Page 13 of Cowboy Bear’s Hope (Motley Crewd Shifters #3)

I left to check the periphery of the woods around my cabin before starting my shift at the barn.

Emmet hadn’t mentioned any more signs of the strange Bear Shifter he’d scented a few days ago, but it still lingered around the spot where he first picked it up.

The nearest established Bear Shifter Clan was hours away in South Jersey, but they were mostly Black Bears. This was a Grizzly.

My beast chuffed angrily at the thought of another encroaching on our territory. I took off my clothes and slipped into my fur, releasing my animal so he could do what he did.

Basically, he fucked shit up.

My Grizzly tore at the trees around the frozen patch of earth where the other Shifter had dared piss. And yeah, I fucking marked the area, too, erasing the scent of other .

Afterwards, I spent some time searching, but I came up empty.

Whoever had been wandering in these woods, it looked like they’d never come back.

I shifted back to my human skin and dressed quickly. It hadn’t snowed again, but we were due for more in the next day or so.

I walked to the pen outside the dairy barn, doing up the buttons of my flannel when the motherfucking bane of my existence stopped in front of me.

Idiotic sandy-haired cretin.

“Damn, Teddy! You went and claimed her, huh?” Kian asked with a big dopey grin on his dumb face.

“None of your fucking business,” I growled, pushing past him.

The big moron leaned over and sniffed, raising all my hackles. Didn’t this fool know not to fuck with a newly mated bear?

“None of my business? Bro, it’s everyone’s business. Plus, you smell like Avery and fucking. Were you guys sexing it up all night? Do Grizzlies fuck doggy style or is it beary style? Or—ggg,” he choked at the end.

But that was likely because I turned and grabbed him by the throat. Then I punched the moron right in his stupid face, taking a little satisfaction in watching him fall ass over teakettle into a big pile of manure once I let go.

Fucking bovines.

“Dammit, Dante! What was that for?” Kian bellowed.

“Serves you right, idiot,” Zeke murmured.

“That was a warning,” I said, ignoring the sputtering imbecile. “Don’t ever talk about sex and my mate in the same sentence ever. In fact, never talk about Avery again. Understand?” I growled, my voice rough with my Grizzly.

“What? I wasn’t saying anything bad,” he mumbled, slipping back into the pile of shit when he tried to stand.

No, I wasn’t going to grin. Even gritted my teeth to stop myself.

It was Saturday, and all I wanted to do was be with my mate. But I dropped Avery and Rosie at Penny and Max’s house right after we ate.

Penny was apparently feeling better after being sick all day yesterday. Couldn’t say the same for her mate, though.

Poor Max.

Penny had apparently walloped him good for not telling her she was pregnant. And with twins.

I’d heard an earful about stupid, red-skinned Devils, and their super sperm, but that was all before I kissed my pretty mate and told her I’d be back in a few hours after I finished working.

Saturdays were still working days on the ranch.

They had their own rhythm.

A slower pace compared to the chaos of the week. Even so, there was shit that had to be done.

But I had to admit I hated dropping her off like that. Like I couldn’t shake the feeling I was missing something.

I pressed my hand against my chest and closed my eyes, feeling our new matebond contract and expand as if it too were having trouble being away from Avery.

Maybe it was because our mating was still so new. Every moment was uncharted territory.

I was still getting used to the fact that she was mine. Really mine.

I didn’t have to look at her from across a room and swallow my daydreams, wondering about what could be.

She was here, real, and wearing my bite—something I’d craved for longer than I cared to admit.

Or maybe it was because I’d wanted her for so damn long that now that I had her, it was like getting the first taste of a feast I’d been starving for.

She wasn’t just a meal. Avery was the whole banquet. One I wanted to savor slowly, every bite more satisfying than the last.

But work didn’t stop just because I wanted to sit and indulge in the warmth of her presence.

