Page 43 of Alpha's Claim
I’m afraid too. Afraid for her. Afraid of what she’ll think of me when she finds out what I am.
“Go now!” I roar and fall to all fours, my spine bowing as I fight my bear.
“He won’t hurt you.” Teddy holds up a hand at Paloma, who hasn’t moved. He keeps his gaze on me, poised for my attack.
This fucking asshole. He made me shift and scare Paloma. I need to regain control, but first…I’m going to make him pay.
My bear gains the upper hand, and I lose the struggle. The air crackles as I change.
“Finally,” Teddy snarls.
I rise to my full eight-foot height and roar at Teddy. One warning before I rip him to shreds.
Chapter Nine
Paloma
My jaw hangs open. Dariusis a bear!A massive, terrifying grizzly bear with a row of gleaming sharp teeth and five-inch claws.
He launches himself at his brother–who is also a bear!The two grapple and roll to the ground with vicious roars.
My heart pounds. My feet remain glued to the forest floor despite Darius’ commands to run. I don’t know whether I’m frozen with fear or fascination. Or just because I refuse to be told what to do ever again.
Mostly, I want Teddy to leave Darius the fuck alone.
“Stop!” I scream, picking up a rock and aiming. I reconsider and drop it–I don’t want to hit Darius. I find a big stick instead. I can handle this–I’m around large animals all the time.
“Stop it! Shoo!” I know which one is Teddy by the color of the shreds of the shirt that hang in rags around his neck. I smack him over the head. “Go away.”
As soon as the wood cracks over that massive skull, I realize what a huge mistake I made. This is a grizzly bear,not a horse. Not that I would hit a horse. But this bear could kill me with one swipe of that massive paw.
But, shockingly, Teddy makes a warbling sound and drops to all fours, ducking his head away from me.
“That’s right,” I yell, emboldened. “Go! Go home!” I poke him with the end of the stick. “Bad bear!”
He grabs the branch and breaks it in a very human-like move, and for a moment, I think I’ve gone too far, but then he wheels and bounds away in the same direction he came.
I stare after him in shock, and then a hysterical giggle comes out of my mouth. “A bad bear” –I cover my mouth to hold in the fit of giggles– “on Bad Bear Mountain.”
When I turn to face down Darius, though, I find a naked man in place of the bear. A glorious, muscled Viking man.
He’s panting, his expression strained, his fists and teeth clenched as if in concentration. He stalks toward me, eyes still gleaming gold, and lifts me into his arms, making me feel as light as a feather.
Now I know why I’m not too heavy for Darius. He’s not human. His bear probably likes his woman to have some meat on her bones. He’d crack one of those waiflike models Thom wanted me to look like in half.
“Can’t–” He seems unable to speak. He carries me up the steps of the cabin.
My brain reels and crashes into a brick wall, recognizing anew thatmy lover is a bear. I’ve heard of werewolves. I didn’t know about bears.
“Not–” Darius tries again. “...not safe,” he mutters. “You’re not safe with me.”
Maybe I should be afraid. Maybe Teddy was trying to get Darius to bite me and turn me into a werewolf like them. I mean bear. Werebear.
Oh my God–what is happening right now?
This can’t be real!
Except I’m certain that Iamsafe. Yes, my pulse is racing from adrenaline pumping through my veins, but no part of me believes Darius would hurt me. I didn’t even believe it when he was a giant grizzly bear.