Page 71 of Bear Facts

Or maybe the Lupine could see the mate bond because it had lost anything human it had ever possessed. It was pure wolf now. Things unclear in its human form were sharp now.

The two in the cabin would never be a threat. The Lupine skulking around yesterday had been. The feral wolf still knew the difference.

The wild joy inside the cabin increased the wolf’s loneliness. It had felt these kinds of things before. With a mate of its own? There was no memory of that, which made it even more empty.

The Lupine had been robbed of all it had once been, which made it very angry. And very sad.

One day, the wolf knew deep inside, the anger and the sadness would win. And then the wolf would be dead.

Until then, it could keep watch over the two who were full of life, whose love for each other was just beginning.

Freya woke hours later, in the bed she and Shane had finally staggered to, when the door downstairs banged shut.

She knew right away that it wasn’t a dangerous intruder barging in, because she heard Brody’s rumble and Neal answering. Dougal loudly announced he was raiding the refrigerator for beer. Freya thanked the Goddess she and Shane had managed to scoop up their clothes before climbing the stairs for a round of frantic lovemaking in the bedroom.

Shane continued to sleep. His large chest moved, and a quiet snore emitted from his lips.

Freya smiled, her heart swelling. Her mate. She never thought it would happen to her, never thought a Collared Shifter in a Shiftertown would make her fall sloppily in love with him.

They had many things to work through, of course, but right now, such considerations were pleasantly hazy, giving Freya confidence that she could at last touch happiness.

Shane apparently had mastered the trick of sleeping through a houseful of noisy Shifters, because he didn’t wake. Freya slipped out of bed, groped around until she found jeans and a shirt, and quickly dressed.

The sweatshirt she’d donned was Shane’s, she realized as she left the room. Not only did it hold his warmth and scent, but the sleeves draped a long way over her wrists, and the hem hung almost to her knees.

Freya impatiently shoved the sleeves up her arms and went downstairs.

The three male Shifters stared with interest when they saw her, then pretended they had no idea she and Shane had been upstairs having the best sex of Freya’s life. Reid eyed her without trepidation, his expression neutral.

Freya likewise behaved as though nothing significant had happened between her and Shane. She could be casual if they could.

“Did you find anything?” she asked.

Dougal upended a beer bottle and took a noisy slurp. “No. I should have come up here on my own. I can hunt better by myself.”

“And you’d have ended up like Leo,” Neal observed in his quiet voice.

“Okay, maybe.” Dougal shrugged. “But we’ll never find that feral with Reid around, stinking like a Fae.” Before Reid could speak, Dougal rushed on. “I know you’re hoch alfar, but the feral won’t.”

“Fair point,” Reid said. “But I’ll stick with you in case I have to haul any of you to safety.”

Dougal scowled and resumed his beer.

“This feral is very good at leading us up the garden path,” Brody said. “Or at least in circles in the woods. I’d like to ask him how he does that.” He sounded admiring.

“What do we do now?” Freya asked, discouraged. “Start again in the morning? Move the search from the mountain?”

“The trail’s got to be somewhere,” Brody said in frustration. “We might have to recruit Tiger. He’s like a super Shifter. His specialty is finding people.” He tapped the side of his head. “He’s messed up inside, but brilliant. The only catch is we have to get Dylan’s permission. Dylan likes to keep Tiger close by him.”

“Is he the Shifter you were talking about who’d be Dylan’s backup?” Freya asked. “When he went to talk to Althea?”

“He is.” The deep voice behind her was Shane’s. Freya felt all kinds of gladness as she turned to find him stepping off the stairs. “But if Dylan thinks it’s necessary we find this Shifter, then he’ll send Tiger. If Tiger decides he wants to, that is. No one really tells Tiger what to do.”

“Except Carly.” Brody chuckled. “Cutest thing you ever saw is a petite human woman wrapping Tiger around her little finger.”

Like Misty and Graham, Freya thought. These big warriors needed the common sense and love of the human women to keep them sane.

I’m the opposite, she mused. I need a massively strong Shifter with a smart-ass mouth and big heart for my sanity.

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