Page 40 of Shifting Years
Outside shouts came, and a tall, dark-haired muscled man my height burst through the door. An angry sneer grew under this upswept black hair. His fist missed my jaw by less than an inch and splintered the desk's edge, spraying the air with wood chips.
In unison, the sheriff and I grabbed his arms, pulled them behind, and then up in a standard policeman lock. A lawman and a hitchhiker stared at each other for a few quick heartbeats before locking thick handcuffs on him.
"Let me go! I'll kill the homewrecker who kissedmyOmega."
He jerked his head toward Mike and sniffed the air. "I can smell him on you!" he growled, and his eyes darkened with rage. "You wanted it, didn't you? That's why you want to go out, so you can screw other men! Well, it won't happen. I'll kill him before you get a chance."
With a long flex of his red-tingled biceps, hestretchedcrackedmetal. I assumed the sheriff used stronger handcuffs in a shifter town, but today, it didn't hold.
I ducked his earlier fist, but he was a skilled fighter and adjusted, landing a hard hit across my jaw. He avoided the sheriff's arm and Mike pulled him back. If he hit Mike, the sheriff would fill out paperwork for murder.
I'd have questions later, like why the sheriff didn't turn into a wolf. Perhaps it was anAndy Griffithtownwhere the lawman was easygoing. Ithelpedme before on the street, but now it let the beet-red face guy have another shot.
I wished I could have experienced the next few moments like an army hero in Vietnam—bullets whizzing by, mortar shells erupting, yet still charging forward with bayonets. Instead, I screamed while a man turned into an oily-black wolf tangled in country-style clothes.
In the movies, the clothing disappears, but not here. Mike and the sheriff jerked up and around as if expecting something worse to come. The sheriff had enough holding back and brought his black baton down on the wolf's head. It connected but didn't stop razor-sharp canines from sinking into my flesh.
Officers poured into the tiny office, repeating the sheriff's baton attacks, and they reminded me of the college protests from the news. The creature didn't release until I punched it in thenose, making it howl in pain. It collapsed to the floor under a tangle of policemen.
My eyes met Mike's. He was a man so confident in who he was and traveled across America on his own. He didn't let anyone beat him.
Now he huddled in the corner crying like the women on those domestic disturbance calls. On some, it was obvious the boyfriend or husband hit their girl, but they wouldn't press charges. Fear kept them quiet.
Mike was in the same situation.
***
"Ma'am," I said to a pretty, tiny woman and her taller dark-haired girlfriend. Funny how I never thought of gaywomen, but I didn't think of magic or shifters either.
"You're Todd," said Mary, the taller one.
"TheTodd," added Penny.
There were implications in her statement, and we had a quick and to-the-point conversation. Henry was alive and according to shifter law, I approached someone else's Omega. Legally, he could kill me. He'd heal over a few days and be ready forsatisfaction. I could leave town or rescue the short man I finally found.
"How do you save someone who doesn't want to be saved?" I asked out loud.
"Oh, he told you?" asked Mary.
"Well, he didn't fight back."
Mary was the Alpha and more dominant, but Penny's narrow stare bore into me. "It's that simple, is it?"
Embarrassed heat flashed over me. "No, but I… we need options." There had to be a way to save him. We weren't together, but Henry attacked someone I loved. He abused Mike, even if he didn't hit him. However, I heard there was a nasty bruise where Henry grabbed his wrist.
"I like Mike as a friend," said Mary, glancing at Penny. "But wolves have to fight their own battles, or their mate has to step in for him. It makes the pack strong."
Mentally, Mike is stronger than me… no, was. This man Iknewwouldn't fight, and his Alpha wouldn't become a better man. Why would he? Everything was perfect forhim.
An idea took root in my head. "Ladies? Can I fight to be his Alpha?"
***
I didn't have long to get my plan working, since Henry healed faster. The women hinted I could leave, but I searched for this town and the man I needed in my life. I was not giving up.
As if I were a robot, I marched up to the door and knocked.
"Go away," came a small voice. It came from Mike, but it might as well have been from someone else.