The moment I dropped her off replayed in my mind. Rosie had sensed something different, and the sweet cub gifted me with a cute, sloppy kiss on my cheek, shouting her goodbye before taking off for her Aunt Penny.

Avery had just glanced back over her shoulder, a soft smile playing on her lips as she waved. I couldn’t help but think about the end of the workday—about the moment I’d get to hold her again.

That thought alone was enough to push me through the hours ahead.

“Max! Dante just punched me into a pile of shit!”

I scoffed. Kian actually fucking tattled on me.

“Did he now?” Max said, and I could tell from his expression the Jersey Devil was amused.

“Hey, Boss.” I nodded at our Alpha.

Max dipped his chin, then turned to scratch his head as he watched Jed try to help Kian out of the holding pen. Pretty damn comical since Dolly Lee—or maybe Dolly Lou?

Anyway, the little she-goat kept head butting Kian in the gut and knocking his sorry ass back down.

Snort.

It was still cold as fuck, but cows were cows. They needed time outdoors.

The herd was a mixture of Jerseys and Holsteins. They were hearty for cold weather, and in Dry Creek that only lasted a couple of months out of the year.

We mainly kept them in the barn, but we were updating the ventilation system and Jed had moved the old girls outside early this morning.

“Fuck,” Kian muttered, and I had to work not to smile at the picture he made covered in cow shit.

“Uh, Dante, can I talk to you a second?” Max asked.

“Sure.”

I trudged over to where he was, straightening my shoulders. The Alpha and I rarely had a need for private discussions, but I knew this one was coming.

“So, you claimed Avery last night?” Max, our Alpha, asked, his tone even but his piercing, red-rimmed gaze was impossible to ignore.

“I did,” I replied, my voice steady.

In my old Clan, claiming a female without permission from the Alpha was a punishable offense. Usually, that meant a challenge. A fight in either human or Bear form.

Usually, the first one to draw blood won. But sometimes, well, sometimes fights were to the death.

I supposed I should have asked Max if he planned any rules like those for the Motley Crewd Ranch. We were his Shifters, after all. We’d named him Alpha, and my beast recognized him as such.

“And does she understand what that means?” he asked, his gaze unwavering.

“Yes, Alpha. I explained it to her,” I said carefully.

He nodded slowly, tapping his fingers on his jean clad legs. Max wasn’t a bully. Nor was he a tyrant like my last Alpha. But exercising caution was always wise.

“I see, I see. Did you, uh, happen to mention the possibility of Rosie’s father’s supernatural biology?”

Max circled me and I moved with him, scratching the back of my neck and rolling my shoulders.

Keeping loose.

Staying ready.

I did not think he’d attack. But I couldn’t be sure. And my Bear didn’t like uncertainties.

My inner Grizzly stirred, pushing closer to the surface, his presence a heavy weight in my chest.

The beast let out a long, deep growl, vibrating through me.

I didn’t like where this was going. Didn’t like the Alpha poking his nose into my business.

Rosie and Avery were my business. No one else’s.

I came from a place where trust was not easily given.

Grrrr.

The animal in me clawed to get out. He didn’t like what Max was suggesting.

I tried to rein him in, but it was difficult. See, the Bear was created to protect.

My supernatural DNA demanded I use my dual nature to defend what was ours.

Max isn’t like our old Clan’s Alpha, I reminded my Bear.

He didn’t use people, didn’t abuse his power.

The Motley Crewd Ranch was different. This place was a refuge for those of us who needed a fresh start.

Sure, Max was still figuring things out, but he was Alpha. Emmet was the Beta, and he was a damn good one. The rest of us were trying to work out the correct pecking order necessary for peace in groups composed of dominant, lethal creatures like us.

Each member of the Crew was a monster. All of us carried scars and baggage from our pasts. But this place gave us a chance to heal and trust again.

Even so, my Grizzly didn’t take kindly to the idea of anyone questioning my bond with Avery. No matter how good of a man, or Alpha, Max was.

“Not yet,” I admitted, my voice tight. “I was planning to broach the subject of Rosie when it felt right.”

