Free River Wolf by Heather Long

was fear for Luc or fear of him, Brett didn’t have time to parse. One thing was certain—she had no idea about wolves.
    “Miss…” Goddammit, he didn’t know her name.
    “Colby. Colby Jensen. We need to call…”
    “Colby,” he tested the name on his tongue, and he liked the way it formed. Locking gazes, he relied on his strength as an Alpha. Her pupils dilated then contracted to pin points. “We will take care of him. Go sit down. I’ll get Luc from the car.”
    Cupping her elbow, he ignored the bite of static electricity that jumped from her skin to his. The woman needed to be managed and, when Luc was safe, he needed a good thump in the head. What the hell was he thinking bringing a human into the middle of the mess?
    The softness of her skin teased his wolf, and the animal within him prowled forward. It wanted a bite, to test and taste. She needed to go. His pack had experienced enough trouble. They didn’t need a human…
    “Colby ,” he repeated her name more for himself than for her. She was a person—a living, vibrant woman with a life, and a history and a purpose. “We can argue about care and treatment later, but we need to get him from the car.” He needed to get a grip. They didn’t eliminate potential threats before they actually became threats. The weather had the potential to suck; it didn’t mean it did.
    “Okay,” she exhaled. “Good point.” Tugging her arm away, she strode toward the door and Brett followed, palming his cell phone along the way. He fired off a text to Owen alerting he and Gillian to Luc’s arrival in Hudson River. The mated pair were due to return the following evening, and unless Luc was critical…
    Owen answered almost immediately. Critical?
    He replied, Unknown. Standby .
    Arriving at the door a step ahead of Colby, he opened it for her. The skies continued to pour a dreary rain. “Stay on the porch,” he ordered. No sense in both of them getting soaked.
    “You might need me. He’s got heavy casts on and we don’t want the plaster to get wet.” Then without waiting for his response, she strode out into the rain. Her white cotton shirt, already moulded to her like a second skin, turned virtually transparent. The waterfall of black hair slicked to her back and he hurried after her. Instead of opening the passenger side door, however, she opened the backdoor and withdrew an umbrella. Popping it open, she held it over their heads and met his gaze. “Are you sure you want to take him out here? We might be better off transporting him to a hospital or at least calling the ambulance before we take him out.”
    “I’m sure.” He nudged her to the side so he could open the passenger door. Luc’s eyes fluttered open, the yellow-gold of his wolf glaring at him. A snarl issued from his throat as his gaze darted once to Colby then to Brett again. Despite his injuries he surged forward and the skin on his cheeks rippled. “No.” No pretense and no denying the order in his voice, Brett gripped Luc’s jaw. His wolf would obey, pack mate or not. His wolf knew him, and the beast snarled but Brett didn’t retreat. “I’m going to take you into the house and you’re going to keep it together, got it?”
    “Got it.” The words were ground out between his teeth.
    “Damn, you have the bedside manner of an ogre.” Colby’s disgust echoed behind.
    “Hush,” Brett said. He had no time to soften his manner. Luc’s wolf was rising and it wanted out. The injuries were severe and he should have long since shifted, but in the human hospital he couldn’t. A lot of he should haves rolled through Brett’s mind and he ignored them all. Should have, would have, could have—what mattered was what he’d chosen. Freeing the seatbelt, he slid an arm beneath Luc’s injured legs and then around his back.
    Though his friend was a big man, Brett matched him in height and had more in bulk around his shoulders. He could carry him for miles if necessary. As gentle as he could,