Lyra's Pack: A Werewolf MC Romance

Chapter 2 Max

Few things pissed Max Torantino off like a man hurting a woman. A slap in the face is enough to make him see red. But what this dog was about to do to the lady made him feel down right rage.

"You're gonna let the lady go and finish this with me. You wanna pick a fight, pup? I'm right here." He spread his arms wide and gave this guy his best arrogant grin. He'd been spoiling for a fight anyway.

"I said this isn't your business, wolf. Go back your trash can trailer. The b***h and I have business to settle." Max tried for arrogant nonchalance but he couldn't keep his hands from fisting.

"Looks to me like the only b***h here is you, pup." That was enough to make him let the girl go, letting her drop to the ground by the tree holding her head, even though her eyes were squeezed shut. He made a mental note to have Audrey pay special attention to her head when he took her back to the clubhouse. It wasn't normal practice to bring outsiders into the club, especially when they weren't even wolves, but he felt a pull in his chest when he saw her traveling through his woods and couldn't leave her, especially not hurt like this.

No, he was taking her back to the club to be checked over. But before that, he had to deal with this asshole. Now that the girl was safely out of the strike zone, he could handle this garbage. Without waiting another moment, he threw his fist at the asshole's face, hearing a crunch on contact. Probably his nose. Could have been a tooth. Max didn't care as long as a bone was broken, and the dog was bleeding. Already disoriented from the blow, the dog swung at him but missed by a good six inches.

"That the best you can do, dog? Or just the best you can do against another male? Or maybe you didn't come here thinking you would run into someone your own size. Guess I really don't care that much." Max kicked the downed male in the gut for the hell of it. He was already bleeding for two different places on his face, but he deserved it and Max had some energy to expel.

"Ugh," he heard the girl groan from her place by the tree. Normally, Max knew better than to look away from a fight. It was a lesson his father taught him as a child and had kept him alive in plenty of brawls. This time, though, it was different. Before he could think about it, he ripped his eyes from the dog's crouched form and checked on the girl. Still unconscious but coming about, he noted before his opponent swiped his legs from under him.

It was a rare thing for Max to fall on his ass during a fight, to be bested even for a moment. He was Alpha for a reason. He was just glad his pack wasn't here to see that embarrassing moment. It wasn't long, though, before Max had the upper hand once again and was leaned over the dog shifter, knocking him unconscious with one good punch. "And that's what happens to males who hurt females in Long Fang territory," he said to the unresponsive form before getting up and making his way over to the female.

Nearly to her, he shifted, his big, black wolf pawing over to her where his human form had stood a heartbeat ago. The threat was neutralized, so there was really no reason for him to shift, but he needed to smell her. Really scent her as only his wolf nose could and he didn't want to wait. For some unknown reason, he wanted to get her scent first before any of the other males back at the clubhouse had a chance to get their snouts anywhere near her. Maybe even after he had memorized her scent, he still wouldn't let them near her.

He wasn't sure why, but he felt protective, and even a little possessive of this female that he didn't even know. He hadn't even gotten the chance to speak to her, but he knew her name. Lyra, the dog had called her. He hadn't been worthy of speaking her name. Her beautiful name.

Coming up on her he was a hair's width away from her delicate skin along her graceful neck. He could stand there all night just admiring that neck and would have if she didn't need medical attention for that head injury. Despite that, though, he still needed to breathe her in just once before they left this place and the rest of pack got their eyes on her. The males and females alike would enjoy the view she presented by just being.

His breath caught as he took his first whiff of her perfect scent. She smelled of the woods in a way that no human ever did. It was wild, yet somehow calming to him, as only the forest can be to a wolf. A lure of true freedom from the human trap, but also a sense of belonging and home. That's what her scent offered him. He knew she wasn't a wolf though. Not only through her scent, but also because she hadn't fought back against the dog the way a wolf would. Most would immediately shift. Even a female wolf could take on a male dog, especially a coward like that one had been.

Her scent was too lovely and delicate for any predator animal, but too warm to be any scurrying critter that hops along the floor or jumps through the trees. He stepped back and returned to his human form. He took in her appearance. Rough as she was, she was lovely. Long limbs with curves in the right places. He had to admit he would want a few nights with her even if she was human. He had no doubt that she would be able to keep up with his demanding pace.

There was no time for him to follow those ideas. She needed help and not the kind he could offer her now. He gently slid his right arm beneath her shoulders and his left under her knees. He hated to rustle her, as she had to still be in some pain. He looked down as her face, as gorgeous as the rest of her, as he carried her back to his pack, already deciding that she would be his.