RANCHER BEAR’S BABY(69)

“Michael, they aren’t worried that you’re going to kill one of their kids or Daisy. They’re worried about you, in general. You’ve been through a lot and you’re not the best at handling things, if this isn’t evidence enough for you.

“When that guy shot Lucas, you did what any of us would’ve done. Your bear knew to protect its brother bear. You just got to him faster. Matt said he would’ve done worse. But, no matter how many times you hear us say that, you only manage to think that you’re some monster.”

I threw back the whiskey and poured another glass. “You guys just say that shit.”

“No, we don’t. We’ve never coddled you. None of us are the type. And I’m not going to coddle you now. You’re terrified of your bear. I don’t know if it’s because of what Uncle Max’s bear did to you, or what, but you’re so fucking scared of your bear that you’ve convinced yourself that his normal reactions are all vilified. But your bear’s not broken, Michael, he’s fine. You’re just afraid of him.

“We all see it. You flinch every time one of us shifts. I could shift right now and I bet you’d be so uncomfortable that you’d run off. We never called you on it because there never was a good enough reason, but you’re about to throw away a chance with your mate. How long do you think she’s going to sit around waiting for you?”

I swallowed the whiskey and put the glass down so hard it shattered in my hand. “I’m not fucking afraid.”

“Then what is it? You don’t like the idea of raising another man’s child? Can’t look past the fact that someone else fucked your mate before you found her?”

I roared at him, feeling the need to rip his head off. “Don’t say that about her!”

He kept poking. “Are you afraid you’re not bear enough to handle a mate? Maybe I should go get one of those unmated bears working down at the rodeo to see if they can handle your mate for you.”

“John! Fucking stop!”

“Why, brother? Too scared of your bear coming out to play? Bring it. You may be a chicken shit, but I’m not.”

My anger was getting the best of me and I couldn’t stop it. “Get out of here, John! I don’t want to hurt you.”

He ripped his shirt off and shoved his pants down. “I’ve been in fucking LA for months. I need this. Show me how scary this bear of yours is, Michael. It’s been so long since I’ve seen him. I can’t remember. Tell me, is he as scarred up as you?”

That was it. My bear ripped forward, faster than I expected, and slammed into John’s still shifting form. Before we hit the ground, John was bear. He turned his head and nipped my shoulder before kicking me off of him and standing up.

I ran at him full speed and slammed into him again, knocking us both to the ground. We rolled back and forth, swiping at each other with our paws, snarling and nipping each other. With his words still running through my head, I tried to see my bear in a different light.

John wrestled me off of him, but then another bear jumped into the fray. Matt. He let out a happy roar and dove into John’s body. Then, another landed on my back. I could smell Alex clear as day and something strange happened in that moment.

I wasn’t fighting to kill them. My bear was…playing with his brother bears. I felt like the rug had been pulled out from under my feet. I hadn’t played with my brothers since we were kids.

I gave a mighty roar, deciding to think it all through later and instead enjoy the gift I was being given. We rolled and wrestled until we were all flattened in the grass, outside of the barn, four panting grizzly bears.

John was the first to shift back. He pulled himself up and made a show of spinning in front of me. “Not a scratch. You’re telling me that I’m just so amazing at dodging that I managed to escape a fight with the most vicious bear in Wyoming without getting a single little scratch?”

Well, shit.





CHAPTER 11: Daisy




I’d waited as long as I was going to wait. I had a baby growing inside of me and my baby needed someone who would commit to being its daddy. No matter what happened with Michael, I wasn’t going to pretend like the two hours I’d spent with that random sperm donor qualified him to raise my child. I didn’t even know his last name, and I was sure he would be perfectly fine if he never knew about the secret I was carrying. I didn’t want him. I wanted Michael. This kid would have the best home and the most loving parents if I could just get my mate to stop being a first class imbecile.

I’d seen him following me around. I knew he was checking on me. He cared enough to do that, so I know he was feeling our bond as strongly as I was. He was just a blooming idiot.