Page 84 of Mated to the Mountain Bear

I feel Ben tense beside me, but I have to ask. “What’s your name?”

“Rowan,” the other wolf speaks for him.

I nod, swallowing hard. “I hope he gets better. If he has any information, please let us know.”

Rowan isn’t listening anymore. His gaze locks on me, seeing someone who isn’t there.

“No,” he rasps. “I need her.”

“We’re looking for her.” My voice cracks. “Everyone’s looking for Amber. Terrorizing me won’t bring her back. If you saw anything that might help…”

The tragedy of it all settles over the clearing. A damaged wolf chasing the wrong sister. And somewhere out there, Amber is still missing.

Rowan’s form shudders again, muscles spasming. His pack moves closer, protective, even in their uncertainty.

Stepping forward, Ben shields me completely.

That’s when Rowan truly sees it, the way Ben holds me, the way I look at him. The possessive spread of his fingers across my stomach and how I fit against him.

His eyes clear for just a moment. Human intelligence breaks through. Then pure rage takes over.

“You took her from me. It’s your fault her scent has changed.” Muscles bunch despite his malformed state. Foam flecks his lips. His claws dig furrows in the dirt. “You’re keeping her away. She needs me, not you.”

Shit.

“That’s not what happened.” Ben growls back, shifting to put himself between us. “Listen to your pack. You’re sick. You need help.”

But madness doesn’t listen to reason. His lips pull back from teeth that are too long for his half-human face.

Every shifter in the clearing tenses because they know what’s coming.

Rowan lunges.

34

BEN

Time 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.”