Chapter Six
“He’s going on a diet,”
Killian grunted, struggling to lift Quinton’s heavy bear form with the help of Sheriff Dominic Harper, Deputy Denali Davis, and Ryker. They lifted Quinton's bear form from the hallway where he’d collapsed and carried him into Noah's small apartment.
The 700-pound bear took up most of the living room space, with its back against the couch and hindquarters reaching toward the kitchen doorway.
With Quinton lying there, the five of them were cramped and had little room to move around.
“What does your father eat?”
Sheriff Harper wiped his brow with his arm. The sheriff was also a grizzly bear shifter—the largest in Midnight Falls before Killian’s family had moved to the small town—so if he was astonished at Quinton’s size and weight, that was saying something.
But Killian was more concerned about the fact his dad hadn’t mentioned being injured. He had smelled blood, but assumed it was from the two dead lion shifters Quinton had killed.
When his dad woke up, Killian planned on giving him a piece of his mind. Watching his father collapse right in front of him had been the most terrifying thing he’d ever seen.
Fathers weren’t supposed to crumple.
They were strong, invincible warriors who could take hit after hit and keep going. Or at least that was how Killian had always seen Quinton. Unstoppable.
But now, facing his father’s sleeping bear form, reality stared him in the face.
His dad wasn’t invincible.
Despite standing at six-foot-six and weighing 350 pounds, filled with pure muscle and a fierce attitude, Quinton hadn’t been able to stop the lion shifter from sinking its claws into him or prevent himself from collapsing due to blood loss.
“Killian?”
Ryker gripped his shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts.
“Yeah?”
Killian cleared his throat and answered the questions from the sheriff and deputy.
“What about Noah?”
Sheriff Harper inquired after he was finished questioning Killian. “Since he was the intended target, I’d like to speak with him.”
Ever since Noah had thrown up, he’d secluded himself in his bedroom. Killian wasn’t sure if the guy was even aware of what had happened to Quinton.
“Can he come to the station later?”
Killian moved aside, as much as the cramped space allowed so the coroner could attend to the dead lion shifter in the living room.
“Yes.”
Sheriff Harper nodded. “When your father is back in human form, have him bring Noah in. That way I can speak with both of them.”
Ryker ended up lending the coroner a hand since one of their father’s furry front legs was draped over the lifeless body.
This was by far the smallest living room Killian had ever seen. Even his bathroom at home was bigger than this.
As Ryker and the coroner worked together, Killian turned his attention toward Noah’s bedroom door. Since he was stuck in this tiny space on the opposite side of the living room, he may as well check on the guy.
Knocking lightly, he watched as Ryker struggled to move their dad’s leg. It might’ve sounded simple enough, but Ryker had to maneuver around the massive grizzly in order to help.
With a smirk, Killian watched his brother’s clumsy attempts, nearly falling onto their dad at least four or five times.
When Noah didn’t come to the door, Killian knocked again. Still no answer. Now he stood there debating on what to do. His dad would skin him alive if Killian walked in on Noah changing clothes. The human had gotten sick, so it was possible he needed to change.
With a silent prayer that he wasn’t about to become a bear-skin rug, Killian cautiously opened the door just a crack. “Hey, Noah, just checking on you. If you’re changing clothes, throw a shoe at the door and yell for me to go away,”
he called out, hoping to get some kind of response.
But instead of hearing anything from inside, Killian felt a slight breeze coming from under the door. Confused, he pushed it open farther and peeked inside.
Damn. The room was the size of Killian’s walk-in closet. It was so small he should have been able to see Noah wherever he was standing.
The only thing Killian saw was the window standing wide open.
With a curse, he quickly made his way into the room—bumping his arm on a tall dresser in the process—and rushed to look out the window. The room faced the back of the building, and just below it was the rear-entrance roof that would have been easy to climb onto.
Noah had taken off.
“Shit!”
