Buck followed Maria down a well-worn deer trail through the forest and down a rocky hillside. After a while, she turned to him and asked if he wanted to see the campground where she foraged for supplies.

“I'd love to see you do that,” he said with a laugh, imagining his mate scavenging a campground.

As much as he hated to think of her out on her own, he still respected her strength and resourcefulness. He knew she was in desperate need of help, but she had done well in taking care of herself, considering the situation.

The more he thought about it, the more he respected and admired her. Maria’s long brown hair was matted with mud and blood and was twisted up on the top of her head in a messy bun.

“I want to find another bar of soap to wash my hair,” she said. “I used most of my soap to wash out a wool blanket I found.”

“I forgot to bring soap,” he said, suddenly realizing that he'd left that off his shopping list.

“What you brought me was more than generous,” she said. “Especially since I kept running you off.”

“You didn't run me off.”

“I tried,” she said with a giggle.

“Nothing you could do could ever push me away,” he said earnestly. “I've been waiting for you for a long time. The moment I saw your picture on Mate.com, I knew that you were my mate. When I found you in the woods, my grizzly wanted nothing more than to take you home and keep you safe.”

“And I wouldn't let you,” she said.

There was humor in her tone, and Buck was glad for that. He didn't want her to feel guilty for not wanting to leave her cave. He had come to understand why she was so adamant about staying on the mountain.

At first, he’d left because the sight of her feral teeth and claws had freaked him out. Then he’d come to realize he didn't have the right to force her to do anything. Finally, he’d come to understand why it meant so much to her. She needed to learn to control her animal.

His grizzly had been able to force her out of her shift, but Maria needed her shift to be under her own power. A woman like Maria could never be in a relationship unless she was her own person and her own lioness. Until she had herself under control, she wouldn’t be able to trust him not to control her.

The most important thing Buck could do was give her space to heal so that she could come to trust him. When he'd suggested she show him around, she'd been more than willing to give him a tour of her life. Buck decided that was a step in the right direction for both of them. They continued down the hill and walked through a clearing until they came to a thick stand of willow trees by a creek. Maria crouched behind the trees and scanned the campground in the distance.

“That's it,” she said.

“What do we do now?” Buck asked. He didn't have any experience scavenging campgrounds.

“Come on,” she said, waving him on behind her.

They walked down a trail along the creek that bordered the campsites. Maria stopped and checked the trail to see if there were any campers in the site. The first one was occupied so they went on to the next. The second site was clearly empty.

“What do we do now?” Buck asked in a low voice.

“Just look around for anything that campers might've left.”

She opened the camping cabinet and gasped with glee.

“This is exactly what I needed,” she giggled.

“What is it?”

She pulled out a bar of soap and showed it to Buck. He laughed and told her good job.

They checked the other sites using the same technique as they had with the first. Buck was starting to get an adrenaline rush from being so sneaky. He knew there was nothing illegal or ethically wrong about what they were doing, but Maria felt the need to keep a low profile. And she was probably right. The Rangers might run her off if they caught her.

At the next few vacant sites they checked, they found a can of artichoke hearts, half a box of spaghetti noodles, and an unused box of camping brownie mix.

They shoved everything into the pillowcase Maria had brought and turned around to head back toward the cave.

“I'm going to show you that hot spring where I find raspberries now.”

“Oh yes, let's go check it out,” Buck said.

They went back up the same trail, but diverged to continue along the creek. They climbed back up a hill along the rocky shore of the creek bed, stepping up past waterfalls. Finally, they made it to a large pool that was created in the creek bed by a natural dam.

“There's a hot spring here,” she said, pointing across the water at a place where it was blue and brilliant under the other edge of the pool.

“Really?” he asked.

“Yeah, I bathe here all the time,” she said, kicking off her hiking boots. “The raspberries are on the other side.”

“You’re getting naked to get raspberries?” he asked.

“Nah, I need to wash my hair,” she said.

Buck watched in amazement as Maria peeled out of her clothes and dipped into the water. His grizzly started to growl, the scent of his mate making him dizzy. His cock hardened and he had to make a decision.

He pulled out of his own clothes and followed in behind her, trying to keep his grizzly under control at the site of her beautiful tanned skin. She had delicate, slender curves and perky perfect breasts with dark nipples that pointed toward the sun. His mouth watered and his bear rumbled uncontrollably. He squeezed his eyes closed, trying to calm down.

