My eyes are squeezed closed as my vicious bear descends on Jessie. They fly open a second later when I hear her giggle.

She’s laughing as he licks her cheek, and it’s the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard. Relief floods into my body as my bear pushes his nose into her hand, begging to be petted.

The rage and violence that was surging through him a few seconds ago just melts away as she slides her fingers through the thick fur on top of his head.

Thank you. Thank you for not eating her.

I’m still trying to pull this stubborn bear in when I’m seized by a strong force that stuns me and rocks me to my core. It’s like a firm hand gripping my soul as my bear stares at Jessie. The world around her fades to black, leaving her as the only thing visible against the darkness. She’s the only thing that matters.

Our connection, our love, our devotion—it all deepens as our souls weave together as one.

We’re bonding to her, both me and my bear.

As of this moment, I know that we’ll always be together. She’ll always be the one for me.

The gripping force suddenly releases us and the blackness around Jessie fades.

Everything has changed.

Everything.

I’m speechless as I watch her through my bear’s loving eyes. I didn’t know the universe could be this beautiful.

I’m no longer worried about having my bear around her. I can feel the intensity of the love he feels for her swirling all around me.

It’s so beautiful that it hurts.

I let my bear spend a few minutes with her, and then I’m begging him to let me out. Not out of fear this time, I’m just really excited to see my mate.

I’m sorry I ever doubted you, bear. It won’t happen again.

He lets out a little huff and then lets me out.

Jessie watches with her wide blue eyes as I phase back into my human form. My body is still full of deep stinging gashes, but they’re starting to heal. And anyway, I’m too focused on her to care.

She rushes over, looking panicked as her gorgeous blue eyes roam all over my body. “We have to get you to a hospital,” she says in a breathless voice. “You’re cut everywhere.”

“Shifter, remember?” I say with a grin.

“How long is this going to take to heal?” she asks, her worried eyes darting from cut to cut.

“A couple of hours.” Most of the bleeding has already stopped.

She still looks concerned, biting her lip as she looks around for help.

“Jessie,” I say in a calm voice. “Really, I’m fine. Are you okay?”

Her chin starts quivering as she looks from the blood splattered trees to the dead cougar lying on the ground. Now that the danger has passed, her nerves are catching up with her, making her break down.

“Hey,” I say, gently cupping her chin in my hand. I tilt her head up until her eyes are on mine. “It’s all over. He’s not going to hurt you again.”

“Because of you,” she says, looking touched with her watery eyes and soft lips. “You protected me just like you said you would.”

“I tried,” I answer with a chuckle. “Although I think the credit has to go to my bear this time.”

I glance down at my cut-up chest and laugh. “I put up as much of a fight as a stick of butter attacking a bunch of Samurai swords. He was the one who came through.”

And I’m so thankful that he did. I can see now that he’s more than just a killer apex predator. He’s a mammal that’s capable of love and protection. I felt it flowing through him after the bond.

My bear always does the right thing, even when I’m too weak to do it. He did the right thing when he took out Carter’s bear. I know that now.

Carter was trying to harm Kennedy—an innocent girl who didn’t deserve it. He paid the price for the path he chose. It’s time to stop beating myself up over it, and it’s time to stop blaming my bear for doing what was the right thing to do.

“I’ll thank your bear the next time I see him,” Jessie says, running her hand down my chest. She smiles when my bear lets out a low grumble in response.

“I should get him out of here,” I say, glancing down at the dead cougar.

Jessie folds her arms and holds her elbow as she looks at the animal. “That’s probably a good idea,” she says, looking uncomfortable. “I had no idea he was a shifter. Although, I only met him a few times, and there were always other people in the room.”

“I’m just happy you came to me and that it’s over,” I say as I kneel down beside the cat. Her white cowboy hat is lying in the shrubs, so I pick it up, dust it off, and hand it to her.

