Rhett chuckled. "Feisty, aren't you? I hope you put up more of a fight than Howard's first girlfriend. She was such a coward."

Elsa swallowed hard. "You killed his girlfriend?"

"The stupid b.i.t.c.h fell off a cliff. Well, I might have pushed her a little, but she shouldn't have run up there in the first place." He snorted with disgust. "We only meant to have some fun with her. She ruined everything."

He pa.s.sed the pistol back to the police officer. "Here, Rocky. Shoot the old one if Miss Bjornberg gives us any trouble."

"Right, Boss." Rocky aimed the pistol at Ula.

Ula closed her eyes and murmured a prayer.

"Pelton, call our drivers. We'll take both SUVs."

"Yes, sir." Pelton murmured into a cell phone.

Drivers? Elsa groaned inwardly. How many wolves were there? If there were two SUVs, that meant two drivers. A total of five werewolves. Elsa groaned inwardly. How many wolves were there? If there were two SUVs, that meant two drivers. A total of five werewolves.

Rhett grabbed Elsa's handbag off the floor and removed her phone. "I want you to call Howard and tell him to meet you at the gatehouse." He pressed the phone into her cuffed hands. "Make the call or watch your aunts die."

Elsa nodded, ignoring the burn from her birthmark. She had to protect her aunts. With trembling fingers, she pushed Howard's number. Rhett stepped closer to listen in.

"Elsa, how are you?"

She took a deep breath. "Hey, Howard. How about meeting me at the gatehouse? We could have a picnic."

"Now? It's early."

"My aunts want to meet you. They're really sorry for misjudging you."

"They-they're all right with me now?"

Elsa glanced at Greta. "Yes, they know you're the good guy now."

Greta nodded, and Rhett snorted.

"So you'll come?" Elsa asked. "Right away?"

"Give me about ten minutes. I have to pack us some food."

"Okay!" Elsa said brightly. "See you soon, Howie! Kisses!" She hung up.

Rhett ripped the phone from her hands. "Okay, guys, let's go bear hunting."

Howie? Kisses? Howard stared at his phone. Even after two days of lovemaking at the cabin, Elsa had never called him Howie. And somehow, saying "Kisses" for good-bye seemed totally out of character for her. Howard stared at his phone. Even after two days of lovemaking at the cabin, Elsa had never called him Howie. And somehow, saying "Kisses" for good-bye seemed totally out of character for her.

He checked her last text, sent ten minutes earlier.

YOU'RE IN DANGER! T THE WOLVES ARE COMING FOR YOU.

He smelled a trap.

And Elsa was luring him into it. He shook his head. She wouldn't betray him. She was being coerced. The detective from Anchorage and that reporter, Mr. Pelton, must have taken her and her aunts prisoner.

And they wanted him at the gatehouse.

A final showdown. And that meant one thing. Rhett Bleddyn had come for revenge.

Howard set the heavy picnic basket on the front porch at the gatehouse. Under a layer of cheese and crackers, there was a loaded pistol and an a.s.sortment of knives. He had another knife strapped to his leg under his jeans, and a pistol with silver bullets in a shoulder holster under his jacket.

He'd parked his SUV in the driveway after dropping off Phil, Carlos, and his cousins on the main road. They were going to hike in and position themselves for a surprise attack. As an Alpha wolf, Phil could shift at will. Carlos could shift into a were-panther whenever he wanted, and as were-bears, his cousins could, too. The Vamps would be sorry they missed the action, but they were all dead at the moment.

Howard tensed when he saw two black SUVs approaching. Rhett always traveled with a pack. The windows were dark, so Howard wasn't sure how many men were with Rhett. He probably had Elsa and her aunts with him. Threatening Elsa was the easiest way to make Howard submit. And threatening the aunts would keep Elsa in line.

Howard stepped into the driveway, lifting a hand in greeting as the two vehicles came to a stop. It might look like a friendly gesture, but he wanted to get as close to the SUV as possible.

When the drivers opened their doors, he lunged forward, slamming the door shut on the first driver. The man stumbled as Howard reopened the door. He grabbed the driver and tossed him into the woods. His cousins dragged him off to tie him up. Meanwhile, Phil and Carlos hauled the second driver away. Two down. And none of them had even needed to shift.

"Stop!" Rhett jumped out on the pa.s.senger side, pulling Elsa with him. He held a knife to her throat. "Attack any more of my men, and we start killing the women."

Two more men exited the SUVs, dragging Elsa's aunts with them. The women were all handcuffed. One of the men snapped an additional pair of cuffs on Aunt Ula, fastening her to the rear door handle of the first SUV.

Howard made eye contact with Elsa, trying to a.s.sure her that everything would be all right. She glanced up at the sky, then back at him. A quick look up and he realized what Elsa was trying to tell him. A line of birds was forming along the roof of the gatehouse. Greta was using her powers. No doubt Elsa would use hers, too.

"Rocky," Rhett called to the guy who had cuffed Aunt Ula. "Check Howard for weapons."

Rocky approached slowly, halting momentarily when Howard glared at him.

"Cooperate," Rhett growled. "Or I'll have Pelton slit Greta's throat."

The other guy, Pelton, pressed the tip of his knife against Greta's neck till a bead of blood formed.

"Fine." Howard lifted his hands.

Rocky removed Howard's pistol and the knife strapped on his leg.

"It's me you want," Howard said. "Let the women go."

Rhett snorted. "No way. I want to watch you suffer while I torture them."

