“This warrant gives you to right to arrest Theodore and Norman for armed burglary, theft, and possession of stolen goods.”
“That’s right,” the man growled.
“Right…but what I don’t see is where it states his parents hired you,” Groose said.
“They were the ones who filed the complaint with the Alpha,” the man replied.
“He’s lying,” Ollie muttered, but before he could say anything else, a thunderous roar filled the meadow along with the sounds of crashing trees and breaking branches. Glancing over his shoulder toward the noise, he saw Smokey bursting through the edge of the surrounding forest.
“WHERE IS MY MATE?” Smokey’s voice was deafening as his eyes darted around the meadow, finally landing on the huddled figure in Ollie’s arms. Without waiting for an answer, he rushed to Theo and scooped him up in his arms, softly crooning in his ear.
Ollie stood as Norm, followed by Mac, emerged from the trees and made a beeline toward him, Smokey, and Theo. Relieved, he said, “I think he’s all right but…”
“What happened?” Norm asked, placing his hand on Theo’s back, rubbing it softly.
Groose stepped forward and explained who the handcuffed man was, then handed the warrant to Norm. “When the bounty hunter shifted, Oliver did also, and that resulted in a fight. My men heard it and arrived in time to stop Oliver’s bear from killing the wolf.”
“He was gonna kidnap Theo,” Ollie said softly. “I had to stop him.”
Shifting his gaze from Ollie to the bounty hunter, Smokey’s eyes narrowed as fury surged through his body. “Is that so?” he growled with icy anger, causing the cuffed man to shiver.
“Smokey,” Mac said, interrupting the grizzly bear's thoughts of revenge, “I should examine Theo to make sure he is okay.” Then, turning to Ollie, his eyes examined his mate’s body for signs of injuries, but though there appeared to be none, he wouldn’t be satisfied until he’d checked him out completely. Raising his eyes to meet Ollie’s, Mac smirked at the refusal he saw lurking there. “You don’t have a choice,” he said quietly. “Either you agree or I’ll have Jackson order you…what will it be?”
“Ollie? Please,” Theo asked, his voice barely audible.
After hearing the pleading in his cousin’s voice, Ollie knew he had no choice. He had found it hard to resist his cousin in the past and now, knowing how frightened Theo had been about the fight, it was impossible to say no. “I’ll go…but only if you look at Theo first,” he said, raising his head and staring at Mac.
“Of course,” Mac replied, holding out his hand to Ollie.
Rolling his eyes, Ollie grabbed his mate’s hand, muttering under his breath, “You know there’s nothing wrong with me.”
“I know,” Mac whispered, “but Theo needs you…and I need you, too.”
Ollie’s heart jumped at those words, and a smile broke out on his face. Bringing their joined hands up to his lips, Ollie kissed them before placing them over his heart. “I need you, too,” he murmured.
The bounty hunter suddenly realized Theodore was leaving. He snarled, “Hey…you can’t take him! He’s my prisoner.”
Smokey stopped and stared at the bounty hunter for a moment before glancing at Groose. “You got a cell somewhere?” he asked.
“Yeah…several of them in the basement of our building.”
“Put him there while I see to my mate,” Smokey growled. “I have some questions he needs to answer.” Then, ignoring the bounty hunter’s sputtering protests, he carefully cradled Theo in his arms as he and Norman headed to the path that led back to the pack house.
~/~/~/~/~
After Logan ensured Kieran was properly dressed for the chilly night, he smiled as he stood outside Brian and Reif’s home. “You look gorgeous,” he murmured, tucking Kieran’s scarf into his mate’s jacket. “Did you make this?”
“Nope,” Keiran said, giggling. “Q did…I just picked the color of the yarn.”
“Pink, of course,” Logan said, chuckling.
Grinning, Keiran said, “It’s ‘Perfect Pink’. I couldn’t believe I didn’t know there was even a color with that name, but I guessed I should’ve, right,macushla? I mean, could there be a more perfect color made for me than one called ‘Perfect Pink’?”
“It was made for you,” Logan agreed, grinning. “How’s squirt doing?”
Kieran’s eyes widened. “O. M. G! He’s so excited, I feel like I have a jumping bean in me. Here…feel.” Lifting his jacket, he grabbed Logan’s hand and rested it on his belly, smiling at his mate’s reaction. “See?”
Laughing, Logan said, “Yup…he’s certainly looking forward to his adventure tonight.”