“I’m happy I came too,” she says, smiling as she puts the cowboy hat back on her head where it belongs. “But it might not be over. My father…”

“We’ll deal with him if he’s stupid enough to come,” I say as I pick up the dead cat and toss him over my shoulder. I grab the gun and tell Jessie to wait there as I sprint through the forest. There’s a river about two hundred yards into the forest that I dump the pathetic mob boss in.

I give him the finger as he sinks to the bottom and floats away.

When I return, Maddux, the cop I play poker with, is talking with Jessie.

“Maddux,” I say, swallowing hard as I hurry over to them. “Everything okay?”

“You tell me,” he says, eying me up and down with a hard stare. “There were reports of cougars growling and sounds of fighting. Do you know anything about that?”

I’m standing in the forest naked with deep cuts all over my body. Not to mention there is blood splattered all over the trees. “Nope.”

He shakes his head. “You always sucked at bluffing.”

“Still won money from you, didn’t I?” I can’t help but rub it in.

He doesn’t look amused. “You mean you cheated.”

“Allegedly.”

“Where are these cougars?” he asks, looking around. He lifts his nose and inhales deeply. “More than just cougars here. Who were these guys?”

Maddux looks from me to Jessie. Her eyes drop to the ground and her cheeks turn red.

“Everything okay miss?”

“I got attacked by a cougar,” she says, nodding. “He saved me.”

“Really?” he says with a huff of breath. “That’s odd to me because I’ve never seen Lachlan take care of anyone but himself.”

“I take care of your mom every night,” I add. I shouldn’t, but I can’t help it.

“He did,” Jessie says. “He’s my savior.”

Maddux reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a pad of paper. “I should report this.”

“Please don’t,” I say, panicking as I step forward. “The dragons are going to come down hard on us for this. We’re already on thin ice with them for last month.”

“Because that psycho Kneecap busted up The Dirty Ashtray,” he says, shaking his head. “You guys should be on thin ice, rolling with a guy like that.”

“Please, Maddux,” I say, trying to reason with him. “It’s finished. The girl was in trouble. Nobody got hurt who didn’t deserve to get hurt. Can we just drop it? Please?”

My heart is pounding as he stares at me long and hard. After a minute, he slips the notepad back into his back pocket without a word.

“Are you going to tell me how you cheated in poker?” he asks, narrowing his eyes on me.

I grin as I walk over to him and shine the police badge pinned to his chest. “Never.”

* * *

“That’s good, Lachlan,” Maximus says as he slaps my shoulder. “I’m glad you finally realized that you did the right thing.”

I just told my alpha what happened back in the forest. Everything from the fight, to bonding to Jessie, to finally forgiving my bear for Carter.

“It was a shitty thing that happened, but we can’t blame ourselves for it,” I say, hearing my mother’s words coming out of my mouth. “We can only blame ourselves if we let it consume us and keep us down.”

Maximus shifts from his left foot to his right foot, glancing uncomfortably at the firepit in the distance where Jessie is hanging out with the crew.

“It wasn’t your fault what happened to Kennedy,” I say. “You should try to forgive yourself too.”

His jaw tightens as his hard eyes dart to mine. “You did the right thing,” he says in a fierce tone. “You get to forgive yourself. I don’t.”

“Maximus…”

“I failed her when she needed me the most,” he says. The pain and anguish are clear in his voice. “I couldn’t protect her from Bledsoe and the boys. It was my fault that Kennedy got caught up in it all. It was my fault that my mother got caught up in it all. There’s no forgiveness for me, Lachlan.”

He shakes his head as he steps back with a look of disgust on his face. “What kind of shifter can’t even protect the girl he loves?”

“Maximus,” I call out, but he turns and leaves. He doesn’t want to hear it.

“I’m going into town to make sure Maddux doesn’t tell the dragons anything,” he says over his shoulder as he walks to the parked trucks. “Make sure Jessie has a good official first night here.”

“Okay,” I mutter, wishing that he would stop being so hard on himself.

“And Lachlan,” he says as he opens the door. “I’m really happy that everything worked out for you. Truly I am. Now go enjoy it.”