"Only a coward picks on women. You hate me, Rhett?" Howard opened his arms wide. "Come and get me. A duel. One on one."

Rhett growled.

"I'm unarmed. It's your chance to tear into me. Isn't that what you've always wanted?"

"You b.a.s.t.a.r.d," Rhett hissed. "You've plagued me all my life! I should rip you to shreds."

"Try it." Howard motioned with his fingers. "Come on, you coward."

Rhett scoffed. "You think I'll fall for that? You're just trying to get me to release your girlfriend. You're scared to death I'll kill her, aren't you? You nearly died when I killed Carly, the pain was so bad."

Howard clenched his fists.

"I watched the car blow up, you know," Rhett sneered. "Saw your friend Harry explode into flames."

Howard gritted his teeth. The bear inside him growled, urging him to attack.

"Harry was right, you know. Your fathers were murdered. They refused to sell their land to my father, so he killed them."

The bear inside him raged, demanding to go berserk.

"Go ahead, try to attack me," Rhett goaded him. "I'll slit her throat before you can reach me."

"Let her go." Howard spotted a group of deer in the woods along the driveway. Large stags with antlers. They lowered their heads, ready to attack.

"Maybe I should bite her like I did Carly." Rhett bared his teeth and hissed in Elsa's ear. "And when she shifts into a wolf, I'll make her my b.i.t.c.h."

Elsa's eyes flashed with anger.

"Let her go!" Howard removed his jacket and tossed it to the ground. "It's me you hate. Fight me."

"I will. After you suffer." Rhett's head shifted into a wolf's head, and he opened his jaw to bite Elsa.

Behind him, the deer lunged.

Rhett cried out as antlers pierced his back. His knife plummeted to the driveway, and Elsa pulled away, running toward Aunt Ula.

A flock of birds flew straight at Pelton, and he screamed, releasing Greta.

The deer reared up, slashing at Rhett with their hooves. With a growl, he shifted and the wounds in his back healed. He charged after Elsa, but before he could reach her, Howard shifted and pounced on him.

They rolled on the driveway, bear and wolf, Rhett twisting and snapping his jaws. He landed a few bites, causing Howard pain but not any concern. As a were-bear, he was immune to the Lycan virus. He slashed his claws across Rhett's torso, then another slash across his neck. Rhett tried to wriggle away, but Howard pinned him down.

"Stop!" Pelton yelled.

Howard glanced to the side and froze. Pelton, his face covered with blood, had managed to knock Greta out, thus putting an end to the bird attack. He and Rocky held Elsa and Ula with knives pressed to their throats.

A sharp pain pierced Howard's arm as Rhett clamped his jaws onto him, ripping into his flesh with his teeth. Howard lunged back and Rhett scrambled away, retaking his human form.

Phil and Carlos attacked Pelton and Rocky from behind, and Howard, still in bear form, dashed toward the women.

"Watch out!" Elsa cried.

Howard stumbled to his knees as Rhett leaped onto his back and plunged a knife into his ribs. With a roar of pain and anger, he flung Rhett onto the ground. Rhett waved his knife about wildly, cutting Howard wherever he could.

With a swipe of his claw, Howard disarmed Rhett, then slashed him across the chest. The b.a.s.t.a.r.d had to die. He slashed again. Die for killing Harry. Another slash. Die for killing Carly.

Howard kept swiping and clawing till he succ.u.mbed to dizziness and fell onto his side. He was losing too much blood from the knife wound and all the cuts and bites. If he didn't shift before losing consciousness, he could bleed to death.

He changed back to human form and slowly sat up. Rhett was dead. He looked around to make sure Elsa was all right. She was standing next to her aunts. Carlos was in panther form and sitting next to Rocky's dead body. Phil had shifted and taken care of Pelton. The birds had flown away, but the deer remained gathered on the side of the road, watching Elsa.

The twins, still in human form, rummaged through the shredded remains of Rocky's clothes till they found the keys to the handcuffs.

"You're free." Jimmy unlocked the cuffs on the women. "Go in peace."

Jesse retrieved some extra sets of clothing from Howard's SUV.

Howard dressed, noting his wounds had healed, though he still felt a little sore. The blood would remain till he could wash up.

Elsa stepped toward him. "Are you all right?"

"Don't." Greta pulled her back. "He's still a berserker. You saw how vicious he was."

"He was protecting us," Elsa insisted. "He would never hurt us."

Howard's heart swelled. She still trusted him. Even though he'd been forced to kill in front of her.

She ran toward him. "Thank you, Howard."

He took her hand in his. "Guardian of the Forest. I will protect you for as long as I live."

She smiled, her eyes glimmering with tears. "Berserker, I will love you for as long as I live." She touched his face. "With no regret."

Epilogue

Five days later on Friday night, Elsa drove Greta and Ula to Dragon Nest Academy for the small party Shanna had planned.

"Oh my!" Greta peered out the window as they parked in front. "What a huge mansion!"

"It's a school for special children," Elsa explained.

"You mean berserkers?" Ula asked as she gawked at the impressive building.

"There are all kinds of children and adults here," Elsa said. "As far as I can tell, they're like one big happy family."

Howard exited the front door and came down the stairs to welcome them. He looked dashing in a suit and tie. Ula kissed his cheek, and he grinned.

Greta shook his hand. "So you're the head of security here?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'll be happy to take you on a tour later. But for now, we need to go to the party. It's already started." He took an aunt on each arm and led them along the front of the building.