Quinton just might get that rug if Killian and Ryker couldn’t find their father’s mate. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the only person who could probably save his ass.
“Hello?”
“ Heey , Jaytee. It’s Killian. I was wondering if you could do me a huge favor?”
Jaytee Frost snorted. “What exactly did you screw up?”
* * * *
As Noah drove, every minute felt like an eternity, as if he was on an endless highway with no exits in sight. His mind was a chaotic mess of confusion and terror, struggling to process the events of the past few hours.
Was any of this even real?
For seven years he had dealt with Jack and his toxic friends, even knowing they were wolf shifters. But that was different because the preternatural world had never directly affected Noah.
Now it had, because of a fucked-up decision he’d made. Suddenly, the danger was right in front of him, crashing down on him like a violent storm.
This morning had been like something out of a wild nightmare. Noah’s heart continued to race from everything that had happened.
A wounded Quinton, a lifeless body guarded by his mate, another dead guy in his apartment, along with a demented woman who’d tried to abduct him… It was as if chaos itself had manifested in the form of dead bodies and deranged villains.
This was all Noah’s fault and his worst fear was that more bad guys would show up to kidnap him, only this time they might actually kill Quinton instead of just injuring him.
That’s why Noah had taken off, but even though he was only trying to keep Quinton and his sons safe, all he wanted to do was turn back around and go home. Quinton had been injured, though he’d acted as if the wounds hadn’t bothered him as he’d stood in the hallway.
What in the hell should I do? Noah’s mind was a frantic mess. He just needed a minute to breathe, to get his thoughts in order. His hand trembled as he turned off his car in Harris’s driveway. Noah wasn’t even sure why he’d come here since he had no intention of telling his best friend what was going on.
Closing his eyes, he couldn’t stop seeing Quinton stabbed with those claws.
In that moment, Noah had felt like his life was over.
In that moment, he had never hated anyone more than he’d hated that lion shifter.
In that moment, Noah had wanted the guy who had hurt Quinton to die.
“Shit.”
He pressed the pad of his index finger and thumb against his eyelids. “Pull yourself together.”
A humorless laugh escaped. “Right, how am I supposed to do that after what just happened?”
The worst part? Noah had just been through the most terrifying moment of his life, and all he’d wanted was to be held and given comfort, but Quinton had acted more like a hall monitor, sending Noah back inside his apartment.
Seriously?
Just because his mate was used to the insanity didn’t mean Noah was handling it like a champ.
He wasn’t.
Noah was not okay. He was very far from okay.
“I should’ve never left. I need my mate.”
Just as Noah was about to start his car and pull away, his best friend walked onto the porch then hurried to the driver’s door.
As badly as Noah wanted Quinton, he got out and simply stood there, trying his best to hold himself together.
“Wasn’t expecting you.”
Harris’s smile faded. “What’s wrong, Noah? Why are you shaking so badly?”
“I—”
Noah started, but the words wouldn’t come. His throat tightened, his thoughts tangled like knotted string. What could he even say? How do you explain that your life just turned into a horror-fantasy novel without sounding insane? Worse, it was your own fault.
The world seemed so different now. The overcast sky felt darker, the sounds around him muted, and the breeze colder.
All the vibrant colors had bled away, leaving behind a world that felt eerily monochrome, drained of warmth and comfort.
Noah stood there, trembling, the weight of everything crashing down on him all at once. He hadn’t realized just how much he’d been holding in until now, standing before Harris, his best friend—the one person who had been there for him through everything.
Harris’s concerned expression was the final straw.
As Noah stumbled forward, his legs buckled. He barely caught himself on the car door. He began to hyperventilate, his heart hammering as he tried, but failed, to pull himself together.
Harris gripped Noah’s shoulders firmly and pulled him into a hug. “Hey, hey, it’s okay, hon. You’re safe here. Talk to me,”
he said softly, his voice steady and grounding in the chaos of Noah’s mind.
