Protect Me (Sawtooth Shifters, #3) by Kristen Strassel Read Free Book Online Page A

the emotional roller coaster of last night, all bets were off for the timing. Seeing Kiera unconscious. The kill. Then lying in bed with Kiera’s head on my shoulder. Not doing anything but watching her sleep. Anything more would’ve been a mistake. She was wounded, and I was too close to my animal form. “I think she got a concussion.”
    Dallas pressed his lips together, shaking his head. “You shouldn’t have brought her some place over her head to show off.” He took a long sip of his beer. “It’s bad enough we’re catching shit from Major for hanging around with the Forever Home girls, but if one of them gets hurt under our protection, it’ll prove everything he’s been bitching about. Shadow’s going to lose his mind when he hears about this. If anything happens to Kiera or Lyssie on our watch, he’ll be picking us out from between his teeth.”
    “I don’t need to protect her. She’s not a spoiled she-wolf who can’t take care of herself,” I growled but didn’t have a chance to say more before Mom sat down at the table. I stewed in my own juices as she dealt the cards. I considered telling Dallas what I’d done to Ryker’s guy. I was tired of my brothers thinking of me as weak. But then they’d think I condoned the violence we were fighting so hard to stop. I didn’t consider murder strength. Just the opposite. “Shadow’s out for blood this month, wanting to finish off Ryker once and for all. There’s no stopping that or his pissing contest with Major.”
    “Baron!” Mom groaned.
    I couldn’t live with myself if this was what being in the pack meant now. I wanted peace. I wanted to be able to take my girl out on an adventure and not have to worry about attacks or political repercussions. It was hard to believe in something that didn’t bring me happiness, even if it did lead me to Kiera.
    “I didn’t say anything to Shadow,” Dallas muttered. “But don’t fuck up again, Baron.”
    “I don’t care how full the moon is, that word is not allowed in my house and you know it. All of you need to be careful tomorrow night.” Mom put her cards down. My brother turned to me, open mouthed. “Don’t think I have no idea what’s going on in the forest. The tension is as thick as pea soup between all of you boys since you’ve been back. Be smart. It’s more important that being strong. Make your family proud.”
    She picked her cards back up. There was no arguing with that. I had some big decisions to make, depending on what happened during our shift. Just like last time we became wolves, things would never be the same again. I could barely concentrate on the game, but I was thankful for the distraction. Mom called me out on my weak plays, but it wasn’t unusual that she kicked our asses every hand.
    “Rummy!” she called out. “You should never put two fives that close together, Baron. I taught you better than that.” But she was distracted, too; someone was scratching at the door. Not unusual, considering we’d all be canine in twenty-four hours, but not yet.
    She opened the door and gasped. “Shadow? Honey, come in. You shifted already?”
    What the fuck?
    **
    W e made it through the attack with little damage. Not like last time, when we lost a brother. I’d expected much worse, but Shadow’s prediction was spot on—Ryker and his men never saw us coming. Shadow shifting early had everything inside me on point, my nerves tangled in fur that wanted to burst through my skin. My thoughts and movements were more wolf than man, but catching Ryker and his men off-guard was our best weapon.
    Ryker was dead. Shadow ripped him to pieces, but his blood was on my hands, too. Another death. I may not have killed him, but I was an accessory to the crime. Ever the loyal soldier, I drove Shadow to the farm, and executed his orders. I didn’t think about what I did, just like the man on the mountain last night.
    I let instinct take over. This wasn’t my wolf, this was something much more