Free Claim the Bear by T. S. Joyce

hard to focus on what Samantha was saying when she could hear the snarling and slapping just outside the door. Pained grunts echoed through the hallways, and Breshia swallowed the bile that threatened to choke her. Some of those awful sounds were being wrenched from Dillon.
    When at last the front door creaked open and Bron and Logan sauntered into the living room, Breshia was seconds away from biting her fingernail to the nub.
    “Where’s Dillon?” she asked.
    “He’s fine,” Bron said, running his hand through his hair. “Or at least, he will be.” He was dressed, but his shirt was already spotted with red. “Probably best if you give him some time to himself though.”
    She tried to keep the fear from her voice. “I need to check on him.”
    “Look, lady—”
    “Breshia,” she said in a small, trembling voice. “My name’s Breshia.”
    “Look, Breshia,” Bron corrected himself. “Your new mate is off in the woods, where he’ll likely stay until he can heal a bit. You wouldn’t want to find him like this, so let him be if you value your hide.”
    Logan approached slowly and turned her with gentle hands. Lifting her shirt again, he sucked air through his front teeth. She closed her eyes against the embarrassment. She’d only met Logan a few times, when he’d been summoned by the pride. He was basically a stranger, lifting her shirt for all to see the shameful marks on her back.
    “The cuts will be closed by morning, but my mate has some salve that’ll take the color and tenderness out of them. I’ll bring some by. Reese called and said she’s dropping your car off at Dillon’s house. She said its beat up pretty badly, but I can take a look at it when I bring the salve. I can probably fix it for cheap if it’s just cosmetic damage like she thinks.”
    “Okay,” Breshia said, exhaling a long, steadying breath. As soon as she figured out how to withdraw her savings from her Portland account, he could have whatever amount he found fair. Her old beat-up beetle wasn’t much, but right now, it was about all she had to her name in the whole world. Logan’s offer to help was more than generous. “Thank you.”
    “Did Thomas force you?”
    “I ran before it got that far,” she explained quickly. Nothing about this conversation was comfortable in front of mixed company.
    “Come on,” Logan murmured. “I’ll give you a lift to Dillon’s house. He could take all night and you look exhausted.”
    To her surprise, Samantha wrapped her up in a tight hug, then handed her a scrap of paper with a telephone number scribbled across it. “Call me if you need anything.”
    Breshia didn’t know Samantha, but as she lifted her gaze to her friendly, open face, she knew she liked and respected her. Samantha had shown more kindness tonight than anyone in her own pride had ever done, and at no benefit to herself.
    “Same,” she breathed. “I know me being here messes up a shaky alliance with Shira.” She looked at Bron, who’d sunk into the cushion of the couch. “But know I wouldn’t do anything to purposely bring harm to any of you. If you need anything, just ask.”
    The alpha nodded his head slightly, then Breshia followed Logan outside.
    He ripped the engine of his motorcycle and handed her a helmet, and when her arms were around his waist so she wouldn’t fall off the back, he eased through the meadow and onto the gravel driveway.
    Breshia scanned the woods beside the road for any sign of Dillon, but he was gone, like an apparition who didn’t want to be found. Whatever Bron had done hurt him. She swallowed her worry down and held onto Logan a little tighter as he sped up.
    Dillon’s pain, and whatever he was going through out there in those cold woods was on her.
    She didn’t understand the way things worked around here, and she was out of her element, but if this is what needed to happen in order for them to stay together, then she had to remain strong for him.
    He would come back to his