Page 42 of Mated to the Mountain Bear (Bear Protector #1)

BEN

T ime doesn’t slow. Pure instinct takes over as I shift mid-leap, meeting him in the air.

My bear slams into his body with bone-crushing force. We hit the ground hard, his malformed body beneath mine, my massive paw pressed against his throat.

My jaws part, teeth bared inches from his neck. One bite. One swipe. That’s all it would take. This pathetic excuse for an alpha attacked my mate. The instinct to end him rides me hard. My bear wants vengeance for every moment of fear she’s endured.

The clearing goes silent. Every wolf, every bear, even Maddox, freezes. They all know the law. Attempting to harm another’s mate means death.

Rowan struggles beneath me, weak. Broken. His yellow eyes roll wildly, still searching for someone who isn’t here.

“Ben.” Zara’s voice cuts through my rage. Her hands find my fur, fingers digging deep. Gentle but insistent. “Ben, please. Don’t do this.”

My bear snarls. Not at her. Never at her, but in frustration. He terrorised her. Hunted her. Made her afraid in her own home.

“If Amber comes back...” Her voice cracks. “If she comes back and finds out you killed her mate, she’ll never forgive me. Or you. She’ll never recover.”

Rowan goes still beneath me at Amber’s name. A whine escapes his throat, pitiful and lost.

He’s not evil, just broken.

“He’s not in his right mind,” Zara continues, fingers tightening in my fur. “Please. For me. I’m safe. I’m yours. You don’t need to do this.”

With a warning growl right in his face, I step back, for her. Zara wraps her arms around my neck before I shift, keeping one foot on Rowan’s chest, to hold him down.

He’s not even fighting anymore. He knows.

“Get him off my land. Now. Before I change my mind.”

The pack surges forward. Four wolves grab their alpha, who immediately starts thrashing.

“No,” he howls. “She’s here. My mate. Let me...”

It’s pitiful. He’s fighting for Amber like I would for Zara.

“Come on, Alpha.” The beta’s voice is thick with grief. “Let’s go home. We’ll keep searching, but she’s not here.”

I don’t doubt they will. Amber’s the only thing that can save him now.

“She needs me.” The alpha’s words dissolve into snarls as they drag him away.

I pull Zara against me, shielding her from the sight. She’s trembling, tears streaming down her face.

“When he’s... better. If he ever is, I need to know about that night. What he remembers.”

The beta pauses, looking back with hollow eyes. “I’ll try. But without his mate...”

He doesn’t finish. We all know what happens to wolves who never find their mates.

“Beau will be in touch,” I tell him. “My brother’s a PI. If Rowan knows anything that could help us find Amber, we need to know.”

The beta nods. “I’ll do what I can. You showed mercy tonight. The pack won’t forget.”

Maddox steps forward, still naked and bloody, but standing strong. “We’ll help with transport. Make sure Rowan gets home safely.”

They load him into the truck bed, several pack members pinning him down. After finding shorts from his bike, Maddox pulls out down my driveway with a salute and sad nod.

Everyone’s safe. We caught the bad guy. But it doesn’t feel like much of a victory.

As Rowan’s cries fade, Zara turns in my arms.

“You think she was definitely his mate?” She looks up at me, eyes red-rimmed. Her bottom lip trembles.

When I nod, her sadness fills the air between us. “I’m so sorry,” I say, dipping my head to nuzzle her neck.

She puts a hand over her shoulder, resting her palm against my cheek.

“It’s not fair,” she whispers. “I’m here, safe, happy, with you. And Amber...” Her voice breaks. “She should be the one with her mate. She should be the one who gets to be happy.”

The guilt in her voice cuts deep.

“Ben? Is he going to die? Without her?”

I press a kiss to her head as we move inside. I close the door, guiding her toward the back of the cabin where the sounds of the pack’s retreat fade.

“It’s what he’d want. No shifter wants to live without their mate.” I stroke her hair, swaying slightly as she holds on. “Wolves are different; their bonds are more instantaneous, but absolutely, I would. Gladly.”

There isn’t a doubt in my mind that if I were that wolf out there, and my mate was gone, I’d prefer to be put out of my misery. I already can’t see the point of going on if Zara was no longer on this earth.

She pulls back, staring at me. “You’d die? If something happened to me, you’d just... give up?”

Wide-eyed, she waits for me to tell her I’d be okay, but that’s a lie. And I won’t lie to her, not about something this important.

“Yes.”

The simple answer makes her flinch. “How is that right? I wouldn’t want that.”

Zara frowns, and I can see the guilt of her survival settling on her shoulders once more. I rub my thumb over the line between her brows.

“Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up, then we’ll talk.”

She’s quiet as I run a bath, her mind clearly spinning. The water heats slowly in my ancient tank. After some food and rest, we’ll talk about it all. About mates. About us. About everything she needs to know.

And maybe she’ll see that being happy, living her life, isn’t a betrayal of Amber’s memory.

That’s if tonight’s revelations haven’t frightened her away.