Bearing Up In Wolf Rock (A BBW Bear Shifter Romance) (Wolf Rock Shifters) (10 page)

“This rancher. Do you think he knew? That you were shifters?
I mean, before he commanded the dog.”

“To this day I don’t know.
The truth is, I think he knew perfectly well who his dog was attacking, but the thought of it is almost too much to handle. That a human being could kill another one, a little girl, just for being a little different. It sickens me. I prefer to think that he sincerely thought we were threatening, wild animals. It’s the only way that I can sleep at night.”

Maddox paused and took in a deep breath before proceeding.

“
The man took off when he saw Chloe lying there. He called his dog to him and they ran. But Corgan ran after him. He wanted to rip the guy’s head off, and I had to stop him. He’s never really forgiven me for it, but more than that he’s never forgiven people in general. And I don’t mean just humans; I mean shifters; everyone. It’s trust that he lacks, and faith. He’s a sweet kid, he really is. But he has an anger in him that comes out in unhealthy spurts. I’m worried about what might happen if he really gets hold of someone.”

“I can’t say I totally blame him.”

“No, I can’t say I do, either. To watch your baby sister’s life be snuffed out like that…it’s something you never forget. But almost worse was watching my brother suffer. Childhood is meant to be innocent and really, the best time of your life. Everything is beautiful when you’re a kid; everything has promise. But Corgan’s youth was ripped away from him, stolen.”

The massive man’s voice
sounded choked again with these last words.

“
My parents pressed charges, of course. But it was ruled an accident, like the guy hadn’t issued the command. Like he was innocent and his hands were clean. All I can hope is that every night for the rest of his life he sees her face in his mind; her eyes with the life stolen from them.”

“I can’t imagine…” said Kyla.

“And I am here, now, because I couldn’t protect Chloe,” continued Maddox. “But I
can
protect my brother. You can only guard the living; not the dead, and while Corgan is living I will try and keep him safe.”

“But what I want to know is what’s he doing here? How did
he know there were men hunting us?” asked Kyla, a sympathy palpable in her voice.

“That I don’t know
for sure. He left home abruptly—we don’t live together anymore, so it was a few days before I knew he’d left his college dorm. I found out from his roommate where he’d gone, and that he’d found something online that had upset him. Corgan had told me a while back that he suspected that there were men—hunters—that were out for shifter blood. But I have no idea where he’s sleeping, or what his next move is. I’m trying my best to hunt, but obviously I’m not doing a great job since I haven’t found him yet.”

“Well, I’m afraid we have a
better idea where he might be. Another man was attacked last night, not too far from our pack’s cabin,” said Jay. “It seems he got away, but it’s worrying, obviously.”

“Oh God.”

“Maddox, would you be prepared to help find Corgan? It might save his life.”

“Of cours
e. I’m only here to search for him. I’ve been tracking him today and thought I was getting close when you two came along. I guess this is an old trail.”

“Jay,” said Kyla, “Do us a favour. Run ahead to the cabin and tell Tristan what’s been happening.
Tell him I’ll be along with Maddox. I think he and I should branch out a little and come at the place from the north, in case Corgan’s moved that way. Tell the pack to be ready in case we’re in touch and need them.”

“I’m on my way,” said Jay. “You two be careful.”

“We will.”

When Jay had shifted and his wolf form had disappeared, sprinting down the side of the mountain, Kyla said, “Right, you ready?”

“As ready as I’m going to be,” said Maddox. “But Kyla…just so you know…”

He put his hand on her arm, squeezing gently. She saw remorse in his eyes, sorrow at having hurt her. She knew that he wanted to protect her as well, and she liked him all the more for it and forgave him easily.

“It’s okay. Let’s just find your brother,” she said, resolving not to bring emotions into the mix any more than they already were.

Maddox turned his back as Kyla disrobed again and thrust her garments into her pack. When she’d shifted, she gave him some privacy and, taking the discarded jacket in his jaw, he tossed it to her. She wanted to laugh; if only she were a hyena
and could do so.

Packing a bag with no opposable thumbs was always a challenge.

She hooked the pack over her neck and they took off running down the slope. Kyla led the way; she was more familiar with the territory around the cabin, and the mountains in general, and Maddox trusted her. She knew now that he wouldn’t try and run. He had too much to lose.

The day was clear, the air dry and the run was invigorating. Kyla, normally a creature who liked exploring alone, was enjoying the company of the enormous bear who seemed to be watching over her wolf. Occasionally one or the other of them would stop, sniff and change direction slightly, always aware of the distinction between animal and shifter.

When they’d returned to thick forest, Maddox seemed finally to properly pick up a scent and Kyla let him lead the way. She smelled it too; a musky odour that could very well be a bear shifter; not unlike Maddox’s own scent.

As they advanced it grew stronger. Kyla began to hope that they could find a way to get to Corgan before the other wolves, in case a fight broke out. A bear the size of Maddox could fight one, two of them easily. But not a whole pack.

Just as their progress seemed encouraging, the grizzly in front of her pulled to an abrupt stop and shuddered. He raised his muzzle and sniffed the air again and let out a low growl.

Kyla grew frustrated. She didn’t know what was going on; she smelled Corgan too, and now something else…a human?

Maddox thrust his huge head to the right to signal Kyla to follow and he led the way, walking slowly and quietly now, through the underbrush.

As they walked, Kyla felt an apprehension building in her. If there was a human between them and Corgan, he was most likely armed. And it was entirely possibly that Maddox would have to relive the incident from all those years ago in which he’d watched his sister be killed.

She shoved her muzzle into his fur, trying to communicate silently with him.

