Bear Lake- Book Three Read online

  She couldn’t stop, couldn’t take that chance. She’d been bitten and she could feel that darkness within her gaining strength. She knew what it was- a bear. Her bear. But she didn’t want to acknowledge it.

  She pushed to keep it down in the darkness of her mind. Fought to keep it away from her, because every time that she stopped fighting it caught her unaware, tried to push forward, and tried to claim her very soul.

  The more that she fought the harder it was getting. That darkness was going to win. The bear would have out, and then what?

  Shane had made her a bear. Did that mean that she would be like him or like Diego? She didn’t want to be like Diego- she didn’t want to be a bear shifter.

  She cursed herself for ever getting inside of that damn truck with Shane. She cursed herself for ever falling into Diego’s clutches. Now she was running for, what felt like, her life and she couldn’t stop, even if it was what she wanted the most.

  He wasn’t that close but she could swear that she felt Shane’s presence right there beside her. Could mates feel that close even apart? Her soul yearned for him. Her mind locked onto his presence, and her body craved him once more.

  She got into the thick of the woods and had to slow down. Her sock clad feet got tangled in the underbrush as she went. The snow was sparse inside the clumping of the trees, but the bracken stalled her progress. She took heart knowing that it would stall those that chased her as well.

  She caught his scent on the breeze. Knew it instantly. Her heart kicked her in the chest a moment before she felt two strong hands grip her; a cruel hold that yanked her free from the bracken and turned her in mid-air. She tried to break that hold- but it was too strong.

  She felt the hard press of his body against her back and her skin crawled to be set free. This wasn’t her mate and he had no right touching her. She felt her bear clawing to be recognised; baying to press forward…

  “You scent of bear…” Diego’s harsh tone and hot breath grazed her ear. She felt sick.

  “Let go…” She tried to fight his hold, and even with her newfound strength he was still too strong for her.

  “What the hell did you do?” Diego growled. “You stupid bitch.” He yanked her backwards through the trees, uncaring that his hold on her was tightening by the second, uncaring when her knee slammed into a tree trunk or her elbow smacked against the wood.

  “Got away from you.” Lucy bit out. Trying to fight him and the darkness within her was taking everything that she had to give. Maybe if she let the bear out then it would be over?

  They broke free into a clearing at the same time that Shane came from beside them. Her heart raced at the sight of him. He looked fit to kill and yet she wasn’t afraid of him, not for one second, not for one heartbeat…

  “Get your fucking hands off my mate.” Shane growled out.

  Lucy felt Diego’s grip tighten around her ribs. She felt the pain deep within her bones, any tighter and she was sure something was going to give. Her bear rallied within to protect her…

  Lucy felt the fever in her blood. Her muscles quivered uncontrollably. Her mind felt as if it had split apart, two separate entity’s dwelled there, and she couldn’t control the second one a moment longer- it wanted out.

  Every inch of her body screamed with pain the moment that the bear burst free. She wasn’t sure what happened to Diego in that moment, but there was no way in hell the man could have held onto her the moment that her body had shifted.

  It felt like a heady rush of anger mixed with the need to kill. She saw a red mist come down inside of her mind. She wanted to rip and tear, claw and sink her fangs into the flesh of something, anything. Her eyes locked onto Shane and she started forward… He didn’t move a muscle.

  “Lucy, easy…” Shane held his palms up towards her; tried to still her beast, but the bear kept going. She growled and grunted, and for one long moment she wanted to kill him for what he had done.

  Then she caught Diego’s scent on the breeze and snapped her head around towards him. There he stood staring back at her with his mouth open and his eyes wide. A heartbeat later and his bear burst from within.

  “No!” Shane roared. His bear didn’t wait, it burst out from just under his skin and he was already heading towards Diego’s bear, putting himself in its path to Lucy.

  He felt the hard swipe of her claws against his rump as he ran by her. He grunted with the pain as his flesh opened up. She’d got him a good one, but he was intent on only one thing; Diego.

