~

 

The bear was just below the surface of her whole body. It was as if she could feel the fur trying to push out through her skin.

The beast clawed within her to be set free, even as she landed one punch after another wherever she could on Dane’s face and body.

It felt good. It felt like an escape route out of the anger within her.

Her fists hurt. It felt as if she was punching a brick wall.

Rayner could feel his strong arms around her, but he couldn’t seem to reel in the frenzy within her. He wasn’t fighting back. She needed him to fight back.

Dane wrapped a large hand around her wrist and forced her arm behind her back; then he did the same with the other one. He locked her body against his as he tried to soothe her with words whispered against her ear.

It wasn’t working. Her beast wanted out.

Rayner didn’t like the feeling of being caged in. Not when she had tasted the freedom from her anger.

She fought against his hold, fought against the chains of enslavement from her demons that he was trying to wrap around her, and yet she couldn’t break free.

Her beast scratched and clawed within her, telling her that it could break free, free her from anger — free her from his hold, and she embraced that knowledge — that beast within.

“Don’t do it…” Dane growled, but it was already too late. He held on as long as he could, even as her bear tore free of her body and he lost his grip on her, body, mind, and soul.

Rayner swiped her claws through the air, catching him on the shoulder and tearing down his chest, knocking him away from her as she reared up and roared at the feeling of such freedom.

Dane roared in anger. Not at her, but at the world around him.

He’d failed to save her from the beast. Now he had to save her from herself.

Dane was mindful of the vampire’s role in all of this. He could swoop in and end her in a heartbeat.

As his mate charged toward him, he allowed his beast to burst free.

 

~

~

~

 

Rayner had never felt so empowered. All of her anger, all of the buried rage from years of pushing crap down deep inside of her and allowing it to fester was there within her bear.

She saw Dane’s beast and made a beeline for it.

Dane reared up. The deep warning growl that rumbled through his chest was the first warning that he offered his mate.

He was still an alpha, and mate or not, she needed to learn her place in the clan and fast.

He guessed that her bear didn’t understand the message because it was barrelling towards him, aiming to attack. Dane planted his weight and met her head-on, but he didn’t know if it was him, or his bear who was shocked the most when she pulled up short and met him eye-to-eye.

‘Hear me, Rayner.’

Dane knew that trying to form a mental link with her was a shot in the dark. If she’d already bonded with him, then things would be different, but as it was, and with her being a bitten bear and not born to it, it made it harder for her to turn on that part of her mind that would accept him.

 

~

~

~

 

Rayner didn’t know whether to kill him or lick him from head to toe. She guessed that her bear persona like Dane – while she wanted to take a damn pot shot at him for the sheer fact that she’d turned bear.

It wasn’t his fault, not really, and yet, if she’d just got that damn money from Bowie – Bowie – that was the asshole that had done this to her. Her mind narrowed in on her anger, and she turned tail on Dane and started off across the land as fast as her beast could carry her.

It felt – weird, damn weird. Hell, she was an animal, and not in a good way – cursed – she was damn well cursed to spend the rest of her days being a part-time bear.

How the hell was she going to live like normal people now?

How the hell was she going to go for a beer and meet a guy – Dane – he was her guy.

Or was he?

Her bear growled long and hard within her mind, berating her, chastising her for her doubts, and she guessed she had her answer. The beast was torn – a part of her wanted to go get bat-shit crazy at Bowie and rip off a limb or two, and another part of her wanted to turn back around and jump Dane’s bones – that was – stranger than damn strange.

Rayner knew exactly where Dane’s bear was without even having to give it much thought. He was right on her tail and coming up fast.

Damn, she had a tail!

She could hear the heavy thuds of his paws against the ground. She could scent him on the breeze, and boy did he smell good … for a bear, and the closer he got; it seemed that her fur practically stood on end and tingled like her human skin had done when he’d touched her.

Now that was really damn weird.

The thought of killing Bowie gave her a strange sense of purpose. The thought of getting down and dirty with Dane gave her a sense of something to look forward to – like a beer at the end of the day.

Dane was beer? What a damn equation.

What she was going to have at the end of this day was Bowie’s balls on a platter. Now that was definitely something she was looking forward to.

 

~

~

~

 

“What the hell is…?” Roland growled out at the sight.

Dane was chasing some strange female, runaway bear, and they were both heading straight for Bowie’s cabin.

‘Rayner!’ Dane tried to reach her with his mind, but all he did was broadcast his thoughts to his brothers.

“Rayn … ah, crap – no!” Roland growled at the sight of the female bear and put his brother’s words together with what had happened. “You bit her?” Roland’s bear burst from within him – the beast saw just as many shades of red as Roland did.

There were rules, and they were there for a reason. You didn’t bite your damn mate – not unless you’d prepared her for what was to come, and only with her damn approval – and by Roland’s calculation that female hadn’t even had time to digest that she was a damn mate, let alone agree to become a bear shifter.

‘Asshole…’ Roland growled out as he made a beeline right for Dane.

Dane was so intent on getting to Rayner and cutting her off that he didn’t pay any mind to his brother’s beast until the damn thing crashed into him. He got blindsided by Roland’s bear alright.

The damn thing took him off his feet like he’d been hit by a runaway train.

He caught sight of Rayner’s beast climbing the steps to Bowie’s cabin, a moment before Roland’s bear came down on top of him and blocked out the view.

The sound of wood splintering echoed through the night. Dane roared at exactly the same time that Bowie did, and he managed to toss Roland’s beast from on top of him.

‘You bit your damn mate…’ Roland swiped out at him with one giant paw filled with razor-sharp claws.

Dane didn’t bother trying to dodge it. He was more concerned with getting to Rayner before Bowie’s crazy bear shifted and killed her.