Page 11

T he sun had barely risen when Carson’s eyelids fluttered open.

He felt a moment of disquiet, not recalling where he was, before he felt the warm, heavy weights on either side of him.

He lifted his head and looked around the room, spying the two bears he was surrounded by.

Their larger, muscular bodies took up most of the huge bed, leaving him pinned between them.

His bladder screaming, he carefully extricated himself, somehow without waking either slumbering shifter.

Pausing at the end of the bed, he scrubbed his hand over his face.

He turned and eyed the pair, the shock of what they’d done the night before making it hard to breathe.

He’d been weak and given in without much of a fight.

His denial meant little now, especially as his cock thickened just looking at the pair of them and remembering what they’d done.

He'd experienced a level of pleasure he’d never expected through kinks he’d never participated in before. The two men had known exactly where to touch, exactly how hard to push. Carson wanted to be pushed even harder the next time.

The next time…

As if it were a foregone conclusion.

He spun and padded barefoot to the bathroom, still sleep weary.

His body ached in unfamiliar places as he walked.

After relieving himself, he washed his hands and glanced into the mirror.

Although he still appeared exactly the same in the reflection, he somehow looked different, too.

A moment of shame hit as he stared at his face.

What have I done?

After a few seconds of self-loathing, he walked to the doorway separating the bedroom from the bathroom.

He leaned on the frame and stared at the two men sleeping.

He wasn’t sure he was ready to wade back into the middle of that pile, and thought perhaps it was better if he had some time alone.

He grabbed his backpack and walked out to the living room.

After dropping his bag on the couch, Carson dressed quickly and tugged on his hiking boots.

Carson knew they’d warned him about hiking alone, but from the looks of things, the only bears he had to fear were the two inside the cabin.

A little space and fresh air was exactly what he needed to clear his head.

Opening the front door as quietly as he could, he escaped into the arms of Mother Nature.

It was gray and chilly. He scented a hint of rain in the crisp, morning air.

Carson tugged his light jacket closer, hoping it would be enough to protect him.

On he walked, higher up the mountain, curious of what he might find along the path.

The pines seemed to grow even denser along the narrow lane, so dense what little daylight there was could barely break through.

It was more like night, the higher he hiked.

There was a stillness to the early morning that suited Carson’s needs. He drew in the pine scent as he walked, letting it clear his head somewhat.

No matter how right last night had seemed, he still felt off.

He’d lived his entire life as a straight man.

He’d also lived his entire life assuming that things like shifters didn’t exist. Where there other creatures that went bump in the night were actually real?

He had so many questions, yet there hadn’t been a right time last night.

The lust he’d felt for them had been so overpowering. He’d completely surrendered without much thought. The guy who overthought everything had given in without much fight.

Two bears meandered out of the woods just ahead of him on the trail. At first he thought it might be Jared and Royce, but as soon as they caught sight of him, he instantly knew they weren’t. Neither were as large as his bears, and Carson wasn’t sure how, but he simply knew they weren’t his males.

Slowly, he began to back up, unsure if these were real bears or other shifters. Regardless, he was in danger.

Why hadn’t he listened?

He trained his gaze on them, watching for any signs they might attack. Praying to the powers of the universe that they didn’t.

Don’t run.

Don’t tempt them to give chase.

He kept slowly backing away, and the two watched without moving. That is until one of them reared up on his hind legs and let out a massive roar. As soon as its forepaws hit the ground, the pair were on the chase, heading straight for Carson.

Carson spun and took off, running down the mountain path.

The gravel was loose in places, and he skidded a few feet.

He struggled with the decline in a few places and had to slow, but he somehow managed to outrun them.

He looked over his shoulder, but only saw one bear.

Carson couldn’t stop to look around for the other attacker, so he sped up as fast as his legs could carry him.

The other bear leapt onto the path ahead of Carson, blocking his escape. Carson shifted to the left and began to climb a steep embankment. The bear behind him slashed at his legs. Carson felt the sting as the tips of the animals’ claws dug in some—but the strike missed for the most part.

