Present day …

The massive blond grizzly bear charged at the tree, smashing its block head against the thick trunk. Six-inch, razor-sharp claws cut through the bark, shredding it like tissue paper. The bear reared its head back, got up on its hind legs, and growled, raising its paws in the air. Birds flew overhead, shaken from their perches by the resounding roar. With a loud thump, front paws landed on the soft forest floor.

The bear walked silently through the forest, sniffing for something. A few minutes later, a rustling sound caught its attention. Moving closer, it found its target—a young doe, ambling out from the safety of the tree line, probably hoping to find something fresh to nibble on.

The air was still and quiet. The grizzly crouched down, ready to pounce on its meal, when it reared back its head and let out a low, guttural sound. The doe started, then leapt away, disappearing into the cover of trees in the distance.

The bear let out an angry growl and rolled on its back, swatting its face with its claws until it drew blood. Slowly, the animal began to shrink, the matted fur receding into skin and muscle. The figure on the ground was now half the size of the grizzly, covered in mud and blood.

“Enough,” Ben Walker snarled. A rumble from his chest made him grit his teeth. “I said that’s enough.” But would the monster inside him know what enough meant?

He lay in the dirt, naked as the day he was born. Deep, haggard breaths made his chest rise and fall. Looking up, he saw the light fading in the distance, and when his breathing became steady, he slowly got to his feet.

“Damn bear,” he grumbled, wiping the blood from his face. The cuts were already healing, but they hurt like a sonofabitch. He circled back to where he had started shifting and retrieved his shirt, pants, socks, and boots. The chilly late winter air didn’t bother him; he was a shifter after all and his body warmed and cooled as necessary. But he had to be careful as he didn’t know who or what he could run into, so he put on his clothes for his trek home.

The hike back would be a couple of miles, but it would be good to tire out his body and his mind. The sleepless nights were taking a toll on him, and some days, he exhausted himself during the day just so he could get some rest at night.

If his family and friends could see him … he slammed his fist into a nearby tree. No, they could never know. This was his secret to keep, and the burden would stay on him. He wished his mom and dad were around, so he could talk to them. But, he wasn’t a child anymore. They had told him the truth some time ago, thinking it would make things easier. It hadn’t.

It was inevitable, he supposed. The bad blood taking over. Dad never said bad blood, but Ben knew that’s what he meant. It was making his bear crazy and unmanageable. The animal inside him wanted to take control of their body. It had been happening for months. Barely controllable shifts. The physical clawing at his insides. The worst had come when he woke up covered in blood next to a young buck. The grizzly didn’t even eat the thing; just ripped it to shreds. And yet ….

Ben blinked. The memory of the delicious, sweet scent was so clear in his mind it was as if it was right there. He wracked his brain, trying to figure out what it was. Fruity, maybe raspberries or oranges or a combination of both. All he knew was it somehow calmed the beast inside him. But where had he smelled it? Whenever he was out, he would always sniff the air, trying to get a whiff. He thought he was going crazy until he smelled it again a few days ago. Traces of it anyway, before it disappeared like a ghost.

A ringing sound interrupted his thoughts, and he fished his phone from his pocket. “Hello,” he said in a gruff voice.

“Ben, my man,” Nathan Caldwell answered back. “Dude, where the hell are you?”

“I’m at home,” he answered.

“No, you’re not,” his friend said. “I’m outside your cabin. Been ringing the doorbell for the last ten minutes.”

Shit. “I mean, I’m just out back. I’ve been hiking.”

“Dude, in this weather?”

Ben picked up his pace. “Yeah. What do you want?”

“I’m here to pick you up. We’re going out.”

He rolled his eyes. “You must be getting desperate for a wing man if you’re calling me. Are you going to hit up Luke next when I say no?”

“Ha! I want to meet girls, not scare them away. And no, I’m not calling you to be my new wingman. Unless you are interested.”

“No,” he said flatly. He could see his cabin in the distance, and he ran faster, if only so he could get rid of Nathan sooner.

“Aww, you sure? You know I never strike out. Besides, when’s the last time you had some pus—”

“Nathan,” he warned.

“You know, I’ve never seen you bring any girls home.”

“Just because I don’t parade a string of women around, doesn’t mean I don’t get any,” he said. He came up behind his cabin, jogged up the steps of the wraparound porch, and made his way to the front door. “I do fine on my own.”

Nathan turned to him and slipped his phone back into his jeans. “Just kidding, man. I know you got game; you’re just not flashy.” He frowned. “You … okay?”

“Yeah, like I said, I was just out back … enjoying the fresh air,” he added quickly. Even without the blood on his face, he must have looked like shit. “So, what are you doing here?”

“I told you, we’re going out.”

“You could have just called,” Ben pointed out.

“Yeah, but then you would have made some excuse to not go. C’mon man, live a little. There’s, like, tons of horny human girls out tonight, looking for some fun. If you put in half as much effort as me, you could be swimming in pus—er, women.” He waved his hand at Ben. “Chicks dig the beard and the lumberjack look these days.”

“Not interested,” he said, making a grab for the front door.

“You don’t even know why we’re going out. It’s Jason’s bachelor party, man! You can’t miss that.”

Ben stopped. His cousin, Jason Lennox, had just gotten engaged and the wedding was coming up soon. “I thought Jason didn’t want a bachelor party?”

Nathan huffed. “So? He might not want one, but he needs one.”

“Christina will chop off your balls if she finds out you took Jason to a strip club.”

“I asked her permission, don’t worry. And we’re just having a boys’ night at The Den. I happen to like my balls where they are, thank you very much,” Nate said with a wince.

Ben laughed. He’d heard about what his cousin’s fiancée was capable of and did not want to mess with her. “Fine. If it’s for Jason.”

“Good.” Nathan let out a relieved sigh. “You know Matthew’s on board; we only have to convince Luke.”

“Oh, I gotta see how you plan to do that,” Ben said. “Let me change, and we’ll head over to his place.”