Page 75 of Bear Facts

A long argument ensued about what to do with the feral Shifter.

Reid had teleported the woman back to the cabin, where they sat now, everyone human and dressed again.

Freya had insisted the woman be taken upstairs and put into a bed, and she’d gone up with her. Reid volunteered to stand guard over her, reasoning that he could tranq her again or grab her and take her to Eric if she woke and tried to get away.

Neal had gone up to stand at the head of the stairs, sword point down, like a sentinel in ripped jeans and a leather jacket.

Brody suggested they keep the woman tranqued until Eric and Graham could decide what to do with her. Shane wasn’t sure whether he agreed or not, but they couldn’t let her revert to wolf and savage everyone, especially with Freya here.

When Dougal declared loudly that they should just kill her and have Neal send her to dust, Freya burst downstairs in indignant rage.

“Is that really what you do to any Shifter in trouble?” she demanded.

Brody tried to play peacemaker. “Remember what she did to Leo,” he said gently. “A feral Shifter is mostly dead already, Freya. Very few regain their sanity.”

“If she gets loose in here, she could kill all of us without trying very hard,” Dougal put in. “If she takes out Neal, who’s going to send us to the Summerland?”

“She didn’t actually kill Leo,” Freya pointed out. “She could have, easily, as you say.”

“She left him for dead,” Dougal said. “Same thing.”

Dougal had no love for Leo, but he’d want vengeance on a wrong done to one of Graham’s Lupines.

“I agree with Freya that she deliberately left Leo alive,” Shane said. “We need to find out exactly what happened there. I doubt Leo was walking along, minding his own business when she simply attacked.”

“Of course, she did,” Dougal insisted. “She’s feral.”

Freya shot Shane a sideways glance. Remembering how she’d attacked him without provocation, was she? He winked at her, and she snapped her attention back to Dougal.

“You are not killing her,” Freya proclaimed.

“You think we should just let her go, then?” Dougal’s tone was incredulous.

“No.” Shane spoke in a firm voice. Dougal flinched but quieted. Shane turned to Freya. “We have to take her to Shiftertown, sweetheart. She’ll die out here.”

“How are we supposed to get her there?” Dougal asked in a calmer manner.

“Teleported and tranqued.” Shane met Freya’s stubborn gaze. “It’s the only way.”

“I know.” Freya’s eyes held anguish and anger. “But I wish?—”

Whatever she wished was cut off by a wailing scream from upstairs followed by pounding footsteps as Neal and Reid charged into the bedroom where the feral lay.

Freya was up the stairs in a heartbeat, Shane a pace behind her. He heard Brody and Dougal follow.

The woman was standing up on the bed, clad in the nightgown Freya had found in one of the drawers. She clung to the headboard with one hand, the other held out in a defensive stance.

Her terrified gaze was locked on Neal and the Sword of the Guardian. She continued to keen, the sound splitting Shane’s ears, while Dougal cursed with language worthy of his uncle Graham.

Freya darted past Neal and Reid to the bed before Shane could stop her.

“It’s all right,” Freya shouted over the woman’s howls. “You’re safe.”

The light blue gaze snapped to Freya, and the screaming instantly stopped. The woman continued to clutch the headboard as her cries changed to wretched sobbing.

Shane grabbed for Freya as she climbed up on the bed, but Freya shook him off with surprising strength.

Freya knelt on the mattress in front of the woman without trying to touch her. “I won’t let them hurt you, I promise.”

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