“Get away from her,” he growled in a deep voice that was more Bear than man.
“You better leave us alone, pal, this is Clan business,” the largest of the three men responded, sniffing first to make sure the man they were addressing was a Shifter.
Little did they know, Tonic Nanouk was a Polar Bear Shifter. Larger and more powerful than the three Black Bears, and currently employed by the Head Enforcer of the Barvale Clan.
“Unless you have an urgent need to meet your maker, get the fuck away from my female,” he tried again, rolling his shoulders and flexing his muscles.
“Who the fuck are you?” snorted another of the trio.
The smaller male turned to face Tonic defiantly, challenging his Polar Bear in a way that was so not advisable. He didn’t even have to think about it, he just reacted. His claw-tipped hand shot out and gripped the fucker by his puffer jacket.
He barely exerted himself as he lifted the big man like he was a sack of potatoes. He pulled the man’s ashen face down to his, growling and snapping his jaws before tossing him across the frozen parking lot.
“Which one of you fuckers is next?” he snarled and heard the seams of his flannel tear as his body grew with the force of his animal.
“Tonic, don’t,” Maya moved closer to him, allowing him to tuck her behind his big body, but still, his Polar Bear registered her wide blue eyes and her tense posture.
This was unacceptable. She was with him. Under his protection. What made these assholes think they could touch her and live?
“I’m okay. Let’s just go-”
“Shut up, half-breed, this is Bear business,” growled another of the three men.
Maya clearly knew these guys. Probably from her school days. She had talked once or twice about being the victim of cowards like these, and even the Alpha had alluded to it at their meeting.
They were typical bullies. Nothing to write home about. Just some sorry ass guys who’d hit their heyday back in school. Probably still talked about triumphs on the football team and high school parties. Average assholes who worked shitty jobs and resented never making it to pro-level sports.
It was their own laziness, lack of talent, and zero ambition that was responsible for their life, but men like that didn’t see it that way. They often took out their failures on others, on good precious souls like Maya.
Not this time, he vowed. Those fuckers had picked the wrong woman to push around.
Tonic growled at the three assholes and suddenly he knew who they were. Daniel had them on the Clan watchlist. That was a list of names and images compiled of local troublemakers for the Enforcer Security Unit to watch out for.
Hank Adams, Treyvon James, and Grayson Kettle regrouped and rolled their necks and arms, readying for the imminent fight. He had no issues with a three to one match.
That was the thing about siblings and cousins, group fights were the norm for him. Tonic would not completely shift, not here, but he could hold a half-shift and use it to his advantage.
One sniff of the group told him they’d been drinking already, and from the stink had probably started some time the day before. Shifter metabolism meant the effects of alcohol typically were not felt unless the person in question worked at it. Clearly, these three men thought it was their job.
Yeah, Tonic would have no problem kicking the shit out of three drunk Bears. Fucking lowlife asshats.
“Hey,” Maya snapped her fingers in their faces, “I am trying to save your sorry asses, you jerks, but if you’d rather let one of your Enforcers rip your fool heads off then sure, challenge him,” she spat at the three bigoted dickheads.
“What are you talking about?”
“You haven’t heard of the Nanouk brothers? With their cousin Bowie, they are the Enforcer Security Unit under Daniel Devlin. He not only has the power to tear you a new one, but he has the authority,” she growled and Tonic’s approving rumble sounded loudly from beside her.
Somehow, his feet had moved without his knowledge and Tonic found himself standing slightly in front of, and to the left, of the sweet young female his Polar Bear would kill to protect.
She hadn’t exactly told the truth about having the authority to punish these males. He was charged with keeping the peace, but Marcus had made it clear she was not Clan.
Still, he would argue these Bears were just looking for a fight and they were risking exposing the Clan’s existence, hell the existence of Shifters, to the normals in the area. So yeah, he had the authority to punish them.
Tonic was a force to be reckoned with but he normally disliked violence. However, he would make an exception here and now. Maya needed him and she trusted so completely in his ability to shield her from the three men that he swelled with pride.
Mine, chuffed his Bear, though the beast’s attention did not waver from the Black Bear Shifters who were at that very moment, regrouping, and taking stock of each other.
“You like pushing around females? Is that what they teach you Jersey Bears as cubs?”
“No man, it ain’t like that,” said the smaller of the trio.
He had been standing closest to Tonic when he’d shoved his pal across the lot. The stink of fear rolled off him in waves and it made his stomach turn. Fucking cowardly assholes.
Tonic rolled his shoulders and bared his fangs, embracing his inner beast and relishing his strength as his size increased the closer he got to transforming.
Stopping a Shift when your animal was raring to go took a lot of control and power, not everyone could do it. Holding a half-Shift was even more difficult, and as he felt his features sharpen and the light smattering of white fur ripple across his forearms and cheeks, Tonic savored the sensation.
“She’s nothing. Just a half-breed. She can’t even change, man,” the man named Treyvon sputtered.
He was obviously trying to reason with Tonic. Hoping to unite them in bigotry and all around stupidity, he supposed, but all the shithead accomplished was to further anger his Polar Bear.
Fury welled up and Tonic saw red despite the fact that the whited out wintry scene was anything but. Without a second’s hesitation, his fist shot out and caught the fucker right in the jaw. The crunch of his bones breaking satisfied his Bear’s urge for blood, but only momentarily.
“You broke his fucking jaw, man!” yelled Grayson.
He was the only one of them who hadn’t been on the receiving end of Tonic’s anger. These males picked on a lone female. They bullied a woman. His mate.
Forced her outside with them. Put their filthy hands on her. Shoved her to the ground. Spoke badly to and about her. They deserved to die. To be pummeled into dust. To scream for mercy while he tore them to shreds.
Rrrroooaaarrrr!
“Hey, hey, hey, it’s alright. Tonic, look at me Tonic,” a soothing, soft voice called to him, begging for his attention and the animal inside of him looked out through his human eyes to the small delicate creature beckoning him so sweetly.
Her breath was coming out in puffs and immediate concern for her physical health took over. She was cold. He could fix that. Removing his somewhat ripped flannel he wrapped it around her shoulders. His large hands clamped down momentarily on her body and the contact was like a lightning strike.
His nerve endings were pulsing madly at the platonic touch, but he couldn’t help himself. He liked touching her. Wanted to do it more.