Clinging to Harris, he felt like a child who had lost his way. The floodgates broke, and tears slid down his cheeks, hot and unstoppable.
Without a word, Harris led him to the porch. As soon as Noah sat on one of the plastic green chairs, his mind cleared a bit. The familiar scent of coffee and Harris’ cologne hit him, but it did little to soothe the tension coiled in his chest.
He slouched, pressing his hands together between his knees. Harris crouched in front of him, the concern etched deeper in his features now that he saw just how rattled Noah was.
“Talk to me,”
Harris urged. “What happened?”
“ I’m... I’m in trouble,”
Noah finally admitted, running a hand through his hair. “I got mixed up with something—something really dangerous.”
So much for keeping your best friend out of this.
Harris’s eyes widened, but he didn’t interrupt. He just waited, his attention unwavering, which only made Noah feel worse. He couldn’t dump all of this on the guy, but he couldn’t lie either.
“I can’t explain all of it,”
Noah said, his voice low, “but some bad people came after me. Really bad people.”
“Are you serious?”
Harris leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper as if the porch might have ears. “Like criminals? Noah, you have to call the cops!”
“Yeah… no. The cops can’t help me with this,”
Noah muttered, rubbing his temples. He hadn’t realized how true that was until he said it out loud. The police wouldn’t stand a chance against someone like Toro. “It’s...bigger than that.”
Harris frowned. “Bigger how? Dude, you’re starting to scare me.”
Noah let out a dry laugh. “Join the club.”
As he glanced at Harris, who was still watching him with that worried expression, something in Noah shifted. He wasn’t the type to crumble—not completely. He’d been through tough stuff before. Not this level of crazy, but enough to know when it was time to stop spiraling and get his head on straight.
Just as he opened his mouth to tell Harris… Noah wasn’t exactly sure what, the tranquil street was ripped apart by the deafening rumble of motorcycles. Five massive Harleys roared into view, their engines growling like feral beasts.
Three pulled into the driveway, and two parked at the curb. Harris’s jaw dropped as disappointment filled Noah.
It was Killian and Ryker, along with three men he didn’t know.
Quinton wasn’t with them.
They cut the engines, the silence afterward feeling almost oppressive as they swung off their bikes in unison. Killian approached the porch, Ryker leaning against his bike, ankles and arms crossed.
The three men Noah didn’t know just stood there, scanning their surroundings like deadly bodyguards.
“Uh...who the hell are they?”
Harris asked, voice low with an edge of wariness. “Are they the criminals you were talking about?”
Noah kept his tone casual, ignoring the tightness in his chest from Quinton’s absence. “No, despite their appearance, they’re actually the good guys… I think.”
“I thought we were cool, rabbit.”
Killian leaned against the porch railing. At his height and wearing that leather, along with a scowl, Killian intimidated the shit out of him.
“I barely know you,”
Noah replied, hating the fact his voice squeaked.
“And yet, you’re trying to get me skinned.”
The bear shifter’s scowl deepened. “If my dad finds out you crawled out of a window and took off, he’ll string me up by my balls.”
“You want me to call the cops?”
Harris whispered, nudging Noah. “Got my finger on the button. Just say the word.”
Killian’s gaze flicked to Harris before returning to Noah. It wasn’t a friendly look. If his best friend didn’t seal his lips, he might be the one strung up.
And what did Killian mean “if”
Quinton found out? When Noah had left, his mate had been with his sons.
Just thinking about his mate made Noah’s emotions shoot all over the place. Even though Quinton had acted indifferent in the hallway, Noah missed him—more than he wanted to admit. Had missed his mate since slipping out of his window.
It was irrational, sudden, and way too intense for something that had barely started. But it was there, pulling at him like a tether he couldn’t break.
Walking down the steps, Noah glared up at Killian. “Why would he even care? He hasn’t called me since I left. If he—”
“He collapsed,”
Killian interrupted, his expression grave and his voice low.
