Chance growled to himself as he watched the honey-skinned, hippie scientist stomp off through the forest. That woman was way too sassy, but he could barely keep his body under control when he saw her. The second he smelled her intoxicating aroma, his mind became a haze of lustful thoughts.

Just the look of her in those colorfully printed pants and the tight black tank top that accentuated every juicy curve on her luscious little body made his mouth water and his inner bear roar. For God’s sake, a hippie chick with dyed, red dreadlocks. Why?

Chance had a taste for no-strings relationships with sweet little blondes who liked to bake pies. This one didn’t seem at all like the pie-baking type, but that didn’t keep his bear from growling and clawing inside his head. Mate!

After spending his life as a consummate bachelor, his mate turned out to be the kind of woman no man could handle. Good thing he wasn’t a man. He was a bear. He grinned at himself. He’d have to think about the girl later. Right now, he had to inspect the scene and call in the death to both Forest Service and dispatch at the sheriff’s department.

These deaths had been turning up all over Montana and in other states with large shifter populations. The humans weren’t too happy about the news that shape shifters lived among them. Chance didn’t much care what the humans thought. He’d been all for coming out. Being big, even for a bear shifter, and having a military background, Chance hadn’t been worried for his own safety. Coming out to the public would mean he had less to worry about on a day-to-day basis if he wanted to shift in public or let the humans he worked with know what he was. It just meant less work and worry. The shifter council had believed the same thing.

Little did they all know it would turn into this shitstorm.

He walked around the body and grabbed the walkie-talkie at his shoulder. Margie, the dispatcher, answered, and he informed her of the dead shifter he’d found and gave her a description of the scene. He detailed Summer’s involvement and told Margie what Summer had suspected.

He hadn’t wanted to tell the sheriff’s department about his sassy mate’s part in the man’s death, but it couldn’t be helped. This was more than likely a homicide, not that as a game warden he wanted to be involved in one. But the standard policy in Montana was that wardens were now responsible for cases involving shifters.

The deputy sheriff and a few EMTs were on their way. Chance knelt down and turned the man’s head so he could see his face. Balor Von. He knew the grizzly shifter from the local clan. Chance cringed. Balor had gotten a job at the mine last he’d heard. Could there be a connection, or was it just coincidence?

Sighing, he stood. This was not his day. He’d come up here to check on the local deer population since the opening of deer season would soon be upon them. He hadn’t expected to find a dead shifter or his mate stabbing it with a hypodermic needle. What were the odds?

When the deputy sheriff arrived with the EMTs, they carried Balor’s body down to a waiting ambulance.

“Does this look like arsenic poisoning to you?” Chance asked the EMTs as he helped heft Balor down the hill.

“I’m not familiar with what arsenic poisoning looks like, but those black spots are strange. We’ll know more when the doctor takes a look.”

“Balor was probably fishing. A lot of grizzly shifters like to catch trout in the pool that collects along the side of the river. It’s a popular spot,” Chance said.

“Do you think there’s poison in the water?” Deputy Sheriff Hurly asked. Hurly was a short, balding man with a paunch, and he was huffing and puffing by the time they made it to the bottom of the hill with Balor’s body.

“The scientist seemed to think so,” Chance said.

“You don’t suspect the woman?” Hurly asked.

“Not sure yet. She doesn’t seem the type. More like the opposite. Some hippie from the city, trying to take on the entire system by herself. I’ll interview her after we get Balor to the hospital.”

They slid the body board into the ambulance and slammed the doors. Chance nodded to the EMTs as they climbed into the ambulance and drove away. Standing on the side of the forest road with Hurly, Chance sniffed the air and looked around. The smell of death was still thick in the air.

“Didn’t expect to have a shifter death come to our neck of the woods,” Hurly said. “We haven’t had any hate groups turning up here as far as I know.”

“It’s spreading,” Chance said.

“Do you regret coming out already?” Hurly asked him.

“Not really. No one’s going to mess with me,” Chance said confidently. He took a deep breath and expanded his chest, reminding the smaller deputy of his strength and size. Hurly just laughed and smacked Chance’s back affectionately.

“I’m glad you came out. It helps let people know where the sheriff’s department stands on these issues. The last thing we need are hate crimes in our area. We have a nice quiet beat, and I aim to keep it that way.”