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“Scared? No. Angry.”

Macy shook her head. “No, babe. Anger is a secondary emotion. What’s the real emotion underneath? Fear that you can’t trust her? Fear that you can’t trust yourself?”

Theo blinked.

Macy grinned. “Bartenders are basically therapists.”

“I’ve heard that,” he muttered, thinking over what she’d just said. What was he really upset about?

He was hurt.

His best friend had lied to him.

But he’d lied to her, too. At least about his feelings.

And now she was sick and he was ignoring her. Except he wasn’t ignoring her. He was ignoring her friends. Did she even want him anymore?

“So, what are you going to do about it?” Macy asked, leaning against the bar. “And I’ll give you a hint, burying all your feelings deep down and not dealing with them is not the right answer.”

Theo huffed. “That’s enough therapy for one day. I have to go.”

“Say hi to Phoebe for me!” Macy called as he strode out the door.

The air was cold and sharp outside the bar. The sting of it felt good on his skin. He didn’t bother with his truck, just hurried down McKinley and to the trail head at the end.

He shifted and stretched his legs, shook out his fur. This was what he needed. Lungs filled with pine-scented air, his wolf senses taking over. He ran, leaving town behind, letting his nose guide him. His body flew through the trees, his stride opening up as he ran. Snow crunched under foot and small animals scurried out of his way.

This was the only way to make the thoughts stop, the memories, the fucking feelings.

The feelings made him want to tear his hair out.

Or howl at the moon.

Or something equally insane.

He didn’t know where he was going, but at some point a light rain started and coated Theo’s fur in a cold mist. Macy’s words floated disjointedly through his mind. He wasn’t angry. He was scared and hurt. Story of his damn life.

Footsteps halted his thoughts. Footsteps and human voices. He froze.

“We’ve seen several wolves running through here lately.” A man’s gruff voice cut through the quiet of the woods.

“How can we be sure it’s the same wolf doing the attacks?” another voice asked.

“Doesn’t matter. You see a wolf, you fucking shoot,” a third voice said with a chuckle.

Theo’s heart thudded against his ribs. Shit. He’d managed to completely forget about the attacks on humans. Had there been more? He’d been so out of it he didn’t even know.

“You’re sure we have permission to hunt them?” the hesitant hunter asked. He recognized the voice, Sal from the bar. And Tom and Gil. So, this was where everyone was. In the damn Pines. He should have guessed.

Gil scoffed. “Our families are under attack, Sal. They’re in danger. We don’t need permission to protect them.”

Families under attack seemed like an exaggeration to Theo, but he didn’t actually know how bad things had gotten. What he did know was he was in his damn wolf form and about a hundred yards from at least two very enthusiastic wolf hunters.

He was fucked.

He started backing away slowly, keeping the low shrubs between him and the hunter’s line of sight. If he could get enough distance between himself and the men, he could turn and run. But as it was, he had no desire to turn his back on this trio.

They were scared. Theo could smell it, the fear wafting off the men as they scanned the woods around them. And a scared human was the most dangerous kind. The Highlander’s brilliant revenge plan was endangering wolves everywhere. The humans were out for blood. Eye for an eye and all that. And Theo was currently the closest target, the easiest way for these men to find their revenge.