Christmas Moon by Sadie Hart

in her hand, her face flushed with a
fight. But there wasn’t a mark on her. “The gun shots.”
    God he sounded like a bloody fool. Babbling
on without making a damn bit of sense.
    Her lips curved into a smile as she reached
him. “He took off straight towards you. I thought the same.”
    Her gaze darted to the tear in his coat and
then to Rylie. “She okay?”
    Hunter jerked his head in a nod. “Took a
tumble, but I’d say she’s had worse. Heartbeat’s still steady.”
    Bree glanced out at the forest around them
and Hunter stiffened as an icy wind slid past his skin, colder than
the air out side. It prickled, raw energy, and he knew it was the
Hound in her letting loose her magick. “He’s gone. At least, he’s
out of my range. Let’s get her to a hospital and call in the real
Hounds.”
    Hunter let her turn him back down the slope
and towards the parking lot at the base of the trail, but he
couldn’t help the snort that sounded from him. The real Hounds?
Bullshit. They hadn’t done a damn thing to help him here. Oh sure,
they’d put on a front. Acted like they’d cared. But Bree had been
the one to pull out all the stops. She’d been the one to truly help
him.
    She might have quit Shifter Town Enforcement,
but she was more of a Hound than the entire pack in White Pine as
far as he was concerned.
    And she was sure as hell the only Hound he
would ever rely on.
     
    ***
     
    Bree sat in a waiting room chair in the
hospital, her head leaned back against the wall as she stared up at
the ceiling. She’d passed the weapon over to Shifter Town
Enforcement when they’d arrived, as well as a detailed accounting
of what had happened.
    The woman in charge had sneered at her the
entire time, lectured her on how next time she was supposed to call
in those still on active duty, and had doled out more than her
share of threats. Bree closed her eyes against the growl that built
in her chest at the memory. It vibrated in her throat, threatening
to break loose. Hunter had gone to them for help first . It
wasn’t her fault that they hadn’t done a damned thing and he’d come
to her.
    “Bree?” His voice came like velvet out of the
dark and she opened her eyes to see Hunter standing over her, one
eyebrow arched as he watched her. “You look ready to bare
fangs.”
    He gave a slight half-smile. He’d been there
when the Hounds had grilled her. She’d felt him trembling at her
back as he restrained himself from jumping into the fray. Only her
hand on his chest had forced him to hold his tongue, but the
glittering anger in his eyes had been enough to cut the meeting
short.
    “I’m fine. How’s your wolf?”
    “She’ll be okay. A few of the pack are in
there with her now. She’s awake and talking, which is a good thing.
She lost some blood, but nothing major. They’ll stay with her.”
    He didn’t have to add that it wasn’t just for
company. She hadn’t known him long, but she knew him well enough to
know Hunter wasn’t the kind of man that left anyone in his pack out
to dry. He’d made damn sure Rylie was safe and that this didn’t
happen again.
    He held out the keys to his truck. “How about
we get you home?”
    “Sounds good to me.” She rose and followed
him out of the hospital. Her body ached from the hike up Wolf’s
Peak, the fight, and the race down. Damn, but she’d gotten soft in
her time off.
    Softer than she’d really meant to. The fear
and helplessness that had rolled through her when the rogue had
turned after Hunter and his wolf had slammed that home. Never did
she want to feel like she couldn’t be enough to save the
day.
    Never again.
    “White Pine has a gym, right?”
    Hunter glanced over his shoulder, heat
smoldering in his eyes. “Sweetheart, I don’t think you need
one.”
    There was a teasing note in his voice that
drew a soft laugh from her. “The aches in my body say
otherwise.”
    Something purely masculine flashed across his
face and it warmed her, making things low