Page 6 of Snowed In With the Grizzly

The last time I laid eyes on this angel, she was a teenager, visiting her grandma in Wilder’s Edge. I was captivated. She was beautiful. So blonde and pretty and delicate. And my bear knew right away—she’s my mate.

I longed to approach her. But I was a beast. I lived like a savage in the forest and I could barely speak in full sentences. I’d spent most of my life in my animal form, and I had no idea what humans wanted—not least one as special and perfect as her.

So, instead, I watched her from a distance, falling for her a little more every day.

Then, suddenly, she was justgone. Guess she went back home to wherever she lived.

My beast was destroyed. It almost went insane with anguish. It turned violent, destroying everything in its path. I almost got put down.

But then I had a moment… amid the hell of my madness, I realized—maybe I can become the man this princess deserves.

I gathered the last reserves of my sanity, and got my shit together. I joined the military—a trial program for savage, uncivilized shifters like me—and I learned how to be a human. It was tough, and there were some dark, dark days, but the thought of my mate kept me going. Kept me working on myself.

Four years later, I got out, and I came back here and built this cabin with my own hands. It was meditative, constructive. At last, I’ve gotten myself civilized. The only thing I didn’t do was fix up her cabin. I wanted to have everything perfect for her, and then I was gonna track her down in the spring.

But here she is, right on my doorstep. And there’s no way I’m going to let her slip through my fingers this time.

A slight frown creases her soft forehead, and in the sweetest voice I’ve ever heard, she says, “were you expecting me?”

My breath catches.

You have no idea.

I scan her features hungrily, seeing how she’s matured since last time I saw her. Her eyes are the same—huge and bright blue, sparkling from her pale winter complexion. But her lips are plumper now, and the deepest cherry red. She has the same cute, button nose, but her cheeks are a little less rounded, reflecting a grown woman’s beauty. Her blonde hair shimmers like spun gold beneath her knitted gray hat, and she’s wearing a thick, chunky coat, but I can just make out the ripe curves that lie beneath. I inhale deeply, letting her scent flood my nostrils. Honey, lavender. Some kind of feminine beauty products. Sweet and heady and delicious.

Mine,my animal growls.Claim her. It’s all stirred up. Pacing and scratching me up inside. Desperate to get to her.

I gaze deep into those cornflower-blue eyes. “Only all of my life,” I say.

A shadow of uncertainty passes across her eyes.

Darn, that was too much. She’s not used to hearing such things, of course. Not from half-naked strangers, in the middle of nowhere.

I sense she isn’t used to trusting people either, but she gives me the benefit of the doubt. She doesn’t turn away, step back. Good. I don’t want her to doubt a single thing I say to her. Ever.

What happened to her, though? There’s something about her—I see it now. The tension in her face, the hunch to her shoulders.

Someone hurt her.

The certainty hits me like a thunderbolt.

Fury charges my veins. I’m gonna find out who it was and destroy them. Make them wish they’d never been born.

But I need to go slow. I need to be careful not to scare her. I put the axe down.

Then I feel it—vibrations beneath my feet. Vehicle tires, heading in this direction.

Goddamn cops.

They’re still far away, but I have about two minutes before they show up.

“Only kidding.” I force out a laugh, but it sounds dry, grating. Guess I haven’t laughed for a while. “Haven’t seen anyone at the cabin for a long time.”

“Oh.” Relief flashes across her face and she laughs, too. A sweet tinkling sound, like summer streams dancing over pebbles.

“I’m sorry to disturb you. I’m Rowan.” She thrusts out her hand.

Rowan.What a beautiful name. All these years, I’ve wondered what it might be.

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