Micah lowered his arms and shoved his hands into his front jeans pockets. “I know that. She’s refusing to take my calls.” He scowled. “And she sent me these really annoying videos of a cartoon cat dressed like a Pop Tart.” He shook his head, the scowl lightening to a simple frown. “Look, she has no reason to trust me, but I just want to tell her it’s safe for her to come home now.”

Julian couldn’t stop the rumbling growl, even if he wanted to. “She is home.”

Micah shifted, his stance changing from defensive to proud. “I Outcast my father.” He stared straight into Julian’s eyes, and Julian could see how this man had become an alpha. There was strength there, and determination. Julian could sense the desire to make amends in the other shifter, and it was bothering the hell out of Micah Boyd that Tabby wouldn’t let him.

“Why?”

Micah’s gaze filled with rage and sorrow, an odd combination. “Tabby wasn’t the only one he hurt.”

That cold, twitchy feeling was stronger than ever. “When did you Outcast him?”

Micah frowned. “It was my first act as the new Alpha.”

Julian cursed under his breath. “How long have you been alpha?”

“A little over two years.”

Tabby had been living as a human in Halle for less than a year. She’d spent years as a Wolf, avoiding Packs due to being made an Outcast by her former Alpha for a crime she didn’t commit. He tugged on his braid, praying he was wrong. “Please, for the love of the ancestors, tell me that son of a bitch is being watched.”

“Honestly, I hope he rots in hell. I told him I never want to see him again, and he left. I don’t know if he’s still in Georgia or not, and I don’t care.”

“Shit.” He waved to the passenger seat. “Get in and help me clean up your family’s mess.”

“What are you talking about?”

Julian did something he’d never done with a non-Bear shifter. He used his shaman’s voice, allowing his power as a Spirit Bear to flow over the other man. “Get in the car, Alpha Boyd.”

Micah’s eyes went wide, but he stood his ground. “What the hell? What did you just try to do to me?”

Well. Hopefully curiosity would win out over the ass kicking Micah was probably going to try and hand him. “I’ll explain if you’ll just get in the damn car!” He didn’t care that he was shouting. He just needed Micah to either get in the car or get out of his way. Didn’t he understand? Cyn was in danger. He let his eyes go silver, his hair white, and glared at the alpha. “Did you get permission from Max and Rick to be here?” When Micah cursed Julian almost laughed. According to Pack protocol, the Marietta Alpha had royally screwed up. He’d stepped onto another Alpha’s territory without clearing it with that Alpha first, and if Max didn’t hand him his ass Rick would. “If you get in the car, I’ll cover for you.”

Micah grumbled but got his ass in the car. “Now will you explain it to me?”

Julian dove into the car and took off in a squeal of rubber and smoke. “Have you ever heard of a Spirit Bear?”

Micah shrugged. “They’re the mystical, magical, legendary priests of all shifter kind. My father used to tell stories of them, but I never believed in it. I mean really, Spirit Bears? Who believes in that kiddie kind of shit?”

Julian was tempted to start singing the Care Bear theme song. He’d looked it up and learned the lyrics to make Cyn laugh, but he hadn’t had the guts to sing it to her. Yet. “We prefer the term shaman over priest.” He took a turn so sharply he almost ran up on two wheels.

Micah was staring at him as if he lost his damn mind. “Are you telling me you’re some kind of legend?”

“Only in my own mind,” Julian muttered. He ignored Micah’s chuckle. “If you don’t believe me, you can call my leader, Tai Boucher.” Wouldn’t he love to be a fly on the wall for that conversation? Tai would take the young Alpha and have him spinning in circles within minutes.

He screeched to a stop right outside of Living Art Tattoos, just remembering to turn off the engine before he was out of the car, Micah hot on his heels.

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

Julian ripped open the door to LA, ignoring the startled look on Cyn’s face. “I think your father is trying to kill my mate.”

Cyn damn near jumped out of her skin as Julian raced into the shop, a strange man hot on his heels. She crouched, her claws extended, ready to defend her mate from danger. Julian shouldn’t even be out of bed, let alone running anywhere. The doctors still hadn’t cleared him to do anything more strenuous than eat a sandwich and pee.

In two strides Julian had her in his arms, his face buried in her hair. “You’re all right.”

She allowed her claws and fangs to recede. Julian would never hug her in front of a dangerous stranger. “Jules?” He was shaking like a leaf. She tugged on his braid, stroking his back when he shuddered. “What’s wrong?”

The relief in his silver gaze was overwhelming. “Nothing, I just had a bad feeling.”

Cyn froze. Tabby had once told her that Julian’s bad feelings were almost as good as a prophecy. Something was about to go down, and her mate was smack dab in the middle of it. Without letting go of Julian, she pointed toward the stranger. “Does he have anything to do with it?”

Julian loosened his hold on her and turned to look at the stranger, keeping one arm around her waist. “Yes, but not the way you think.” He nodded toward the stranger, but she could tell Julian was uneasy around him. “This is Micah Boyd, Alpha of the Marietta Pack.” Julian tugged on the end of his braid. “He’s here to hunt down his Outcast father.”

She absolutely hated it when Julian lied to her. “Sure he is.”

“His father, Dennis, is the one who Outcast Tabby. One of Micah’s first acts as the new Alpha was to Outcast him. He’s been gone from Marietta for two years now. He also wants to reinstate Tabby’s position in her birth Pack.”

Tabby had told her a long time ago that Outcasting was a huge deal to Packs and Prides. She remembered Tabby’s constant skittishness, her fear that Max would drive her from Halle without any warning, simply because he could. An Outcast had no one they could rely on, nowhere they could turn to for help. Outcasting was supposed to be used for those who committed a crime against Pack or Pride, but Alpha Boyd had used it to hurt a little teenaged girl who’d never done anything wrong other than dare to be different. Tabby still carried the emotional scars of having lived her life in her Wolf form for eight years. Only now that she’d been accepted into both the Halle Pride and the Poconos Pack did she finally feel she had a safe harbor. “You think your father is capable of seeking revenge?”