His heart thundered in his chest. Fear unlike anything he’d ever known crushed in around him. Unable to stop, he pushed on, dragging himself up the embankment and onto the next part of the mountain road. He raced higher now, the air getting thinner and burning his lungs.

One bear roared behind him, bellowing in Carson’s direction.

Carson looked over his shoulder before rounding a bend and saw the lumbering beast tailing him.

Off in the distance, he saw the other as well.

His legs felt like rubber, but he pushed on the climb, knowing he needed some sort of shelter to get away from the bears.

At the end of the curve, he hit a dead end. He spun to face his attackers and looked for another route of escape. It was all sheer mountain face, and he had no climbing gear in his pack. It sat in his duffel, back in the cabin.

Think, damn it, think!

He searched for an escape as the bear rounded the curve.

He bolted, trying to bypass the beast, but the creature spun at the last second.

It pinned him to the ground. Carson’s head smacked the hard ground, knocking the air from his lungs.

That, plus the weight of the bear above him, and he could barely breathe.

There was no way to scream for help. He couldn’t summon the oxygen to make one, single sound.

Lungs burning, he tried to drag in air—but it was pointless. It only took a moment for him to feel lightheaded. Another for him to see stars floating before him eyes.

Good. Let me pass out before they maul me to death .

As darkness started to fill his field of vision, he heard a familiar roar in the distance.

Hope filled him, but he wasn’t sure if they’d get to him in time.

He fought off the darkness and tried to stay conscious.

His heart thundered in his ears, echoing the fearful beating as he knew the end could soon come for him.

The roar sounded again, and this time, Carson knew it was Royce. A smile came to his lips, even as he fought for air. Even if the creatures killed him, his bears would tear these two to pieces. At least he knew that on the way out.

He’d be avenged.

He didn’t want to die. He clung to hope, grasping in desperation as his vision blurred. The thrumming of his heart slowed. His eyelids fluttered closed. He couldn’t fight the coming darkness anymore.

And then he sucked in a great burning breath, an involuntary reaction. It hurt beyond belief to take that breath, and his body wracked in pain as he drew in another precious lungful. Coughing came next and he looked around as his vision began to clear.

The bear that had been on top of him lay motionless on the ground, blood pooling around its head. The naked human on his knees pleading with Royce for mercy must’ve been the other.

The guy couldn’t be more than a teenager.

Royce, still in bear form, glowered down at the boy, his claws poised and ready to cause injury.

“We didn’t know he was your mate,” the young man said, staring up at Royce. “We thought he was one of your guests, wandering around up here on their own. We only wanted to scare him off.”

Royce, still in bear form, roared into the teenager’s face before swatting the man with one paw. Royce left a thin trail of blood as his claws marked the guy’s chest.

Jared, who’d shifted back into his human form and stood naked between Carson and the pair, glared at the guy on his knees. “It didn’t look like you were only scaring him away. You were killing him. For sport.”

“We weren’t killing him,” the teenager shouted. “You should be thanking us!”

“Thanking you?” Jared asked, brows knitted together.

Royce roared again, swatting the man once more and drawing new trails of blood. Finally, Royce shifted into human form and punched the guy, knocking him to the ground. “Shift into your bear, godsdamn it! I’ll not fight you as a human.”

The teenager moved back onto his knees. “You’ve wanted us dead for years. Go ahead, Royce. Do it.”

No, no, no…

Carson didn’t want a kid killed because of him—even if they’d taken it too far. He wasn’t sure about the other shifter, but if they were both a couple of kids, they didn’t deserve death.

Royce growled, curling his fists, but didn’t make a move forward.

The teen glared up at Royce. “I swear we didn’t mean to hurt him. Just scare him off!”

Royce’s eyes lit up, and he growled, head raised to the sky. He looked back down at the young man, seething. Carson pushed to his feet, Jared rushing over to help him up. Before Carson could rise to his full height, Jared had him in a bear hug, nuzzling his hair.

“Are you alright?” Jared asked, his voice low.

“I think so,” Carson answered his gaze locked on Royce.