Page 3 of Big Top Bear Raid
Gage nodded.“I get it, but sometimes, you gotta look out fornumero uno, Wraith.”
Feeling a muscle tick in his jaw, Wraith jerked a nod.“I know.”
Few knew it, but hidden by Wraith’s loner tendencies, he had a soft heart.He hated causing problems for others.Wraith preferred to not make waves, if at all possible.
Plus, Wraith had something his mother had calledthe caretaker gene.He liked helping others.That was why he made time for the youngsters.
Few knew about his extracurriculars besides his closest friends and his shifter pack’s inner circle.
“Tell you what,” Gage began, cutting into Wraith’s thoughts.“The pack’s full moon barbeque is tomorrow,” he reminded him.“While we’re there, I’ll make a discreet comment to Beta Dixon.”Wraith could feel the weight of Gage’s stare as he told him, “I’ll ask him over if Stephan starts getting pushy, so he can see the guy’s behavior first-hand.”
After inhaling deeply, Wraith nodded slowly.“Yeah, okay.”At least, that way, he wouldn’t be the one pointing out Stephan’s increasingly obsessive behavior.“That, uh, that should work.”
Gage patted his shoulder before relaxing back in his seat.“Hey, I heard the bears are supposed to be there,” his buddy stated, probably changing the subject to help ease tension.“You meet them all yet?”
Wraith shook his head.He knew Gage was referring to a small sleuth of brown bear shifters that Alpha Declan had offered sanctuary to.From what Wraith had heard, they’d been kidnapped, tortured, and cursed by witches.
The alpha had just as soft a heart as Wraith, which he liked about the big, dominant wolf shifter.He figured there was far more to their story than what he’d heard, considering the five brown bears and several mates were now living on pack land.Plus, one of the mates was the brother of a wolf shifter who’d been rescued from scientists who’d done extensive experiments on him.
“No, only a few of them,” he revealed.“Was one of the rangers that escorted Madagascar and Ishmael to see Boaz deep in the forest once.”
Gage nodded.“Cool.”Then he pointed to the right.“Turn here.We’ll run up to the waterfall and sleep there in wolf form.”
Wraith knew what Gage was offering him—seclusion, a friend, and safety from his own soft heart.
Turning toward the indicated area, Wraith was more than ready to find a place to settle in for the night.
Chapter Two
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“HEY, MAN.SHIFT.”
Zion lifted his large head and eyed his fellow bear shifter.
Eurik arched a dark brow and slapped him on the rump.“Come on, Zion.Shift,” he demanded again.
Curling a lip, Zion growled in irritation.He was enjoying his afternoon siesta and didn’t want to be disturbed.Zion thought the afternoon sun felt perfect on his brown bear’s fur.
Rolling his eyes, Eurik grumbled, “If it was up to me, you could sleep all afternoon, but Congo sent me.”He crossed his arms over his chest and stared into Zion’s bear’s eyes.“Did you forget we have that barbeque to go to?”
Zion huffed in annoyance because, yup, he’d forgotten.
“We were invited specifically by Alpha Declan,” Eurik reminded him.Then he waggled his eyebrows.“There’ll be steak...and lobster.”Eurik licked his lips, his dark eyes going a little vacant.“Maybe they’ll have crawfish.I miss the crawfish boils we had in Louisiana.”
At the mention of steaks, Zion began to shift.His change from bear to man flowed through him.His fur receded, his muscles and bones realigned, and his body reformed.After about thirty seconds, Zion lay panting on the ground.
“Shifting back still bothering you?”Eurik asked quietly.
With a groan, Zion rolled over and sprawled on his back.“Only when I’m hungry,” he admitted, just as his stomach growled, betraying him.Zion sighed as he stared up at the cloudless blue sky.“Should have had a bigger lunch, I guess.”
Eurik nodded.“I understand.”He crouched beside Zion.As shifters, they didn’t care much about their nudity.Besides, after going through so much together, the members of their bear sleuth acted more like brothers than friends.Patting Zion’s shoulder, Eurik admitted, “I have the same problem.”Dropping back on his ass, he rested his forearms on his upturned knees.“After being caged and bespelled for so long, barely getting to eat and almost always small meals, our stomachs shrank.”He blew out a harsh breath as he cut a wry look Zion’s way as he patted him on the shoulder.“It’s better than it used to be, and we’ll get our systems back to normal eventually.”
Zion jerked a nod.“Yup.”Then he levered to a sitting position.He looked at his friend and gave him a reassuring smile.“We’re getting there.”
“Slow and steady,” Eurik agreed before pushing to his feet.He held out his hand.“Come on, man.You need to get dressed so we can go grab some chow.”
“Don’t have to tell me twice.”Zion reached up and grabbed Eurik’s forearm, allowing him to haul him to his feet.“Tell Congo that I’ll be ready in less than five.”
