Chapter One
Nissa Alexander sniffed, wrinkled her nose, and gave the woods around her one last wary glance before pulling her top over her head. Next came the bra, then her skinny jeans and Aerie lacy undies. They were called cutie booties, and, yeah, her ass did look pretty amazing in them. Now, she stood naked, bare-assed naked, or rather, bear-assed naked.
She was a shifter from the Ursine Clan here in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Her small family owned the one hundred mile stretch of mountainous land that surrounded Bear Paw River and led up to the Appalachian National Wildlife Reserve. Did she want to be here, back in Bear Paw, nursing the wounds of a broken heart with an overwhelming need to go back to the city long enough to kick her lying, cheating ex-boyfriend’s ass? Well, that was a no and a yes. And it kind of sounded like a horrible country music song. My boyfriend is an asshole. He cheated with my best friend. Now I’m butt-nekked in the boonies, waitin’ to get my bear on, bear on, bear on. Yeah, it would probably be a hit.
She shivered when a small gust of cool air wafted over her firm breasts, down her round tummy and between her legs. It might be spring, but there was still a nip in the air. The temperature wouldn’t normally bother her, if she was shifting regularly. But two years of birth control pills and city living had done a number on her body. Gone were the amazing curves she once had. Asshole and ex-bestie, Brittney, had helped with that. But it was Nissa’s fault too. She shouldn’t have let their words get to her. Should have been stronger. Should have said screw you. If you don’t like my larger than socially acceptable body and curves, that’s your loss.
Well, Asshole and Brittney had screwed all right. In the same bed Nissa had shared with him. In the same apartment they had rented after she left Bear Paw. In the same huge city she had run to the day after her eighteenth birthday to escape pack life and the fear of losing herself.
She had hopped the first train out, met a human formerly known as Brian, now Asshole with a capital A, fallen in love, and moved into an apartment with him. She even started those foul-tasting BCPs to ensure she didn’t get pregnant. Her taste buds and sense of smell were amazingly sensitive, and they let her know quite violently for the first few months that interfering with the natural process of being a baby-bear-making factory wasn’t a pleasant thing. But the chills and projectile vomiting finally subsided, and she caught onto something even cooler. Her other side was suppressed. She didn’t feel the urge to shift or worry about her mating heat for most of the two years she lived in the city. It was nice. Calm. She finally had control over her body. And she never had to worry about turning into a monster.
Yeah, she had tiny nigglings here and there. And Asshole had almost peed his pants the first time she growled at him. Served him right. He snatched a piece of chicken off her plate without asking. He probably should have lost a finger or two, but restaurants kind of frown on carnage like that, at least, outside the kitchen.
Now, the nigglings had developed into full-scale shouts in her head. It was a cross between a shrieking two-year-old throwing a temper tantrum and a warm feeling of peace beckoning her toward her bear. And even though it made her nervous, she was leaning toward the soft ball of light shaped like a beautiful bear.
She could do this. The BCPs were almost fully out of her system after only a few weeks. But did she want to? Did she want to change into the one thing she had run from for so long? The thing that could hurt someone. The thing that could change her into a feral beast and kill her loved ones if they didn't kill her first? Bo had been gently hounding her for the past few days. Granted, her Alpha, slash annoying older brother, had given her a week to get settled back in at Bear Paw. But after this morning’s live wake-up call at the butt crack of dawn…
Bo’d shown up and walked right through the front door as if he owned the place. Okay, he owned almost everything in Bear Paw, but still… he threw open her bedroom door, handed her a cup of coffee and said, “Wake up. Get your ass out to the meadow and start working on shifting.” The man usually didn’t talk that much. He was a less-is-more kind of bear. And grumpy. And lately, he had been getting even grumpier. Probably, because he was still unmated and a jerk with a big head.
She told him that too, right before throwing on some clothes and sprinting out the door.
And now she was naked. Alone and naked. Ready to see if today was the day she let her other side take control again. But she was tougher than most people gave her credit for. And she honestly didn't want any more five a.m. freaking wake-up-calls. Yep, that was enough for her to get her bear on. And then, tell Grumpy Pants to leave her alone and let her sleep in.
She focused on the side of her she had kept repressed. She saw the light surrounding her gorgeous, black fur, her black eyes revealing a hint of disappointment. But her bear didn't want to come forward yet. She was still pissed at Nissa for ignoring her. Great, everyone else got the angry, volatile wild animals, and she got the snarky, teenager that was going to just turn her head and pretend she couldn’t hear Nissa.
“Hey, I’m sorry. I really am. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings or push you down for so long.”
Her bear chuffed, and Nissa could feel the eye-roll and whatever, even though she couldn't see it.
“I was scared and confused, and I needed some time. It was a mistake. I know that now. I won't push you, but when you’re ready, I’d like to try to shift. I’ll try not to push you away again. I’ll try.”
