Her Bear: An Urban Fantasy Romance (Silver Shifter Book 3), page 1
Silver Shifter Book Three
Her Bear
Alexa B. James & Katherine Bogle
Silver Shifter 3
Silver Shifter 3: Her Bear
Copyright © 2019 Alexa B. James & Katherine Bogle
First Edition
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the express written permission of the publisher, except in cases of a reviewer quoting brief passages in a review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are used factiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, and events are entirely coincidental. Use of any copyrighted, trademarked, or brand names in this work of fiction does not imply endorsement of that brand.
Published in the United States by Speak Now.
ISBN-13: 978-1-945780-71-4
Cover Design by Katzilla Designs
Created with Vellum
Contents
1. Owen
2. Maximus
3. Ariana
4. Ariana
5. Cash
6. Owen
7. Jett
8. Ariana
9. Maximus
10. Ariana
11. Cash
12. Ariana
13. Ariana
14. Jett
15. Owen
16. Ariana
17. Ariana
18. Cash
19. Ariana
20. Jett
21. Ariana
22. Ariana
A Note from the Authors
Chapter One
Chapter One
1
Owen
God I loved that woman.
The morning after making love to Ariana for the first time, I wished I had convinced her to let me stay. I wanted to feel her in my arms, her small, warm body pressed up against me. To ask her if I could call her Ana, a nickname just for me, or what she liked for breakfast, or if she liked morning sex. But I understood why she hadn’t stayed. She wanted to make a good impression on my family, and that meant not coming down for breakfast smelling like sex.
I sighed and rolled onto my back, staring at the ceiling. I don’t think it was possible for Ariana to have made a better impression on my family. They loved her straight away—especially Mom.
A smile tugged at my lips. I couldn’t help it. Seeing Ariana among my clan was satisfying in a whole new way. She belonged here. She’d make an amazing mate and an amazing mother one day. Even though our kids wouldn’t be mine by blood, any child of Ariana’s would be a child of mine. I’d love them just as much as I loved their mom.
The pounding of footsteps throughout the house told me it was time to rise. I was used to getting up early. To run a clan, you had to be an early riser. My dad had taught me that. Get up with the day and embrace it like it was your last.
I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood. After a quick shower and change of clothes, I headed downstairs. My heartbeat sped up as I entered the kitchen, the scent of bacon and eggs luring me in. I inhaled, and my stomach rumbled. My bear growled in agreement, ready to be fed.
Even though I’d told Ariana to sleep in, I hoped she wouldn’t. I couldn’t wait to see her today. I wanted to kiss her and pull her against me. I wanted to sit and have breakfast with her and my family, to block out the rest of the world for a while.
But my mate was nowhere to be seen when I entered the kitchen. Mom leaned over the stove, grilling leftover potatoes from last night and stirring scrambled eggs while my nieces ran around her legs.
I chuckled as Mom shook Kimberly’s youngest boy off her leg for the second time. “You have your hands full this morning,” I said as I plucked Ben from Mom’s ankle.
She looked over her shoulder, relief flashing in her eyes as I heaved Ben into my arms. “Thank you, Owen. Kimmy’s cleaning up outside and left the kids with me until breakfast.”
“How nice of her.” I flashed a grin, and Mom swatted me with the end of her spatula.
“I could send you off to help her, you know,” she threatened.
I raised an eyebrow. “Then who would help you with the kids?”
“Touche.” Mom shook the spatula and turned back to face the stove, leaving me to care for Ben and Samantha while she finished up breakfast.
I corralled the two unruly kids into the dining room. They raced around my feet while I set the table for ten. My brothers usually had breakfast with their wives, but Kimberly always came over with the kids. Dad would join us soon, and then there were our visitors. We’d have a full dining room today—Mom’s favorite kind.
A swift knock at the front door had me pausing, dishes in hand. Before I could answer, the door swung open.
“Good morning,” Maximus said in the other room.
I set the dishes down and leaned through the dining room doorway. “Morning,” I said. I glanced over the wolf alpha’s shoulder and out through the front door. No sign of Ariana. Damn.
“Good morning, dear,” Mom said. “How did you sleep?”
“Well, thanks,” Maximus said, shifting awkwardly. His gaze roamed the kitchen, then the dining room, searching for the same someone I was hoping would show up any minute now.
“She’s not here yet,” I said.
His disappointed expression reflected my own. “Anything I can do to help?”
“We’re almost set up.” I finished sorting the cutlery before I returned to the kitchen. If Ariana wasn’t with Max, then she had to be with Cash. Hopefully the two of them would arrive soon.
“Breakfast is ready,” Mom sang out. “Why don’t you get Kimberly and Dad from the backyard?”
“Sure thing.” I crouched in front of Ben and Samantha, who both peered at me with large blue eyes, looking exactly like younger versions of Kimberly. “Why don’t you go wrestle Uncle Maximus while I get your mom and grandpa?”
