Total pages in book: 22
Estimated words: 21243 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 106(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21243 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 106(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
The boy’s sparkling brown eyes snap onto us and then widen comically large. The poor kid freezes like prey. He doesn’t know what to do.
Enough!
Back up!
I holler at my bear, but my furious words land on deaf ears. He doesn’t care what I think. He likes me as much as I like him. The affection between us is non-existent. Whatever solidarity there once was died years ago in this wooded hell of a prison.
He takes a step forward.
STOP!!
That’s enough. Fuck this monster and his crazed need to dominate everything.
I got anger too. I grunt as I try to pull him in with every ounce of strength I have. He laughs me off at first, but I’m not giving up. Not this time. Not with an innocent boy’s life on the line.
I’m gritting my teeth and struggling as I pull him down and force my way up. His monstrous body starts to shake and he lets out a vicious roar as I get close.
But not close enough.
He snarls as he shakes me off easily, like a dog shaking off a flea.
I sink back down, watching helplessly as he once again takes control.
I try to pull him again, but this time he’s got his guard up and it’s like trying to move cement. It’s like trying to push a mountain.
Territorial feelings surge through his veins as he walks up to the kid, stopping only a few feet away.
Out of nowhere, a woman comes rushing into the forest. We were both distracted with fighting each other that we didn’t notice her presence until she was a few feet away, racing forward. She stands protectively in front of the boy, protecting him as she stares at us with terrified eyes. Her hands are trembling as she tells the boy to go.
More territorial feelings come, only these are way more intense.
And they’re not for the trees and dirt and forest all around us. They’re for her.
She’s our real territory. She is ours.
I feel it just as much as my bear does. Finally, we agree on something.
The feeling stuns us. It staggers my bear.
He steps back and huffs out a breath as we stare at her in awe.
She’s beautiful. A bright light in a dark room.
My heart pounds as I take in her blonde hair and bright blue eyes. A cute little nose and sensuous pink lips. She’s the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen.
Her outfit is simple—blue jeans and a brown zip-up jacket, but it’s enough to make my pulse kick into overdrive. My hands are tingling as I run my eyes over her voluptuous curves that look so soft.
For the first time in over a decade, my bear calms. He’s breathless as he stares at her. His overwhelming anger melts away under her presence. The darkness extinguished by her light.
She’s it. She’s the one.
Our mate.
Nothing else could describe this change. If it was anyone else, my bear would be in attack mode, but right now, it feels like he’s about to drop to her feet and roll onto his back for a belly rub.
“Go, Gavin,” she says to the boy. “Run!”
Gavin hesitates until she pushes him and then his little feet take him out of the forest to safety. But she remains, sacrificing herself to protect him. She’s so brave. She’s unbelievable.
She looks scared, but she’s defiant, staring at us with her chin in the air and her hands squeezed into fists. I can tell she’s not going to go down without a fight.
Waves of warmth and comfort begin to wash over me as my bear falls in love. He’s completely captivated by her, which is leaving him vulnerable…
I quickly grab his essence and yank him down as I force my way out with every last bit of strength I have.
I catch him sleeping and it works. I can’t believe it, but it works.
His body shakes violently as my girl watches in horror. I claw and fight my way out as my grizzly gets sucked back in.
I explode out of him and fall to my knees. It’s been so long since I’ve been out.
The sensations are overwhelming. The cold dirt touching my knees, the cool air tickling my sweaty skin. I have to squint from the brightness of the sun. Every breath feels wonderful.
I stare at my hands as I squeeze them in and out of fists, almost forgetting how it felt to have any power.
The woman gasps and my eyes dart up to hers. The terror in her eyes is replaced with a look of confusion.
I don’t have a stitch of clothing on. I can’t imagine what she must be thinking right now. I’m not sure I want to know.
I push myself up to my feet. I’m all shaky and my breath is coming out all choppy and uneven. It’s been years since I’ve been out. Maybe even a decade. I lost count several cold winters ago.