“What?”
Noah shook his head, trying to make sense of what Killian was saying. Confusion clouded his thoughts as he struggled to understand.
“I’m guessing you saw the weapon used.”
Killian’s brow arched, a subtle warning to be careful with their conversation in the presence of Harris.
“Yes,”
Noah confirmed, the image of sharp, deadly claws flashing in his mind.
“He lost too much blood.”
Killian glanced at Harris again, as if willing the guy to go inside the house so he could talk freely.
Noah’s stomach twisted with dread as he processed the weight of those words. He had left Quinton behind, assuming everything was fine because his mate had acted like he hadn’t been injured in the first place.
“I have to go,”
Noah said urgently to Harris.
“The hell you do,”
Harris snapped. “You told me that you were mixed up in something really dangerous and some bad people came after you. Now you’re going to take off with bikers? What in the hell has gotten into you, Noah?”
Ignoring Harris’s protests, Noah hurried to his car, heart pounding with worry.
“Noah!”
Harris yelled after him, sounding like a worried parent demanding their child come back immediately.
How much blood loss? Noah had learned that a shifter healed in their animal form. He’d gone to his mom’s house one day to find a huge wolf lying on the living room floor.
Noah’s mom had explained that Jack had fallen off the roof while making some repairs and hurt himself. They healed by shifting into their animal. Despite knowing it was Jack, Noah had been scared shitless at the sight of such a powerful creature lying on his mom’s floor.
As he raced to his apartment, he saw five loudly rumbling motorcycles in his rearview mirror following closely behind him.
Noah had worked himself up into a panic by the time he pulled into his apartment’s parking lot. He rushed up the stairs, barely aware of Killian and Ryker on his heels.
When Noah opened his door, he shouted and jumped back. A colossal bear lay stretched out across the living room floor, taking up almost the entire room. The sight of his mate rendered him speechless. Quinton’s bear was a force of nature.
Killian ushered Noah inside, forcing him closer to the massive furball. Blinking several times, Noah fought the urge to wait in the hallway until his mate was back in his human form.
Ryker closed the door. “He won’t hurt you, Noah. We’re cognizant in our animal forms. He’ll know who you are.”
That did not make Noah feel any better, especially since he had no idea bears even came in Quinton’s size. “He’s...enormous.”
Killian grinned, patting the bear’s hindquarters playfully. “He’s always been a big guy. You should see his—”
Noah gaped at Killian, his brows shooting to his hairline. “See his what , exactly?”
Ryker stifled a laugh, and Killian’s face caught fire as he quickly tried to backtrack. “His...bear form. You should see his bear form.”
“I’m staring right at it.”
Noah flung his hand toward his mate.
With a loud groan, Killian rubbed his face. “Please, for the love of everything, don’t tell him I said that.”
He dropped his hand. “And since we got you back here before he woke up, do Ryker and me a favor and don’t mention your Houdini act.”
Killian stepped over the bear to get to the kitchen. “You got anything to eat? I’m starving and those pastries won’t put a dent in my appetite.”
Noah ignored them, his attention focused on Quinton. His mate lay there, unconscious, his breathing steady but slow. Despite the size and ferocity of Quinton’s bear, Noah knew the beast wouldn’t hurt him.
This was Quinton—his mate, his protector.
Slowly, Noah inched closer then poked the bear’s hindquarter, feeling the soft fur beneath his fingers. Quinton didn’t move, didn’t react.
He tried again, this time stabbing his finger a little harder, but he still got no response.
“Are you trying to poke a hole in him so he’ll deflate?”
Ryker asked with humor in his voice.
“It’s my process, okay?”
Noah said nervously. “You’re used to seeing your dad like this. Forgive me for being cautious around an animal that could probably fit my entire head in his mouth.”
“You don’t have any food.”
Killian came back into the room with a pout. “No wonder you’re so skinny.”
