wolf. It was the smell of the brute who had come after Kira.

  "Professor, I think there's something you should know," Shannon mentioned hesitantly from the doorway.

  Donovan turned his head slowly to look at her, eyes still distant as he took in every detail of this new, horrifying reality. "Yes?" he asked finally.

  "I think Kira was… well, I think she might have been seeing someone. In secret." Shannon's voice was hushed. "You could say I know the signs. I've had a boyfriend I've been keeping from her for weeks; I was just waiting for the right time to introduce them… anyway, that's neither here nor there. But she's been really private recently, and there are a few times I've come home early over the weekends to just find her… gone. Without explanation. I mean, obviously she has another place to stay."

  "Is it obvious?" Donovan echoed her without thinking. "I had no idea."

  "And I guess I've just been wondering… well, I guess I wondered if there was a reason she was keeping whoever she's been seeing a secret. Like, maybe he isn't the nicest guy, and she knows that she needs to break up with him. Maybe she tried to break up with him, and…" Shannon cut herself off, as if the very idea of what had become of Kira strangled her like two sets of fingers. "I wish I had been here!" she finished brokenly.

  "There was nothing you could have done," Donovan said firmly as he rose. "And I'm not one to say you were right to find me before you called campus police, but I'm glad you told me. I've advised Kira on more than just her schoolwork this semester, and her location and well-being are incredibly important to me."

  "Where do you think she could have gone?" Shannon moaned. Donovan surveyed the room once more, his eyes taking in the drifts of goose feathers.

  "I have an idea," he said. "But it's only a hunch."

  He turned on his heel and was about to exit the room, but he ultimately paused to lay a comforting hand on Shannon's shoulder. Her eyes were misted over, and she looked as if she had been through a hell equal to Kira's these past few hours.

  "Give me an hour. One hour. That's all I ask. If you don't hear from me or Kira by then…" Donovan sucked in a quick breath before continuing. "Call campus security. Tell them everything you've told me."

  He gave her shoulder a squeeze, and Shannon nodded her understanding. Then he moved off into the hallway and hurried down the stairs, leaving the destruction of the room behind him.

  The goose feathers from Kira's burst pillow had sparked an idea. There was only one wooded area near here that a wolf shifter could hope to escape to, and that was Gosling Park. He thought he knew where Kira's supernatural assailant was likely to have taken her.

  He just hoped he wasn't already too late.

  15

  When her kidnapper came out of the woods, Kira was ready for him.

  She sidestepped to the perimeter of the clearing and lunged. There was no time to take in his identity, or anything other than the fact that he was male—she threw all of her weight into him and hoped that surprise would give her the upper hand. Her hands fisted in his jacket as she wrenched them both off their feet and spun them down, down toward the ground.

  "Kira!"

  Her eyes widened at the rough, familiar voice, but it was too late to take back the attack. The man landed on his back beneath her, and her knee drove into the ground just beneath his groin with only a calculated last-minute inch to spare.

  "Sawyer!" she exclaimed. Past the tangled blond hair tumbling into her frantic eyes, she saw the handsome, grizzled face of her English professor blinking up at her. Her surprise assault had knocked his glasses askew, and they hung off his nose and one ear at an almost ninety degree angle.

  To her surprise, his hands came up to seize her shoulders, but it wasn't to push her off him; it was to hold her there, as if he feared the young woman sitting astride him was only a vision.

  "Jesus, Kira, what happened to you?"

  His hands trailed down her arms, skimming over scratches and bruises and catching on the tatters of her clothes. Kira tried to examine herself more carefully, but it was no use without her phone or a mirror. She assumed by the tone of Donovan's voice that she looked even worse than she felt.

  "I don't know… I'm not sure," she stuttered. "I don't really remember what happened, so I think I must have changed, at least partially—but then, why do I still have my clothes on?" She started shaking uncontrollably as tears welled in her eyes. "What's happening to me? For a moment, I thought you were someone else—someone who wanted to hurt me—"

  "Shannon came and found me in my classroom." Donovan pushed himself up slowly from the ground, and Kira fell back on her haunches to give him more room. He followed her up and caught the back of her neck, as if he was afraid any break in contact between them would cause her to disappear again without warning. "She showed me your dorm room."

  "Is it bad?" Kira's eyes tracked his, and what she saw wasn't good. "Oh God, did she call the police?" Thoughts of campus security combing her room for evidence, and finding that the damage could have only been caused by a large animal—

  "Not yet. She came to me first." Donovan's fingers tightened possessively at the nape of her neck. "I told her to call them in an hour if she didn't hear from either of us. I think it would be best if you called her on your cell to let her know yourself that you're all right. Do you have your phone with you?"