  The bear rose up as he ran towards him. Front paws drew back, and he could see those razor sharp claws, and the thought of that bear using them on his mate sent him wild.

  He ran with all of his strength at the bear, crashing into him as he felt the beast’s claws deep within his flesh, taking him down to the ground under his weight and getting a damn good hold on him with his own claws.

  He heard the female roar. It distracted him for the longest moment. It was just a moment that Diego needed to toss the man aside.

  Shane rolled over the ground. His own weight made it impossible to stop the momentum. His eyes caught sight of Marcus and Reece as they shifted into their bears, but it was the sight of Lucy heading straight for Diego that chilled his heart.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Lucy saw red. There was no other way to describe it. The sight of Diego and Shane locked in battle had sent a fever within her blood that burned like a wildfire. Her bear acted on instinct, started towards the fight, and the moment that Diego tossed Shane away; she struck.

  She wasn’t sure how or what she was doing, but the bear seemed to be acting on instinct. She took Diego by surprise as she ripped and tore at his flesh. Diego fought back- and she felt every slice, every hard thump of his paws hitting her body, and yet she kept going. Ripping and clawing- until she snapped her jaws around his neck and took a deep bite of his flesh.

  He tried to shake her free. Tried and failed. Her claws were deep within his flesh, holding them together, and she shook her head, felt his flesh tear, rip apart… Then she falling under his weight, pinned to the ground beneath him, and yet he didn’t strike, didn’t move a muscle…

  It took a long moment for her to realise that he was dead. In that moment her mind spun as her bear roared in victory. She rolled away, tossed his limp body from her own and pushed up from the ground.

  Her eyes locked on the next two bears that were in the clearing. She growled a warning. These were the bears that were fighting her mate, chasing her, she could scent them.

  They wanted to kill her.

  “Lucy…” Shane’s voice called to her. Her eyes flicked towards him. Standing there naked and beaten, with deep claw marks across his skin. Her heart lurched at the sight of him… “Easy, Lucy…” He held out his palms towards her and the bear twisted its head on its neck, growled, snorted, and then took a step backwards.

  Shane moved forward. Marcus’s bear did the same and her eyes flicked towards him. She growled like a wild thing.

  “No, no, Lucy. Look at me…” Shane moved closer, but Lucy was already backing up. “Look at me, Lucy…” He repeated when her eyes snapped back towards Marcus and Reece.

  “I’m here, Lucy. Nobody will hurt you. I promise. You just have to let go of the bear…”

  Let go of the bear? The bear has to let go of me. I’m not in control here…

  “Push the bear back, honey.” Shane urged her.

  How the hell am I supposed to do that? Damn, I got an idiot for a mate…

  “Push the bear away. Bring yourself to the front. Tell yourself to shift back. Imagine your human form…”

  Short. Curvy. A little too much around the thighs… yeah, that’s not working.

  “Like you’re looking in the mirror, see yourself, imagine yourself, and push that image into the front of your mind…” Shane kept talking but all she heard was blah-blah-blah.

  How the hell can you just push yourself? What does that even mean? The man’s a complete fucking… Oh, wait,
that was different. My muscles quivered, my body felt hotter… do it again… How’d I do it the first time?

  “Concentrate, Lucy…”

  Shut up then and let me. Don’t you know how much that naked body is distracting me?

  The sound of someone breaking through the trees set her on edge. Her bear growled, and at the sight of Jackson- she took another long step backwards. He wants to kill me… He wants to kill Shane…

  She roared a warning and the alpha stopped. For one long moment she felt the fire of rage within, and then Jackson roared his own warning, and her bear coward, for one brief instant she felt the beast withdraw…

  That’s not good. Me, me, I wanna be me…

  Lucy roared as the pain took her bones once more. Her body quivered, her blood fevered to the point where it was all that she could think about… Then she collapse onto the floor, naked and human, and panting like someone had tried to steal her last breath.