Max sighed, nodding his head.

“Penny is concerned. Avery is her dearest and oldest friend, and apparently, she’s been through a lot?—”

“Pardon me, Alpha.” I cut him off, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

My Grizzly rumbled his approval, and I straightened my spine, meeting Max’s gaze head-on.

“But I know about Avery’s past. Everything she had to go through, every challenge, every heartbreak—it made her the woman she is today. And I wouldn’t change a single thing about her.”

Max studied me in silence, his expression unreadable. I let the weight of my words settle in the room before continuing.

“But the past is the past. I’m her present. And I’m her future. Whatever she’s been through, wherever she’s going, she doesn’t face it alone anymore. She’s mine, Alpha.”

“And Rosie?” he added.

My heart thudded inside my chest whenever I thought of that tiny cub and her sweet smile.

She was a terrific kid.

How could she not be with such a good mom?

I’d always craved family. From the time I was a cub, I knew I wanted a big one.

Having Rosie didn’t make Avery any less attractive to me. In fact, it was the opposite.

I already loved the little girl like she was mine.

Sweet, adorable cub.

I loved watching how Avery was with her. She was so good and patient. Protective and loving.

Everything a mother should be.

“My Bear has already claimed the cub. She’s mine regardless of who her sperm donor was,” I said.

Max leveled me with a look I was certain meant we were about to throw down and I tensed, readying for it.

My senses were on high alert, and I was well aware of the men surrounding us. The wind shifted, a low fog settling over the snow riddled ground. There was a bitter bite to the air that cut through clothes and made even Shifters shiver.

The Crew was listening, watching us. But none interfered.

Then, suddenly, Max’s mien shifted from one of deliberation to something else.

A smirk appeared on the side of his face, and he held out his hand, surprising everyone, but none more than me.

“Good for you, Dante. I’m sure you won’t let either of them down,” he said as I shook his hand.

I paused a second before dipping my chin at his comment.

“I won’t. I’ll do everything in my power to make Avery and Rosie happy and to keep them safe.”

Max’s lips curved into a faint smile, and he gave me a single nod of approval.

“Good,” he said simply. “Then I’ll trust you to handle it.”

I dipped my chin in acknowledgment, silently promising that I would.

Avery deserved nothing less.

“Well, then, congratulations, Dante. Consider your mate and her young a part of the Crew.”

“Oh great. Yogi gets a family! Can we address the fact that I am covered in shit because of this guy?” Kian barked.

“Right,” Max said, “I suggest you go hose that off before it gets stuck on there permanently.”

I snorted, as did some of the other fellas, while Max walked away, shaking his head.

“Well, if there’s one thing about this ranch that’s true,” Emmet said after a minute, “it sure as shit never gets boring.”

“Agreed,” Zeke called out.

“Again with the shit? Fuck, Jed! That’s cold!” Kian yelled from around the side of the pen where Jed was hosing him off.

“The filtration system is back online. Let’s move these old girls inside,” I said, fighting the urge to grin and losing.

We worked together to move the small herd inside the barn just like we’d been doing for months now, and everything went smoothly as could be.

Except for Kian, who’s zipper froze shut after being drenched by the hose.

Idiotic Bull wound up having to shift just to get out of his clothes, which really, he should have done in the first place.

I mean, why did he even care about cow shit when he was one?

Those were musings better suited to another day. I had more important things to do. Like get back to my mate and cub.

My family.

The words hit me like Thor’s hammer, and I almost fell down the second I thought them.

“You alright?” Zeke asked, stopping to gaze at me with his vertical-slitted purple eyes.

“Uh, yeah, I’m good.”

But was I?

I mean, was I a good enough man to deserve a family of my own?

Yes. Mine.

Satisfaction filled me as my Bear pushed those thoughts into my head.

Whether or not I was worthy was no longer the question. Fact was, I had a family now. And they were more than I’d ever hoped for.