Another huff and a snort.
“At least, I’m being honest!” Nissa rolled her eyes and picked up her clothes. This was not how she wanted to start her day. Being woken up to horrible coffee and then talking to herself while arguing with the immature bear inside her made her want to give up on today’s attempt. If her bear wouldn’t come forward, that was her choice, not Nissa’s. Besides, the bear was being a total brat.
Not a bear. Her bear said.
“Oh, I get it!” Nissa snarled. “You’re so passive-aggressive you can’t even call me a bitch to my face, you have to dance around it by calling me—”
Shifter. Not. A. Bear! Her bear was more insistent this time, causing the hairs on her arms to stand straight up.
Shit. Another shifter in the vicinity? She couldn’t differentiate between other animal scents while in human form. But this scent was screaming at her. It was definitely not a bear and was in the forest her little cousins would be frolicking through soon. Bo allowed other shifters to share their land, including the mountain and Bear Paw River, but they had to stay in their own areas. This was bear territory. It was sacred. And the scent was getting stronger.
Before she knew it, she was bounding on all fours through the forest to find the threat trespassing on her land. Her black paws barely touched the ground as she wove in and out of trees. That was the good thing about being a black bear. Being smaller than most of her family members, except for a few cousins who would probably outgrow her by the time they reached their tenth birthday, made it easier to stealthily get through the forest without alerting the trespasser to her presence.
The wolf was sniffing around the corner, his nose close to the ground. His gray and silver coat had a few streaks of black, and his muscles rippled with each movement. He was glorious. Strong. Deadly. And a danger to the cubs who would be out here soon, tromping through the woods and playing, just like she had done as a kid.
Without pausing to think, she let out a low growl and charged the wolf. She barreled toward him. He turned at the last second. His body took the brunt of the impact, sending them both rolling along the forest floor. They landed with a large thud. Her on top, him on the bottom. He snarled up at her and snapped with his vicious teeth as his paw slammed against the side of her head. Surprisingly, he hadn’t used his claws and hadn’t drawn blood. It just rang her bell—hard.
She bellowed in rage and head-butted him as they continued to roll around on the ground. Then, he was on top. Somehow, he had managed to shift her body around. She now lay tummy down on the trail. He leaned on top of her back, his legs on both sides of her, pinning her to the ground. Then he licked the side of her neck, infuriating her.
Yeah, he was bigger and stronger, and his muscle mass was much greater than hers. He could kill her in an instant. So why was he holding her down, and what was up with the tongue action? His coarse tongue was jump-starting her libido faster than Billy Johnson’s old motorcycle. And that thing had had a ton of horsepower. Maybe Dog Breath would lick more than her neck. Her body heated at the thought. She let out a low rumble that sounded more come hither than get off. Dang it! If her last decent sexual encounter hadn’t been so long ago, she’d have found a way to flip the son of a bitch over and take him out.
“That’s enough.” Bo’s voice sounded above them, and she turned her head.
She couldn't quite see him since Dog Breath was pinning her down. But she could see Bo’s legs and tightly clenched fists that unclenched once again and rested alongside his thighs. And she could practically see the look in his eyes, just based on the tone of his voice. Oh boy, she had heard that tone of voice before, and it did not bode well for her canine masseuse-wannabe. He was about to get his ass fried. No one went against Alpha, not without bearing the marks of his power.
“Shift. Now. Both of you.” Bo’s voice was deadly calm, which made him even scarier.
She didn’t want to shift. She was still pissed off at Dog Breath, and, to be perfectly honest, she didn’t want to get dirt where the sun didn't shine. She growled up at Bo, well, toward his legs anyway. Her growl was a very stupid attempt at saying Screw you. Her older brother might not have minded a bit of sibling rivalry. The alpha in him, however, did mind—very much. His power surged from him, sped through her, and not-so-gently forced her human half forward, causing her to shift. Ouch. It wouldn’t leave a mark, but it took her breath away. An energetic ass-whooping from her alpha. Yeah, there was another addition to the awful start to her day. She groaned and collapsed, human and very naked into the dirt. Damn.
She’d been so busy hiding her embarrassment and anger at being forced to shift, she hadn’t even noticed the male lying on top of her. Well, she noticed him now. And it. His very large it, poking into her thigh as they both lay there naked on the ground in front of Bo.
The man seemed to figure it out at the same time and jumped off her quickly. He leaned down to give her a hand up, but she refused it, wobbling onto her legs to stand.
Yep, now she could see Bo’s face, and he was not happy. He had that scary darkness in his eyes that said he would enjoy ripping the other dude apart slowly.
“I gave you permission to do your tracking, not to fondle my sister.”
Oh yeah, that. It had felt pretty nice. Dog breath on her back, forcing her to hold still while she fought him. Maybe nice wasn’t the best word to describe it. Her bear was still glowing from the encounter. Yeah, glowing. As if she needed a cigarette after some damn amazing foreplay.
