There was nothing like the smell of freshly cut timber in the morning. The sounds of a classic rock guitar blared in Buck's ears under his protective earmuffs. He pulled the levers on his timber harvester, slicing the saw through the wide trunk of a tall pine tree. He gripped the tree with the claw and used the de-limber to clean the branches from the trunk. He turned the claw, holding the freshly cut log and placed it on his front loader.

Since Buck had taken over timber production and management on Timber Bear Ranch six years ago, they'd had a yearly increase in profits. He’d replanted several stands that were already growing lush and strong and would be ready to harvest again in another ten years.

He'd had experts come out to consult him on the process of managing the land, and he knew from their assessment that his process was working quite well. They’d suggested he optimize his production by growing his own saplings, and it was on his to-do list to learn how next year.

He took pride in his work and it made him feel good to be useful to his clan. Even after his oldest brother, Leland, left the ranch following the aftermath of the Great War, Buck had continued doing what he had always done. Worked hard.

He had never really been the leader like Leland, but he had always kept his head down and provided something of service to his clan. That was what he was doing now, instead of searching for his lost mate. Even though Maria’s disappearance had been killing him, he had to keep going. Buck had responsibilities.

When the classic rock playlist came to an end, he turned off the harvester and pulled off his protective earmuffs. Buck jumped from the machine and grabbed his lunch box. Setting his protective earmuffs on the seat of his harvester, he flipped through his phone, looking for his favorite lunchtime playlist. When Buck worked, he liked to listen to classic rock. When he ate his lunch, he preferred classical music like Mozart or Chopin.

Buck took his lunch box and sat on a moss-covered log. He listened to a piano concerto by Beethoven and poured coffee from his thermos into the lid as a mug. Taking a long sip of coffee, he closed his eyes as piano music lilted in his ears.

With a satisfied sigh, he unwrapped his sandwich from the wax paper wrapping and took a bite. It was turkey, bacon, lettuce, and tomato. A good meal after a long morning of work was always truly satisfying.

He kept his music low so he could hear the sounds of the forest as he ate. Songbirds chirped above him in the canopy, adding notes to the music in his ears. It was a lovely day with a bright blue sky overhead. Air wafted across his sweaty brow, cooling him down. When he finished his lunch, he started back to his harvester. Before he could make it, he heard the distinct sound of a mountain lion wailing somewhere close by.

The growling was so ferocious that it sent a chill up Buck’s spine. He'd never heard an animal wail quite like that before. He placed his lunch box on the seat of the harvester and went to investigate.

In a thicket between some huckleberry bushes and a twisted mass of fallen tree roots, he witnessed a female mountain lion, tearing apart a dead deer in such a frenzy of fangs, claws, screams and blood that Buck almost lost his lunch. He sniffed the air, scenting the strange lioness.

She wasn't an animal. She was a shifter. His inner bear urged him to investigate further. The scent of the lioness was intoxicating. His bear rumbled and growled inside him unintelligibly, agitated and confused.

Buck inched into the clearing, his curiosity edging out his common sense. He shouldn't approach a crazed shifter over her kill, no matter how enticing her scent might be. The closer he got, the stronger the scent became. His grizzly paced back and forth inside his mind, angry and growling. The beast’s massive paws scratched against the backs of Buck’s eyes. He drew closer to the lioness, the scent becoming overpowering. All at once, he knew who she was.

“Maria?” he said, coming closer.

The lioness looked up at him, curling her lips back over her bloodied teeth. Her eyes blazed yellow and crazed as she shrieked at him, crouching and ready to pounce. His mouth dropped and his instinct kicked in right as her muscles coiled and sprung, launching her into the air right at him.

He growled and shifted, ripping his clothes apart. He landed on his massive paws in front of her, knocking her back as she attacked him. The lioness was small compared to his own animal.

The grizzly didn’t want to hurt his mate, but he couldn’t help but swipe her away with his paw when she dove at him again. The poor little creature went tumbling back and landed on her side. He recoiled, worried. His bear eyes widened as he let out a concerned grunt.

He stepped closer, sniffing the air and trying to sense if she was injured. The mountain lioness sprang to her feet and screeched at him, ready to pounce. He couldn't believe she wanted to attack again when he could hurt her so easily. The crazed little animal didn't seem to care that it was an uneven fight. She sprang at him and he groaned and turned to the side, taking the force of her impact with his flank.

She bit down at him and he turned quickly, knocking her off of him. Her teeth had broken the skin, and her claws had scratched his side, leaving a bloodied gash. He began to back away, hurt, frustrated and confused. He let out a long, annoyed groan as he took several steps backward.

He held his ground, sitting on his haunches and crossing his arms. The lioness hadn't had enough and wouldn't back down. She paced back and forth several yards away, biding her time and growling. Buck continued to sit there, inspecting her, his arms crossed and his bottom lip hanging open. He moaned questioningly at her, showing her his teeth.

He'd hoped that it would get her to stop this strange behavior, but it did just the opposite. She ran at him at full speed and lunged at his throat.

Buck shot to his feet and stepped aside, turning on the creature with a bloodcurdling growl. He roared so loudly, it echoed through the forest. He put every ounce of strength, will and dominance through himself and into the wild little lioness before him. With every bit of mate bond they might share, he told her, “Shift.”

The lioness stopped in her tracks, wailing and flailing. In the span of a breath, she retracted in on herself and changed right before his eyes into a tiny, beautiful girl; naked, bloodied and shivering in the shadows of the forest.

He quickly shifted and sank to his knees beside her, not sure if he should touch her or keep his distance. All he wanted was to gather her in his arms and take away the that pain had caused her to act that way. But he didn’t dare. They hadn't even exchanged introductions.

“Maria?” he said, sitting on his knees above her on the forest floor. “Are you all right?”

“Saw Bear?” she asked, looking up at him for the first time.

Her dark hair was matted with blood and hung in damp clumps around her face. He felt ashamed to see her naked like this and all he wanted was to cover her and re-affirm her humanity. He grabbed the shredded remnants of his flannel shirt and slung it around her shoulders, realizing that he himself was completely exposed. He slid into his shredded jeans for a loincloth to keep his nakedness from her. Then he sat with her again, careful to give her space.

“What are you doing here?” she asked. “This is my territory.”

“This is Timber Bear Ranch land,” he corrected.

“This is your land?” She shook her head with confusion.

“Timber Bear Ranch belongs to my clan.”

“Oh,” she said and then went silent.

“Why did you text me we could never meet?” he asked softly, trying to catch her eye.

“Because…” she said, as if it was self-explanatory.

“What happened that night at the Institute?”

“How did I come out of my shift?” she asked, obviously disoriented.

“I forced you out,” he said softly, not wanting to intimidate her.

But it didn't matter. He could already see the frightened look growing in her eyes as she pulled away from his touch.

“You forced me out of my shift?” she asked as if she had been violated.

“I had to. You wouldn’t stop attacking me,” he explained.

“I'm sorry about that.”

“It doesn't matter. All I care about is you. I'll take you back to my house at the ranch. You can take a bath and have a decent meal. And then we can talk about what happened to you.”

“That's not going to happen,” she said, looking away. “I can’t go back with you.”

“Yes you can.”

“No,” she said angrily, rising to her full height. “I am staying in the forest for the rest of my life. You and I cannot be together.”

“I can help you with your animal,” Buck said softly as he stood.

“You can't help me Saw Bear. No one can help me.”

“My name is Buck, Buck Kincaid.”

“Well Buck, it was nice meeting you. But I have to be going now.”