Beast Bear (Return To Fate Mountain #2)

Chapter

Twenty-Eight

Serena’s pace was frantic, and her shoulders looked stiff with anxiety. Theo’s thoughts churned with panic as he caught up to her. He reached out with half-shifted fingers that had already begun to extend into claws.

His grip was far too firm, and he felt the tips bite into her flesh. Blood welled up beneath his clawed fingertips, painting faint red streaks on her skin. She hissed in pain and whirled around, tears streaming down her cheeks. She tore free from his grasp and glared at him.

“Don’t you ever touch me again,” she said, her voice shaking. “Don’t speak to me. We’re done.”

Shock and horror coiled through his entire body. The finality in her words slammed into him like a physical blow, and his mind reeled at the thought of losing her forever. He opened his mouth to speak, but his throat burned, and no sound escaped.

It was as though someone had stolen every breath from his lungs, leaving him adrift and desperate. His inner bear raged beneath his skin, demanding he do something, anything, to keep her from walking away. Yet he stood there, hollow and motionless, unable to stop the heartbreak that now consumed him.

He took a shaky step closer, voice quavering with heartbreak. “Please, Serena,” he pleaded, “I’m begging you. Please don’t leave me like this. I need you...”

His words came out in a broken whisper, tears threatening at the corners of his eyes. He stood there trembling, every fiber of his being focused on that plea, hoping she would see the truth in his eyes before it was too late.

She let out a shaky breath, grasping her bleeding shoulder. “No, Theo,” she whispered, “I can’t do this anymore. I can’t stand all this anger and confusion. I’m sorry.”

She turned and walked away, the crunch of gravel sounding painfully final. “Serena,” he moaned.

Desperation gnawed at him. He had already lost his job and every shred of trust from the academy. Now he faced the reality that Serena wanted nothing more to do with him. His bear stirred in the pit of his stomach, fueled by the devastation he felt. He tried to keep it under control, but heartbreak and rage merged into a single wave of emotion he couldn’t contain.

A strangled roar tore from his throat. It echoed through the clearing, sending birds fluttering into the sky. In that instant, his body convulsed. Fur erupted across his arms, and his hands morphed into massive paws. There was no chance to hold it back. His mind teetered, caught between human thought and animal instinct.

He lost all human awareness the moment his paws hit the ground. His ears rang with the sound of his own labored breath. He lunged away and tore into the forest. Branches and thorns raked across his thick fur, but he felt nothing beyond the raging need to run and destroy.

He charged through the undergrowth, chest heaving with wild fury. A sudden movement near his paws caught his attention, and he spotted a cottontail rabbit bolting for the cover of a fallen log.

He threw his weight forward, muscles bunching as his powerful form collided with the terrified creature. The rabbit let out a high-pitched squeal and tried to twist free, but his claws pinned it to the ground before it could escape. Its frantic kicks scuffed the earth, scattering leaves and dirt.

Theo felt a jagged rush of triumph at its helpless struggle. His jaws closed over the rabbit’s back, and he bit down hard, warm blood flooding his mouth. He tore into the fur and flesh with brutal, animalistic force, the taste of fresh kill igniting a dark hunger within him.

With each desperate twitch of the dying rabbit, he felt himself slip further into the beast. Every rip of sinew and every ragged breath fed the savage frenzy that seized him. The hot spatter of blood across his muzzle drove him deeper into a raw, primal state that shattered any last trace of his humanity.

Adrenaline pounded through his veins, and he continued his mad dash through the woods as the day faded into dusk. He felt no pain, only a dull ache of loss buried in the animalistic frenzy. Each step took him higher into the mountains, where the air grew colder.

By the time full night fell, his limbs trembled from exhaustion. He stumbled across a shallow cave near a rocky outcrop. The entrance was low and dark, but it offered enough shelter to satisfy his instinct to hide.

He stepped inside and collapsed against the cold stone, fur still bristling. A heavy, haunted feeling pressed on his mind. Some corner of his consciousness recalled the life he had known only hours ago. As the moonlight slipped into the cave, he closed his eyes, uncertain if he would ever be able to reclaim the man he had been before.