Page 93 of Cowboy Bear's Hope

I appreciated his restraint.

This fight wasn’t his to take—it was mine.

This threat was against my family.

And it was on me to defend them.

And I would. With every last breath in my body.

I attacked then, and by the time I stopped there was nothing left of the two Bears who’d threatened my mate but fur, blood, and gore.

My chest rumbled with my growl even as I swapped fur for skin, falling to one knee on the snow covered ground as I tried to catch my breath.

When did it start snowing?

The sound of a 4-wheeler roaring to life had my head snapping up. Max and Zeke both turned as well, their eyes narrowing in confusion.

Then I saw her.

“Avery? Avery! NO!” I shouted, my voice raw with panic as my gaze locked onto my mate speeding down the path on the 4-wheeler, heading straight toward us.

And was she holding a frying pan?

My lungs seized and I couldn’t breathe.

She looked like some kind of avenging angel, her golden eyes blazing with fire and determination, her hair wild around her face.

My heart lurched in my chest as I took in the sight of her, equal parts awe and terror coursing through me.

She was glorious.

But my admiration quickly turned to dread as everything started happening at once.

I roared in warning, the sound echoing across the clearing. At the same time, Max, distracted by the commotion, loosened his hold on the third Grizzly.

Reginald.

The bastard dropped to the ground and shot up like a spring, his body contorting as he shifted mid-charge. Fur erupted over his skin as his massive Grizzly form exploded outward. His focus wasn’t on me, though. Or Max.

It was on Avery.

He barreled toward her with horrifying speed, a half-ton of rage and muscle aimed directly at my mate.

“Avery! No!” I shouted, my voice breaking as I watched her stop the 4-wheeler and dismount, grabbing the frying pan with both hands like it was Excalibur.

She raised it high over her head, standing her ground like a warrior ready to face down a monster.

Except this wasn’t that kind of fairy tale.

This was real, and the monster charging her was not easily defeated.

My muscles burned as I launched forward, every ounce of power in my body focused on one thing. Getting to her in time.

I saw Max running too, in the periphery of my vision, but we were both too far away.

Reginald leaped, his hulking Grizzly form soaring through the air, his claws extended, aiming straight for Avery’s throat.

Time seemed to slow.

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