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“The cellar—”
“If I see so much as a threatening bunny, I’ll hide until you return.”
Eyes narrow, he stared at me a moment longer before grunting and turning away. It took all my control not to laugh as his mate practically danced at his side.
I stood in the doorway, waiting in case he turned to check, holding my breath until they disappeared around the bend in the trail. Even then, I hesitated, counting breaths until I was sure they were really gone.
I let out a sigh filled with a tangle of emotions, none of which I wanted to deal with yet. It was a relief to have some space, and I looked forward to taking advantage of it until they returned.
I dragged my bedding from the mattress in the corner of the main room, tossing them into the wash basin outside. The water hadn’t had time to warm in the sun, but I couldn’t wait if I wanted my linens dry in time for bed. Nearden’s scent had already faded, lessening with each wash until I could no longer detect it. Still, I had to be sure there was no trace of another alpha on the bedding for my mating nest.
I’d met Edar a couple times in the village, and all I remembered was the stench of ale that followed him and the paunch hanging over his belt. I knew my brother was getting a handsome reward in exchange, and I trusted him not to trade me to someone who’d hurt me, so while I held no particular attraction to Edar, I had no real argument against him according to my brother.
Resigned to my fate, I tried to remind myself that the bond should assure happiness in time. I hadn’t known Nearden before being mated to him, Father having chosen him when I was approaching my first heat, but we’d grown to care for one another. Even after learning our lack of children was because of a hidden illness that eventually took him from me, I didn’t regret our mating. Hopefully, I could grow to feel the same about Edar.
Shoving all thoughts aside, I flung my bedding over the lines strung in the sun, leaving them to dry. My mating gown flapped in the breeze, taunting, but I turned away. I had time before I could work on letting out the seams to accommodate my enhanced curves, and I had no reason to spend it cooped up inside.
Facing the trees, I let the lure of the shady, green space pull me forward. I’d wander for a while and enjoy the quiet freedom before facing my coming heat and new reality.
Chapter 2
Av’dag
I don’t like to travel so close to the human settlement, but I couldn’t let the bear get away again.
Checking the pile of dung, I judged I wasn’t too far behind him. He would want to avoid the village as much as I did, so it should have been safe to continue hunting. He was a danger that had to be dealt with, especially after the injured old bear had gone after a youngling.
Claws flexing against my thighs, I tipped my head back and scented the air, the stench of dried blood and disease would lead me to him. Usually a situation like this would bring out a whole hunting party to find the animal, but with Mel’cam and Mel’ar both having new mates, a lot of the other alphas in the clan had gone in search of omegas of their own. I was one of the few who’d stayed behind to protect the clan, and now, that meant following the bear.
All I could hear were the rustle of leaves and small noises of birds and squirrels, so I moved on. I followed the paw prints and stench of decay. It was unfortunate to need to put the bear down, but since he’d lost a fight with a younger male and his wounds had festered, it was best for us all to end his misery.
I tracked him further down the mountain, the wandering trail a sign of his deteriorating state. He passed both food and shelter, moving ever closer to the human village. Despite the clan leader and his brother having human mates, we kept our distance from their settlements, not wanting to incite panic, andif the bear kept on his path, I’d have to watch from a distance to see if the humans would handle him.
Growling under my breath, I increased my pace. This was meant to be a quick trip to deal with a threat, and I didn’t want to linger any longer than necessary. It would be better to catch him now than when he was closer to the humans.
I loped through the forest faster than a human could run, but it wasn’t long before a scream ripped through the air and told me I was too late.
The feminine sound of fear had me sprinting, tree trunks blurring, claws digging into the earth beneath me to propel me as fast as I could move. None of my kind were in this area, and no human stood a chance against the beast.
The next scream corrected my path, and in moments I was taking in the scene without stopping my momentum. A lone female stood with her back pressed to a trunk, the old bear towering over her as he let loose a roar. I spared a second to be impressed that she didn’t run and incite him further before he raised a mighty paw and I barreled between them.
He didn’t register my arrival before I caught his arm, grunting with the weight of it. I’d have preferred to deliver his death at a distance, but it was too late. I was in it now, and I wasn’t going to stop until I’d put an end to the threat.
The bear roared again, rearing higher as he fought for his limb away. I dug my claws in and held on, keeping him off-balance. Large as I was, he still had height and weight on me, and even with his injuries, he looked to be a ferocious opponent.
A tiny squeak behind me brought my attention to the human. I turned my head to find her still frozen against the trunk, her wide eyes locked on me as her scent reached my nostrils.
Lavender and lust.
Slick and sweet, feminine musk.
My distraction earned me a terrible blow and sent me crashing to the earth, shoulder and chest burning from the rake of claws. My fur protected me from the worst of it, but even so, I could feel a warm trickle of blood.
Shaking my head, I focused on the bear and pulled my legs beneath me, preparing for the next attack. I had his attention now, the human forgotten in the face of an actual threat.
He dropped to all fours and lumbered toward me with another ear-shattering roar. When he raised up on his hind legs again, I darted forward, slashing with my claws but unfortunately missing anything vital. The blow enraged him, and I barely escaped being mauled.
I rolled away and lunged toward his back leg. I hated putting the bear through more pain, but it left me no choice.
