Shane's Angel

The night was still, not even a breeze stirring the leaves of the trees and dried grass stretching away from the nearly deserted back road. The full harvest moon had risen and the night creatures were scurrying in search of food. The silence was suddenly shattered by a rumbling roar. A single headlight cut through the trees at the far end of the small mountain pass as the rider cranked open the bike's throttle. By the time the bike was all the way through the pass, it was almost flying, with fallen leaves churning in its wake and small animals bolting for their homes. Shane tossed his head back, feeling the wind whipping his hair around as he raced down the road. He hadn't really thought about liking the freedom of the bike when he bought it to replace the mustang that would be staying with Seth, but he absolutely loved it. Normally he rode with a helmet but tonight he needed to get out of his brother's house and his wolf needed to feel the wind. He loved his brother and was thrilled that he had finally found his mate, but the preparations for tomorrow's wedding were driving him crazy. He didn't know how Seth was dealing with all the insanity. He couldn't help but think it might have been better to have it at a venue away from Jades ranch. The spot they had picked near the pond behind the ranch house was amazing, without a doubt. The weeping willows around the water created a breath-taking canopy that needed almost no embellishments. But the constant stream of people dashing back and forth and bringing everything needed to host a wedding was overwhelming. Shane took a deep breath, inhaling the crisp fall air, relaxing as he exhaled. Letting the stress of dealing with so many humans rushing around fall away. As he sped down the quiet road with the heavy orange moon hanging over his shoulder he let his thoughts drift, first to his brother and how happy he and Jade were together. He remembered the first time they had seen Jade, They had been sent by the council to track down a maneater that had been killing and hunting up and down the west coast, from southern California to the Canadian border. The monster had found her after a horrible accident in the back country. She had been on her way home from the high country drop camp alone. Half way home, a rocky trail had crumbled out from under her horse's hooves. A dangerous fall that had sent both her and the horse into the bottom of the steep ravine. Jade had been half buried in rubble, badly injured, unable to move, she had been waiting to die when the maneater had found her. For whatever reason, instead of killing her he had decided to change her. She had survived the change without becoming a maneater herself . He had kept her trapped in a cave, trying to push her over the edge by capturing humans, trying to starve her into killing them. By the time they tracked down the cursed bastard, she had been in his cave for several weeks. She had done her best to survive among the murdered people he had abducted and dragged to the cave, only to kill them himself when she refused to. When they saw her she looked just as crazed as the creature they had gone to stop. Before they could approach her, the insane monster had shifted into his tattered wolf and charged them. While they dealt with him, Jade had slipped past them and out of the cave. Since she knew the mountains she had been able to hide from them for a few days. Once they caught up to her, Seth had nearly broken her neck before either of them understood that she wasn't a maneater and wasn't a threat to others. They had just begun to settle into the peacefulness of Jades ranch and outfitter service when Robert blindsided them. He was a former council enforcer as well and someone they had worked with many times. He had been retired from the service for a little over a year. The last assignment they had all worked on had gone south in a big way and Robert's partner had ended up being killed before any of them could stop it. It hadn't mattered that Seth had killed the creature. A fellow enforcer had still died. They hadn't seen him for months when he showed up at the ranch. There hadn't been any reports on him or any warning, no one had known that he had gone rogue. Within seconds of them greeting him, he clubbed Shane with a board that had been leaning against the barn and turned to stab Seth with a silver knife. The knife had sliced deep into Seth's ribs, hitting dangerously close to his heart. Seth had been bleeding out on the ground next to him, desperately holding his ribs, when Shane's head stopped spinning enough to look up to see Jade. She was squared off against Robert, standing between him and the brothers sprawled out on the ground behind her. Even now, months later, Shane could still feel how helpless he had felt. Laying there on the ground, still a bit dazed from the blow to the head and unable to help, as Robert shifted and charged at Jade. He didn't really remember the next few minutes as Jade shifted as well and she and Robert began ripping into each other. When he finally got his feet under him to stand up, the fight was over as suddenly as it began. He heard a loud scream and when he looked, both of them had frozen in place for a moment. Then Robert backed away whimpering. When he shifted back to his human form , Shane saw the Jade had actually bitten off his left fore paw. Jade had begun to circle him, growling as Robert stood there clutching his mangled arm to his chest. He stared at her for a long moment, his eyes full of rage,pain and hatred, before he hissed between his teeth. " This isn't over!" Then he bolted into the forest before they could stop him. Shane jerked himself out of the memories. He was sure Robert would come after them again after his arm healed, but for now he decided to put the whole thing aside and enjoy seeing his brother marry the woman he loved. He grinned as he glanced up again at the fat orange harvest moon, then he turned the bike onto a road that would loop back around to the ranch. He sped down the winding road as fast as he could, no longer lost in his thoughts, just enjoying the crisp night air in his hair and tugging his clothes.