Wounded Shifter

1. Shot the Messenger With Good News

Anya Kitt had returned to the ranch happily, her baby bump was hiding one more gift that neither she nor her silly bear was expecting. Her oldest son, Jax, was at school leaving their house to her and her mate to celebrate this news as they pleased.

The house was silent when she walked in. Thinking he was out watching the cattle with David, his younger brother, she crept to their shared room to prepare the great way she wanted to tell him. When a groan hit her ears from the room he uses as an office. She crept quietly to the cracked open door to find Ezra, her mate, on the phone. A pit formed in her stomach as she heard only his side of the conversation. A sound she knew rather intimately made her quietly back away and leave to do to Samuel's, his older brother, house. It took one look at her shell-shocked expression and the faint whiff of blood from the pregnant woman to make him growl in disgust towards his brother.

"'Miah get her to the hospital, something's wrong!" Sam called to his mate who stuck his head out of the bedroom and nodded before shooting out a few minutes later pulling on a shirt.

"He was- and I- what did I do wrong?" Anya's big brown eyes searched everywhere for an answer.

"It's okay, hun, let's get you to the hospital." Jeremiah was gentle as he led her to the truck and helped her in.

It wasn't okay, she wasn't enough for her mate and it was killing her. His mark on her neck felt like it was coated in acid, her stomach twisted, and she felt sick. It's not okay.

~~~

Ezra was swathed in the smell of his pregnant mate. The voice of the woman telling him such things that never left his mate's mouth made it water, much to his disgust. It was always her he thought about during these phone calls. Always his Anya he pretended Jolene to be.  His bear would rip his dick off if that wasn't the case. He, being as distracted as he was, didn't hear his Anya enter their home, nor did he smell her nearing him until the twinge of blood, her blood, and the scent of sour betrayal flooded the house. His eyes widened in shameful fear as he whipped his eyes to the door of his office, the door that wasn't all the way closed.

Ezra hung up the phone and straightened himself up in a manner of seconds before shooting out of his office chair and rushing to follow after her. Only to open the door to come face to face with his very pissed-off brother.

"Get your shit and get out," Sam growled his bear was dangerously close to the surface of his skin.

"Sammy, I need to get to An-" He was cut off from finishing his sentence by a growl from the larger brother.

"You lost the right to say her name when you started this mess." Sam clamped a hand on Ezra's arm above the elbow and shoved his younger brother to the bedroom. "I won't repeat myself again, get your shit and leave."

"You gotta understand I didn't-" Ezra started but was cut off by his brother's right hook.

"I don't have to understand anything more than your mate smelling like mom after what that bastard did, that's all I need to know. You're lucky it's me here and not David. Now hurry the fuck up." Sam snarled.

Sam was right, David would've let his bear maul Ezra and Ezra's bear would've let it.

With Samuel watching him like a hawk, Ezra gathered his things. Effectively erasing his existence from the home. The bed of his truck was full of his stuff by the time the school bus had dropped Jax off.

"Dad, what's happening? Why is the truck packed? Are we going camping like you promised?" The seven-year-old started grinning widely as he ran up to Ezra.

"Ajax," Sam called the boy to him before continuing. "Ezra did something bad and won't be back."

"What did he do? Dad, what-"

"He broke your mother's heart," Sam answered coolly, interrupting the boy's questioning as his glare leveled with his brother who looked to begin being crushed by the gravity of the situation.

"Does that mean he kissed someone other than Momma?" Jax shakily asked.

"Exactly that kiddo."

"Dad, why?" Jax's eyes watered as he looked at his father begging for an answer his feet glued to the spot. "Don't you love Momma most? Don't you love me? Why would you-"

"Sometimes there isn't a good answer Ajax, go tell uncle David that I'm gonna need his help cleaning your house okay." Sam had knelt down and carefully tussled the boy's black hair.

"Ok." The boy's voice that was so happy only moments ago was now hollow hate tainting his eyes when he glanced at his father before leaving in the direction of his Uncle David.

"Why did you do that?" Ezra asked his heart heavy and his bear extremely pissed at him.

"Because Mom and Uncle Mac kept it from us. Look how well that went. Now he'll know why you aren't there and why his mom smells wrong instead of asking all the time and breaking her heart more." Sam sighed in disappointment, removing his gaze from his brother like he couldn't stand looking at him anymore.  "Leave, don't come back."

And with that Ezra left, feeling suffocated by the knot holding his heart. If only he hadn't been drinking that night half a dozen years ago, none of this would've happened. His bear grumbled his displeasure at that, no it wasn't that night that caused all of this, it was all the nights afterward. He should've told her, told someone so this noose wouldn't be tightening around his neck. He had pulled over down the road and felt the world breaking around him. The smallest part of his mind whispered the question, 'who would believe any of this was caused by a waif of a woman?' That thought made shame and disgust swirl through him in a nauseating slurry. After a moment, Ezra had reigned in his cacophonous emotions and thoughts and decided then and there that he'd do everything in his power to prove to his Anya that he is a worthy mate again, even if it means losing himself in his bear. He'd do it.