Page 45 of Having the Bear's Baby

Liam did not loosen his grip. He held on, and once they went still from the momentum of the collision, he began thrashing, igniting a pitiful wince from Adam. He tried to slash and swipe behind at Liam. He struck Liam a few times, but only narrowly, and with the tip of claws that were ragged and unkempt.

Submit now! Liam ordered with a snarl in his mind. Submit now and survive, Adam!

Liam was getting irritated. He kept seeing the image of the hunting knife in his mind.

Liam let go of the tail, sending Adam tumbling sideways, but he did not give him a millisecond to recover. Liam launched himself onto Adam’s back, pinning him to the ground by his shoulders with all his weight. Adam’s face was shoved into the dirt, suffocating him briefly before pulling at the scruff of his neck with a brutal jerk.

He roared out in pain. Liam couldn’t deny it. It was a satisfying sound.

Adam, you have one more chance to yield, he muttered in his mind, bringing his snout down to Adam’s flickering ear. Yield now, and I will grant you and your clan banishment. Refuse, and only death awaits.

Adam emitted a gurgling sound from his mouth. He continued to wriggle underneath Liam’s weight, attempting and failing to push the muscular alpha off his back. He wasn’t going to relent.

Nor was Liam.

One more chance! Yield!

Adam stopped wiggling and then peered up at Liam. A slant of light snuck through the trees above, casting the alpha’s dead gray eyes in a surreal, steely hue. There was no mercy there. Only ill and evil intentions.

Fuck you and your female. I hope your child comes out dead.

Fury, with a touch of disappointment, filled his mind, and then, with a jerk of his head, he cracked Adam’s neck. The sound was jarring even to Liam.

He was alone in the dark, panting. Cruelty didn’t come easily to Liam. It wasn’t in his nature. But some alphas succumbed to it, mistaking it for leadership. There was no place in his world for such beings, especially in the world where his offspring would run free.

He climbed off Adam’s body, then stopped to listen, holding his breath for a few seconds. Relief washed over him when he heard nothing, the silence of the woods returning once more.

His clan had won. And that meant Emma was safe.

Liam shifted into his human form, only suffering the most minor lesions and cuts, to drag Adam’s corpse back to the main grounds of the battle. He approached the rest of the clan, who had also shifted back into human form.

“We found him,” Alex, his beta, said when he’d returned. “We were able to get him to tell us about their plans for tonight and got here as fast as we could.”

Liam knew he meant the traitor, the one who had slipped Emma the note in one of her bags. But he had to see his beloved first.

“Bring him to me,” Liam said, tossing Adam’s carcass roughly to the ground. “Bring me all of the survivors. We will decide the fate of the Granada clan.” Alex nodded, then moved through the moonlight.

Liam found Emma still clutching the shotgun on the porch. When she saw him, she dropped it at her feet like it was made of plastic.

“Liam!”

He was a little worse for wear, but the sight of his darling, her sparkling eyes looking golden under the moon, invigorated him to no end. She leapt into his arms, sending him stumbling backward slightly with a chuckle.

“Sorry, sorry,” she said, peppering his neck and chest with kisses. “I thought I lost you, Liam. You ran off into the dark … and …. and…”

Emma stuttered, her body tightening around his naked flesh like a boa constrictor. If there wasn’t anyone else present, he would make love to her right then and there on the porch. She was just so warm and welcoming, every inch of her exciting.

But that celebration would have to wait until practical matters were dealt with. He didn’t mind. They had their entire lives to explore each other’s bodies.

Liam kissed her neck, then placed her softly onto the ground. She remained wrapped around him when he hooked two fingers under her chin, staring into the depths of her stunning pools.

“I am fine, Emma. I am safe. I always will be, as will you.”

He couldn’t help himself. He crushed her with his mouth as she pushed herself onto her tiptoes, falling into each other. He pulled at her waist, simultaneously reveling in the softness of her skin and scanning her for any injuries.

Liam peeled himself from her, panting. They both grinned and laughed as Alex and the enforcers approached with three men, all naked, then shoved them onto their knees.

Emma noticed, then let him go, sliding her fingers between his. Like a king and queen, they descended from the porch, ready to address their prisoners.

---