She refused to believe that the hands on her diamond-encrusted watch were telling her the correct time. Stacia Sagona sighed as she glared at the elderly woman standing at the teller’s window. It should not take so long for one person to do business at the bank. She glanced back at her watch and noticed that the lady with the perfectly curled snow white hair had been there for close to fifteen minutes. Mid-afternoon on a Wednesday, and Bells National Bank only had one teller working. It was insane!

“I need another cashier’s check to send to my grandson,” the elderly woman droned on. “He’s turning thirteen.”

Stacia rolled her eyes as the teller laughed. She was in a wicked rush, and Grandma here was holding her up. Her brother Landon would kill her if she was late again. She glanced behind her and noted that the line had grown.

Tapping her foot, she pulled her phone from her purse, swiped the glass screen, and began typing out a text to Landon. He would complain, of course, but it wasn’t like he could fire her. Not only was she his younger sister, she was also his secretary, office manager, and assistant. He would be one unorganized alpha if it weren’t for her, she thought with a chuckle.

Their family had been in charge of the local bear shifter community for centuries. Landon was the current alpha of the Osawana Grizzlies after their father had stepped down to retire. According to her father, Lakis Sagona, one of the most powerful and wisest grizzlies she knew, it was time to let the younger generation rule.

So, he and her mother, Saba Sagona, after forty years of ruling the most powerful bear shifter clan, built a cabin deep in the woods just on the outskirts of town and officially retired. Stacia was proud of her parents. They deserved to live the rest of their lives to the fullest. They had given their all to protect the Osawana Clan, and it was time for them to be a little selfish and do the things that they wanted to do.

Her brother was bred to become the next alpha. He loved the Osawana Clan just as much as he loved fresh salmon. But her brother was a bear, and that meant he had a temper. He would protect the clan with his life, which was good, but that left him no time to find a mate. As the clan leader, he would need a good, strong female at his side to help rule one of the longest standing clans. Valentine’s Day was coming up, and Stacia had a plan. She was going to find her brother a mate.

Valentine’s Day was one of her favorite days of year. One day set aside in the year that a man and woman could be lovey-dovey and show the world how much they loved each other. It was the most romantic day of the year, and she didn’t have anyone, but that was okay. One day she would find her mate, but for now, she was on the prowl to find a mate for her brother.

Her phone buzzed in her hand. She glanced down, and even her bear groaned.

You’re still late.

Landon’s response to her message was short, but spoke volumes. He was pissed. Well, she hoped she would live long enough to find him a female.

“Thank you so much, Carla.” The older woman’s voice broke through Stacia’s thoughts.

There is a God, Stacia thought as she watched the elderly woman slowly step away from the counter. Stacia fidgeted in place as she waited to be called. This was not the bank branch she normally did her banking at. She just happened to be on this side of town, trying to run errands for the pack.

Each month, she would stop at her local bank to get a money order for her rent. She hated using checks because her landlord always took forever to cash them, so she figured it was just best to get a money order to pay it. But, at the rate she was going at this bank, she might as well have written a check.

“I can help who is next,” the teller called out.

Stacia practically rushed to the counter, grateful that she was finally able to do her business.

“Hi there,” she gushed, reaching into her purse. “I’m late for work. I just need a money order.”

“Oh, sure,” Carla, the teller, said with a large grin. “Sorry about Mrs. Ester. She sure can talk.”

Stacia held back her eye roll. It wasn’t just Mrs. Ester who had the gift of gab. Carla did too. But Stacia wouldn’t be rude and say anything to her. She just smiled and got out the forms of identification that she would need.

The bell over the bank’s door jingled. Stacia’s bear instantly went on alert as a tingling slid down her spine.

Something was wrong.

“Everybody on the ground!” a deep male voice shouted above the screams that followed.

Stacia turned and caught a glimpse of three armed men with black ski masks covering their faces enter the bank. They waved their guns in the air, drawing screams from the patrons in the bank.

“Get on the fucking floor!” one of the men shouted while pointing his gun at Stacia.

“Okay!” Stacia snapped. Raising her arms, she lowered herself to the floor while her bear grumbled.

Cries and whimpers could be heard across the room. She laid flat on the floor, keeping her eyes open so that she could see the room. By the looks of it, she was the only shifter. She let loose a curse. She couldn’t take a chance and shift to take out the robbers. The human bullets wouldn’t kill her, but her bear would be pissed at being shot, and it wouldn’t slow her down. One of the humans could get hurt if she caused a commotion. She couldn’t risk it.

Humans were already leery of shifters. The world has known of supernatural beings for well over fifty years now, and one would think that the humans would be used to not being the only ones habiting the Earth.

Stacia took everything in, knowing that when the bank robbers left she would need to give a statement. Her best friend’s brother was a cop, and he always stressed that any information people could relay would greatly help out law enforcement.

She sighed quietly as her thoughts turned to that of Izek Compano. His gruff exterior was sexy. All six foot seven of him was enough to make her drool. Her bear had certainly noticed him, but he had never even looked twice at her in that way.

“Give me all the money, bitch,” the robber who had pointed the gun at Stacia yelled at Carla.

“Okay…please, don’t hurt me,” Carla sobbed.

“And no funny stuff,” he growled. “Don’t give me the dye packs, either, or I’ll come back and hunt you down.”

“Okay,” Carla stammered.

Stacia could smell the fear radiating from the bank teller from her position on the floor.

“Where’s the manager?” another robber yelled out, stalking across the lobby. Scuffling could be heard from one of the offices as the other two males dragged a struggling man across the floor.

“Open the safe room,” one of them yelled.

The poor human male stood, and his hands trembled as he pulled out a set of keys from his pocket. Her shifter ears picked up the sounds of police sirens wailing in the distance. It was too soon for the humans to hear it. Stacia celebrated on the inside, knowing that the moment the robbers heard the sirens they would take off.

“Hurry!” the robber snapped, aiming his gun at the manager’s head. The manager quickly continued working on the large steel door.

“Shit! The cops are coming,” one of the robbers shouted as the sirens drew closer.

“I thought we cut the alarm? We need a few more minutes. Stall them. We need to get into that fucking safe.”

“We’re taking hostages today, boys.”