Mate
Oh, hell no. Nissa didn’t believe in that mumbo jumbo! She still wasn't even sure she wanted to embrace this wildness inside of her again. Look where that landed her. Ass up, face down in the dirt. Dammit, her bear had loved it. And maybe she did, too, just a little. But it didn't mean he was her mate.
She turned to glare at the man who had jump-started her sex drive faster than Jason Momoa holding a bear cub. Her breath lodged in her throat. He was handsome and, oh, so strong—a total bad boy. Tattoos ran across his six-pack abdomen, up his firm chest, following his muscular biceps up and over his shoulder where they probably met on his back. This man was gorgeous. And dang it, his teeth were white and straight—one of her prerequisites in a guy—he probably flossed too. “Guess I can’t call you Dog Breath anymore.”
His eyes lit up, and his lips curved at the corners in a hint of a smile. Until Bo broke the moment by growling at them both.
Nissa broke eye contact and focused on her seething older brother. Bo was huge, larger than Dog Breath and her combined. Which was saying something because Dog Breath was pretty damn huge—especially down there.
Heat crept up into her cheeks as she forced herself not to glance back over at him. Bo threw her clothes at her and waited for her to put them on, which she did quickly. Shifters, even siblings, saw more of each other than the average human, but this little meeting was making even him uncomfortable. Weird. She’d been naked in front of him and their family and friends lots of times. Maybe Bo had a problem with wolves. He certainly seemed to glower at this guy a lot more than any other male she’d encountered in Bo’s presence.
Because the wolf is our mate, stupid. Her bear was rolling her eyes at her again, and now, calling her names. Jeesh. Bo is being protective. You said you weren’t ready to mate.
Okay, Chatty Cathy, shut up. He’s not my mate, and stop the name-calling, Nissa told her bear. She turned her head while Dog Breath wrapped the flannel shirt Bo gave him around his waist. Let’s just go back to bed.
Fine. We agree on that. Her bear huffed one more time and turned away.
“Sorry about that.” Dog Breath reached his hand out, and she shook it. “I’m Zach. Bo gave me permission to do some tracking on the land. I thought if I came out early enough, I wouldn’t bother anyone.”
Bo gave another small growl, and she released Zach’s hand.
“I’m Nissa. Sorry I attacked you. I thought you were dangerous.”
“I am dangerous.” That little smirk and the way his eyes flashed almost made her swoon.
Almost. She bit the inside of her cheek and crossed her arms over her chest. Since she hadn't put her bra back on, that was probably a good idea. The girls were still happy to see this guy.
“What’d you find?” Bo was done growling and back to business mode now that they had gotten dressed and backed away from each other.
“I can’t seem to track her from my wolf side, but my gut says she’s close. I did smell an adult male lion. That’s why I came further onto your land.”
“Shit.” Bo frowned.
“Who are you looking for?” Nissa asked.
Bo nodded, and Zach continued. “A missing woman, a wolf. I was hired to find her and bring her to her pack in Florida.”
“I haven’t seen many wolves in Bear Paw,” Nissa said, her eyebrows furrowing. “A few on the outskirts, yeah, but they mainly just pass through town and keep going. What makes you think your missing female is here?”
“It’s hard to explain—” A breeze rippled through the trees, and Zach froze, his eyes widening before they darkened, and his body visibly shivered. “I’ve got to go. Bo, I’ll keep you in the loop.”
The larger man clapped Zach hard on the back. “Stay as long as you need, just try not to jump on anyone else, especially not my sister.” Bo’s eyes flashed before he turned and lumbered out of the woods. “I’m going to go patrol.”
Zach gave her a cocky grin. “You might want to turn your back, sweetheart. I’m getting ready to shift again.”
Oh, man, she was going to let him have it—him and that arrogant lift of his chin while his piercing, blue eyes sizzled, and his chest muscles started shifting. And his thick… damn! She turned her back before she got another eyeful of something she did not need to be remembering. No, she didn’t need to think about that, nor the way he felt when his bare skin seared hers with just a touch. She grumbled and held her hand out behind her. “Just give me my brother’s shirt back, and you can go do your thing, Dog Breath.”
She heard his low chuckle and the whoosh of air behind her; then she felt the nudge on the back of her legs. Zach was on all fours now, in wolf form, looking like a formidable opponent with his thick fur, sharp teeth, and dark eyes. Then he dropped the shirt at her feet and licked her arm.
“Ew! Slimy dog slobber!” She picked up Bo’s flannel shirt, wiped off her arm, and glared at the wolf lolling his head at her as if it were the funniest joke in the world. He gave one short woof and bounded out of the clearing.
Mate, her bear informed her with a small giggle.
No, he’s not! I draw the line at men who drool. Now, let’s go back to bed.