Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 44845 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 224(@200wpm)___ 179(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44845 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 224(@200wpm)___ 179(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
The wolf she assumed was Olivia rose up onto her hind legs and surprised Khloe by shifting. Her human form looked so very out of place standing in the woods between the faceoff of giant animals. She held out both hands—one toward the bears and one toward the wolves. “Stop. All of you. We must talk. Everyone please shift. There is no need for this standoff. No one needs to get hurt today.”
The wolf next to Olivia shifted first. He immediately wrapped his arms around her from behind and pulled her against his chest. He had to be Damon.
Two of the bears shifted next, as did Ezra and Elias. That left Khloe and Felix in wolf form as well as two of the bears. Even though there were six wolf shifters and only four bears, the wolves were severely outnumbered. In animal form, they were much smaller, plus only four of them were Alphas. The other two were female mates.
Olivia turned to face Khloe. It was obvious her eyes were unseeing, but she spoke in that direction. “Khloe, shift. Show them you are a regular-sized human. They need to see.”
Felix shifted in front of Khloe and turned to face her. He buried his hands in her fur and looked into her eyes. “Shift, Little mate.”
She drew in a deep breath and finally let her shift take over.
The two bear shifters now in human form gasped, eyes wide. “Holy shit,” one of them said.
The remaining bears growled several more times before also shifting. They were slightly older than the first two but both male, and they stepped forward, extending their full height and thrusting their chests forward. “What is the meaning of this?” one of them shouted.
“Stop!” Olivia yelled. “Everyone calm down and listen.”
“She’s unnatural and must be destroyed,” one of the older men screamed.
Felix grabbed Khloe and held her behind him. “If you lay one hand on her, you will all die.”
Khloe trembled. She grabbed her Daddy’s waist, but she did not cower. She stood her full height slightly behind him. If these bear shifters thought they should attack her, she would shift back in a heartbeat and do everything in her power to ensure she did at least as much damage as they intended.
One of the younger, apparently more sensible, bear shifters held out both hands, keeping his comrades behind him. “Stand down, Drow,” he said to the man next to him. He glanced the other direction and narrowed his gaze at the other elder bear. “You, too, Firat. There is no need for violence. No one among the wolves has posed a threat to us. We will listen to what they have to say.”
Olivia also stood tall in front of Damon. “Thank you, Surge.” She nodded toward the other man. “Thorn.”
The two younger bears—who were apparently named Surge and Thorn—stepped closer to Olivia. She was the one they communicated with. They appeared to respect her.
Surge held out a hand toward Damon. “We come in peace.”
Damon scowled as he took Surge’s hand. “It would appear your comrades do not agree.”
Surge stepped back and shot a look toward Drow and then Firat. “They will listen,” he insisted, perhaps more for the bears’ sake than the wolves’.
Thorn cleared his throat. “Please introduce us to your new mate, Felix.”
Felix stood stiff, but he slowly encouraged Khloe to step in front of him. He wrapped his arms around her from behind the way Damon was holding Olivia. “This is Khloe. We do not know why her wolf is so large, but I assure you she is no threat to your kind.”
Khloe held her breath as the bear named Thorn stepped closer, his brow furrowed, his head cocked to one side. This standoff was surreal, and Khloe held her head high, not wanting any of them to think they intimidated her. If they were half as intuitive as she was, they knew, though.
Thorn stopped a few feet away. He was incredibly large in his human form. He stared at her for several seconds before asking, “Are you telepathic like Olivia?”
She swallowed hard and shook her head.
Felix gave her a squeeze. “She’s clairvoyant.”
The bears gasped, and Thorn turned to glance at his comrades before returning his attention to Khloe.
Felix continued, “So far all we know is that she can sense other animals around her, including bears, but when anyone decides to approach, she’s aware. She will know if you’re coming.”
Khloe realized part of the reason her Daddy was giving them so much information was because he meant it as a warning. The bears could not sneak up on them.
Surge spoke next from near Olivia. “Olivia knows when we’re coming.”
Damon shook his head. “Olivia can scent you sooner than others. It’s different for Khloe. She can sense others from a great distance. Their intentions when it relates to her family.”