  "Not with me." Kira hunted through every pocket, and found nothing—no cell phone, no wallet, and no ID. "Sawyer, this is weird… I could have sworn I had it on me. I know I at least had my wallet on me. I know for a fact." She could feel the dread she had experienced earlier at her situation slowly starting to creep back in, despite the comfort of her professor's presence. "You didn't see it in my room, did you? On my desk? Because if it isn't there, then it means someone must have taken it—"

  "No," he said quietly. "I didn't see it. And believe me, I memorized every detail."

  They were both quiet for a long moment.

  "I think I know why you don't remember what happened to you," Donovan began slowl
y. "You shifted, Kira, it's true. At least a little. The wolf knew you were in danger, and she took over for you—think of it like swapping out drivers when the person usually behind the wheel is too afraid or too exhausted to continue. I think it's likely that you blacked-out, and let instinct take over."

  "You said it happened because I was in danger." Kira's voice quavered. "I remember that there was someone in the hallway. Someone trying to get in."

  "Whoever it was did get in," Donovan said. "He got in. I smelled another werewolf in that room with you, Kira."

  It made sense. It aligned with everything she had already been subconsciously beginning to suspect, and yet the conclusion seemed impossible. Wouldn't have Donovan known if there was another wolf shifter on campus? Wouldn't she have known? But then, she hadn't realized before that Donovan was a werewolf—not until he had told her himself. And he had only suspected her because she was displaying symptoms left and right.

  "The two of you must have," Donovan continued. "Either you ran, or he dragged you out here and took off the second you started to regain awareness."

  "But what for what purpose?" Kira demanded hysterically. "To mug me? I'm a student—I don't own anything valuable! Why would he go to all that effort just to take my stuff?"

  "He might have a fixation with you." Donovan's eyes flashed like silver coins. "You're in heat, Kira. It's possible he just wanted to get you alone to see how things would play out between the two of you."

  "Oh God." Kira dropped her head into her hands. "I think I'm going to be sick."

  She felt the pressure of Donovan's hand once more on the back of her neck; gentle, coaxing. After a few moments, she raised her head, and allowed herself to be drawn out of her silent anguish into a warm and loving kiss. Donovan pressed his lips firmly against hers, and Kira slotted her own mouth against his. Every kiss they exchanged now felt perfect and right, even if they did still qualify as stolen. A wave of calm washed over her, and for the first time since she had woken delirious in the clearing, she felt safe and secure. Donovan would never let anything happen to her—and she would never let anything happen to Sawyer Donovan.

  God help the mysterious male wolf who tried to get between them.

  Donovan pulled away first. The hand that rested on the back of her neck slid down her shoulder to grip her arm and help her stand. Though her thoughts were steely, Kira felt grateful for the support—she couldn't be sure that her body had fully caught up with the day's staggering revelation. As soon as she was upright, she slipped her hand into his.

  "We should go back to my apartment," he murmured. "I've already cancelled my remaining classes for today. I don't think it's wise for you to go back to your room until we figure out who did this to you."

  Kira nodded. At the very least Shannon would be safer without her there. If it really was a wolf that had attacked her, then surely he could smell when she wasn't around? All the same, Kira didn't think it was worth the risk. She would ask Shannon to stay with a friend, or stay with the boyfriend she didn't think Kira knew about. She would just have to think of an excuse to feed her that had nothing to do with the truth.

  Donovan pulled his jacket off, and Kira accepted it gratefully. It was a short walk back to his place from Gosling Park, but her own shirt was torn to ribbons. She pulled the coat on and zipped it securely closed as Donovan guided her out of the clearing, darting infrequent looks over his shoulder. She didn't blame him for being paranoid. Even though she couldn't sense another presence there with them in the woods, she still couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.

  "We're going to figure this out, Kira," he promised. "If we have to, we'll confront the wolf that did this to you. We'll make sure he knows where the line is drawn, and that you aren't available to be messed with."

  "What if he doesn't listen?" Kira asked quietly. "It wasn't a wolf that kicked my door in, Sawyer. This man knew exactly what he was doing."

  "And where to find you," Donovan added. A chill ran down Kira's spine, and her teacher looked like he regretted his words in the next instant, but he hadn't said anything she didn't already know. He pulled her in against his side as they made their way slowly out of the woods.

  "Sawyer," Kira said quietly. "I think we need to start exploring the possibility that you aren't the wolf that bit me."

  16

  A call to Shannon, and any crisis with the campus police was averted… for now. They only barely managed it under the one-hour deadline that Donovan had himself installed.