  She saw feet. Scented Shane. Then his hands gripped her and he was pulling her into his arms. Not a cruel hold like Diego’s, but strong, gentle, and she was pressed against his chest as he curled his body around hers protectively.

  “I have you, Lucy.” Shane breathed against her ear and her body sprang to life with the presence of him.

  “That went…” Marcus had shifted back into his human form. He cleared his throat. “Well.” He finished lamely.

  “You mean aside from the dead bear.” Jackson bit out.

  “Yeah, apart from that.” Marcus frowned as he turned his attention towards the alpha. Jackson raised just one eyebrow and Marcus grunted. “I know, Marcus, get a shovel.” He sighed with a shake of his head.

  Jackson watched the big man turn to stalk away and he slapped him on the back as he went. He turned his attention back towards the mates and his smile left him. Lucy was in control of her bear- for now, and the shift hadn’t killed her, but Shane… He’d still broken the law.

  ~^~

  “Now I can see her…” Alex announced as Jackson recounted everything that he’d known to have happened out in the woods. She went to walk off but he caught her arm and swung her back around towards him.

  “Shane’s with her. She’s sleeping off the first shift.” Jackson saw the look of disappointment on his mate’s face.

  “But she’s ok? I mean, now that she’s shifted into her bear and survived, you guys just need to teach her how to control it, right?”

  “That’s the blind leading the blind.” Chance offered in his usual downbeat tone. Alex scowled at him.

  “And there’s the little matter of Shane breaking the law.” Reece offered as Suzanna cuddled up to him. She’d weathered this storm in the clan pretty unscathed, she’d been at work through most of it. Snowed in overnight.

  “But I thought someone said that if Lucy speaks for him…” Suzanna looked to her mate for confirmation.

  “What mate isn’t going to speak up for her mate?” Alex shrugged.

  “A pissed off female one.” Chance piped up.

  “Has anybody ever mentioned to you that you sound like Eeyore?” Suzanna scowled at Chance. “Not the tone, but the attitude.”

  “What’s an Eeyore?” Chance scowled back.

  “Winnie the… it doesn’t matter. The fact remains that I’m sure she’ll speak up for her mate.” Suzanne felt assured.

  “Even if she’s pissed off with him, as you guys seem to invoke that response in a woman, she’ll do the right thing.” Alex shrugged, but she nervously bit down on her lower lip.

  “Let’s just wait and see.” Chance folded his arms across his chest.

  “Gee, Chance, optimism just flows through you like a river, doesn’t it?” Suzanna offered.

  “Realism.” Chance shot back. “I live in the real world, Suzanna, not some rose coloured- loved up with my mate- world that you inhabit.”

  “Well, I like my rose coloured loved up mate world, thank you very much, you should try it sometime. But for that you’ll need to get your backside out there and find your mate.”

  “I doubt she even exists.” Chance snorted.

  “Ee-yore!” Suzanna shot back.

  Alex chuckled, but she had one eye on her mate and she noticed that he neither wanted to be a part of the conversation nor did he look to confident that Shane’s mate would stand up for her man. That worried Alex more than his words ever could have. When Jackson became as sullen as Chance- something had to be wrong.

  ~^~

  Lucy woke to the sound of two hearts beating strongly. She could scent Shane in the room even if she couldn’t feel the heat of his body. Every sense seemed to be heightened and she wasn’t sure that she liked it- it was… confusing, distracting, and downright annoying.

  “Hey…” His deep voice sounded close by, but as she peeled her lids back she noted that he was on the other side of the room, sitting in a straight back chair. He looked more than sheepish, but his jet black eyes were eating her up.

  Memories of her time as a bear rushed back to hit her all at once. She could feel the beast stirring within her; anger remained, and it clawed inside of her trying to get out. She sat bolt upright in the bed and ignored the fact that every muscle protested that movement.

  She turned away from him. Tossing her legs over the edge of the mattress as she closed her eyes and tried to push the anger away. Diego was dead; she’d killed him- what more was there to say?