He forces out a smile and climbs into the truck. I watch as he starts it and drives out of the ranch, kicking up a cloud of dust as he goes.

My mood instantly lightens when I join Jessie and the guys at the firepit. Caleb is going on and on about the new lifeguard by the lake as the twins taunt him.

Jessie hands me an open beer and smiles.

“She won’t even notice me,” Caleb says, shaking his head. “I swear I could be drowning in front of her and she wouldn’t turn her head.”

“It’s your personality,” Tito says with a smirk. “It’s an instant turnoff for girls.”

“And for guys,” Ronin adds with the exact same fucking smirk as his twin brother.

“Basically, for anyone,” Tito says. “Have you considered getting a new personality?”

“That’s a great idea,” Ronin says. “Get a personality that’s the opposite of the shitty one you have now. That might help.”

Tito tilts his head as he looks Caleb up and down. “And we’re going to have to do something about that hair.”

“And that nose,” Ronin adds. “Does anyone know a good plastic surgeon?”

“I’m not getting plastic surgery,” Caleb says, rolling his eyes.

“Hmmm,” Tito says. “That’s going to make things difficult then. Can’t go asking the pretty new lifeguard out with a hideous nose like that.”

“His nose is fine,” Jessie says with a giggle.

“Jessie likes my nose,” Caleb says with a nod. “It’s staying.”

“Then why did you even ask for our help if you’re not going to take any of our genius ideas?” Ronin asks.

“I have no idea,” Caleb says, staring at the fire with blank eyes.

“I don’t know why you even talk to them in the first place,” I say, grinning at the twins.

“Who is he supposed to talk to?” Ronin asks. “That guy?”

He points behind us, and we all turn in time to see a naked Kneecap charging into the camp with a dead deer slung over his shoulder.

Jessie gulps as she cowers behind me.

“Hey!” I shout to him as he storms into the outdoor kitchen. He drops the bloody deer onto the ground and turns to me with a cold stare. I’ve already proven that I can hold my own in a fight with Kneecap, but his almost feral eyes always give me shivers.

“Tell your psycho bear to chill around this girl or I won’t go so easy on him next time,” I shout in a warning voice.

His bear lets out a low rumble as he glares at me.

“I mean it, Kneecap,” I warn. “Don’t test me.”

He puffs out his massive chest, grabs an apple off the counter, and storms back into the forest where he disappears into the trees.

“Is it just me, or is that always creepy as fuck?” Caleb asks as he stares at the forest.

“Not just you,” Jessie says in a shaky voice.

“He gives me nightmares,” Tito says. “I’m always afraid I’ll wake up to that crazy caveman humping my leg or something.”

“Why you?” Ronin asks, looking insulted. “He’d be humping my leg. I’m the good-looking twin.”

The guys can be a little crude, and I don’t want Jessie feeling uncomfortable, so I pull her aside and whisper into her ear. “Would you rather take dinner and eat it in our cabin? I know the guys can be a little immature.”

“They’re hilarious,” she says, smiling wide. “I’m having a great time.”

My chest swells with love for her. I love it that she’s fitting in with my crew so well. Well, Kneecap not so much, but the others…

“Let’s eat here so I can get to know everyone better,” she says. She steps onto her toes and whispers into my ear in a seductive voice. “But we’ll have dessert in your cabin.”

“I think I’m going to like having you here, sweet girl,” I say as my body starts to tingle from imagining what my dessert is going to be. I know it’s going to be sweet and hit the spot perfectly.

“Good,” she says, licking her lips as she looks up at me under her long sexy lashes. “Because you’re stuck with me.”

“Stuck on you is more like it,” I say with a smile.

“That’s good too,” she says with a mischievous grin. “But I’d rather have you stuck in me.”

I let out a low groan as she tips her white cowboy hat and skips away.

“Light the barbecue!” I shout impatiently. “Get the steaks! Let’s get this dinner over with. I’m hungry for dessert!”