Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Arion set a hand on his shoulder as everyone else waited for this explanation. “I’ve met both men before. They were the two shifters Jezebel and I met in the forest that morning when they informed us they were chasing off a pair of black bears.”
Brock was aware of that meeting. “And you think they can be trusted.”
Owen cleared his throat and interjected, “Son, we think it’s in our best interest to trust these men. At least on this subject. Whatever differences we’ve had over the decades need to be set aside while we deal with this problem. We may have our disagreements, but all packs in the area are concerned to learn of our mysterious predator.”
Brock agreed, but he was beyond skeptical. The Grelians were historically known to be argumentative and disagreeable. Surly. They wore full beards and kept their thick hair longer. Brock’s pack—the Drydus pack—had a different set of customs and norms. They shaved their faces and kept their hair shorter. Not that it was a rule. It was simply a preferred style.
“I understand,” Brock finally stated. His father and best friend were right. He needed to be here, and he couldn’t have left his mate at another home today. It was too soon to part from her, and besides, he was still fearful for her life.
It was kind of Arion to permit his mate to also remain in the house to keep Suzette company.
A moment later, as Brock drew in a deep breath, he scented their guests. Everyone else did at the same moment, and they all went on heightened alert.
“The two of us will remain in the house with the girls,” Elias told Brock, nodding toward Damon.
Brock was uneasy about this entire plan, but he also knew it was better to step outside for this meeting rather than invite the Grelians into the house.
Everyone but Elias and Damon filed out and stepped down from the porch, panning out in an arch as the Grelians arrived at a fast gallop and quickly shifted. They stood tall and gruff with serious expressions, the beards Brock had expected, flannel shirts, jeans, and boots. He’d often referred to them as mountain men.
“Good morning,” the darker-haired man said with a nod. “My name is Reynard, and this is Piers.” He angled his head toward the brown-haired man.
Brock glanced toward Talon as Arion’s father stepped forward.
“Greetings, I’m Talon. Thank you for coming.” He introduced everyone else in the circle before continuing, “As I’m sure you’ve heard, we’ve had some trouble. We feel you should be aware. In addition, if anything similar has happened within your pack, we’d like to hear about it.”
Reynard’s brow was furrowed. “Go on.”
“A man was snooping around one of our intended mates in the valley. No one knows who he is. He outsmarted all of us, kidnapped the female on the morning of her intended mating ceremony, and took her to a cave in the mountains. Her mate was able to follow her scent and track her down fairly quickly. She was rescued unharmed except for the emotional toil. However, we are confounded as to who or what this being was. He leaves no scent. He is able to sneak up on us with no warning. He’s strong enough to carry a female up the mountain. We’ve considered human, but that doesn’t add up. Have you had any similar experiences?”
Reynard glanced at Piers, and the two of them shared a silent exchange for several moments before nodding and returning their attention to the Drydus pack members. “Though we have not had anyone infiltrate our pack as you have experienced, we suspect we know who and what that being was.”
Brock drew in a breath. “Please, tell us.”
“There are actually two of them in the area. They are not human. They are black bears.”
Brock gasped. So did nearly all of the men.
“Shifters?” Owen asked. “Bear shifters?”
Piers nodded. “Yes. We know of the two. They are the same two bears we were chasing out of the area a few months ago.”
Arion stepped forward. “You didn’t mention the fact that they were shifters at the time,” he stated, irritation in his voice.
“We were not yet aware. We still have no proof. But we had difficulty keeping their scent. They were toying with us. We suspect they have powers we can only imagine. I believe they block their scent at will.”
Brock shuddered at this disturbing revelation. “If the man who snooped around my mate and abducted her is a bear shifter, why didn’t he kill her?”
Reynard shrugged. “I can’t answer that, but I suspect they are making their presence known. They didn’t mean to harm your mate. They meant to demonstrate that they could. Just like they took us on a wild goose chase for weeks. Because they could, and they wanted us to know it. They never turned on us or attacked us, and there were several instances when they could have. At times, they managed to circle around behind us and take us unaware.”