Maria waded over to the hot spring and settled into the water along a rocky ledge. There was a natural bench there that she sat on while she dipped her hair into the water and lathered it with soap. All mention of raspberries was forgotten. Buck found the sight of her tight nipples and curvy hips far more enticing than any wild fruit.

Buck waded to Maria and sat beside her, watching her run the bar of soap through her muddy dreadlocks.

After several washes and rinses, she was satisfied and set the soap down. She began to run her fingers through the long strands of her dark hair. Maria turned away from Buck and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

“Could you help comb out my hair?” she asked, looking up at him over her shoulder.

“Sure,” he said, coming closer.

The warm water from the hot spring felt good on his body. The feeling of her hair between his fingers and the smell of her body so close was better than anything he'd ever experienced before. His cock stiffened so hard he didn't know how much longer he could deny its need.

Running his fingers through her hair, he untangled each knot and then ran his hand over the long black cascade over her back, inching closer to whisper into her ear.

“That's better,” he said softly, and kissed her neck gently. “You smell so good.”

“So do you,” she purred.

He reached around her and slid his hand under her tight little breast. He squeezed and tweaked her nipple gently, not able to hold himself back a second longer. Instead of pushing him away, Maria tilted her head back and rested it against his chest. He turned her to kiss her, and she climbed into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. His tongue slipped between her lips and he pulled her hard against him.

His fingers found the soft folds of her core, teasing out the slick wetness of her sex. She gasped as the pad of his finger pressed her tight mound. He kissed her more deeply, his grizzly going wild with demanding growls of desire. He slid his finger down her wet slit, circling around her opening and pressing against her clit again.

“Buck,” she groaned, squeezing him to her.

“Is this okay?” he asked, twisting his thumb on her mound.

“Oh yes.”

He lifted her over the ledge of the pool so that she rested on the soft green grass and leaned back across it on her back. Buck kissed down her body, sliding between her legs. His tongue slid up her pussy, licking up her sweet cream.

She groaned and writhed under him. He had to hold back every instinct in his body not to climb over her and drive his cock deep into her wet warmth. The taste of her sex was enough to satisfy the beast for now. He loved every second as his tongue lapped up her pussy. She ran her fingers through his hair, threading them tightly in his locks. She bucked against him, unable to contain her desire. It was so beautiful, he couldn’t resist her any longer.

“Mate,” he growled, pressing two fingers inside her wet core.

“Oh Buck,” she cried, her body spasming on his fingers as he slid them against her g-spot.

He growled into her clit and then sucked it to push her even further. A scream of pleasure ripped from her lungs as she came. She squeezed her legs around his head, holding him tight. He slid his hands up her hips and slowly parted them, moving up to kiss her and rest his pelvis between her thighs. His cock pressed against her ready entrance as he gazed down into her blazing brown eyes.

She was so beautiful. So perfect and innocent. He moved his hips, sliding his cock up and down her slit. She groaned, and tipped her pelvis toward him, inviting him in.

He gritted his teeth, trying desperately to retain control. He needed her more than he’d ever needed anything in his life. It was like she was the oxygen he needed to live. Without her he’d suffocate. But he kept himself back. He held onto control. Buck angled the head of his cock against her opening and cupped the nape of her neck, looking into her eyes.

“I need to be inside you. Do you want me to stop, Maria?”

“I want you, Buck,” she gasped, pressing back against him.

He growled and gazed down at her with the intensity of his desire. His grizzly was frantic to claim his mate, and Buck couldn’t withstand the need much more. Maria’s eyes grew wide as Buck slid a fraction of an inch inside her.

He leaned down to kiss her. His eyes almost closed before he saw it happen. His beautiful little mate, with the goddess like curves, full pouty lips, and sweet wounded soul, shifted right below him.

One second his queen was a perfect young woman, the next she was a screeching mountain lion. The female cat hissed and scratched at him, crawling away from him defensively.

“Maria,” he said, stepping away from the cat’s warning hisses.

He instantly lost his desire, his heart pounding and his head fuzzy, wondering what he’d done wrong.

“Maria, please. Did I hurt you? Was I going too fast?”

She hissed at him again and took a swipe at his face. Buck ducked away, unable to comprehend what had just happened. He was stuck in place, stunned and immobile. Before he could stop her or shift himself, she bolted, tearing away into the forest.

“Maria! Wait! What did I do?” he yelled after her.

He knew it was no use. Her cat had taken over and Maria was no longer there.