Chapter 936 Chapter 936
Webb paused and inhaled slowly, letting his animal process all the scents in front of them. Bears might not be fast like the cheetah clan or see for miles like most of the fliers, but their sense of smell was phenomenal.
His animal tensed. He looked into the trees. Kiloh was close.
He had no weapon, but if he had to shift and bash him around until someone with a weapon arrived, he’d do it. This man needed to be brought to justice. In his entire life, he’d never heard of anyone trying to force their mark on another. He knew it used to happen, but since the Shifter community had become regulated by the Alliance and royal family, no one broke that law.
“Is anyone close? The jag and cougar are fighting.”
Webb dropped his things and started running. If anything happened to Cassius, it would crush Rhogue, and she’d suffered enough in her life.
He heard the sounds of struggle and chase before he could see them, and moved faster through the trees. His animal caught the scent of blood, making him hope it wasn’t from Cassius.
When he reached the small clearing, he slid to a stop. A tranq gun would have been good to bring with him. Cassius was stockier and had power, but Kiloh had an agility that his kind seemed to be gifted with.
He reached for the walkie in his back pocket only to find it empty. It must have fallen out.
Kiloh twisted and flipped Cassius off him. He couldn’t tell if the jag was injured, but the blood was visible on the cougar’s light coat.
Looking around, he hoped to spot something he could use as a weapon. Running back to the edge of the trees, he grabbed a decent-sized limb of a tree and pulled it down. The branch cracked and gave way to his strength. It had a good weight to it. If he could get close enough, a few bashes with it should at least slow the jag down.
Jogging over toward them, he lifted the six-foot branch in the air. “Hey.” He bellowed, his voice deep and gravelly. His bear was in this with him.
Kiloh flipped Cassius off again and pinned him by the throat.
“Kiloh,” Webb shouted.
The jag released Cassius and spun to face him.
Webb glanced to check Cassius was still breathing. He lifted his head, but didn’t get up. Webb felt relief, he was alive, anything more would have to wait a few minutes.
Kiloh kept his belly low to the ground and started moving toward him. His ears were back, and his muscles were tense like he was stalking his prey.
Webb braced his feet and bent his knees a bit. He lifted the branch like it was a baseball bat and prepared to use the jag for batting practice. His animal was livid. He wanted out, but Webb couldn’t allow that. He wouldn’t take the chance that Kiloh would get by him and move closer to Rhogue’s location. He needed to stop him right here before he even scented the factory at all.
Kiloh emitted a low warning yowl.
Webb scoffed as a response. His bear was tense and ready, giving him added strength.
The black cat darted toward him and leaped in the air. Webb swung, the branch connected with the side, sending him sliding across the ground. The limb broke on impact, leaving him with a much shorter, useless chunk of wood.
Webb dropped it and lunged toward Kiloh. He dropped down onto the animal’s back, using all of his strength and pinning him to the ground. He felt the muscles beneath him and knew he was strong. Briefly, he thought he could have used his bear’s bulk to hold him still, but would have to release him to shift.
As he inhaled, the other shifter's scent filled him, and his animal responded with rage. This was the man who had hurt their mate.
Kiloh struggled and gained some space for movement. Webb shifted his focus to hold the upper part of his back and head down, hoping to keep the sharp feline teeth as far from his body as possible. Hopefully, backup reached them soon.
Intense pain shot through his shoulder as Kiloh used back claws to gouge Webb’s flesh. In a frenzied move, he got out from under him. Webb jumped to his feet just as Kiloh leapt toward him. He caught him in the air, around the belly, and squeezed with all the strength he had.
The jag swatted at his face, but Webb managed to avoid the contact. He grabbed the back of his head and jerked it back. He almost lost his hold on him when the shifter's hind legs touched the ground, giving him leverage to fight against his hold.
Webb managed to wrap his arm around his neck and adjust his hold so Kiloh’s back was against him. Using his leg, he wrapped the animal's back legs behind it and dropped to one knee.
His bear wanted blood, and Webb felt his mouth fill with teeth that weren’t his own. Kiloh struggled as Webb communicated with his animal that there was no way, in any scenario, he was biting the pungent-smelling fur beside his face.
His animal retracted its teeth, and a surge of fury moved through Webb. This animal, whose neck they held, wanted to hurt Rhogue. Webb heard the roar that came from his own mouth and knew his bear had just voiced his own rage through him.
Kiloh struggled in chaotic movements. Webb felt a pop against his tense bicep. The jag went limp in his hold. Webb released him and stood up.
“What the actual F did my eyes just see?”
He heard Blair, but didn’t take his eyes off the unmoving jag at his feet. He didn’t need to check if he was alive; his bear had already confirmed there was no life in that scared-up shifter on the ground.
“Cassius, can you shift back? How much of this blood is yours? Take your time. Noah, keep watch.”
“What the actual F?” Noah said quietly.
“What?” Blair scoffed. “Kobie doesn’t want me swearing in front of the kids, it’s a do it all the time thing or forget and end up in the doghouse.”
Webb glanced to see Blair on the ground beside Cassius, checking his side. He was lying where he’d fallen, but had managed to be upright and not sprawled on his side.
He heard boots on the ground and inhaled slowly. Rhogue was here. Amari and Tripp, too. Later, he’d ask why she wasn’t safe at the factory. He looked at Kiloh. He'd taken the life of another shifter. A rogue, sadistic piece of shit, but still a shifter. Cassius was alive, and Rhogue was safe. That’s all that mattered.
“He wrestled a god damn jag, Tripp. We couldn’t get a shot without hitting Webb.”
He heard bones pop and was happy that Cassius was able to.
His bear prodded him to turn around and look at their mate. He planned to. He just needed a minute to compose his thoughts. He’d broken the law. His whole life, he’d avoided violence and kept the peace in many situations he shouldn’t have placed himself in, and now he was a criminal.