The rodeo had done nothing to soothe my nerves. Every muscle in my body had been tense since I’d seen the woman in the stands. My bear was pawing at me, telling me to go and find her. He wanted to devour the little human. I wasn’t far behind.

It’d been a while since I’d felt anything besides anger and frustration. For over two months, I’d been dealing with the shit from Dad’s death. He’d left the ranch in a fucking mess, that was sure. No boss, no back up plan, no nothing. My oldest brother, Matt had stepped in as temporary leader, but he wasn’t exactly made for it.

Matt was no better than my other brothers. Lucas, Michael, and John were all money obsessed. They didn’t give a shit about the ranch when it came down to it.

Despite the distraction that my family had become, everything had quieted when I spotted her. I’d fucked my way through every woman, bear and human alike, in Landing, and every town around, but I’d never felt anything like I’d felt when I laid eyes on her. My bear had tried to take control.

Her scent called to us. Honeysuckle with a little hint of something spicy. It’d taken everything in me not to chase after her when she’d left. My bear had roared in my head, demanding I go after her.

I’d stayed late at the stadium, using the excuse that I needed to make sure everything was locked up tight, but in reality, I needed more time to calm down. My fur was still just under the surface. I was too close to shifting to be able to hang out at the bar with everyone else. Adding liquor to my current state was a sure fire way to cause a disaster.

A hint of her scent wafted my way as I headed out to my truck. Damn. I shook my head. I was losing it, smelling her when she wasn’t even there.

The farther into the lot I got, though, the more I was sure she was around. I stopped moving and tilted my head back to take in a deeper breath. Her scent came from the north end of the lot, the darkest spot. When I tuned into my senses, I realized I could hear whimpering.

Fur sprouted from my arms and hands as my bear roared in my head. He shouted that she was hurt and we had to save her. I was already running in her direction.

I spotted her, sitting on the curb, looking small and vulnerable. With a quick scan of the area, I saw that there was no imminent threat, but it didn’t stop my bear from raging at the sight of her tears.

I was still a few feet away from her when she looked up at me. Her bright blue eyes widened and she held up her hands.

“What are you doing?!”

I froze in place and shook my head. Great, I thought, I’d scared the hell out of her by charging at her. “I heard you crying. Are you okay?”

She reached up and wiped at the tears. “I’m not crying.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “Of course, not. What are you doing out here, in the dark?”

She wrapped her arms back around her knees and frowned. “It wasn’t dark until a few seconds ago.”

My dick hardened into steel as her plump breasts pushed up. Her dress barely contained them and my mouth watered at the sight. “Need a lift?”

As she hesitated, I shoved my hands in my pockets, trying to look harmless. It wasn’t easy. I was a big man, an even bigger bear, and everything in me was demanding that I grab her and claim her.

That gave me a slight pause. Claim? I’d never felt the urge to claim anyone before. I’d never even wanted to feel that urge before. Fucking my way through town had never seemed all that bad. Claiming someone meant having a mate to come home to. It meant responsibility. It meant forever. Forever for a bear was a long time.

I looked down at the small human and took a step back. My bear snuffed at me and demanded that I get closer to her. He was infatuated with her already.

“I… I don’t have anywhere to go.” The words seemed to break some type of barrier that she’d erected upon seeing me. The tears began falling again and it didn’t seem like they were going to stop.

My bear was so close to the surface that I was sure my eyes were turning golden. I blinked a few times and tried to remain in control. “Alright. How about you just get in my truck for now and we can decide where to take you after? It’s going to rain soon.”

She looked up at the sky and then at me. “You aren’t some pervert, are you?”

I couldn’t help the sly grin I gave her. “Of course, not, ma’am.”