Ben grinned from ear to ear while Samantha glanced at the wolf alpha with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Before Maximus could stop them, both kids had latched onto his legs, their chubby arms gripping his knees with bear strength.
“Owen,” Maximus groaned. He teetered as he tried to remove Ben and Samantha, but I caught a hint of a smile on his lips. “What am I supposed to do here?”
I chuckled as I opened the back door. “Just watch them for a minute.”
Before I heard Maximus’s reply, I stepped outside, letting the door close behind me. Kimberly and Dad were picking up leftover trash from last night’s festivities, occasionally tossing a crumpled beer can to the other’s area when they weren’t looking.
My chest swelled at the sight of my family. I hadn’t been home nearly as much as I liked in the last few weeks, but it was nice to see that nothing had changed. Home was always waiting for me when I returned. I took great comfort in that.
“Breakfast is ready!” I called.
They stopped what they were doing and turned. Kimberly’s cheeks turned red, embarrassed at having been caught. She was the last to throw a beer can. Dad only laughed as he wheeled up the ramp I’d built onto the side of the porch. I held open the door for Dad and Kimberly, who paused a moment to lean her half-full garbage bag against the side of the house.
“It smells great, Mom,” Kimberly said as she entered the house.
I closed the door behind us and followed them into the dining room.
Maximus sat on one side of the table, Samantha in his lap and Ben bouncing up and down on the chair beside him. Cash sat on the other side of the table, a wide grin on his face.
My eyebrows furrowed as I inhaled, searching for Ana’s jasmine scent. It was there, but faint, probably from yesterday.
Maximus and Cash both took a second to glance around the room before they stiffened at the same time I did. We all knew who was missing—our mate.
I turned on my heel and strode back into the kitchen. “Mom, have you seen Ariana this morning?”
Mom looked up, her forehead wrinkled in confusion. “No, not yet.”
I turned to my sister as my heart began pounding. “Kimberly?”
“Not since last night,” Kimberly said.
“Don’t worry, dear,” Mom said. “She’s probably slept in. I’m sure she needs it.”
Maximus and Cash were on their feet and in the kitchen in moments.
“Who saw her last?” Maximus asked, a growl edging his voice.
“I haven’t seen her since last night at the cookout,” Cash said.
They both looked at me. I tilted my chin up slightly. There was no reason to feel ashamed of sleeping with my mate. “I saw Ana in her room last night, but I left not long after midnight.”
Maximus narrowed his eyes and ground his teeth, but Cash simply nodded. There was no judgment in his eyes, no anger or jealousy. Cash was already thinking ahead, not dwelling on what had happened.
“She wasn’t in her room when I got up,” Kimberly said, joining us with Ben on her hip.
“Then where the hell is she?” Maximus snapped. I understood his agitation all too well. We may not have been childhood friends like Jett and Cash, but Maximus and I had a lot in common. We’d each taken over our respective clans at an early age, and neither of us
I took a deep breath, trying to rein in the terror that sent my pulse racing. She might have gone out for a walk. Maybe she didn’t know to come look for us in Mom and Dad’s house. Maybe she’d slept in.
“Kimberly, double check your house, please,” I said. This wasn’t the time to panic, but it was the time for action. A plan quickly formed in my head as I barked out orders. “Maximus, check the surrounding area. Cash, check my house.”
I hardly got the words out before Maximus and Cash were out the door, and Kimberly was depositing Ben at our mother’s feet.
“I’m sure she’s fine, Owen,” Kimberly said. She laid a gentle hand on my arm. “I’ll be right back.”
I nodded and took a few calming breaths, centering myself. “I’m coming with you.”
Kimberly raised her eyebrows but said nothing, only nodded as she led the way to the door. I followed on her heels, but five minutes later, it was clear Ariana wasn’t in Kim’s house.
I slammed my fist on the kitchen counter as Kimberly descended the stairs back to the first floor. “Where is she?”
Kimberly’s nostrils flared as she slipped by me. She sniffed the air in the kitchen, around the fridge, and then walked to the rarely used breakfast nook. On the small window bench were several shreds of chicken and a glass of water that had tipped over. It dripped off the ledge onto the floor, forming a small puddle.
“She was here,” Kimberly said. She pointed at the windowsill and then continued to test the air. “I don’t smell anyone else, but there’s something here…”
I joined her between the breakfast nook and the kitchen island, inhaling deeply. Chloroform. My heart raced as I scanned the floor—the water dripping from the window bench, the bits of chicken. That, coupled with the scent of chloroform confirmed it for me. Someone had taken my mate.
“Assemble everyone. We need to investigate every inch of the property.” I hardly got the words out before racing out the back door. There were footprints in the dirt with deep grooves like some kind of hiking boot.
