Boarlander Boss Bear (Boarlander Bears #1)(33)

She could surprise him with her tiger and let him see how hard she was trying. He would be proud of her, just like he had been last night. Plus, she would be able to find him easier out in the woods as a big cat. She had whiskers to feel vibration, better eyesight, ears made for hearing everything, and big, flat paws to stalk quietly. She could sneak up on him if she was brave enough to Change again.

She could find her courage for Harrison.

The strange, orange moon cast an ethereal glow over the Boarlander woods, dappling the forest floor in soft shadow and light. At the edge of a small meadow, a speckle illuminated the dark in the distance, and then another shone closer. When she walked to the center of the meadow, brushing her hands over the hip-high wild grass, hundreds of fireflies lifted up from their shelter.

Her breath caught in her throat at how beautiful this place was with the lightning bugs blinking constantly like holiday lights. Surrounded by such beauty, this was the perfect spot for her to ask her tiger to come out. She was nervous, sure, and her hands shook badly, but if Audrey needed to endure such pain, maybe it would be easier if she was staring at something so breathtaking. Winking bugs, winking stars, and the orange man on the moon. She wouldn’t be alone.

Her breath trembled now as she shucked her shorts and peeled her shirt over her head. Audrey folded them neatly into a pile and set her sneakers on top.

With a long, steadying breath, she lay down and stared at the night sky one last time. Closing her eyes, she imagined her body as a tiger’s and asked her animal for the honor of her form. A soft satisfied purr sounded from her throat, and then pain blasted up her nerve endings. Audrey seized and grunted at the agony, but focused on counting.

One, two…

Her bones broke through.

Three, four…

No purring anymore.

Five, six…

Too much pain to fix.

Seven, eight…

Too late.

Nine, ten…

She didn’t want to go back again.

With a proud feline smile, Audrey pushed up onto all fours as the last of her fur prickled her skin, covering her body and shielding her from the cool breeze.

She looked over her shoulder at her long, lithe body. White fur with thin black stripes, she was bigger than any tiger she’d seen in a zoo. Her tail twitched, and she panted slightly from the effort of the Change, but now she could smell him—her mate.

And she could hear him, too.

This was the upside to the monster…no, not the monster. This was the upside to her animal. She wasn’t a monster. She never had been. Just different, and out here, different was good. It was coveted and important.

Harrison, Harrison, Harrison. Strong, handsome, caring mate, always putting his crew in front of himself. He could’ve grown up a brute, just like his dad, but he had been stronger than that. Someday, he would make a good father to their cubs. Tigers or bears, it didn’t matter what animals her children would harbor. She would raise them to be proud of their feral sides, like she was now proud of hers. The purr was back in her throat. Happy kitty.

She wove through the blinking meadow, and Harrison’s voice got louder. Excited by the thought of seeing him, she loped faster, head up, ears erect. Hunting for her mate, hunting for cuddles.

“That was your idea,” another voice said. Clinton.

Confused, Audrey slowed, hesitated, then stalked silently forward. She could see them now in the distance.

Cicadas sang in waves, frogs croaked, and above, a family of birds chattered quietly. Little rustlings sounded from burrows and hidey holes in the forest floor. So many little heartbeats, but the biggest, most important one belonged to Harrison.

Facing the river, he stood with his back to her. A waterfall splashed down into the pool in front of him and Clinton. Her mate had showed her this place last night. Bear Trap Falls. Harrison’s jeans clung to his powerful, splayed legs. His shoulders were wide and flexed against his cotton shirt as he shoved his hands into his pockets and shook his head. A soft growl sounded from him. He wasn’t happy. Audrey narrowed her eyes at Clinton. He was the source of most unhappiness around here. She should bite him.

She hunched down, bunching her muscles for an attack, but he turned to Harrison. His face wasn’t the mask of fury that he usually wore around her. He looked…sad. She froze.

“The day I came to you, begging for you to take me into your crew, you said no ladies allowed at the park. To me, that’s what made it worth leaving the Gray Backs. I loved them. They were home, but my bear couldn’t handle what was happening there. You said all potential claims for any of your crew had to be run by you first, and then you said you would give us the same courtesy. We had a say in any of your potential claims.”

“Clinton—”

“No, let me say my piece. I checked every crew I can think of, and there are no bachelor groups left. And I won’t make it long as a rogue bear. My animal will go mad fast, and no one will be there to put me down.”

“Clinton, you’re going mad now!”

“And I want you to be the one to put me down when the time comes, Harrison.”

“Fuck,” Harrison growled out, linking his hands behind his head.

“But for now, I have nowhere else to go. I’ve looked. This place is it. This is my last stand.”

“That’s a copout. You aren’t even trying.”

“You’re wrong.”