Chapter 41
Chapter
Forty-One
Max's nostrils flared at a sharp odor that cut through the forest air. He halted, ears lifting in sudden alert, and he signaled Laney with a low growl.
“That smell... I don't like it,” Max projected telepathically.
Laney, in her fox form, answered with a swift yip of agreement.
Tonight's run was meant to celebrate Laney's new shift, but this acrid stench disrupted that peace. Max stepped forward cautiously, testing the wind direction. They moved deeper into the dense trees, following the odor. Max lumbered with slow steps. Laney slipped in and out of view, checking branching paths.
The path twisted over rocky slopes, where murky puddles reflected the night sky. Max kept his nose low to the ground, following the trail of chemicals that grew stronger with each step. Max assessed their surroundings with heightened awareness. The night creatures had gone silent.
The reek grew harsher, as they followed it upstream. They crested a low ridge, and Max peered from behind thick foliage. A light shimmered near the water's edge, and a figure moved around near the bank. The man tipped a barrel into the water. As moonlight illuminated the figure’s face, Max recognized Flint. Anger bloomed in his chest as he restrained himself from what his animal insisted he do.
The chemical tang intensified. Max briefly considered their options. They could retreat and return with the authorities. But that would give Flint time to escape. They needed to act now. Max exchanged a glance with Laney, and they telepathically communicated their plan of attack.
Max circled wide to corner Flint. Laney scurried on the opposite side, forming a flank. Flint whirled when he heard them, his face contorted. The water behind him churned in a grim swirl of chemicals.
“You... you can't stop me,” Flint said.
Max advanced slowly. He wanted Flint to surrender without a fight, to admit to his crimes and face justice. But the man's eyes darted around, seeking escape. Max recognized the desperate look of someone cornered. Flint lunged with a metal rod.
The rod connected with Max’s thick fur, igniting Max's defensive instincts. He reared up, towering over Flint, using his size to intimidate rather than harm. As a human, Max believed in justice through proper channels. As a bear, he fought the urge to destroy the man who threatened his mate, his livelihood, and his home.
Dripping canisters surrounded them as they fought. Chemical-smeared water splashed underfoot. Max twisted the rod from Flint's grasp, sending him staggering. Flint stumbled backward, nearly falling into the contaminated stream. He slipped on the wet rocks, and he windmilled his arms to regain balance.
“Get away from me,” Flint yelled.
His voice echoed through the trees, startling a few night birds into flight. Laney held her position. Max sensed their bond, strong and unwavering. Max had watched Laney grow from an insecure half-shifter into a confident woman who embraced her true nature. Even now, in fox form, she stood her ground against a threat much larger than herself. Pride surged through him.
Max drew in deep breaths, fighting to maintain control in his bear form. The urge to crush this threat warred with his human side. The animal part of him wanted simple solutions. Eliminate the threat. Protect the mate. But they needed evidence, testimony, legal consequences. Max forced his bear instincts to yield to human reasoning.
Flint backed toward a stack of empty barrels, eyes wild with fear. He then made another attempt at escape. Laney burst from the undergrowth, snarling. Her russet fur stood on end, eyes lit with defiance.
“You can't stop this!” Flint sputtered, voice rasping in panic.
Max unleashed a fierce roar. Flint shrank away. Laney leaped in, teeth flashing, forcing Flint to drop the rod and yield. Flint collapsed onto soaked ground. Max loomed over him, massive and immovable.
“Wait—don't—” Flint cried out, fear thick in his throat.
Flint curled into a defensive ball, arms protecting his head. The confident businessman from town had vanished, replaced by a cowering figure who finally understood the consequences of his actions. Max kept him pinned with one heavy paw on his leg.
Laney shifted back to human form. “Hold him. I'll go call for backup.”
Max nodded his large bear head, maintaining his animal form to keep Flint subdued. Her transformation happened smoothly now, her body shimmering between human and fox with ease. She darted away toward the cabin where they had left their clothes and phones.
Max knew she would return quickly with law enforcement. Long minutes passed as Max held Flint in place. The forest had grown eerily quiet, the only sounds being Flint's labored breathing and the occasional drip of chemicals from nearby barrels. As his initial terror subsided, Flint's defiance began to return.
“You think you've won something?” Flint said, his voice steadier now. “You don't understand what you're up against.”
Max growled, pressing his paw slightly firmer on Flint's leg as a warning to stay quiet. But Flint, perhaps realizing his fate was sealed, seemed determined to speak.
“BioClean isn't just some small operation I cooked up,” he continued, shifting under Max's restraint. “It's a front. There are people with real money, real power behind this. People who see Fate Mountain for what it could be.”
Max maintained his bear form, unable to respond with words, but his eyes never left Flint's face. Through their bond, he could sense Laney was still running toward the cabin, her determination sharp and focused.
“This land is wasted on shifters,” Flint spat, gaining confidence as he spoke. “Do you know how much this property is worth? The development potential? High-end resorts, vacation homes for the wealthy, golf courses with mountain views. Millions. Maybe billions.”
Max remained silent, but his mind raced. This wasn't just about sabotaging the brewery—it was about forcing the entire shifter community out of Fate Mountain.
“The plan was beautiful,” Flint continued, a hint of pride creeping into his voice. “Contaminate the water supply gradually. Not enough to cause immediate alarm, just enough to make businesses fail, make people sick over time. Property values would plummet. Then we'd swoop in, buy everything for pennies on the dollar.”
The bear within Max roared with rage, but he maintained his iron control. They needed this confession.
“The BioClean system was the real genius. Selling you the very thing that would accelerate your downfall. Those microbes were designed to multiply the effect of the engineered chemicals I was dumping upstream. Tonight was supposed to be my last dump,” Flint said with a bitter laugh. “My flight leaves tomorrow morning—well, would have left. I was this close to getting away with everything.”
The sound of vehicles approaching cut through the night air. Flashlights bobbed between trees as figures made their way toward them. Flint's expression shifted from resignation to panic.
“You can't prove anything,” he said quickly, contradicting his earlier boasting. “It's just your word against mine.”
Max snorted, gesturing with his massive bear head toward the barrels, the equipment, the evidence surrounding them. Flint fell silent, reality finally setting in. Laney emerged into the clearing first, now dressed and leading several officers with flashlights. Her face was flushed from running, but her expression was triumphant.
“Over here,” she called to the officers. “Just as I told you.”
Sirens echoed in the distance as more vehicles approached. Max stepped back from Flint, allowing two officers to move in and handcuff him. Only then did Max shift back to human form, accepting clothes that Laney had brought for him.
Officers inspected the barrels and photographed the scene. Flint stood nearby, hands bound, glaring with resentment. The woods around them filled with official activity, transforming the quiet dump site into an active crime scene.
The sheriff signaled to his deputies. “Get him out of here. We'll take his full statement at the station.”
As they led Flint away, he turned back toward Max and Laney. “This isn't over.”
Max inhaled slowly, trying to contain his rage. The air around them hung thick with chemical smells and tension. Every dollar spent on Flint's system had pushed the brewery closer to ruin, all while seeming to offer salvation.
“He poisoned the water from both ends, dumping outside and tampering inside,” Max whispered to Laney.
“I know. That’s what I was trying to tell everyone.”
Max admired Laney's courage more than ever. She had been dismissed and ridiculed for her theories, yet she stood vindicated at last. Her confidence radiated from her, all traces of her former insecurity gone.