Page 2 of Beast Bear

She thanked the driver, closed the door, and set the bag on the small table. She pulled out her meal and flicked on the television. The local news droned in the background, showing images of Fate Mountain’s scenic trails and a farmer’s market. Serena popped a fry in her mouth, opened her burger, and took a bite. The cheesy bacon burger slid over her tongue, and she groaned with delight.

She relaxed as she took a long swig of strawberry shake and watched the news anchors banter. Her thoughts began to wander. She thought of her parents’ mate bond. Her father, a dragon shifter, had dominated her cougar shifter mother through their unbreakable connection.

He’d bent her mother to his will, leaving her spirit fractured. Serena had grown up watching the exhaustion in her mother’s eyes. She couldn’t imagine handing her life over to anyone after witnessing that.

By the time she finished her meal, the daylight outside had faded entirely. She cleared the takeout garbage off the table, then flipped channels until she found a rerun of an old detectiveshow. It wasn’t that interesting, but it offered a brief distraction to keep her from spiraling.

After a few scenes, she clicked off the TV and decided she needed a hot shower to wash away the sweat of her drive north. In the bathroom, she turned on the hot water and stripped out of her clothes.

A moment later, she stepped into the shower and stood under the warm stream. The motel shampoo smelled faintly of lavender as she squeezed it into her hand. She lathered it into her hair and as she rinsed out the suds, a flutter of sensation ran through her.

It reminded her just how long it had been since anyone had touched her. Almost six years, she thought, surprised at the number. She’d spent countless nights on the road, no place to call home, no one to hold her. She inhaled and exhaled slowly, reminding herself that she had chosen this path for a reason.

She turned off the tap and stepped out onto the small bathmat, droplets sliding over her muscled curves. She toweled off, slipped into clean pajamas, and combed out her long, dark hair. She returned to the bedroom and settled onto the bed.

On a whim, she reached for her phone, thinking again of the billboard for mate.com. She had avoided the app for years, but the loneliness in her chest nagged at her tonight. Telling herself it was only for curiosity’s sake, she searched for the app.

As it downloaded onto her phone, she read the description. It stated that mate.com’s questionnaire could pinpoint fated mates with perfect accuracy. When it finished downloading, she opened the app and was asked to start an account. Her handsshook as she entered her details and a few quick answers about her personal preferences.

One question in particular made her smile. “If you were a vegetable, what would you be?” She laughed under her breath.

After a moment of thought, she typed “kale.” It was hardy and kept growing through cold spells, a plant known for its resilience despite rough conditions. It reminded her of how she wanted to stay strong in any situation.

She moved on to the next prompts, finishing each answer as honestly as she could manage. Finally, she pressed “submit,” her pulse jumping at the thought that an algorithm might link her to her fated mate.

A notification blinked across the screen: 100% Match. Beast Bear. 36. Grizzly Shifter. Chef. Portland, Oregon. His profile showed him in a crisp black chef’s coat embroidered with the name Theo.

“Beast Bear,” she gasped, eyes narrowing at the broad-shouldered figure in the sleek chef’s coat. He stood in front of a sleek, modern kitchen, large windows behind him revealing the city skyline at night. The image looked like a professional headshot. His face was open and friendly, framed by cropped, light brown hair.

He looked successful and grounded in his life, but she glimpsed an undercurrent of danger in his hazel eyes. She closed the app, tossing the phone aside. She wasn’t naïve. If this “Beast Bear” expected her to roll over for him, he had another thing coming. She didn’t mind a bit of danger—her entire career revolved around diving headlong into emergencies—but she refused totangle with any shifter who might dominate her spirit the way her father had dominated her mother.

Chapter

Three

Theo Keenan followedthe path through the staff housing and onto the main grounds, his bear churning inside him with restless energy. He was still reeling from the mate.com notification he’d received last night. “Congratulations! We’ve found your fated mate.”

His mind kept returning to that single word: mate. For a regular shifter, it would be cause for celebration. But he couldn’t forget how easily his beast had nearly destroyed his life once before. Now the idea of showing this woman the beast beneath his skin made his gut clench.

Her profile name was “Medic Girl.” She was thirty-three, a cougar shifter, and a traveling paramedic. Her photo was breathtaking. She was standing near the San Francisco Bay, the coastal wind sending strands of her black hair skimming across her cheek. She wore slim-fitting jeans and a lightweight jacket, and the way she angled toward the camera revealed a curvy, athletic frame.

Distracted by the memory, he stopped on the walkway outside the admin building and opened the app on his phone. Hescrolled to her photo and took in the look in her brown eyes. She stared straight at the lens with a calm, steady gaze that said, “I fear nothing.”

Everything about her called to him, from the slight curve of her smile to the determined tilt of her chin. Even the casual outfit modestly revealed her tantalizing curves. He wanted to know everything about her—her favorite foods, the music she listened to, why she’d become a paramedic. He’d sent her a text almost as soon as he could open the app. But even after eight hours of waiting, she still hadn’t responded.

He pushed open the doors to the admin building, entering a bright, airy lobby. Sunlight poured through large windows, reflecting off polished wood floors. A bulletin board displayed a colorful spread of announcements and schedules. At the far side was a sturdy wood counter.

In his early twenties, Theo had received an advanced Search and Rescue certification at the academy. That was before he’d gone to study culinary arts in Seattle and Portland. Now he’d be working as the head of Food Services for the academy and as an on-call SAR. Since he and his father both had a long history with Search and Rescue on Fate Mountain, the academy had been willing to overlook the park incident. But Theo was well aware that his uncontrolled shifts were a liability waiting to happen.

Theo walked through the double doors into the reception hall. Today was new trainee orientation for the summer course. Theo had been invited to attend so that as head of food services, he understood the trainees’ summer model schedules.

Poppy Miller stepped up to a podium on a small stage. Poppy was the academy’s head administrator and the woman who had hired him. “Welcome everyone,” she began, smiling at the roomas the trainees filed in. “Orientation packets with your names on them are stacked on the side tables. Inside, you’ll find a campus map, course schedules, and housing assignments. Once everyone is settled in, you’ll hear from our course coordinator, Kai Morrow.”

After grabbing their packets, trainees filled the rows of seats facing the stage. Poppy stepped down, and Kai took her place behind the podium. Theo sat in the back row, his gaze moving over the gathering crowd. There was a large turnout for the session. Theo noticed Morgan Delgado scowling at Kai. Morgan was the academy’s equipment manager. Theo had met him briefly yesterday when the man had been complaining about gear budgets while Poppy gave him a tour of the cafeteria kitchen.

“Good morning, everyone. Welcome to Fate Mountain Wilderness Training Academy. For the late summer session, we’re offering a full range of courses–Backcountry 101, Search & Rescue (SAR) Operations, Rope Climbing I and Rope Rescue I. Plus our Paramedic Integration with our Wilderness First Responder Certification.”

After Kai completed the rundown of the training course certifications, Logan Carter, the lead climbing and rafting instructor, took the podium. Logan was a jaguar shifter who Theo had trained with back in the day.

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