He turned and looked, his dark eyes shining against his rough coat. But the frustration at not being able to speak only grew.

Kyla shifted then, knowing full well that he could see her. She quickly pulled the pack in front of her torso and spoke. It wasn’t like he hadn’t pretty well seen every inch of her last night, anyhow.

“What is it?” Maddox asked, shifting himself. He wasn’t carrying anything he could use to hide his body, but nor did he seem to feel a need to do so. Kyla tried her best not to let her eyes lazily make their way down his torso, though he wasn’t making it easy. His bronze form was glistening with sweat, and a bead of it was trickling down the middle of his chest, now making its way towards his perfect six-pack, and then….

What she would have given to be able to get her tongue on him.

In her mind, she got on her knees and licked the stream of perspiration off his belly, allowing herself to bend further down and wrap her lips around his cock, which by this point would be rock-hard, its tip glistening with a hint of his lust.

She shook her head, trying to focus.

“I…right. Thing is, I think we
should put some clothes on,” she said, wanting to pour a bucket of ice water over herself. “If we come upon a human it’ll be safer, obviously, if we’re in human form.”

“Right, because he’s less likely to shoot a big, naked man than a bear.”

“Give me a second,” Kyla said, putting her own clothing back on.

“Here,” she said, taking the jacket back out of her bag. “And here.” She pulled out an oversized t-shirt and when Maddox had it on, she helped tie the jacket around his waist in an attempt to make it look as though he was wearing shorts underneath.

“There, you’re perfect,” she said, meaning it more literally than she hoped it sounded.

“Look at us. Hikers,” he laughed.

“Hikers with no shoes.”

“
The good news is I think we’re close,” Kyla said, sniffing at the air again. Her lip curled up a little when she caught the scent of the human.

“
God, I hope he’s not a good shot, whoever it is,”
she thought.

As they walked, she put a protective hand on Maddox’s back. This wasn’t intended as a sign of affection; it was almost involuntary,
as though she wanted him to know that she was there if the worst should happen.

Maddox seemed to understand, and
gladly allowed her to touch him. She could feel the tension in his back, his muscles tightening, ready, she knew, to spring into action.

After several minutes the two emerged from the woods next to a narrow creek. Maddox sniffed.

“This way,” he whispered, and led Kyla upstream.

It wasn’t
long before they saw the bear, who was standing by the water, drinking.

“Oh thank God,” Maddox let out under his breath. “
Corgan!” he yelled.

The grizzly looked up just as the first shot was fired.

The
bullet grazed the bear’s ear. The shooter was clearly aiming to hit him square in the head.

It was only a split second before
Corgan realized what was happening. He turned and ran towards the woods next to the creek, and Maddox and Kyla followed, sprinting after him. The hunter, they all assumed, must be firing from the top of the nearby rock face or some other elevated position and the best thing was to conceal themselves in the thick brush.

A second shot was fired as
Corgan ran, and this one hit him in the left thigh. He made it, limping, into the forest just as his brother and the strange woman by his side came upon him.

Corgan
shifted and Maddox put his arms around his brother, who was wincing in pain.

“We need to get you out of here,” Kyla said. “There’s no time.”

“No. I need to find that hunter,” growled Corgan. This was a nice introduction.

“Not when you’re injured,” Maddox said. “Your ear’s not too bad but your leg’s no good. We need to
get it cleaned up and bandaged, at the very least.”

Kyla pulled a belt out of her pack and secured it, tourniquet-like, around
Corgan’s leg to keep the bleeding to a minimum.

The young man
opened his mouth to protest further but he seemed to know that his brother was right.

“There’s a cave not far from here,” he said, “but I think maybe this shooter knows where it is. I th
ink he’s been following me for at least a day.”

“Persistent bastard
.” Maddox was disturbed and angered at the thought of a would-be assassin after his brother. It was all too familiar, somehow.

“We should get him
closer to the cabin,” said Kyla. “He’ll be protected if we can make it there. And we have a doctor in town who can come out and help.”

“Okay,” said Maddox.

After he and Kyla had given Corgan what clothing they could to cover himself, including the shirt off Maddox’s back, the large man shifted again. His injured brother climbed, with Kyla’s help, onto his broad back and their run began. Kyla then disrobed behind a thick tree and shifted quickly to follow close behind. This was becoming a strange habit.

It was hard
for the young man to hold on; the grizzly had thick fur and Corgan was able to entwine his hands in it but he found himself slipping in and out of a sort of mind-numbing haze from the pain in his leg. Maddox wanted to say, “Just a little further,” but instead he simply grunted reassurances at his brother.

Kyla, meanwhile, was worried. They were bringing a criminal
, a vigilante bear shifter, back to the wolves’ lair and it didn’t seem entirely wise. But Tristan was a fair man and a smart one, and she trusted him. He wouldn’t be impulsive about Corgan, and he’d be sympathetic once he’d heard the story of their sister.

It seemed that most shifters had a story to tell from their youth, of heartbreak or pain of some sort. They were all outcasts in their way, and even if those close to them accepted them for what they were, the rest of the world had its prejudices.
This trend of hunters stalking through their woods was proof, and when they found the cabin, she knew that there would be trouble.

In mid
-stride she changed and said breathlessly as she ran, “Maddox, Corgan, we have a problem. We’ll lead the man right to the cabin if we do this.” She did her best to cover herself with her hands, though Corgan seemed too out of it to care that a naked woman was in his midst.

“She’s right,” groaned
Corgan. “The whole point of my terrorizing hunters is to keep them away from the shifters, not lead them to your pack. Anyone have a bright idea?”