“I’m on it!” Kimberly called as she raced back to Mom and Dad’s house.
Maximus ran up, his chest heaving. “Did you find her?”
I shook my head. “There were signs of a struggle.”
Max’s eyes flashed gold, and a growl rumbled in his throat. “The vampires took her. I’ll fucking kill them.”
I grabbed Maximus’s arm before he could run off. “We don’t know that,” I said. Despite the panic swirling inside me, I tried to breathe through it and think rationally. Someone had to. “Do you smell any vampires?”
Maximus paused, his mouth half open to argue. Then he grimaced and shook his head.
“Then let’s follow Ariana’s scent. Maybe we’ll get some answers,” I said.
Maximus regarded me for a long moment before nodding.
Using both of our keen senses of smell, we followed Ariana’s trail through Kimberly’s garden to the edge of the forest.
Cash raced to catch up with us, pausing to catch his breath when he met us. “Anything?”
“We’re following her trail,” I said. “Come on.”
I led the way into the forest. The footprints helped, leading the way deep into the trees until a small clearing opened up. I skidded to a halt at the edge.
Half a dozen pairs of footprints trampled the dirt around a set of tire tracks. Someone had taken our Ana, and someone was going to pay.
2
Maximus
As I stared down at the boot prints in the dirt, my mind raced with a thousand possibilities and regrets. I had let Ariana go the night before, had let her have her space against my better judgment. Now she was gone. I thought of how she must feel, alone and scared out there somewhere. My wolf exploded toward the surface of my mind, rage fueling him as he clawed for control. He was right. He could scent her, find her pack link, track her down. We’d follow her to the end of the earth and kill the fucking coward who had stolen her in the night.
“Maximus,” Owen said, laying a massive paw on my arm. “This isn’t the time to lose control.”
“It’s the exact right time to lose control,” I snarled. “Don’t you care that they took Ariana? We need to find her right fucking now.”
Owen blinked at me, his eyes dark with anguish. “Of course we care,” he said. “That’s why we need to do this rationally. So we can all get our mate back.”
For the first time since Ariana said the words to me, they didn’t sting. It wasn’t personal now. Her having three mates wasn’t a rejection of me and my wolf. It was our best hope. Having four mates was the biggest advantage she had right now. These men wouldn’t just try to get her back because she could unite our clans and make political peace. They would fight to the death for their mate, just as I would. My gaze moved between the other two men, fur rippling along my arms and claws extending from my fingertips.
“Then let me track her,” I said, my teeth aching as they threatened to lengthen into fangs. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d come this close to losing control of my wolf. He seemed determined to tear free of my grip and run like a wild animal, hunting down our mate and the vermin who took her.
“Keep your head,” Owen said. “We can’t communicate with you in wolf form.”
That was it. I could communicate with Ariana. I closed my eyes, willing my wolf to quiet so I could hear her.
“What’s he doing?” Cash asked. “If he can’t go after her, I will.”
“Just shut up and let me see if I can find her through our pack bond,” I growled, renewing my concentration.
At last, I felt her. It was faint, as if she were far from me. But our pack bond could not be broken. We’d claimed each other. She was mine. There was no way for her to erase the pack bond now. The only thing that could sever the bond was death.
“She’s alive,” I breathed, my chest bursting with relief. The other two men looked as nervous as I felt as they waited for more. I wanted to tell them she was fine and not far away. I wanted to share something good with them. Instead, I had to shake my head. “I can’t feel anything else. She’s alive, but there’s nothing else. She must be sleeping.”
“Or knocked out,” Owen said. “The chloroform…”
I gave a quick nod. It was true. I could feel her there, but I couldn’t read a single thought. It was the usual pattern for someone unconscious. Unfortunately, there was no way to tell if it was sleep or something more sinister that was keeping my mate subdued.
Our mate.
I met Owen’s tortured gaze and Cash’s frantic one.
“There’s no way to know,” I admitted, reining my wolf in again. “But even if she’s just sleeping, that doesn’t make it better. She could have worn herself out fighting all night. She didn’t go willingly.”
“Ariana never would,” Owen rumbled, a tiny, sad smile tugging at his lips.
“I’ll fly over and see if I can see where this road goes,” Cash said. “Maybe they haven’t gone too far. We don’t know when they took her.”
“This road winds around for quite a while,” Owen said, scratching his beard. “All the way through the valley. They can’t drive fast on it, either. It’s gravel the whole way.”
Maybe, just maybe, there was hope. I clenched my fists, aching for it to be true—aching for her to be okay. She had to. My mind reeled with the thoughts of all we hadn’t done yet. I’d waited ten years for my mate, and I’d barely claimed her before she was taken from me. I’d only made love to her once. We’d never had a chance to play together, to run as wolves together, or hunt together. I’d pictured a long life with her, one full of pups and laughter. I’d wanted to let down my guard with her, to let her in.
