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six. I’d bring her earlier, but I need time to find and prepare her. Swear you’ll abide by my terms and I’ll do everything in my power to help you.”
    His chest rose under his deep breaths and his gaze smoldered like fire, sparking with embers of anger and determination. “I’ll claim you.”
    “Swear it.”
    “I swear, I’ll claim you, but if I do, I’m not leaving you.” His eyes were dark and serious as he held her gaze like a caress. “You don’t want a pairing with me, Joanna. I’m no good for anyone but if I claim you, it’s for good. Make sure it’s what you want.”
    He stood abruptly and disappeared into the brush like he’d never been there at all.

Chapter Three
     
    Brody watched Joanna from the shadows. What had he done? He’d just promised a stranger he’d claim her so she could risk her life to help him. He’d just killed her. Selfish asshole.
    He crouched in the shadows and canted his head, studied the woman. No wonder Nathan coveted her. She was beautiful. Long, brunette hair fell in soft waves down her shoulders. He couldn’t tell here in the dark, but when he’d seen her inside the mess hall, her eyes had been stunning. They were green, but not the dark forest color. They were lighter, and more captivating framed by such dark lashes. The tank top she wore clung to her slim frame and the top of her head would fit just under his chin.
    And he ’d killed her.
    He breathed an oath and scrubbed his hands through his hair as members of her clan approached. She sniffled and looked up at a tall man with blond hair pulled back in a ponytail.
    “We thought you tried to escape again,” he said in a tired voice.
    “Not this time. I just needed some time alone.”
    The man crouched and sighed. “Joanna, it’s obvious you don’t want to be the mate of our alpha. You aren’t like the other women here, but you have to do a better job of pretending or you’ll be hurt. Do you understand?”
    Joanna looked utterly miserable and her tear rimmed eyes looked back to the trail Brody had left on. Dammit, he wanted to take her away from here. Not to claim her. It would only hurt her worse to be tethered to a hard man like him. But she was a woman being held in a life she didn’t want, by the clan that had killed her people.
    Nathan was going to break her. That much was obvious from the way he had treated her in front of his clan tonight. He didn’t revere her. He only wanted her to bend to him. It was clear they’d been pushing her or she wouldn’t have lost it in there. Or maybe she was angry all the time, he didn’t know. Perhaps she was already broken.
    “He wants to see you,” the man said. “He’ll still expect you to share his bed tonight.”
    Disgust and roiling anger slammed into Brody and he wanted to change. He wanted to let his bear out and cut the man down for even suggesting Joanna sleep with Nathan. It wasn’t a willing pairing. She had said as much herself, and now she would be forced into his bed? He stood and gripped a low hanging branch to ground himself. If he went after her now, he’d have no way of getting Hannah out of the Long Claw Clan.
    Nathan wasn’t some alpha with a council behind him to help him maintain balance when his bear tasted too much power. The man was absolute ruler here, and the madness Brody had seen in his eyes tonight proved he was on a dark path. He was the alpha of the most blood thirsty clan of bear shifters in the world, and he was losing control of his animal side.
    Joanna followed the man out of sight and Brody slammed his fist against the tree. He was supposed to be here to find Hannah, and now he had two women he needed to bring to safety. And one of them made him feel…unfocused.
    With one last lingering look for where Joanna had disappeared into the woods, he eased back onto the trail and began his decent down the hill toward the main road. If what Joanna said was true, the Long Claws hadn’t been abiding by the ir peace treaties.