Mine To Bear (A Paranormal Shifter Romance) (Atonement Book 2) (7 page)

Edward

"Oh my goodness Keri, you look positively radiant!" Melissa exclaimed, pulling away from Edward to give her new friend a hug. They hadn't seen each other in two weeks, but that didn't seem to matter. He watched the two of them giggle and head off together, leaving him standing there with Derek.

The past six months had been a whirlwind for him. Not only had he gotten the girl, but he had found himself a mate. Their relationship had blossomed at a phenomenal pace, so fast, in fact, that he had begun thinking about things he never thought would come his way. It scared him a little to think about it, but Derek had been there to support him the entire way. Still, not even his best friend knew his latest decision.

"Just look at them, you'd think there had never been a pregnant woman before," Derek commented as the two of them chuckled in response.

They were waiting on Philip and also Keri's friend Lizzie, all of whom were coming tonight to help plan a shower for Keri. The two men had dragged Philip along because, as the third member of their trio, he deserved to be bored out of his mind along with the other two. When the entire party was present, the waiter took them to their table.

"So, Philip, you're the only single one now. Any plans to change that?" Keri teased lightly to laughter around the table when he flushed bright red. His embarrassment didn't stop his quick wit though.

"I still have until these two get hitched," he remarked, jerking a thumb over at Melissa and Edward. She looked over at him and blushed, but to everyone's surprise he didn't react at first,  instead fiddling with something out of sight. A hush came over the table as they wondered what he was about to say.

Thus it was not his words, but his actions that stunned the table into complete silence. Sliding back his chair, he dropped to one knee in front of Melissa. From his pocket, he pulled out a small black box.

"Melissa Chapman, will you do me the immense honor of becoming my wife and my mate?" He had chosen the words carefully, to reflect his true self. He could see through the tears in her eyes that she understood his meaning completely.

Then she nodded.

The End

From the Authors

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Sneak Peak of '
Bear In Mind
'

By
Alannah Blacke
&
Terra Wolf

A look of sadness came over his face, and Keri tried to open her mouth to respond. Before she could though, Derek had turned away from her, dropping the remnants of the picnic on the ground as he faced the wolves. They were only thirty or so feet distant now, steadily closing. They were snarling, snapping at the pair of them, trying to scare them off.

A deeper, foreboding growl echoed through the clearing, sending a rumble down her spine. It took a moment for her to realize that it had come from Derek. As she watched, half in horror, half in fascination, he leaned forward, his arms elongating to reach the ground.

The wolves had slowed their approach at the growl, and as he began to change, they stopped entirely. At first Derek's skin appeared to be darkening in color, but it quickly resolved into fur sprouting from everywhere. He let out another growl, this one louder than before, his head twisting and shaking slightly like animals do when they challenge one another. His frame was expanding in size, doubling, then doubling again.

 In seconds, there was nothing left of Derek, only a massive grizzly bear where he had been. It pawed at the ground, massive claws leaving deep rents in the hard packed earth. It was a wordless challenge to the wolves, indicating that he was not backing down. The largest wolf moved forward slightly, teeth bared as it responded to him.

Then Derek roared.

It was a physical wall of sound, slamming into Keri and driving her to the ground it was so loud and powerful. She went down to one knee, hands bracing herself on either side for balance. Somehow she managed to look up, where she saw the wolves cowering beneath his full blown battle cry. To emphasize his power, Derek reared up on his hind legs and let loose another blast that, if anything, was louder than the first.

It was an awe-inspiring display of power. No normal bear on earth could challenge that, and only the fact that the wolves were abnormally large and powerful themselves allowed them to not flee in terror. Still, they were the first to give, backing up several steps.

The ground shook as Derek dropped onto his front paws, taking a step towards the intruders upon his territory. She hoped he wouldn't do anything stupid or try to show off. The odds were definitely stacked against him at six wolves to one bear.

Click to Read 'Bear In Mind'