I am so broken.

Aimee was about to get up when a sharp, shooting pain went through her head.

Carson leaned forward, concerned as she doubled over from the agony of it. “Are you all right?”

An image of Wren went through her. She could see him outside being trounced by a group she absolutely hated. “Wren’s in trouble.”

Carson gave her a suspicious look. “He’s downstairs busing tables. How can he be in trouble?”

Aimee shook her head as images of him being beaten flashed through her head in sharp clarity. Because of the close friendship they shared, she could almost feel the blows. “He’s not inside the club.”

Without another word to Carson, she flashed herself to the alley behind the club where they dropped their garbage into Dumpsters.

Sure enough, just as she’d seen in her mind, Wren was there, surrounded by a pack of wolves. It was the Arcadian pack that had been in New Orleans even longer than the bears had. Their leader, Stone, had been at odds with her clan since he’d hit puberty.

All of them hated that little prick.

There was something about him that just chafed her raw. He and his bully squad were always looking for some reason to jump any Were-Hunter who came to Sanctuary-if they were Katagaria, even better. She had no idea why they were so aggressive, but there was no excuse in their behavior.

Wren was trying to maintain his human form, but because he was in the middle of puberty and currently in pain from their beating, his form kept shifting from naked human to tiger to leopard and back again. He was covered in bruises and blood from their bites.

Anger descended on her with a vengeance as she ran at the wolves. “Get out of here! What are you doing?”

They turned on her then. Stone, who was more than a head taller than her and twice her girth, grabbed her and shoved her against the wall. “You’re not inside the club, little girl. The protection of Sanctuary doesn’t exist out here. Stay out of this or get hurt.”

Wren growled as he lunged after one of the other wolves, but he was no match for them. Not while he couldn’t control his powers.

The sight of them preying on him disgusted her.

“If those are my only two choices… I choose to get hurt.” She head-butted Stone and kicked him back, then ran to Wren to try and help him to his feet. Something that would have been infinitely easier if he stopped switching from human to large, heavy cat.

“Can you walk?” she asked him, panting from the strain of trying to lift his body.

“I’m trying.”

“Can you flash him inside?”

She froze at the deep sound of Fang’s voice in her ear. Looking up, she saw him in human form. Her heart pounded in gratitude as she did what he asked and prayed that Wren’s uncontrolled powers didn’t interfere with hers for the jump.

Fang turned to face the Arcadians who stared at him in disbelief.

“Well, well,” their leader said in a smug tone. “What have we here? A piece of Katagari trash that’s taken up refuge with the bears?”

Fang gave him his best shit-eating grin that was designed to anger him. “No, just a wolf who’s going to kick your ass back to whatever hole it crawled out of.”

Their leader scoffed at his boast. “And you plan to do this alone? You think a lot of yourself, don’t you, animal?”

Fang shook his head. “Oh, punk, please. Believe me, when dealing with wusses like you who have to gang up on a kid to feel powerful, I don’t need any help.”

They charged him. Fang turned into a wolf as he leapt at the leader’s throat. He tackled him to the ground. He would have ravaged him more, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of the others pull a Taser. As the Arcadian fired it, Fang leapt out of the way. It fizzed on the leader who went down cursing.

Fang dove at the legs of another. Before he could get ahold of him, Dev and his brothers were there as backup. Not that he needed it, but…

The Arcadians scattered like school-yard bullies seeing a principal.

Fang manifested his human form and sneered at their flight. “Yeah, you better run home to your mama. Hide under her skirts until you grow enough balls to stand and fight.”

Dev grabbed the one who was still on the ground. “Stoooone,” he said, his tone lethal as he dragged out Stone’s name. “How many times do we have to tell you not to come here?”

But it was hard to hold on to him since Stone was shifting from human to wolf and back again.

“The tiger started it,” Stone growled out the ten and a half seconds he was human.

Dev snorted. “I somehow doubt it. Wren keeps to himself unless he’s provoked.”

“What about you?” The Dev lookalike with the ponytail sneered at Fang. “Why are you here?”

Fang narrowed his eyes as he took issue with the bear’s tone. “Back off, Grizzly Adams. I don’t answer to you.”

“Leave him alone, Remi,” Aimee said as she rejoined them. “He allowed me to get Wren inside and send you guys out here to deal with Stone.”

Passing an arrogant sneer at Remi that he was sure ticked the bear off to no end, Fang turned his attention to Aimee. Dressed in a simple T-shirt and jeans, she took his breath away. Her blond hair was mussed with a large strand of it falling into her eyes.

Every part of him came to life.

She didn’t even look his way as she lunged at Stone.

Remi swung away from him to catch her. “Settle down, little sister.”

Aimee struggled against his hold. “Settle down, my heinie. Did you see what he did to Wren? I want to claw a piece of his skin off.”

Stone raked her with a repugnant glare. “He’s an animal, like you. He deserves nothing better than to be a hide mounted on a wall.”

Aimee kicked at Stone, but, courtesy of Remi, her foot just missed him. “You disgusting filth! If you’re the ideal of humanity, I’d much rather be an animal.” She looked at Dev with her lips curled. “You’re right, I hate wolves. They’re the most repulsive breed ever conceived. Why Lycaon picked them for his sons is beyond me. I think they should all be rounded up and executed. Filthy dogs! All of you!”

Stunned, Fang felt her words like a blow to his stomach. Dog was the worst insult that could be dealt to a wolf. It likened them to a whipped animal whose only function was to please its master. A mindless supplicant with no power, no dignity, and no sense.

But it wasn’t so much what she said, it was the sincere hatred backing those words that cut him the deepest.

She was just like the all the others who hated his species and it was why the wolves did their best to avoid the other branches of their kind. No wonder with all the different breeds living under the Peltier roof none of them were wolves.

It was all crystal clear now.

Making sure to keep his voice even, Fang stepped forward. “For the record, there’s a big difference between a dog and a wolf. The main one being, we heel to no one. Ever.”

Aimee went cold as she remembered Fang’s presence. She froze in Remi’s arms as instant regret tore through her. How could she have forgotten he was here?

She turned and saw the anguish he hid behind an emotionless expression. It burned deep in his eyes. “Fang-”

He vanished before she could finish her apology.

Aimee cursed. How could I have been so stupid?

The problem was she didn’t include him in the same category as Stone and his crew. And up until she’d met Fang and his pack, Stone was the only wolf she’d ever been around.

Remi tsked at her as Dev took Stone inside. “Guess you hurt his little feelings, huh?”

Aimee had to bite her tongue to keep from telling him to shut up.

I can’t leave it like this… .

Without a word to her brothers, she closed her eyes and zoned in on Fang. He’d manifested not with his pack or brother, but on the lower end of Bourbon Street where he sat on a stoop looking as ill as she felt.