Page 13 of Wrong Turn, Right Bear
Fingers of jealousy curled into a knot in my belly. Him being with another alpha was similar to waving a red flag in front of a bull. The emotion bubbling out of me was unreasonable because he was a grown man. Of course he’d had relationships before. I had too though not exactly relationships because I was waiting for my fated. They were more liaisons.
“Let’s hope that’s in the past.”
He stared at me, his lips parted, making me think he was going to say something. But he clamped them shut and gave me a shy smile.
“Me too.”
I didn’t want the night to end but I had to be up early and my bear had to find the wolf who’d been out of bounds. It couldn’t be left until tomorrow because whoever it was had broken the rules of the local wolf shifter pack.
After dropping Theo off at the hotel entrance, I waited until he’d waved and entered the building before parking. After texting Chuck, I dashed behindthe building, disrobed, and waited for my friend. I’d arranged to meet him in the woods just behind the hotel. Though my bear was clamoring for a proper shift and an amble through the forest, picking berries, I promised we’d do it the following evening.
Chuck’s wolf almost crept up on me he was so quiet. But his scent gave him away. But there was another, not so potent aroma further away.
Chuck’s huge black beast with the white-tipped ears padded toward me and following was a smaller wolf, his head bowed. This was the culprit who had broken the shifter rules, one that had been handed down from the local shifter packs since the first humans moved in.
He would have to be punished.
SEVEN
THEO
I was on a high as I waltzed into my room. No blisters or grazes could dampen my mood. I should have been exhausted but I paced the room as if my veins had been injected with caffeine.
Needing fresh air, I opened the windows and almost changed my mind as a gust of wind ruffled the curtains and I shivered. The ever present gushing of water in the river formed a backdrop to the sky dotted with stars. Then there was the dark patch of woodland to my left and to the far right, part of the hotel car park.
But I braved the night and the accompanying breeze and took deep breaths of the air that wasn’t laden with pollutants and noise of the city. I studied the stars and wondered if Ash was staring at them too.
My gaze alighted on the few cars and I strained to see in the gloom but Ash’s truck was parked there, hiscompany name Ash’s Outdoor Escapes emblazoned on the side.
He was still here. My heart sped up and because I was buzzing, I skipped down the stairs and raced from the lobby into the carpark. I did a 360 but Ash wasn’t here. A dull ache of disappointment sat in my belly.
“Are you looking for Ash?” One of the staff headed to their vehicle said over their shoulder. “I saw him going around back.”
I thanked the guy and sped around the side of the hotel. It was well lit and I wasn’t venturing into the deep dark woods, so I’d be fine. Through the windows, I spied Bert and Angela who I’d met yesterday when I arrived playing cards with another couple.
Okay I was fine. The moon was shining above and lighting my way and the lamps on the perimeter of the property were shining brightly. I avoided the gloomy patch of darkness to my left. I wasn’t going there and I doubted Ash was either. What would he be doing in the forest at night?
A movement ahead of me sent a jolt to my heart. I gulped in huge mouthfuls of air and peered through the night. It was Ash but… but what was he doing? Removing his clothes. Oh did he commune with nature under the moon? Made sense I suppose as he was an outdoorsy guy and spent most of his day not confined byfour walls.
I wasn’t at one with anything though I’d like to be… with his ass. While he was facing away from me, the moonlight kissed his butt and I clutched my shirt. It was a thing of beauty that behind of his, but I silently urged him to stay where he was. I wasn’t following him into the woods. That wolf might still be there.
My gaze was fixed on Ash but he must have fallen because I couldn’t see him any more. What? I blinked and squinted some more. Oh gods, no, there was something big and dark rearing up in his place. Shit, was that a… it couldn’t be… that wasn’t right. My eyes and brain were playing tricks.
A bear! I opened my mouth to scream or to shout Ash’s name but nothing came out. It was similar to those dreams where you ran but never got anywhere. I froze, unable to move or speak because another creature was wending its way toward the bear. A wolf. Perhaps the same one that confronted me today. If the wolf attacked the bear, who would win?
But another wolf was behind the first one. This one was smaller and while I hadn’t caught a glimpse of the one in the woods earlier, I was certain this was the one. A young one and the other one his Mom or Dad?
The three animals faced one another and the younger one hung his head. The poor baby. Was he going to be punished for something he did? Ash had said he would deal with the wolf but he’d vanished.
Please tell me I’m not about to witness a murder.
And was Ash an animal whisperer and wild animals obeyed his commands?
The wolves were nodding their heads but gods my heart couldn’t cope with wild animals conducting a meeting at night in the forest. Is this what they did when humans weren’t around?
Just like earlier, I wasn’t sure if I left, would they pick up on my movement and come after me? The lobby door was around the other side of the building and yes there was a back entrance, more than one, but they’d be locked from the inside, especially as the restaurant was now closed.
My mind buzzed back and forth as to what to do but one blink and another blink and the three animals were no more. In their places stood three naked guys, one of them being Ash.
