Page 76 of Mated to the Mountain Bear

He drags a hand over his jaw and turns his head to look out the window. The forest has gone quiet.

“He’s out there, isn’t he?” I don’t really need Ben to answer; the tension in his shoulders tells me everything.

Then, a distant howl goes up, sending a chill down my spine. It’s a warning, a call to battle. The wolf is telling Ben it’s time.

“I need you to be okay,” I tell him.

He nods and strokes my cheek one last time before letting his hand fall away. “I’ll be okay once I know you’re okay.”

Taking off his shirt, he holds it out for me to slip into then runs his hands down my arms when he’s done before tangling our fingers together.

“Keep this on. It’s cold out there.”

I stare at him, tongue-tied. He’s about to face a ferocious wolf, but he’s worried about me being chilly?

The urge to tell him how strongly I care for him bubbles up inside me, but I keep my mouth shut. I’ll save it for later. I don’t want to distract him. Instead, I catch his fingers and bring his hand to my mouth, kissing the rough skin on the back of his knuckles.

“If you don’t come and find me, you’re in big trouble.”

His laugh is a deep rumble that warms my heart as he kisses me. “I’m quaking in my boots.”

I follow him as he crosses to the door, his broad back blocking my view completely. When he starts to strip, I try not to stare at the huge muscles that bulge and stretch, still bearing my nail marks.

Sensing my eyes on him, Ben runs his hand over his shoulder, carefully brushing his fingertips along the red, raised lines, and smiles.

“That’s going to drive him fucking insane. He won’t be able to think straight.”

I’m not quite sure that’s a good thing.

Resting my hands on his hips as he opens the door, I kiss the middle of his spine and breathe him in deeply. “Thank you.”

“You can thank me later,” he says before stepping out his front door, completely naked, and facing the dark forest outside.

I move back, hiding just inside the door, with Jerry so close, he’s practically sitting on my feet. I concentrate on Ben, on what he told me to do. And on not letting him down by getting caught.

“You can’t have her. She’s mine,” Ben calls out loudly, standing firm at the edge of the porch. “I know you think she’s your mate, but she’s not. Leave while you can.”

Hidden in the shadows of the trees, a dark laugh starts. My skin crawls and my stomach roils, panic clawing at my gut. This is him. He’s really here.

“You’re the one who’s mistaken, Bear. She’s mine. I’m taking her, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

A tall, dark-haired man steps from the shadows, his eyes glowing an unnatural yellow in the darkness. Even from here, I can tell his skin is clammy, and his hair hangs limp around his face. Instinctively, I can sense there’s something wrong with him.

One by one, more and more pairs of eyes appear between the trees. More wolves. Lots more wolves.

My breath catches. Ben didn’t tell me there’d be this many, but he must have known. If we get through this, we’re going to have a word about trusting me with the facts.

“We’ll see about that,” Ben says.

I’m about to tell him to stop, that we’ll come up with a better plan, when he turns his head in my direction. “Run.”

In a heartbeat, Ben shifts into a bear, and my chance to change his mind is gone. With a bellow that shakes the trees, he barrels across the yard toward the man who’s made my life a misery for the last month.

Ben knew the odds were against him, but he’s sending me away, anyway.

Jerry whimpers and nudges my thigh, snapping me out of my daze. Even the dog knows I should be doing something other than just gawking. He yips at me to get moving. We have to go for help.

So, I grip the gun tighter and run.