Page 1 of Cowboy Bear's Hope

Prologue-Dante

What the fuck am I doing?

Walking down the snow-covered path from my cabin on Max Leeds’ property towards the barn where I had plenty of work just waiting to be done was no big deal.

It was a short walk. Twenty minutes or so, and I was moving pretty fast. With the big old Grizzly I had living inside me, the cold didn’t bother me none.

Neither did the early hour or the overall quiet on the ranch at this time of day.

The sun wasn’t up yet. But neither were most people.

I was bigger and stronger than just about everyone on the place, except for maybe Max, but that was because his monster was more magic than animal. Like Zeke, who harbored a huge fucking dragon inside of him.

Being born a Shifter, I’d learned to utilize my dual nature to benefit me where I needed it the most. Long hours and heavy lifting were no strangers to me.

Farm work was in my blood—it always had been.

I was born into the Willow Creek Clan, nestled in the heart of rural Pennsylvania, where sprawling fields stretched as far as the eye could see.

Generations of Shifters had tilled that land, turning the rich soil into a thriving patchwork of crops. The work was hard but honest, and for a long time, I thought it would be my future, too.

But the hateful politics of that Clan? That was another story.

The Alpha was an old tyrant—a relic of another era—mean-spirited and hostile, more interested in control than community.

His way of leading wasn’t about prosperity or peace. It was about dominance.

He saw every problem as a battle to be fought and every man, woman, and Shifter as a soldier in his endless imaginary war.

When my mama passed away, something in me shifted.

Willow Creek no longer felt like home—it felt like a cage.

Without her steadying presence, I didn’t have anything tethering me there. No family, no ties, no real loyalty to the land or the Alpha. And with my beast so close to the surface, I knew staying under his rule would only make things worse.

He thrived on conflict, but I didn’t want to be a weapon for someone else’s war.

I wanted peace—freedom, love, a chance for a real future.

So, I packed what little I had and walked away from everything I’d ever known.

When I came across the job advertisement for farm work here in New Jersey, I answered without a second thought.

The truth was, I’d always liked it there, having visited infrequently in the past. With its rolling meadows and thick woods and only a few hours from the nearest shore or the big city, I felt like it had the best of every world.

It wasn’t exactly far from Willow Creek, but it felt like a whole different life.

This was my fresh start, away from the noise and the battles of my old life. A place where I could work the land without feeling like I was one bad day away from losing control.

This time, the only thing I’d answer to would be the rhythm of the earth beneath my feet.

The pay was good, which was a plus.

I enjoyed being outdoors, and the animals here seemed to like me. They responded just fine to my natural dominance. Even the long hours were good for me.

I needed something to quiet the great growling beast I harbored, and that was no easy feat.

I enjoyed tending to little things. That was exactly what this place needed. Someone who could handle the small herd of dairy cows, goats, chickens, and the other assortment of farm animals that lived on this property.

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