Ryker slapped the back of his hand against Killian’s gut. “That’s our stepdad you’re talking to. Mind your manners.”
Eyes wide, Noah slowly turned his head toward them. “Do you really have to say that right now ? Can you let me get through one freak-out at a time?”
“We’ll just order some food,”
Killian said, warmth in his gray eyes. “What do you want from the diner, rabbit?”
He pulled out his phone, already dialing.
“Why do you keep calling me that?”
The guy better not think Noah was cute and cuddly.
“You rabbited out of here.”
Killian smirked at him then said, “Hey, Roman, it’s Killian Everhart.”
He paused then frowned. “I’m aware it’s the lunch rush, but you don’t have to groan about it. Consider yourself lucky it’s just my dad, Ryker, and me ordering instead of all four of us. Oh, and the little birdie.”
Ryker slapped Killian again, only this time he cuffed his brother on the back of the head.
Noah was going to shelf the whole “stepdad”
thing for now. Like he’d told them, one freak-out at a time.
“Rabbit?”
Killian glanced at him. “You can go first, since you’ll probably want a salad or something.”
“Are you always an asshole?”
Killian ducked out of the way when Ryker tried to cuff him again, nearly tripping over the bear’s legs. “Stop hitting me, goddamn it.”
“Stop insulting our dad’s mate,”
Ryker snarled.
At least he hadn’t called Noah his stepdad again. “I’m broke, so go ahead and—”
“If I’m ordering, I’m paying.”
Killian looked expectantly at him.
“In that case, I’ll take a juicy cheeseburger, well done, on a pretzel bun, with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and pickles. A large fry, with a side cup of steak sauce, a large iced tea, and a chocolate molten lava cake, ice cream on the side.”
Killian’s mouth dropped open slightly. “Color me impressed. You’re gonna fit in nicely. Maybe you can get Wesley to eat like that.”
Noah had no clue who Wesley was.
As if reading his mind, Ryker said, “He’s our younger brother’s mate.”
Noah vaguely remembered Quinton telling him he had three sons. With everything going on, he’d honestly forgotten.
While Killian and Ryker placed their incredibly large order, Noah glanced at the bear.
Might as well get used to it since I’m mated to the guy.
With a deep breath and hammering heart, Noah climbed over Quinton’s hind legs, settling himself against the bear’s warm body. The fur was soft under his cheek, and the rhythmic rise and fall of Quinton’s breathing started to calm the storm inside Noah’s head. For the first time since the attack, he began to feel safe again.
This was all Noah had wanted when he’d tried to approach Quinton in the hallway earlier. His mom once told him that simply touching her mate eased her anxieties better than any medication ever could.
She’d suffered from not only anxiety but depression since his dad had died three years prior to meeting Jack.
Noah thought it was just an excuse for the way the two were always hugging and caressing each other. But she had been telling the truth. All of Noah’s chaotic emotions melted away as he burrowed himself against his mate.
“Food will be ready in about thirty, rabbit,”
Killian said.
Without moving a muscle, Noah replied, “I’d suggest you stop calling me that if you don’t want your dad asking why you’ve nicknamed me rabbit.”
“Good point, birdie.”
Killian chuckled.
Noah groaned. “Can’t you give me a badass nickname so I’m not so intimidated around moving mountains?”
“There’s no need to be intimidated,”
Ryker said with a gentle smile. “You’re a mate, which means you’re precious to us.”
Noah softly laughed. “Sorry. You made me think of Gollum when you said that. You know, Lord of the Rings ?”
“I like your sense of humor.”
Ryker chuckled.
Noah sucked in a sharp breath when he felt an electrical current run along his body. One second he was pressed into soft fur, and the next, he was crushed against a very hard, naked body with strong arms holding him close.
“We’ll wait downstairs for the food,”
Ryker said, but Noah wasn’t paying him any attention.
He was too busy gazing into steel-gray eyes.