Shadewood there is a bear in the wound

She opened her mouth to answer her mate’s question, only to clap it shut again when she realized she was shaking. Physically speaking, she wasn’t in terrible shape. The bite was serious but it was the only injury she’d sustained in the attack. Now that she was safe under Riley’s care, it let the emotional aspect of the ambush catch up with her.

I didn’t mean to kill her, she said through chattering teeth, at least, at first. I was just going to subdue her. But she attacked me out of nowhere! And I—I had to eliminate the threat, didn’t I?

Masque shuddered at the pleading note in her own voice, head shaking as the tremors in her body increased. She instinctively began to curl into a tighter ball, gently nudging Riley with a foot. He could continue tending the wound in a minute but, right now, she needed to hold onto him.