  “How are you feeling?” Shane pushed up to his feet and started towards her when the sound of a bitter laugh left her lips.

  “Like a monster. Like a killer. Thanks for asking.” He stopped in place. Frozen to the spot. His mind searched for something to say, a way to reassure her, but what could he say to that. It felt like an accusation.

  “Lucy…” Shane wanted to go to her. Wanted to comfort her, but he could see the way that she held her body rigid and he didn’t need to fuck with her mind anymore by adding his presence to that.

  “It was self-defence.”

  “Let’s sugar coat it. That’ll make it all better.” Her tone was accusing, and he both wanted to see her eyes, but was glad that she couldn’t look at him at the same time.

  “Nothing will make it better. That’s the nature of the beast. But ask yourself this; if you had been human and had a gun, would you have pulled the trigger?” Shane stood his ground.

  He wasn’t there to save his own skin. Whether she spoke up for him or not he was more than willing to accept his fate for what he’d done- but he wanted to know that she’d be alright. When he was dust in the ground- he wanted her to go on, be as one with her beast, and live.

  “Go away, Shane. Leave me alone.” She closed her eyes and tried to silence everything around her, but when you could hear the flapping of a fly’s wings- it was hard to do.

  “You need someone to get you through this…”

  “What the hell do you know about what I need? Were you bitten or born?” She demanded as she whirled in place and stabbed him to the spot with her eyes.

  “Born, but I’ve known…”

  “Fuck you. Get out.” Lucy growled from deep within. Her bear was reacting to her anger, or the bear was causing it, she didn’t know which one, but either way; Shane was the last person that she wanted to see.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  “If you need me…” Shane said. Her bitter laughter echoed in his ears and stabbed against his heart. He turned towards the door and headed away from her.

  His shoulders were slumped. His head was hanging down, and everything inside of her said to call him back. He was her mate and she felt his pain, and yet she had pain of her own.

  She hated that he’d done this to her. She hated that he’d turned her into some monster with no conscience, no moral compass. It was kill or be killed in her bear’s mind, and she didn’t think that she could live like that.

  She listened and followed his footsteps as he moved through the cabin, noted how they sounded to her new ears, and angrily dismissed it. What did she care how his fo
otsteps sounded? She never wanted to see him again.

  He’d done this. Mate or not- he deserved what he bloody well got.

  Her bear growled and paced within her. Out of the darkness and into her mind, the beast wanted its say. But that was never going to happen.

  ~^~

  Marcus stalked up to Shane. He didn’t like the look of the man. Didn’t like that Shane was normally the one who tried to be upbeat.

  “Will she speak for you?” Marcus demanded and Shane bit down on his jaw as he shook his head.

  “I doubt it. I think right now that she wants me dead.” Shane looked towards the trees. He’d like to roam around there one more time as his bear. “I can’t blame her.”

  “Me either. It was a shitty thing you did to her.” Marcus growled.

  “Gee, Marcus, don’t try to make me feel better.” Shane knew Marcus always called it as he saw it. He knew he’d lost some of the respect that the others in the clan had for him. Hell, even Chance was still able to hold onto his bear- mostly.

  “That’s not my thing, Shane.” Marcus growled.

  He wanted things to be different. He didn’t want to lose a clan brother over this, not if the female could accept her fate, but females were strange creatures and even with all of his expertise in the field of woman, he didn’t really know what they were thinking beyond the ones that wanted a good time bouncing on his cock.

  “Jackson send you here to watch me?”

  “Nope.” Marcus shook his head. “Jackson knows you ain’t gonna run. He’s got too much respect for you, Shane.”

  “Yeah, well, it’s misplaced.” Shane growled out. “Not the running part. But the every- fucking- thing else part.” Shane growled back. His beast needed out, needed to run, needed to take his aggression out on something, but he’d see that beast to hell before he let it have its way again.

  “She might come around.” Marcus held out hope.