  "No, Shannon, there's really no crazy weird boyfriend I need to tell you about," Kira said as she shot a look across the kitchen to Donovan. He pretended not to notice; he pushed his sleeves up and busied himself over the stovetop. "I haven't even been back to the room. Some of the boys on our floor must have been trying to prank us—remember that shit they tried to pull our first week? But you're right, it's not funny. Definitely tell the resident advisors. I'm sure they'll get someone to clean it up. Maybe you should stay somewhere else until they do." Kira was silent for a long a moment, and Donovan could hear Shannon speaking on the other line, as clearly as if she was in the room with them.

  "Okay. But where are you staying? And whose phone are you calling me from, anyway?"

  "I'll catch up with you in a few days," Kira promised. "All right? Okay, bye girl. I feel bad for throwing them under the bus like that," she mentioned to Donovan as she hung up the phone. "The guys in our dorm, I mean. They didn't do anything wrong."

  "No one is going to confess to a crime they didn't commit," he reasoned. "All of your resident advisors will be on high alert for the next few weeks, and then the incident will be forgotten. It's a good thing. It means that a stranger coming in or out of your dormitory would draw a lot of unwanted attention. I don't think whoever attacked you there is likely to risk it again."

  Kira settled into the kitchen stool and wrapped her long legs around the outside supports. She was wearing his clothes once more, and Donovan couldn't help but notice the way his favorite flannel shirt hung loose and slightly open down Kira's front. It hadn't been his favorite shirt until he saw her in it.

  He ferried a bowl of beef stroganoff over to her and leaned on the counter. He knew she was hungry; still, she didn't immediately touch what was offered. "Kira," he began in a low voice. "What you said back there in the woods… I don't want you to get your hopes up. Even if there is another werewolf on campus, it doesn't change the fact that I blacked-out during the full moon when you were bitten."

  "What are you talking about?" she demanded. "This changes everything! I don't believe it was you. Not for one second. I know you're just trying to protect my feelings… both our feelings," she amended. "But how can you still believe it was you that bit me? I know you would never hurt anyone, professor."

  His temper got the better of him then, and Donovan slammed his fist down on the counter, making the bowl in front of her jump and rattle. The girl herself didn't so much as flinch; her eyes flashed, but it wasn't the wolf he saw. It was determination to win their argument.

  "Will you listen to me?" he growled. "Of course I'm capable of hurting someone! In fact, I feel extremely capable of hurting the man who did this to you! If the werewolf who attacked you is bold enough to come to your dorm room in broad daylight…" He trailed off, and retracted his fist from the countertop. He was shaking.

  "He could attack others," Kira surmised. "I know, professor. I've been thinking the same thing. It's not something anyone else besides us is equipped to deal with. We have to prepare for a worst-case scenario, right? We have to be ready to confront him… and decide what to do with him next if he refuses to stop."

  "We don't have to decide anything," Donovan stressed. "This is something I need to do alone. I'm your teacher. I'm older than you, and I've been cursed longer. You've been through enough already because of me. I don't want to see you harmed any further."

  "As your student," she replied waspishly, "and as the woman who loves you and would do anything to keep
you safe, I don't agree."

  And suddenly, there was an L-word between them that wasn't 'lycanthropy'.

  Donovan gazed at her for a long moment, his gray eyes storming with emotion. It had been harder and harder to keep the word locked behind his own lips recently. Why didn't he just give into it now? Kira, ever the braver half of their strange partnership, had already said it. It was out there, only waiting now for an identical confession from him to fulfill its promise.

  There was so much wrong with the foundations of their relationship. Even now, Donovan thought that if he could woo Kira Bentley all over again, her would—he would wait until the semester was over to ask her out to dinner; he would kiss her goodnight on the cheek and leave it at that; he would meet her parents and plead his case for why he, an older man, wished to be with her and only her. Maybe there was still time for all of those traditional, boring motions. He would go through them gladly with her.

  Kira slipped down off the stool and came around the side of the counter. Donovan didn't draw back from the advance. He watched as she placed herself between him and the all-too-temptingly hard surface of the kitchen bar. It would be so easy to unravel that stubborn line of her otherwise plump lips by capturing them with his own and thrusting her body back against the counter. It would be easier than saying what he knew he had to say.

  "I told you before," he murmured as she wound her arms around his neck. "I would much rather wait until you weren't in heat to try and sort things out between us."

  "Maybe I'll be in heat forever," Kira said. Donovan groaned in horror at the thought and tightened his grip on her waist. Wait, when had he allowed his hands to grab hold of her? "Maybe one of us will get hurt. Maybe tomorrow you'll decide you're no good for me, pack up, and skip town."

  "That last one's a very real possibility," Donovan admitted as she drew him down to her. "If you really love someone, you'd do anything to keep them out of danger, wouldn't you?"