Page 74 of Bear Facts

Shane felt his bear coming. He managed to fling off his sweatshirt before his jeans split and the grizzly sprang after Freya, his boots and shreds of clothing scattering behind him.

Life was always less complicated when Shane was bear. His bulk and fur made the cold recede, and his paws covered the uneven ground with ease. The rancid stench of the feral wolf came to him, her fear ramping up the scent. He could hear her now, too, her steps no longer silent to his sharp hearing.

Most of all, he sensed Freya. She stayed human but ran lithely, keeping up with Reid without hindrance. The beauty of her, flashing in and out of the moonlight, made Shane’s heart sing.

He’d made her his mate fully tonight. Never mind they hadn’t yet stood in front of all Shiftertown, while Eric said the words to seal their bond. That was a ritual put into place to keep the peace among Shifters, but it had nothing to do with finding a true mate.

Shane felt whole, more alive than he’d ever been. The emptiness he’d carried around inside him for decades had gone, his love for Freya filling the space.

Of course, she hadn’t yet accepted the mate-claim. When she found her brother, she might want to return with him to her life in the human world, where she could pretend not to be Shifter. A freedom, of sorts. Better than Collars and a Shiftertown, Freya had already said.

I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Right now, they had a feral wolf to catch.

A high-pitched shriek made Shane double his speed. He’d lost sight of Freya, and fear for his mate galvanized him.

He broke through underbrush to find the feral surrounded. Brody had circled around through the woods and now blocked the wolf’s path into the forest behind it. Dougal, who’d followed Brody, moved back and forth beyond him, agitated and edgy.

Reid held the tranq gun to his shoulder, trying for a clear shot. Neal occupied the space Reid couldn’t cover, his sword out and ready. The wolf gazed at the sword in terror, and Shane realized that her shriek had been from fear of it and Neal.

Only Freya stood in a non-threatening posture, her hands up reassuringly.

“I won’t let them hurt you,” she said, voice steady. “I only want to talk to you. You need help, don’t you?”

The wolf stood, stiff-legged, and let out a snarl, her light blue eyes tinged with a red glow.

Shane came to a stop next to Freya, catching the wolf’s gaze. You leave my mate the hell alone.

The wolf stared at Shane for a startled moment, then her fury suddenly drained. She sat on her haunches, lifted her muzzle to the sky, and howled.

It was a mournful sound, full of despair. Heartbreaking.

Neal stepped toward the wolf and touched the sword to her fur. The howling turned to another shriek, then she spun to face Neal on all four paws, the snarls returning.

“What are you doing?” Freya demanded.

“The sword should help her,” Neal said without taking his eyes from the wolf. “The magic of the Goddess can restore sanity.”

“Obviously, it isn’t working,” Freya said in a hard voice.

The wolf leapt away from Neal and whirled toward Brody, poised to hurtle over him to freedom. Brody rose on his hind legs, blocking her, while Shane surged forward, ready to tackle her.

The pop of the tranq rifle ended the hunt. The wolf cried out as the tranq dart thunked into her hip, and she thrashed, trying to fight the drug.

Freya ran to the wolf as her flailing slowed then died away with a pitiful whimper.

The air around the wolf shimmered. Her limbs changed and fur receded, until a bare woman lay before them, tangled in long, dark hair.

Freya caught the woman’s filthy and bloody hands as she started to struggle. “It’s all right,” she said. “I’ve got you.”

The woman’s gaze flicked from Freya to Neal and then to Reid, her bewilderment changing to rage again. But her strength had gone.

She turned back to Freya and clutched Freya’s hands in a feeble grip. “I trust you.” Her voice was hoarse, the words barely forming. “Only you. You are … special.”

Before Freya could ask what she meant, the fight left her eyes, and the Lupine woman slumped to the ground, the tranq taking full effect.

Freya continued to hold her hands. “It’s all right,” she murmured, though the woman was now fast asleep. “Like I said, I’ve got you.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

---